Recently storyqdayx5d mentioned she had a difficult time putting fantasies into words. I had actually been thinking for a few months now that I wanted to do a sex-writing guide, less because I think I write such excellent porn but more because I’ve gotten more thoughtful…
A lot of excellent points here. I’d also add: don’t get too caught up in describing every. Single. Move the characters make – that sort of over-description can drag down a scene and demolish the mood. Sherlock may take off all of his clothes, but unless it’s a striptease you don’t have to say so in four sentences, you know?
Yeah, when I write sex scenes, I almost invariably find myself trying to narrate it like a play by play. After about four paragraphs, I look up and realize it sucks, and then start chopping, condensing and replacing descriptions of physical activities with descriptions of what the characters think/feel about those activities.
Another point about sex scenes is what sophia said about figuring out what’s going on in the scene. I’ve found that sex scenes work best when they are not about sex. The sex is happening, but it’s a vehicle for something else, and that ‘something else’ is what gives the scene its life. It’s a kind of communication, so figure out what the characters have to ‘say’ to each other. An argument, an apology, domination, power negotiations, how much they love each other, goodbye, hello, comfort… Exposed is about Sherlock worshipping John. Dress Sense is about showing John a desirable facet of himself, while Stringplay is a chance for Sherlock to give John a glimpse of what it’s like inside his head (maybe the reason Stringplay is my favorite is because it’s something Sherlock could not do with language; no matter how much he talked, he’d never be able to communicate the experience of it, even if it were the sort of thing he could bring himself to articulate).
Sometimes, of course, sex is just about sex: two people who’re into each other in the moment and feeling really good and having a good time getting off on it. Think how seldom you’ve read a story about that.
The BBC Has Ruined My Life: Sophia’s Guide to Writing About Getting It On