tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post6098228175209272131..comments2024-03-20T02:26:46.482-04:00Comments on Joanna Bourne: Technical Topic -- When They Get It On and Story StructureJo Bournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-11746643501740627252013-06-10T16:37:25.022-04:002013-06-10T16:37:25.022-04:00I'm inclined to agree with you. A well-writte...I'm inclined to agree with you. A well-written sex scene is so powerful and significant it can be used to spark future action. Taping it to the end of the story discards a lot of possible motivation.<br /><br />I'm reading Balogh's 'Simply Magic' right now. The sex scene -- I guess it hit about 1/4 into the book -- was a dynamo that powered lots of plot action. Beautifully plotted.Jo Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-25365557495271758622013-06-10T12:29:06.647-04:002013-06-10T12:29:06.647-04:00I read a book this weekend wherein the First Sex S...I read a book this weekend wherein the First Sex Scene was the last scene of the book. Since it's fresh in my mind, I can tell you the effect it had on me as a reader. <br /><br />All of the "business" of the story had been wrapped up. There was no more conflict, nothing left to DO, so I was packing up and getting ready to leave the theater, so to speak, as one does when the show's over and the real world beckons. <br /><br />It was not a good time to hit me up for a huge emotional investment like First Time Sex.<br /><br />I skimmed the final pages and thought, "Yeah, that's how it works, so what?"<br /><br />"So what?" is not a desirable reaction to any emotionally charged scene, and "So what?" is not the last thought you want to leave in a reader's mind when they finish your story, since that last impression is the one that sticks, so dropping a Big Deal scene after the finish line like it's an afterthought is basically the formula for double failure. Rennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-80951388824358252022013-05-01T06:22:24.215-04:002013-05-01T06:22:24.215-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Regional College Of Pharmacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12881020149818784633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-76983143265699862932013-04-29T19:39:46.981-04:002013-04-29T19:39:46.981-04:00You know how it is -- when you want to work someth...You know how it is -- when you want to work something out in your own mind, there's nothing like trying to explain it to somebody else. These posts are mostly for me. <br /><br /> It's the old, "Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man."<br /><br />Lots of times somebody comes back with a comment (or disagreement) that really makes me think. I love that.Jo Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-85745481232919166682013-04-29T02:09:30.455-04:002013-04-29T02:09:30.455-04:00I love your technical posts! :) Like a short litt...I love your technical posts! :) Like a short little Master Class, and illustrated so nicely.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700737187405826842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-80086753168178957452013-04-25T19:01:56.006-04:002013-04-25T19:01:56.006-04:00I should work harder. I should work better. I ju...I should work harder. I should work better. I just get so distracted by Real Life.<br /><br />They are still talking about the end of 2013 if I can just get the manuscript turned in, in time. They're being genuinely patient with me.Jo Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-86140118981198601562013-04-25T17:40:02.145-04:002013-04-25T17:40:02.145-04:00I really enjoy books that are different.. I love i...I really enjoy books that are different.. I love it when the h/h/ work together to resolve the conflict.. It's fun to get something you don't expect.. Any date on Pax's story.. my he is stubborn one!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-85405050766128767742013-04-24T19:41:31.000-04:002013-04-24T19:41:31.000-04:00Hi Beth --
Any sentence that contains the Great W...Hi Beth --<br /><br />Any sentence that contains the Great White Shark is going to be a winner.<br /><br />That picture is Amos Cassioli's Paolo and Francesca. Their story is in Dante's Divine Comedy. <br /><br />The wiki here: <br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_da_Rimini<br /><br /><br />I mostly chose it for the bright color and the nice composition ...<br />Jo Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-24161383412979127152013-04-24T17:23:47.100-04:002013-04-24T17:23:47.100-04:00First, your last sentence is brilliant.
Second, w...First, your last sentence is brilliant.<br /><br />Second, what is that painting (title? artist?) of the two lovers kissing? At least, he looks as if he very much wants to be her lover. She looks as if the jury is still out on that question. Very passive, she is, which makes the picture unusual. I'd like to know the story behind it.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08504439129670380071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-39791982869804599532013-04-21T16:42:32.221-04:002013-04-21T16:42:32.221-04:00Realization of love is a very excellent denouement...Realization of love is a very excellent denouement. <br /><br />A perfectly justified 'Let's do the denouement in bed scene' is where copulation itself is story action. The inability to have sex IS the conflict of the book. There's sexual dysfunction to be cured. Fear to overcome. A lack of trust to resolve. <br />The sex act is not gratuitous Tab A into Slot B. It's a dysfunction being dealt with onstage. <br />That last scene of explicit sex is not to demonstrate the H&H can now have at. It's story action.<br /><br />In general, though, the long, explicit sex act that comes as a bagatelle at the end of the book strikes me as iffy. <br /><br />Anything can be done well. There are excellent books out there where copulation is necessary. It can't be removed without damaging the story. This is not 2000 words of mattress bouncing added at the end only because it would have closed the conflict if inserted earlier.<br /><br />But a First Sex Act without follow-up or consequences seems diminished. Seems a wasted opportunity. First Sex without further plot arising risks feeling gratuitous.Jo Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457862962618886252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15617001.post-32094571557914326742013-04-21T15:38:46.344-04:002013-04-21T15:38:46.344-04:00Well, I see what you mean, and I think you are pro...Well, I see what you mean, and I think you are probably right for the most part. Still, I think there are cases where the actual consummation scene can be delayed to the end to good effect. A declaration of love, or even a realization of love, can provide a powerful denouement all by itself.Lilnoreply@blogger.com