Writing Erotic Romance – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
We’re writing erotic romance. Sex plays a huge role in our stories. Exploration of the character’s sexuality is part of his or her growth as a person (or as an alien or as a sheepdog shifter).
We’re also trying to write interesting stories. No one wants to read about the average person. Average people are boring. Fucked up people are more exciting. Usually fucked up people have fucked up sex lives.
Tell Me Why
In the real world, people are random. If you asked me why I had jellybeans for breakfast, I couldn’t tell you. I do shit and have no idea why.
In erotic romanceland, characters should have a reason for doing things. If they like to have their ears tickled with feathers, something in their past made them crave this fetish.
Sexual Experience
If a character has more or less experience than the average person, readers want to know why. Your sluttastic Regency heroine is banging half of the ton for a reason. Tell us. Your modern New Yorker knows why she’s saving her cherry. Ask her to share this reason with readers.
Modern Virgins
I’ve written about virgin heroines in my contemporary erotic romances. It can be done. But they have to have a reason for waiting. There’s tremendous pressure from peers, society and media to have sex. Just saying “she wanted to meet someone special” isn’t going to cut it.
Anna in He Watches Me waited because she doesn’t trust people. At all. She wasn’t allowing some bigger, stronger man inside her. No way. No how. Arianna, my heroine in the Mastered 2 story, waited because her father threatened to disown her if she had sex. Some heroines are religious. Some heroines saw their moms being abused. Some heroines are training for the Olympics. Some heroines have the Godfather for a father.
Modern virgins and, hell, even rural living Regency virgins, know about sex. Anyone coming from the farm has seen bulls and cows (or horses or squirrels) go at it. A modern virgin has likely watched quite a bit of porn (either Hollywood approved or the real hard core stuff). Unless she has lived under a rock, she has read or heard of Fifty Shades.
The modern heroine knows what and where her pussy is. The hero shouldn’t have to point her pussy out to her (Oh my God. WHAT is THAT doing THERE?) or explain how it works. She’s touched herself. She might have used sex toys or a cucumber or the anal invader (grins).
When the heroine has sex for the first time, it is unlikely to be fucktastic (unless there’s been a LOT of prep – Anna had two novellas plus worth of prep). The first time hurts. Unless she’s a pain whore, she won’t get off during penetration.
A considerate, in love, aware hero will prepare the heroine. Maybe he’ll give her an orgasm before the main event, ensuring she enjoys some part of it. If the hero is none of the above, the first time could be a disaster, adding delicious conflict to the budding relationship. She loves him but, oh noes, the sex is bad. Whatever will she do?
The Super Slut
The opposite of the virgin heroine is the super slut. I’ve written about super sluts also. Again, they have a reason for banging every guy (or girl or chicken) they meet. Condoms are a must for the super slut heroine or you’ll receive an email from the condom police, a group of passionate readers ensuring fictional characters don’t get herpes. Proving that super sluts feel differently for their heroes is a big challenge. What makes our stud different from the hundreds of men who came (grins) before him?
Be careful with the super slut heroine. Some readers become very angry if the heroine (or the hero) has sex with a person other than her love interest. If super slut needs a monogamous relationship to be happy, I usually hint at her past but don’t show it. So maybe she runs into people she’s had sex with (awkward!). If super slut needs variety, I show that the hero is as into this sharing of her naughty bits as she is.
Toe Suckers, Exhibitionists And Pets
Any kink or fetish or different sexual lifestyle should have a reason for being. If I receive a review saying “I don’t understand why anyone would like (insert kink here)”, I know I haven’t made this reason clear enough. That’s a #WritingFail
My story for the Mastered 2 box set has a BDSM theme. BDSM is complicated. It usually has two or more elements to it. In my story, I had to explain why the heroine likes pain with her sex AND giving over control. I also had to explain why the hero likes to deliver pain AND take control.
Exhibitionism is simpler. The heroine likes to be watched. What in her past created this preference? Why is the hero attracted to a woman who likes to be watched?
Having the kink helps with the mechanics. It doesn’t always help with the psychology because, as I mentioned previously, we don’t always know why we do things.
Truly understanding why a kink appeals to people takes a bit of research. This is often why writers specialize in one kink. Once we’ve done all of this research (normally because we’re personally interested in that kink), we spread that knowledge over multiple
stories.
From a marketing point of view, if the kink has a large following (as BDSM does), mentioning the kink in the back cover copy might increase sales (with BDSM – this might mean talking about Doms and subs and BDSM clubs in the back cover copy). If the kink has a smaller following and you’re looking for a wider readership, hinting that the heroine has strange yearnings might be a better route to take. I’m not into foot fetishes so I won’t pick up a story centered around this but I WILL read a well crafted story starring a character with a foot fetish.
What do you keep in mind when writing about characters with extreme sexual experiences or fetishes?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Nicolas Rainer, Chicago’s most sought-after billionaire bachelor, has finally decided what he wants, and that’s Bee Carter in his arms, forever. He shows up unannounced on her doorstep and kisses her until her toes curl and her body burns.
Nicolas wasn’t the sexy man Bee expected to see this morning. Hawke Masters, her tattooed former marine, is riding his customized chopper toward the condo building, anticipating an equally mind-meltingly erotic encounter.
Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers
Writing Erotic Romance – Turning Off The Internal Editor
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
It’s Day 13 of NaNoWriMo insanity. If you’re on schedule, you’ve written 20,000 words. If you’re not on schedule (where I am right now) and you want to make your goal, you might wish to pick up the pace.
How do you kick it into top gear? One of the tricks of writing a fast first draft is turning off the internal editor, that highly critical part of the brain.
If the muse is a sparkly good-natured yet extremely inconstant fairy, the internal editor is a dark, bitchy scene-sucking demon that never wants to leave. The internal editor and the muse hate each other, refusing to be in the same brain. We can only pick one or the other to humor, and, for the first draft, we want a happy muse.
Why We Want To Write A Fast First Draft
Writing the first draft of a story is job #1 for writers. As an editor buddy told me, a great editor can fix even the messiest first draft (I’ve seen it done – A NYT best selling buddy of mine submitted a manuscript I thought was written in a different language. The finished product was a work of freakin’ art). Editors can’t write that first draft. Critique partners can’t write that first draft (unless you’re James Patterson). Only we can. The quicker we do that job, the better.
With a first draft written and an upcoming deadline looming, we can outsource our revisions. We can ask our grammar-loving (and clearly insane) buddy to check our punctuation. We can ask our plot guru friend to ensure we don’t have any WTF (what the fuck) moments. If we don’t have this first draft written, they can’t help us.
For pantsers (writers who have no plot before they start to write) writing on proposal (the publisher buys the story before it is written), a fast first draft is even more critical. With many pantsers, the finished story doesn’t match the proposal. I tell my editor my hero is attending a masquerade ball in chapter three, and my hero says “Fuck you, word wench. I’m going to the gun range.” I always run the first draft story by my editor. She tells me if there are any red flags, story twists she wouldn’t have approved in the proposal. THEN I start revising this steaming piece of dookie, readying it for submission.
Keep The Door Closed
Romance writers often say “Write the first draft with the door closed”. This means the first draft is for YOU and you alone. Assume no one will see it. No one will judge you on it. Be as strange and as crude as you want. This first draft is going nowhere.
The benefit of this is you’ll likely write balls to the wall (which actually refers to cannonballs but I prefer to picture another set – grins). I write some freaky-ass stuff in my first drafts. Once I had a hero fuck the heroine’s ear. I don’t think that’s possible and I doubt many readers would think it was as sexy as I did. I’ll never know because it didn’t make the submission draft. My characters are usually more extreme in the first draft. The hero might be more asshole than alpha. He says things he should only think. He certainly isn’t slick.
If you’re on a tight deadline and this first draft does go to your critique partners or to your editor, they’re professionals. They know first drafts are shit. They shouldn’t judge you on it.
Be Aggressive. Be, Be Aggressive
Speaking of deadlines… I suspect one of the reasons NaNoWriMo has the set goal of 50,000 words in 30 days is because this goal is aggressive yet doable. Upcoming deadlines scare internal editors, silencing them. We don’t have time to worry about sentence perfection. We have to get shit written.
When deadlines are really tight, buddies of mine have passed pages off to critique partners as they’re written. There is no looking back, only moving forward.
The Shit We Don’t Know
Nothing stops a story cold like something we don’t know – whether it is a setting or historical fact or the heroine’s name. I put in placeholders for the small things. If I don’t yet know the hero’s name, I’ll call him XXX. When he finally introduces himself, I’ll perform a search and replace on XXX (this is why I use a placeholder that isn’t a real word). For larger things, I’ll make assumptions and create a comment, reminding myself to research it.
Saving Fresh Words For Blank Pages
I research anything I don’t know after I’ve written my fresh words for the day, when my brain is fried, unable to hold another creative thought. I’ve found that research takes up creative brain space but fresh words don’t take up research brain space. Research always comes after the fresh words.
I don’t rewrite the scene after I’ve completed this research. I can’t. My brain is empty. I put the information in a comment at the beginning of the scene. If I’ve printed the pages, I write it in the margins. Then I write as though this change has already been incorporated in the story.
Story Changes
I use this technique for story changes also. If my character has made a wrong-for-her decision in chapter three and I’m writing chapter five, I’ll briefly note the changes and write chapter five as though she made the right-for-her decision. Running the scenes through my brain takes less time than writing them down.
Why don’t I make the changes now? Because I don’t know if they will stick. Say I’m writing a fight between the heroine and the baddie and I don’t know how many shots her glock can fire without a reload. After my fresh writing is completed, I find out this information. I rewrite the scene. Then three chapters later, I discover the scene would have more meaning if the heroine had used a different gun. Ugh. I have to rewrite the scene again. (And yes, everything, including the gun characters use, has meaning in my stories.)
How do you turn off your internal editor?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Turning Off The Internal Editor
Writing Erotic Romance – Surviving Chapter Four
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
It’s day 6 of the annual writing craziness called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If you’re on schedule (you lucky bitch – I am NOT, having been sideswiped with bone-deep edits on my beloved Sinful Rewards), you’ve written over 8,000 shitty words (Shitty is a given. This is the first draft. The first draft is always shit).
Are You A Hobbyist Or A Professional?
The new idea rush is over and you’re crashing hard. You’re beginning to dread sitting down at your computer every day. You have Pac-Man-like nightmares about the curser gobbling up your manuscript one letter at a time. You’re eating Nutella straight out of the jar.
No. Wait. Delete that last one. Nutella is supposed to be eaten straight out of the jar.
The writing is getting damn hard (and not in a hunky hero-type of way). What you do next defines the type of writer you are. If you’re a hobbyist, you’ll stop writing. If you’re a professional, you’ll continue.
Hobbyists
There’s nothing wrong with being a hobbyist, someone who writes whenever she feels like writing. If that’s what you wish to do, embrace it. Don’t pretend to be anyone else.
If you’re a hobbyist, however, you might wish to keep your opinions about writing whenever the muse visits you to your sweet self (especially during NaNoWriMo). Because odds are the professional you’re speaking to is hyped up on black coffee, jellybeans and no sleep, trying to meet her impossible and never ending deadlines. She’s in a dark place, unable to fully appreciate your goodness and light. Trust me. You don’t want to mess with her.
Professionals
Professionals continue writing. Some writers (like Nora Roberts) consider it to be a job (“Every time I hear writers talk about ‘the muse,’ I just want to bitch-slap them. It’s a job. Do your job.” – Nora Roberts). I consider writing to be a calling. This is what we’re meant to do. We write. This is our way of changing the world and changing the world isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it’s dark and angry and twisted.
And sometimes this is when we do our best writing. Yes, we write a lot of drivel also, scenes we’ll have to revise a dozen times before being satisfied with them. But hidden in that drivel is often slices of pure magic. We’re too frustrated to fight our characters. We allow them to lead the way. They create scenes and phrases we never knew we were capable of.
Some writers rely on drugs and alcohol to bring out their creativity. Being tired and strung out on caffeine can accomplish the same thing AND it is completely legal.
Moving Forward
How do we push past the new idea crash? When I wrote the 12 novellas for Sinful Rewards in less than 5 months (yes, I did NaNoWriMo for five months straight), I used almost every incentive in the writer’s handbook.
Success Is A Team Sport
I shared my daily word count goals with four writing buddies and they kept me honest, asking me for updates during the day, booting me off social media, cheering me on. J.K. Coi must have sent me a ‘Go! Go! Go!’ email every freaking day. Some days, I hated those emails but they worked. I didn’t want to disappoint my peeps so I wrote until my fingers were bloody stubs. Just kidding! (No, not really.)
Many writers put a call out for word sprints on Facebook or Twitter. They’ll challenge each other to write as many words as they can in a certain length of time.
There’s also Write-Or-Die (http://writeordie.com/ ), a sadistic program that forces you to write at a set speed or the curser (as in the Pac-Man nightmare) will start erasing your precious words.
Sinful Rewards
Like Bee, my heroine in Sinful Rewards, I enjoy receiving rewards. I’ll set a word count goal and, when I meet it, I reward myself. It could be a walk around the block. It could be a half hour of pleasure reading. It could be hot steamy sex with the dear wonderful hubby (he LOVES it when I have deadlines – grins). Naps are great. So is staring at the ceiling. Often I’ll bake banana chocolate chip muffins.
The best rewards are those that refill our creative wells, allowing us to return to the computer and add even more words to our hoard (or whore – however you think of your manuscript).
Just 100 More Words
When I was writing the Sinful Rewards serial, I had a Monday to Friday word count goal of 5,000 fresh words a day. There were times when I hit the wall, smacking into that baby face first. I was certain I couldn’t make my goal.
I told myself I’d only write 100 more words. When those words were written, I told myself I’d write 100 more. Logically, this shouldn’t work, just as logically receiving an email with three words (Go! Go! Go!) shouldn’t work, but this did… at least for me.
How do you ‘trick’ yourself into writing more words?
Note: Some blog readers have asked, “If writing is so tough, why do you do it?” Since many writers think of their stories as their babies, I’ll use the baby analogy.
Babies are a shitload of work (both literally and figuratively – they’re pooping machines). They cry. They wake up at all hours of the night. You worry about them constantly. They cause chaos in previously organized lives.
Some days, you might wonder if you’ve made a mistake, if you’re capable of raising your screaming red-faced bundle of joy. Then she wraps her little fingers around your thumb, looks up at you with those big trusting eyes, gives you a (gas-prompted) smile and you know all of the work, all of the heartache was worth this one moment.
THAT is writing.
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Surviving Chapter Four
Writing Erotic Romance – How To Start (Or Why Blank Screens Are Evil)
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Saturday is the official start of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, the annual craziness many sickass writers (including myself) voluntarily sign up for. We’re challenged to write 50,000 words (200 pages) in 30 sleepless, Nutella-fueled days. (My handle is http://nanowrimo.org/participants/cynthia-sax if you’d like to Friend me) These might be Alice In Wonderful fucked up beyond belief words but hey, they’re on the screen and that’s a great thing.
Why?
Because blank screens are the epitome of evil. They’re a writer’s kryptonite, representing many of our insecurities. Can I write this new story? Is this idea any good? Do I have another story in me? Oh my God. Will the words ever come?
First Draft Shit Vs Submission Draft Magic
Much of this blank screen insanity is self-inflicted. Writers are told over and over again – the first line, paragraph, page is key. If these first words aren’t gripping, no one will buy or read our story, our precious. This will disrupt the erotic romance-literary balance. The world will tilt, be knocked off its axis and spin into the sun. Yes, the future of mankind depends on this first page. No pressure!
Save this nutbar thinking for your second draft. For your first draft, you have permission to write a totally sucktastic first page. Don’t believe me? Listen to our favorite hard drinking, gun toting, kind of resembles Santa Claus, now dead writer Ernest Hemingway. “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Don’t worry about hooks or selling your story or perfection. Get that shit written.
What should you write first? This depends on you, on how your fickle bitch of a muse works. I’ll give you some suggestions. You can take one of these gems (grins) or find your own twisted path to erotic romance writing greatness. There are no rules.
The Scene That Inspired This Story
I usually have one scene, often early in the story (as I’m a linear writer – preferring to write the story in order from beginning to end), that I’m super stoked about. This is the scene that woke me up in the middle of the night, screaming “Write me now, you lazy word slut!” I then rushed to the bathroom, as to not disturb my wage-earning sugar daddy (aka the dear wonderful hubby), and I jotted the bare bones of the scene into the notebook I have stashed there.
The first thing I do is transfer these bare bones onto the screen. Bam! I no longer have the dreaded blank screen of death. I have the outline of a scene. By the time I flesh out this scene, I’m in the groove and I continue to write. I might go back and add previous scenes or I might barrel forward, gleefully yelling over my shoulder “Fuck you, writer’s block. You can’t get me.” (This yelling is yet another reason why I don’t write at Starbucks.)
Your POV Character’s Everyday World
Some writers like to start with a glimpse into their point of view character’s everyday world. This grounds them (and readers – not that we care about readers during this first draft word vomiting but still…) in who this character is. We know this everyday world won’t last because…well…the everyday world is as boring as hell. Plus for a character to change, becoming a person capable of lasting love, her/his world also has to change.
But it gives us a base. This is a great scene to make us care about this character. What makes her/him special, potentially deserving of love, worthy of writing about? YOU know this. Write that shit down. There. No more blank screen.
Fuckfest Documented
We’re erotic romance writers. Many of us love writing sex scenes. If you’re stuck, write a headboard banging scene between your hero and heroine (or more). You’ll fill that blank screen, reassure yourself that your characters have chemistry (which is rarer and more important than non-writers think), and the words will never be wasted. Even if you don’t end up keeping this scene, you can offer it as a bonus for blog readers. They’ll love you forever.
The Ending
Yes, I heard some writers gasp, but I know writers who always start their stories by writing the ending first. We’re writing erotic romance. The ending isn’t much of a stretch. The couple or more get together, have their happy for now or happy ever after.
These ass backward writers tell me it is like setting up a target. They know where they’re aiming and they write toward that point. It works for them. That’s all that matters!
The Talky Talky
Some writers start with dialogue (or description or action or whatever turns their cranks). One of my buddies has a first draft that resembles a movie script. There’s dialogue, minimal stage direction and that’s it. She then goes back with the second draft and fills the scenes in.
Which scene do you write first?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – How To Start (Or Why Blank Screens Are Evil)
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
One of the most common misconceptions about erotic romances is that the stories are a series of sex scenes strung together. Yep, kind of like very bad porn. The pizza guy arrives and, oh noes, our heroine doesn’t have money to pay him. “In lieu of payment,” our big breasted heroine pleads. “Can I strip off your clothes and ride your huge pepperoni?” (insert more bad pizza jokes here)
Some days, when I’m completely brain dead, strung out on Nutella and strawberry licorice whips, I wish it were that simple. But no, readers expect a plot (thankfully, too much sex makes stories a very dull read). They expect the same level of plotting they find in traditional romances except they also want a sensual tone.
There are some great posts by other writers on crafting awesome plots. I’ll be covering some of the issues specific to erotic romance in my post.
Sex To Plot Ratio
How much of the sexy, sexy versus how much plot should your story have?
It really depends on your story. Yeah, that’s a sucktastic answer, isn’t it? But you are the goddess of your own storytelling. You make these calls.
Every scene should reveal character or push the plot forward or change the romantic relationship in an erotic romance. This includes sensual scenes. If a sensual scene can be removed and the story doesn’t change, remove it.
Many erotic romance writers think of the sex as an additional plot. I like the sexual journey to be fully integrated into my erotic romances. Sex changes the plot and the relationship. The plot changes the sex. The relationship changes the sex.
I also like to have my sensual scenes no more than a chapter (3,000 words or 12 pages) apart. There’s no need to hyperventilate. By a sensual scene, I don’t necessarily mean sex. Your hero and heroine eyefucking the hell out of each other qualifies as a sensual scene. Your heroine pressing her breasts against your biker hero’s back, feeling the ripple of muscles under his cotton T-shirt, as they speed away from the baddies can qualify as a sensual scene.
One long sensual scene is often more satisfying than a dozen short scenes. If I can go big, I do. If I can’t, I’ll sneak in a quickie, a great handholding scene or maybe a hot fantasy.
Starting Sexy
I always try to insert a sensual scene as close to the beginning of my erotic romances as possible. Again, this doesn’t have to be sex. It could be the night breeze skimming over the heroine’s bare legs, a thousand ghostly fingers caressing her skin. It could be the feel of quality card stock under her palms, the press of the raised font against her fingertips.
Why do this?
Because I want readers to know that this is an erotic romance. This is a spicy story. They should expect a sizzling heat level. This ensures my readers aren’t surprised when my heroine strips off her clothes and rides the hero like the prized stud he is.
It is also the big dick syndrome. If I tell you to watch for big dicks, you’ll see them everywhere, thinking big dicks are as common as carrots (I wish – grins). If I tell readers this is a hot story, they’ll notice the hot scenes.
Plots To Die For
I’ve seen every subgenre in erotic romance – thriller erotic romance (From Russia With Hot Nasty Lickable Love), inspirational erotic romance (the heroine praising the Almighty both in and out of bed), horror erotic romance (fun with chainsaws), zombie erotic romance (giving a new meaning to a hero losing his shit). You name it. It’s been done. You’re only limited by your sick ass imagination.
A great erotic romance writer can make almost any scene into a panty-wetting delight. Almost every scene. There are some types of scenes that shouldn’t be pumped full of sensuality.
Kiddies
Any scene with kiddies is challenging to make sexy without raising the ick level through the roof. Even in lactation fetish erotic romances, the baby is usually out of the room when the hero and heroine get down and dirty.
It’s tough to go directly from cutsie to sexy. These are two very different tones. Not many people switch from ‘What a cute baby’ to ‘Oh my God, I’m so horny’ in one sentence. There’s often a transition scene to ease into the sexy.
Action Scenes
Action scenes also aren’t great times to have sexy moments. If baddies are shooting at the hero, he isn’t thinking of boning the heroine. He’s concentrating on keeping his tight ass out of the line of fire. When he passes the heroine a gun in the middle of a heated battle, he isn’t contemplating how soft and slender her fingers are, how he’d like them to be wrapped around his cock instead of the phaser. He’s passing her the damn gun, hoping to hell she knows how to use it.
The good news is your characters will likely be pumped up after the shoot out. They will be grateful to be alive and extremely horny, ready to jump each other. This type of passion can flow into hot and heavy, against the wall, drywall cracking sex.
Note: Many publishers will not allow weapons (knives, guns, etc) to be used in sex scenes. You have to be true to your characters and to your story but you should be aware that this might make your story more difficult to sell.
Ending Sexy
I always end my erotic romances with sex. I start with a sensual scene and end with one. It is the last ‘loose end’ I tie up (in the case of BDSM stories, literally – grins). The final scene is usually a glimpse into the couple’s sexual future. It might be tender, extremely loving or it could be even more extreme, showing readers that the couple (or more) will continue to push their boundaries.
This last scene is key. It often decides whether or not your reader feels the couple will have their romantic happy ever after or happy for now (the only requirement for erotic romance). All of the sex scenes in an erotic romance are important but this one is critical.
What tricks have you learned to combine plot and sex?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | 4 Comments »
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
“I’m considering walking away from erotic romance because I’m tired of writing about sex. There are only so many combinations of tabs and slots a girl can think of.”
“My book needs to be longer so I’m adding a sex scene. I don’t care where in the book this additional fuckfest goes. I’ll write a generic scene and let my editor decide.”
“I’m in a time crunch so I’ll insert a sex scene from a story I discarded. Sure, the old story was a SciFi featuring a doubly blessed alien hero and I’m writing a contemporary with a one-cocked billionaire, but sex is sex, right?”
If you’re thinking any of these thoughts (and let’s face, we’ve all contemplated these – usually when staring at the bottom of a wine bottle), then you likely need a reminder of what a great sex scene should be.
No Separation Of Sex And Story
Sex scenes should change the romantic relationship or reveal character or push the plot forward, or accomplish all of those other things any great scene should do (that I can’t remember right now). It isn’t filler. It isn’t a bonus scene. It has a purpose.
There is also no separation of sex scene and story. Whatever happens while clothed affects what happens when naked and vice versa. Sex can really fuck things up, increasing conflict, or it can resolve differences, forcing couples to work together. If you can remove a sex scene and nothing changes, the sex scene shouldn’t be there.
Every sex scene should be different. I have over 80 erotic romances published. That translates to 250 sex scenes, give or take a few. No two are the same. There are some similarities because yes, there are only so many physical combinations we can write, but readers aren’t reading sex scenes for the actual sex. They’re reading for emotion, for character, for plot.
Every Character Approaches Fucking Differently
They do. Take a simple climax scene. The hero is sextastic. Boyfriend is pulling out all the stops, fucking the heroine into the mattress, and she’s coming hard, the lucky bitch.
A SciFi heroine might go supernova, seeing stars. Diamonds glitter for a fashionista heroine. A phoenix shifter heroine bursts into flames. A warrior heroine’s world explodes into a million daggers. A cowboy heroine is dazzled by sparks from a campfire.
You’re in your character’s point of view. Be your character. Ask yourself if your character would use the words you’re writing for him or her. Would the gruff, tough cop hero know his heroine is wearing a silk camisole (revealing his secret side job as a fashion designer) or would he remove a top so damn flimsy and soft, he’s worried about tearing it?
Would your talkative heroine be quiet during sex (maybe showing she’s nervous) or would she chatter during the entire encounter, forcing the hero to shut her up (in sexy ways)? Does coming loosen the normally stoic hero’s lips or does he stay in character and show his changing emotions? Is a clumsy heroine also clumsy in bed, kneeing our poor hero in the groin (taking care of that pesky birth control problem), or is that the one place she’s graceful, becoming the Cinderella of the bed sheets?
Your Character’s Fucking Style Will Change
In an erotic romance, the main characters have what is known as a character arc. They change. The hero and heroine grow as individuals, becoming people able to sustain a lasting love. This change affects EVERY aspect of their lives, especially their sexual encounters.
Bee, the heroine from Sinful Rewards, cares about her appearance and about what other people think about her. At the beginning of the serial, she gets pissy when thing get… ummm… messy (and things do get messy during sex, don’t they?). As she changes, becoming less uptight about appearances, she also becomes less uptight about sex. The Bee having sexy encounters in Sinful Rewards 12 isn’t the same Bee who had sexy encounters in Sinful Rewards 1. The sex scenes can’t be swapped.
The Relationship Will Change
The relationship between the hero and the heroine will change also. One of the reasons I love writing erotic romances is that, while men don’t always talk about their feelings, they’re really good at showing them, especially in the sack.
When two near-strangers fuck, it’s a gloriously selfish thing. Both the hero and the heroine are usually concentrating on getting themselves off. Sure, if the other person comes, that’s a bonus, a pat on the back for our big strong alpha male, but his focus is on himself.
He arranges the hook up so he can leave as soon as he’s done (they fuck in his car or between meetings). There’s no talking about personal things or the future. He doesn’t use her name or take her preferences into consideration.
As he cares more and more, his focus switches from himself, to the two of them, to her. Maybe he tucks a pillow under her ass before he pounds her senseless. Maybe he goes downtown on her and doesn’t expect anything in return (and it isn’t even her birthday! He IS a hero.). Maybe he cuddles.
Whether or not he/she sleeps over and where the couple sleeps can be a big indicator of where they are in a relationship. Does he make the bed before she comes over? Buy her a toothbrush? Prepare breakfast the next day? These details are important, revealing character.
Sex And Conflict
Sex is a delicious source of conflict. The heroine and hero could be at different stages in their relationship. She’s falling in love with him and he doesn’t want to sleep over (because, unbeknownst to her, he has nightmares from the war and worries about harming her). She sees his leaving every night as a rejection.
Sex could bring out deeper issues. She assumes the werewolf hero likes to do it doggy style and he thinks she views him as an animal, good for a fuck but not a relationship. He calls her his dirty little slut and she’s spent her life fighting that label.
Other Considerations
There are other things that can make your sex scenes special. I often use motifs or symbolism in my sex scenes. In Breaking All The Rules, the hero is called the Iceman. Temperatures or acts of nature (and Camille IS an act of nature) are woven into the scenes.
Sex in the city (in apartments with paper thin walls) is very different than sex in the country (scream your heart out, hon). Winter sex (cuddling in front of a fire place) is different from summer sex (fucking on the front lawn). Sex when we’re twenty (all night long) is different than sex where we’re fifty (let’s take a breather). Sex in a car (watch the steering wheel) is different from sex on a beach (sand in bad places).
There are a million ways to make your sex scenes unique. What are some of your favorite ways?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Sex, on its own, isn’t very sexy. Reading that Tab A is sliding into Slot B (or C or D) isn’t making anyone hot. Hell, I read a sex scene last week that reminded me of an erotic hokey pokey. He thrust his big cock in. He pulled his big cock out. He thrust his big cock in, came and shook it all about. No, just… no.
Great erotic romance is all about tone. I’ve read erotic romances with absolutely no sex that made my lady parts tingle. A talented erotic romance writer can craft a handholding scene into the sexiest snippet you’ve ever read. Her characters will eyefuck the hell out of each other before they even exchange a word. THIS is how erotic romances start sexy without characters jumping into bed together (beds? That’s so old-fashioned).
Action, Physical Reaction, Emotional Reaction
This is a trick I learned from Christine d’Abo, a woman who can make a soccer mom’s grocery list sound like the dirtiest piece of literature ever written. The basic construct for a sexy exchange is action, physical reaction, emotional reaction.
Here’s an example from Sinful Rewards 4
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck, and I press against him, relishing his strength and his size, his distinctive scent filling my nostrils.
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck <-- this is the initial action
I press against him <-- this is her physical reaction
relishing his strength and his size <-- this is her emotional reaction Every part is key and yes, you can write them out of order (though having the reaction before the action weakens the sentence) and the parts can appear in different sentences but for erotic romance readers, the emotional reaction is key. This is why we’re reading your story.
Size Matters
Because erotic romance readers are reading for emotion, EVERYTHING in the story should serve this emotion. This includes grammar. Yes, I saw the grammar Nazis wince. But it’s true. Short sentences are choppy. They’re great for action scenes. They’re not-so-great for sex scenes. Sex scenes call for luxuriously long, flowing run-on sentences.
Let’s revisit our example
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck, and I press against him, relishing his strength and his size, his distinctive scent filling my nostrils.
Compare this to
He ravishes my sensitive neck. I press against him. I relish his strength and his size. His distinctive scent fills my nostrils.
These two snippets have completely different tones. The first is sexy. The second… yeah, not-so-much.
A trick I use is to read my scenes out loud, taking a breath at every period. If I sound like I’m hyperventilating, I know I need longer sentences.
Magical Body Parts
It is tempting, especially in erotic romances written in first person (as Sinful Rewards is), to have body parts lead the action.
His big hands cupped her ass.
This adds variation to sentences, breaking up the he did this, he did that structure.
The problem with this is a) body parts don’t move on their own and b) readers don’t care about body parts. They care about characters. Readers want characters to take action.
He cupped her ass with both of his big hands.
Is always more powerful than
His big hands cupped her ass.
The pet peeve of editors everywhere is moving eyeballs. Gazes move. Eyes, unless you’re writing a Minority Report type of SciFi erotic romance, don’t move.
Felt, Touched, Saw, Smelled
These are filtering words, putting distance between your reader and your character.
Instead of saying “Bee saw his cock harden.”, simply tell us what Bee saw. “His cock hardened.”
“She felt white hot desire.” becomes “A wave of white hot desire swept over her.”
Word Choice
Word choice is key in any sex scene. One wrong word will pull a reader out of the story. Some words aren’t sexy at all. “He scissors her nipples with his fingers.” Ouch! Unless you’re writing horror erotic romance, keep the scissors away from delicate body parts.
Some words are wrong for your specific scene. “He eased his cock into her pussy.” is very different than “He pounded his cock into her pussy.” Both are great sentences. Only one fits the mood of the scene you’re writing.
How do you make your sex scenes sexy?
Next week, I’ll talk about how to make every sex scene different.
If you enjoyed this crazy post, you’ll probably enjoy
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Knowing how to write a sizzling hot sex scene is a must-have skill for erotic romance writers. Today, I’ll be talking about some sex scene basics.
Know Your Anatomy
Before you write a sex scene, know your basic anatomy. Unless your hero is an alien, his cock isn’t touching the heroine’s womb. That’s not possible. It also isn’t piercing her clit. (winces) That’s a big ouch! Slamming his cock head into her cervix is extremely painful (and highly unlikely unless he’s an alien). Having anal sex without lubrication can send a human to the hospital. It certainly isn’t sexy.
Keeping Track Of Body Parts
A hero can’t rub a heroine’s clit, grab her breast AND brace himself over her writhing body at the same time, not unless he’s an alien. A man only has two hands.
Some writers use Barbie dolls to keep track of body parts. This also ensures that the position is possible and semi-pleasurable (for human lovers). If your Barbie or Ken looks like the girl from Exorcist, you might want to rethink your sex scene.
The body part issue is one of the many reasons erotic romance writers tend to avoid writing in public places. Many of us act out the scene while writing it. Starbucks doesn’t appreciate customers giving imaginary heroes handjobs. (grins)
The Order Counts
Unless your character is being abused or severely disciplined, anal sex is always last. ALWAYS. Don’t have your heroine suck your hero off after he’s had his cock in her ass. In Romanceland, anal sex might be clean. In real life, it is often VERY dirty. Sucking a shit-flavored cock isn’t sexy.
Don’t have the hero go from anal to pussy without a shower or a brand new condom (even the brand new condom is an iffy call), not unless the follow up scene is a trip to the doctor. No heroine wants shit in her woman parts. Trust me on this.
No, Thank You To All Night Long
Yes, when a couple (or more) get together for the first (or second or third) time, they often fuck like bunnies. They don’t, however, have sex sixteen times in one night. The guy would probably die of dehydration. Body parts would be rubbed raw. (winces) The chafing would be horrifying.
And readers don’t want or need to read that. One long fuck, with plenty of foreplay, is better than sixteen short fucks. Think quality over quantity in an erotic romance.
Recovery Time Needed
Which leads to the next point… guys need to rest between sex sprees. Women can come multiple times. The average human man comes once and then has to have a break. The average recovery time (or refractory period) for a man is half an hour (unless he’s eighteen, then it is fifteen minutes – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractory_period_%28sex%29 ). Your human hero might be doing other things like giving the heroine oral sex but he won’t be hard.
How Big Is BIG?
Okay, I admit to liking heroes with huge cocks. A snug fit not only helps with great sex but it signals manliness and being “meant for each other”. How I feel about cock sizes is similar to how I feel about billionaires. I could read about broke ass heroes with small cocks but that isn’t my fantasy and, damn it, fantasy is what I’m looking for.
However, when I read about a 12 inch cock, I wince. The average man has an erect cock varying between 5.1 and 5.9 inches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_penis_size ). 12 inches is way too big for this average gal.
But you might feel differently. That’s why I prefer not to mention a specific length. One woman’s HUGE might be another woman’s small.
What other sex basics should erotic romance writers know?
If you liked this post, you might like the equally bizarre – Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.
Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Words are one of the key tools we, writers, master. Word choice sets tone, conveys meaning (often multiple meanings), changes stories. There are some great posts by great writers on what we should consider when choosing words.
Today, I’ll be talking about erotic romance specific words. YES, the naughty words! The words no one really talks about yet everyone knows are important to our stories.
Does Your Word Exist In Your World?
No, I’m not referring to made-up words, though we should be conscious of these also. I’m talking about whether or not your word exists in your character’s world. When was the word invented and was it in popular use at that time?
Fuck didn’t appear in the written language until the late 1400’s. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fuck?s=t ) Using this word in a story set before that date might not be historically correct. (I don’t write historical erotic romances so I’m not the expert.) It might jar some readers out of the story.
This isn’t only a consideration for historical erotic romances. Would a character in a very formal, regimented alien culture use a word like fuck or would they have another word for sex?
Would Your Character Use The Word?
The word penis exists in a contemporary romance world. We all know what this refers to. But would a rough and tough hero call his man parts a penis? Would a prim, proper Regency miss call her hero’s man parts a cock? Sex words, both said and thought, should reflect your characters and the relationship.
Clinical Words
I won’t say don’t use clinical words like vagina or labia. There are no rules in writing. If your character is a doctor or a scientist or an alien new to English and slang, he or she might use these formal names.
But they aren’t very sexy. Some erotic romance readers hate clinical terms with a fiery passion. These words can take these readers out of the mood.
And many characters, like a bad ass biker, wouldn’t use the word penis. He’d use cock or dick or some other term. He might try to be as crude and offensive as possible or he might be on his best behavior. His word choice would indicate this. He could think one word and say another, showing conflict.
Euphemisms
Is there a place for euphemisms like purple helmeted warrior or her special flower in erotic romance? Sure. Again, there are no rules. I might use these terms if the characters are making a joke or if the hero is mocking his overly prim heroine.
Otherwise, don’t. We’re writing dirty so write DIRTY. One of my buddies, Christine D’Abo, told me when I first started writing erotic romance to write the dirtiest, filthiest word I could think of over and over until it no longer embarrassed me.
Pussy Vs Cunt
Again, the character is the boss. Use the word the heroine or hero prefers. A hero who says cunt is very different from a hero who says pussy.
If characters don’t have a clear preference, then I usually stick with one. As I started in paranormal erotic romance, I use the word pussy because I thought a wolf shifter eating pussy was hilarious.
Some readers prefer the word pussy. Some readers prefer the word cunt. My readers know they’re likely getting pussy. (grins)
Come Vs Cum
Come is the verb. Bee comes. Cum is the noun. Bee is covered with Hawke’s sticky cum.
Ravish Vs Ravage
Ravish means “to fill with strong emotion, especially joy” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ravish?s=t ). Ravage means “to work havoc; do ruinous damage” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ravage?s=t ). A hero ravishing a heroine is sexy. A hero ravaging a heroine isn’t.
Lave Vs Lathe
Lave means “to wash; bathe” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lave?s=t ). Lathe means “to cut, shape, or otherwise treat on a lathe” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Lathe?s=t ). Unless you’re writing horror erotic romance, please don’t lathe any body parts!
Publishing House Style – Pre-cum Vs Precum & Cock Head Vs Cockhead
Many publishers have their own specific stances on words or phrases. My editor at Ellora’s Cave vetoed suckling, preferring sucking. Hole at Ellora’s Cave meant asshole, not a pussy hole. Pre-cum vs precum and cock head vs cockhead depends on the publisher’s preference. If your publisher doesn’t have a preference, I recommend being consistent throughout your story and your series.
Finding Another Word For Thrust
My heroes are always thrusting here and thrusting there. To expand my sex word vocabulary, I read erotic romance and note words or phrases I like. I then research these words because writers make mistakes. The word might not mean what I think it does.
I also test the word on reading buddies. I’ll ask them what they feel or think after hearing this word or phrase in a sentence. Are they turned on? Do they understand the word? Is it a hostile sex word or a lovey dovey sex word?
What else should writers consider when choosing words?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.
Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
Writing The BIG Misunderstanding – Romance Tropes
We, romance writers and readers, love our tropes. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trope_(literature) ), the word trope has “come to be used for describing commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.”
One of our favorite tropes is The BIG Misunderstanding. The heroine (99 percent of the time, it is the heroine) sees or hears something, interprets this something the ‘wrong’ way, and this interpretation drives a wedge between her and her love interest, causing big problems for them.
The reader can get frustrated with The BIG Misunderstanding because she knows if the hero and the heroine simply had a conversation, the misunderstanding would go away. Their lives would be honky dory again. Everything would be sunshine and rainbows.
She also knows if hero and heroine can’t have a simple conversation, their relationship is likely doomed anyway. Barring unusual circumstances, people in healthy, lasting relationships talk. That’s how we deal with the (borrowing one of Hawke’s favorite phrases) shit storms in life.
However, there are ways to make The BIG Misunderstanding work.
Unusual Circumstances
Writers can create an unusual yet believable situation where the characters can’t talk about The BIG Misunderstanding.
Some examples of such a situation are…
The heroine isn’t where she’s supposed to be when she sees/hears the misunderstanding. She’s a proper Regency miss and somehow ends up in a bawdy house, witnessing the hero’s conversation with a lady of the night. If she confronts him, she’ll have to admit to being there.
The heroine isn’t doing what she should when she sees/hears the misunderstanding. She’s stealing her nemesis’ diamond necklace out of a safe and sees the hero in her nemesis’ bedroom. Again, if she confronts him, she’ll have to admit to her wicked ways (in this case, possibly getting the hero into legal trouble).
On the legal theme… she’s a lawyer and, her client told her the information, invoking lawyer-client confidentiality. To compound things, the hero is a member (tee hee – I said member) of the opposition’s legal team, and the circumstances surrounding the misunderstanding could be used against her client.
Digging For More Information
The heroine could investigate farther with her results supporting the BIG Misunderstanding.
Perhaps the proper Regency miss asks one of the ladies of the night if the hero frequents the bawdy house frequently. The (not-so) happy hooker tells her the hero is a regular (not knowing he’s a spy, using one of the helpful ladies of the night as a source).
Having The BIG Talk
Writers can, of course, allow their characters to talk about The BIG Misunderstanding. This discussion, however, should make the shit storm worse, not better.
Our proper Regency miss leads the hero into a discussion on nobles visiting ladies of the night. He thinks she’s being judgmental and sprouts off about how ladies of the night aren’t too different from some of the wild widows in the nobility. Our heroine interprets this as confirmation.
In Sinful Rewards 3, Bee has the BIG talk. She sees an image and doesn’t like the conclusion she draws. Being a sane (and very stubborn) woman, she confronts the person in the photo. Although she doesn’t directly address the misunderstanding (she can’t without looking like a crazed stalker), everything this person says confirms her unhappy conclusion.
The Length Of BIG Misunderstandings
A well-crafted BIG Misunderstanding can be the primary plot device. She’s a princess in disguise. He assumes she’s a peasant, falls in love with her anyway. She allows him to believe this because she likes how he treats her and thinks his lovey dovey treatment will change if he knows she’s a princess.
A (not-so) BIG Misunderstanding can be a slice of the plot. Sinful Rewards is 12 novellas long. The BIG Misunderstanding in Sinful Rewards 3 is cleared up by the end of the novella.
There are usually some pages left in the story after The BIG Misunderstanding is cleared up to reassure readers that the hero loves the heroine for whom she truly is (or vice versa). Will the hero love his princess as much as he loves his peasant girl? How does he fit into her real life?
The Number Of BIG Misunderstandings
Writers should be careful about how many BIG Misunderstandings they have in a story. A heroine who constantly forms the wrong conclusions can be seen as irrational (unless this is her default conclusion – in Bee’s case, she always assumes men will leave). It signals a lack of trust between the love interests, putting the happy ever after in peril. Readers will assume The BIG Misunderstandings continue and that, eventually, one of these misunderstandings will tear the couple (or more) apart.
Have you read a well-written BIG Misunderstanding? Please share the title, author, and some of the premise!
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Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.
Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing The BIG Misunderstanding – Romance Tropes
