What's with the graphic language content requirement
This is another post that goes under the FAQs tag.
The issue of the graphic language content in an erotic romance has been discussed many times online. Some authors don't like to use blunt graphic language and consider that an erotic romance does not need the use of such language to be "erotic". As a matter of fact, some authors call bluntly graphic language "vulgar" and avoid it like the plague. I am not going to argue that point. I have read some romances that I definitely found arousing which didn't use any blunt language or limited it to the use of the word c*ck (which as many as you know, has been in use for centuries) a couple of times. On the same vein I've read some books classified as "erotic romance" jammed packed with bluntly graphic sex scenes which did absolutely nothing for me on the arousal department. This is all very subjective... which is why I am not going to be presenting any sort of argument in favor of it or against it.
When JERR was born the original founders had to establish some sort of uniform rules that would help the reviewers do their work. They deemed that language was an important part of what an erotic romance should be and that using mainstream accepted language did not cut it. In other words, the language chosen had to be bold and blunt, otherwise there would be no difference between a standard romance and an erotic romance. As you all know, romance nowadays tends to be very sensual in many instances, even when most romance out there is classified under other categories like historical or paranormal. This made sense five years ago and it makes even more sense now, as spicier romance is more prevalent.
For us, the blunt graphic language content requirement has worked, along with the length requirement and establishing our own "definition" of what erotic romance is. Although it is not a perfect solution, it has provided uniformity, and anyone submitting a book to us for review knows what to expect.
Mireya
The issue of the graphic language content in an erotic romance has been discussed many times online. Some authors don't like to use blunt graphic language and consider that an erotic romance does not need the use of such language to be "erotic". As a matter of fact, some authors call bluntly graphic language "vulgar" and avoid it like the plague. I am not going to argue that point. I have read some romances that I definitely found arousing which didn't use any blunt language or limited it to the use of the word c*ck (which as many as you know, has been in use for centuries) a couple of times. On the same vein I've read some books classified as "erotic romance" jammed packed with bluntly graphic sex scenes which did absolutely nothing for me on the arousal department. This is all very subjective... which is why I am not going to be presenting any sort of argument in favor of it or against it.
When JERR was born the original founders had to establish some sort of uniform rules that would help the reviewers do their work. They deemed that language was an important part of what an erotic romance should be and that using mainstream accepted language did not cut it. In other words, the language chosen had to be bold and blunt, otherwise there would be no difference between a standard romance and an erotic romance. As you all know, romance nowadays tends to be very sensual in many instances, even when most romance out there is classified under other categories like historical or paranormal. This made sense five years ago and it makes even more sense now, as spicier romance is more prevalent.
For us, the blunt graphic language content requirement has worked, along with the length requirement and establishing our own "definition" of what erotic romance is. Although it is not a perfect solution, it has provided uniformity, and anyone submitting a book to us for review knows what to expect.
Mireya
