Guest Blogger: Lori Devoti

Lori Devoti has written a not-to-be-missed blog on sex that I think will be a classic. You can check out her sex scenes in LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED, which is also not to be missed.

Lori Devoti on Sex Scenes

So, Edie just told me the theme this week is sex and sex scenes. Hmmm. I was going to do a follow-up on her post about writing smart, but with the way the market is right now, writing sex could certainly be seen as writing smart. So, I guess I’m on topic both ways.

Now, I am far from an expert on this topic. I have to admit I’m as likely to completely skip the sex scenes as read them, and a lot of times (at least to me) once a sex scene happens most of the tension that has been driving the book fizzles, and it gets, well, boring.

As a reader, this is extremely annoying.

As a writer, it’s a challenge to overcome.

Here’s the thing—they had sex. That doesn’t mean all is well—far from it. Sex brings out insecurities. It’s intimate, people. And intimacy can be scary. Don’t work up to the sex scene and then chicken out on us—keep making those character’s lives tough. If anything tougher.

Because, if I have to read another book where after page 204 (the sex scene) everyone is all lovey dovey and together the happy couple sets off to defeat the evil uncle/conniving fortune-hunter/slavering werewolf—I will truly scream. You don’t want that, do you? Okay, maybe you don’t care—but trust me, word gets out. And sex should be a source of tension and excitement in your book—not signal the end of it. And, just in case you are still tempted to switch directly from fireworks to rainbows, here are a few articles to check out. Let’s Talk Tension by Jeanie London. Writing a story (look at Thickening the Plot and Using Tension).

Now that I got that out of my system, let’s go on to the more mundane challenges when writing sex scenes—like what words to use. I don’t just mean whether to go clinical or street. I mean how many words can you actually use for all the necessary parts without falling victim to “quivering loins,” “throbbing members,” and “glistening globes?”

Here’s a visual tool to get you thinking. (Ha! You thought it was going to be something bad, didn’t you? Well, don’t wander around there too long…)

And here are a few terms to avoid…Purple Prose Easter by Deb Stover

Or maybe you WANT to write erotica, but you’re pretty sure your good girl upbringing is going to shine through. Here’s a resource to generate a few ideas, and help get your terminology right. And this Writing Erotica Guide might not hurt either.

So, sex. It’s a big deal right now. Do it proud.