I like Arthur C. Clarke's and Theodore Sturgeon's definitions of what Science Fiction is. They are rather solid.

 

This question is asked in more than just the sci-fi genre. YA is a broader audience. So if you want to reach more readers, fade to black when it gets too steamy. Nudity is about context. It doesn't need to be sexual. But ask yourself is it important to the scene or is it for shock value? I've used it to illustrate a lack of modesty in a species. Being naked was no big deal to them. But I should qualify that by pointing out it was an adult novel, not YA. YA is different. Think PG-13.

 

So put all the nudity and sex you want in a non-romantic science fiction series. Just because it's not a romance doesn't mean it can't have sex in it. I think the only question is whether you're morally comfortable putting it in your books and thereby guiding your reader's thoughts into such territory.

Dude, Eric already writes erotica. His jumping from genre to genre and his questions posted in this forum regarding what's acceptable in his latest genres appear to be a search for an expanded audience for the kind of stories he wants to write. He's likely to be disappointed with the non-romantic sci-fi audience if he doesn't focus on genre expectations and telling a good story, instead of concerning himself with adding to his current audience.

 

Science fiction of the 70's and 80's was rife with gratuitous, explicit sex that did nothing to move the plot forward, and it wasn't "erotica." It was there purely for titillation, and as a young adult, I sought out those books. I'm thinking, for example, of the Richard Blade series, among many others, that featured a man who traveled across parallel Earths, having sci-fi adventures interspersed with multiple gratuitous sex scenes. They were marketed as science fiction, and that's the section you found them in in the libraries.

Would people avoid reading Edgar Rice Burroughs if his Barsoom novels were sprinkled with dozens of pages of explicit sex? I think not, because despite the sex, they would still be great science fantasy stories.

The western genre as well contains plenty of series featuring highly explicit sex scenes: Longarm, Slocum, Gunsmith, etc. I doubt anyone would consider these erotica. They're clearly westerns. Walk into any library and you'll find them right alongside Louis L'Amour. And they're not in the Amazonian dungeon, despite having very pornographic sex scenes and racy covers.

So put all the nudity and sex you want in a non-romantic science fiction series. Just because it's not a romance doesn't mean it can't have sex in it. I think the only question is whether you're morally comfortable putting it in your books and thereby guiding your reader's thoughts into such territory.

 

Basically, what Julie said. Saves me some typing.

 

I asked this same question earlier, the consensus was 'it if fits write it', knowing your audience helps, some will love it and some will walk, that's the risk we all take.

I've included some mild to moderate 'titillation' in my military-style post apocalypse series and it seems to be well received - no one's complained.

 

Obviously there are strong feelings on the issue of what constitutes "real" sci-fi.  A gentle reminder to keep it civil and avoid personal comments, per our Forum Decorum.  I've had to do some mild editing, let's keep it at that. Thanks.

Betsy
KB Mod

 

One of the most disturbing sex scenes was in the book 'Armor' which is a sci-fi classic, so your (and others who agree with you in this topic) 'logic' is bust. Or how about 'the stars my destination'? Both of these books have the MC raping girls.

There is a fundamental difference between consensual sex and rape. Let's not convolute this discussion more by referring to a rape scene as being along the same lines as a consensual scene.

Armor was also a very dark military sci-fi. Military sci-fi has a higher tolerance for gratuitous violence and sex than most of the sub-genres. It is a poor choice of books to claim "busts" the logic of anyone.

 

I can't think of anything more likely to turn off serious science fiction readers. Gratuitous or not.

Lol @ thinking romance/sex can't be in a 'serious' science fiction book.

One of the most disturbing sex scenes was in the book 'Armor' which is a sci-fi classic, so your (and others who agree with you in this topic) 'logic' is bust. Or how about 'the stars my destination'? Both of these books have the MC raping girls.

Edited. Please refrain from personal comments, thanks. --Betsy/KB Mod

 

Ehh, not to mention James Bond novels, or the entire library of John Ringo "adventure" novels. Clearly meant for the "Pink Ghetto" as it's been called.

If your sex scenes advance the plot, characterization, or setting of your story, or if they generate conflict, swing from the chandeliers. Make sure it fits the tone of the rest of the book, though--no purple prose or flowery euphemisms if your characters are otherwise plain-spoken. Make the scene matter.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

The issue is not whether or not there can or can't be sex in a sci-fi story. The issue is whether or not it SERVES A PURPOSE other than "Well, I guess it's time for a sex scene." In all things, you do what the STORY REQUIRES. Anything that does not move the story forward should always be looked at carefully. Does it serve the character development? Does it serve the plot? Does it serve the world-building? If the answer to those three questions is no, then you don't include it. It isn't improving the story and may in fact distract from it.

Few people actively go looking for sex scenes in non-erotica/non-romances. So it won't be missed if it isn't there. Many people won't care one way or the other and will just flip pass the scenes, so you aren't gaining anything with those readers if you add it. And a vocal minority are going to be downright annoyed and you may alienate them, so you risk losing some readers if it is there without a real point.

Unless there is a strong story-driven purpose for it, you have nothing to gain by adding it and potentially something to lose. And frankly, if the scenes are written badly...and writing sex scenes that don't sound like they were written by horny, inexperienced teenage boys is a lot harder than most people realize...it won't end well.

 

Why should a character aspect be central to a story, when it is defining the character and aiding the story? Is it the assumption of alleged "hard core scifi readers" that sex ceases to be of import in the near or far future? Why is it, for instance, that some of the most successful scifi books, series and movies contain ample, and I really mean a m p l e sex and romantic sub plots?

There used to be a time when this was even part of military scifi and on occasion and written by excellent authors part of the plot in hard scifi. What has caused this almost hysterical reaction - or alleged reaction - of current scifi readers when confronted with sex, nudity or a romantic sub plot? "Alleged", because whenever I ask friends and younger relatives, then they have no problem with that. None at all.

So which age group, which demographic provenly is against any sex/erotic/romantic sub plots in spec and scifi? I have yet to meet with that demographic, because I write plenty of all of that into my spec novels and they sell well, without any complaints from readers.

This.
Old Man War had a full ass grown sex orgy in the first part of the book.
Ignore the ones saying you will lose hard core science fiction readers because i'm one of them and you won't.
Sex isn't just for erotica.

Strawman. No one is objecting to the idea that characters have sexual relationships during the course of the story - off camera. It's the graphic depiction of it when it isn't for some reason necessary to advance the story that we don't want to read about. Pure titillation. This isn't romance and it isn't erotica. It doesn't belong.

The OP never stated how much graphic the depiction would be. Your opinion that it should be only off camera is your own and isn't a definition of the genre.

 

Strawman. No one is objecting to the idea that characters have sexual relationships during the course of the story - off camera. It's the graphic depiction of it when it isn't for some reason necessary to advance the story that we don't want to read about. Pure titillation. This isn't romance and it isn't erotica. It doesn't belong.

 

Captain Kirk died a virgin, you know.

Neither Han nor Luke ever lusted after or loved Leia. Pon Farr (and the entire deluge of fanfiction that produced) of course doesn't exist, and Spock so never had sex with Saavik. Zardoz, Barbarella, Mad Max and Matrix are films completely devoid of sex and nudity. Naturally "Firefly" isn't scifi either, because it happens to have a married couple, an unresolved romance and a prostitute aboard who engages in plenty sex and nudity. That series has zero fans and never spawned a series of books and comics which sell well enough.

One of the most renowned works of feminist scifi obviously contains neither forced sex, nor forced pregnancy, and never was awarded the

• Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel (1987)
• Audie Award for Fiction (2013)
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction (1986)
• Governor General's Literary Awards / Prix litteraires du Gouverneur general for Fiction (1985)
• or was a CBC Canada Reads Nominee (2002)
• Commonwealth Writers' Prize Nominee for Best Book in Caribbean and Canada (1987)
• Prometheus Award Nominee for Best Novel (1987)
• Man Booker Prize Nominee (1986)
• Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (1986)

Of course neither Tanith Lee, Ursula Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, CJ Cherryh, Lois McMaster Bujold, Joan D. Vinge, James Tiptree Jr., Poul Anderson, Marion Zimmer-Bradley, Robert Silverberg, Elizabeth Moon, Octavia Butler, nor Joanna Russ write scifi.

No sex in science fiction. What would the world come to else?

 

Captain Kirk died a virgin, you know.

 

Isn't this a genre in Japan:  with tentacled aliens?

 

However, while I like sex in my novels, I don't like gratuitous, meaning just feels stuck in there.

 

1) the graphic aspects of the relationship is probably not central to your story (if it is you are categorizing it wrong)
2) sex and/or just nudity in explicit form only serves a purpose if the sex/nudity serves a central story purpose, as in depicting the character traits of a character by how they perform the sex, or how the look nude, or how they feel being nude etc. get what I mean?

Why should a character aspect be central to a story, when it is defining the character and aiding the story? Is it the assumption of alleged "hard core scifi readers" that sex ceases to be of import in the near or far future? Why is it, for instance, that some of the most successful scifi books, series and movies contain ample, and I really mean a m p l e sex and romantic sub plots?

There used to be a time when this was even part of military scifi and on occasion and written by excellent authors part of the plot in hard scifi. What has caused this almost hysterical reaction - or alleged reaction - of current scifi readers when confronted with sex, nudity or a romantic sub plot? "Alleged", because whenever I ask friends and younger relatives, then they have no problem with that. None at all.

So which age group, which demographic provenly is against any sex/erotic/romantic sub plots in spec and scifi? I have yet to meet with that demographic, because I write plenty of all of that into my spec novels and they sell well, without any complaints from readers.

 

I think that if you market it as SF erotica, you'll be all right. You might want to throw in a couple of bear shifters.

 

I can't think of anything more likely to turn off serious science fiction readers. Gratuitous or not.

If he did this, kept the romance HEA at bay and wrote engaging general stories, he would make it onto my auto-buy list. I am so tired of relentless military and hard scifi and of formulaic scifi romance.

 

As much as you want. Just don't market it as military or hard scifi.

 

I can't think of anything more likely to turn off serious science fiction readers. Gratuitous or not.

This. It would be a DNF, never read this author again experience.

 

I can't think of anything more likely to turn off serious science fiction readers. Gratuitous or not.

 

How much science fiction can you put in a romantic sex and nudity novel?

Answer that question and you have your answer as well.

 

I'm considering adding some sex and nudity between a twenty-year-old man and two women in their early forties. And perhaps a brief "femdom" experience with one of the women. Oh, and I made a post regarding a possible homosexual relationship in this series. Well, if it does happen after all, it might as well have some sex & nudity, also.

Since this isn't the description of a non-romantic sci-fi story, don't be surprised when fans looking for a non-romantic sci-fi story question why you think you need a starship and non-romantic plot for your stories.