I loved reading erotic romance so it’s not a huge surprise that when it comes to writing, my stories are always scorching hot. The love interests rarely stay out of bed long enough to get the plot moving, and sometimes I even have to use the dreaded crowbar to pry them apart.
But whenever I get together with other authors, I often hear, “I dread writing sex scenes.” I’m always very shocked to hear this because it’s my favorite part of writing the book. I often use this as a carrot for myself to get through writing the scenes I don’t want to write, which are the angsty scenes where there is no hope these two lovers will ever get together.
I get asked how I write love scenes while keeping it fresh between the lovers. So I made a list of rules and they are:
- Write what is hot to me. I'm going to be reading and reading this book for the next few months as I edit it and proof it and pour over it, looking for mistakes. If I'm bored with it after one read through, I need to look at why and fix that quickly. Also, if it is hot to me, that will come across in my writing without fail.
- Keep it simple. Erotic romance and the sex scenes within are supposed to arouse the reader sexually. That’s the goal. When a reader has to put down your story and head for the dictionary, it pulls them out of the story. So especially in a sex scene, don’t get too creative with your words.
- Make sure you know who is putting what where, especially in m/m romance. It was easier in the days of paperbacks for the reader to go back and re-read the scene in order to get what was going on. With e-books, it is much harder. If I spend a few minutes flipping back and forth between pages, it breaks the tension. Which leads me to the last rule…
- Make sure the scene flows fluidly. Each movement should lead into the next until the glorious finish where the characters (and hopefully the reader) are both left satisfied. I know this doesn’t happen in real life but if you haven’t figured it out by now, let me apprise you of this fact. Romance novels are not real life. Your scene should be a fantasy.
Now I try my hardest to follow these rules and I don’t always get it perfect. But I enjoy writing the scenes. If I didn’t enjoy doing this, I wouldn’t slave over these stories because writing is hard work!
Guest post by Lori Toland
CEO
by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the
summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing
since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and
watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will
forever be her hero.
Lori’s
Website: http://www.loritoland.com
Lori’s
Twitter: @loritoland
Lori’s
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lori.toland
Other
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Lori will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter and to the host with the most comments (excluding the host's and the author's). So I encourage you to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/03/virtual-book-tour-long-con-by-lori.html
