Should you get creative with private parts?

Erotica authors are successful because they are able to combine powerful characters, intriguing storylines, and descriptive intimate scenes that get readers excited. But it can be hard for people to start writing erotica and feel comfortable talking about such an intimate act. When you sit down to write your first sex scene, it's important to understand that you need to be completely comfortable with your own body, and that of a partner, to make the scene believable.

If you have trouble saying the word “penis” or struggle with describing your own vagina to somebody, you may not be ready to tackle the descriptive words that you need to use to write a powerful scene.

If you remember back to the 70s and 80s, many movies would avoid the topic of sex altogether and simply show a train driving into a tunnel to reveal that sex had occurred between the characters. It was a subtle way of explaining that the sexual act had taken place without showing or saying anything else. It was a heavy hint that something had happened but viewers could draw their own conclusions based on what they saw.

This is not what erotica readers are expecting. They don't expect you to paint a picture of something where it is open to interpretation. They want the real thing and they wanted in the most basic words that you can use.

Don't get creative with the sex scenes

When I say that you should avoid getting creative with sex scenes I'm not talking about experimentation. Some stories do very well with an innocent character who wants to experiment something new with a partner. And that's fine, what I'm talking about is the word choices that come to mind when you're trying to describe the sexual act. Readers can quickly pick up on the fact that you may not feel comfortable talking about sex, and therefore, your writing will suffer.

The key is that you don't want to use euphemisms for Body Parts. For example, don't talk about a man's member, or talk about how he took his manhood out of his pants. Don't call him a ram. For women, don't talk about that tunnel and the train driving through the tunnel. Don't talk about her sexual organs like womanhood, and don't refer to her breasts as melons.

Use the right words but don't get medical

Think about the words that you would use when you're at the doctor. You don't necessarily go into a doctor's office and say that you womanhood is hurting if you're experiencing pain in your groin. You would use the word "penis" if your man or the word "vagina" if you're a woman. Don't be afraid to use these terms or words because they do describe the body parts that you're talking about and they are the proper medical and educational terms for these body parts.

You want to avoid getting too clinical with your word choices. You don't want to stop the flow of your story because you're using the name of the body part that may not necessarily be well known. Instead, just use the common words that people know. If you start talking about things that may sound to medical or clinical, it will ruin the flow of the story.

How do you best describe these intimate scenes with your characters?