Bring on the SEX! Or...don't. Please don't!

I've seen a few posts lately about contemporary romance and how sick people are getting of all the sex. Like, seriously, many AUTHORS are getting sick of sex.

Shocking, right?

Only, not really.

You see, MOST authors are readers too. Like, mega-readers who just can't enough of all those beautiful words. 

The problem isn't sex itself. Sex is awesome. You will never hear me say I'm tired of sex.

But I'm tired of it being absolutely meaningless. If I just wanna get off, I can manage just fine on my own. Close my eyes, imagine whatever sexy scene I want in my head, and get down and dirty.

TMI? Sorry, not sorry! :P 

But anyway, the point is, if I'm reading a book, I need more than the right amount of kinky shit, covering enough pages, to get me off. I need a story. I need to be so drawn into what's going on that when the characters start fucking, I'm feeling it with them. 

Not just because he's hot and she's horny.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely a place for porn and erotica and when you grab either, you're looking for the down and dirty, get-me-off medium.

But lately, the lines between romance, erotic romance, and erotica have gotten so blurred, I'm not sure I blame ANYONE for labeling them all as smut. I've read about more cum just checking out the sample of books than I have in all of the hottest novels I've read combined.

Sexual comfort is awesome, and I'm glad we've gotten to a place where women can share their sexual fantasies so openly. I don't ever want that to change!

Maybe it's just me, and if so, feel free to click off the blog and give me the virtual finger.

With how many people I see getting bored of the influx of hot pussies and throbbing cocks, I don't think I'm alone in this. And if you're an author trying to figure out your way through the mess, what I suggest is you go back to the basics.

If your characters are gonna fuck, does it add to the story? Not sure? Well, can the sex scene be replaced without taking away from the plot? Are the characters, who are falling in love, pushing to climb in bed or are you filling a dick-in-slit quota?

Filling a quota? We can tell. And we're just as bored reading about it as you were writing it.

Look, I get it. Sex sells. And times are tough in the romance world. We're all trying to make it, and pumping out as many books as you can, as fast as possible, might seem like the answer.

Only, it's not.

Writing a great book has ALWAYS been the answer. A book you love to read will find other fans. But you have to be the first fan. The one who loves the book so much you HAVE to share it with the world.

If you're in the business to get rich, you've made a huge mistake. Because when things are tough and you're struggling to make ends meet, all the blood and tears won't pay your bills. Yes, this can become a career and it's great when an author can dedicate themselves to their craft.

Like any other job, if you don't love it, you're gonna start looking elsewhere when it's not all shiny and new anymore. Except, this is an art. And your craft suffers when it becomes a chore.

Am I saying you should stop writing? Absolutely not.

I'm saying if you want to write a romance, remember what you love about the genre. And write that.