Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A much better guide to writing sex than others, April 4, 2004
This was recommended in place of Susie Bright's How to Write a Dirty Story, and I have to say compared to it, this is a much better book. It focuses on sex, and the wide variety that's out there. One thing that I really enjoyed is that the author doesn't ignore important topics: AIDs, Adultry, incest, and many other things. She doesn't treat any subject as taboo, nor does she approach them with embarrassment. They are simply topics she discusses. I was pleased to see that she touches on all types of sex: first times, married sex, adultery, recreational, etc etc. She brings up points that anyone writing a sex scene needs to think about, and reminds you that sometimes the sex isn't the main purpose of the scene, and that it doesn't have to be graphic to get the point across. I found this book to be much more helpful than others. Instead of telling people how to prepare, it uses examples to show Benedict's points, and picks those examples apart so the reader can understand exactly why such things are necessary.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely necessary book for serious writers, April 23, 2003
Man, it's one thing to think about sex, another thing to have sex, and waaaaaay different to write about it. It's difficult to the max, especially when you really don't want to come off sounding like you're writing porn - or even erotica. Elizabeth Benedict has done a favor for all of us writers who have struggled with the topic, right down to interviewing famous writers of famous sex scenes. It's a resource for MFA students, authors, teachers, and just ordinary people who like to write for their own pleasure. The Joy of Writing Sex is sane and straightforward, entertaining and informing, hip and...sexy!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Applicable to Any Type of Scene, July 24, 2001
This review is from: The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers (Paperback)
If you are writing modern fiction, the odds are you will include a sex scene somewhere in your story. The problem I see in most published fiction is that the sex is predictable, i.e. it's almost always fantastic. This could also be interpreted as boring, leading me to frequently skim over 2-5 pages searching for the point where the story starts again. Authors who strive diligently to avoid dead spaces anywhere else in their novels will let the action come to a dead halt while the characters get laid. Ms. Benedict shows you how to avoid this all-too-common problem. Just as some scenes in a story are located in a bar, along a street, or at a society party, some scenes happen in the bedroom (or kitchen, or back seat of a car), and these scenes can do everything a scene is supposed to do. They can move along the plot, reveal characterization, disclose an important piece of backstory, and/or up the conflict. This is why Ms. Benedict's advice can help all of your writing, especially when she asks you to explore your characters' attitude toward sex. What are their attitudes to everything else in the world? It's a great question to ask yourself each time you lead your characters into a new situation - they've got opinions and reasons for them! If your sex scenes are only sex, and you wish they were a lot more, I highly recommend this book. One caveat: the examples include gay sex as well as hetero, and this may be offensive to some readers.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Angela Knight
by Alison Kent
by Jean Kent
by Leigh Michaels
