The Cutprice Guignol

So! I’ve been working in the world of Professional Literary Horny-Making (ie, writing erotica) for just over ten years now, and, as well as shining a light on aspects of my own sexuality I had never really considered before, it’s a side of the writing world I’m genuinely passionate about.

A few years ago, I wrote a post about my advice for people looking to get into erotica writing. It’s a post I’ve referred people to over the last half-decade or so as a condensed place to find whatever guidance they fancy taking from me on the matter, and, last month, I took a look over it and realized that…well, I have more advice to give! So, consider this my updated post on everything I’ve learned about writing erotica – let’s us come together (pun only mostly intended) and talk about Writin’ Horny!

1. Consider the Character

I think there’s a bit of a misconception that erotica – that is, writing about sex that’s designed, on some level, to explore sexuality in particular – is pretty much limited in its function to what it can offer to the plot or characters, but I really think, done right, it can be a powerful way to move your plot, characters, and in-story relationship stories forward. Seeking out intimacy can come from a whole range of places, and what it reveals about the character can be unique compared to other scene types in your story. When a character chooses to engage in physical intimacy, what are they seeking from it? Why do they want it at this point in the story in particular – is it even really what they want, or is it a stand-in for something else, a metaphor for some other unfulfilled need in their lives? Sex is revealing in a way little else can be, and taking advantage of that is always going to make your erotica writing more effective.

3. Sensuality as Sexuality

Sexuality is great, but sensuality, for me, is what takes good erotica writing to great erotica writing. This doesn’t mean playing down explicitness or trying to talk around the sex in question with metaphors or euphemisms, but rather tapping in to descriptors that go past just the action in question. The last thing you want is to sanitize sex by stripping it of the sensuality that comes inherent with the territory – touching on taste, sound, smell, sensation is how you differentiate between mechanical action to an evocative rendition that actually conjures something a little more…ahem, meaty.

3. Getting Dynamic

When we talk about dynamics in erotica, it’s easy to think of some leather-clad sexpot snapping the whip or some Christian Grey-esque dom waving his great big…well, we’ve already talked enough about that already. But I really think that understanding the dynamic of a sex scene is the key to making it, well, sexy – you can go as explicit as can be or as abstract as you like, but if you can convey the dynamic between the two (or more) characters, it’s going to land. The dynamic doesn’t have to be something as obvious as submissive-dominant (though it can be!) – focus on the relationship between the characters outside of this sex scene, and how it might be subverted or reinforced by the way they interact in a more intimate setting. If you can lock on to that dynamic and keep that at the forefront of your motivation while putting together a sex scene, you can bring together what might otherwise be just a collection of sex acts into something that feels cohesive.

If you’re part of this side of the literary world, whether professionally or just for fun, please share your tips below, and let’s all take our Horny Words to the next level! If you’d like to check out some of my erotica writing (18+, obviously), catch up on some here and here, and please feel free to leave links to your own writing or authors in the genre you enjoy in the comments!