February 8, 2008
Okay, who put that damn forest behind the trees?
Big surprise, since this is a blog, huh? 
But I brought something with me to help me get my thoughts across.
I put it somewhere…
Wait a minute, I just had it. Can’t be too far away, and…
Oh yeah. here it is.
I have certain people in my life—people who are fairly important to me in one way or another—who simply won’t read my books.
Of course, some of that is my fault. I haven’t bothered to tell them what I’m writing because I know them and what their reaction would be.
After all, my books feature fairly explicit S-E-X.
And heaven forbid we should read about a pleasurable activity that comes naturally to all of us (or should, at least).
The problem is not that they consider me a bad writer. It’s just that the offensive S-E-X is all they can see from the very beginning, and that’s as far as they can see. As if that was the only thing in the bloody book.
And I take offense to this.
Most authors work pretty damn hard on their products. A good book has more than one appealing aspect to it, and to deny yourself that pleasure while reading is not only unfair to the author but to you, the reader.
Emma Holly, for example, probably writes some of the hottest sex scenes in the business. But if you really READ her books, you’ll find an author with a palatable love of words that strums through her prose.
Nora Roberts can knock out a romance like nobody else, but she can also turn a mean mystery and easy dialogue.
These are just a couple of examples. A good writer has more than one thing to offer with their storytelling—description, characterization, plot development, etc. And if the S-E-X is all you’re seeing, maybe you’re short-changing yourself—and the author.
Gotta run. My soapbox and I have work to do in Washington, D.C…
True dat.
I imagine horror writers might face the same problem.
You know, I’m torn with this because…. I have deliberately by-passed a lot of books (in recent years) which seem to be all about sex, or where the sex was really emphasized. If the book as more going on, or if the sex isn’t really about the sex but other stuff (power, fear, trust, etc), then yeah, I’m definitely open to reading it. So it’s not being a prude, it’s just that all that sex gets boring.
But I do see what you’re getting at regarding that knee-jerk closed-minded judgment call, without understanding or experience. Absolutely agree with you there. It does suck and disservices everyone involved.
Violence is the same thing with many people, Raine. A book can be filled with humor, good dialogue, and great characters; but if a person has a mindset against some element they know is in the book, it’s near impossible to entice them into taking a deeper look.
You know I almost blogged about this a while back (and your soapbox pic nearly killed me). Now my family knows I write and knows what I write. My cousin (who is close to my age) has read my book….then her mom stole it *gulp*. You have to keep in mind that the running joke in our family is that our grandfather was the original dirty old man, so at Christmas my cousin, my dad, my aunt, my brother (who, bless his heart, is SO embarrassed that his little sister knows words like cl*t) and my step-mom sat around making jokes about my book.
“Ha ha you didn’t know I knew words like that did you, Dad?” etc etc. It was pretty funny, we all had a good laugh, and I’m blessed that they seem to understand the hard work that goes into a book regardless of content–except for one person who was clearly embarrassed and not terribly amused (if you know me AT ALL it’s not that hard to figure out who–she also once asked me if I HAD to put a certain number of sex scenes in my book). That’s her hangup not mine. And I’m not gonna let it get to me, no, I’m not gonna let it get the midnight riderrrrrrrrrrr…..
Bernita I’m not so sure about that.
If it’s not for you then it’s not for you, but don’t pass judgment on me when you haven’t opened up my book. Again that type of person can
Raine, here’s your soapbox back.
Should clarify… if someone just doesn’t want to read some element cause it’s not their bag. That’s fine. There are things I just know I don’t want to read. I won’t even try. Not interested. ie, I like horror novels. But if you tell me about one that features bugs, especially roaches and centipeds? Fuggedaboutit. I’m *never* reading that. I don’t care if Steven King wrote it and won a Pulitzer.
It’s the making judgments –about the author’s morals or mental abilities or the ‘quality’ of the book—that is the problem. Personal choice is one thing, being a jerk is another.
Interesting responses…
It intrgues me because, as I said, these are people I KNOW, and who know me.
I’ve never written a book that amounted to simple bed-hopping. Wouldn’t have much interest in such a thing myself.
But if I tell you, “it’s a romantic mystery”, or “humerous romance”, and you can’t see beyond the fact that there’s one sex scene in the book?
Just as bad are the ones who make value judgements because “it’s an e-book”, so naturally that means it’s not “up to par”.
If one sex scene is all they can glean from a book, then I think that says more about them than the actual story.
Just as bad are the ones who make value judgements because “it’s an e-book”, so naturally that means it’s not “up to par”.
The one worse than that is the “you settled” or “so you couldn’t snag a real publisher.
if someone just doesn’t want to read some element cause it’s not their bag. That’s fine. …It’s the making judgments –about the author’s morals or mental abilities or the ‘quality’ of the book—that is the problem.
Exactly. I know my brother’s a little embarrassed because…I’m his baby sister. His baby sister shouldn’t know some of the words I know and that’s fine. I understand where he’s coming from. Just as I understand if someone said, “That’s not my bag”, but… to act proud and then turn around and act prudish because of the sex….Well you’re sending out some awfully strange signals and I’m liable to laugh at you and make fun of you in future blog posts
Would you believe I’m the opposite? I don’t like to read a romance if there isn’t any sex in it. I know I miss a lot of good authors in the Harlequin/Silhouette lines because of this, but what can I say? I’m horny?
But yeah, the judgement thing. Used to go through it just for reading a romance. I keep my erotica hidden. Why? I don’t know, habit? That’s going to change right now - when I move into my apartment I will put the erotica right up on the shelf with the other romances.