I did spare a
few thoughts for writing while I was in the midst of going through my
house. To be honest, I'm not sure how this cropped up inside my brain
because I can't think of anything that triggered it, but then my mind
mystifies me frequently. :-)
Why do we as romance writers have to mention in the book how much experience the heroine does or doesn't have?
That
was the question I pondered. My personal belief—and practice—is that it
almost never needs to be mentioned. I did bring it up in my first book
because it was a dynamic of the relationship between Ravyn and Damon
that actually had an impact. I also brought it up in Dark Awakening because it was also a plot factor and Maia's past relationship with Seth was also a major plot point in In Twilight's Shadow. Any other mention in any other book wasn't my idea, but a request from an editor.
To
be fair, I generally don't announce how much experience my heroes have
either unless it's a story factor. Although you can bet safely that
they're not virgins. That is one trope that I avoid like the plague as a
reader and I'm for darn sure not spending six months of my life writing
one. And now that I've said that, the Universe will probably ensure the
next new hero that shows up is innocent. But damn I hope not.
But I digress.
Anyway,
I've never seen a mystery writer or a fantasy writer mention how much
sexual experience their characters have, so I'm not sure why romance
writers are expected to do this. If a writer doesn't say, then the
reader can picture a heroine (or hero) any way she likes. If she wants
the heroine to be a virgin, she can be a virgin. If the reader prefers a
more experienced heroine, there you go. And if the reader wants a
heroine with a little experience, she can be that, too.
Reading
is very much a collaborative exercise. Every time I open a book, I
bring my preferences and biases to the table. I think most readers do
this and IMO, it's one of the things that makes reading so awesome. I
just think that not saying something like, Jane had slept with three guys, one of whom kept his socks on, and none of them had ever rocked her world is unnecessary unless there's a specific reason the story demands it.
