This month's blog is from an older post that I ran across the other day. I was trying to think of an appropriate post to celebrate freedom. After I finished reading the last paragraph, I realized what it had taken for women to reach a point where a discussion about erotic romance could take place in a public forum. I truly am grateful for all of the efforts of those who fought the good fight.
Most erotic romance
authors at some point in their career are asked by a well-meaning (or not so
well-meaning) friend or relative why they write “those kinds of books”.
These days, if
anyone asks why I write Erotica and Erotic Romance, I tell them it’s because I
enjoy the freedom of exploring what makes people tick and in my opinion
separating sex from the equation means leaving out a really huge chunk of the
life experience. If the current trend in
books is any indication, apparently I’m not the only one.
As a reader and an
author I know that I enjoy a good story with a strong female protagonist, a
woman who knows what she wants whether that may be honestly exploring her
sexual nature by having a fling or a more serious romance with someone who
sparks a palatable need that will ultimately lead to an emotional connection.
There isn’t any
time during sex when characters are not emotionally vulnerable and as a reader
I am fascinated by that vulnerability. As an author, I realize that sex is a
veritable gold-mine when it comes to revealing a character’s hidden depths that
hopefully, a reader might connect to on an emotional level.
Sustaining an
emotional connection using the journey of the sexual experience to advance the
plot is not a task I would assign to the faint of heart. It is, dear reader
much more complicated than those who disparage erotica and erotic romance would
have you think. It is not simply, insert tab A into slot B.
Whether it’s a
story focused only on a woman’s sexual journey to discover her own hidden
depths or a romance that is revealed along the sexual journey, I believe Erotica
and Erotic Romance to be positive forces in our culture. They reinforce the
belief that women have a right to their sexual identity and that they won’t
accept anyone telling them otherwise.
If you study
history, there have been times during each century in this country when women
have taken a stand and demanded their rights. It wasn’t that long ago women
were denied the right to vote, birth control and protection against an abusive
spouse. They were also culturally persuaded to believe that they didn’t have a
right to a sexual identity. I sincerely hope that those days are over and I
thank all of those who came before and spoke out, marched and were sometimes
jailed so that future generations would be able to express themselves freely.
Until next month,
Paris Brandon
Terrific post, Paris! I agree that the emotional connection between the characters matters most.
ReplyDeleteBest--Adele
A great post, Paris. Unfortunately, young women don't understand what we fought for in the past and will one day have to fight again for them.
ReplyDeleteOur whole country may have to fight for their freedoms again, as we watch them being taken away.
Great post, Paris.
ReplyDeleteI tell those who trash romance (which is just about everyone) that they should try writing one. Getting that emotional build on paper, delving deep into characters' souls, making readers laugh, cry, sigh, get angry, etc. etc. is freaking hard.
Thanks, Adele! I agree:)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandy! I can't believe that we are having this fight again and that young women today are in danger of losing ground.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina! The ones that get me are the those that have never read a romance, erotic or otherwise and yet feel free to bash the genre.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Paris, and so true. Hats off to the ground-breakers!
ReplyDeleteWomen have come a long way and we still have more to go! Thank you for the reminder about how important and challenging it is to write passionate stories that grip the reader. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rose! Tipping my hat:)
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, Melissa. We do have a long way to go, but I'm confident that we will make it:)
ReplyDeleteParis, I love your post. You do a great job of explaining the depths to erotica and erotic romance. I agree with the others who say most of the young women today take their rights for granted. One young woman told me she doesn't vote because she doesn't believe in it. Yet, the hard-won rights we women fought for are being eroded. And so many people, men and women, look down on romance and they judge it without having read any romance books.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything said. I especially wonder about the people who tell me e-books aren't real books and they'd never read them. A little off topic, but the same narrow mind we all run into.
ReplyDeleteA beautifully written response to this question! Several times I've inexplicably been in situations where I've been asked to defend my feminist status when people discover I write erotica. Um... It's my prerogative as an autonomous woman. That's kind-of the point of feminism.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. :)
Poe