woe is me

[xparrot]

I am just not cut out to be a slash writer. I can't write smut! I want to write smut. But the chars, they want to talk. For 8 pages! The hell, Lex? You want Clark. He wants you. What is the problem here? Just get down on your knees, boy. Geeze. It's not that difficult.

For some reason I can only write smut very late at night. Four in the morning when I'm supposed to be asleep, then I'll have all manner of sexy bodies in my head, writhing together under the sheets/against the wall/over the desk/in the mud/what-have-you. The rest of the time, might as well be a lost cause. Talking, though. I can write endless discussion anytime. I ought to stick to gen. But I like slash, too, darn it! If only it weren't haaaard...(and not in the good way.)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I am quite possibly the worst slash fan ever, in that half the time I don't even read the smut; I skim the sex to get to the juicy bits, which for me is the...talking. And angst. And cuteness. And basically all the relationshipping that happens in between. This is probably why I can be both a slash and a gen fan without much mental dissonance. Though it doesn't explain why I have pairings like Clark/Lex which I simply cannot see as gen (even when I don't always read and can't hardly write the slashy bits.)

Comments

[sholio]

This may sound a bit weird and probably comes from my background as a gen fan, but I've never understand why there's almost, I don't know, an obligation to have smut in a slash fanfic. Paradoxically, I think I'd probably read more slash if there was less sex, because I usually end up skipping the sex scenes anyway, and if I see an NC-17 rating I'm likely to skip the story entirely because to me the NC-17/mature rating tends to make me think the story's going to be mainly focused on sex without much payoff for my characterization-junkie self. I know that's not entirely fair because there's a lot of good slash out there where the sex scene is really a very minor part of the story, but since I *know* I don't read for the sex and, in my current fandom, there's no shortage of fic to choose from, I've generally been skipping the smut and going for the PG-to-R stories instead.

It's not that I have a problem with sex, or sex scenes in fiction; it's just that 99% of the time, I find them dull, repetitive, and contributing nothing to either the plot or characterization. I think of the sex scenes as kind of analogous to what I call the "obligatory council scene" in fantasy and sci-fi -- you know, when they mention a council of some sort (e.g. in Harry Potter, Star Wars, LOTR) and you just KNOW that sooner or later you'll be forced to sit through a meeting of said council. Unless there's something else interesting going on during the council scene, I just skip to the end to find out how everything ended up. Ditto for sex scenes -- I've read a few that did pertain to the plot, where you really did have to read the whole thing to find out the "how" and "why" of certain plot points, and others that were so cute or funny or otherwise entertaining that I read the whole thing just for the adorableness. But usually I'll just flip to the end and enjoy the afterglow, so for me there may as well have been a fade-to-black; whatever care the author may have taken at crafting the sex is totally lost on me. I understand that other people do like reading the smut and so I don't mind that it's in there for other readers, but if I were to write slash (which I've sort of been dabbling with lately) I just can't see myself doing other than a fade-to-black because, well, for me, there's no point in writing something I'm not interested in writing, unless it absolutely HAS to be in there. I had a discussion recently with another writer friend about the "meanwhile, back at the ranch" scenes in both fanfic and published fiction. (You know, when something interesting is happening with the away team on the planet, and suddenly you get dropped into a half-chapter of everybody else on the ship trying to find them.) Those scenes bore me and I skip them as a reader, so I don't write them unless I absolutely have to in order for the plot to make sense.

[sholio]

Er, that should say "understood" in the first sentence, not "understand".

While I'm at it, though, lest I sound like an utter killjoy, I thought that I ought to mention that I *know* there's always going to be enjoyable stuff in fanfic (and in published fiction, for that matter) that isn't 100% germaine to the plot. Fanfic is, by its very nature, self-indulgent, whether it's indulging in h/c or porn, in characters talking endlessly about their relationships or having weird cracky adventures.

But, at the same time, there's absolutely no reason to put something in a fanfic if it isn't either a) enjoyable for you to write or b) plot-critical. I mean, just because smut is a slash genre convention doesn't mean that it *has* to be in there; I've read lots of fun, well-plotted and fulfilling slash stories that were G or PG rated, with nothing more than kissing. My earlier rant ... ish ... thing had a lot more to do with the fact that so many writers appear to include the obligatory sex scene for, as far as I can tell, no reason than because the story is slash, so smut *has* to be in there, regardless of whether it's well-written or necessary -- either that, or they view the entire rest of the story and all the character-interacty stuff as basically extraneous, with the sex scene being the story's raison d'etre. Either way, it does more to turn me off the story as a whole than if the sex hadn't been there at all.

And while I fully support the right of any author, fan or otherwise, to write whatever the heck they want ... I also reserve my own right to bitch unendingly about genre conventions that bug me -- regardless of whether it's a published or a fan genre. *g*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I wonder how much there is an 'obligation' - or rather how many fen perceive an obligation? I don't always feel it's necessary, but sometimes I do feel I have to have a little, either because the story itself requires a degree of emphasis on the physical side of a relationship, or because after a long story I'm thinking the chars and/or readers deserve something...but then, it's not a reward for me, since I'd like as not skip it anyway. Though I have read stories that the UST gets so powerful that when it finally is consummated, the sex is very gratifying to read. The problem is figuring out whether my own fic is one that warrants it or not...

Heh, I avoided NC-17 when I started reading slash, in the mistaken belief it was all PWP. Now I tend to skip short NC-17 but always check out the long ones, because sometimes they're solid sex, but a lot of them will get that rating for one or two easily-skimmed scenes. I've read NC-17 epics that don't go graphic for half the story; heck, the Clex AU I'm writing now, I rated that because it opens with a sex scene...and then it doesn't have more than a kiss in the next 100 pages. Which almost makes me worry I'm cheating folks, but then no one seems to mind, so...

And hee - reading differences; I skim but pretty much never skip when reading a story/book for the first time. Very detailed smut with no dialogue I will skip on occasion, but usually I glance at all of it, make sure I'm not missing the fun bits (the humor, the angsty thoughts, etc ^^)

But yeah! With writing fic, I don't see why you should write something you don't enjoy writing. Actually I've found that's important for readers as well; scenes I don't enjoy writing are never as enjoyable to read, either...

--ack, gotta run to work, will return to this later! Though I have to giggle at the 'meanwhile, back at the ranch' thing - sometimes that's my favorite part of a story! I'm all about the 'worry' element of h/c, friend/teammate/partners are missing and those left behind are going crazy...it rather depends on the situation in question, but...

[sholio]

I wonder how much there is an 'obligation' - or rather how many fen perceive an obligation?

Perhaps "genre convention" is more like it -- where the writer doesn't even question that it ought to be in there, and the reader expects it simply because it's always (or usually) done that way? Like the heroine always ending up with the hero at the end of a romance novel rather than going off with the hero's dorkier but more appealing brother. Or the wounded sci-fi/western hero escaping the bad guys into the clutches of an attractive single woman who just happens to be running the farm/tending the bar/flying the spaceship, as opposed to (say) an old woman or a family. It's not *bad*, and sometimes it's the best dramatic choice, and some readers get upset if it's not in there. But quite often it's just there because it's the default setting, not because the writer actually sat down and though, "You know, should I do it that way or throw in this unexpected twist?"

And there are certainly situations where the sex is necessary, either as an emotional climax (heh) for the reader, or to develop the characters/plot/situation. There is no reason why you have to tell the reader what kind of coffee they're drinking in a cafe, except that it reveals a little more about the characters; similarly, the choices they make during sex can also add little bits to the characters' development that can't be done any other way -- not just big things like topping or bottoming, but the little stuff like finally being able to look a partner in the eye or call him by his first name.

I think the heavy emphasis on sex in slash tends to bug me a little for similar reasons to why the overwhelming prevalence of slash in some fandoms bugs me -- because it implies (to me) that the relationship is all about the physical/sexual, with the emotional taking second place. And, as a fan, I lean the opposite way.

One of the hardest things for me to do, sometimes, as a fan, is to remind myself that everybody's opinions are valid, dammit and just because I, personally, am not especially fond of sex scenes for various reasons, doesn't mean that other people don't have a perfect right to skip all the annoying emotional stuff to get to the smut. *g*

I can see what you're saying about the long vs. short NC-17 stories, though, and thinking back on my reading habits, I think I'm a lot more likely to click on a long NC-17 story, especially if I know and trust the author. Not that you can't have a 60,000 word story that's nearly all sex (I've seen 'em) but it's a lot more *likely* to be more the kind of plot-focused story that I prefer.

I skim but pretty much never skip when reading a story/book for the first time

Maybe "skim" would be a better word than "skip" for what I do, too; it's more like I'll dip my toe in, every so often, to see if anything interesting (to me) has happened yet, and if not, flip forward another page or so and check again.

Though I have to giggle at the 'meanwhile, back at the ranch' thing - sometimes that's my favorite part of a story! I'm all about the 'worry' element of h/c, friend/teammate/partners are missing and those left behind are going crazy...it rather depends on the situation in question, but...

Yeah, it depends on the situation. I'm with you on the worry being my favorite part, but it's generally worry with interaction that I get off on; whether they're actually in the same room with the other person, or able to communicate with them over a radio or whatnot -- I need that, and I can deal with the group being split up for a while but tend to lose interest (in that aspect, at least) if it just goes on and on and on.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Genre convention, yes - also you can't discount the power of popularity! Most slash BNF write graphic sex, so people emulating them/wanting to become BNF themselves will do the same. And some people will avoid anything not NC-17, so if you want to draw in those readers...

As for the rest - I might have to do a followup post on this...been thinking it over and I think there's possibly a disconnect between fans (slash vs gen, pretty much.) It's this:

I think the heavy emphasis on sex in slash tends to bug me a little for similar reasons to why the overwhelming prevalence of slash in some fandoms bugs me -- because it implies (to me) that the relationship is all about the physical/sexual, with the emotional taking second place. And, as a fan, I lean the opposite way.

I pretty much agree with this; it's why I prefer gen in a lot of fandoms. But I was just debating with someone about the stereotype of women going for relationships, men going for action - this is very much a generalization, and I was arguing a lot of counter cases, as well as the idea that many women prefer relationships in the context of action; the action is crucial to our enjoyment, as we're bored by straight romance. (well, sometimes, anyway.)

But the thing is, broadly I believe it's true, especially among fen; women almost always fan on the chars/relationships (not just romance, family friends enemies too, obvious!) first and everything else second. And this is true of hardcore smut fen and gen fen alike.

The trick is personal taste. Some people put more emotional weight on sex. For a lot of the smut fen, the reason they like the sex, in detail, is because for them, sex is one of the purer, more intense expressions of emotion. I don't know if you can say it's really about the physical or the emotional; the physical is the emotional. A sexual partnership is one of the most intense forms of relationships most humans have.

A commenter above was saying that she only reads slash because she finds slash relationship stronger than gen. She's not a smut fan; details of the sex don't matter, but the pull between lovers is the most powerful, for her. Which might be why we gen fans have such a hard time explaining ourselves to slashers, because for us a relationship is strong or stronger if it's based on more than the physical, but I think to some people, a bond that lacks the physical is fundamentally weaker. And that might just be personal feelings...