Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Writing Sex Scenes

Here is a splendid essay about writing hot sex scenes.  I think the best part is the advice about handling things you haven't done or don't like -- which is to find someone who has and does, and ask what it's like for them.

I generally do not need to do that.  My characters -- if they are the kind to hump in front of me at all -- have no trouble communicating the jolly good time they are having.  Some of them have relatively ordinary tastes.  Others are quite eclectic.  It gets even more interesting when one or more of the participants has a non-standard set of bodily equipment.  Describing the subjective fun of organs and/or senses that humans don't typically have ... yeah, that's the challenge of writing speculative erotica.  It makes ordinary pr0n look easy.
Tags: how to, reading, romance, writing
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  • 23 comments
ellenmillion

ellenmillion

December 1 2010, 03:01:30 UTC 10 years ago

Heh!! Useful advice, if I ever work up the nerve to do an actual sex scene...
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

December 1 2010, 03:42:44 UTC 10 years ago

Sex scenes can be fun. Remember that you can write them at your own comfort level, in terms of detail and heat. What works also depends on the story and the characters. Some stories are all about the nookie, some are about the relationship, some are about something else entirely but people get up to something anyhow. Some characters are exhibitionists, others not so much, and some are really shy. So sex can be mentioned obliquely, led up to but not done on camera, or described in technicolor detail. Many writers find it helpful to work their way up the spectrum slowly, starting at the discreet end.

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    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

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