In one of Barbara Hambly's stories after all the action, her two main characters (who are definitely in love by this time) decide to share a bed and the woman says/thinks that they're too tired for anything to happen. Then there's a line about "she was wrong". IE They did have sex but nothing was shown. :grin:
Good commentary...I completely agree. Both my daughter and I used to read Hamilton's Anita Blake series...you are right...the first half of the series was good; but the latter half devolved into sex just for titillation...with no story to keep the reader involved. You can only skip over so many pages. I enjoy your blogs...:)
Declan, there's a reason "Oh, John Ringo, NO!" is a catchphrase... 8-)
However, the funniest scene I've ever read is when the bad guys decide to kidnap his harem manager (the most over the top sub ever described) and "torture" her for information.....
Pro tip: When your "victim" is giving you instructions on how between climaxes, you probably won't get the results you're looking for. Just sayin'.....
May 30, 2022·edited May 30, 2022Liked by Declan Finn
An excellent write up regarding the proper use of sex and violence in an action story. It's true that so many sex scenes are written to 'spice up' a dull part of the story, and many scenes of violence are simply gratitious, covering for lazy writing.
But when a science fiction story is specifically driven by sex and violence, then it must be more than explored - it must be written plausibly into the story as part of the Action Arc. The nature of sexuality and violence as human traits, motivating humanity towards Freedom is implicit in the Declaration of Independence's Pursuit of Happiness, and both traits are extensively explored in a PG-13 standard in my own series, Watcher of the Damned. I wanted to explore the taboo subject of 'Viva la Difference' from a dystopian standpoint, a battle of the Sexes couched in Cultures - and along with it, the nature of Violence as the guardian of Life and Liberty.
Romance and Violence can walk hand in hand and in a well written story, Action is the Child of that union.
In one of Barbara Hambly's stories after all the action, her two main characters (who are definitely in love by this time) decide to share a bed and the woman says/thinks that they're too tired for anything to happen. Then there's a line about "she was wrong". IE They did have sex but nothing was shown. :grin:
Bingo. Perfect example of how it should be done.
Good commentary...I completely agree. Both my daughter and I used to read Hamilton's Anita Blake series...you are right...the first half of the series was good; but the latter half devolved into sex just for titillation...with no story to keep the reader involved. You can only skip over so many pages. I enjoy your blogs...:)
Thank you. I'll try to keep up the good work.
Declan, there's a reason "Oh, John Ringo, NO!" is a catchphrase... 8-)
However, the funniest scene I've ever read is when the bad guys decide to kidnap his harem manager (the most over the top sub ever described) and "torture" her for information.....
Pro tip: When your "victim" is giving you instructions on how between climaxes, you probably won't get the results you're looking for. Just sayin'.....
Thank you. I think you just made my point on how it can be used to forward the plot.
You know who does sex and violence both very well? Carl Hiaasen. He just nails both.
An excellent write up regarding the proper use of sex and violence in an action story. It's true that so many sex scenes are written to 'spice up' a dull part of the story, and many scenes of violence are simply gratitious, covering for lazy writing.
But when a science fiction story is specifically driven by sex and violence, then it must be more than explored - it must be written plausibly into the story as part of the Action Arc. The nature of sexuality and violence as human traits, motivating humanity towards Freedom is implicit in the Declaration of Independence's Pursuit of Happiness, and both traits are extensively explored in a PG-13 standard in my own series, Watcher of the Damned. I wanted to explore the taboo subject of 'Viva la Difference' from a dystopian standpoint, a battle of the Sexes couched in Cultures - and along with it, the nature of Violence as the guardian of Life and Liberty.
Romance and Violence can walk hand in hand and in a well written story, Action is the Child of that union.