Mental Meanderings

Writing Good Erotica and Love Scenes

QUICK POST!!!
I'm cheating. Got to post before the half hour is up so placing a place holder and will fill it in too. But if I don't post it first the hour will have crossed over and it'll be tomorrow.

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Ok, see, now I have another blue day and can feel happy instead of letting myself down with a black blemish to further desimate my calender. Now on to the real topic.

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I was discussing with a few friends today the various aspects of writing good erotica or simply great love scenes. There seem to be quite a few schools of thought on the matter.

To tell the truth there are so many ways to portray sex and it's various derivatives that you really don't have to write a full love scene to get the same message across. Some of the most effective scenes involved a fade to black rather than details. Others give minute detail, fleeting glimpses of love making but nothing explicit.

It's in scenes like this you can subtly introduce a great deal of character developement and realization. Sure you don't need to have these sorts of scenes in your story to do that but they can be effective when added to the right kind of story. So many aspects of your characters come to the fore when dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of coupling. There are many elements too and sometimes the where and how are huge factors for the pace and realism of a great story.

I've found the best way to write a love scene is to be in the moment. Like writing a touching death, grief, fear, action, etc. scene it comes easier if you let yourself feel these emotions but don't become overwhelmed by them as you write. Reflect on what you know, your own history. I doubt someone who's never made love before could write a love scene that would come across with the right depth of emotion and integrity. If you've read and watched enough you might be able to simulate but odds are you won't quite hit the right note.

If find this equally true with poetry. Finding the right language and emotional intensity for any topic is aided by allowing yourself to get emotional involved in your subject.

I think it would be interesting as writers to challenge ourselves to write outside of our normal genre. Erotica and romance are two categories that give us an opportunity to test our ability to bring emotion, and physicality together. Love scenes in particular focus a great deal on the anatomy of the human (or animal) body and how external influences can affect internal thoughts and feelings.

Some erotica comes off fairly smutty but it really doesn't have to be that way at all. Even with exquisite details I believe it's the connection of the characters that make the difference between a good erotica scene and porn.

Of course it's a delicate topic. How much is too much? I've been meaning to try my hand at a few more love scenes and romance stories. As usual, never enough time in a day. lol