Mind, Groin, or Both. Inserting the Sex Scene

Okay, you've gone to great pains to develop your _____ (insert characters). Enough with the damn plot development. It's time for a sex scene. It's also decision time. What is the purpose of the scene? Is the sex supposed to cement the characters' relationship? Is it a casual release? Is it the breaking point? The purpose of the scene often dictates the best approach to its portrayal.

In Earth Angel, I wanted the sex scenes to further the characters' relationships. Prince Dzhok (who goes by Jack) is a Qpiad (often misspelled as "cupid" in Earthside English). "Make love, not war" is central to his persona. He makes loves often, with over 1,980 offspring. The Qpiad are human appearing humanoids with one significant distinguishing ability. They are always a perfect sexual fit for their partners, regardless of size, species, or color. Jack takes his lovemaking very seriously, and is an All-Realms master of the simultaneous orgasm. Accordingly, with Jack, it was important to focus on his techniques.

Salash, Jack's oldest friend and lover, the mother of 22 of his children, is a full blooded High Sidhe. The High Sidhe are extremely flexible. When an Earthside gymnast scores a "10", the judges should always check for High Sidhe blood. With Salash, I needed to show her flexibility.

Having identified the purpose of the sex scene, the next decision is the lexicon. The mechanics of any sex scene, whether M-F, F-F, or M-M are going to be pretty much the same. Tactile stimulation is followed by some form of penetration in one or more orifices. But the word choices one uses to describe the process are the key. Identify your target, the mind, the groin, or both, and attack.

The Mind: In one sense this is both the easiest and the hardest target. The more that is left to the imagination, the greater the attack on the mind. "He undid another button, then kicked the door shut....Mary woke the next morning..." In this case, the sex is entirely inferential, and may be as hot and kinky or as quick and vanilla as the reader chooses. However, if you truly wish to engage the reader's mind, then be prepared to show the reader everything that happened once the door closed. Describe the mounting sensations, the distended time, and the cataclysmic finale. Focus on anything and everything except the actual physical act, except as may be necessary to describe the next round of sensations. Use metaphors and similes rather than descriptions of the physical act.

  

The Groin: This is probably the easiest approach. Just call it like you see it. Describe the participants' physical attributes in as much detail as you desire, then focus on the mechanics. Be sure to add telling sound effects.

Both: This one is a bit trickier. You need to handle this like a sports broadcast. Part of you needs to write the play by play, while another part provides the "color".

That said, here's a quickie from Earth Angel:

As Salash climbed back onto the bed, Jack flipped over on top of Brunhilde, and slowly guided himself inside her. Although Brunhilde stood a full head taller than Jack, he had no trouble filling her, much to her pleasant surprise. In fact, she remarked that next to Thor, he was probably the largest she had ever had, and she never would have guessed from looking him over just before he got into the bath.

He did not take offense at the comparison. He knew he could be larger than Thor if he so chose. He preferred his current size, which was a custom fit to Brunhilde's hot, wet passage. Salash placed her hands on either side of Brunhilde's head, then pressed herself up into a handstand with her legs straight and together. She then slowly bent at the waist into an inverted pike position until she formed a perfect inverted “L”, with her legs parallel to Brunhilde's body, extending just slightly over Jack's head. Whenever a human gymnast scores a perfect “10”, the officials should always check for Sidhe blood―but they never do. Salash opened her legs, extended her tongue, and slowly bent her arms until her legs rested on Jack's shoulders.

Brunhilde had time for a quick “Showoff!” before Salash's tongue was in her mouth. Jack leaned forward and began tonguing Salash, while vigorously pumping Brunhilde until they all came simultaneously. Let Thor try to pull that one off!

*********************************

EARTH ANGEL By CHARLIE KENMORE

charliekenmore@gmail.com

http://charliekenmore.blogspot.com/

Blurb: There are seven parallel worlds known as the Seven Realms which are separated by a Veil. Six are inhabited by all manner of entities, some natural, some not. That may not be the case for much longer. The first portion of the High Sidhe Prophecy of the Sevens has been fulfilled. The Anarch, who is one with the Veil, has escaped. If she chooses, she can part or drop the Veil or she can lift the Veil in its entirety. The Seven Realms will converge. The laws of physics and magic will collide head on. Unless she is stopped,there will be nothing left.

Queen Amura has called for an assembly of the signatories to the High Sidhe's Second Accords, a multi-realm peace treaty to consider how to deal with the threat of the Anarch. An Earthside TechnoWitch and other dark forces also are  seeking to control the Anarch. Prince Dzhok (Jack), High Sidhe Ambassador Salash (Jack's oldest friendand lover), and Valkyrie Brunhilde set out to find and befriend the Anarch before all is lost.

Purchase Links: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724840  (you have toregister-free)

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Angel-ebook/dp/B005KMQAA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315450669&sr=1-1

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-earthangel-599934-140.html

DUALITY-- BY THE NUMBERS

     Light and darkness. Yin and Yang. Venus and Mars. Optimist or pessimist--half full or half empty. Protagonist and antagonist. A fantasy writer seeks out the duality at the core of any story line. Really, who wants to read a story about good and good? Despite the spin, it’s a binary world. Things do or don’t happen, and are or are not. As Yoda succinctly explained, “Do or do not, there is no try.” 

     Duality is everywhere, if one knows what to look for. Take numbers for example. Absolutes, right? Not necessarily. January U.S. labor figures came out showing substantial and continuous job growth. According to the commentators on channel 47, it’s good news. However, according to the talking heads on channel 48, it’s horrendous news. In fact, according to some of the talking heads, the numbers aren’t even real (which makes no sense since there are no “i”’s next to the reported numbers). Same numbers. Go figure. On deeper reflection, though, one should hardly be surprised. In the US, an octodecillion is a one followed by fifty-seven zeros. In Britain, the same number is one followed by 108 zeros. Similarly, a vigintillion is one followed by sixty-three zeros in the US, and 120 zeros in Britain. 

     One is the identity number. Number one gets parades and cereal box covers. Number two, well, who remembers who took the silver medal in women’s curling in Nagano in 1998? Gotcha, it was a trick question. Denmark took the silver, but it was their first medal in winter Olympic history, a fortiori, an event memorable because it was a number one. Generally speaking, however, number two fades rapidly into the mists of memory.

     Two is twice one, and serves as the basis for our binary world, yet doesn’t even appear in base two. In base ten, we call “10” “ten”. In base two, we call “10” “two”, but does it look like a two to you? Of course not. It is a classic case of appearance versus reality, a fundamental precept in fantasy writing, which mercifully finally brings us to the point.

     Writing is the product of a continuous subconscious stream of binary choices. At each step, the Muse is checking off countless boxes with yeses and noes. Each yes or no has consequences for the story which affect the story’s appearance, and thus, the reader’s willingness to suspend disbelief and accept your character’s actions. 

     Let’s build a fantasy character. Right off the bat, the binary computer goes to work. Since we’re dealing with fantasy, question one is whether or not the character is animate? Check “yes” or “no”. If “yes”, continue to question two. Is the character human? Jumping ahead, we’ve checked “animate-yes”, “human-yes”, “female-yes” and after several dozen more questions, we have “Mackenzie”, age 18, blonde, hair to mid back, C cup bra, honors student, lives with parents,sings in her church choir-soprano.

            As Mackenzie stepped forward for her solo, he spied the dark stranger sliding into the      last pew. Smiling, she....

      She what? Well, that depends on a number of binary choices. What is Mackenzie’s basic character, sacred or profane?  If your Muse checked “yes” for “sacred”, it is unlikely that upon viewing the dark stranger, Mackenzie felt her nipples harden and developed a tingling between her legs. More likely, “Smiling, she felt (‘joy’, ‘love’, ‘compassion’, ‘hope’, ‘vindication’)...” Conversely, why is the dark stranger there? Does he have designs on Mackenzie? Yes. Does he mean her harm? No. Does he want her sexually? No (at least not yet). Ultimately, the reader will learn that the dark stranger is there to save Mackenzie from the visiting imposter Episcopalian clergyman who, in fact, is really Formorii (Irish nasties--defeated at the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh, but I digress).

       The writer’s job is to get the story down in black and white. Like my holiday gift tee shirt says, “Even if it’s crap, just get it on the page.” Once it’s down, then the writer can go back and check the Muse’s decision making process, and flip the occasional yes to no or no to yes until the story has the appropriate appearance. Once that is done, the binary choice flips over to the reader who will like it or not. The rest is just commentary.

CK Copyright 2/7/12; Moral rights to be identified as the author of the foregoing article asserted worldwide (including in Great Britain in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988) (See prior blog on Moral Rights).    

          

Two New Guest Blogs

It's twofer day! Check out my guest blog "Betimes Bestride 

Behemoths" at Come Selahway With Me.

http://selahjanel.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/

And then check out Siobhan Kincade's Backlist Bash: Ken 

Charles --Slightly Twisted Sisters

http://siobhankinkade.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/

New Interview up by Selah Janel

Check out my new interview by Selah Janel.

http://selahjanel.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/

METAPHORIC MUMS

We have a fall tradition. Every year, we pick up a couple of pots of mums and put them out on the porch. Since we’re renters, we don’t plant them. We just leave them on the porch and enjoy them there. In the spring, usually around the time of the first grass cutting, we toss out the last years’ pots. This year, however, the first grass cutting was in mid March when it was already in the eighties. When I went to toss the mum pots, I noticed that one of the pots had plants with green leaves. That pot I kept.

By May, the mums were blooming. We had a large number of cheery flowers, bobbing and swaying in the tepid spring air. The blooms were still going strong at the start of the summer’s record breaking streak of consecutive days over eighty-five. Then came Fandomfest weekend and to my shame and horror, the untimely demise of the Chrysanthemum Spring Uprising.

Over Fandomfest Weekend, we arranged for a friend to come over and feed our cats. But I forgot to tell her to water the mums. After several days of baking in St. Louis’s hundred plus degree oven, the mums shriveled and turned brown. When we got home from Louisville, not a single little messenger of hope greeted us.

Head hanging, I watered the pot daily during the next couple weeks of record setting heat. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, in the third week, I noticed the first flushes of green. Week by week, new leaves appeared. Today, there is once again more green than brown, and the plants are full of new flowers. The Miracle Mums are alive!

Watching the growing buds, it occurred to me that not only are these mums miraculous, they are also metaphoric. These mums represent writing as an avocation. At times they flourish. They come into their own at the most unexpected times. Following periods of floral fecundity, they go dormant for a while to recharge. At times they take hard hits and appear completely moribund, but deep within, the spark is still there. With a little nourishment and encouragement, they come roaring back.

Like the mums, at the peak of the heat, I couldn’t write a damn thing. As the heat wave crested, I turned out a novella and a short story. Now that it is cool enough to sleep through the night, I’m ready to go back to work on some of my larger WIPs. In September, I pushed ahead and finished a new science fiction novel in time to submit it to the Harper Voyager open call for submissions. Intellectually, I’ve always understood that there will be dry periods when writing. But emotionally, there is a corresponding need to fight the pessimism that accompanies such dry periods. Now that I have an avatar to focus on, it will be easier to remember that so long as the desire is there, eventually the words will come.

CK Copyright 10/21/12; Moral rights to be identified as the author of the foregoing article asserted worldwide (including in Great Britain in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988) (See prior blog on Moral Rights).

Welcome to the Seven Realms Earthside Communications Center

Greetings Traveler, and welcome to the Seven Realms Earthside Communications Center (SRECC). Whether you've just arrived Earthside, or have been stranded here for a while, the SRECC will provide you with valuable information during your stay.

Access to the Golden Way is available in most metropolitan areas, and at several burned out rest stops along old US Route 66.

For the sake of uniformity, the SRECC uses Earthside English as its principal language. Plans are under consideration for mirror sites in Qpiad and High Sidhe, subject to funding availability and limitless temporal resources.

The SRECC will be updated continuously, beginning with the next update, and continuing thereafter whenever an update is available. All updates are retrospective in nature and may be considered concurrently, sequentially, or out of natural order.

The SRECC is not responsible for any temporal anomalies resulting from fluctuations in the Veil.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be open to the public at Djinnie's Bar and Grill on 9th St., starting promptly at 12:00 (that's half past anvil on your Godmother Clock) on the last vernal equinox.

Any questions may be directed to the Oracle at Delphi, or sent directly to Charlie Kenmore, Administrator at this Blog or charliekenmore@gmail.com

Alexx Momcat and I are at Archon 36. So far, we've seen R2D2, several aliens and three foot tall Iron Man.