Writing good sex scenes − 30 July, 2008
I am going out on a limb here. I’ve already blog-published one short story with some sex scenes. They were pretty mild. I tried to make them convincing but at the same time understated. My aim isn’t to write porn. Yet what I felt when I wrote those scenes was arousal. There it is. I don’t know how it is for other writers. It makes sense to me that a convincing sex scene should turn on the author at the very least. If it leaves the author cold, how can it be ‘sexy’?
I am now wrestling with the challenge of how to write sex scenes that go into enough detail to do the story justice, but do not go into so much detail that it sounds like the Penthouse Forum. Again, I don’t know what other writers do. I’m going to have to put some distance between myself and the scene I wrote today. After I wrote it, I couldn’t help but think that it was kind of pornographic. Yet, for the story to be convincing, I cannot be too vague.
If you are a writer and you have written sex scenes that remain in the realm of storytelling and do not sink to the level of pornography, let me know your secret!
I am now wrestling with the challenge of how to write sex scenes that go into enough detail to do the story justice, but do not go into so much detail that it sounds like the Penthouse Forum. Again, I don’t know what other writers do. I’m going to have to put some distance between myself and the scene I wrote today. After I wrote it, I couldn’t help but think that it was kind of pornographic. Yet, for the story to be convincing, I cannot be too vague.
If you are a writer and you have written sex scenes that remain in the realm of storytelling and do not sink to the level of pornography, let me know your secret!
Comments:
intrepideddie (July 30, 2008. 01:03am)
Well, that's what sex scenes are: pornography. It can be "soft-core" or it can be "hard-core" (or it can be freaky-deeky). I think most people have a good feel for when the writing crossed over from soft-core to hard-core. The *real* challenge is to write it so it's not unintentionally comical -- which some writers seem to have a problem with.
peahayes (July 30, 2008. 02:41am)
Thanks for the advice! I think time and repeated readings will tell.