Friday, July 15, 2011

Topic: "The Relevance of Sex in Literature in 2011." My guest today author L. M Stull.

Please welcome my guest today: Author L. M. Stull

LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY

By L.M. Stull

In an ever-changing world, where seemingly anything goes, you must ask yourself...

Is the same true for books? Should anything and everything be exposed?

Unless you have been trapped in a time warp, I am sure you aware it is the year 2011. We no longer live in a world of homemade cookies, aprons and stay-at-home moms. In a world where our darkest, exotic, and often taboo wants and desires live only in our minds, hidden from the world to see. More and more people are openly embracing their sexuality.

Sex is changing. Life is changing. So, shouldn't books?

It has often been a topic of debate amongst many in the literary world. Many will argue that erotica and the like is “smut” and shouldn't be considered literature. But is literature not an expression of the most tender, raw inner emotions living within each of us? And is sex not a tender, raw act that we all experience?

You don't have to look around much to realize that sex is no longer hidden. On the television, in magazines, and especially in books. Everywhere you look sex is there. With self-publishing on the rise, we are seeing more and more adventurous stories, containing more and more adventurous sex. Authors are baring all to the readers, exposing a world of hidden fantasies, where anything and everything goes.

In my opinion, there are two very distinct categories in the world of erotic literature:

Traditional Erotica, which focuses solely on the heat and passion of the act itself, omitting the emotion, the psychology, the back story.

Literary Erotica, where authors (like Eden Baylee, to name one) delve deeper, exploring the thought process behind these hidden desires, sharing with us so much more than pure ecstasy.

So, does the world need this much sex?

Personally, I like to heat up the evenings with a little erotica and find nothing wrong with the fact that sex is so openly discussed in literature. In fact, I find it most refreshing to read and meet authors who share this intimate side of their psyche. Censorship should exist, obviously, as there are stories that need not grace anyone’s shelves (those not comprised of two consenting adults), but beyond that aren't we just limiting our imaginations?

Readers no longer want the same stories that have been generated year after year. They want spice. They want fantasy made into a realty. They want more sex. And artists are stepping up the plate to give them just that. After all, is it not our duty as authors to keep the reader happy? Take them to a world they may not be able to visit on their own. A world where they can experience anything they ever wanted and then some.

Sex is a part of everyone's, well, just about everyone's life, should we not embrace it?

I obviously don't hold the magic answer, only my own personal beliefs. So, I now turn to you and say, let's talk about sexy, baby.

~~

Originally a Washington, DC native, L.M. Stull now resides in Southern Virginia. She has always been a creative person and studied classical piano and dance from a young age.

During the day you will find her chained to a desk at a law firm. Yes, she works for lawyers. Now you understand why she writes about creatures . . . Boom! At night she channels her inner creative monster and writes (sorry, she doesn't turn into a werewolf or anything).

Her debut paranormal romance novel, Memoirs of a Monkey, coming Summer 2011, will be published by Black Kettle Publishing.

When she's not writing or feverishly taking orders from attorneys, she laces up and runs (and sometimes drinks wine...yeah, okay maybe more than sometimes).

There are several ways you can go about stalking her on the web if your little heart so desires: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads (Hint: she'll totally think you're awesome if you add her upcoming books to your to-read pile) and of course her really cool Website. She also runs the Fellow Writer's group on Facebook.

L.M. is the founder of Between the Lines, a book club who is proud to feature the writings of independent and small press authors. For information on membership and how to become a contributing author, visit their website. You can also connect with them on Twitter and Facebook.

And finally, L.M. is also the co-founder of Deepwood Inc, a social media marketing firm devoted to assisting authors, both new and accomplished, find their way online.

Join in the discussion, in the comments section below.

9 comments:

  1. Oh my, LM, you are so kind to mention me...thank you.

    I'll just comment on one of the points of your post - "Readers ... want spice. They want fantasy made into a reality. They want more sex."

    I think there is a certain population of readers who just wants more sex. They don't care about plot line or characterization. They probably don't care if it's well written, if the grammar stinks, and the setting sucks. They'd like to pick up the book, thumb through it and look for the dirty words...I know, I was one of those "readers" ... when I was NINE!

    I give adult readers more credit. Whether they spend 2.99 or 9.99 for a book, I would hope they want something more substantial than what they can get for free through sites like Literotica or any of the porn lit sites.

    My experience with reading and writing sexual content is not that "more is better," just that "better is better." Write well, and include sex where it works in the story. That's the only formula I ascribe to.

    eden

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  2. I admit to being guilty of wanting more than the same old thing in my erotica - but I don't want more gratuitous sex, I want more plot, more insight, more emotion, more . . . meat, not more whipped cream.

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  3. hehehe, Sessha,

    Love your line > more . . . meat, not more whipped cream - priceless!

    eden

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  4. Eden, love what you say here "Write well, and include sex where it works in the story." That is why I am such a fan of your writing :)

    And Sessha...you crack me up :) "more...meat" who can argue with that?!

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  5. Sessha give me meat AND whipped cream any day - then again I have always found food more interesting than sex :)

    "Censorship should exist, obviously, as there are stories that need not grace anyone’s shelves"
    "obvious" always makes me really wary. I'm guessing you mean erotica - in terms of sex that's not intended to arouse I'd be hard pushed to be swayed there are any things we should avoid as topics - and in thrillers, say, we sometimes set out to depict the monstrous. Even so, something's being "obvious" is surely the last reason to hold it as an opinion, even if it is right?

    Great post again - Soooz this is a frantabjous series you've put together

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  6. Dan, How did I know you'd comment on that piece of LM's article? Hmm...

    Food more interesting than sex? Whoa, maybe Soooz needs another series on the controversy of different foods!

    eden

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  7. Lol...hmmm the controversy of different foods huh? Maybe that could work, eeww I still recall what happened with various food stuffs in "Portnoy's complaint." I am as I have mentioned so delighted with the response this series has had. Next month should be just as interesting, and September (under wraps) till I decide how to approach the topic I want to open to discussion.

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  8. This is a very interesting topic for me. Do you think writers are writing about sex because they want to bare all to the world? Or do you think they are writing about it because they think the market is there?

    I think the market is there but I don't understand it at all. My own reason for writing about sex is that there are many many stories to be woven around the way two or more people make love. When I write an erotic story, even if I use the first person, I am not writing about myself but I am writing about the things that are important to me. It may end up not being very erotic as a result but then I have no idea how to make my stories more erotic because some of the things people want to do and read about are just plain weird.

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  9. Eden, you'd be surprised how mainstream I'm getting - just this week the Guardian's books blog ran a piece on food in fiction. I've always had a food question in my piece of rope interviews - and food and sex - there's a whole subsection of Japanese cinema dealing with that, radiating out from Tampopo - and did you *see* what happened to that hard-boiled egg in Ai No Corrida!

    Looking forwar dto September's unveiling! We're putting out a call for the next eight cuts show very soon, which will be looking at mental health and suicide

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