A bit of writing meta.
I've discussed this with Cat on a number of occasions- I don't like writing sex scenes. (I went through a phase of it in my early fandom days, yes, guilty as charged. I would point out, however, that they weren't any good). In general, I find smut to have little redeeming value, of late. Plot is the new porn, as far as I'm concerned. PWPs just... eh. Sex scenes, I think, should be important to the story, to the characterization, to the plot as a whole, in order to be worth including. That's what makes the sex scenes interesting; without it, they're all pretty much the same. Sure, you can have as many twists on them as you like, as many kinks as you can dream up, but at the end of the day, I still feel that PWPs are an empty read. (My feelings on, say, a beautifully developed long oneshot or multichap that also include a sex scene or two are quite different, but that's not what's under discussion here).
I feel I need to include the caveat that I don't 'look down' on PWP writers or readers. As far as the former are concerned, I'll be the first to say it takes a certain skill with words to write a good sex scene- we all know there are plenty of cringe-inducing ones out there. Good sex scenes require a very strong handle on descriptive writing, as well as the ability to keep track of who is where (not always easy, especially in slash and femmeslash, where you run into all sorts of pronoun issues). A good PWP requires just as much a command of language as a PG-13 fic that's solely plot-driven. As far as readers go, hey, if that's up your alley, who am I to judge? I'm just doing the egotistical writer thing, and commenting on my own preferences here.
I've come to dislike writing sex scenes. It's really difficult, in the first place, and secondly (again), I feel like it distracts from the characters themselves. Too often, you can substitute any two names in a sex scene, and it has the exact same feel (excepting that the physical descriptions won't match up, of course, if you swap, say, Snape for Bill. But you take my point, I think). I think that's the primary symptom of a sex scene that lacks that spark of character to make it work. Give me a scene where, even if you left out the names of both characters, their identities would be unmistakable because of their characterization and the dynamics of their relationship (and not just from physical description). Is your premise that Harry is obsessively in love with Draco, can't get enough of him, but Draco is just stringing him along? Don't tell me that. Show me that. Make me believe it by the way Harry looks at Draco, by the expression (or lack thereof) on Draco's face. Draco's skin is cold to the touch- you've told me, right then, that Draco himself is cold. He feels nothing. Sensory metaphor. That sort of attention to detail is what makes a sex scene worth writing, and worth reading.
Some of you are now probably thinking I should put my money where my mouth is, as it were. If I'm so sure I know what makes a sex scene good, I should write it myself instead of bitching about it, right? Probably. Actually, that's what brought about this little ramble- I've been trying to challenge myself to write a sex scene that isn't about the sex at all, and make it work, and make it beautiful (and make them over 18 so LJ doesn't come down on me like a ton of bricks, but that's another issue entirely, and has been eloquently discussed elsewhere). And it's really, really difficult. I've agonized for several hours just over the setup- I'm at 566 words right now. For the sake of comparison, usually, I can whip off just shy of a thousand words in an hour. It's pushing my writing in a direction it isn't generally pushed. I think it's a great (if highly frustrating) exercise... I think, if other writers are game, it's worth it to do. Go on. Show me a sex scene that will amaze me, because the character dynamics are just that incredible.
I dare you.
(Crossposted to my GJ and my IJ).
I feel I need to include the caveat that I don't 'look down' on PWP writers or readers. As far as the former are concerned, I'll be the first to say it takes a certain skill with words to write a good sex scene- we all know there are plenty of cringe-inducing ones out there. Good sex scenes require a very strong handle on descriptive writing, as well as the ability to keep track of who is where (not always easy, especially in slash and femmeslash, where you run into all sorts of pronoun issues). A good PWP requires just as much a command of language as a PG-13 fic that's solely plot-driven. As far as readers go, hey, if that's up your alley, who am I to judge? I'm just doing the egotistical writer thing, and commenting on my own preferences here.
I've come to dislike writing sex scenes. It's really difficult, in the first place, and secondly (again), I feel like it distracts from the characters themselves. Too often, you can substitute any two names in a sex scene, and it has the exact same feel (excepting that the physical descriptions won't match up, of course, if you swap, say, Snape for Bill. But you take my point, I think). I think that's the primary symptom of a sex scene that lacks that spark of character to make it work. Give me a scene where, even if you left out the names of both characters, their identities would be unmistakable because of their characterization and the dynamics of their relationship (and not just from physical description). Is your premise that Harry is obsessively in love with Draco, can't get enough of him, but Draco is just stringing him along? Don't tell me that. Show me that. Make me believe it by the way Harry looks at Draco, by the expression (or lack thereof) on Draco's face. Draco's skin is cold to the touch- you've told me, right then, that Draco himself is cold. He feels nothing. Sensory metaphor. That sort of attention to detail is what makes a sex scene worth writing, and worth reading.
Some of you are now probably thinking I should put my money where my mouth is, as it were. If I'm so sure I know what makes a sex scene good, I should write it myself instead of bitching about it, right? Probably. Actually, that's what brought about this little ramble- I've been trying to challenge myself to write a sex scene that isn't about the sex at all, and make it work, and make it beautiful (and make them over 18 so LJ doesn't come down on me like a ton of bricks, but that's another issue entirely, and has been eloquently discussed elsewhere). And it's really, really difficult. I've agonized for several hours just over the setup- I'm at 566 words right now. For the sake of comparison, usually, I can whip off just shy of a thousand words in an hour. It's pushing my writing in a direction it isn't generally pushed. I think it's a great (if highly frustrating) exercise... I think, if other writers are game, it's worth it to do. Go on. Show me a sex scene that will amaze me, because the character dynamics are just that incredible.
I dare you.
(Crossposted to my GJ and my IJ).