A fellow writer and I had a short discussion yesterday about condom use in stories. She'd recently read a YA story that involved a young pregnant woman, the hero and an anal sex scene with no condom. When she reached that particular scene, the no condom issue pulled her right out of the story. I have to say, it would for me, too.There is much discussion about the use of condoms in erotic romances. On one side are those readers/authors who believe it slows the story down. They staunchly fight for the right to have sex without one. On the other side are the readers/authors who find the lack of condom both unsexy and unsafe.
The bottom line? Unsafe sex is not sexy. And the risk of an unwanted pregnancy is really not sexy. I had four unplanned children and though I love them dearly, I must confess those pregnancies did absolutely nothing for my sex life.
Several fellow authors have complained about having to insert the condom in a sex scene. I submit there are myriad ways to do so that can add depth to the scene--another dimension than just wild monkey sex between the two characters. That extra two seconds (and really, how long can it take???) can be used to show caring, concern and maturity.
The truth? If I'm worrying about getting pregnant or contracting some life threatening disease, my mind is not on my partner or whatever else we're doing. And I'm pretty sure that's the entire point of the scene. Isn't it?
What do you think?
anny
Reminder: I'm over at Seven Sexy Scribes today discussing "trailer trash" in romance novels. Stop by HERE.
