Clean Romance...again! ;)

*raises fist* Woo!

I still can't believe I'm writing a romance novel, but here I am! Glad to hear that others are going to be writing cleanly. We all need a few more books in the world that dare to raise the standards. =D

Mine will be almost completely clean. No strong language, actually very little language at all (although I did take a dare to have my opening line be "'Where the hell are my pants?'") and no explicit sex. But it is a story about two people in modern times who are in love and who live 7000 miles apart and they will do some making up for the distance. So not something you would let your 10-year-old read but nothing too explicit. Just realistic.

I always write what you are terming 'clean.' In the industry its called 'sweet' romance, and believe me there is a market for it, and plenty of people buying it.

BonnieLe

Oh good! I don't mind sex in romance if it's relevant to the narrative, but so much of it is just put in for filler!

I already wrote a chapter of my story (I was spectacularly impatient... and don't worry- I won't be counting it towards my word count), but I already have a sex scene (the chapter is from the middle of the story, so my main characters have known each other for a while). But I consider it a very clean sex scene. It's not explicit at all. I won't say it's vague- that's not the right word. But it really just hints at the actions and concentrates more on the emotional part of it. And it's very sweet and full of love rather than just lust.
It'll probably be the only sex scene in the story. So I'd consider it a "clean romance" because even though there is a sex scene, it's very tasteful and non-explicit.

I thought that I would be writing clean romance, but then I realized that they had to have sex to advance the plot. If they don't have sex, then when the heroine has to move out, (and the roommate tells the hero that it is ALL HIS FAULT, she's moving back to the country with her family) and he sees the baby booties (that the roommate has been knitting for charity) he won't come to the completely wrong conclusion!

Oh well, it probably won't be very explicit though, if at all.

Ah, but Kaitou - you're missing a very important fact: just because your characters have to have sex in order for the plot to move forward, does NOT mean you have to DEPICT it. You can imply the fact that they've had sex in hundreds of different ways without actually describing the act itself - have them wake up together satisfied, or discuss it over conversation, etc. There are lots of supposedly "clean" stories whose characters have sex - but the scenes aren't described. They go into a bedroom and the story fades out, or something.

I don't have problems with characters have sexual relationships - I have problems with sex SCENES in particular that do not contribute to the overall plot.

I don't know how much sex will be in my novel, but I also hate to see too much gratuitous sex in a romance. The last romance I read had several TEN PAGE sex scenes, which I felt were a waste of paper. I skimmed them to get to the point where the story kicked in again.

Of course, plot can happen in sex scenes, it just usually doesn't, and it doesn't take that long when it does. Yes, my characters will have sex. No, i will not be describing every wrinkle of their genitals.

I plan to write a Romance novel. I love to read them. I have read all types of Romance novels. I find more satisfaction from Romance novels that lead up to the relationship. The intimate gestures such as a romantic dinner, watching tv with a bowl of popcorn and a roaring fire, holding hands while walking down the shore line as the sun sets. Even though I have read it and even wrote it (not to be published), explicit sex is empty reading. I'm 39 years old and there is not much that I don't know about the actual act. What I like to write and read about is, I guess you call it, "tender" romance between two people. I recently got goosebumps on my granny's birthday when she described her thoughts of my papa and their time spent together (he has been gone since 1988)...she said one of the most romantic things she remembered was when they lived in a block house while they were building their own house...exhausted from the day, they would sit in lawn chairs looking at the house they were building together, holding hands just enjoying the cool night air not saying one word to each other but knowing what the other was thinking. That is LOVE and ROMANCE.

Hooray for innocence!

I'm currently writing a short romance novel in english. It's not my native language so writing is a bit harder. Going on the second page currently, sadly I'm sure I will not be able to make 50 000 words of romance novel so I have to write adventure novel for this years NanoWrimo. It's also not easy to write romance novel without never having a good relationship or romance. The fact that I'm young is not making this any easier either but closing the eyes and imaging the situation and just letting the fingers press the buttons is easier. First I was afraid of writing - because I felt that it will not be any good and I'd only get laughed at (though I'm the only one reading it so I'd be laughing at myself) but once I just started writing what came to mind it started going better.

I'll post the novel here once I have it started so you guys can give me some feedback.

I have to say that I don't mind *reading* some 'dirty' romance. But for writing, I end up with stories that are better without sex scenes. I don't have anything against sex, but it is just not necessary in my story. If I were to insert it into the story, it would just be additional fluff. I care too much about my story to fill it with 'fluff' scenes.

I'm not entirely sure that my story counts as a romance, though. The development of a romantic relationship will be a major part of the story, but it won't be the central conflict. (If I go with the plot I'm currently considering.)

I think that mostly, implied sex is the best. Where you fade to black but know it's happening or they just wake up together. I had a story where the FMC, a teenager going through a rough phase with her whole family falling apart, was living with a friend of the family (male, of course) and he had a separate bedroom for her and everything but she'd crawl into his bed because she didn't want to be alone and he was like, "Yeah, okay, for the first few weeks" but she stayed with him for a couple of months and didn't use the guestroom and he got used to her in his bed and there was romantic tension between them despite the age gap so it was always nice to write them waking up and ask myself, "Have they or have they not?"

Now I found this a very interesting thread.

I like to read romance novels, but I haven't planned to write one for Nano. My plan was to write a fantasy/Adventure novel, heavy on the society and character interactions, as that's my favourite thing to read. The thing is, that I have had crazy dreams the last 2 nights, ones that make me think there HAS to be a significant romantic trail through my story. Last night really threw me, and I'm thinking it's perfect writing about a dream that was an actual dream fodder.

I was at the swimming pool, lying on my back, floating, and the dream guy was sitting along the pool, his hand just resting on the lip of the poolside. I was floating IN the pool, and lmy hand found his. Happy/relaxed/rhythmically, I found myself sliding my fingers along the spaces between his fingers, just exploring the sensation of being connected to another person. This continued till my dream-self started to fall asleep, once almost roused awake by the dream guy murmering something, then fading out into darkness and sleep.

I'm not sure if it's representative of the ebb and flow of love, relationships, or something sensuality of touch, but I've decided now that I want to give my novel the gift of mature, and immature, growing fading, all sorts of romantic relationships. I also feel that as cheesy as it can sometimes look when written and in first draft form, I want to create something that's romance can be read by Young Adults as well as anyone older, so I'm glad this clean thread is here to encourage myself and others like me in keeping the true romance alive.

Most everything I write has romance in it even if it's not romance genre. And you know what? In 28 years only ONE ever had any actual sex in it! I always do the whole *fade into black* thing instead of writing on scene sex. Like wise other than *damn* you'll never hear any of my characters swearing either. I suppose I can blame it on being raised LDS or something.

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How I Reached 50k
Creating Character Profiles
Create a Fantasy Realm
Some Thoughts on Writing Fantasy

I am writing another clean romance...they never leave me alone. Mine is about two college students. Well the guy is a player who sleeps around, but you never hear who and what goes on behind his closed door. He falls in love with a girl who completely is out of his area.

Is Nora Roberts termed clean? She writes language but often doesn't get very explicit with the sex. Just wondering what clean or sweet really means. Are there examples I might have heard of?

I'm writing clean, definitly. There probably will be *some* language, but not tons and tons. And no sex. I mean, they're all dead. AND they're all teens. AND they're all trying to get over their deaths. So, not exactly the best situation. AND I'm still in denial that I'm writing a romance (It's still literary, I swear!), so yeah... but there will be tension and kissing and more tension all that good stuff. Tension is my favorite. :'D

My boys are in high school, so they'll certainly think about it. But I am quite the proponent of sweet, innocent romance, so their final verdict on the subject will be "Let's not just yet." The only thing I really enjoy writing is clean romance. I have written an explicit sex scene, and have gone the vague route several times, but, in general, writing sex scenes is rather embarrassing for me. I feel kind of like an idiot when I have to describe it, so I do everything I can to avoid it.

... They might mess around a little, though, I'm not sure. The jury is still out on that one. They are boys after all. More often than not, though, they will just be cute.

There will be direct mentions of sex between them exactly three times. Their first time, the time before the jerk leaves, and one time when she finds him in her jail cell. They have sex MANY many times in the course of their 9 month relationship, but those will be the only thee times directly mentioned. They will not be written in detail, although their thoughts on the subject may be slightly explicit (mainly describing skin or expressions or how it felt (No 'pulsing member' or anything, just that it was nice and the like)) .

The only swearing will be in Russian or during war scenes - even that is rare. :)

Romance doesn't need sex to be romance

I think the days of pulsing members and quivering mounds are gone. At least for now. It's completely cliche and passe to even consider romance to be nothing but gratuitous sex. Successful modern romance novelists barely touch explicit scenes anymore. Though romance is undoubtedly all about sex. That's the end result really and it's part of a normal grown up relationship. I think it's perfectly possible to carry on an adult romance that includes a sexual relationship (that doesn't need to be explicit) and yet still remains innocent. Just my two cents and I hope it made sense.

Oh, and I was wondering one thing. Is the implication of this thread that swearing and sex is bad? Is lust bad? Isn't it possible to lust after someone you love? Couldn't loving them make you lust after them even more? Just curious and trying to understand since I think I have a different view. Not trying to offend in any way. :)

Write Baby! Write. (My Nano-blog)

2008 Novel Title: Counting Down

Question of definition, I suppose - your concept of innocent is probably different from mine. But one can't really argue about definitions. Romance may be all about sex at some level, but it doesn't mean you can't have romance without the characters having sex. Yes, if they get married and live happily ever after then it's a given they will have sex, but last year my characters only ever kissed on the last page.

Which is not to say that I disagree with you about romance being all about sex at some level; just that it doesn't have to be about (or even involve) having sex - on or off stage, explicit or implied. Personally I think the best romantic stories are the ones that are dripping with sexual overtones, undertones, desire etc., but where the characters don't have sex (during the story). The whole will they / won't they thing, the tension between feeling one way and knowing you should be acting in a different way ... that makes up most of my novel this year, and the two characters involved won't even kiss. Ok, so it's not really a romance, but that's kind of not the point ...

Again, question of definition I suppose. I understand lust as meaning specifically desire that is inappropriate, therefore it is wrong by definition, but that doesn't mean that all sexual desire is wrong. (Again, that get-married-and-live-happily-ever-after ending is going to be a bit impossible / implausible / rubbish without it).

But that's just me. I'm probably a bit non-mainstream even for this thread.

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

My story isn't entirely romance, but the romance side to it will be 'clean' I suppose. I doubt there will be any explicit sex and I'm not sure I'll even hint at it. I'll mention people being lovers, but that'll be as far as it goes. I like to write asexual or gray-asexual romances, they're more fun to write to me, and there's not enough of them in the world.

There will probably be adult language though. xD

Hello...again! LOL

Interesting, from a market standpoint, the only two subgenre markets showing substantial growth are erotica and inspirational fiction. So there's definitely a market for it.

I am writing a clean romance! I have never read a romance that depeicts explicit sex or language, nor do I think they are necessary. I am going to vent here for a moment.

Why does there always have to be that one scene in romances, that is disgusting. detailed, and totally unnecessary to move the plot forward? You do not need a explicit sex scene to drive the plot forward. You also do not need to describe the scene, you can hint that they have had sex, but there is no need to write ten boring gross pages about it.

Enough ranting, I am simply glad, that other people are writing a clean romance as well. Personally, my book will not hint at or have any sex scenes. I am going to prove my theory that they are not needed. By the way I do not mean to offend anybody. This is simply my personal belief, and I am sure that many people will disagree. I have read books with mild hints at sex, and did not hate them, but I personally am going to write without them.

One more clean Romance is coming to Nano.

Honestly, I have never considered myself as a romance writer because...

1. I'm not very um... er... romantic.

2. I refuse to put sex in books at all. Some things are too beautiful and intimate to be plastered across a page.

However, my first NanoWriMo was a challenge to myself to write romance.

Last year it ended up having some in it but was primarily about a religious topic.

this year, I can't get away from the romance aspect. I wanted to do a "Christianized" "Bachelor".

it's going to be interesting. To say the least.

*gasp* but sex scenes make for such great padding!

....if you get past the mind-numbing embarrassment of it, of course. But I don't think that'll be too difficult at 4am while overdosed on caffeine...

...it's the literally dirty way for romance writers to pad their novels..? XD;;

Whoo I remember this thread! :D
Yay for clean romance!

Puchu-

How interesting. Norway! My husband's ancestors are from Norway. Two Havig families lived on either side of a lake... one was the "right side of the lake" so to speak but anyway, they apparently eventually intermarried and that might explain a few things actually.... JUST KIDDING.

I'm going to have to look up Bergen sometime. In my absolute Nordic ignorance, I have no idea about much other than fjords, Oslo, and of course, now that I have granchildren, bestemor and bestefar! (I do use "pigin" Norse and call my grand babies "bestekids" for the fun of it!)