One Night Stands

I’ve never had a one night stand. I have a story that involves a one night stand. It’s an unexpected but not so unexpected one night stand. One night stands have had a reputation of being somewhat controversial; especially for women. The dichotomy of reactions is strange considering in a heterosexual relationship it takes a man and woman but nothing new about double standards there.

A lot of the stigma about one night stands is the prudishness of sex in general and the taking advantage of expectations. If one person goes in knowing that there is no hope or desire for anything more than one night of sex and the other goes in thinking that there may be the opportunity for more then there is an obvious miscommunication at best at worst manipulation and exploitations.

 I can see the appeal on one hand. It’s a quick opportunity for sex. No emotional attachment, little to no (hopefully) repercussions. Get your rocks off your jillies and boom it’s done. No strings.  I rather like strings. lol  I also like to know a person before having sex. Would I have a one night stand? Probably. If the right circumstances presented themselves but more likely than not it wouldn’t happen.

I can see why not on the other. You’re putting your body and emotions into an experience with someone you just met. Do you really know that person? Is it safe? This is sex in general though. Sex between two people is an exchange at it’s most base between two people’s bodies and emotions. Do you have to have that connection? Must you know them per se? No, I don’t think it’s a requirement for sex. For some yes, of course, for others no. It does not make one right or better than the other.

So what about the one night stand? Well, that is the thing. It’s a unique situation, as are most situations. Which makes it such a good fit for writing. You can deal with the emotional weight, or you can just have a purely physical action or the stigma and how they deal with it. It can be used to show your character’s personality or their relationships. So hurrah to the one night stand. Do so with your eyes open, honest communication and aware of potential conflicts. For us writers it’s a great devise.

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