New to erotic fiction

[aopsmith]

I've been writing since I was fifteen. I've been reading erotica since about thirteen. Yeah...Mom & Dad had no idea. Haha
Anyway, I'm new to writing erotic fiction and find myself going through a writer's nightmare. I have my story. But in explicit scenes, I find myself being somewhat modest with the language and descriptions. I guess you could call it some form of stage fright. What kind of vocabulary is and is not appropriate and how do I stuff away the modesty? This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I've finally found myself in a place where I have the time and the mental capacity (I'm bipolar and have regular mood shifts) to actually commit to a real story without throwing it all out a week later.
Any advice is welcome! Thank you, fellow writers.

 

[SamScribble]

Welcome.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the saltiness or otherwise of your language. On this site, there seems to be a readership for every variety. Gentle does well (especially in Romance); but so does language that would make a sailor blush (as my grandmother used to say). The important thing is to be true to your story. Write what you would like to read - and post it.

Good luck.

 

[hylas_]

How about: Write down some of the nasty, vulgar (and hot!) words you remember from stories you enjoyed. Work them into your scenes.

 

[8letters]

I've been writing since I was fifteen. I've been reading erotica since about thirteen. Yeah...Mom & Dad had no idea. Haha
Anyway, I'm new to writing erotic fiction and find myself going through a writer's nightmare. I have my story. But in explicit scenes, I find myself being somewhat modest with the language and descriptions. I guess you could call it some form of stage fright. What kind of vocabulary is and is not appropriate and how do I stuff away the modesty? This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I've finally found myself in a place where I have the time and the mental capacity (I'm bipolar and have regular mood shifts) to actually commit to a real story without throwing it all out a week later.
Any advice is welcome! Thank you, fellow writers.

Find a couple of sex scenes you like and model your language after those.

Make your final sex scene as long as you can make it. Then make it longer. Add dialogue. Add sounds that the main character hears and smells that he/she smells. Describe the motion. Describe the lighting. It's what the readers slogged through all of your other words for.

 

[hylas_]

Make your final sex scene as long as you can make it. Then make it longer. Add dialogue. Add sounds that the main character hears and smells that he/she smells. Describe the motion. Describe the lighting. It's what the readers slogged through all of your other words for.

^ Actually, I disagree with this. I usually find a well done build-up more erotic than the actual sex. Different strokes, I guess

 

[Nezhul]

A lot of readers get annoyed if you get so hung up on vocabulary that you start edging away from commonly used words.

For example a dick is a dick. Cock, member at the very least. A rare man would call it a penis, if he's not a doctor on duty, and you shouldn't use that word. No one will call it a stick or something.

A pussy is a pussy too. If you start talking too much about her delicate flowers - readers will get annoyed.

My point is - imagine your characters talking about sex with each other. No restraint. Would she use the word "fuck"? Would he like to see her "ass" or "buttocks"? I bet its the first. If yes - you should use it. If not, well then you dont. Even if your story is a 3rd person, you convey character's feelings and thoughts through your narration.

In their mind your characters have words that they describe their body parts with. Use those words, not the edited version. If he likes the word "tits" - dont make him too shy as to say it out loud, and dont shy from telling your readers how he "sucked on her tits".

 

[8letters]

^ Actually, I disagree with this. I usually find a well done build-up more erotic than the actual sex. Different strokes, I guess

You should do both. There's nothing keeping you from having a great build-up and then a great sex scene.

I usually end sex scenes after the guy cums while fucking. Sex scenes where they fuck again and again and again I find repetitious.

Most readers are wanting to get off during the big sex scene. Your sex scene should be long enough for them to do that. Here's what not to do - the big fuck from my first story, Heather and Michael:

Michael wiped his face, stripped off his clothes and then crawled up to kiss Heather. As they were kissing, Heather guided his dick into her pussy. He slowly buried his length into her. Michael had said that the sense of accomplishment of reaching the top would feel great and it did for Heather. However, she enjoyed the sense of accomplishment of being fucked in such great spot even more.

Michael began to pump in and out of her. He fucked her slowly and she was grateful that he did. With ground was so rocky, she didn't want to slide back and forth over a rock. They didn't talk this time, just panted and grunted. With two days of buildup, it didn't take long until he slammed into her and released his load. He held that position until he was spent and then bent down and kissed her tenderly.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

You have to chuck that modesty in the trash. Your readers will thank you

Hold your nose and jump in. Write it all at once in a fever. Don't worry about vocab, just get swept away. Gross yourself out.

If you feel shame, that's a good sign. The more you think I'm going to hell for this the better it will be. Or arrested.

I've been writing since I was fifteen. I've been reading erotica since about thirteen. Yeah...Mom & Dad had no idea. Haha
Anyway, I'm new to writing erotic fiction and find myself going through a writer's nightmare. I have my story. But in explicit scenes, I find myself being somewhat modest with the language and descriptions. I guess you could call it some form of stage fright. What kind of vocabulary is and is not appropriate and how do I stuff away the modesty? This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I've finally found myself in a place where I have the time and the mental capacity (I'm bipolar and have regular mood shifts) to actually commit to a real story without throwing it all out a week later.
Any advice is welcome! Thank you, fellow writers.

 

[TxRad]

If you are having trouble with certain words and phrases, have a character that is the same way. Play that character off another that has no problems with words and so on. The mix will help you and maybe the story.

Just my two cents.

 

[Voboy]

Read a lot of stories you like. Model your scenes as appropriate. Eventually (more likely sooner than later) you'll develop your own voice.

Work to avoid repetition. As a rule, I seldom ever reread anything I write. Sex scenes are an exception; I find myself overusing words like "thrust" at times.

And I'll cordially disagree with Nezhul. "Penis" has its place. But yeah, member, manhood, flower... not in my prose, thanks. That's what I mean; you'll develop your own voice soon enough. The more you write, the faster you'll improve.

 

[glynndah]

A welcome for the little newbie from the good little witch.

 

[Bramblethorn]

^ Actually, I disagree with this. I usually find a well done build-up more erotic than the actual sex.

Moi aussi.

Different strokes, I guess

I see what you did there.

 

[CyranoJ]

You have to chuck that modesty in the trash. Your readers will thank you

Hold your nose and jump in. Write it all at once in a fever. Don't worry about vocab, just get swept away. Gross yourself out.

If you feel shame, that's a good sign. The more you think I'm going to hell for this the better it will be. Or arrested.

This.

 

[Weird Harold]

...I have my story. But in explicit scenes, I find myself being somewhat modest with the language and descriptions. I guess you could call it some form of stage fright. What kind of vocabulary is and is not appropriate and how do I stuff away the modesty? ...

The kind of vocabulary is highly dependent on the characters and the tone of the story. "Modest" is good for some stories, and "raunchy" is good for other stories.

If you're having trouble with being "Modest" then your subconscious may well be telling your that "raunchy" wouldn't work well for this particular story. Go with Modest this time and write a raunchier story next time around.

 

[Hypoxia]

Vocabulary is a function of context. I'd not expect modest language describing an anal gang-bang. And sex is volatile. When they're fucking, say so, and how, and why, and where, and how many, and with what sensations, etc. Be vivid. You want to affect readers, right? Make-em feel it.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Just yesterday I read about Napoleon's early efforts at fiction writing. Almost all of it he tossed in the fire, and it seems to me most writers should follow his example.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

A pussy is a pussy too. If you start talking too much about her delicate flowers - readers will get annoyed.

Depends. Yes, the first time I read "her flower produced eager nectar" I'm closing the story, but for some readers that's what works. It's a very wide readership and I see people get high scores for stuff that just makes me shake my head. But what works works.

 

[sr71plt]

I close up a story when I see "pussy" used by any character not meant to be young and mentally limited, as I find it hopelessly juvenile and it tells me the author isn't a sophisticated writer. And I used "manhood" just yesterday because I had a character with sexual hangups who couldn't handle more direct words. (I'm a straightforward "cock" user myself.)

So, you can't win for losing and you can't lose for winning, so you might as well stop listening to the committee and write what resonates with you.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I've been writing since I was fifteen. I've been reading erotica since about thirteen. Yeah...Mom & Dad had no idea. Haha
Anyway, I'm new to writing erotic fiction and find myself going through a writer's nightmare. I have my story. But in explicit scenes, I find myself being somewhat modest with the language and descriptions. I guess you could call it some form of stage fright. What kind of vocabulary is and is not appropriate and how do I stuff away the modesty? This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I've finally found myself in a place where I have the time and the mental capacity (I'm bipolar and have regular mood shifts) to actually commit to a real story without throwing it all out a week later.
Any advice is welcome! Thank you, fellow writers.

Welcome from another person with bipolar. I so know what you mean about writing something and throwing it out a week later, I do that all the time! I will share a chapter with my friend, but some days I really hate what I wrote and will go delete stuff and she'll ask me, where did your chapter go? I've gotten a little better sharing with her, but just last week shared three of my chapters of my latest story, then decided they needed work so I sent them back to draft,and she messaged me saying I just got a chance to read your chapters but they're gone!

The first time I wrote a sex scene I blushed, now I write them casually with not a second thought. It gets easier with time

 

[NotWise]

Welcome from another person with bipolar. I so know what you mean about writing something and throwing it out a week later, I do that all the time! I will share a chapter with my friend, but some days I really hate what I wrote and will go delete stuff and she'll ask me, where did your chapter go? I've gotten a little better sharing with her, but just last week shared three of my chapters of my latest story, then decided they needed work so I sent them back to draft,and she messaged me saying I just got a chance to read your chapters but they're gone!

Maybe you should let your friend keep them, so when you delete them they aren't gone forever. You might change your mind, you know?