For some time now, there has been this push to include a romance subplot in books. And I've heard an ill-informed push that says, "Sex sells."

But I've read far too many published stories where the romantic subplot failed to integrate properly into the overall plot. And the number of sex scenes that I've read (including in published works) where I questioned the need for the scene altogether is higher than it should be.

In my work as a developmental editor and writing coach, I'm watching new writers crumble as they try to tackle romance subplots and open-door sex scenes. And I am seeing their stories suffer as a consequence.

It's time to tackle this issue head on and highlight why romantic subplots and open-door sex scenes could be working against you, not for you.

Consider Your Genre

The first step in this mess is to consider the genre that you are working in and the expectations that readers have of that genre.

If you are writing a traditional romance, then that romance subplot is your core story. It's the A-story. The secondary B-story plot is something external that seems to be getting in the way of the romance brewing. But the driving plot of that story is the romance.

Some stories are genre hybrids, where they take on elements of multiple genres at once. Within the romance space, these genre hybrids include romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and the emerging genre of romantasy. In these hybrid genres, it is expected that the romance subplot plays a significant role. And the defining characteristic of all of them: they all end with that happy-for-now romantic ending.

Some of these hybrid genres are true romances, in which the romance is the A-story. Romantasy is a true romance genre, being a romance in a fantasy setting. However, some romantic hybrid genres have romance as the secondary B-plot, making their core story fit more in the other genre. This would include romantic suspense (where the main story is the suspense story) and fantasy romance (not to be confused with romantasy—though the market is confusing the two genres).

The distinction here is whether the romance is the A-story or the B-story. If it's the B-story, then that romance subplot needs to earn its place through its connection to the A-story.

And this is where the romance subplot can go awry and harm your story.

The A-Story/B-Story Connection

The B-story within any story helps to explain why the protagonist is making the decisions that they are making. Whether it's externally driven or internally driven, there will be something that the protagonist has been ignoring… until the main antagonist for the story (the A-story antagonist) takes advantage of whatever weakness exists because of the B-story and exploits it.

It is during the all-is-lost moment (and during the reflective period that follows) that the protagonist is forced to face the fact that their decision process, as dictated by the B-story, has been flawed all this time. And if they continue to ignore whatever demons are associated with the B-story, then they will have no hope in fighting against the demons associated with the A-story.

Without this close connection between the A-story and the B-story, a story can feel like a series of unrelated events where interactions are forced. It's a story where stuff happens, but it's not a plot. And if the connections between the A-story and B-story do not become obvious during the all-is-lost moment (and the following reflection), it is more than possible that you have the wrong B-story.

And in the final act of the story, the A-story and the B-story become so intertwined that you can no longer see different plots, but rather just the one story.

This is why a romantic B-story can fall apart completely and do your story more harm than good. If the connection between the B-story and the A-story isn't a strong connection, then it will leave readers feeling unsatisfied.

Not every story needs a romance subplot

Within high-action stories, it is common for the B-story to be a love story. So, when I was drafting my crime thriller (which, at the time of writing this post, was sitting in the metaphorical drawer), I initially focused my B-story threads around the relationship between the two main characters—a writer and a homicide detective. But when I came to write the second pinch point and the all-is-lost moment, I realized that the B-story had nothing to do with the relationship between my main characters. It was actually the relationship between the homicide detective and his father. The B-story was centered around the tension that existed between my cop character and a secondary cop character—tension that resulted from secrets of the father. And it was the secrets that the A-story antagonist was exploiting.

This realization forced a massive rewrite of the middle acts of my novel, incorporating more of the secondary cop character into the story. But it was the relationship between the two cops that became pivotal in piecing together the last piece of the puzzle needed to save the writer character's life in the climax.

If you are writing a story with multiple protagonists, identifying the B-story can be tricky. This is because the B-story could be connected to any one of the main characters. However, there will be one character whose actions and decisions will have greater influence over the events leading up to the all-is-lost moment. It will be this character that will have the greatest amount of character development. Hence, the B-story will be connected to that character.

That's what went wrong with my initial drafting of my crime thriller. I had two main characters: a writer and the homicide detective. During my initial drafting phase, I had treated my writer character as the protagonist. Her actions were certainly driving core parts of the story. However, when I was writing the middle acts of the novel, I realized that her character arc was flat, i.e., her beliefs were not changing; it was those around her who were changing. So, I shifted my protagonistic focus to the homicide detective, and everything fell into place.

Sex scenes do not sell, but emotion does

Since I opened that can of worms, I better address this comment about whether or not sex scenes sell.

A well-written sex scene adds to the story and the plot, building on the character development, providing a significant moment of character growth.

Any sex scene is about the emotions connected to it. Without the emotional connection, it's just a description of limbs getting entangled.

The most sensual scenes seem to be connected to vulnerability, and a hint of fear that comes from that vulnerability. However, other scenes come from a place of carnal rage and basic instincts, extending from a sense of desperation.

Exactly what emotions a writer chooses to tap into will depend on the story and the action within the story up to that point. (I've written both.)

But because any sex scene is about the emotional connection, we are able to separate the horizontal salsa from emotions themselves, allowing for the closed-door or off-screen moments. The sex itself does not need to be on the page, as long as the emotional connection is.

So, to say that sex sells books is a flawed way of thinking, because it's not the act that is selling the books, but rather the emotional connection.

And if your story does not lend itself to having a sex scene of any kind (open door or closed door), then I beg you to not even try to include it. It's a waste of your time.

The reader that insists on the romance

I have heard of instances where readers have insisted that a writer rewrite their story so there's a romantic subplot. And I've worked on a manuscript where the writer believed in the "sex sells books" idea to his detriment.

Any time that you try to force into your story a romantic subplot or a sex scene, it will end badly—because you're forcing it. Your instincts know that romance and sex have no place in that story, so why are you forcing it?

And if the feedback keeps coming back saying that you need to have a romance subplot… Well, it's not your manuscript that's the problem. It's your marketing that's at fault, because you're targeting the wrong readers. At that point, go back to your genre and sub-genre. Perhaps that's what needs to change.