Erotic Fiction Writing Tips

Erotic Fiction Writing Tips

By Autumn Bardot

A steamy story. A classic bodice ripper. A risqué passage. It’s all about sex, right? Maybe not. There may be a whole lot more than meets the eye. 

The truth is, writing erotic fiction is both fun and a lot of hard (no pun intended) work. I write erotica like a novel. A story about a flawed character comes first, followed by the character’s quest to achieve a particular desire. This is not necessarily erotic either. Like any novel, the main character’s need drives the story forward. And it’s from their actions that the steamy scenes arise. In other words, writing the story comes before writing the spice!

Some readers believe erotic fiction is gratuitous—sex scenes for the sake of titillation—and that’s certainly one delicious part of it. But it’s also something more. It’s about providing the reader a vicarious experience of the character’s most intimate moments. I mean, who wouldn’t like to know what happened when Mr. Darcy deflowered Elizabeth Bennett? And how it felt for the proper Elizabeth to have the yummy Mr. Darcy touch her there and, oh my, there, and do that? For erotica lovers that might be the appeal of reading erotica over watching it. The reader gets to experience it with the character, feeling what he/she feels physically and emotionally. It’s about as personal as you can get with a character. Not only are you in their head, you’re in their body. 

The Literary Stuff: Character and Plot

There’s lots to ponder before writing a sexy scene. The first: How is the sex scene advancing the plot? If at all. The second: Is the scene providing characterization? 

Before writing a tantalizing scene, my literary degree kicks in. Or maybe it strokes me. Wink-wink. I want the characters to get something out of sex, other than just an orgasm. 

Does this particular sex scene explore the character’s emotions or further their quest in their ultimate goal? Is it revealing a relationship or lack of? Is it foreshadowing a change in a relationship or show a character’s growth? Is the scene a metaphor for the character’s conflicts and struggles? Are the characters breaking cultural or societal rules and expectations? Is the act taboo? Is the act selfish or loving? These are the questions I ask myself before writing a sex scene.

The reader can learn a lot about a character by how and why they have sex. Are they shy, adventurous, demanding, or selfish? A sex scene is a wonderful opportunity for a writer to show their character’s true personality in a super fun way. How and why a character has sex also provides insight about their motivations, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. 

The Sexy Stuff:  Sensuality

Once the why is established, the how naturally emerges. Yet, for me, this is the trickiest part and takes the longest to write. There’s so much that may go horribly wrong with describing the act. Instead of drawing the reader into the erotic mood, a wrong word or phrase will make it cringe-worthy. In reality, any action can be made erotic, even something as simple as drinking a glass of iced tea. It’s the words and their rhythm and flow that arouse our senses. 

For example:

Her fingers skimmed down the smooth glass of iced tea, its chill soaking into her warm skin. She lifted it, pressed the cool rim to her eager lips, and flicked her tongue across the rim. Tilting the glass, she clutched tight, and let the sweet tang glide down her impatient throat. 

Change a few words and, presto, sex scene. But you can’t just throw a sensual scene in amid stark, antiseptic scenes and chapters. That would feel inauthentic and out of place. Remember the metaphor about women being like ovens that need to be preheated?  Well, sensual sex scenes work best when the story itself is lush with descriptions of the other senses as well.

The Creative Stuff: Imagination, Mine and Yours

The descriptive language ought to resonate with the time, place, and culture. For example, “smooth as silk” will not work if silk was not available at the time. Which means the writer must find a metaphor that’s representative of the time and place. Historical erotica, therefore, comes with its own set of metaphor problems. I can only write “fast as a gazelle” once! Finding the visual or tactile images that put the reader into the character’s mind and skin takes the most creative brain work. There’s a lot of staring into space to figure out what images or sensations will bring the readers into the experience. The bristled chin, the scent of spices, the vibrations of a lover’s voice in your ear, these arouse our senses.

Not every word—especially the naughty words—should be historically accurate. In fact, using historically accurate words or euphemisms for genitalia and sex will probably take the reader out of the story. Mentula is Latin for penis; verpa, the vulgar term. He guided me into his rhythm, let me feel the fullness of his verpa deep inside is not sexy, it’s just confusing. It’s better to use our euphemisms and words and mix in sensual imagery related to time and place. 

Sometimes, it’s what is not described, or described in such a way it allows the reader’s imagination to take over, that makes a scene sexy. The author trusts the reader’s experiences, knowledge, and appetites to fill in the gaps. A more sexually adventurous reader will interpret and picture an act much differently than one who is more reserved. A reader’s imagination is boundless. Together, the writer’s words and the reader’s interpretation lead to powerful visualizations beyond what mere sentences can convey. It’s what makes erotica such an enthralling experience. 

The Naughty Stuff: Things We Can and Can’t Do

 There’s one particular Kamasutra website bookmarked on my computer. It’s my go-to for sexual positions. Erotic romance in many ways offers a fantasy, complete with a selection of mind-blowing and energetic positions that add the kind of lavish athletic variety we all dream about. 

One day my husband reached over my chair and tapped an image on the computer screen. “Never gonna happen. I’d probably break my leg…definitely throw out my back…and I’d need knee surgery for sure.” My response, “Awww, you’re no fun.” But real life aside, it’s more than just different positions. It’s about the slow teasing build up, pleasure, adventure, and the ability to experience unabandoned sexual freedom. Hedonism without guilt. Without cheating on your partner. Without breaking your moral boundaries. Without sacrificing your career to partake of some naughty good fun. It’s also a way to explore your sexuality in a safe, private, and socially acceptable way. 

Erotic fiction allows us to experience, relive, or imagine a sexual awakening through the characters. Sexual freedom, it’s the best gift you can give your readers!

The Recipe: Simmer and Smolder for Best Results

Ingredients

• Characters with goals, dreams, faults, and strengths
• A plot, complete with conflicts, antagonists, and struggles 
• Sensual descriptions and scenes 
• Sensual and consensual erotic moments
• Language that allows the reader to bask in the physical and emotional pleasure of the character
• Sexual positions and experiences beyond the ordinary

Stir it all together. Add spice and sweetener as needed.

Rewrite a multitude of times.

—

Autumn Bardot is an author of historical fiction and historical erotica. Her historical erotica includes Legends of Lust (Cleis Press, 2019) and Confessions of a Sheba Queen (Cleis Press, March 2020). Autumn, a pen name, has taught literary analysis and writing for over fifteen years. She has a passion for history and a special affinity for the unsung courageous females that history has neglected. Autumn lives in southern California with her husband and every-growing family. She wishes she was one-tenth as brave as the women she writes about.  

http://www.autumnbardot.com 

Cleis link: http://cleispress.com/book/2830/confessions-of-a-sheba-queen/ 

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CONFESSIONS OF A SHEBA QUEEN

With a host of unforgettable characters and unbridled sensual escapades, Confessions of a Sheba Queen is a triumphantly erotic retelling of an indomitable woman prevailing in a man’s world.

During a raging sandstorm along a riverbed in the ancient lands of Saba, a powerful jinni born of smokeless fire gives birth to a half-human daughter. Bilqis does not inherit her mother’s magical abilities, but the fire of her jinni blood does imbue her with other powerful gifts.  As she undergoes her rites of womanhood and her insatiable sexual hunger is awakened, it becomes clear—this is the key to her “great destiny” prophesized at her birth. But it could also lead to her total undoing.

Bilqis comes to understand that her supernatural talents have the power to make men, and women, and nations prostrate themselves in utter devotion to her. When tragedy strikes, she leaves her home to seek revenge against the tyrannical god-king whose reign is a plague upon his land and people. Armed with only her body, courage, and wits, she quickly masters the art of seduction, all the while resisting the mind-consuming call to stay locked in an endless cycle of carnal passion.

Destiny soon intervenes, and what began as a quest for vengeance becomes a mission to heal the land of Saba from a twisted, corrupt regime and to see it become the wealthiest kingdom in all the land. Yet, it is only after meeting the already legendary and wildly attractive King Solomon that Bilqis discovers her greatest battle is not with others, but with herself.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips