Is it weird that my H/h want to get it on with secondary characters?

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Pisco Sour

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This really strange thing happens when I'm writing my romances and I'm curious if it happens to others. My main couples are destined for each other, and I'm never in any doubt that they will end up together. But roundabout the 30k or 40k point in a 90k or 100k novel, either of them, or both, want to get it on with a man or woman they are not destined to be with. Is this weird? It's not that they fall in love with these other people, but suddenly I'm writing a completely non-romantic, non-sexy scene and I veer off target and put the heroine in bed with the dorky friend offering her advice, or the hero with his neighbour. I write the scene, cut it from the book and file it, and then I go back to writing the main story again. Hero and Heroine end up together, HEA, etc etc.

Are my characters closet nymphos ? Also, I have all these short 2k or 3k erotic pieces around I don't know what to do with. Does anybody else do this when they're writing a romance?
 

Marlys

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I can think of at least two possibilities. My first instinct was that maybe, since this happens as you're close to the middle of your story, it's a 'sagging middle' problem. Like, it's going to be a long time until your MCs actually get together, and you're throwing in something to liven things up until then.

But the part where you said they don't just end up in bed but getting advice made me wonder if you didn't grow up reading the same historical romances I did. In those, the hero often had a lover he wasn't in love with, frequently an older woman who offered him her wisdom as well as her body. If so, could be the template stuck in your head.
 

Pisco Sour

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I can think of at least two possibilities. My first instinct was that maybe, since this happens as you're close to the middle of your story, it's a 'sagging middle' problem. Like, it's going to be a long time until your MCs actually get together, and you're throwing in something to liven things up until then.

But the part where you said they don't just end up in bed but getting advice made me wonder if you didn't grow up reading the same historical romances I did. In those, the hero often had a lover he wasn't in love with, frequently an older woman who offered him her wisdom as well as her body. If so, could be the template stuck in your head.

Hmmm, could be, though the 'advice' thing was just a random occurrence. I did, however, grow up in the 70s and 80s and read those romances over and over, so maybe that does have something to do with it? I sit there thinking, WTH? Are my characters all wonky? Maybe it is a problem with the lagging middle, as you suggest. I hadn't thought about that before but I do get a bit lukewarm around that time. I LOVE writing the intimate scenes, but I usually have only one or two in my novels, so maybe that has something to do with it. Thanks for the input. My hubby thinks I really want to write menage or polyamory, but though I might do that at some stage, it's not what I write in my romances. They are straight-froward M/Fs with HEAs.
 

Marlys

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I think you could keep these scenes--and even add a few more--if you make them serve a purpose such as demonstrating character development over the course of the book. Like, your heroine or hero uses sex as performance, and doesn't allow him/herself to be vulnerable until falling in love. Or is tentative and self-conscious during sex until the love interest builds their confidence.

Plenty of possibilities to show the difference between good (or bad!) sex with a random person and great sex once they add the emotional dimension of making love with someone they truly care about.
 

pellshek

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The thing that immediately occurs to me is that the 30k mark of a 100k novel is right around the end of Act 1/start of Act 2. (Typically Act 1 is c. 25% of a novel).

I suspect that what's happening to your story at this point is that the inevitable rhythms of the 3-Act structure are kicking in.

Act 1: Ordinary World...Boy & Girl don't know each other at first...then they meet & BAM! We all know they have to be together by the end. This leads to transition into...
Act 2: Special World...Boy & Girl are now on journey (they are in the "Special World" of blossoming romance, even if it hasn't happened yet) that will inevitably end up with them together. But!!!...Along the way there is drama, conflict, problems, tensions, emotion & action all working to try and thwart their coming together. This is where the main drama of the story happens.

And so, it would be perfectly natural around 30% of the way into your book that Boy & Girl sleep with other people, all of whom will end up being wrong for them. Why? Because the ONLY person who is right for them is each other. But we (the reader) need to see the drama of those other "relationships" NOT working to understand why Girl & Boy DO work.

In fact, the start of Act 2 is sometimes called the "Friends & Enemies" section. Here, you'll see:

> Girl's friends encouraging & helping her to get together with boy
> Boy's friends doing the same
> Fake friends trying to keep them apart (For her, that's the bitchy mean girl in her circle who encourages her to go to bars & sleep around & "forget about that loser". For him, it's the rich jock buddy who he goes out with to try and score notches on the bedpost. These fake friends thwart Girl & Boy getting together).
> Enemies: These are the random guys she sleeps with - they perform the function of showing what the Boy she loves ISN'T. Similarly, he meets up with girls who just want his money or commitment or marriage...while all along he just wants the great girl he met in Act 1.
> Other enemies: For example, his boss might have Boy working so hard that Boy has no time to chase Girl. For her, her Mother might be in her ear telling her to marry that nice accountant on the 2nd floor. All these people are obstacles to girl and boy getting together.
..........

So I think this is what is happening. You are just in the normal, natural rhythms of the 3-Act structure.
 
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Pisco Sour

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Thanks for the insights! I was sitting there with my current wip wondering why the heck I do this, each book. I didn't think of the three act structure or indeed that I might be able to use these sexy, out of whack scenes in some way. So far they wouldn't suit, at all, and anyway those books have already been published, but perhaps I could use similar scenes when/if they occur in other books. These extras from my published novels are lying around my laptop, collecting dust. I might change a few things and try to self-pub them as short erotica. I don't know enough about self-pubbing to do that though, so they could just stay there forever. At least I have a better understanding of what's going on, thanks to your comments. I still think it's kind of strange, but then so am I. :D
 

Michele Mills

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I understand where you're coming from, I'd be tripping out too if I kept wanting my Hero or Heroine to jump into bed with another partner midway through the story. I'd be like, what's wrong here? Lol For a lot of romance readers that's a huge no-no. A lot of readers (myself included) feel that cheating is a hard line they will not pass.

This does not mean there's anything wrong with your story!!!! Yes, rewrite your cut scenes as erotic romance shorts or novellas and maybe self pub and sell the hell outta them. Just make sure if you continue with this interesting story line and pub, you let your readers know what to expect. Because there are also lots of readers out there who adore romance with menage, voyuerism and multiple partners. Just always approach the story lines not as "cheating" where someone gets hurt but as an inclusive relationship while maintaining the main H/h romance. I've read books like that and I really liked them despite cheating being my hard line. Example: Alessandra Torre wrote an "Innocence" series with the main couple as swingers that I really liked. I believed in the main couple's love and there was no ick factor. Also, you might want to check out this website: smbookobsessions.com
It's NSFW and 18+! but it is a good source of what's hot on the market right now with erotic rom shorts/novellas/self pubs. :) Good Luck!
 

gingerwoman

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This really strange thing happens when I'm writing my romances and I'm curious if it happens to others. My main couples are destined for each other, and I'm never in any doubt that they will end up together. But roundabout the 30k or 40k point in a 90k or 100k novel, either of them, or both, want to get it on with a man or woman they are not destined to be with. Is this weird? It's not that they fall in love with these other people, but suddenly I'm writing a completely non-romantic, non-sexy scene and I veer off target and put the heroine in bed with the dorky friend offering her advice, or the hero with his neighbour. I write the scene, cut it from the book and file it, and then I go back to writing the main story again. Hero and Heroine end up together, HEA, etc etc. There are also novels about a menage starting the dissolution of a relationship. Those books aren't romances. They may instead be "love stories" with sad endings.

Are my characters closet nymphos ? Also, I have all these short 2k or 3k erotic pieces around I don't know what to do with. Does anybody else do this when they're writing a romance?

It's not a problem at all if it's an erotic romance. There's a very successful Megan Hart romance that deals with this.
Some menages are about a happy ever after for all participants, others are about a brief interlude with a third and a HEA for only two.
 
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Pisco Sour

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I understand where you're coming from, I'd be tripping out too if I kept wanting my Hero or Heroine to jump into bed with another partner midway through the story. I'd be like, what's wrong here? Lol For a lot of romance readers that's a huge no-no. A lot of readers (myself included) feel that cheating is a hard line they will not pass.

This does not mean there's anything wrong with your story!!!! Yes, rewrite your cut scenes as erotic romance shorts or novellas and maybe self pub and sell the hell outta them. Just make sure if you continue with this interesting story line and pub, you let your readers know what to expect. Because there are also lots of readers out there who adore romance with menage, voyuerism and multiple partners. Just always approach the story lines not as "cheating" where someone gets hurt but as an inclusive relationship while maintaining the main H/h romance. I've read books like that and I really liked them despite cheating being my hard line. Example: Alessandra Torre wrote an "Innocence" series with the main couple as swingers that I really liked. I believed in the main couple's love and there was no ick factor. Also, you might want to check out this website: smbookobsessions.com
It's NSFW and 18+! but it is a good source of what's hot on the market right now with erotic rom shorts/novellas/self pubs. :) Good Luck!

Thanks! Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I haven't been around much lately. I'll check out the website! Grand.
 

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I'm going to suggest a different interpretation. Your hero/heroine don't want to make love with your secondary characters. You do. It's not a hard leap to make when looking at your avatar. You're in love with your writing. It's a sign that your secondary characters are well developed. You're getting "intimate" with them and want to know them inside and out. Since you identify yourself with the hero/heroine, you make love with the secondary characters through them. In the end, you won't reveal this very intimate knowledge of the secondary characters to your readers, but it helps you craft secondary characters that readers perceive to have hidden depths.
 

akaria

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I ran into this problem, but it was just because Secondary Man was an impossible flirt and could have explosive chemistry with a floor lamp. He was also impatient and didn't want to wait his damn turn. :)
 

Pisco Sour

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I'm going to suggest a different interpretation. Your hero/heroine don't want to make love with your secondary characters. You do. It's not a hard leap to make when looking at your avatar. You're in love with your writing. It's a sign that your secondary characters are well developed. You're getting "intimate" with them and want to know them inside and out. Since you identify yourself with the hero/heroine, you make love with the secondary characters through them. In the end, you won't reveal this very intimate knowledge of the secondary characters to your readers, but it helps you craft secondary characters that readers perceive to have hidden depths.

Interesting, since I put a lot of effort into my secondary characters' lives as well as my mains'. I could be in love with my characters, as opposed to my writing (though I'm not knocking it!). Food for thought, thanks!
 

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Pisco, you ever just let it happen? Maybe you think your characters are destined for one another, but your characters disagree. Sometimes, I think they just need to make up their own minds and discover what they really want. That can be just as compelling. Girl meets boy, finds out he's perfect, pursues him through peril, then discovers different boy who is what she really wants. Sub any gender there.

Sometimes it's weird when your characters don't behave, but it's also kind of cool and can lead to new emergent plot lines.
 

Pisco Sour

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Pisco, you ever just let it happen? Maybe you think your characters are destined for one another, but your characters disagree. Sometimes, I think they just need to make up their own minds and discover what they really want. That can be just as compelling. Girl meets boy, finds out he's perfect, pursues him through peril, then discovers different boy who is what she really wants. Sub any gender there.

Sometimes it's weird when your characters don't behave, but it's also kind of cool and can lead to new emergent plot lines.

So far I've only let it happen in off-shoots and mini-diversions which I stored on my computer. My take on it since my initial post is that one (or both) of my MCs gets impatient for some sexy times and has to blow off some steam. Hence, they do that with a friend, neighbour or dude in the cinema. I write a lot of sexual tension before/in between nookie scenes, and I think they suffer for it! :) The characters in question are from books that have already been published, but I'm sure I wouldn't have their parings any other way. I'm polishing up the shorts I wrote, changing character names and expanding, then submitting these 10-12K to erotica e-pubss. One of these off-shoots was picked up last week and will be released in 2015! Thrifty, that's me. Nothing goes to waste.

Yeah, it is weird when characters won't behave, and cool. ;) At the moment I'm writing a book that started out as a M/F and has somehow turned into a love triangle told in multiple 1st person POV. I'm like, huh? Where did that come from, but I'm going with the flow and am sketchy about the end. I don't even know if a publisher will want it, though I'm encouraged by comments on another thread. Anyhoo, this one is more organic than anything I've written before. We'll see what happens!
 

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Hm. Could this maybe be your "sliding doors" moment, when you unconsciously realise the story could go in different directions? Maybe you need to write out a scene with an alternative storyline because your characters are at a crossroads of sorts? And then, having gotten that out of your system, you can settle down to writing the story you prefer?
 

Pisco Sour

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Could be, 'cause when I write those scenes I then go back to my main story and continue writing it. These off-shoots are specifically sexy scenes, not romantic. I now think of them as a mini-release of the sexual tension these people have. I can't write them having nookie with the person they're in love with because the timing isn't 'right' in my head. So I let them go to town with others, maybe? Kind of twisted, I know, but hey, I'm a twisted lass. LOL. My hubby said he thinks I'm the one who needs the release from writing slow-burn build up but I told him that's what he's for. ;)
 
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