Monday, January 30, 2006

SIN Scenes

SIN: Surprise, I'm Naked!

We've all run across them. You're reading along, the hero and heroine have most likely just met and then BAM! One of them sees the other naked, often by accident, sometimes not. He walks in on her changing in the bedroom. She walks in on him in the shower. You know what I'm talking about.

Sometimes these scenes work and sometimes they don't. For me, they don't work when they're clearly contrived and the character reactions aren't realistic.

Ex. A: A woman who's never had sex with a man yet runs naked through the house chasing her cat because she didn't realize she dropped her towel...um, not working. Sounds like a TSTL moment.

Ex B: The hero walks in on the heroine changing. He might stare a little (he is a man after all) but then she screams for him to get out and he obliges. Accidental and handled that way.

Having said all that, I have a SIN scene in books one and two and will probably have one in book four. How about you? Do you have any in your work? What do you think about them? Like them? Hate them? Can't get enough?

11 comments:

  1. I'm sorry but I don't do the SIN scene. I've read some in recent books, and I think it has become a trend, that seems to scream "Let's have a SIN scene in my book!" I hate fashions and trends - both in clothing and in books *lol* I do my thing. When the hero walks into the bathroom while heroine's taking a bath, he does it on purpose - even if it's to annoy the heck out of her. If the heroine barges into his room while he's changing, she does it on purpose too - even if she blushes all the way to the root of her hair.

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  2. I'm with you....I can't stand SIN when it's so obvious!

    Still LOL about the woman chasing her cat naked! LOL

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  3. Anonymous11:36 AM

    I'm like you, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. When they are contrived . . . not great, but if handled well they can be fun to read ;)

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  4. I agree. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't! I've read some that were really titilating, though.

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  5. Most of the ones I come across seem contrived. It's rare that I find one that works.

    Tanya

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  6. The best SIN in a movie: Roxanne with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah. She's chasing the cat, the towel gets caught in the door and she gets locked out. Hilarious! Other than that, they rarely work for me.

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  7. I don't have to do those cause I write YA. So I don't have to obsess over whether it works or not:)

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  8. Anonymous3:19 PM

    I've never written a SIN scene (although now I'm wondering if one wouldn't work nicely in my current WIP), and I don't mind them at all as long as they're done properly.

    Your example A would drive me insane. Example B works. Reminds me of the movie "Somthing's Gotta Give".

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  9. I love that bit in somethings gotta Give. Diane nailed it! Although chasing down a cat naked. Possible, yes. Realistic, No

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  10. I think they're great comic relief.

    Love it when the hero stumbles onto/into her by accident and gapes in suprised shock, which quickly turns into a "guy appreciation moment", while she simaltaneously recoveres from her startlement and starts throwing things at him while ordering his neanderthal butt out of there.

    That's always fun. I like that scene.

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  11. No and yes for the SIN scene. If the writer can put a different slant on it, I'm all for it. Life happens, and I've had some pretty weird SIN moments myself. Not chasing cats though. It was ferrets. :P

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