Sex in Gay Romances

[erastes]

Do pop along to the lovely Sarah Black’s LJ and discuss this meaty (cough) topic. How much is too much? What do you as a writer want in your romances?  Would you buy a book without it? Do you mind gratuitous sex in your books?

 

http://sarahblack5.livejournal.com

Comments

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I'm getting a broken link notice when I try that link.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely on the side of 'it has to advance the plot'.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. Nothing I hate more in a book is characters who just meet up, have a chat, have some sex. wake up, have some sex. go and have breakfast - have some sex. that's NOT a book. And yes, I've read this, and worse.

[wikdsushi.livejournal.com]

There's a .html at the end. Just cut it out and you'll get there.

[wikdsushi.livejournal.com]

I really hope I didn't go on too long or get too snarky. This is a subject that occasionally drives me berserk.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I sort of worry that my current project potentially has lots of almost-sex in it before the main characters finally get together, but then the protagonist is busily finding hirself while investigating a mystery that no one else wants to admit *is* a mystery.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Thanks, have gone over and commented! Nice convo going there.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Without being attached to the characters in some way, identifying with them, something, it's more like uck, bad pron, drunken neighbors making out, people you don't want to think about!

[wikdsushi.livejournal.com]

While drunken ugly neighbor stories can be hilarious, the squick kinda offsets the hawt. ;)

[sarahblack5.livejournal.com]

thanks for introducing me to so many fellow writers! Hugs, Sarah

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that snoggus-interruptus can be fun--in Gent's Gent, the heroes have just got to the point of finally realizing they're mad for each other, and events keep interrupting them, so by the time they do latch on to each other, they're so relieved....

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Very true. A lot of mine is about my protagonist moving from the obvious lust object (who isn't that interested as it turns out) to fantasising about someone who seems equally unobtainable to discovering that supposedly unobtainable person has been interested all along. Of course the fact that the two potential love interests are also the two main suspects in a ten year old disappearance just adds to the tension.

Thanks for the encouragement.