Characters getting frisky in Sci-Fi/Fantasy

[lonewolfwanderer]

Okay, I'm going to ask about the elephant in the room: Sex in Fiction, and anything related. And i mean mostly in Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Does it work?
Should it be implied, or explicit?
On the page, or behind the scenes?

Reason i'm asking this, is because one of my characters has had a VERY traumatic experience 4 years prior to the story and she is a very broken young lady. The scene i'm on now has her on the floor of the shower the one minute, crying her eyes out, and then doing you know what the next. I had no warning of it whatsoever, she just blindsided me with it (maybe it's karma??)
Anyhow, Purpose of this, i think, is to highlight how broken this woman is, but i'm not sure how to go about doing it without turning it into some pornographic mishmash. In fact, i've never written a sex scene EVER, and don't even know if it's appropriate for the genre or if it will even work for what i'm wanting to achieve.
I don't even know if this whole thread is appropriate, but the question needs to be asked...

How should i go about doing it?
How much detail should i use?
What should i do, and what shouldn't i do?

HELP!!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

There are no absolute rules for this. It depends on what kind of story you are telling, who your intended audience might be, what emotional effect you want to have on your reader, and so on. I see no reason why speculative fiction cannot be anything from G-rated to X-rated, as long as it is appropriate.

Think about the tone of the rest of your story. Is it light-hearted or serious? Will you be dealing with other mature themes (violence, etc.) in an explicit manner?

Only you can decided what the best approach to take would be.

 

[tinkerdan]

Yea this one is going to be up to you.

One thing that I heard that works well, if you don't want to get into the specifics, is taking great care working on the build up. And I don't mean the hot and heavy part with the breathing and sweating and things...

What I have heard works well is when you can show[is it two people(I don't know from this it could be just her in the shower)] Anyway[assuming two people]you show them interacting through words and maybe what they see, taste, smell and make it clear that there is something building up and if you do it well you don't need the sex and you can just lead into it and cut away.

It can all be innocent sounding things, like a small touch, entwining fingers, eyes taking in on one another, falling into each other, hearts racing and a bit of a flush, considering what the future holds while trying to stretch the moment they have. Is it the heart racing, the heat rising, the blood bumping causing a bit of a roar in the ears like a freight train or is this the longing for someone's touch; a chance to connect with someone close and trusted?

The shirt was soft and the shoulder firm and there was a smell almost of smoke and musk and now it was all mixed with wet from tears. Thick curls of hair raked through long straight strands as she lifted her head to turn to his face; their cheeks touched for an electric moment and something tickled her eyelid while hot breath thick with enticing spices sent a shiver of chill across her salt whetted lips. For a moment he leaned in toward her and they hovered like opposite poles attracting with only that moment when she pulled her head back and away to take in his eyes; he held her there within the field. What was there, reflected in them and all around the edges, made her yearn to fall into him. Her arms pulled him closer until she was buried in his chest; drinking in the aroma of his soul. His thick warm and gentle hands rested in the small of her back and push her into him until she was certain she'd go right through.

 

[Brian G Turner]

and don't even know if it's appropriate for the genre

You are reading around your genre, aren't you? Do you find sexual content in any novels you would consider similar?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

You are reading around your genre, aren't you? Do you find sexual content in any novels you would consider similar?

Indeed. For fantasty, for instance, GRRM hardly shys away from sex scenes...
As others have said it's your story and up to you. It doesn't appear to be a deal breaker, by and large.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

@Victoria Silverwolf: The story is serious in general, but it will have some light hearted scenes so that it isn't all doom and gloom. And I do favour detail.

@tinkerdan: Something like that could work, but in this scene its just the one character on her own. Having just a build up, i don't think it will work. I will need to delve into the scene itself, although i don't know if i want to be too explicit. I suppose i just need to see where the scene leads.

@Brian Turner: what do you mean by reading around the genre? I haven't actually read anything with explicit sex scenes, the closest i've been is the Game of Thrones series. But i haven't yet read the books, just seen the tv show. Maybe i should get some books out that has some of these sort of scenes.

The only thing i don't know is how much detail to go in with it. That part of the scene needs to work hand in hand with the first part to help highlight how broken the woman is. If anything it'll probably be only borderline erotica, but i don't want it becoming pornographic because it isn't, that's not what the story is about. Its also quite early on in the WIP. And like i said, i do love detail in stories, but I don't want to go too far with it.

The genre is sci-fi/fantasy, i think.

 

[Venusian Broon]

lone, as it's your first you are understandably a bit nervous putting something down. The advice from those above is great so I'm just backing up a lot of their comments.

My simple two line advice would be:

Put your worries to one side and write what you think is correct for your story. Then worry about it in the re-write.

and don't even know if it's appropriate for the genre

This should be easy to find out, and if you personally have never come across a sex scene in your genre ask here! For example I'm writing an epic Space Opera at the mo'. And I've come across sex scenes in plenty of epic space operas, Peter F. Hamilton writes them (I'm sure) and there's one (a little unexpectedly) in David Zindell's (rather disappointing IMO) follow up to Neverness, the Broken god trilogy. I don't remember one off hand in the culture universe with Iain M. Banks, but I wouldn't be surprised. Loads more. I haven't come across full blown erotica in space yet, but hey, Mills and Boon have an off-shoot that does erotic dark fantasy I believe, so there all sorts out there.

or if it will even work for what i'm wanting to achieve.

That is what the 2nd (and 3rd and 4th.... and nth) drafts will help answer

How should i go about doing it?

I dunno really how to answer this question. How do you go about writing a fight scene, a character fleeing through a forest or having to have a difficult talk with another character? What do you want to show in the scene? Do you want to want to explain the visceral sensations he/she is experiencing or perhaps some slightly detached viewpoint that is explaining why she/he is doing this (or something else? If you have a clear idea about the purpose of the scene then it should be relatively easy)

How much detail should i use?

Entirely up to you. Whatever is required in your mind, when you are writing it, to give you something you are happy with.

What should i do, and what shouldn't i do?

Perhaps peruse the 'bad sex awards' to find examples that others have deemed cringe-worthy to see how you compare: http://www.theguardian.com/books/poll/2013/dec/03/bad-sex-awards-extracts-poll

BUT, these are all from published works, so despite being slightly mocked, these are really just subjective.

So perhaps the most sensible advice is to give it to beta readers and see what they say!

 

[Ray McCarthy]

However perhaps G R R Martin isn't representative (I read Game of Thrones before famous and a book collected short stories. I'll not watch the TV or read more. Not to my taste). It's the only one of three I can think of that I read. Stephan Donaldson has a rape and a more consensual scene in Mordant's Need series. There are others that suggest it without description.

In SF there is only one explicit I remember and I thought it needless and tacky, Ken MacLeod very explicit in "Engine City". I've read five Ken MacLeod books and won't be reading more. Not my idea of Hard SF. I can't believe he was a programmer* and wrote half the technobabble nonsense, his books don't benefit from the sex either.

But anything more than kissing explicitly written seems rare in most of what I have read.

Perhaps even when characters do have sex it's best left to readers' imaginations unless you are wanting Porn. Erotica and a very good sex scene writer.

[* read like someone repeating half heard and mostly misunderstood discussions by real programmers and systems people]

 

[Laeraneth]

For what it's worth, while I haven't written anything along those lines in my story yet, such things will definitely be coming either late book 2 or early book 3 (I plan ahead too far...) so take this advice with a pinch of salt, as I don't even really have my own experience to back it up... maybe I'll chicken out at the time?...

Anyway, I figure, if you're writing a character, then it'll just happen naturally if it's meant to. It sounds like it already has! And took you by surprise in turn.
So, since it's already 'happened', just follow it through without overthinking what's right or wrong. If it's one character alone, trying to (to be polite) numb the pain and make herself feel better, then I imagine you don't have to worry about going into the mechanical detail at all, and can focus purely on the emotional side, as that's the kind of release that it sounds like she is needing.

 

[Brian G Turner]

what do you mean by reading around the genre?

I mean, it would be a big help to read your target genre. One of the worst mistakes I ever did was trying to write in a vacuum, without reading other fantasy novels.

 

[Juliana]

Joe Abercrombie has a scene in one of his First Law books (can't remember which one) where the characters have sex, and its the most hilariously down-to-earth description of sex I've ever seen. I applaud Joe for his no-frills approach.

As for a more delicate and pretty approach to it, Elspeth Cooper has some nicely described scenes towards the end of her Songs of the Earth.

I have yet to write any, but I do have lots of flirty scenes where his leg touches hers, or he whispers good night and she shivers, etc.

 

[Zoe Mackay]

Well, obviously, there are the seminal works of Robert E Vardeman and Victor Milan: "War Of Powers" and "War Of Powers II: Istu Awakened" There's a lot of sex in those. (They're wubbish, but quite enjoyable wubbish on a certain level).

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I mean, it would be a big help to read your target genre. One of the worst mistakes I ever did was trying to write in a vacuum, without reading other fantasy novels.

Or non-Fantasy that has similar plots / situations. Which is why I have read about 30+ school story novels in last few months (19th & 20th Century) because my SF&F has that background etc (but it's not like Worst Witch, X-Men or Harry Potter). Also reading memoirs of diplomats.

 

[Rafellin]

Sex in fiction. How many times have you watched a perfectly acceptable film and spotted the sex scene coming?

Conversely, have you had the misfortune to see any of the hardcore porn attempts at getting a serious plot going around 'proper' sex sessions?

Graphic sex gets in the way. A prime way to lose your reader, even.

Most of your readers know about sex (at least in theory). Therefore, setting the scene and maybe detailing a couple of opening moves that hint at the nature of the encounter (tender, raw, etc) are quite sufficient. While it is true that everyone interprets a story differently, that is doubly true of sexual encounters. Let the reader know that horizontal (or vertical) "m'bongo" is about to occur, then leave it to their imagination to fill the details, flavoured for their pecadillos.

 

[Laeraneth]

Maybe I misinterpreted what lonewolfwanderer was describing but I'm 90% sure that he was talking about m***********, not sex with anyone else.

Hence my thought that focusing on the emotions and the pain she is in that she's blotting out with pleasure, is the better way to go. You don't need to worry about the physical side of things if it's just her involved.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Is the sex needed? Does the actual act of it advance the story, or is it rather the moment of connection and sensuality between characters?

I don't mind erotic scenes in books (although I've never really got the correlation between sex and horror - unless you know my ex, that is *ta-dum*) The problem I have with sex in novels is that it seems to bring the author into the story. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I have read an erotic scene it immediately pulls me out of the story and I start thinking about the writer behind the words.

Context is important, (which is why I think a lot of those Guardian excerpts in the link above are a bit unfair...although the tobacco bit...yuk) if you have someone clumsy and inartful, then the sex is probably quite easy and humorous to write (in the thing I'm working on at the moment, the neighbours are having a right old time of it next door, and it's written from the person hearing it. I had fun writing that, but it's only a couple of sentences.). Something more profound runs the risk of coming across as false if the metaphors and imagery aren't appropriate.

pH

 

[Jo Zebedee]

One tip. No matter how excruciating it is get a female beta to review it. One with no shame and brutal honesty.

 

[alchemist]

Or try showing it to three females!

If you're not sure how explicit you should be, maybe start with the porn version, and then the Mills and Boon full-of-euphemisms version. Then review and write something in the middle. For the scene to be meaningful, put more focus on what it means to the character than the actual mechanics.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

wow, awesome. a lot of valuable advice to take in...

As Laeraneth has pointed out, the scene is more about the emotions involved rather than the act itself. It's there to work hand in hand with what came before to help emphasize how broken this young lady is. She's doing it to help herself feel better and numb the pain, albeit only for the duration of the act. I should also mention that it is her opening scene (at the moment). But yea the scene is needed, at least at the moment.

I guess i'll just let it flow and see how it turns out.

Thanks a bunch for the advice, now to just figure out how to put it into practice.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Could I as well as agreeing with everyone else also add that there are no right (write?!) answers to this. It's your work, your vision. But as general advice I think you do need to look at how other writers in your genre and reader age range have dealt with the issue. And yes, if you're not comfortable writing this stuff or worried about it, do do do get some female beta readers whose opinion you value.

To give an example in the work I just finished I had two uncomfortable rape scenes that needed to be there. I also had a sex scene which I was far more comfortable with. In the sex scene and the second rape scene I dealt with them through the "drawing the curtains" technique. Basically writing everything up to the actual act and then ending the chapter just before, and picking up later. Some people, romance writers included, don't like this technique. The reason I used it was that I looked at the story elements I wanted to get across, and they didn't require that sort of detail. In the sex scene all I wanted was for the MC and his significant other to get together fully as it were, instead of beating around the bush. And in the rape scene it was the baddie being raped - a sort of poetic justice for his own actions - and again the details didn't matter.

For the first rape scene I had to include the act. Just to explain the scene was set in a throne room where the villain was forcing some soldiers - men who had failed him by running away from combat - to essentially rape some furies (monsters) knowing that the furies would bite and probably kill them. Writing this served a number of purposes. First and primarily it showed the villain as the true pervert he was. In essence it showed him enjoying something terrible while his soldiers looked away, and viewing it through his POV also allowed me to show his complete lack of insight into morality. The scene also showed the problems the villain was having with prosecuting his war and therefore his need to rule by fear - forcing his soldiers to watch and see their fate shoul they try and flee. It also nicely encapsulated the villains fascination with the furies and his ardent desire to bed one himself - something which later comes back to bite him! And last when the comeuppance comes I needed a reason for the furies - previously seen only as snake human monsters - to be angry with the villain, to show actual intelligence and to explain how they arranged his downfall and why.

To write this I essentially pulled any aspect of excitement and most of the details of the act from the chapter, because the chapter wasn't about the actual act. It was about my villain's understanding of the act and showing him to be completely clueless about other people's suffering. (In essence he is a wizard born with the power to control others, and so ever since he was a young child he has been doing just that. People have become tools to him, nothing more. He is a walking example of absolute power corrupting absolutely.)

So my strongest advice about this would be to examine the chapter / scene and ask yourself exactly what are the plot points, character reveals that you need to get out of it. Then ask yourself do you need graphic details? Do you even need the entire scene or can you get away with either the build up or the aftermath - and from what you've described the aftermath may be more useful to you. You want to show that your character is broken so show her as broken, crying in the shower, and flashing back as to why. What left her like that.

Cheers, Greg.