Romance Writers: Heat level by sub-genre?

[Thriftypreneur]

Curious how any of you go about deciding how much spice to add to your novels based on the sub-genre you're writing for. Is there a way to find the sweet spot in something like Contemporary or New Adult where the heat level is spread all over the spectrum? Some novels contain little to no sexy times while others even manage to make me blush. Hard to discern between the heat level in novels without reading them, as so many simply have the black and white naked torso or couple with sometimes misleading blurbs.

Is it best just to write the amount of spice you want for a story and just slap a disclaimer in your blurb?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mattie]

I believe the only way to know is to read similar titles in that genre. Some like harlequins are on a formula type writing. I've read a lot of the romance novels like that and of course it's not that deep into sexual stuff, just kind of sugar coating. Christian romance has none at all for obvious reasons. Erotica is usually the heaviest. Literary Fiction can get into some deep stuff too which I've read, because I am more aiming towards literary fiction because I find formula's kind of boring.

I think you just have to read in that genre area you're close too and see how similar writers do it that match your style. Like for me, I could write Erotica perfectly, but on the other hand it's not who I am. I used to be in this writing group that I read out loud, and of course many of them told me to bring that out, because they feel writer's need to express everything real and desirable. I never have written Erotica.

You have to go with what feels right to you. As I'm a big believer in being your authentic self as a writer, because if you're trying to write like someone else the readers are going to notice you're not in it 100% with feelings and emotions. As in when you're writing that scene artistically you have to write it with emotion and feeling as if you're in that experience the very moment you write it for the reader to be drawn into the story. What are you comfortable with and how far are you willing to go in your book? That's the better question.

You're only going to write what you're comfortable with yourself expressing.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

Well, that's kind of my point. Reading new adult, for example, I can find titles with no sex and titles that get fairly heavy, yet they represent the same genre and can be very similar with covers and blurbs.

 

[Mattie]

You're only going to write what you're comfortable with yourself expressing.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mattie]

I guess what I'm trying to tell you that writers only write what they feel comfortable with and how far they're willing to get out of their comfort zone. Sex is how inhibited you are, how you feel about it, what you're perspective is about writing about it. Pretty much the writer is the creator of the book and characters. There is no specific rule. Just where you want to go with it and feel is acceptable or not acceptable to you.

Don't know if this writer forum will help you.
http://accentuatewriters.com/

 

[Thriftypreneur]

Perhaps I didn't explain myself adequately. I'm not trying to figure out MY comfort level, but general genre expectations without reading hundreds of titles.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Note to self - Outsource development of software that determines sexual intensity by genre to sell to Thriftypreneur.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ChickenHawk]

I write romance, and I'd actually prefer to write books without non-explicit sex in them. But it does seem that there's a certain expectation, maybe due to the popularity 50 Shades of Gray, that romance books (especially those geared toward college-aged women) will have some fairly explicit scenes. So basically for me, I include a couple of explicit sex scenes per full-length book.

In my books, the sex is fairly straight, meaning it's heterosexual, only two people participating, and not BDSM. Reviewers will occasionally tell me there's not enough sex, but unless I'm writing full-out erotica, two scenes is kind of my limit.

I put a disclaimer on the description that it's intended for mature readers.

Hope this helps, @Thriftypreneur! It's so nice to see you back here. Your analysis and insight is always really great!

(Hey, a side note...I have also read plenty of romance books that don't have explicit sex. It just seems that a lot of the big sellers are fairly explicit.)

 

[ChickenHawk]

...Oh, another note. In most of my books, I've used fairly tame words to describe body parts. (Meaning I will generally use the word "length" or "erection" rather than the word "cock," for example. Well, now I'm all embarrassed, but you get the idea.) I think this helps give the illusion of decency, and also helps a book getting hit with Amazon's adult content filter.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

Hope this helps, @Thriftypreneur! It's so nice to see you back here. Your analysis and insight is always really great!

Thanks! Been trying to get this novel started for over two weeks, but school has been gobbling up all my time.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.