... are you suffering from SSF too??
Yano, SSF? Sex scene fatigue?
I used to skip to the sex scenes. Now I find myself skipping to the story.
How friggin’ weird is that??
Those who dared:
ouaqquwcgk on my confession dkmhwgijnw on random awesomeness Kris on maybe it’s me, but… kaetrin on maybe it’s me, but… Kris on maybe it’s me, but… 
Kris + Books = Good. *Sometimes*. 
Now this is a loaded question. If we say yes we skip over the sex scenes, then we are lying. If we say no we read every single word of a sex scene, then we are perverted.
I chose the way of the pervert – although I don't actually skip forward to the sex, I do read the story bits in between :).
LOL. The fact that you are all perves is a given, Jen.
I guess what I want to know is if anyone else has been bored with sex scenes lately. Too many? Too much the same? Etc, etc.
I've found that I'm slightly overwhelmed or underwhelmed about the sex scenes.
I admit, i used to skip to them. But now it seems unless there is something electric about the writing, my instinct is to want to skim it to get moving on. In fact the book I'm reading now, I'm backtracking and forcing myself to read the sex to see if it advances the men but all i'm thinking is “blah blah finger finger ass grunt groan hit it harder gush”
“all i'm thinking is “blah blah finger finger ass grunt groan hit it harder gush””
Exactly, Kassa! With a lot of the sex scenes I've been reading lately it seems so prescriptive. I find myself rolling my eyes and thinking 'okay, they'll suck each other off in the hallway or on the couch first', turn page, 'wow I was right. next there'll be an amazing rebound where they rush to the bedroom', turn page, 'what a surprise. whoddathunkit. next in sucks, bites and nibbles before scrabbling for lube, 1, 2, 3, harder, harder, blah, blah, tie rubber in a knot, toss it in the bedside bin, clean each off with convenient wash cloth, snuggle, sleep, the end.' *yawn*
If it's the couple's first sex scene, I read it. But, thereafter, I just skim to see if it's advancing the plot at all. I've found I'm much more interested in getting back to the storyline lately than I am in reading sex scene after sex scene. There's only so much “oh yeah, so good, baby” I can take before I get bored.
Good point, Nichem. I generally read the first sex scenes too or the lead up to the BIG SEX SCENE. But I'm not even sure if I'm checking to see if a later sex scene adds anything new to the plot anymore. I just tend to skip 'em entirely.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All the authors out there can you make sure you don't add story bits with your sex bit cos I'm skipping 'em. Cheers, Kris.
Yanno I started making bets with myself a while ago about if the guy who gets the first blowjob ends up bottoming. Not always but a good percentage of the time it happens like that. Over 70% Id say…
You realise I'm gonna start doing this now, don't you, Kassa. *Dammit.*
I did read a book the other day – can't remember which one now – where I counted the number of BJs they gave each other. I got bored after about 7.
Lol, thanks for the notice to the authors, Kris. Now I can totally skip the sex scenes too.
Happy to help cos we all know they will definitely listen to little old me. 😉
Hmmm. Ummm, I read it all because I appreciate fine literature. 😀 I haven't noticed myself bored lately although if I think about it I suppose there is a bit of a routine but I suppose there are only so many variations out there. *shrug*
Maybe I'm just MORE pervy than others. (It wouldn't surprise me much.)
So.
How many people will read our books if there aren't sex scenes? Hm?
C'mon. I'm waiting for an answer.
No connecting of hips, lips, or fingertips.
“Would you care for a spot of tea?”
“Yes, thank you, Arnold. I'd much rather drink tea–or hunt vampires, for that matter–than put parts of me in you or have parts of you in me.”
“Oh, I'm so relieved, Clarence. I've always thought one could easily convey one's passion with a look, a carefully chosen word, a meeting of the eyes over a polite passing of the sugar.”
“I do think we're soulmates, Arnold. Now might I have a drizzle of…cream? Quickly, though, for we must get on with our story so Kris will have time to wash her wig and thereby find further inspiration for blog posts!”
Tam: Is that like reading Playboy for the articles??
Maybe?? Maybe! Honey, need I remind you what you were reading at your daughter's school dance.
KZ : LMAO. “A hit. A veritable hit!”
So basically you think I'm being a hypcrite and would complain if there wasn't any sex scenes in romance at all?
.
.
.
.
.
.
You could be right. LOL.
Doesn't mean I won't prefer reading about tea parties and vampire hunts to sex scenes at this particular point in time though. 😉
But this particular point in time, like all, shall pass.
~ Grandma Snow
Yes, Obi One K'Snowi.
Oh my, you do come up with the most interesting posts!!
I guess I'm in the pervy side of the room with Tam. While too many sex scenes in one book can get a bit repetitive I still read it all. I may roll my eyes at the 12th BJ or the 7th time someone gets slammed up against a wall but I'm still reading it.
That said, I may be doing a slight bit of speed reading thru some scenes. And it's not always the sex scenes 🙂
Lily
I think what you mean is that I'm bitchy and random, Lily. LOL.
So far we have the gamut from skip, skim, speed, and devour every pervy detail of sex scenes. We are a diverse bunch, aren't we. 🙂
LOL Jenre. BTW – Kissing is on it's way to you 🙂
I don't think I have SSF, but there are some that just don't cut the mustard. Tension, damn it, I want tension 🙂
“Tension, damn it, I want tension :)”
Damn straight. No scratching itches allowed. Hehehe.
Orannia: Oh good, can't wait!
Books without sex scenes are not totally boring but it is not what I expect when reading m/m.
I will not say that I read every sex scene with same amount of attention as the other scenes but I will “miss” them if they are not there.
Ingrid: I read so much YA that m/m or not there's never really a whole heap of smexing going on. Give me story any day. LOL.
Lol. I just skipped the latest sex scene in the Lisa Kleypas book I'm reading. The main conflict between the characters was solved already, so it was just sex for sex, so I skipped ahead to the plot. They were happy together, had agreed to marry and felt deeply content about it, so the scene lacked interest. It's the tension or internal struggle that I enjoy most. So I still do like the sex scenes that take place when the relationship is still not established, or the characters are conflicted about it but can't help themselves, etc, but once that part's fixed – meh. So skippy skippy.
Mary is another skipper, yay!
I'm picturing two characters looking out at an author and saying “Do we have to do this anymore? We acknowledge that we're in love and everything else has been sorted – including the stalker (what was with that btw). Can't we just sleep?” “Yeah. To be honest, I'm feeling a little dehydrated.”
(Taking notes from when i get the courage to write my first M/M romance) Great post!
Kris, sweetie, say it aint so, the perv side of you is diminishing..I live for your perv side..LOL..so are you saying for as the sex scenes are concerned that you are already anticipating what is going to happen? if that is the case, that will suck (pun not intended) Is it too many? I think for me as I try to begin writing M/M is that Im more interested in character, then plot, and the sex last. Just because sex is last doesnt meant it should be lukewarm. It should be HOT for gosh sakes. I dont want my readers to skip or skim over it!
LOL, Ozakie. There's no chance in hell that my perve will ever diminish!
I can be as smutty a reader as the next gal/guy, but I think the hot factor for me comes in when it's related to other aspects in the story (as Mary said) like character, conflict, etc.
I think my main issue with some sex scenes I'm reading at the moment is that they are too formulaic. It's like someone has given everyone a manual about how to write sex scenes and they're all sticking to it religously. Any minute I expect someone to say 'close your eyes and think of England'. For god's sake make the sex hot if you're gonna include it; not as boring as bat poo.
Kris: I do the same. Sex scenes in m/m fiction are schematic and as a male practicing sex with males I'm allowed to say: sometimes it's ridiculous.
K.Z.: Actually I prefer books without sex scenes. But maybe it's a male thing – I don't have to read about it when I can actually do it. 🙂
Ok, Matthew, you know it's me so I gotta ask… you practice sex?? Are you in training or summat??
One can never be good enough = constant and continuing practicing. 😉
O_O
Is there like a gym or something where you all… train? Just asking… you know for Tam. She will want to know.