I just read on Jezebel that a woman screenwriter has been chosen to adapt FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY. (And doesn't it say something about the number of female screenwriters that this is news? Or maybe it just says that any tidbit about SHADES is still newsworthy.)
It got me thinking. Almost all of the spanking erotica I've read has been written by women (or at least with a female pseudonym). I started wondering if more erotica was written by women and started jumping around the net, looking for info. I found this article that said there are more women erotica writers, but also talked about a women editor of an erotica magazine who thinks men write it better, because women writers tend to complicate sex and add layers.
Which is part of what I like about the erotica I read. I like the complications and layers. I find it harder to feel connected to the characters without them, and without connecting to the characters and becoming invested in their relationship, I don't find the sex as sexy.
I don't think that's necesarily a woman writer thing though, as much as an individual writer thing. Going back to FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY, if I'd had to guess, I'd probably have thought some of the sex scenes were written by a guy, just because of the amount of "slamming" that went on. It seemed like Christian was always slamming himself into Ana. I swear he even said something like "brace yourself" once. That feels guy-like to me. But, obviously, I would have been wrong.
On the other hand, I would have definitely pegged all the internal backing and forthing in Ana's head as something written by a female. (And as much as I like layers and complications, that started driving me crazy really fast.) But if I looked around maybe I could find something similar written by a man.
So what do you think? Is it a writer-by-writer thing? Or do you think there is a sex that writes sex better?
*sigh*
ReplyDeleteFirst of please let me rant once again that the main character had to have MY name.
Regarding the sex, actually one thing I have heard is that women writer better sex fantasies for women (sometimes posing as men) because they know what they want. A bit simplistic, but I think it may be partly true.
Good question. I think it's more of a woman vs. man thing and might also depend on whether you are looking for romance, erotica or something like a letter to the Penthouse Forum. I think women tend to write more emotion and men would tend to write more graphically with the focus on actions vs. sensations.
ReplyDeleteWon't I feel silly when I learn that my favorite romance writers are actually men!
Erotica without layers is called "porn."
ReplyDeleteWhen reading about sex women tend to want the emotion, the story, the connection with sex. Men just want the sex. Men don't write touchy-feely sex, so it isn't matter of who writes it better, it's a matter of what you prefer to read. There are quite a few male erotic romance writers using female pseudonyms.
Christian slamming himself into Ana does sound guy like. I think that's good. Christian is a guy.
One on my pet peeves in erotic romance (written by women) is that often the men do not act like men, they are too emotional, they act like what women think they want. I try to walk the lines between having men act like they really are -- while still providing the lovey stuff that women want. Or maybe I just like like tough men!
Thanks for your takes on this, everyone! Just FYI, I am not actually a man. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
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