Sex Scene Help

[CloverReef]

Okay, well, admittedly I didn't read all of the responses, so I may just be repeating someone's answer. If I am, sorry!

Anyway, I think of sex scenes as -action- scenes. Similar to any fight scenes and whatnot you may write. When it comes to action scenes, a flurry of short sentences usually have a speedy real-time effect. Of course, the risk is that it could seem choppy or repetitive, but if you can find a balance, it could be really awesome.

By short sentence I mean like 4-8 words.

I won't get into my pet peeves of 'ing' verbs here, ^^; I'll just say try to avoid them if possible during Sex scenes (and other types of action scenes). They tend to slow the action down. So switch a "humping" to "humped" unless the ing is really the only way you can see to go. Hope that makes sense.

Another thing that usually helps me to keep in mind when I'm writing sex scenes, is to use the senses. Touch, smell, taste, sight, sound. Explore all the senses the character is experiencing, or lack thereof, and it can potentially add a bit of colour to the scene.

[canterro]

I think what you should focus on is not the action, but REaction. It's not that difficult to imagine what you'd like to do, as you can do almost anything you imagine (in writing, of course), but it's the reaction of the person who receives what you do that matters

This is what you have to imagine properly.

Everyone has to adjust, there might be some mess, some pain, some awkwardness... You have to consider all this

[CloverReef]

I think what you should focus on is not the action, but REaction. It's not that difficult to imagine what you'd like to do, as you can do almost anything you imagine (in writing, of course), but it's the reaction of the person who receives what you do that matters

This is what you have to imagine properly.

Everyone has to adjust, there might be some mess, some pain, some awkwardness... You have to consider all this

Good point, Reaction is very important, but in my defence, reaction should be a big part of any action scene. Depending on the writer's style, of course...

[canterro]

Good point, Reaction is very important, but in my defence, reaction should be a big part of any action scene. Depending on the writer's style, of course...

of course;

I'm just saying that imagining reaction is more difficult and if your description fails, the most usual problem is that you can't describe the reaction properly and believably

[Guest gigasmon86]

It may sound kind of stupid, but practice makes perfect. I've been writing sex scenes for a few years now and I can definitely say, compared to what I first wrote, my current descriptions are a dramatic improvement in all areas.

Another thing to do is to read quality depictions. Get a feel for how they describe the scene and pace, but don't copy them. You're trying to adapt their skill to your own natural writing style.

Look at what you intend to write and then go about portraying the emotions and reactions of the characters as they flow through the act, how the body responds to each touch.

And most important of all, enjoy the process. Don't think of it as a chore. I can move through a sex scene pretty rapidly if I'm actually having fun typing it up, but once I start looking at it wrong the whole thing can be drawn out for hours, if not days.

Hope it helps.~Diizoid.

I agree. I've been writing fanfiction for almost ten years now, and going back to read my early stuff is weird, because I keep thinking how bad the grammar and writing is compared to what I am doing now. My best tip is to omnivorously read fanfiction and even mainstream literature to get ideas.

But also, when reading a sex scene in a story, you inevitably stop and think after reading, "I could have done that better," or "If I had written this, I would have had these two do THIS instead of THAT." In regards to that scenario, when writing a story with sex scenes, think back to one of those moments and recreate the scene as YOU would have personally wanted it.

Because you're not just writing for an audience; you're writing for YOU!

[CloverReef]

I agree. I've been writing fanfiction for almost ten years now, and going back to read my early stuff is weird, because I keep thinking how bad the grammar and writing is compared to what I am doing now. My best tip is to omnivorously read fanfiction and even mainstream literature to get ideas.

But also, when reading a sex scene in a story, you inevitably stop and think after reading, "I could have done that better," or "If I had written this, I would have had these two do THIS instead of THAT." In regards to that scenario, when writing a story with sex scenes, think back to one of those moments and recreate the scene as YOU would have personally wanted it.

Because you're not just writing for an audience; you're writing for YOU!

Well put! ^^

[brohne]

With all the good advice above I would like to add that it is vital that the sex be true to the motives of the character. How the character responds during the act should tell the reader that much more about them. Take for example a boy finally getting to be with the girl of his dreams, would he describe the first time in clinical by the book fashion? Probably not, if he did there better be a damn good reason behind it, a deeper character motive. Similarly lack of reaction is very telling as well. As stated, not all sex is good and some sex is just downright bad.

You do not have to have had sex to understand some of the feelings and emotions involved. There is excitement, fear, longing, frustration, pain, anger all of it can happen during sex and showing these can go much more toward moving your story, and your character forward than any well described sex act.

[canterro]

in some stories you can find a first time that is just mind-blowing; well, usually it is NOT; and in most of cases it shouldn't be; cause the first-timer cannot be the king of sex art - let's say it honestly

[Willowstara]

I have a question to ask. I always wondered how in the world do you have sex exactly in a spa/hottub/swimming pool? I have thought of creating a sex scene with two characters in it but how would you describe doing it in those situations?