Avoid the phrase “throbbing manhood” and tone down the metaphors, says erotic romance author Lily Harlem
Why are so many good authors bad at writing sex scenes? Photo: REX FEATURES
The Telegraph- 02 Dec 2014
The standard advice for all aspiring authors is to write about what you know – but judging from this year’s Bad Sex awards, many of our greatest writers have enjoyed a prudent life of celibacy.
Ten authors have been shortlisted for the annual Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award, with the notorious finalist due to be announced on Wednesday night. Internationally regarded authors including Michael Cunningham and Haruki Murakami are nominated for the award – and despite their literary prowess, these authors’ vivid sex scenes fall decidedly short.
In The Hormone Factory, Saskia Goldschmidt describes one character as being “as hot as boiling water in a distillation flask”.
“I unbuttoned my pants, pushing them down past my hips, and my beast, finally released from its cage, sprang up wildly. I started inching my way back up, continuing to stimulate her manually, until the beast found its way in. She opened her eyes and said softly, 'I'm still a virgin, please be careful,'” she writes.
Erotic romance writer Lily Harlem says these prestigious authors are over-thinking their sex scenes. Harlem has written 30 novels, all of which are driven by themes of sexual desire.
More
And report from BBC
More
And report from BBC
No comments:
Post a Comment