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“Do my characters have to have kinky sex for my story to be considered an erotic romance?”
Thanks to the popularity of Fifty Shades Of Grey, newer writers ask this question ALL the time. Is BDSM necessary for sex scenes? (BDSM, according to Wikipedia, is “a variety of erotic practices involving dominance and submission, role-playing, restraint, and other interpersonal dynamics”) What happens if my heroine doesn’t like to be tied up or spanked or blindfolded? (because we all know characters have minds of their own – I can’t convince my characters to do anything they don’t want to do)
Okay, first thing… BDSM is only one sexual kink. I write about exhibitionism (wanting to be watched) and voyeurism (being watched), two very common and couple-friendly sexual kinks. Many of my buddies write about ménages (three people), tentacle sex (exactly what it sounds like – yes, people who like octopuses a little too much), furries (people dressing up like team mascots), and the list goes on. If something can be combined with sex, there’s someone doing it.
Second thing, kink is NOT necessary for an erotic romance. What IS necessary are sex scenes that take into account the personalities of the characters involved. No two people have sex quite the same way. I have a chatty heroine who talks all the way through sex. I have another heroine who doesn’t make a sound. One heroine (Camille from Breaking All The Rules) likes to take the lead. Another heroine (Kat from Flashes Of Me) prefers to follow in the bedroom.
Can you make sex scenes steamy without using toys or exotic situations? Of course. A great erotic romance writer can make a hand holding scene steamy. And sometimes kink can get in the way of the scene, drawing readers out of the story, because for a kink to work, to be hot, it has to be right for the characters.
Do you prefer kink in your erotic romances?
Nathan Lawford, Blaine Technologies’ chief financial officer, is known as the Iceman. He conducts his personal and business affairs without emotion, never allowing himself to become involved with anyone. When Nate sees something or someone he wants, he negotiates, paying a simple, set monetary price.
Now he wants Camille, the company’s green-haired intern.
Camille Joplin Trent never expected to be paid to pleasure the man of her dreams. She can’t quite figure out why this is a bad thing. Nate is intelligent, handsome, sophisticated, everything she’s ever wanted in a lover and never thought she could have. Their contract is for a month, thirty lust-filled days of making every sexual fantasy they’ve ever had come true. At the end of this month, the rules state their relationship will end.
Of course, Camille has never been good at following rules.
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I agree Cynthia-Eroticism can be at it’s sexiest with just the touch of a hand. Tweeted