Erotic scenes and loops

Erotic scenes are so difficult to write. I'm not talking sex scene. I'm talking about a scene which has passion, sexuality, need, and joy all intertwined. And often -- for me, anyway-- these scenes rarely are about two folks getting unclothed in a bed. That's what makes them so difficult.

Three examples:

the walk in the rain in Diva:



The bicycle ride in Sky of Love (It begins about the 3 minute mark in this clip.)

The ferris wheel ride in Rebel Without a Cause

Okay, so why are these scenes erotic? Honestly? Lord knows. Maybe it's because we know the subtext and we feel the tension bubbling over...and the fear, wonder, etc.

Of course perhaps not everyone feels eros in these scenes, but I suspect that many do. And the director and/or screenwriter must know that the character's erotic yearning will be felt. Or else they wouldn't have spent so much money doing the scenes. But yeah, such scenes might fall flat for some people who equate the erotic with clothes strewn on the floor or with panting.

So am trying to right some erotic scenes. The gentle eroticism of A falling in love with B. And all the while knowing that some folks may not get what I'm trying to do. Some of those scenes were so loved in Wind Follower, yet others thought nothing was happening in those very scenes. One Christian guy was particularly annoyed about the lack of violence and plot story in the first part. So here I am trying to feed Christians their vilence...oops, meant to write "violence."

On the other hand, blatant sex scenes will work for secular audiences but will turn Christians off. I don't think I tried to aim for a blatant sex scene. The scenes just kinda happened...and (in my opinion) none of the sex scenes were particularly glorious. I DO love a glorious sex scene but they are hard to write and rarely seen in books and movies. The sex scenes in Wind Follower were full of grief, manipulation, demonic activity, guilt, grief. I wish the Christians who had problems with the sex had looked beyond the apparent and seen how utterly unredeemed and lacking in true grace those sex scenes were. But it was the externals they looked at, not the spirit of the scene which showed how futile sex could be.

Sometimes I look at the line-up of a christian channel I look at, there's heavy use of gun-play. A kind of nostalgic past where white guys with guns shoot at bad indians. So violence is approved in Christian fantasy. If it's done in the right way. Again, trying to see what my audience is and what the right amount of sex and violence is. (Okay, okay, I must get rid of my bitterness and move on.)

Last night, I gave my hubby a major tongue-lashing on loops. Family loops, autistic loops, circles the family keeps getting in, son's returning to eating foods that are simply not good for him. I mentioned my health/illness loop and how I'm always trying to get better and am good for a while. Then I eat the wrong things or don't stick to my regimen and then bingo sick again. And what do I do first thing in the morning? I raced downstairs with ice cream on the mind.

Father in heaven, please free my family and me from loops. I want to advance. In everything. Writing, holiness, weight loss, not nagging my husband, bitterness. I just want to become a better person. Don't let me keep going in circles. Don't let me lag behind. Don't let me procrastinate. Please, Lord, let your words change me. Amen."

Ah well, off to work on yet another of my trademark angsty Carole McDonnell sex scenes.