Romance without a sex scene?

aimeelaine · Jul 26, 2009

I've been searching and not finding an answer. I know there are numerous schools of thought on romance, the how to's, dos and don'ts, etc. What I can't find though is whether or not a romance without a sex scene would work? Would it fall into the genre at all?

You're probably asking a bigger question ... "who'd write a romance without sex?"

But that would be me!

I am actually very uncomfortable detailing sex, however, I love to create sensual, descriptive scenes between two people as they fall in love ... prior to getting to that sex point.

Let me know if there is a thread on this. Or your thoughts!

Thanks!

brainstorm77 · Jul 26, 2009

Christian romance comes to mind and sweet romance....

K. Taylor · Jul 26, 2009

Yeah, Sweet doesn't cover the actual act.

AuburnAssassin · Jul 26, 2009

Here's a recent thread on this topic you might want to read as well:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148038

Deb Kinnard · Jul 27, 2009

Phoo yes, it works. I do it all the time. Currently working on book #24 with no sack scene. Plenty of tension, though!

veinglory · Jul 27, 2009

The research to do would be to go to your local book shop and buy 20 random romances. You will find about half of them don't contain explicit sex scenes and several don't contain even implied sex. It really isn't all that uncommon. In fact including sex is a fairly recent phenomenon. It seems to me that a lot of people start writing romance without first reading very much of it.

LorelieBrown · Jul 27, 2009

There's entire publishing houses that specialize in it. Avalon, which we were discussing last week, is one.

aimeelaine · Jul 27, 2009

I've read TONS of Romance and every book I've picked up has had sex scenes -- some quite explicit.

My husband wants to read over my shoulder now thanks to that!

I'll check out that link! Thank you so much for the insight!

Andreya · Jul 27, 2009

Yeah, it's usually specified in submission guidelines what they want, so check those..

If there are sex scenes it may be a 'sub-genre' or 'category' (not sure if that is the proper expression) of romance, maybe romantica or such..

Ideally find what you like & are comfortable with & look for who publishes it or such..

Chasing the Horizon · Jul 27, 2009

aimeelaine said:
I've read TONS of Romance and every book I've picked up has had sex scenes -- some quite explicit.

I was thinking the same thing. I guess I knew 'sweet' romance existed, but I've never read one. I asked my mom, who has been reading romance since long before I was born, and she'd never encountered it either. We both grab random romance books from the supermarket and library, so I just can't believe it's as common as some on this thread are claiming. I wonder if it's more common in certain sub-genres. I mainly read historical, with occasional paranormal (as long as it's vampire-free) and contemporary if it's recommended by someone I trust.

Of course, it's not a subject I'm interested in pursuing, so I'm not sure what the point of this post is, lol. I guess I'm just wondering how I've missed it.

veinglory · Jul 28, 2009

Are you picking up mainly romance with black or red covers? Because I stood at Borders and actually did this experiment last weekend after our previous thread and the proportions were pretty much what I said. The sweeter romance being more inclined to cool color covers and cursive script and associated with more established authors who began their careers before the recent fad for bonage vampires etc.

AliceUK · Jul 28, 2009

Books in the Harlequin Romance line often don't have sex scenes. Some of the books in the line do (although the bedroom door is closed on the reader) but others don't--it depends on the author. They need plenty of sexual tension, though.

Jess Haines · Jul 28, 2009

I've read a number of romance novels without sex scenes. Hard pressed to tell you which ones they were, but (as mentioned above), they definitely exist.

Chasing the Horizon · Jul 28, 2009

veinglory said:
Are you picking up mainly romance with black or red covers? Because I stood at Borders and actually did this experiment last weekend after our previous thread and the proportions were pretty much what I said. The sweeter romance being more inclined to cool color covers and cursive script and associated with more established authors who began their careers before the recent fad for bonage vampires etc.

I have covers of every color, actually more pink/green/purple than red or black. The red/black ones are all paranormals. I looked more closely at the books I own copies of, and the vast majority are from the same two publishers: Avon and Leisure. They must be the ones who get prominent placement in my local supermarket, lol.

Robin Bayne · Jul 29, 2009

Deb Kinnard said:
Phoo yes, it works. I do it all the time. Currently working on book #24 with no sack scene. Plenty of tension, though!

Agree!!!

STKlingaman · Jul 29, 2009

Wasn't there a movie with
Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves
where they live 2 years apart and
fall in love.

Love, Sex, Passion, Romance are all
different things, and while they can be
intertwined, they can also stand alone
quite nicely.

When I write, I focus on love & romance
and the bond it develops.

Jackie B. · Jul 31, 2009

I think Harlequin has some lines that only have "closed door references" to sex and focus on the emotional aspect of the relationship. I'm not familiar with the various lines but I'd check out their site.

Shamrockgreen · Aug 21, 2009

Janet Evanovich comes to mind...not really "romance" however her Plum series is wildly popular and she creates lots of tension but there is not explict sex scenes. Joanna Bourne writes a very nice romance lots of leading up to the "act", which is very nice to read a romance where the MC's are not always in the sack.

Carmy · Aug 22, 2009

I find reading detailed sex scenes boring and usually skip them. My imagination can provide far more interesting details than most authors supply.

I can name a few authors I avoid, because they throw in sex scenes either inappropriately or too frequently. As I said -- boring.

I agree with what STKlingaman said.

Casslyn Lazarus · Aug 22, 2009

aimee,
Danielle Steel never writes them, Simone O from theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com wonders how much is too much and I suffer with them for the very same reason you do. So I guess what I'm saying is it's not uncommon or impossible to fine success without a sex scene, explicit or otherwise.
Cass

Beware_of_Italics · Aug 23, 2009

Lynn Kurland comes to mind.

She's great.

DMarie84 · Aug 25, 2009

Not all romance needs a sex scene! So I think you'll be able to find a place for your book. I rather prefer the "closed door" scenes. If I read a book with a sex scene I skip over them.

D.Avet · Aug 25, 2009

I can remember some of the very first true romance books I read had 'after-sex-you-didn't-see' scenes. Sort of like watching movies where you see the foreplay and then it fades to black before coming back with the couple in bed the next morning.

If it suits your writing style and preferences, do it. I've read books without sex scenes, I've read plenty of books with (extremely detailed) sex scenes and I can't say that either one was better than the other. It all has to do with the story.

Good luck

veinglory · Aug 25, 2009

In fact, rather a lot of romance don't have sex scenes--and most have sex scenes that are not much more than half a page.

Romance without a sex scene?

practical experience, FTW

Bah Humbug

Darkly Romantic Curmudgeon

volitare nequeo

Got the hang of it, here

in denial

Blowing in the Wind

volitare nequeo

Boldly going nowhere in particular.

Blowing in the Wind

~writes for Him~

Followed the Red Brick Road

A day on the skeet range helps the frustration

Different from the rest

I wish I had a time machine

Tripping the light Romantastically

volitare nequeo