Val Kovalin - How to Write Sexy Descriptions and Sex Scenes

By

Val Kovalin

Copyright 2012 by Val Kovalin

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Val Kovalin. This includes paraphrasing and/or quoting beyond the limits of the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law, i.e., anything beyond brief quotations contained in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work, including copyright infringement without monetary gain, is illegal. This document and others in this series are registered with the United States Copyright Office.

WARNING: This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and language and may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Cover art Copyright 2012 by Val Kovalin

Sometimes a writer needs the right word fast to keep the momentum racing along while he or she builds up that total word count. When writing sexy descriptions and sex scenes, you may need words such as ache, aching, arch, bare, bared, battle, beg, bite, blush, bounce, brace himself or brace herself, breach, bruise, bruising, brush, buck, bump, burn, burning, captivate, capture, caress, catch, circle, clasp, clench, clenching, coax, cry out, cup, curse, curve, cushion, dampen, dart, darting, deepen, delve, dominate, and so forth.

Here, you get lists of words and ways to use them. Part One gives writing advice. Part Two shows you how to write sexy descriptions about the human body from head to toe. Part Three discusses male-male romance fiction, and Part Four details the common elements of a sex scene, including sexual tension, flirting, arousal, sexy noises, initial touching, kissing, embracing, intimate caresses, disrobing, masturbation, foreplay, penetration, the sex act, orgasm, and afterglow.

This book is written specifically for writers of erotic romance fiction, which includes male-female romance and male-male romance. Erotic romance fiction gives equal emphasis to sex and emotion within the romantic relationship. However, those who write erotica (more focus on sex) and those who write sweet romance (more focus on emotion) can adapt the information here. Others for whom this book may be useful include anyone who wants to write a sex scene for genre or mainstream fiction.

Before I start giving advice, I should make one thing clear. All this is information for you to evaluate for yourself and accept or dismiss. The only "ironclad rules" in writing fiction are the laws of physics and the principles of grammar, and even those can be bent. The most important thing is to write what the readers want to read. Throughout this book, I warn you about things that could break the spell of escapism and jolt the readers out of your story. However, you can write anything you want so long as you are aware of the risks you run. It's all up to you.

Alpha Hero. Think of the alpha wolf in the pack. The alpha male is the biggest, strongest, most aggressive man among men. In traditional romance, he comes close to perfection with his masculine beauty, sex appeal, sexual experience, street smarts, fighting skills, and charisma. Because he is a fantasy, he is imbued with an exaggerated masculinity that would probably be irritating in real life. His most obvious characteristic is his aggressive, domineering attitude.

Alpha Heroine. She is the strongest, most passionate, and most beautiful female. She is a fantasy of what a female reader could be. With the rise of ass-kicking heroines in paranormal romance, she is more popular than ever. Her most obvious characteristic is her aggressive, headstrong attitude.

BBW stands for Big, Beautiful Woman. This is a plus-sized heroine who does not conform to the slender appearance required for traditional romance fiction. She could be described as fleshy, full-figured, plump, Rubenesque, ripe, and voluptuous. If she is tall, add statuesque. She may call herself fat (as a statement of fact, not a pejorative) or large and lovely. The BBW heroine is relatively new, but increasing in popularity.

BDSM. The acronym stands for Bondage, Domination (or Discipline), Submission (or Sadism), and Masochism, and covers these particular sexual practices.

Beta Hero. He is a more ordinary man, not as strong or as aggressive as the Alpha Hero.

Beta Heroine. She is a more ordinary woman, not as strong, aggressive, or beautiful as the Alpha Heroine.

Chicks with Dicks. Pejorative term in male-male romance for male characters who seem unconvincingly male. That is, they might cry excessively, discuss their relationships, and otherwise act like young, overly emotional girls.

Conventional Sex and Unconventional Sex. This is a difficult distinction to make since the supposed boundary line is blurry and ever-changing. Think of conventional sex as anything that a majority of readers would find arousing, such as oral sex and penetrative sex.

Unconventional sex is anything that could provoke majority reader reactions that run counter to sexual arousal, such as anxiety or disgust. For example, BDSM-themed sex scenes can involve humiliation and pain. Instead of becoming aroused, readers may worry that one character is exploiting the other.

Erotica. Fiction that puts more emphasis upon the sexual aspect of a relationship than the emotional aspect. Erotica contains explicit sex scenes.

Erotic Romance Fiction. Romance fiction that puts equal emphasis upon the sexual and emotional aspects of a relationship. Erotic romance fiction usually contains explicit sex scenes.

Erogenous Zone. Any part of the human body that responds to stimulation with feelings of sexual arousal. Examples include the inner arms, the bottoms of the feet, the clitoris, the fingertips, the lips, the inner thighs, the nipples, the penis, the perineum, and the prostate.

Gay Fiction and Gay Romance Fiction. Gay fiction is not bound by romance genre expectations such as the required Happily-Ever-After (HEA) ending. While including gay relationships, gay fiction might focus more upon issues of gay identity, such as coming out, coping with gay bashing and homophobia, and the impact of AIDS/HIV issues. Gay romance, also known as male-male romance or M/M, puts the romantic relationship foremost.

Intercourse. Penetrative sex resulting in orgasm.

Outercourse. Non-penetrative sex in which exterior stimulation results in orgasm.

Sweet Romance Fiction. Romance fiction that puts more emphasis upon the emotional aspect of a relationship than the sexual aspect. Sweet romance fiction usually contains mildly explicit sex scenes, non-explicit sex scenes, or no sex scenes.

Traditional Romance Fiction. A catch-all term for the male-female romance genre as it formed in the twentieth century.

Unconventional Sex. see Conventional Sex and Unconventional Sex

You can do several things to make your sexy descriptions and sex scenes reach their highest potential. First, stay deep in one character's emotional viewpoint throughout the scene. Second, introduce contrasts. Third, use the principle of escalation. Fourth, exaggerate just a little. Fifth, maximize the reader's escapism.

Stay deep in one character's viewpoint throughout the scene. It helps the reader when you establish a pattern for switching viewpoints, such as scene by scene (with scene breaks) or chapter by chapter. Whenever you switch viewpoints at random within a scene, you risk disturbing the reader's emotional involvement as she orients herself in the new viewpoint. Too much random viewpoint switching, also known as head hopping, is the mark of an amateur. A writer should be able to stay in one character's viewpoint and show through observation what the non-viewpoint character is feeling.