On Writing Erotica

sanspatronymic:

For @a-different-equation, who wanted some pointers. Not sure how applicable this is to your WIP, but here goes: 

Focus on foreplay/arousal. It’s all about the build up. I try to describe characters’ arousal not only in terms of what is turning them on, but how being turned on feels for that person (is it physical, emotional, fun, scary, tingly, hot, all-over, or a quiet stirring in one specific place?). Especially when writing sex in service of the plot, arousal is never the only thing a character is feeling in that moment. How do those other emotions impact what’s turning the character on? Do they notice something they never noticed before? How long it takes them to realize/give in to being turned on? 

Will they/won’t they tension is so delicious. Use this tension to build towards sex. Pour it on. I think it works best when you apply the rule of three (ie a ratio of 2 no-we-shouldn’t’s to 1 oh-yes-we-should). I prefer the no-we-shouldn’ts to be very mild. I don’t want to make the reader think they actually won’t bone–that’s what the reader wants, so let that ultimately be what the characters want. The reader should know this tension is only a tease or a bit of doubt which characters need to overcome to be able to throw caution to the wind, to be vulnerable enough to be sexy with abandon.

I like small details, so I try to think like a cinematographer–getting close-ups of the curve where thigh meets hips, of lips parting or being licked, of clothes being removed and immediately replaced by hands. If it’s a sex scene with a lot of romantic passion, then every part of each other’s bodies can be beautiful. Pale hairs along the back of the neck? Beautiful. The way a buttock or a hip or a stomach perfectly fills the other person’s hand? Oh mama. The little white zig-zags of stretch marks? Gorgeous. It’s also a nice way to avoid having to only talk about genitals or falling into too many cliches. What are the random, not-conventionally-sexy parts of the characters that the other finds attractive and why? My favorite parts of my partner’s body are the two freckles on their right ear and a swirl in their facial hair on the left jaw. People are weird. Letting fictional characters be weird makes their attraction feel more natural to me, more human. 

If you build the tension right, writing about people exploring/appreciating/worshipping each other’s bodies can be super erotic, even if you don’t include a nitty-gritty, ‘insert tab A into hole B’ description of the acts. Plus, again, that way you avoid only having to talk about genitals (I like genitals, but variety is the spice of life and all that).

These are my kind-of-guiding principles. I’m sure people have different opinions on what they like, what works for them, etc. Fellow smut writers, what do you think about when writing ‘the good bits’?