To Write in Sex or Not?

Should writers put sex in novels? 

Interesting question right? 

All who know me well know that I pretty much will answer yes almost 100% of the time. Obviously, these are adult novels we're talking about. 

Although, I won't lie. . .I wanted Edward to bang out Bella from behind, in the earlier novels.

Hey, don't judge me!!

Anyway a more sane person, Adrianne James is here to discuss whether writers should add sex in a novel or not. First check out her new novel below.

Synopsis: The Mythology department at prestigious Harvard University is tiny—and Mackenzie Duncan has just been selected as one of the lucky few. Her love for myths and legends is strong, but she never thought any of it could be real. 

After being attacked by a large wolf while walking home alone, Mackenzie realizes something is not right. She heals quickly, is suddenly super strong, and is experiencing mood swings that can't possibly be normal. The myths she's studying aren't myths at all. Werewolves are real and she's one of them. Fear of what she is, and who she might hurt sends Mackenzie running from the life she’s worked hard to build–and straight into the arms of a handsome Were named Geoff and into the home of his pack. Living with her new pack takes the edge off her confusion and self-loathing, but the arrival of new pack members changes the dynamic, and tests Geoff and Mackenzie’s growing relationship.

The hardest part of being a werewolf is having no control and no memory of her time as a blood thirsty beast. When a moon cycle passes and she actually remembers bits and pieces of the night, she starts to ask questions, and the more questions she asks, the more she realizes she doesn't like the answers. Can she set aside her own sense of morals to belong to a pack that is like a family or will she leave everything behind yet again in search of a life she can be proud of?

To fade to black or not to fade to black?

That is the question. 
So what is the answer? 
Well, that depends on the story.
To be able to answer that for yourself, you should ask yourself a few questions. 

First, who is the intended audience? 

Are you writing for young teens, mature teens, or adults? 

Next, would the graphic scene add to your story or simply be put in for the sake of having a sex scene? 

If you put it in, how graphic would your character really be? Also, how comfortable are you, the writer, with written graphic scenes? Do you enjoy reading them? What about writing them? Do they make you uncomfortable or embarrassed? If so, don’t feel pressured to add them in.

Writing a love scene should be as natural as actually making love. When your readers come across the scene in your book, you want them to read it and fall into the scene with your characters. 

You want all the emotion that your characters are feeling to spill right out of the page and into your reader. If that isn’t something you are comfortable with, maybe a fade to black is right for you. Maybe you WANT to be able to write the sex scene as if you were the one in the bed (or car, or against a tree, or on a baseball field…), then you should write it over and over until you DO feel it right to the core of your being.

But what if you are comfortable and have already achieved that level of writing? Should you write out EVERY sex scene in your romance novel? 

At what point does it become erotica? 

My opinion is that if the sex scene will add to the story, write it. If it’s a married couple who goes to bed every night together and makes love, do we really need to read it every time?

If you are writing erotica, then by all means, write it out! But please, please, please keep it interesting! No one wants to read the same instruction manual written out over and over again. 

Change the positions or the order of the foreplay, something to keep us on our toes.

No matter what you decide, it is your story. 

Do what you feel is best for your story and don’t let anyone change something you love.

Her Website

Growing up, Adrianne couldn't get her hands on enough books to satisfy her need for the make believe. If she finished a novel and didn't have a new one ready and waiting for her, she began to create her own tales of magic and wonder. Now, as an adult, books still make up majority of her free time, and now her tales get written down to be shared with the world.

During the day, Adrianne uses her camera to capture life's stories for clients of all ages and at night, after her two children are tucked in bed; she devotes herself to her written work. Adrianne is living the life she always wanted, surrounded by art and beauty, the written word and a loving family.

As a young adult and new adult author, Adrianne James has plans to bring stories of growing characters, a little romance, and perhaps a little magic and mythology down the line for her readers to enjoy.