Alison finds all the good stuff on the internet. Like this post in Kate Rothwell’s blog.
Jut the other day I blogged about how the market for sexier, more erotic books is growing, and I see that I’m not the only one noticing it. However, some authors don’t think it’s a good thing. Like Author B (who doesn’t want her name posted.) who says
“It’s all soft porn, which will do nothing for Romance’s credibility as a genre.
We’re just starting to get some respect, starting to attract a broader readership base thanks to some gifted writers, thanks to clever dialogue and intriguing premises, and now the industry chooses to revert back to bodice rippers?? Only this time featuring alpha females. Spare me! “
Okaayyy! I wonder . . . could Author B perhaps be one of those romance authors that has never read real erotica? Remember this post ?
It sounds like it doesn’t it?
The real funny thing is, there is a lot of erotica out there that doesn’t even involve SEX. Read Dara Murray’s Music and tell me it’s about sex. It isn’t, it’s about emotion, and feeling, it’s about THE CONNECTION. And it’s erotic as hell.
In this post we talk about What is Erotic? It’s something different for everyone, and I think the growing market shows this.
And I sincerely hope that traditional romance authors stop looking down at those that write sexier, more erotic, and even explicit stuff as less than them, or something that can stop them from gaining respect. Because I firmly believe Emma Holly says it best with this quote. “ Many romance writers have become apologists for the sexual content of their books. They try to pretend that sex doesn’t sell them – even though it’s obvious to any child past the age of puberty that it does. Sex is not the only reason romance sells, but for a large number of authors and fans, it’s a big one. If you’re engaging in this sort of denial, your biggest barrier to writing steamy scenes may be guilt.“
I guess it’s too much to ask that each author and story be judged on their own, and not because of a prejudice against a genre.
Yeah. I’m proud of the erotic scenes I write.
There are differences between romance, erotica, romantica, soft porn, and hard porn–the level of emotion, the level of explicitness, and mostly, the needs of the audience. As writers, we always write for a purpose. Seeing these very different genres as essentially the same just because they contain sexual content, is ignoring and belittling the very specific market-knowledge that those of us who target these genres have. And the specific needs we have as readers, too.
Thanks again for a thoughtful blog, Sasha.
Another excellent post, Sasha. I don’t know if this will be ever resolved, especially as a number of people are protesting on ‘moral’ grounds…. And then, never mind erotica vs romance, there’s the schism happening between romance and chick lit. *sigh*
I can’t get the comments on Kate’s blog to come up. But I wanted to post this: if people are so concerned about messages about ‘easy sex’ I think TV is a bigger threat.
The whole questionaire thing she mentions isn’t just about erotica it’s about women’s fiction and chick lit also and how the RWA is going to redefine romance. Since they ARE romance. 😎
Julie~I agree, we all right with a purpose. My purpose os to make money…so I can quit bartending!! 😛
Jaq~It’s all getting a bit tiresome isn’t it? To be honest, it’s sort of reminding me of all the clique type crap of high school. Youknwo the romance vs the erotica vs the chic lit…sort of liek the headbangers vs the preps vs the jocks. :laugh:
Cece~ I think there’s more "easy sex" in the high schools now days than aywhere else. Well, except maybe the bar scene. LOL 😉
We are sexual creatures. That’s a fact.
Honey please, have you listened to the radio? Every time I hear Yeah by Usher I wait for my 9 YO to ask me what 42DD’s are!! LOL
We watch LAO together frequently and they’re aware of the darker side of life (even if the show is fiction).
*still shaking head over Author B*