Necessary?

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CJWilkes

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Is it necessary to have sex scenes to be considered in the romance genre?

In my opinion - No, and I prefer to read romance novels that can keep the R on out of the book. My movie choices are the same. I feel that sex is beautiful in the correct atmosphere, but in books and movies it seems crude and takes all sacredness and beauty of it away.

What are your opinions and why?
 

pepperlandgirl

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Hmmm, this might be better placed in the Romance genre section....

Regardless, I'll answer anyway. I like sex. I like writing sex. I like reading sex. I like watching sex. I like having sex. Sex is great. When it comes to entertainment where sex is secondary (romance instead of porn), I don't want anything that's gratuitious, poorly-written, or boring (or, god forbid, all three at once!)

It's definitely not necessary. There are many, many Romance lines that publish books without sex (or at least there were when I was reading category romance...). There are lots and lots of people who aren't interested in reading sex and I'm sure they're interested in reading books.
 

veinglory

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I read and write both with and without. I don't think that it is an activity so different from others that I would have trouble reading it. There are a lot of special experiences and providing they are written well I enjoy reading about all of them.

There are some plots where sex has no part, like a courtship where the characters don't believe in sex before marraige and the book only goes as far as the altar. But if the relationship described is sexual it would seem odd not to show that part of it.
 

Susan Gable

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CJWilkes said:
Is it necessary to have sex scenes to be considered in the romance genre?

In my opinion - No, and I prefer to read romance novels that can keep the R on out of the book. My movie choices are the same. I feel that sex is beautiful in the correct atmosphere, but in books and movies it seems crude and takes all sacredness and beauty of it away.

What are your opinions and why?

Hey, CJ! :) Thanks for posting an interesting question.

The answer is no, a book doesn't have to have sex/love scenes to be considered a romance. There is a sub-genre known as "sweet romance" that doesn't allow premarital sex between characters. No sex allowed. There is also the inspirational romance, which for obvious reasons also doesn't allow sex in the book.

My romances so far all have love scenes. I happen to like them. And I don't write them to be gratituous, either. There is something emotional going on with the characters. When two people get nekkid together, especially for the first time, there's vulnerability. It can say a lot about their character and their current emotional status how they respond during a love scene.

It's not just about the physical act. It's a lot about the subtext that's going on between the characters.

That said, I let the story and the characters dictate what goes in the story.

:)

Susan G.
 
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