Romance, erotica, or porn?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is art. To a great extent so is the answer to this question. Some erotic romance writers see themselves as part of the sex industry. I don’t. In some cases, maybe it’s a fair classification. It may depend on the content of their work, their motivation, their ultimate goals. Many writers say they write erotica, or erotic romance, or even prefer to call it “modern” romance. These are equally valid arguments. Gone are the days when we closed the bedroom door, and like most things this has its good points and bad. We should no longer be ashamed of sex or nudity, we should shrive to wipe out sexual ignorance, and yet the subject of sex shouldn’t be used as a tool of exploitation.

Like a great many other authors, some of my work is explicit by varying degrees and yet I count none of my love stories to date as anything other than romance* (or erotic romance if that makes you feel more at ease). [*Note: I do write non-explicit work in other genres.] I can see some people thinking this rather a hypocritical outlook, but I don’t see it that way at all. I don’t believe explicit automatically equals porn. The trouble is that with anything to do with sexuality the subject is complex. Fine, some of the romance writers actively write BDSM stories so that’s porn, right? Not necessarily so. Who can dictate what constitutes a loving relationship, and sex and love is a convoluted issue. It’s simply not that simple and there is no clearly defined line. It’s true, some writers delve into more hardcore sexual practices, and here is where the line blurs and one person’s erotica is going to be another person’s porn. However, for those writers who simply write an explicit scene of lovemaking, why is that porn?

It’s not. It’s simply what I’ve stated it to be: making love. So why do we need to be with these characters during such an intimate moment?

It’s almost impossible for any of us with ready access to technology to go through life without seeing some snippet of porn. It doesn’t matter if it’s on the internet (and let me assure you I know some people who have found some very strange things doing very innocent searches), on television, on DVD or video maybe at a friend’s house: we tend to see things by intent or accident. Most of us would agree a porn scene is far different from the vision of two people making love.

I for one roll my eyes when I watch movies and see yet another exhibition of naked flesh, invariably female, and invariably gratuitous. My largely negative reaction is because there seems to be no apparent reason to show a woman’s breasts or any of her other assets and yet there they are for the world to see. It’s a matter of inequality. Although things have improved, we seldom see more than a few buff chests when it comes to the male star of the show. I also feel if it’s not important to the story, if it doesn’t serve some joke or moment of intimacy, leave it out, and this is where I think explicit writing serves a greater purpose than an explicit scene in a movie.

So how do we define porn versus erotica or romance? One is about physical gratification only. The others concern emotions. For me for sex to work in a story it has to be integrated, progressive. It has to drive the plot as much as any other aspect of the story. It has to tell the reader something about what is happening to the characters and the interaction between the characters. This is where a filmed sex scene often fails. Unless you can produce a scene where during sex the characters behave in a certain way that enlightens the viewer to their internal feelings and intent then it’s pointless. In a written love scene, you get everything. Physical reactions impact on emotional ones. You share the character’s emotional rollercoaster, his or her hopes, dreams, fears and eventually you both reach understanding and enlightenment, or you share their loss, their pain, their sorrow. If incorporated the right way, sex in a story has as great an impact as any other emotion portrayed. That doesn’t mean the writer can forego story in favour of sex. Sex without story, just as sex without love, can be a hollow thrill for many of us. There’s nothing wrong with that, but ultimately, it’s not what most of us want in life (most of us want a long-term partner at some stage in our existence) or in our reading material. Ultimately, no matter what the genre the books you’re going to remember are those that tore at your heart.