As I can't find Christina James at the moment, I thought I'd better fill a space until she gets back to me. But what to talk about???
I have been writing feverishly over the last few weeks but my characters seem reluctant to strip and get on with the good stuff - not a good thing for an erotic romance writer to grapple with! So the problem? They are genuinely worrying about getting to know each other before sex, are concerned about the morality of too much, too soon. I have never come up against this kind of internal battle before when writing my erotic stories.
The characters are usually confident, happy and perfectly OK with their bodies and ethics. So why is this happening? The answer, I think, is I haven't found the 'X' factor in this current work in progress yet. There must be something lacking between the hero and heroine that is stopping the clothes coming off and the foreplay starting.
I have no idea what it is yet but I will damn well get to the bottom of it!
Have any writers out there experienced this before? Or any readers read stories that you've thought, 'huh? There is no way they would have sex yet!'
I'd love to hear from you - it will make me feel a whole lot better right now!
x
Hmm. I guess romance novels mirror real life in that respect--at least to some extent. We all know instant attraction and/or one night stands happen. And in erotic romance, the sex tends to happen fairly early. But there has to be an emotional--if not physical--pulling back, as well. Otherwise the sexual tension--and conflict--so important to keep the reader turning those pages, won't be sustained.
ReplyDeleteDoes that make any sense?
I feel your frustration. I had this happen in reverse not that long ago. The hero and heroine had a quick hot and heavy tryst and found out they didn't like each other afterward. Honestly, it made me nuts. The sex was great - both enjoyed it - but the situation happened too soon for Dylan and she couldn't get past it. She felt used by her own desires. I finally had to let them walk away from one another. I think sometimes you have to allow your characters to go slowly. Dylan tried to tell me that but I didn't listen. Why not let them have their story their way and publish it as an adventure into sensual rather than erotic romance. Who knows? Maybe it will be a huge boost for your fan base. There is a positive in every situation.
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