Ever written something... steamy?

I wrote a short story in a medieval setting where barbarians were overrunning a fantasy monarchy. The queen defiantly remains in her throne room even as the barbarian lord and his entourage arrives. She expects to be tortured, raped, killed, whatever and talks down her nose at them as she is tied up and forced to drink some unknown mixture. In fact, it is a powerful aphrodisiac that grinds away at her. The barbarian lord laughs at her and leaves her tied up saying that it should wear off in a few days.

Yup, I had written some as I was fleshing out my characters (none of them 'required reading' save for one that forms the base for a psychological horror story), though I haven't written any in quite a while.

I have a question: does being a virgin hamper the ability to write a sex scene? Does sexual experience mean a better sex scene?

Well, according to one Anime...

Lack of experience in an area will always hamper you in some way in whatever you write about. If you've never been to Australia, no matter how many books, documentaries or people you've reference the subject from, there will be always something you fail to realize, even if it's something as simple as getting wrong which direction the water drains in the toilet.

Like anything else, where sex is involved, it's all about your knowledge of how it works. Don't say "his rigid, throbbing manhood gently caressed the opening to her cervix again and again" without taking into account that a penis hitting a cervix really, REALLY fucking hurts.

Also, don't do an S&M scene where it's just somebody being whipped or cut over and over. Pain and edgeplay are often parts of S&M, but there's an art to it. For one thing, most people don't actually CUT their submissives with a blade—just pressing the edge of one against skin is often enough to produce the same stimulation.

In any case, actual experience (or talking to someone with actual experience) helps a lot. Copying sex scenes from other porn material only goes so far, because most people who produce erotica don't care about how sex actually works.

For me, I've always written sex scenes as before and after. If I have a sexually active couple, one will be become aroused, the other will two, and the two will make with the mating. I then cut to the after, where clothes and other items are in disarray and both parties are satisfied since they've been in a relationship for so long and know where to touch, what to do, and when to. Then they either a) reflect on something weighing on their minds (depression, etc.) or b) something inconsequential happens. My favorite: one gets hungry and offers to make a sandwich for both, showing how much they consider and care for eachother.

For me, sex is an idealized thing: something shared between two consenting and loving adults. It's also something that we see the buildup to, but leave the act something untold, as it's a very private act. That, and I know my very paltry skills at describing the act of sex makes it so I best use a minimalistic approach. Besides, readers can and will use their own filthy imaginations

What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart.

Eh. "Before and after" is pretty much just copping out of the good stuff. Don't get me wrong, the things left unsaid are sometimes hotter than the things said, but if you're writing something "steamy", and you cut out the actual act, then it's basically just teasing.

Also, I defy the idea that lewdness and romanticism are mutually exclusive and that intimacy means exclusivity. I abhor Good People Have Good Sex with a passion.

edited 10th Jul '11 1:10:20 AM by KingZeal

I once wrote a homoerotic story where a teacher blackmailed a student into giving him a blowjob.

I couldn't finish because I got too -ahem- excited.

Yup. It was a Steampunk short.

Jokes aside, Not written, but in my mind, yes. It was between the MC's parents and not exactly what you would call normal, what with his mother being 17 and his father 25...

Is it just me, or do most of the examples of "sex scenes that don't damage the work" tend towards being some form of Fan Disservice? I mean, there's good Plot With Porn out there, but mostly, it seems that intentionally awkward or squicky sex scenes are generally preferred to "good" ones. Is it that an awkward scene is easier to write? That good authors actively avoid pleasant sex scenes to keep their heads clear? Or that society is more likely to forgive sexuality being portrayed as awkward and tricky than it is to accept sex being treated, in a frank manner as opposed to a round-about way, as an enjoyable activity?

Pretty much, yeah. The typical Western worldview as influenced by American values and such tends to plant sexuality as sinful and not something to share with other people, being more about "desire" and "lust" rather than love and caring for others.

You really lost me. Could you give me a Kirk Summation?

It seems to me that people are more likely to praise sex scenes as adding to the plot, instead of getting in the way of it, if they're Fan Disservice, and I'm trying to figure out why.

I suppose that in one respect, sex is normally supposed to be pleasant and such, and thus there is offered a greater contrast to expectation and to a degree, a greater addition to the ideas of the book by adding something beyond standard expectation.

Just a theory.

It's all postmodernism's fault!

And when a story does have loving, fun sex that's plainly depicted, people say things like "it has to be included, because it's part of the relationship." No, it's included because the author wants us to wank to it, and I love it no less for that. (I confess, I actually found the sex in that work underwhelming, but it's easily skipped if you have no taste for it.)

Usually I prefer to leave things up to the imagination, with just enough faintly prurient detail immediately before and after the, ahem, "event" to bring about the necessary reaction.

The funny thing is, there is one scene I've written that bears strong erotic overtones. The catch is the content described therein.

edited 11th Jul '11 5:37:46 PM by JHM

I've actually read some damn decent Plot With Porn, one of which was, of all the stupid things, a Tangled fanfic. In which case, the sex was actually vitally important to the story at the same time as being hot, since it was basically about sexual awakening and the role of sex in relationships, as well as how others view that role.

(Fic in question being What You Don't Know, and I think it's linked on the Fanfic Recs page for Tangled.)

I've written steamy stuff, some of which I've posted to other websites. It's gotten generally positive attention - likely due to the fact that most of what's up is lesbian. I try to not write unnecessary sex scenes - sex shows up if it's important, or if, as with one character, it's her job. And I try to make my sex scenes less Hollywood-esque: sex can be messy, awkward, or unpleasant, too. Waking up the morning after being seduced and realizing you just slept with your enemy's sister? Not. Fun.

For example, an Attempted Rape Marital Rape License scene, in which the enraged husband (after finding his wife with another woman, when she's supposed to be watching their daughter) can't finish due to guilt and self-loathing, is meant entirely as Fan Disservice. Most of the sex scenes I write are meant to be sexy, in additon to being able to be put in the background if need be. If a reader's not into it, very well, he or she can skip it and not be too badly affected as far as plot understanding goes.

I have done my fair share of citrus fic, most of them involving Banpresto Originals (aka the Original Generation of Super Robot Wars) :)

edited 17th Jul '11 9:15:16 PM by Nitramy

Oh yes, of all different kinds - sweet and cuddly, awkward and confusing, abusive and damaging - it's just another thing to write about. Kind of a challenge to describe the same basic actions in a new and exciting way each time.

I wrote several for a book I was working on...looking back, most of them were pretty terrible. These days I drop a big old black curtain over the details; those who've had sex can picture it and those who haven't...are probably still trying to.

I'd rather have sex with a total stranger than attempt to write about it.

That's probably fair. Although, if you watch the right kind of porn, you can at least probably get the "picturing" right...

Porn is honestly one of the worst sources for writing a sex scene, unless it's meant to be some total kinky bullshit (like FFM/MMF or something). Especially high-production porn. You might be better off with "amateur" stuff (which usually isn't amateur), but it's definitely a case of Reality Is Unrealistic / The Coconut Effect.

I have written three sex scenes, but none are especially graphic. I could probably even post them here without getting thumped, but I don't feel like risking it.