Guest_EntropicAngel_*
Alright, so the debate still rages on this topic, and I thought I'd share some insight from a wonderful book I found called The Handbook of Novel Writing, created by Writer's Digest (available on Amazon, Google, eBay, and Barnes & Noble, to name a few places).
The book is basically a series of articles written by actual authors about various things--from delving into the setting, characters, or plot of your novel, to a small overview of the writing industry. The article I'm going to be focusing on is called "How To Write Believable Love Scenes," copyright 1990 by David Groff.
I'd initially planned to use the whole article, but after being unable to find it online anywhere I began to suspect that doing so would be copyright infringement. So I only intend to copy relevant paragraphs here.
Now, some of these don't fit perfectly because of the differences between books and video games, but I'll try to relate them as best I can, and of course feel free to disagree with me on my interpretations.What are the challenges you face when writing a love scene? For a scene to work for me as an editor--or for most readers--I think a writer must meet these criteria:
- You should write the scene, and place it, so that it is central to the story and advances the plot;
- You should shape the scene to maintain the novel's conflict and tension;
- You should write a scene that is fair to the story's characters, that is consistent with their personalities, and increases the reader's understanding of what makes them work as human beings;
- You must find a language of relating that is fresh, original, appropriately rich and evocative, consistent with the novel, and that is neither pornographic nor overmodest, neither clinical nor cliched.
1. Central to the plot. This is one point where the ME series love scenes do really well. Where they are placed--before the climax of the story--is designed to integrate it with the plot. The scene signifies more than Shepard getting it on; it shows the hero of the galaxy preparing for the final fight, in his own way.
Now, the DA games, not so much. The scenes happen, in DA:O, at any time in the game, and for DA ][ in the early-to-midst of the second act. The love scenes have no real purpose in the story.
However, this is one place where I feel the difference between the two things, a book and a video game, specifically an RPG, makes a difference. I feel we can substitue, instead of plot, that the scene must in some way help define the characters, PC and LI.
Now I already inadvertantly showed this for ME: one purpose of the love scene is to show that Shepard is "preparing" for the final, possibly fatal mission by getting things done, wrapping up loose ends, etc. A personal climax (get your minds out of the gutter; personal in the sense of "directly to do with Shepard," not what's in his/her pants) before a main plot climax, if you will.
But I'm having trouble seeing the purpose of it in DA. It doesn't appear to add anything to our character, because nothing changes. Our Warden is the same person after the scene as he/she is before. There's nothing defining about it.
You'll notice I specified the Warden (and thus DA:O) there. I did it for two reasons. One, because DA ][ doesn't actually have love scenes, just a fade to black, and two, because I believe DA ][ somewhat fulfills the requirements. I have only done an Isabella romance so far, but everything before and after the event--especially after--greatly defines Hawke and Isabella. I may be mistaken, but I believe it's literally right after the scene when Hawke brings up love and Isabella protests that they were "just rutting." A similar dialoge appears with Morrigan, but it is not associated with the sex scene in any way, thus I can't consider it valid. Irregardless (:devil:), Isabella, and Hawke depending on your choices, is/are better defined through this scene.
The interesting (ironic?) part of this is that the game that has the better or more applicable scenes technically doesn't have the love scenes, just a fade to black.
The above pretty much covers most of those bullet points, in some way shape or form, barring the final.
2. Appropriate language: this is an obvious place where the definition used here cannot be strictly applied to video games, as they don't have descriptions of a love scene, they simply have the scene. However, the descriptions may still be used, one in particular: "neither pornographic nor overmodest."
Miriam-Webster says...
Pornography:
the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement.
Now, one might say "Of course they aren't intended to cause sexual excitement, that's just absurd!" However, if they aren't--what are they for then? If they aren't for the reasons listed above (advancing the plot, better defining characters), then I can't think of a reason, other than porn, for them.
The purpose of the scene must be examined minutely.
The Necessity of Love
When do you need a love scene? That depends, of course, on how integral a physical relationship is to the story you're telling. Many popular novels are more or less required to contain at least one sexual encounter of some explicitness. The beautiful model and the celebrity doctor, the weary CIA agent and the lovely Romanian who may be a spy, the Anglo-Irish countess and the Cavalier--all must come together in a kiss, or more. In so-called literary novels--novels where launguage and theme are as primary as the plot--love scenes are more often optional, or optional in their graphic content, since they are not necessarily part of what attracts readers to those books.
But for both literary and popular fiction, the rule is the same: Don't ever write a love scene just for the sake of sex. Don't do it to thrill the reader or provide a break in the action. A good physical encounter in a novel has a greater raison d'etre; it propels a story and reveals the characters. in this sense, a love scene is like a song in a good, contemporary Broadway musical: It tells a story all by itself and is an opportunity to demonstrate motivations, intentions, dreams, beliefs, tensions. A good love scene is not static but kinetic. If you're writing a physical scene just to turn readers on, they'll feel cheated in the long run. As a serious writer of fiction, your job is to enlighten your readers--not to turn them on but to make them feel.
...
Sex scenes do not stand alone. When they work well in a novel, they are the natural culmination of what has gone before--a release of tension that has been building between two characters, a complication or expression of emotions, a unification of two demanding elements of the story. Imagine how different Women in Love would read if Rupert and Ursula had had sex on page ten instead of 354 [a reference to the part I skipped].
One way to find out if a love scene is necessary is simply to delete it. Do Dirk and Amber [his imaginary examples for the article] really need to come together at this point in the story? You must ask yourself how a love scene fits into the overall scheme of your novel and how it contributes to the plot. Does sex between Dirk and Amber pull them together or push them apart? Does evil Detective Bluenose come between them? There is nothing frivolous in your decision, because a well-placed, well-paced love scene can be one of the most effective ways to raise the emotional stakes of your novel and bring it to vivid life.
This is crystal clear, is it not? I don't feel any interpretation is necessary. I feel DA:O fails on this level, and DA ][ is dubious (in the sense of how necessary the scene is), though it is handled well.
I will take one final excerpt:
My third precept for creating fresh language [the author is speaking of the language used in a love scene] is to remember that when it comes to sex and love, the readers imaginations do a great deal of the work; all the readers need is a nudge. If you mention how Dirk nuzzles Amber's throat and moves up to breathe swifty in her ear, your readers will feel the shiver. You need to give readers only the signals to create the ambiance of a love scene. of course, you must make sure your signals are the most effective ones possible. Gypsy Rose Lee [apparently a burlesque entertainer] once said the glimpse of a black net stocking was sexier than a bare leg could ever be. Keep that in mind. When it comes to sex, less is usually more--at least on the page.
I believe this can relate to nudity in sex scenes. Less is more. I'm not saying we need smallclothes on--I'm saying we don't need nudity. It has been mentioned quite a bit that one idea is to have the characters nude, but use clever camera angles to occlude naughty bits. I agree with this, if the love scene is even necessary at all (which this article makes me doubt).
Opinions?
Modifié par EntropicAngel, 16 août 2012 - 08:51 .
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