tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post6590403846810981258..comments2024-03-26T15:49:05.333-07:00Comments on Criminal Minds: Sometimes Less is MoreJosh Stallingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09913654176433125233noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-72818402174701215392020-10-26T12:43:11.472-07:002020-10-26T12:43:11.472-07:00Whether you're graphic or subtle about sex and...Whether you're graphic or subtle about sex and violence, you have to be driving the story forward. And it has to fit or help define the characters.EdEarl's Daddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589392352200964416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-51084567476070393212020-10-23T19:29:30.219-07:002020-10-23T19:29:30.219-07:00Thanks for your comment, Earl. I think it makes th...Thanks for your comment, Earl. I think it makes them interesting on their own level when the people are, as you say, preoccupied with their own motives and neurotic distractions. As someone mentioned above, definitely more interesting than a sex manual description…Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-15302624997575023942020-10-23T19:24:00.838-07:002020-10-23T19:24:00.838-07:00I think the sex scenes in my Charlie Miner books a...I think the sex scenes in my Charlie Miner books are a lot of fun, but there's nothing sexy about them. The women he hooks up with are too preoccupied with their own motives and neurotic distractions for there to be any erotic element. The hookups are just unhinged encounters that happen to include nudity. The nature of these encounters--not the sex, or perhaps even the failure to have meaningful sex--does, I like to think, lend itself to character development and plot.<br />On the other hand, when sex starts on TV, I usually glance at my phone and scroll through a distraction until dialog resumes.Earl Javorskyhttp://www.earljavorsky.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-27602190866122251522020-10-23T19:23:18.807-07:002020-10-23T19:23:18.807-07:00Thanks, Susan. That’s what I like about the Woody ...Thanks, Susan. That’s what I like about the Woody Allen scene, it punctures those tropes so well. And when it came out Howard Cosell was the perfect person to do the interview. I think I’ve seen Love Always but not since it came out. I’ll have to see if I can get it. And glad you enjoyed the clips.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-79616421815065372892020-10-23T19:22:50.481-07:002020-10-23T19:22:50.481-07:00Thank you, Madeline. For me, that Woody Allen scen...Thank you, Madeline. For me, that Woody Allen scene is one of the funniest ever. And I thought it really helped point out what I was trying to say in this piece. As you say, it’s challenging writing actual sex scenes. I think that’s art in itself. And you’re probably right about age having something to do with one’s perspective. Definitely, too, the relations are more important than the mechanics of the sex.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-83994511274432953692020-10-23T19:22:27.868-07:002020-10-23T19:22:27.868-07:00Thanks for your comment, Maggie. It seems really w...Thanks for your comment, Maggie. It seems really weird that some authors act like sex doesn’t exist. Maybe it doesn’t in their lives ;-) . And I agree, Double Indemnity is very sexy without showing the actual sex. It would be difficult, if not laughable, to read sex scenes that read like manuals.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-83359025734542805462020-10-23T19:22:08.526-07:002020-10-23T19:22:08.526-07:00Thanks, Jackie. You had me laughing out loud about...Thanks, Jackie. You had me laughing out loud about the gray-haired granny writing the sexy scenes. There’s an old Irene Dunne movie (Theordora Goes Wild) where she writes steamy novels on the sly and presents prim and proper in day to day life. But then I think her cover is blown.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-61017928365902643682020-10-23T19:21:43.180-07:002020-10-23T19:21:43.180-07:00Thanks, Terry. I agree with you that a little sugg...Thanks, Terry. I agree with you that a little suggestiveness goes a long way. Some things are better left to our imaginations. As for the series, I’m surprised the body part shots are hazy :-) .Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-74890148532729564132020-10-23T19:21:16.483-07:002020-10-23T19:21:16.483-07:00Thanks, Gayle. I think some things are definitely ...Thanks, Gayle. I think some things are definitely better left behind closed doors.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-40506975640249844842020-10-23T19:20:58.531-07:002020-10-23T19:20:58.531-07:00Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline. I agree, some...Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline. I agree, sometimes they should be in and sometimes not. As long as they serve the plot and characters.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-55422283978299201422020-10-23T11:11:37.260-07:002020-10-23T11:11:37.260-07:00I liked the dialogue from the Bogart film. The mor...I liked the dialogue from the Bogart film. The more someone talks about sex (a la the Woody Allen sex scene), the less sexy it is. In "Love Always," the stand-in actors for the porn film are funny because there's absolutely nothing sexy in their work - they could be working in a laundromat. But when they're themselves, they're tongue-tied with lust. Good post and thanks for all the clips.Susan C Sheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18225627756540127032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-40059845652601608962020-10-23T10:23:42.462-07:002020-10-23T10:23:42.462-07:00Excellent,comprehensive, and thought provoking pos...Excellent,comprehensive, and thought provoking post, Paul! And generating some good comments! Enjoyed reading all. I had forgotten that Woody Allen scene....<br /><br />For me, when I'm reading or watching movies/DVD/TV, what's important is the relationships,charisma, and shared values between the characters. Sex, if detailed, is just the follow up on those aspects, not that important as a story/character aspect.<br /><br />As a writer, it's challenging enough writing scenes that don't include sex(smile) much less having to write an actual sex scene(smile again).<br /><br />I must admit, when much younger, way back in the dark ages(teenage to young adult years) my memory is, the more graphic sex in a novel or movie, the better! So age of your readership could impact your thinking about sex scenes, and how they're handled?Madeline Gornellhttp://mmgornell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-72236606947637494762020-10-23T08:24:33.100-07:002020-10-23T08:24:33.100-07:00
I know some authors so determined to avoid sex th...<br />I know some authors so determined to avoid sex that they act like it doesn’t exist. They effectively neuter their characters. I acknowledge that my characters have sex, but don’t show it (violation of the show don’t tell rule). I regard Double Indemnity as one of the sexiest movies ever.<br /><br />It’s very difficult to write a sex scene that doesn’t read like a how to manual. I’ve beta read for authors who write scenes like this and I (gently!) <br />tell them that the best sex scenes are subtle and brief. I stop short of advising them to leave the sex to the romance writers—-they know what they’re doing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-36629767325015420472020-10-23T08:17:02.376-07:002020-10-23T08:17:02.376-07:00Filmmakers had to really think and be creative to ...Filmmakers had to really think and be creative to get their points across. We've lost that to a large degree. I think the same goes for writers. Everything the reader needs to know is in the lead up. There isn't any point to showing the follow through unless it's a comic scene or something necessary to the characters comes out. Otherwise, it's just for titillation, and that's a bore IMHO. :) Another point. I once sat next to an author who writes very sexy books. I'm looking at this plump, gray-haired granny-looking person and thinking "Aw, man. I've seen inside your mind." Those are thoughts I don't want to share or share in. :) Jacqueline Vickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17066655287551999883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-82974367861850624112020-10-23T08:13:16.941-07:002020-10-23T08:13:16.941-07:00Great post, Paul. I'm so tired of gratuitous s...Great post, Paul. I'm so tired of gratuitous sex in TV series these days. It's like at the beginning of many perfectly good series, there has to be a sex scene. The meeting of the eyes, the tearing off of the clothes, the hazy body part shots--that have nothing to do with the story. <br /><br />At least in books you can skim. Not that I don't like a good sex scene, but most of them are not. They are just boilerplate. A little suggestiveness can go a long way.Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478393430722574447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-42942371166467302562020-10-23T07:25:09.140-07:002020-10-23T07:25:09.140-07:00I leave the sex scenes behind closed doors, but in...I leave the sex scenes behind closed doors, but in most cases there are other priorities and I go in that direction instead. And you are right about some of those scenes stop the action. I prefer telling a story without starts and stops. Good examples you provided, Paul.GBPoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190573764848658894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-37485588704729896182020-10-23T06:07:05.491-07:002020-10-23T06:07:05.491-07:00Sometimes sex scenes should be part of a novel and...Sometimes sex scenes should be part of a novel and sometimes not. In my own books, it varies. In Death Promise, the sequel to Death Legacy, there are sex scenes. The novel is a mystery but the chemistry is between a male psychiatrist and a woman detective. In my new 5th Kim Reynolds mystery Blood Family, sex scenes would slow the plot and are not included. Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com