Could I lose or Keep Readers?

[Dan Razor]

Now I have been writing a certain story for a while and it is coming close to a point where I think people would be urging for a certain goal (Like a couple kissing.) If I were to tease this thought and make it come close but then it is pulled away for a while (most likely more than once). Do you think that doing so more than once will keep readers or make them put down the book thinking "It isn't gonna happen"?

I am mostly going to do it for story sake despite what it would do to the amount of readers, I feel it is a very important part of the story to do so. Wouldn't give the same feeling without it.

[althrasher]

What just popped in my head is Wicked Lovely. Marr did a great job of keeping the two MCs from taking it to that level right until it finally happened. I guess it would depend on the circumstances and the buildup.

[WannabeWriter]

I don't know the true answer to this, but I often think that all readers are different. There will always be those who love your style and those who don't. The important thing is to do what feels natural for you. :)

[Gina_Marie]

Agreed. But I say sexual tension and teasing is always good. Go for it ;)

[johnzakour]

You gotta write your story for you not your readers. Write what you want to read and readers will follow.

[DWSTXS]

Agreed. But I say sexual tension and teasing is always good. Go for it ;)

I agree.
The thing to realize, is that in TV shows and movies, everything that happens AFTER that first kiss is anticlimactic and it sort of goes downhill unless handled correctly.

I base this on several TV shows and movies, but the one that comes to mind right now is Joel and Maggie in Northern Exposure.

[Hopcus]

Definitely keep that tension going as long as possible, until that moment where people will actually cheer aloud because they FINALLY kissed.

[DeleyanLee]

Every decision a writer makes will cost them some readers and gain them others. Just write the story how you see it and be true to it. Don't make any kind of build-up of tension seem like a "gotcha" in general and you should be good to go.

Story first, then readers.

Good luck to you.

[BlueLucario]

Writing a scene for the sake of the story is something you should never do. You characters are the story not the scene. Before you put it there step back and think. Do you feel that it would work for the story? If it doesn't throw it away!

And too much of the same is never a good thing.

and remember sex is good! (Yes.... it.... isss. It's better than chocolate!:tongue)

[HeronW]

sex with chocolate is much better than sex without but you need to let the chocolate make the first move and respect it in the morning.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I'll go with the majority and say do whatever works for your story and characters. I'm sure some readers wouldn't like the fact that the lead couple in my fantasy series start having sex in the third chapter of the first book, but this works for my characters and story, so I could care less what some people like/don't like. I learned the hard way when I first started writing that if you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no-one, and most importantly not pleasing yourself. If you're not enjoying your own book, what do you think the odds are that anyone else will?

[Dan Razor]

Writing a scene for the sake of the story is something you should never do. You characters are the story not the scene. Before you put it there step back and think. Do you feel that it would work for the story? If it doesn't throw it away!

And too much of the same is never a good thing.

and remember sex is good! (Yes.... it.... isss. It's better than chocolate!:tongue)

What I meant by 'for story sake' as doing it for advancing storyline purposes and not for the hell of it. In case that is what you meant.

[KikiteNeko]

You'll never get a unanimous answer from the readers. You have to do what you think is best for the plot. Don't do it JUST to tease the readers.

But, as someone who read a lot of graphic novels and watched a lot of anime where that happened, I could say I'd get annoyed and put it down. But that is just me.