Love Scenes

[Aryr de Morte]

Here's not something you see too much of, love scenes.

Not many authors address the fact that people are intimate with one another, although on Althanas that would seemingly be rare because of the simple fact that no one wants to have babies with another person!

So for the sake of not worrying about PC's, we'll say this is for solos or even a novel.

A love scene, how far should it go? Would the reader enjoy a raunchy account of sex like in the Stephen King book. (The one with the gypsies, can't think of the title. It was made into a movie I believe.) Or does the reader enjoy more the emotion and romantic feel?

The answers will probably be dependant on your gender (haha) but please, say what you would really prefer.


~*~

I prefer the romantic feel, explaining the emotions and the tender things, hugging, kissing, stroking hair, rather than say the actual sex part of it.

Also, I think that appeals to a wider audience (because any further would be like a porn story!).

Weird thread, but feel free to post your thoughts.

[Corvus MacCallum]

I decided to go for the full nine yards and so did Ciel in our thread, just had to keep it very 'romance novel'-ish to avoid falling foul of the censors. Then again I dislike pulling punches on anything, violence, language, taboos, I like to show off everything of it.

I still listen to Queens Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy and like to try and hold true to being a romantic, but I like doing things differently, trying to avoid the whole "eyes met across a room and they were one forever", love can be felt quickly but it can't be understood immediately and sides, being with someone can be very awkward at times, specially when your unsure of what to do and its important to show that without resorting to slap-stick situations.

[Dirge]

Heh. I prefer an intimate, yet not raunchy love story. I'm not good at writing about love, only because I'm bad at describing it, lol. BUT, I plan on moving Dirge into a long love story, with eventual tragedy befalling his partner...

I like tragic love stories a hell of a lot better than "everyone lived happily ever after", though it seems VERY hard to pull off without being cliche.

I'd say that my favorite love story is the Romeo and Juliet storyline. If you haven't ever seen the modern day version of it with Leonardo de Caprio, it's my favorite version.

Though, I must also say, that Stephen King writes an interestingly unique (if not eerily sick) style of loving. My favorite so far is between Eddy and whatever name you want to call his crazy lover in the Dark Tower series. Though he writes well for love stories in The Stand as well.

[Reiko]

heh I think Ki wouldn't be very fun without the occasional love scene. I mean without romance and motherhood she'd just be a pretty face and pretty good fighter.

For me I think a balance between romance and just sex is important because of Ki's nature. She needs a balance of the human and the animal. It's mostly about what fits the character. If Ki was making love in the moonlight after a romantic evening I'd concentrate on the romance, if she was in heat then I'd want it to be raunchy.

[Sighter Tnailog]

I prefer love scenes that are not written by bored housewives.

[LordLeopold]

I'd prefer that people stay away from writing about sex acts because describing a sex act is either metaphorical to the point of ludicrousness or is clinical to the point of no longer being erotic. Also I bet that most people writing on this forum don't have enough serious experience to write about sex convincingly.

[Witchblade]

Just as a side note to your above statement about Althanas not having many love scenes... Althanas has had so many one night stands in the threads that have taken place I'm surprised there aren't more bastard children running around wondering who daddy is. Take Dan Laghratham for example, I'm pretty sure he has about six children all having different mothers.

Now, as for the style of sex writing...

I read romance novels, not as much as I used to, but I do read them and enjoy them. I find especially in my romance novels there's a balance between the sappy and the raunchy stuff. The first time the characters have sex is more of the romance kind, but afterwards it can get rather raunchy and I must say I enjoy both kinds. ^^ I'm not one for the 'meeting of the eyes and they were one' kind of thing as Cor put it, my novels have a bit more realism in them to a certain extent.

I've only written one sex scene on Althanas and it was done just recently between Ira and Malagen. We really didn't get into too much detail, but we plan on writing others. :p

[Karuka]

When I start with character romances here on Althanas, the sex that happens "on screen," as it were, is going to be very subtle...actually, it's probably going to intimate a removal of clothing and come back later.

[Corvus MacCallum]

Well I wouldn't say realism Witchy, what with the over powered celtic druid and the young artifacts studier.

[Sighter Tnailog]

There was a fellow on here once who just wrote beautiful sex scenes about his acid-spurting six-foot-two prehensile member and 12-year-old fairies who got more power by sucking on it.

[Witchblade]

To a certain extent. I meant the 'not looking at each other and falling right in love' kind of realism. I read fantastical romance novels with stuff that will never happen in real life because I like my little escape from reality into a world of powerful, hot and downright gorgeous sexy druids.


**EDIT** Are you talking about Lorenor?

[Letho]

I always shoot for a more romantic approach. I think most people do too. I can't really recall the last time I saw a thread where people went for the really raunchy stuff, and for every one raunchy scene, there is a least five more romantic ones. I did a fair share of these scenes and I realized that a lot of people aren't comfortable with going into too much details for one reason or other. This is a good way to do it, dare I say, a safe way, because it's hard to write a detailed love scene without making it look, as Leopold said: "...either metaphorical to the point of ludicrousness or is clinical to the point of no longer being erotic.".

[Karuka]

Hey, Letho, you'll like this one.

While not romance, I do have this really random scene planned out in the future with a red-head on red-head kiss.

[Witchblade]

Why did you have to tell him that!?

[Sighter Tnailog]

On a more serious note...

Possibly the biggest problem that folks have on this site -- from me to Witchblade to Letho and beyond -- is in handling emotions. They are some of the most complex and multifaceted aspects of human experience, and in real life it is seldom to experience one alone or to truly understand them even as you feel them. As such, it is tremendously difficult to translate them into writing -- for I firmly believe that to write about something, you must first understand it. You don't always have to experience it firsthand, but you must at least have gotten to where you can understand it.

Now love, and especially sex, is difficult because it involves a ton of mixed things. There's nervousness and lust, pleasure, pain, anticipation and hope, fear...excitement. And afterwards? There may be happiness and a warm glow, but there could also be guilt or regret, second-guessing, uncertainty. Love may be there, but to simply describe it as "love" is to overlook the sheer tremendousness of the emotion. And to reduce love in this way is to commit the sin of dime romance novels.

My suggestion is this: if you're going to write emotions well, try to identify them when you feel them. Be precise in what you express, try to give a name to what you feel, observe the way you and others act, and how you react to them.

Emotions are very, very hard to do properly. And "love" is the hardest of all.

[Aryr de Morte]

Thanks for the (hilarious, *cough*Leopold*cough*) input. And I don't read much because I don't have the time but the focus of most threads (that I've read) is adventure, not love. That's what I meant when I said something about there being few love scenes or whatever.

[Reiko]

Well I agree you're right Aryr. Althanas main point is adventure, it's about swords and sorcery, fighting monsters and exploring the unknown. All that cool fantasy stuff and there's nothing wrong with it. But doesn't mean there isn't a place for Romance, Ki's my favorite character because I can work a romance with her and it's fun and fits her character, and none was done for sex alone. Most of the reason that she has more than one boyfriend is that OOC things come up and they're gone for a while and the romance just can't take off again. And since I consider Romance to be an important part of her character I don't mind finding another boyfriend for her. It does give the sense that she sleeps around and gives one-night stands. Though there was one thread that was planned for a one-night stand, because it showed some of her animal nature when she was in season. But most were supposed to be long lasting but then they fell away and there's no reason for Ki to play the role of the grieving widow, they didn't die just disappeared and it wouldn't make sense.

[Cyrus the virus]

My one love scene, found in Rheawien and Izvilvin's super awesome JC thread, was awkward and unlike real life experiences!

It's motivated me to write a good one sometime in the future, honestly. Probably with Izzy again, just because he deserves the action.

[Reiko]

heh the love scene couldn't have been that bad since you got a JC for it. A bad love scene would have lowered passed the point of JC.

I really like Sighter's discussion on emotions, it's really helpful. The best way to show emotions isn't to ponder on them, that makes story plodding and tests the readers patience. Emotions are best shown through actions, a little thought can be used for detail but you shouldn't dive strait into emotions, the more particular you get about emotions the harder it is for the reader to empathize and that's the point of showing emotion in fiction, to allow empathy.

[Zerith]

Personally, I have yet to write a love scene. Though I probably will make an attempt to write one up soon.

Honestly, I find the thought of writing one intimidating. But I already know it'll probably have more romance approach to it, it's just the type of guy I am. I read one of my wife's romance novels (more like a couple, though I feel a little ashamed to admit that). And while I know I could never write something like that at this moment in time. It will probably effect how I will write it, whenever that happens.

And as for althanas not having many babies...I know Ki has two kits at the moment. And I can think of one couple that I can see having at least one kid. Course, that doesn't mean it will actually happen. I'll be surprised if it does.

[Aryr de Morte]

But are they kits with another PC? O.o

And yeah, I think writing the emotions involved is a lot harder than the uh... science part of it.

[Karuka]

Chiyo and Ryo are Victor's kits...so yes, kits with another PC.

[Aryr de Morte]

I don't follow everyone's characters as much as I probably should. *sigh*

[Slayer of the Rot]

I don't think love has anything to do with the horizontal boogaloo, but that's just me. Here's my opinion; as long as you throw in some anal, you're good to go.

[Karuka]

Yes, indeed, Dan. Thank you. Sex =/= Love. Although I'm of the opinion that there should at least be some form of commitment before people have sex.

I disagree with the latter half of your statement, though.

[AdventWings]

I lock up at the notion of romance, so I can't say much here.

Yamihara: Hey~ Is this a reason you're not giving me a boyfriend?!

...Oops? :p

Murakama: Feh. I could do without love.

Says you. :p

Murakama: ...Shut up.

Well, either way, I think I like the "before" and "after" images of what would be considered a love scene, along with its emotional attachments (if any) that resulted from the incidence to be... acceptable. I guess I'm more for romantic encounters than just your usual one-night stands. :p

Yamihara: Then get me a boyfriend already~! It's really lonely, you know~

Alright, alright, I'll think of something. ^_^;

[Karuka]

Karu's romance with Cadu seems to have fallen through, which makes me sad. Oh well...I have bigga and betta plans for her, coming up.

I just need a trigger/catalyst for a crisis of faith, now.

[Nein]

... I'm just not a romantic guy.

So any scene I do happen to write, and have, are always rather explicit when considering the physical senses. I tend to stay away from describing any actual actions that should be rated R, but everything else is free to play around with - if you get what I mean.

None on here yet, though.

Physical senses being any minor pain (biting, scratching, grabbing hair), gentle pleasures (soft kissing, grazing, or cool breath along bare skin) to rougher pleasures (I'm sure you get it).

Yay, succubus sex scenes!

[Witchblade]

Heh, Z-Man, just how many of mine and Becky's romance novels have you read? Oh, and though you may be embarrassed by that fact, your avatar is off the cover of one of her books. :p

[Zerith]

Well since my secret is out. I might as well admit the truth...

I've probably read about 5 of them. And I know this avatar is from the cover of one, but he fits Z-Man so well. That book is actually one of the few I've read.

[Witchblade]

And that avatar, is what helped you win 'Althanas' most attractive male character' ^_~

[Zerith]

Most likely. But c'mon, which 'Althanas' female wouldn't want to be in a love scene with someone like that?

Actually...don't answer that. I can already think of at least two.

[Artifex Felicis]

I don't follow everyone's characters as much as I probably should. *sigh*

Impossible. You'd need to give up everything to keep track of everyone. Everyone's too goddamn different.

Terms of Love Scenes, I don't really write that much about them whenever they do come up. "On-screen" Leon himself has only been around once or twice, and I ended up doing something of a time skip, and just doing the before and after. I probably wouldn't want to ever really write it out because it would probably come out awkward as hell and forced. Probably doesn't help that the actual act is kind of anti climatic. It's all the build-up and what happens after that really sort of matters. If not, it kinda just turns into porn. Woopdeedo, they had sex. Now what?

Course on the other side, they are some jokes that really can only come from that sort of situation. ranted, it's also sort of an area that I try to have happen a bit more off-screen then on. That, and frankly I think it's more fun for the moments before or after then the actual act.

[grim137]

I don't think I've ever written a full blown love scenes. I had NPC's in various threads that I described as being in love with each other which effected some of the subtle details included in the post but I can honestly say I've never really written more than a paragraph (if that) in any thread I've ever done dealing with love, mostly because aside from platonic love (the kind of love between two brothers or a father and son, or whatever) I've never really been in love and thus can't relate to it unlike I can most other emotions. Of course the fact that it doesn't fit my character at all (espescially now, I could have worked when he was still a good guy) there has never been any real major reason for it.

One thing I think some people fail to realize is there is a huge difference between love and lust. Love means you actually care for a person far beyond just sex. Lust simply means you want to do all sorts of naugthy sexual things to that person. While both can (and often do) exist simultainiously a writter of either needs to be able to recognize and distinguish each one on its own.

[Bernard]

Late, but I couldn't help myself.

Boobies.

I've gota a lovely bunch of coconuts. Diddily Dee.

There they are a standing in a row. Bum bum bum

Big ones small ones some as big as your head.

Give a twist a flick of the wrist that's what the showman said.

:D

If you're going to have sex with characters, make them have fun! None of this 'casual' romance stuff, or this hidden innuendo kinda crap. If they're really into it, and based on this sites level of character sex activity, THEY ARE, have just 'wham bam thank you ma'am.'

:)