In previous posts I've commented on the work of
Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Their books made no pretence
towards literary merit; they were totally and unashamedly commercial. Written in the nineteen thirties, they treated
sex in a subtle way that titillated the reader, but omitted the finer details
of what happened behind the bedroom doors. I think a few modern day writers
could learn something from that. I believe the blatantly uninhibited sex scenes
that mark out too many current novels detract from the action.
I have this in mind as I look at a series resurrected
from the depths of my computer, something I started years ago. These are
hard-hitting, gritty crime stories written in a style I imagine Chandler or
Hammett would use if they were alive today. The crimes are to the forefront in
the stories, the sex is keep in the background. That’s because the plots are essentially
about the crimes, not the characters’ sex lives. That’s not to say they don’t
have sexual encounters, they do, but I try to keep it in proportion. I’ve given
some information on the books at:
I suppose a well-known
writer could get away with vivid descriptions of the sex act, even if it is unnecessary
to the plot. To my mind Sebastian Foulkes did it in Birdsong and it didn’t work
for me. But he’s a famous writer. My advice to lesser known writers is to keep
your eye on the ball. If you want to write erotic sex scenes, do it within the
covers of erotica novels. If you are writing for any other market, keep your
action centered on your main plot.
However, one area on
which Chandler and Hammett’s books scored highly was their front covers. The
publishers used images of scantily clad women to titillate the reader into
buying. It wasn’t blatant sex, and it worked.
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