To Write Or Not To Write Sex Scenes

I believe authors write books with the intention of drawing in a particular reader and, of course, for the enjoyment of putting words to paper. It's a matter of personal taste and what market the author is intending to attract. Erotica certainly sells. There is no doubt about it. If an author has a particular talent for writing erotica, well that's splendid. I would never judge another author's desire for attracting a specific audience, especially if it's lucrative.

I have no inclination toward writing erotica. Just me. Just my thing. Steamy I can do and I enjoy writing it if it fits the temperament of the story. The sex-o-meter goes up if I'm writing a dark fantasy because it suits the atmosphere of the story and its sinister motif. I can't exactly write about evil characters and then have them act out a polite, sweet, sex scene. No ma'am, that would not suit the theme of the story. But, in time travel romance or historical novels, I take another view. I like my characters to grow in their desire for one another. They must take their time to know each other and they must fall in love before they get into the fogged up windows twisted sheets of an all out sex scene.

I like a the tension that builds in a story long before sex takes place. By the time the characters do hop into bed, the reader should be longing for that scene to take place as much as the hero and heroine do. It's the build up of emotion and plot that should lead to that bedroom.

Sarah J. McNeal

www.sarahmcneal.com