Since I mostly write erotic romance it comes as a surprise to people when I say that's not what I read. Not to say I don't ever read it, I do but I'm very picky about what I like. I feel it's a little like eating chocolate. I like it but I don't like all types and I don't want to eat it every day. My main problem with many erotic romances is that I like to be drawn deeper into the characters than the author allows. So much time is taken putting people in bed together, without letting me understand why they're right for each other - apart from in the sack. I like plot. I like villains. I like more than sex scene after sex scene when I read.
My other problem is that because I have to write lots of sex, it all becomes a blur when I read those scenes in other books. Same old, same old. It's a rare erotic romance writer who manages to get me to read every page. Emma Holly's books - the early ones rather than the fantasy ones - which I haven't read - yes, I'd read every page of those. DL Jackson has an amazing imagination and creates fantastic worlds for her characters. There's far more than sex in those! My crit partner Arlene Webb writes in a multitude of genres - but her erotic stories are always ones with a difference and always memorable.
So that's what I strive for in my writing. To be different and memorable. Only time will tell.
5 comments:
Whatever you're doing (and reading) is working. Perhaps reading outside the genre you write is what brings in that additional texture (ie action, adventure) that you don't get in the erotica trope. Funny, I'm your inverse. I read mostly erotica and write Sci-fi thrillers. Go figure.
I think part of my problem is the speed with which I read. I devour books and I very quickly get bored with the same old thing. I have fads of reading and could easily go through ten regency romances one after the other over a matter of days and then not want to read another for months. The more changes I make to my reading habits, the more I like it. I also read several books at the same time - well not quite at the same time but you know what I mean!
Hard to get interested in other erotica writers when I have the chance to read fantastic combination of romance and plot in the making from a brillant author. I also think it brings an entirely new perspective when an author writes in a genre they dont read. It has to be different when you can't unknowingly or sadly, even knowingly copy another.
Both you and Arlene write scenes that sparkle and surprise. Damn you both! lol
LOL, Cate!! At this point I should add I have a fantastic husband who gives me just the right inspiration - but I'm not going to say that. LOL
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