I started writing this blog for the escapism. At that point, I’d write shot erotic pieces, always always with some sort of fantastical element because I just can’t write otherwise. One of the things I quickly stumbled across was how boring tab A/slot B could become, both in reading and writing. And when writing becomes boring you’re less likely to want to do it. So here are a few ideas I use for how to keep the excitement in my sex scenes.

1. Change setting

This one’s easy and, as such, is commonly used. People generally engage in a bed, but there are also kitchen tables, couches, closets, on top of dryers and even public settings—whether actually done where people are watching or simply in a place where someone might catch the couple. Don’t rely on this too much simply because club sex and bending someone over the kitchen table is a bit commonplace in fiction now.

2. Change positions/roles/type of sex

Again, another easy and commonly used idea. This can range from hand jobs/bjs/anal/vaginal to missionary/doggy/kamasutra extraordinaire you name it.

3. Have something important, other than sex, occur in the scene

This is one that gets forgotten by a lot of people. Instead of making the scene a continuation of the story as a whole, the story will read as if you’ve pushed the pause button during the plot, dropped in a sex scene and then picked the story back up afterward. Everyone’s guilty of it at some point or another. The trick is to recognize it and make sure to have something other than orgasms as the focal point of the next sex scene. Which leads me to…

4. Emotionally connect with the characters/Share how they’re feeling internally and not just bodily

This is generally the easiest way you can add that “something important” from #3. For instance, maybe it’s the first time the characters say I love yous, or maybe someone sees a fresh mark on their partner leading to an immediate conflict, or the experience is the first time one of the characters is doing something, or…or… Those are meh ideas, but you get what I’m saying.

Note that the *something important* in #3 does not have to be something emotional. Could be that the characters roll over onto a skeleton or get interrupted in some other equally weird way.

5. Add fantastical elements!

Okay, this one’s my favorite! I love taking any magical systems/races/attributes I come up with and attempt to make them part of sexual situations to make them more fun. Maybe one of the characters can fly so they get freaky while in the air (I did this in Dark Phoenix actually). Or maybe one of them isn’t entirely human so you have to play around bodily differences (Like a siren). Or one of them has the ability to read minds and can tell when their partner isn’t enjoying themselves. Or anything really. If you can imagine it, it can happen in a story. That’s what’s so awesome about spec fic.

Oh, yeah. And werewolves. And vampires. Those things. However, they aren’t quite as original anymore, so you’d have to really work to come up with something crazy to make those ideas not seem like everything else that’s being published. Not impossible. Just difficult.

More isn’t always better

One of the most popular questions asked in the industry is “How many sex scenes do I need in a book?”

The answer is and will always be: “However many that story needs.”

Some stories require lots and lots of scenes. Sex demons, anyone? Other stories might only need one. And there are plenty of stories that don’t need sex at all, so don’t think that just because people say sex sells that you need to have it in your story. You don’t. It’s about what you like to write and what you think your story needs.

In The Wilds Duology, while there are sex scenes, I focus far more on the adventure and the romance between the two main characters. No sex demons involved. Just dogs. Oh wait, they don’t actually have sex with the dogs, that’s not what I meant when I said that. I just meant that there are dogs. In the story.

Okay, I’m done. Hope you’re having an awesome Friday!