Let's Talk About S-E-X... Scenes
I was an avid romance reader long before I decided to try my hand at writing. I’m also slightly obsessed with Hallmark Christmas movies when that time of the year rolls around. And what’s the difference between contemporary romance and those sweet Hallmark vids?
Sex.
Graphic, hot, and awkward as fuck to write sex.
When I decided to write Zen, I knew it had to have sex scenes in it. I don’t write erotica, but to me, adult relationships include sex. They just do. And I’m not one to tiptoe around stuff like that. It’s why I don’t read sweet romance ever. Hallmark movies are as close as I get.
So, how do I write mine?
You know when you see something awkward or scary and you cover your eyes with your fingers but then part them slightly to look through because you can’t not look? That’s pretty much how I write my sex scenes. I’m being super voyeuristic by peeping in on someone else’s sex life, even if they’re people I invent so I try to shove that down and get through it as quickly as humanly possible.
Typically the first version of my scenes is horrifically robotic or repetitive. How many times can you say the words dick, cock, or pussy in one scene? I first try to think about the location I want it to happen in and then I go from there. Places like the bathroom in an airplane, the back of a car, the kitchen floor… whatever fits the couple.
Then I write the first version of the scene out as fast as I can to just get it all out there. Then, I cringe suuuuuper hard as I go back and read through and make sure I don’t accidentally throw in any words that make me shudder (like folds…. blech). Once that’s done, I add in the flowery stuff. The emotion, the chills down the spine, the electric sparks. Stuff like that.
Finally, I end up with something passable, generally speaking. I don’t know if there will ever be a day when sex scenes are my strength, but I like the challenge of them.
Fun fact: In Maddox’s book, I wrote all four sex scenes in one day because I wanted to get them out of the way.
Typically, I’m a linear writer which means I write from the beginning of the story to the end in order. Doing Maddox and Ryan’s scenes that way threw off my whole process so in Jericho I’m going back to my uncomfy roots and just nailing (HA) the scenes as they come (HAHA).
Soooo… there you have it. All things sex in a nice unsexy way. Are there any words that make you cringe when you read them (moist, anyone?)? Leave me a comment and let me know!