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Erotica or romance??

Thread starter Ruth2
Start date Oct 8, 2009

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#1

Okay, maybe it's my vanilla mind tripping me up but just how blurred is the line between erotica and paranormal romance? I ask because I find Laurell K Hamilton more erotica than romance and yet it seems she's listed as p.r. I don't think I'm any more out there than she is. Wait, maybe the three way is since it has ...hmmm.... anal sex in it (can i say that here?) .... or maybe not.

What say the sages?

Brindle Chase

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Oct 8, 2009

#2

its pretty much the same across genres... paranormal romance can be every bit as sexy as erotica... the difference is sometimes subtle... but basically, the plot in a romance could not stand alone without the romance (not the sex, just the romance)... whereas an erotica's plot can stand alone without the sex... make sense? *lol*... its hard sometimes to differentiate.

Erotica must have erotic content, woven into a stand alone plot (usually sex, but not necessarily).
Romance must have a romance with a HEA, with a plot woven into it. erotic content is optional and often dictated by the sub-genre of romance.

Hamiliton's work sound more like what I call Erotic Romance, which is different than Erotica, in that its plot is secondary and bound to the romance and has a mandatory HEA... some publishers allow for a HFN... but most stick to the HEA standard.

Personally, I think its a very thin line and very grey. But that's sort of the gist of it

barbilarry

I just wanna write

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Oct 8, 2009

#3

Ruth,
I don't know about paranormal romance/erotica, In the romance genre I've read all of Beatrice Small's books and I would say she leans much more to erotica, yet she is sold as just romance.
I think the lines are more invisible now than they were twenty years ago. I am writing a paranormal story now, along with a mystery that I hope will lean toward the erotica genre. Sorry I couldn't help more.
Jane

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#4

Thanks Brindle Chase and barbilarry! I keep thinking " well.. if I put this in it, it'll be erotica and if I take that out, it'll be erotic romance." You know, things like the big three "C" words and the "F" word and backdoor sex and ... you get the idea.

<sigh> Seems like nothing's black and white any more..

Synonym

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Oct 8, 2009

#5

I think if you make it to the point that you sell the story, the editor will make some decisions such as take out this term, replace that scene with something more or less, etc. It depends on what they think would sell best.

Hamilton has just about everything in her "sex", so that's not a problem. Find and replace on Word will take care of most of the other questionable C's and F.

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#6

Hmm... so does that mean if it's erotic romance, the "c"s and "f"s have to go? That might be hard.. (no pun intended.)

Thanks, Syn...

Synonym

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Oct 8, 2009

#7

The line is so blurred any more I think it depends on the publisher more than anything.

Fallon Blake

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Oct 8, 2009

#8

LKH is sort of erotic urban fantasy? And *cough cough*not very good erotic anything, IMO.

I agree with Brindle and barbilarry the lines are all over the place now. In the hands of a good editor (which LKH desperately needs) a book can cross genre easily.

veinglory

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Oct 8, 2009

#9

There is nothing about being romance that stops something from being erotica, and vice versa. No either/or.

But I agree, LKH never was writing romance.

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#10

Well, my WIP is definitely HEA, but there's a lot of "C" words and "F" words in it-- all germane to the action taking place but still.... even a rape but my MC goes into her head for most of that-- not a pleasant situation by any means but the revenge is sweet... the other MC makes the perpetrator cut off his male member and eat it. <heh heh heh>

dnic

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Oct 8, 2009

#11

I read somewhere that with erotica, the sex is so integrated in the plot that if you take it out, the story would fall apart, whereas in romance, that's not always the case. And like what the others said, HEA's not required in erotica. It's definitely a blurred line though.

Synonym

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Oct 8, 2009

#12

That's an evil chuckle.

veinglory

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Oct 8, 2009

#13

If you are thinking of a genre romance publishers the rape won't work for most of them.

SFLP

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Oct 8, 2009

#14

Ruth2 said:
Well, my WIP is definitely HEA, but there's a lot of "C" words and "F" words in it-- all germane to the action taking place but still.... even a rape but my MC goes into her head for most of that-- not a pleasant situation by any means but the revenge is sweet... the other MC makes the perpetrator cut off his male member and eat it. <heh heh heh>

I've bought a chunk of stuff that I would consider (and was sold as) erotic romance, that includes lots of "C", "F" and "back door".

That said, nothing that I've bought included successful rape unless it was mentioned as sort of MC history. (And no literal eating of genitals in what I've purchased, either.

)

If you wanted to sell it as erotic romance...I dunno. Make the rape scene something just mentioned? Make the revenge a couple of sentences? How important is it to the plot?

J.

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#15

Hmmm.. it's important. For most of the rape she goes into her head and has a conversation with her friend who was murdered by one of the rapists. She literally disassociates from the rape. The next scene deals with the two MCs as he tries to put her psyche back together.

The mutilation is understated-- she sees him cooking something in the fireplace and first thinks it's rabbit. He's gone loony and offers a bite to her; when he turns around she sees the stump of his penis hanging out of his pants. But you don't "see" it being cut off. It's sort of a Hannibal Lecter moment.

Synonym

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Oct 8, 2009

#16

Yeah, it would kind of take the sexy out of the read. Perhaps you might want to pull that scene and make it a brief reminisce or at least, not too gleefully graphic.

Maybe you're actually heading towards an Urban, crap--forgot what it's called and I need to call it a night. Someone else will know. Urban whatever--they can be more edgy and violent, have romantic tones or even erotic tones.

Ruth2

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Oct 8, 2009

#17

Urban fantasy?

Thanks Syn!

veinglory

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Oct 9, 2009

#18

Indeed.

Genre romance has taboo and rape is way up there. Not saying it shouldn't be in the story, but if it is the story probably isn't for a genre ropmance publisher other than one of the smaller, edgier outfits.

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