Families... are all of them dysfunctional? I'm not talking just immediate family..I'm talking extended family. I used to think mine was incredibly abnormal, but I'm starting to feel better about that.. I don't feel better about my family being dysfunctional because the stress level lately has been high enough where my husband and I have toyed with the idea of leaving the country.. But feeling better with the comforting thought that I'm not alone.
I've been reading a lot of women's fiction novels lately because it's part of a directed reading I'm doing with one of my professors. I know some people scoff at romance novels or genre fiction in general, but... I don't care. Get over yourselves. They're meant to be fun, easy reads. There are so many harsh realities people have to deal with in the world, so it's nice to come home after a long day, pick up a book, and escape to a fictional world full of witty dialogue, romance, and intrigue. Readers of romance/chick lit/women's fiction are such dedicated followers, and so it's such a great genre to break out in. (Here's to hoping!)
Anyway, after reading several books right after another last week, I noticed something incredibly random. Of course the majority of these books included sex scenes. This can be such an embarrassing subject for some, but I'm not going to lie and say that I don't ever get turned on by these sex scenes... because I do. And my husband is NOT complaining.
Back to what I noticed: the sex scenes that separated sentences (incomplete or complete) with commas flowed a lot more and succeeded in raising my heart rate. However, the scenes that had complete sentences and ended in periods didn't capture my attention...or escalating heart rate. In fact, sometimes I managed to not be turned on. When I replaced those sentences with commas, fragmented the sentences, etc etc...it changed it back to a hot love scene. So, there ya go.
Believe me, I know that this isn't some diabolical scientific find, but it is important for me. Hopefully one day when you are reading my best selller, you'll be able to read a love scene and go, "Yep, she was right. Those commas really get me going."
Okay, that's all for now... and I promise to be more dependable with blog posts.
I know I'm going to read this tomorrow and think, "Did I really analyze commas?" But YES..I did.
2 comments:
1. you made it pretty! TEACH ME.
2. without any personal investigation, I completely buy your comma theory. it's the pace of it, I think. commas are beats, whereas periods are full-on pauses...and pauses in passion are the same as hiccups or awkward moments. I think I'd read a sex scene that is primarily punctuated with commas as really good sex, and I'd read one with complete sentences and periods as uptight/uncomfortable sex. and I'm sorry, but that's just not the kind of sex I want to read.
I look forward to reading heavily comma-ed sex in your future novels. my TBD husband looks forward to this, too.
thanks for visiting me... somehow, after reading this post, novels will never be the same again now that I have to study the punctuation, or can I just assume that any acceleration in my heart rate etc is due to good comma use?
:)
Post a Comment