Writing explicit scenes in fantasy

[Jo Zebedee]

to give you some idea how bad it was;

Two years ago TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh complained about winning the award for his novel Mr MacGregor, in which he described a man becoming "entangled in the lissome limbs of this human boa constrictor", referring to a female partner.

taken from the BBC website; i mean lissome? The constrictor should sue.

 

[Warren_Paul]

wow, that does sound bad.

Hopefully mine won't be described like that.

while doing research on this, I read that the better way to write such scenes is to concentrate of what they are feeling rather than the physical act. Like don't even mention or try to describe genitalia at all.

being vague seems to make it all that more steamy

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I quite like Alan Titchmarsh's sex scenes. They work in his stories, I am not sure anyone else could get away with them though - they are hysterical.

He's sort of managed the so bad it's good. It is always a fine line to tread His books sex scenes included are very Last of the Summer Wine/Carry On in feel. (Sort of Compo finally gets his way with Norah Batty).

I do think you have to have read Supergardner first ... somehow it all makes sense after that.

 

[Mouse]

Thanks for the nightmares Mouse.

You're welcome.

Off topic: I used to date someone called Paul Warren. I'm reminded of really bad pancakes* every time I see your name. So thanks.



* not a euphemism.

 

[Gary Compton]

Maybe he's he Mouse.

You should ask him some embarrassing questions on thread to find out

 

[Warren_Paul]

Maybe he's he Mouse.

You should ask him some embarrassing questions on thread to find out

I don't make pancakes, even bad ones, so I think Mouse is safe.

 

[Gary Compton]

I think Mouse is safe.

Mouse is never safe - meeeeooooooww!!

 

[TheTomG]

Just shows you never know where a thread is going to end up.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Perosnally I can't see the point in explicit scenes, or at least not going into too much depth - the imagination of the reader will almost certainly be more vivid than anything that can be written down. Same as with horror really in my opinion - enough to paint a picture in the reader's mind , and leave the rest up to them.

 

[Warren_Paul]

Just shows you never know where a thread is going to end up.

I think there is a bit of everything in this thread, sex, gardening, mice, food.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

I tend to skirt around the physical side of things, for the most part. Not because I find it uncomfortable, but because I'll leave such things up to fanfic writers (assuming I ever have any). I generally narrate about what the people involved are feeling and thinking rather than what they're specifically doing, otherwise why have the scene at all? If we do not get a greater knowledge of the characters other than their favourite positions, then I just don't see the point of having it. That isn't to say that certain 'techniques' cannot be used to be indicative of character, but if a reader becomes, ahem, 'excited' during their reading, then that's just another way of taking them out of the story.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

After seeing the Alan Titchmarsh video Mouse has posted, I'm scared for her state of mind.


To be honest, I'm quite guilty of horrible explicit scenes in my recent works, which is one of the main reasons I've decided for an overhaul. I should have expounded on this in my first reply; yes you're allowed to get away with anything short of rascism within writing these days, even in epic fantasy, but you should leave some things to your reader's imagination-depending on your target audience, of course. Some people like all the tawdry details of a "love" scene, some like to paint their own picture. And you need to know whether or not you're clever enough to pull it off without losing any class. If you feel like you can't write an explicit scene without it being like a blind person painting a paint-by-numbers picture, then perhaps it's best to leave off.


It's one of those cases of "just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD."


I could strip down to my boxers, don a chicken suit mask, and wander out into the middle of the street flapping my arms and clucking, but I don't think that would be a wise decision.

 

[Ursa major]

After seeing the Alan Titchmarsh video Mouse has posted, I'm scared for her state of mind.

I'm more concerned about her ex's nose. (And, probably, his back....)

 

[Warren_Paul]

I tend to skirt around the physical side of things, for the most part. Not because I find it uncomfortable, but because I'll leave such things up to fanfic writers (assuming I ever have any). I generally narrate about what the people involved are feeling and thinking rather than what they're specifically doing, otherwise why have the scene at all? If we do not get a greater knowledge of the characters other than their favourite positions, then I just don't see the point of having it. That isn't to say that certain 'techniques' cannot be used to be indicative of character, but if a reader becomes, ahem, 'excited' during their reading, then that's just another way of taking them out of the story.

Yes, I agree with that, and its the way I'm doing it too, concentrating on the feelings over the physical act during the scene. Some mention of the physical touching is required though, but yeah, the emotions are more important.

 

[Warren_Paul]

If you feel like you can't write an explicit scene without it being like a blind person painting a paint-by-numbers picture, then perhaps it's best to leave off.


It's one of those cases of "just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD."


I could strip down to my boxers, don a chicken suit mask, and wander out into the middle of the street flapping my arms and clucking, but I don't think that would be a wise decision.

No, I'm not sure any of us would want to see that, and we would then have you worry about your state of mind if you did.



I've been reading a lot of paranormal romance as research just to make sure I don't embarrass myself and the truth is, there isn't actually any actual sex in my first book, just some scenes that come very, very close to it. (I'm leaving that up to later books once I've built up the romance part of the story enough)

I'm more concerned about her ex's nose. (And, probably, his back....)

Maybe I'm the one who should be worrying about being safe or not... Guess I'm lucky I just remind Mouse about pancakes and not her ex?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

well, the way I look at it a fair percentage of the adult population do it from time to time so to never show it, if there's relationships going on, is pretty far fetched. It's how you show it... and it shouldn't be about kicks, it shoudl be about deepening your characters and their response to each other, their knowledge of each other.

 

[Mouse]

... sex, gardening, mice, food.

All my favourite topics right there.

After seeing the Alan Titchmarsh video Mouse has posted, I'm scared for her state of mind.

Yeah all right, Mr Chicken-Suit!

(I've read your naughty stuff!)


Speaking of writing it, the first short story I had published was in a print magazine called Debut - in the next issue, readers write in to comment on the stories. Luckily, I had all good comments, but my favourite said 'a twisting, turning plot full of violent sexual tension.' And you know what? No character actually had sex.

 

[Phoenixthewriter]

Not sure if it was mentioned but Neil Gaiman's American Gods. One of the strangest sex scenes I've ever read, one of the first chapters where a succubus basically devours her partner.

Wild stuff. And its pretty graphic. If there was a line to be crossed, his shoe was just over it.

 

[Mouse]

Oh yeah, I remember thinking that was weird, but never thought it was overly graphic.

 

[Warren_Paul]

Not sure if it was mentioned but Neil Gaiman's American Gods. One of the strangest sex scenes I've ever read, one of the first chapters where a succubus basically devours her partner.

Wild stuff. And its pretty graphic. If there was a line to be crossed, his shoe was just over it.

Might have to check that out, my main antagonist is an incubus, so kind of does the same thing, except not physically devouring, just absorbing energy from his victims through sex until they die.