Is Fictional Fulfillment More Enticing the Real Thing?

“Writing can be hot without being explicit.” C. Margery Kempe

The article, “Daisy Goodwin: This is better than real sex” from the TimesOnLine was just too good to pass up, especially after Monday’s post by guest blogger C. Margery Kempe on writing sex scenes.

Here are some excerpts from the article, but if you have time, I recommend reading it for a few more good laughs.

"A survey confirms my belief that most women of a certain age are better off turning to their library card for erotic fulfilment.

According to a survey of women between the ages of 45 and 60 by the maker of Astral moisturiser, a good two-thirds of us like books “with plenty of sex scenes” because we find them “titillating”. And a raunchy 10% actively seek out books with sexual content.

There is only one explanation for this and I am afraid it has something to do with middle-aged men. Given the choice between a real encounter with a mate with significant nostril hair and a fictional romp with a man with all his own teeth who never gets a twinge down his left leg, is it really any wonder that ladies of a certain age would rather get to the end of the chapter than burrow under the duvet?

I would much rather read about a threesome in a museum courtesy of The Sexual Life of Catherine M, the bestselling erotic memoir of a French intellectual, than actually have a threesome in a museum (suppose the sprinkler system went off?).

We are talking about a generation of women whose sexual fantasies almost certainly include Colin Firth emerging damply from the lake at Pemberley — with nothing more explicit than a brooding stare. Suggestion is definitely all.

In the interests of full disclosure I have to admit that when I gave the first draft of the novel I am writing to my editor, she said she was worried that some of the sex scenes were perhaps “a bit too graphic”. As I am a woman who can’t type “throbbing member” or “glistening manhood” without blushing crimson, I can assure you that my purple passages were the palest mauve.

There were many headlines last week suggesting that since scientists are close to being able to manufacture sperm, men are no longer necessary; I would suggest that for novel-reading women of a certain age this has long been the case."

The Independent, ie also ran a similar article, “Middle-aged women want to read about sex,” listing the top 10 books women would take to a desert island. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding was number 1 and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, was number 10. The one that really surprised me though was, The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Though I enjoyed the book, it’s not one I’d think falls into the “better than real sex” category. I haven’t read Harry Potter, but since they are written for kids, I wouldn’t think they fall into this category either. I guess this proves middle aged women do think about topics other than sex.

What book would you take to a desert island? Readers, do you actively seek out books with plenty of sex scenes? Writers, after reading these articles, are you thinking about adding more spice to your writing?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: C. Margery Kempe, Daisy Goodwin, Bridget Jones’s Diary , Memoirs of a Geisha, Life of Pi, Fielding, Golden, Martel,