Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Back to normal?

Time to get back to what is "normal" for me, but first I really want to say that I appreciated Robin's inviting me to be one of the host's of Colleen's blog tour. What a great experience!

Today, I feel chatty. Or is it catty?
Last night I downloaded three titles from Ellora's Cave and as of tonight, I've read them all. Easy enough to do as they were novellas. The one that inspires this post is:
Georgie and Her Dragon by Sahara Kelly rated =Sensuous.

It brings to mind one of my reading peeves: The Dream Sequence

Don't get me wrong, in "Georgie", Ms. Kelly did it right. Once I read that scene, it was like a light bulb popping during an Aha! moment.
"That's the way I like it!"

What Don't I like? The long, detailed, explicit scene that NEVER happens. Excuse me, but what is the point of being so graphic, so specific in description in detail and actions for a non-event? I am not talking one paragraph of honorable mention, but three pages dedicated to an erotic dream - makes no difference if the POV is male or female. It is a useless scene WHEN..and I repeat WHEN , the moment that the hero and heroine finally find their way to true conjugal bliss, it warrants a page. One page. ONLY one page.
What's wrong with this picture?

At the point when they finally do " the deed", it should be with fire-breathing fanfare, horns of passion blowing, scalding fireworks and the reaching of a mind blowing pinnacle that not only the characters enjoy, but the reader. With these long, drawn out and intricate "dream scenes", by the time our literary lovers finally do the "horizontal tango", we get the feeling of, "Been there, Done That, Ho and Hum ".... we are NOT impressed, NOT moved or involved. At that point, I always feel like saying " Yeah, yeah, OK you got to do it ... fast forward, give me the epilogue".

So I ask:
Are Dream sequences in Erotic/Romantica literature overused?
Are they fillers?
Are they useless?
Are they necessary to the plot movement?

I'll share my appreciation for the flip side.
The dream connection
Ms. Kelly had her dragon having a mental bond link with the princess.
Their dreams mattered. They had purpose. They had a basis in their reality. They affected their present and were SHARED!

In dream connection sequences, the dreams are a seduction in and of themselves. A tool of romance. It can be a part of character development or plot movement.

Handled in this manner, I am quite content to read and enjoy the story. I'm seeing something that makes sense.

Do I make sense to you?

2 comments:

Brandy said...

Perfect sense actually. I hate it when the dream sequence is so long and it's just because the character is having a dream, not in connection to the other character! So yeah, thanks for putting it into words.

Michele said...

Thanks, Brandy! :-)

I Tried a Book Out of My Comfort Zone

Sometimes, reading out of my comfort zone is ... well, uncomfortable. The blurb of the book sounded rather interesting. The Fate of Mercy ...