How to Write Great Sex
by JettaFrame

No ma'am, this is not a guide on how to have great sex, it's a guide on how to write it. And believe it or not, you don't have to be having it - great sex that is - in order to be writing it.

But it does help.

If, however, someone should happen to be better acquainted with a screen and a keyboard than the fine art of Kama Sutra, there is still hope for said someone. My someone is a friend, just so you know. I'm not writing this from experience or anything.

*Snort*

Before I divulge things that would possibly ruin the general rating of this article - and also destroy my friendship with (sorry gf, I'll behave myself) - let us get back on track.

How to write great sex.

You need to read it.

I am serious. I don't care how many oats someone has sown, shags they've wagoned or anything else - you need to have read great sex in order to write it. The secret to writing great sex is simple.

You need to have read it.

You need to know your audience.

You need to know how to make it relevant.

If you drop this article now in favor of 101 sex positions on amazon (seriously it's a best seller), you are smarter than I am. Seriously. Writing great sex is hard. Anyone can write sex - but only a slightly obsessive, moderately deluded and overly ambitious soul can make it great.

Read great sex if you want to write it.

This is a no-brainer. I am astounded by how many people write in genres that they do not read. This is like building dog kennels without actually liking dogs. Or working as a teacher when you hate children (don't be a Trunchbull, come on, please don't make that kid eat that cake). It doesn't make sense. If you want to know how to write great sex, you need to read work from authors that write great sex.

You need to see what words they write, how they build anticipation, how their characters make the sexual encounter unique to their own story - you need to see all of these things being done and the only way you can do that is if you read.

'But Jetta, I don't know anyone that writes great sex!'

Oh, my dear sweet and wonderfully adorable soul, I'm glad you asked. I mean, I drop names like my characters drop their panties.

On request.

...After several loud snorts of laughter later...

Do yourself a favor and check out the works of these authors deejeans, AnaEasterly, bibicalsinner, and MegHahn.

These authors are all on Wattpad - so yes my recommendation to read their works won't cost you a thing. I mean come on, free knowledge? Sweetheart, I'm practically giving you a bowl of cherries.

Eat.

deejeans writes short, intense erotica. Her works are a lesson in pace.

AnaEasterly is a master of writing non-mature but fiery encounters (a must if you want to know how much you can write without triggering the 'mature' rating on your book)

bibicalsinner writes steamy developed erotic novels across several genres

MegHahn has to date written one of the most memorable sex scenes I've read - because it was real. Her "How We Were" private chapters taught me a valuable, valuable lesson.

We will refer back to these authors as we go along. And here you thought I was just name dropping? I was. But for a purpose. The purpose of which you will see in the following point of...

You need to know your audience.

Sex doesn't have to be part of a book to make it good. I have read countless stories that fade to black or plain don't need to because they don't have sex in it. My favorite classics are all chaste as a nun in a habit. BUT - for us, and for the purpose of this article, we are talking about the books that do have sex.

And sex changes.

If you, for instance, write erotica like myself - your audience expects graphic, detailed sex. They expect a lot of it. If I published a book labeled 'erotica' that faded to black in place of a sex scene, I might rightly end up on the receiving end of a public outcry.

You need to know what genre you're writing in, and write sex according to that genre.

For instance...

deejeans is a pro at writing short, intense erotica. She labels her erotica books as erotica books. When I pick up my Samsung Galaxy - Boo apple! Boo! - and flick to one of Dee's books, I know what to expect. It's erotica - I expect sex, and I expect it to be detailed.

Dee, of course, blows my expectations out of the water by writing with her magical unicorn keyboard - but the point is, she writes sex appropriate to the genre she writes in.

Another example?

AnaEasterly author of 'The Fakers' This novel has the tags 'romance', 'general fiction', 'new adult' - not erotica. And Ana does not write like an erotica author would - because her audience is different. She knows what her audience expects and that is romance, love, maybe a little steam but not as much as would be present in erotica because that is not what the audience that she is writing for expects.

Ana's audience has different expectations from Dee's.

Do you know what your audience expects?

Again if you read in your genre, you will know what they expect. We are past the first point, but authors need to read if they want to know how to write great sex, and how to make it appropriate for their audience.

You need to know how to make your sex relevant

I have a painful experience to share.

I wrote a novel called "The Dancer's Nurse" - we will not go into how cringeworthy I felt it was, suffice to say I've since taken it down for editing - with a very sweet, loving main character, Alex.

Alex is a male character. Just in case you're wondering.

When I wrote this, I ignored the 'relevant' rule. I wrote a sex scene that was erotic and detailed and I wrote it far too soon within the plot line. I hadn't used sex to build my plot. I'd just thrown it in there, crossed my fingers and hoped it got readers.

It got readers alright. Pissed off ones.

I have never received so much complaints about a sex scene in a book as I did with that one.

My vocabulary came under fire. My character came under fire. People said I had basically built a sweet, loving character - and then tried to turn him into a porn star.

And they were so right.

Instead of writing a sex scene that was in line with the character I had built, instead of writing a sex scene that was relevant to the plot and pace of my book, I wrote an irrelevant scene and broke my reader's connection with the character.

Don't be like novice Jetta, people. Write relevant sex.

Let's take a look at some people that do it well.

MegHahn wrote 'How We Were' which features two characters within the new adult age range. The sex in this book reflects the characters. Layla has to learn a few mechanics and she even messes up a couple of times while she does - but it's great because the sex reflects the characters. It adds to the plot. It builds the relationship.

It is not out of place.

bibicalsinner is someone I use far too often in my write ups (lol, sorry Oli) but seeing as my field of study is Software Engineering and he's written my favorite one shot in history of one shots that is all about a Techie Tryst (see what I did there y'all) - I think you might understand my bias.

'The Unorthodox Hack' is one fine piece of relevance.

The sex is an extension of the storyline. It's an extension of the characters. The style of writing, right down to the vocabulary used, is relevant. And because of this short narrative's relevance, it flows.

When readers read this work, they don't usually get on Oli's case like they got on mine. If you want to write great sex? Make it relevant people. It works. I'll swear on a bible.

These are my words I leave you with today, lovely. Writing great sex is not easy, it's a process. You will master these and far more principles when you do learn how to do it - until then, if you've screwed up a couple of times along the way, don't worry about it.

Get back on the horse and ride to your own rodeo. You'll be pro soon enough.

Best of luck!

Stay sassy,
Jetta

Have you ever tried to write sexual content? Did you find it easy or hard?

P r o f i l e S p o t l i g h t:

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