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Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Writing a Love Scene: Safer Sex - yes or no?

 

The AIDS crisis forced writers to talk about safer sex practices and it turned into a debate. Some authors state that their readers know that this is fiction. They think barrier methods ruin the flow. Some insist that not acknowledging the potential consequences of sex lowers the stakes, turns the characters two-dimensional, and throws the reader out of the story. Your choices depend a lot on your world-building. Are you in outer space with all bad germs eliminated? Do diseases not bother the undead?

I say that you need to have your safer sex choices remain consistent. If your heterosexual characters don't use condoms or gloves, neither should your gay or bi characters.

Exercise One:  How do you feel about safer sex in fiction?

Exercise Two: What are your favorite ways of writing safer sex?

Let me know! I'll post your answers on my blog.












 

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