Most editors would agree that love scenes are often among the worst-written of not just rejected but of published works. Editors have variously described love scenes as mechanical, overly physiological, hackneyed or sentimental.
Adopt the following five points to create vibrant, compelling and ultimately scintillating sex scenes that readers will read over and over again.
Tie Scene to Emotion
A sex scene, like any other scene, should be tied to the emotions of the characters to engage the reader. This even includes a sex scene that isn't a "love scene". The very absence of emotion on the part of one or both of the characters is a statement by the writer. Given that plot grows out of character, what happens in a love scene must arise from a character's motivation and ultimately must reflect that character's outlook, beliefs and story arc.
Describe Indirectly
Purely physical description doesn't engage or entice the reader the same way as appealing to their emotions, beliefs or intuitive feelings. Be suggestive rather than descriptive. When you do describe, describe obliquely, not head on. This is accomplished through the use metaphor, simile, and imagery founded on the protagonist's psyche. Use nuance. Create mood. And remember that a sex scene can tell the reader a great deal about a character, how she thinks, what's important to her, and what she believes.
Savor the Lead In
Writers and readers, like lovers, usually find it desirable to linger on the foreplay rather than on the actual sexual act or consumation. Tantalize. Provoke. Tease the reader. It is often in the foreplay that the writer can explore not just the protagonist's character but the nature of her relationship with her lover and her overall outlook in life and love.
Less Is More
The most satisfactory ingredients in love scenes are tension and tenderness. The interplay of these between sexual partners makes for very compelling reading. When attraction plays counterpoint with some kind of struggle or intrigue like distrust, even apparent dislike, an exquisite tension is created that the reader wishes to see reconciled or solved somehow. A common device along these lines is to delay the act, the consumation, by introducing various obstacles at key points in the motion of character attraction.
Use Sensual Language
When describing setting or action within a love scene, it is important to engage as many senses as possible. Those that best tie in to a love scene include the sense of smell, texture, and taste. These, particularly, will draw the reader more fully into the experience. Think of how the main character experiences life and color or flavor the narrative accordingly in the love scene. Pay particular attention to the use of powerful and vibrant verbs.
Nina Munteanu - Nina Munteanu is a Canadian author and ecologist, who enjoys traveling. She has been tasting her way for years around the world in exotic ...
