Nothing heats up the action, and tension, in a novel like a good, steamy sex scene. And if you feel your writing is getting stiff, or you’ve worked yourself into a corner, or your characters are starting to sound flat and boring, have them take a break from whatever they’re doing to Get It Auwn.
Break out the fireplace, candles, bearskin rug, massage oil, satin sheets, rose petals, whipped cream and cherries (or whips and chains).
Even if it never makes it into your final novel (which, unless it furthers the story, it probably doesn’t need to), writing a juicy sex scene can be a great way of getting yourself out of a rut, and/or getting yourself to relax a bit. When you’re finished, you’re absolutely free to just put it aside and keep going with your story like it never happened.
Erotica fans aside, I’d be willing to bet a lot of writers don’t have much experience with naughty noveling. Some of you might be laughing uncomfortably at the very idea as you read this. Although there’s a degree of voyeurism to this, believe me, you’re not a pervert for writing about sex. You want your characters to come across as real, whole people, right? That means they have desires – so let them act on those desires!
Sex can be fun. It can also be painful, awkward, momentous, confusing, embarrassing, messy, wild, dramatic, stress-busting, intimate, impersonal, or downright dull. Importantly, a sex scene can reveal a lot about your characters and their relationships to one another. Who is demanding, and who is giving? What makes them balk? Are they screamers, or quiet as a Navy SEAL? Lights on or off?
Remember, what you’re writing is a draft. Be as graphic, or as tame, as you like. No one has to see it. No one is looking over your shoulder, giggling at the newest euphemism for a body part you’ve just come up with, or raising an eyebrow at what you consider sexy, or rolling their eyes at you for using cliches like fireplaces, candles, and bearskin rugs.
For a REAL adventure, put your protagonist and antagonist in bed together and just watch the sparks fly! Like I said, this never has to make it into the novel (but, regardless, totally goes towards your word count).
Have you ever written a saucy scene, or does it make you squeamish? Which characters in your novel do you think would have the best time in bed together?
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