Obviously helpful when one is between partners, "masturbation can be fun," as one of the characters in the musical Hair opined. But its usefulness isn't limited to life but extends to erotic romance.
Unless you're writing about a hookup (and why would one bother? They have a boring sameness unless someone gets killed) having a character masturbate is a good way of getting a sex scene into a novel early, if one is tracing an entire romance from "cute first meet" until "happily ever after."
I've done this several times. A masturbation scene is really useful in historical romances. In the past, loose conduct had penalties we don't worry about anymore--unwanted pregnancy, disease, death by stoning and so on. Heck, the "death by stoning" outcome still happens in some unfortunate parts of the world. So masturbation is really handy.
So I wrote the below in Desire in Tartan, set in 18th century Scotland:
She crawled back into her bed, grateful for the lingering
warmth of her hot water bottle, which echoed another warmth…between her thighs.
She squirmed, but wondered why she felt self-conscious, with no one around to
witness what she did.
With a deep breath, she set her fingers upon her woman’s
flesh and felt an answering throb. She caressed, and the throb increased. Warm
liquid oozed onto her hand, and she rubbed that in the same way she spread
lotion onto her cheeks.
The heat increased, and she became acutely conscious of the
soft, worn linen of her old chemise against her skin. She cupped a breast while
she played with herself.
Desire in Tartan is at http://bit.ly/DesireTartan
And in a futuristic I wrote set on the moon a couple of centuries in the future, my heroine is dreaming about a lost love:
A moan escaped her lips as she palmed her breasts and
imitated her fantasy lover. Her hard nipples peaked against the thin film of
her Slicksuit. Desire raced to her core and her clit twitched with need.
Tension gripped every muscle, and she looked around to make
sure her car was still empty before opening her Slicksuit’s crotch. She sought
her pussy with needy fingers, first dipping a finger into her slit, delving for
cream, then spreading it on her clit. Wanton need whipped through her body and
her heartbeat sped as she imagined Gideon making love to her.
She thrust a finger into her pussy and moaned. Fire
scorched her nerve endings as she fantasized about making Gideon come. She
curved her finger, seeking her G-spot, and rubbed it while caressing her clit
with her thumb.
If you like what you read, find "The Moon Maiden's Mate" in Naughty Chances, an anthology that was released December 1, 2015. http://tinyurl.com/NaughtyChances
...Heck, the "death by stoning" outcome still happens in some unfortunate parts of the world...
ReplyDeleteAnd the reason is that they're all stopped-up over there. No release creates frustration, anger, mistrust, violence. Stagnant sperm on the brain should be a diagnosis.
I often think that if every man were sexually satisfied, the world would be far less violent.
DeleteBrilliant post, Suz. I've never really thought about masturbation as a way of moving the plot forward, but I have in fact used it that way. In The Ingredients of Bliss (the source of my excerpt last week), the heroes are kidnapped and separated from the heroine for quite a few chapters. Masturbation helped to fill the sex gap LOL.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing. Characters can sometimes have epiphanies while masturbating. There's more time for reflection.
DeleteGood illustration of the concept, Suz. Even if sex between 2 or more people didn't happen as often in the past (and realistically, death by stoning has to be a deterrent), masturbation probably transcends eras and cultures. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks gang. Lisabet, your writing a masturbation scene into a book illustrates the value of a great writer's instincts :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you write historicals with an awareness of the consequences "loose behavior" could have! I sometimes read things that seem to have forgotten that point, and it strikes me oddly.
ReplyDeleteI do want to put in a good word for the hookup, though. I've had some good ones.