I present to you a – probably quite incomplete, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of speech sounds – reference list and a bit of a guideline for the different ways one can describe the sounds your characters make whilst writing smut. I’ll definitely be referring to it, because I sometimes get stuck on exactly how to describe a particular noise. (aka, “he can’t groan again, he just groaned last paragraph”)
Combine a descriptor and a sound for best effect – for example, “needy moan,” “pleased hum,” or “sudden scream.” You can even use two: “low, rough grunt,” “sweet little cry,” “desperate, filthy noise,” as long as you don’t repeat a word that means the same thing, unless you really want to emphasize it. Avoiding repetition is pretty key here. You don’t usually want to say “hushed, quiet gasp” except on rare occasions when it’s very important how soft the sound was.
Use your own common sense, as well; some sounds and descriptors don’t generally work well together. “Deliberate shriek” probably wouldn’t work well, and neither would “languid grunt,” but again, this is all very situational – play around! Have fun.
Feel free to add to my lists, use for your reference or pass them around. It would be fun to see a randomized generator made, too, I’m just too lazy to do it myself. 😉
It seems that Erot!ca is a dirty word on this website, by that I mean the search function gives you nothing, and so I’m flying low to avoid the radars, so to speak.
If you’re a writer that adds any element of romance or sexuality to your writing, you’re going to stray into my neck of the woods eventually; you might not be writing all out erotic fiction, but it doesn’t hurt to know how to write it well. Worst case scenario, you have a skill that you can utilise to varying degrees. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, after all.
How do I do the do?
For lack of a more sophisticated question to start us off, I’ll quote a good friend of mine,
“I just get so… squeamish. I mean, how do I do the do?”
What she meant by this, of course, was “how do I write erotica without making my toes curl?”
The answer is so simple, and oh so complex; write what turns you on. If you’re not confident in what that is, it’ll be harder for you (no pun intended), and if you’re not comfortable with sexuality it’s definitely going to be an uphill battle.
So, first on the list; get comfortable with what turns you on, and get ready to pick it apart. Even if you’re only writing fade to black scenes you’re going to want them to stir something in your readers. If you’re not getting hot and bothered writing it, there’s a high chance you’re doing it wrong.
3 Hard and Fast Rules
There really are no such things as concrete rules when it comes to writing, but I have 3 rules that I follow more often than not when it comes to writing romance or erotica. They are;
1) Characterisation is King; when you sell romance of any type or degree you’re selling the chemistry between characters more so than plot. Plot matters, of course, but not as much as characterisation or chemistry. A poor plot can be saved by good chemistry, but a fantastic plot will not sell a romance that is devoid of tension, sensuality, and friction.
3) Spare the Shaft; please dear God, never use the phrases “python”, “throbbing rod”, or “love tunnel”, or any of the many euphemisms which litter so many poor-quality, dated romances and erotic novels. Stick to terms that are functional and appropriate for your time period and story lean.
4) Foreplay of all Kinds; this applies to you, yes you, even if you’re not writing erotica! I don’t just mean the tongues and fingers etcetera; I mean the longing looks, the touching of hands, the whispered adoration. There’s a good, solid saying; if they have to kiss for you to know they’re in love, you’re not writing it well. That may be a poor paraphrase, but I stand by it. Your readers should know the characters love, desire, want each other before they ever touch.
Pacing
If you intend to write straight up erotic fiction the pace is much different than, for example, that of a romance or adventure novel. Think less context, more action, but nonetheless follow the basic principles of plotting;
Stasis; how is life now, what are they dissatisfied with, and what is it they crave. Is your MC a lonely widow/widower, and adventurous young adult (over 18 of course), or a promiscuous singleton? Are they seeking no frills fun, emotional fulfilment, a release for emotions and tensions, or something a bit less tangible.
The Disturbance; generally speaking this is the moment they meet their Love Interest.
The Swivel; the moment your M/C realises what they want is potentially being offered in the form of their love interest.
The Proposition; moving into the negotiation of their interaction. Assuming what you write is fully consensual this could be a discussion on limits, a make-out session that leads to questions of how, when, where etcetera, or a straight up offer e.g. “I have what you need.”
Foreplay; literal and figurative. Be generous to your characters. Ease the readers and characters into it together, and get the engine running before you get into the fray properly.
“The Do” – pretty self explanatory.
If you’re writing what I call sensual or erotic romance the structure differs a little;
Stasis – every plot begins with stasis. When you’re working with a bit more of a plot involved story use this to set the scene as well as identify the need for romantic/sexual evolution.
The Disturbance – this could be the moment they meet their love interest or the moment that leads to them meeting this person.
The Hook – if you’re writing romance you need to draw it out a little more. The hook is the event which throws them together for the first time in a very real sense. Think Margaret Hale meeting John Thornton in her fathers study, or Katniss Everdeen finding herself on the train with Peeta Mellark. This is the moment they must interact properly.
Catastrophe! – You know this bit, everyone knows that there has to be a point where a horrible misunderstanding, mistake, or argument comes between them, This is the moment that highlights how far they have to go.
The Swivel – the moment they realise how terribly wrong they were about their love interest!
The Choice – at this point they have to choose between the easy path and their lover. Think of the moment Margaret Hale gets back on the train to Milton with John Thornton; the characters choose to make a change for love.
The Slide – in romantic or sensual erotica you want to think of this not as a proposition, but a gradual loosening of inhibition. You’re essentially giving your reader a romance novel with on-screen satisfaction for all the feelings you’ve built up in them.
Foreplay and Climax – once again, pretty self explanatory.
This is far from everything you need to think about, but if you can nail this down you’ll have a good foundation to work from. You can also check out these resources for extra help;
Don’t forget that when you write these kinds of scenes you need to include ALL of the senses; don’t turn it into a blow-by-blow (pun intended) or talk all about body placement like it’s a fight scene.
Talk about taste, sight, sound, smell.
Incredibly valuable and important tips for all of us who occasionally struggle with writing the naughty™️
the enemy of my enemy, 5k, clint & loki, infinity war au, slightly belated birthday present for @ameliarating who deserves much more clint and loki fic than she gets. warnings for: neck trauma, emergency field medicine, the possibility that this could develop into a Thing
This was not how Clint had seen his morning going.
He’d seen his morning going, more or less, the same as all his other mornings had recently: doing anything he could to stay busy. He’d fixed the roof, built two chairs and a bench, and repaired the hinge on the cabinet before Laura told him that he was driving her nuts. Nathaniel was a handful, and Lila and Cooper were loving the fact that he was home all the time, but…shit.
He was pretty sure he was going to lose his mind. The feds had confiscated his bow (and everything else – they’d even taken the pistol Laura kept in a lockbox in their closet). They came by every other day, lurking around the property, making nice with the kids (who, Clint was pleased, seemed wise to it).
Putting a strain on his and Laura’s relationship. Oh, she was on his side, all the way, but it was wearing on her, and Clint was acutely aware of the unfairness of it. No two ways about it: she was paying for his choices. And so were the kids.
It was probably a good thing that they’d all taken off for the week, even if it made Clint even more aware of how fucking bored he was.
Then he saw a flash of light over past the barn.
Oh, shit, was Clint’s second thought. His first, because he was an idiot, was thank god.
Oooh! Yes! I love kisses. Kisses are where it all starts ;).
Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips. It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats, breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions. A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together. Ew. Gross. The most important part of a kiss isn’t the how, but the who– because of the emotions between the two people.
Okay so:
lips– Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other. They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one person’s top or bottom lip captured between the other person’s lips (yummy). If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips don’t have a taste (can you taste yours?). Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because they’re wet and warm and soft.
tongue– Tongues are always wet, and always warm. They’re very versatile. They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue. They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking. When tongues are involved, there is drool. It’s only sexy when you like the person you’re kissing, or else it’s kinda gross. 😛
teeth– teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually. A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting another’s lips is sexy. A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual.
eyes– Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure. Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters. Have them do whatever you like, but don’t leave them out- give them at least a mention!
faces– Faces are what the lips are attached to. Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax. Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats. Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual. And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! ❤
hands– Hands are super-important. In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands. Where are they? Does one character have their hand behind the other’s head or back, holding them close? Are they on someone’s shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away? Fingers brushing someone’s cheek or palms grabbing someone’s ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.
noses– Noses are annoying. They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses! People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they don’t, noses bump. I’d only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.
bodies– bodies are either close together, or far away. Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someone’s arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them. Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense. Body language says a lot. Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?
heartbeat– Hearts can beat fast or slow, and that’s about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do! A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy. Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter. When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.
breath– To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath. The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate. Lips and tongues don’t have a taste, but breath does. Each person’s breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone else’s breath. Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening. It is something that is very present and should not be left out. A lot of writers leave breath out. And it’s so important; it’s the most intimate part of a kiss. Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and it’s either heaven or it’s hell.
voice– Voice conveys much, even without words. A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh. Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually they’re not.
emotion– Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say. You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that it’s perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the “feelings words”. If they’re in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly. If they’re nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder. If they’re afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open. Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; it’s the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.
Wow, that was a lot! Gosh I hope it wasn’t too much! Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make. Keep in mind that typing “they kissed for a long time”…that’s six words, it takes half a second to read, so that’s a short kiss! If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger.
So maybe to start off, pick three things on the list to describe in your first kiss. Don’t try to do it all- that would be too much for even the most epic kiss. Just pick what’s most important to this particular scene, to these particular characters, and describe those parts along with the lips, and you’ve got yourself an awesome, emotional kiss. ❤
When reports arrived about a new area to explore, Osric could not wait to get out of Skyhold. His post-Haven wounds have long since healed – all thanks to an expert team of medics at his disposal – but the fact that everybody looked at him like he had created Satina drove him a little more crazy every day. The thought of once again seeing the freckled face of a certain red-head, one so dear to him, kept him going when his party entered the desert wasteland. By the time he reached the Inquisition outpost, he felt like the wind had turned him into a dwarven-sized prune.
“You take me to the nicest places,” Dorian commented, his voice dripping without enough sarcasm to make The Iron Bull snort. “I can handle the heat, but this dry air is going to completely ruin my complexion.”
Osric turned around on his stout little pony and raised an eyebrow.
“We can always kill a varghest and turn its fat into a cream for you,” he quipped.
Bull roared into laughter as an indignant Dorian sputtered and huffed about the injustice of being stuck with two brutes who do not understand the need for looking your best when fighting enemies. Osric smiled to himself; at the end of the world and away from the masses, being surrounded by his friends was the one thing that kept him sane.
Maker's Breath 