Smooches For All

You know... I've been thinking a lot about kisses... in books...

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...  
Is THIS a kissing book?!

I've read some really fabulous, blush-worthy kissing scenes, and some that seem like maybe they are thrown in for no real reason except the author wants them, and it has me thinking about HOW we like these things to go...

In real life, I sort of just think people ought to be fast and loose with the kisses. Kissing is a nice activity, and the more of it there is in the world, the better... You know, even though I'm not suppose to talk about him, HWMNBMOTI is a REALLY good kisser... compatible kissing is one of those things that contributes greatly to chemistry, yes?


But in LITERATURE, constant mentions of kisses would get old, wouldn't they? I mean a couple who kissed all the time... noticeably enough that the narrator has to WRITE about it... is annoying. It would maybe be a case of... narrator is jealous, as SHE wants to be kissing that boy? Or the couple so absorbed in each other that they aren't paying attention and get murdered... or maybe it is pointing out someone is slutty... (though let me be very clear, in REAL life, I don't see lots of kissing as slutty... in fact the only thing a tart thinks of as slutty in a bad way is really trying to tempt someone who is with someone else... That is inappropriate... otherwise, the word sort of lacks teeth to me—an invalid judgment, if you will... I LIKE sluts... *cough*)



So when do I like kissing in books?

I like unexpected kisses... kisses that catch the participants unaware... impulsive kisses. (especially between long-time friends)

I like forbidden kisses (though not so much those forbidden because somebody is attached—I don't like cheating unless the person cheating is of lesser power in a really imbalanced relationship). But the ones where no one gets hurt but it's secret? (think Cordelia and Xander or Buffy with either of the vamps—in fact Buffy--the show-- did a good job all around on the relationship issues)

I like hard earned kisses—couples who have to overcome obstacles to be together.

I like reconciliation kisses...

What is BORING, is plain old happy couple kissing... It is just where reality and literature diverge, I think



And HOW do I like my kisses?

I gotta tell you... I want to FEEL it, not WATCH it. A long description of what the people look like is going to do nothing for me. I want emotion, sensation... maybe a little self-argument. This is very probably ME... I am not particularly visual anyway, and I find what attracts me is usually very different than what attracts most women. I am annoyed by overly good-looking people in almost all cases and have no interest in watching pretty people couple... For this reason, someone describing some ideally gorgeous couple is just going to make me roll my eyes. Call me a cynic.

Where if the description stays with the other senses, I can enjoy it even if they ARE attractive *shifty*


And in terms of MORE than kissing... I guess there, I usually like the emotion and sensation better, too. I mean I can enjoy well-written erotica, but it isn't usually what I reach for, the reason being largely that sex is a messy thing... and so if there is a lot of description, it generally comes across as unrealistic. (It's one of the reasons I actually love my friend Liz's stuff—she keeps it true--sometimes messy). Mostly though, I'd prefer to have an in-the-head experience, rather than a porn cameraman one.



You know what is worse than too much or the wrong kind?

PRUDERY.

One of my favorite quotes when Breaking Dawn came out was 'another 700 pages where nobody gets laid.'

I am all for sexual tension, but an itch needs to be scratched eventually, yes? And relationships need to develop at a human pace. I have less tolerance of goody-two-shoes than attractiveness, for Pete's sake! All that self denial is for the birds! (It will make a nut job of you, too! Just look at Norman Bates!)


So that's where I stand on the kissing front. What about you? Do you like it? Lots of it? When and how?