Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Topic: The Relevance of Sex in Literature in 2011" My Guest today author Sessha Batto

Please join my guest today author Sessha Batto.

I'm in a confessional sort of mood, so I'll start by saying this topic has had me floundering for weeks. I must have written fifty pages . . . and then erased them. Then it hit me, the one word that derailed me each and every time, relevance. Only one person can decide whether or not sex is relevant in a piece of literature, and that is the author. Anything else is merely one opinion. You may like or dislike a piece, but only the author knows the story they are trying to tell. Whether it succeeds or fails is always a matter of debate. Art is, after all, subjective. I definitely don't believe anyone has the right to censor an author's words, no matter how offensive I may find them. Yes, there are things I find offensive (seriously, there are . . . just not much), and I exercise my right to choose not to read those topics. Once you allow censorship it opens a dangerous door, who knows what will next be considered inappropriate? I certainly don't want my writing constrained by any limits other than my own.

Since relevance is in the eye of the author, all I can really talk about is why I think sex is an essential aspect of my own writing. Now, before you start screaming about 'the children, the children' – nothing I'm going to say is intended for anyone under eighteen, although, frankly, I don't have any problem with children reading about sex. I live in a city full of pregnant teenagers and, believe me, they did not have sex because of something they read. That honor goes to the media that bombards them daily - television, music, advertising, video games, those are the most powerful influences on today's youth.

I should come clean – I write erotica, explicit gay erotica. Before I go any further, let me clarify. I'm talking about sex in all its permutations, from barely consensual sexual torture to tender lovemaking and the entire gamut in between. My only real boundaries are no children and no women. I write about men exclusively because of the wonderful shifts of power and control possible in a same sex relationship . . . and because I love men. No offense to the ladies, but I don't think I could explore the same boundaries of pleasure and pain without seeming overly abusive, and that is at the core of everything I write. Beyond that, there is something wonderfully vulnerable and revealing about the decision to relinquish power, and the potent eroticism of two strong, powerful men being tender with each other.

Remember the old ads in the back of comic books for x-ray specs? For me, sex is my x-ray specs. It strips a character down to his core truth and spotlights who they are with far more accuracy than pages of exposition ever could. Sex is the ultimate act of trust. Who we trust, why, and to what extent reveals much of our psyche that we would normally keep hidden. Sex is the catalyst for revealing hidden baggage, all the events and experiences we think are safely buried but which bubble to the surface under pressure. Our kinks highlight our transgressive natures, throwing into clear definition the whys and hows of our alienation from society in general. In short, it's the knife I wield to cut to the truth. What knife do you use?

11 comments:

  1. Thanks, Sessha, for sharing your perspective. I'm intrigued by your lens, how you explore everything from tenderness to power shifts, which is why Shinobi is on my reading list. After reading your article, I will view sex scenes through your x-ray specs, understanding that sex in literature is oftentimes *more* than relevant... it is purposeful and necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep-yep-yep, like every word of this contribution and similar to Michael, Shinobi is now definitely on my reading list. I love your way of reasoning, Sessha, it's plain clear and essentially truthful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks guys ;) I really struggled with this one - there are such overtones of censorship hiding in the shadows of the question that I found it difficult (obviously) to stay on track. It's nice to know it made more sense than I feared!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really like the idea of sex as your knife for cutting to a character's core - I think a writer should have that. With me, it's food, or possibly drink, that I use to show in a snapshot how I see a character. You make a very good case for sex, though, with its power implications and way of encapsulating a person's relation to the outside world

    ReplyDelete
  5. I always wondered why I found M/M sex far more interesting to write about than M/F - and now I know why. Very enlightening!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your blog made perfect sense, Sessha, and as someone who writes erotica as well, I know how sex can reveal characters like nothing else can.

    I look forward to reading Shinobi as I am interested in MM sexual power struggles. You speak of it with such eloquence, and I admire your candor. It's refreshing to hear in your voice - no judgment and no apologies, but just the facts of what you like and why.

    eden

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Overtones of censorship hiding in the question"...the evil "C" word. perfect time to mention that "Censorship" in literature and the "Big Brother" implications will be my featured topic for the entire month of September. Expressions of interest! yes please folks...let me know if you lovelies would like a shot at guesting on that topic, before I put it out to the populace at large.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'll take a stab at it Sooz ;) BUT - I'll be away from the net the 6-14th so end of the month (or beginning) would be best!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cool, my lovely friend. Howz about I pencil you in for the opening post on September 1st? I haven't quite formulated the Topic name yet, but it will be along the lines of "Censorship" The 'C' word, is it an evil necessity; or another opportunity to allow Big Brother the last say in what we can read?"

    ReplyDelete
  10. Soooz, please count me in! I've had experience of having to be in the position of censoring work on Year Zero (the issue being, in a collective, where - legally - does collective responsibility for one person's posts begin and end? Not even, necessarily, in terms of material that's defamatory or guilty of hate crime, but say someone posts a story on a joint blog that uses lyrics from a popular song for which permission hasn't been sought...)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post, Sessha. I haven't tried M/M though I adore writing F/F, but that's a completely different topic. I agree that sex can and is a driving factor in a story, often the driving factor, and many things can be revealed through a sex scene that can't any other way - except maybe telling and we're not supposed to tell.

    And Soooz, I would love to write something on the censorship issue. And Big Brother? Don't get me started. My upcoming book has an Orwellian theme.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment/review on any of the stories/poems contributed.