I poll because I can.

[bagheera_san]

[Poll #1042372]

This poll is brought to you by the realization that four out of five of my stories could probably end with "and then they had sex." I'm not just lazy - quite often writing porn is simply dead boring, at least when it's "and then they had sex" porn: sex scenes that have no particular tension between the characters or anything. Most often these occur at the end of a story, after all the issues of a romantic plot are resolved. It's either riding off into the sunset or porn.

Comments

[danceswithgary]

I rarely write sex scenes at the end of my stories and when I do write them, more and more often these days, they're used to advance the plot in that they help to establish the relationship between the characters.

Doesn't that sound nicely highbrow and sophisticated? Erm, actually I just like the porn. :-D

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

Sorry, messed that up.

when I do write them, more and more often these days, they're used to advance the plot in that they help to establish the relationship between the characters.
Yeah, and at the end of the story, there's nothing left to advance, right? So the sex is just gratuitious.

[danceswithgary]

Exactly! I usually do some sort of roundup, quite often with a little humor, but no explicit sex.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

Most of my answers here depend enormously on context. There are times when I surf slash because I'm just in the mood for some good pr0n, and then there are times when I just want to read something good and honestly don't mind either way whether there's sex in it. And there are stories where the sex absolutely is integral to the plot, and there are stories where the sex feels totally gratuitous (and I can't resist adding, there are also stories where gratuitous sex is a bad thing). I don't think there's any one-size-fits-all rule.

You have, though, reminded me of a conversation I've been curious to have with other fic writers, which I think I'll now try to write up as a post...

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

There are times when I surf slash because I'm just in the mood for some good pr0n,
Me too, but then I usually go for PWPs. In long, plotty stories, I often find myself skimming the sex scenes (or only reading the dialogue) because after a while, they just all sort of blend into each other.

[the-rejection.livejournal.com]

Porn is fun, but writing a "and then they had sex" scene would just feel redundant. I don't actually write sex scenes all that often... heh. But they're fun to read when done right!

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

when done right!
That's the key to porn. *nods sagely*

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not a writer, so part of this doesn't really apply to me. But whether or not I appreciate sex scenes in a story varies tremendously, depending on whether I'm in the mood to read for plot or porn that day, the skill of the writer, where the scene falls, etc. etc. etc.

I do think, though, if you've been deferring sex throughout the whole story, I definitely want to read more than a fade to black or "and then they had sex."

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

I do think, though, if you've been deferring sex throughout the whole story, I definitely want to read more than a fade to black or "and then they had sex."

Yeah, UST can be much nicer than instant porn, but in the end it should be resolved if the UST was the focus of the story.

[ladydreamer.livejournal.com]

I'm with danceswithgary. I use sex scenes to develop characters/relationships/advance the plot. I don't know that I've ever had sex at the END of a story. I think there may have been a "and then they had sex" moment, but the couple in question had already had two graphic sex scenes during the story, so there's no need for it. Unless it's case of seeing the payoff of a long torturous plot in which the two characters haven't been able to get together... but honestly I never do that. The romantic payoff, if I'm going to have them have sex, is the end of one plot and the end of the main plot comes after. Sex can be a messy way to end a story.

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

Sex can be a messy way to end a story.
Since most people seem to agree about that, I'll keep from doing it ;D

[kantayra.livejournal.com]

Quite a lot of the time I find sex scenes necessary to write, even if they're near the end of the story, just because sex can be such a changing factor in a relationship that it seems like leaving off before the characters have sex is only getting them up to a hurdle but not over it. Often, sex isn't a resolution, but the real resolution has to happen after sex. So, in those types of situations, they feel rather necessary to me because the romantic arc really doesn't feel 'finished' without one, especially in an online environment where people aren't censored to leave out the sex part. It's like if I were writing an action novel, I wouldn't build up to the final battle and then just leave off because everyone knows the heroes will live. Battle scenes are pretty tedious to write too, but necessary in many cases.

However, I don't think that porn is the only way to show the climax of the romantic arc; it's just one of the most basic ways. It's certainly possible to write a romantic arc with no sex scenes and have it come off as perfectly satisfying. I've read lots and lots of PG-13 fics that do this just fine. And I do agree that writing sex scenes is very boring (although, apparently, people love to read them). I guess if I write a fic where the main plotline is the romance, it feels fairly necessary to me to put in the sex scene, so I'm not cutting and running. However, if I have a fairly substantial storyline that's not the romance, and the romance is secondary or a subplot, then I'm often inclined to leave the sex out as unnecessary.

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

However, if I have a fairly substantial storyline that's not the romance, and the romance is secondary or a subplot, then I'm often inclined to leave the sex out as unnecessary.

Sex scenes are usually pretty long compared to other interaction, so they often shift the weight of scenes quite a bit - that can be jarring if the actual point of the story was the plot and not the sex. But romance should have some form of resolution, you're right - even if it's just a kiss or a marriage proposal or a break-up.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Most of my slash/yaoi *does* end with "and then they had sex" or fade-to-black (and all of the het does...have yet to write het sex beyond PG-13...) I've had people complain mildly about this lack. For me sex is often boring to read and devilishly hard to write, but I know not everyone rides like that, so I try to expand when I think it's needed. At the end of a long UST story the ending, first-time "and then they had sex" is often cathartic, but in an established relationship story when there's already been smut it's more often gratuitous, I feel. OTOH, if the whole story's been PG/PG-13, going graphically erotic can sometimes be jarring.

Ummm...for my final answer I'll take "it depends"...!

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

I feel. OTOH, if the whole story's been PG/PG-13, going graphically erotic can sometimes be jarring.

Yeah. I just had that problem with a story and the sex just didn't fit with the tone of the rest, so I left it at fade to black.

[attaccabottoni.livejournal.com]

I tend to be a "plot first, sex later" kind of person, and I skip sex scenes when I'm too excited to know what happens next, unless the sex part is integral to the plot. I get to re-read the sex parts later when I'm more contemplative, which is really funny now that I think about it. Also, I read PWP when I'm feeling down, whether or not the sex is romantic or happy, because I consider any sex to be the cure for the depressing things in actual canon (esp. for SV/DCU Clex).

I only wish I could write porn. I can't even write beyond the excitement phase! Since my writing tends to be lighthearted (can't resist on making jokes even in the action and angst parts) or brooding/pensive, there just seems to be no room for sex in the story except in reference to it. :( Maybe I have porn writing ADHD. XD

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

I only wish I could write porn.
Me too ;) Whenever I decide to write porn into a plotty story it goes like this: I'm writing, writing, writing, and then the porn part comes and it just *slows* down to a crawl and I just want it to be done!

I've got kinky tastes, too, so standard vanilla sex in a romance plot is just boring me. There's got to be some twist or tension to it.

[attaccabottoni.livejournal.com]

There's no end to the possible applications of Clark's powers and Lex's intellect when it comes to sex, but the best I could think of is sex games for foreplay! I just couldn't write the naked parts in my head! *really, really sad face* So I'm stuck with thinking about Clark's supersmell and Lex's masturbation fantasies of sex in space... XD