By: A W Clarke
Good
day readers. I came up with the topic for today’s article when sifting through
my Facebook news feed. I am blessed to have a network of so many kind,
hardworking authors, both new and veteran to the field. Scrolling down the
wall, I came across a slew of romance novel covers. Some had a soft, dreamy
scene of two lovers sharing an embrace, while other covers bore the scene of
perfect glistening midsections or voluptuous breasts and waistlines. It wasn’t
any specific cover that incited me to write this article. It was, rather, the
recollection of my own writings that prompted me to discuss the endless
possibilities of graphic content within a romantic or erotic novel. How deep,
dark, or graphic can the author take a reader in without violating their
tolerance for the fantastic? Here are my thoughts.
First,
before I unintentionally step on anyone’s toes, let me commend that the
potential of intensity in any story is limitless! A writer can be as straightforward
or mysterious as they wish. I believe a good story blends both of these
elements at the right time. A story filled with not only obvious descriptors
but a balance of creative seduction at key moments will do its job to heighten
the reader’s curiosity and draw one close into the action. When I wrote the
love story for A Love Once Found, I have to admit that it was as much a
learning experience as it was a joy to write each intimate scene. Through
careful thought and consultation with a few editors, I wrote and rewrote the
loves scenes, perfecting them by removing details here, and adding others
there. My experience with composing graphic content brings me to cite five main
considerations to keep in mind when one assesses how graphic to set the intimate
scenes of a story:
·
Audience
·
Choice of wording
·
Level of intensity
·
Level of action
·
Balance to story
Audience
The most important of the above
considerations when writing any story, is audience. Who is it that your story
is intended for? It is a good idea to identify two things when you are about to
write your next masterpiece- what do you really
like to write about; and what type of readers are you targeting? Is it the
masses of conservative Sunday churchgoers? The thousands of hormonal teens
looking for something emotional to sink into? Or those who fathom the darker
and more twisted roads of eros? The
niche of readers who you target will govern the other four considerations for
graphic intensity. When writing that perfect love scene, you want to draw in
and captivate many readers who want to feel every movement- every moment. You
don’t want to slash the zone of fantasy that they are in by the wrong set of
words, which brings me to my next point.
Wording
A writer’s choice of wording
probably carries the most profound
effect on a reader’s engagement to his or her story. This consideration has its
place not only in love scenes, but in all aspects of story writing. Each scene
in a story can be carried with the right types of words throughout. For
example, a hard edged, modern adventure can be dominated by characters who are
blunt and to the point, and speak with a more rudimentary language. Likewise, a
story taking place in the Elizabethan Era may depict noble and respected
discussions among royalty. Or bound by no restriction, many stories have been
outfitted with clashes between the wealthy and poor, the majestic and the
common; and all with a mishmash of verbal exchanges throughout. I’ll let you in
on a little secret. My recent novel was originally intended to be a short
erotic story. It was suggested to me that I might try drawing out the good
elements of my story and slow the intensity of the storyline so that it may
make way for new ups and downs in character development, plot twists and draw.
I was very glad I listened to that author, and my twenty page “soft porn” as
some would call it, later unravelled into a much more meaningful love story,
over ten times longer in size. Of course, now that my story held not only
events of intense sexuality, but also moments of deep emotional seduction, my
novel was now catering to what I would consider a wider niche of readers. As my
story went into production, I soon saw it as a product that reflected my inner
self more than the originally hollow and blatant story of before.
During the write, I learned to
match the wording to the audience. It was important to keep the draw on every
reader tight, and not break it with the wrong terms. When writing, keep in mind
that there is a place for gaudy and a place for tasteful. Some stories carry
well with explicit phrases, while others need to carry a smoother tone of
intensity, linked only with more restrained wording. That being said, an author
can definitely convey most levels of intensity with any form of wording, as
long as the intensity is not shattered with ever changing grammar that switches
back and forth from sophisticated to obscene.
Level of Intensity
The depth of which the reader is
plunged into the passion of a love scene is a direct result of how strongly a
set of words paint the scene. If your words create a place or moment that the
reader can see and feel, then you have succeeded in immersing them deeply in
your story. Here’s another secret. When I write most of my scenes, I pretend to
be watching a movie and purposely slow each scene down to slow motion speed.
That way, I take my time to look around the setting and describe as many details
as is necessary to enrich the moment for the reader.
Make the reader believe they are
standing in the action as you describe that scene where “her soft hand grazes
his stubbly cheek, her hazel eyes bristling with desire as she gazed longingly
at his perfect features.” You could take a darker turn, placing the reader in a
more voyeuristic position, as “Kristen curiously studied the object of her desires
at the window. Her roommate’s lips were ravaged by Jack’s so furiously under
the old cedar tree, the hard rain pelting their clenched bodies. Kristen had
longed for Jack since high school, and watching her best friend explore his
most intimate passions vexed her greatly.” The more detailed a scene
description, the more successfully the writer penetrates and captivates the
reader’s emotions. From there the writer can take the reader for a ride as the
scene’s subjects share the most intimate of actions. Remember, describing each
action and feeling carries much more weight than merely saying “They had sex…and
liked it too!”
Level
of Action
Exactly
how far do the subjects of your intimate novel go? Do they make it as far as a
heartfelt embrace by the end of the story? Or is your story dotted with numerous
scenes of bondage and raging sex acts in the most creative of manners? Again,
it is important while writing your story to remember your audience. What is it
that they might be looking for? One of my favourite movies is The Last Samurai
starring the likes of Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe and Koyuki Kato. I regard the
movie so highly not because it is what you would imagine to be the typical Tom
Cruise Hollywood action flick. Rather, it tells a story of honour and heroism
amid the Japanese rebellion of the late 1800s. The movie is constructed with
scenes of honourable actions and memories, one of which touches my heart
deeply. I won’t spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it (but will). Let’s
just say that the tension between two people drawn to each other for months
eventually peaks with the most unlikely level of intimacy…a level of intimacy
more powerful than most other movie moments, due to the great respect and
understanding behind it!
Some
stories are built on more conservative actions of love throughout its plot. If
well written, a story can capture and tightly hold the reader’s curiosity
throughout the builds and valleys of the timeline as subjects are slowly drawn
together both emotionally and physically. Yet other niches of readers prefer to
have their attention constantly doused with scenes of licentious sexual acts,
be them carefree or intentional. Intimacy comes in as many forms are there are
acts of passion. There is no minimum or maximum number of times, or level of
creativity that bounds the interaction between subjects on your set. Combined
with the right level of depth and wording, each scene has the potential to
leave the reader breathless and begging for more.
Balance to Story
To
round off my considerations for graphic content in story writing, it is very
important to keep in mind how appropriate the intimate content is to the theme
of each particular story. There are
stories like the recent bestseller “Fifty Shades of Grey” which carry a heavy
percentage of graphic sexual content throughout its story. Stories like these
have an architecture built on taking the reader deep into the lustful pleasures
of the physical and psychological. There are stories that follow a rather
pornographic structure along its storyline, some of which are designed to take
the reader on shorter, more frequent indulgences into the lewd and perverse
realms of passion. Other stories can take a more philosophical approach to the
events surrounding its subjects, their trials and their successes. These story
lines may focus more on how the subject feels emotionally while spending less
time on the quantity or brashness of his or her sexual interactions.
No
matter which type of story you write, it should have a smooth balance of
physical, intellectual, emotional and psychological elements that keep the
reader locked into the genre of story you have created. Maintaining a reader’s
suspension of disbelief is conducive to the thorough enjoyment of any story.
Shattering it with a scene descriptor that doesn’t match the intensity levels
of the rest of the timeline will hurt the enjoyment of the story.
My
final thought. There is no right or wrong to the creativity or
intensity of a literary work. Thousands of books and movies have drawn the
deepest of emotions from its readers and viewers. The object of the game is to
write a story that is both fulfilling to you, and the readers you want to write
for. You can leave a reader reservedly enjoying the subtle courtships between
two characters in a romance. Or you can sink that reader into an arena of
perversion, witnessing the most intensely deviant acts of desire between
bodies. Or quite frankly, you can challenge yourself to create a story that binds
the two in a very careful balance.
No matter how you write it, remember not to lose sight of
the story. The story is the wonderful road of events that you take your reader
along. Without that story, all you have in a graphic novel is merely a bunch of
sex acts. So how graphic is too graphic? As for my personal preference, it’s a
lot like how I drive. Some people I know go hard and fast, and boast about
always being the first one who gets to the finish line. I on the other hand,
take my time, take in every moment, and always enjoy the ride.
