Read the first sex scene out of "Romy" at the Berlin Autorenforum. Reactions varied from the predictable to the totally unexpected. One thing that became really clear to me is that highly emotionally charged scenes require much more elaborate descriptions. It is asking too much of the reader to deduce the mental state and the motivation of the characters by describing the action in detail. Men and women viewed the scene differently, but neither could really understand the meaning of it. Particularly Peter's state of mind remained unclear, although a man got close to understanding it. Given the pivotal role the scene plays in the development of the relationship this needs to be made clearer.

A scene that just about anybody above a certain age can relate to also requires careful wording to not appear trite and boring. People have expectations and seek out emotions. If these are unclear or missing they feel let down. Here, of course, finding the balance between conveying the emotion in words and leaving it up to the fantasy of the reader is important. There is no ideal point for everyone. While I was prepared for some women to find the scene exaggerated, I was surprised that some men thought it was understated.

\\/olf