Taboo Topics

[andy eckles]

For me, there's nothing off the table.  I've written about everything from child modesters to incest.  I write a lot of sex because a) i love sex and b) i write about a fantasy lifestyle.  In this lifestyle, things like AIDS don't come into play.  So I guess that would be a taboo subject for me.  Anything that gets too serious I downplay.  I tried doing a more serious, down-to-earth story last year and it failed miserably.  Never again.  Besides, for me it's more fun to write about the backstabbing and the affairs and the murders. 

[kellyzollo]

So it's about 1:30 am here and this subject has just been brought up in the last two special episodes of West Lake that I am writing for the summer that involve sex. So far I have two scenes written that are pretty jaw dropping with how shall we put it some explicit material being said and/or showcased. And now I am entirely nervous about publishing said episodes.

This summer I am doing prelude episodes to the actual series focusing on love/summer romances to take readers back in time before the accident and showcase how very different life was for the residents of West Lake. As a writer, I wanted to push myself in this area to show those relationships such as Cade/Hannah, Austin/Kate, Jake/Vanessa and a few others before the accident and well, sex has come into play with them.

I've done rough and shall we say a bit explicit sex scenes for well over a few years with RPG world so it has never really came into play, as being nerve wracking. The partners I wrote them with were very creative and accepting of them. But I have never tackled this on West Lake. I'm not sure if I am going to far in them or not, I'm not uncomfortable with reading the scenes, but I certainly do not want to offend my readers.

So for those that do sex scenes regularly, I am wondering how do you know for sure if it is something that is kosher to publish?

Kelly

[livelikemusic]

Well I just want to say congrats on writing some explicit scenes, as I have no issues with them. Other writers, who knows! But I am up for some hot, explicit scene sex!

[Ty Junior]

I do not do sex scenes unless it is unique to the situation that you described above-- a gimpse at someone's first time, a tawdry affair and so on.  I thnk the only way a sex scene could become offensive for me was if it blurred the lines between sex and rape.  Anything synonymous with a man's sperm would  just gross me out for a bit...  A little biting, spitting, handcuffs, roleplay, etc is okay... IN THE WRITING.    Anything u know would be censor on national television, that's when u need to fade to black or update ur genre.

[Dallas]

I like writing sex scenes that are a little bit more risque. We are not daytime TV, so we CAN go a little further, please it adds to the imagination. Writing a simple love scene can be boring (which is good sometimes), but I think it's fun to have a hot, racy scene once in awhile.

[livelikemusic]

But.. would you guys go into detail of things happen during the sex scene, or just leave it ALL for your audience to decide what they are doing?

And what if it was a rape scene? What would you want to see and not want to see?

[ChrisColeman]

Scott I just did a rape in episode 15 you might want to check it out.

[Ty Junior]

How to Write a Sex Scene, Part 1 of 3
Retrieved from AssociatedContent.COM

One of the toughest elements in all of writing is the sex scene. You want to convey to the reader that sex is taking place, but you also walk the fine line between romance and smut. A good sex scene will leave the reader feeling the situation but imagining the smut. The most effectively written sex scenes understand that less is more.

For example, if the town-pump is going out with five guys from the football team and she’s going to offer herself up to them, it’s often much better to end the scene with the moment that it starts. In other words, it might look like:

-When they got to the campsite, Ron and Jeremy took to the task of lighting a fire while the others stood laughing at the pair's ineptitude. “I will be right back. I have to pee,” Stephanie announced as she took a flashlight and headed into the woods alone. When she returned, the fire was finally lit. Stephanie hadn't bothered to refasten her jeans. In fact, it appeared as if she'd left them in the woods, along with the rest of her clothing. “Whose first?” she asked with a sultry grin. The boys looked around at each other, unsure of what to do, but each sensing that the moment might slip away if someone didn't act. Stephanie had been here before. “Well it looks as if I might have to show you gentlemen how this is done”, Stephanie continued as she took a step toward Michael. "You'll do", she whispered as Michael swallowed nervously.

No matter how fake this particular scene is, it leaves the reader with the distinct impression that the sex scene is starting. It’s enough. To go into the parts about throbbing members and internal explosions and screams of ecstasy, however tempting, would be the difference between literature and porn. Don’t be too graphic in your sex scenes. It cheapens them and overshadows their purpose.