Friday, April 25, 2014

X is for X-Rated

IWhy is it that — as a rule — erotica is seldom taken seriously, either by writers or readers?
The following are some questions to ask if you are macro editing your  erotic fiction:

Did you bring the same attention and regard to writing about sex as you would to anything else you’d write? Did you assume the reader wants — and is capable of appreciating — something beyond a quick fix. 

Have you used too many blow-by-blow descriptions of sex acts? The mechanics aren’t what’s intriguing. The emotional dynamics between people are intriguing.

Did you use 'throbbing rod?' And other coy euphemisms for body parts? Don’t use the hero’s member, or manhood, or hard hot tool or battering ram. Don’t say that he pounded her like a jackhammer, or that she lay back, spent. 

Have you kept it real or do you have two flawlessly beautiful people having ecstatic sex?  The key to any fictional scene is tension and conflict. It’s okay for characters to feel awkward or angry or afraid within a sex scene. We are drawn to each other’s darkness, strangeness, sadness, and vulnerability.

Have you drawn on all five senses when you write a sex scene? The curve of a breast. The scent of leather. The taste of sweat. The sound of rain against the window. The texture of the grass in a secluded field. A compelling fantasy demands a certain immediacy. Put the reader where your characters are. 

 What is the fantasy these lovers are enacting? What is the power dynamic between them? What secrets, longings, grudges, insecurities, memories are in play here?

I hope today's list helped any x rated writers out there. What are your thoughts on erotica?









7 comments:

  1. Now I feel like I need to go back and read all the sex scenes from The Playmaker! I'm 100% sure there were no hard, hot tools in there though! But seriously, I agree. I can't speak for anyone else, but I definitely need an emotional hook to a sex scene.

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  2. Oh yes. Less mechanics and more emotion. Every time. Though is that a gender based call? Which makes me feel sexist for asking. But I do need more than a giant throbbing whatsi. Or perfect pearlescent orbs...

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    1. You made my coffee go down the wrong way I laughed so hard!

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  3. I personally can do without detailed sex scenes. I know what happens, I don't need a blow by blow (stroke by stroke) account. I would prefer they shut the bedroom door or wherever is appropriate and left the rest to my imagination.

    Thanks for dropping by this morning.

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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  4. Writing well about sex is very difficult, I think. There are only a few authors who a eally good at it, e.g. Henry Miller and his fiance Anaiis Nin. Also, I like the outrageous style of Michel Houellebecq, who generally annoyed by almost everything, and writes the sex scenes in a way that fits the rest >:)

    Cold As Heaven

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  5. I am slightly guilty of using a few euphemisms for paranormal/fantasy that I wrote a couple of years ago. Although I did write graphic sex scenes, there was no love or romance involved. Truth of the matter is that all my sex scenes in all my novels really contain no romance and no love to speak of (much). Mostly they're used to either move a scene along or as a weapon of destruction.

    Father Nature's Corner

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  6. Interesting.
    What IS recommended (when not using a "throbbing member")?

    Stopping by from the #atozchallenge !
    @JLenniDorner

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