Sex

[louiselux]

Writing - why so hard? Related to the beating of the head against the keyboard, if you could give one piece of advice on how to write sex scenes that are fresh and interesting, what would it be?

Actually, as much advice as you like!

Comments

[scribblemoose]

Eat a lot of fruit, and concentrate on what it feels like when you're doing it. Pick a sense and wallow in it.

If in doubt, step back a few porn-levels and focus on the story, or whatever makes your writer-senses tingle. :)

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

You are awesome, you know that right? Both those suggestions have really helped me!

[scribblemoose]

Yay! Glad to have helped. :)

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

Writing is hard because it's important.

As for writing sex scenes, a recent discovery of mine is that I write them too fast. I'm concentrating on slowing things down.

As for making them fresh? Two things: focus on the emotions (what does *this* encounter mean to *these* people at *this* moment) and have the encounter change something (the relationship, the person ... the world!)

[niennah.livejournal.com]

I second this - the emotions make the sex scene. The technical details are nothing compared to what the sex means to the story and the characters involved. Focus on this, and it will be a deeply satisfying scene for both reader and characters. ;D

[adorerdollylux.livejournal.com]

absolutely what i was going to suggest. if you concentrate on what they're feeling and what they're thinking, you're bound to come up with something new and fresh because you're in the moment with them and not just thinking about a random sex scene, you know?

and slowing it down... god. that is the hardest thing to do. i just have to think of one word when i'm writing sex scenes:

savor.

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

and slowing it down... god. that is the hardest thing to do. i just have to think of one word when i'm writing sex scenes:

savor.

*vigorous nodding*

Because I'm really more interested in the emotions, I think I don't really let the physical sensations play out in real time, you know? It's something I'm trying to fix about my own writing.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

I have done a few 'happy fail' sex scenes - that is, sex that is way less than perfect, but that they still really enjoy. Not fail for the sake of funny or mockery, just realistic, not quite perfect sex. That can be fun.

Otherwise, I really hate writing sex scenes.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I've written those myself and quite enjoy them as a reader, and judging by conversations with friends it's something that some readers are very pleased to see: idealized, romance-novel-perfect sex scenes can often be much easier to find than the realistically imperfect-but-still-good sort.

It ties in to the focus on emotional content and sex-scene-revealing-characterization aspects, IMO: scenes where things don't go entirely smoothly but the characters laugh it off and keep going, and still have a grand old time, can show very vividly the comfort level between an established couple, or how intensely turned on and hungry for each other a new pair is.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

That there are all kinds of things that could be considered 'sex' in addition to Tab A and Slot B and that as long as you find it fresh and interesting, chances are your readers will too.

The main problem I have with sex scenes (in anything other than stories that are intentionally PWP) is when I end up thinking 'so, they figured that after this many words of plot they ought to stick in a sex scene' and it does absolutely nothing in terms of progressing either the plot as a whole or the relationship of the characters.

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

I second all of the above! The mechanics and choreography are less important than the emotions and the meaning. Use the sex to illustrate the characters and to further the plot. If it doesn't do either of those things - then either it's irrelevant to the story, and you can just fade to black or skip over the details with a nice warm summary - or the story is sheer erotica, and your original inspiration was probably all about the mechanics or choreography anyway!

Once you've figured out how the sex is relevant to character and plot, then choreograph accordingly. The mechanics will flow from that. The act itself doesn't have to be perfect or overly sophisticated - unless the characters demand it being that way. Maybe that's who they are, or one of them at least. Or maybe not. Under the right totally-charged circumstances, a simple hand job can rock the world!

[jain]

I agree that the emotions behind the acts are (usually) more interesting than the mechanics, and also: leave things out. Most readers have read several dozen (or several hundred, or even several thousand) sex scenes; they already know the prescribed sequence of events. Sometimes you can make sex scenes fresh by changing that sequence of events. Personally, I get a little extra thrill when person A gets a handjob followed by person B getting a blowjob, since the reverse order happens 90% of the time when those are the sexual acts in question. But it's simpler and I think equally effective to focus just on the interesting bits; the readers can fill in the blanks for themselves.

[mendax.livejournal.com]

Considering your sex scenes are among the ones I hold up as examples of "See? That's how it should be done!", I just don't think I can offer any advice here. You write awesome, hot, interesting sex scenes because it's always about those specific characters in that moment for you. So I guess if you're having trouble with one, I'd say go back to that.

[lauand.livejournal.com]

Can't give you advice, I'm quite smut-challenged as a writer.

But I totally loved scribblemoose's words about eating a lot of fruit. (¿?¿?¿?)

By the way, I've been watching the Eurosport channel and its WATT's End of the Year remixes and there was a lot of Nadal there. And a lot of non-tennis related faggotry. It reminded me of you. Sport is such a beautiful thing sometimes...

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Well, apart from my technique (OMG, they're taking their clothes off! Where's my infinite supply of Fade-To-Black?) I'd second iibnf - have someone accidentally lean on their partner's hair, or be a bit too hasty, and there has to be a quick apology that really does make everything OK, and so on.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Also - post anal sex lube farts. Who doesn't love post anal sex lube farts?

[fedal-fangirl.livejournal.com]

I don't write porn, but I do read a lot of it (FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY I SWEAR) so I am an expert in these things. I have paperwork here, somewhere, to prove it, I'm sure.

Anybody can write a clinical description of Peg A going into Slot B. It's the details that are important. Were the sheets cool to the touch? Could he still smell the oranges that they had eaten earlier in the evening? Were his hands trembling ever so slightly as he reached out to touch?

Anyway, mendex is right, of course. You are the person that I would point to if someone asked me who writes good p0rn. You nail it each and every time.

[fedal-fangirl.livejournal.com]

... and BTW, is 'procrastinatory' even a word? It does have a nice sound, regardless. XD

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

It's totally a word! I'm sure of it...

[somarem.livejournal.com]

Speaking as reader, I highly second, or whatever it no is now, what was said about the emotional journey the characters are takes. Or the story Be it a light hearted moment. Angsty kind of. It always refreshing.

[devikun.livejournal.com]

Pretty much what everybody said. Good sex is in the lead up to it - motivation, emotion and risk - why it's happening, how the character is feeling and what they will lose or gain because of it. I always stick to one POV, and I try and make the actual intercourse brief as possible because sex isn't about the destination, it's about the journey to get there. But you know all this. So the actual answer to your question is:

I also look at trends and tropes etc. For example, if I decide this story is going to have a bj in it, I look at how other people write BJs and then I try and search for a new take. This isn't always about looking exclusively at badfic either; sometimes the best porn inspires a different angle (haha!). It's not always successful either, but I try and do something unexpected, basically. Other than that, I concentrate on the impressions and details as per my chosen POV (which again, you have no trouble with).

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean with the trends and tropes thing. It just occurred to me that I do that also. I do it with other people's writing but I also do it with my own, looking at what I wrote before and trying to do something different. It's absolutely searching for a new angle (hehe).

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

I had another thought... Well, what else WOULD I be thinking about?

Find an image or a metaphor to use, something that means something to your characters. A way they'd understand / experience / imagine / describe what's going on.

Some very obvious examples off the top of my head: The back and forth, back and forth interplay of tennis. Can they keep it going forever? Which one of them wins that point? Then who serves? In rugby league, well, tackling your opposite number, and penetrating his defence! Setting up the perfect pass with your partner, and scoring a try. Or swords and scabards for Arthur, or the byplay of a terrific training session, anticipating every move in a fight - then being surprised. Magic for Merlin, and power, and secrets, with wonderful colourful light effects.

Even if they are simply putting Tab A into Slot B, that's not how they'd think about it. Unless they're IKEA people, of course.

[mendax.livejournal.com]

that's not how they'd think about it. Unless they're IKEA people, of course.

Awe. Some.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Ha! Ikea people would be all about the nuts and that vital missing screw.

I like this imagery and metaphor idea though - I'm going to squirrel it away for future reference.

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a smut *writer*, but I know that what works for me is what kispexi2_2 said - a focus on the feelings and emotions, rather than the mechanical actions (I don't like feeling as if I'm reading Gray's Anatomy...). Making it "real" as well - comments on the little distractions or unfortunate squalchy sounds - rather than perfectly clean contemporaneous orgasms.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Unfortunate sounds - there are not enough of these in fanfic, I feel. This sort of advice is really helpful - trying to conjure up that sense of reality is important I think, because it makes it all the more hot that the characters are loving it even despite the random distractions, elbows in the ribs and weird smells.

[toscas-kiss.livejournal.com]

Although I do write them, I find sex scenes very difficult. My best advice is write it when you're in the mood (and lashings of chocolate and hot coffee seem to help inspiration), avoid the really really long sentences (my bane - especially near the climax) and edit it when you're in a non-sexy mood, that way the gaps and bits that just don't work tend to leap out at you.
Like devikun I also tend to reread other people's work (including yours!) that I like in the type of situation I'm doing (e.g. BJ, first time, bondage, etc) and then try and find my own voice from that.
Plus, lots of great advice here I'm going to shamelessly steal - thanks! :-D

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, those long sentences. I suffer from those too. Good advice, thank you!

I think there's a lot to be said for looking at how other people achieve a certain mood, then looking at how you can do something to achieve that effect but in your own voice. Since more than one person has said they do this, and I do it too, I'm wondering if it's something a hell of a lot of writers do?

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I echo the others here, but I want to reiterate that awkward sex is an awesome, awesome thing, and sometimes when you're having trouble with a scene, it's because something really 'needs' to go wrong.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Yes! I made something go wrong-- several things actually-- and it really helped a lot, because that was what needed to happen. The scene fell into place.

Amazing!

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

It really is a mad kind of alchemy. Hooray!

[animehedonist.livejournal.com]

I think I might mem this entry just so that I can have this on hand if I ever get stuck writing any sex scenes.... again

I love your fics, they blow my mind with the awesome. And i thoroughly third (fourth?) the advice with the awkward sex, it saved me from staying up til noon trying to figure out what the heck to do at this one point during a fic and then it clicked wait they're in a moving car weeeee sudden sharp turn mwhahaha and it got going again.