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The Do's and Don'ts of Erotica Fiction by ESHurricane
Erotica can be very subjective as to people's tastes. There are so many different flavours just as there are different genres of stories! And everyone has their own interests, just like they have their own interests in sex. It's impossible to please everyone, but if you're true to your own interests, then your erotica will shine!
Do - Know your niche
As I said above, there are so many different flavours of erotica! The best way to figure out what your scenes are going to be about is to figure out your niche. Are you writing a True Blood fanfic starring werewolves? Chances are the sex is going to be a predator/prey kind of dynamic, depending on who the wolf is, or if they're both wolves, then buckle in for a rough animalistic ride.
Are you writing in a contemporary romance fandom, like a celebrity fanfic? If it's a romance set in our world, what are your character's motivations? If it's a shy nerdy girl and a sweet musician, then chances are they'll be having more vanilla sex than our werewolf friends.
The key here is to work within your world that you've created (or borrowed, if it's canon). If you're setting up a dynamic like a boss/secretary A/U fanfiction, then a master/slave dynamic is where you're off to!
Don't - Over describe movements
He reached out with his hands and took her shoulders. She kissed him on the lips and tilted her head to the side. He stepped forward.
BORING. Obviously, during a steamy scene you need to have some sort of blocking for your characters, but most of the time, less is more. Try going for the feel of the movements, or the emotions that come with it, as opposed to just listing the positioning of their bodies.
Tony Stark took her shoulders as they kissed with abandon, hearts entwining in a heavenly dance as their tongues massaged one another.
Okay, that sentence could be tighter, but you get what I mean. There's more emotion in the second example, and that will put me more into what's happening than simple blocking of where Ironman's body parts are.
Do - Write what you know
This is a given for most writing, but this is especially true for erotica. Most of the time it's very difficult to describe how something feels if you haven't experienced it yourself. However, if you have extremely open friends or are very good at doing research, it's possible to pull this off, but the more authentic, the better.
For some things, like paranormal romance, or alien erotica, obviously you can't experience it, but at least if you have some kind of ball park frame of reference, it will make it a lot easier to describe how things are feeling.
Plus, what better reason to try something new? "Come on honey, it's for research for my book."
Don't - Skimp on dialogue
Dialogue is just as important in steamy scenes as the movements, don't be afraid to use it! A few well-placed growled lines from a brooding hero or moaned pleas from a heroine in the throes of orgasm can help bring a scene to the next level.
However, it's generally looked down upon to write out noises. It's usually better to write She moaned his name. instead of "Ohhhhhhhh Looooooki!" she moaned.
Something to remember when writing dialogue in fanfic, however, is character voice. If you're using canon characters, even in A/U fanfic, you'll keep readers into your story the most if the characters are true to their canon voices. If you're really into a fandom, then this should be second nature, being as intimately into the story as you are.
For example, I found writing Negan (The Walking Dead) extremely easy and fun, his f-bomb dropping drawl playing out in my head every time I hit the quotation key.
Some characters are more subtle, and it's harder to keep their flavour going. Especially when you're taking them out of their element. For example, a romance for a villain that is never romantically involved in the canon storyline. It's difficult sometimes to even imagine, say, Thanos (Avengers - Infinity War) ever getting mushy with a love interest. This is where fanfiction gets tricky.
But in the heat of the moment, sexy dialogue is great for adding extra oooomph to a scene, and as long as it's in character it will come off natural.
Do - Try something new
Remember back when I said 'Write what you know?' Well, that doesn't mean you can't push the envelope sometimes. There are so many overused tropes out there, and it's fun and refreshing to push the envelope by turning a trope on it's head or going with something completely different.
This is why writing fanfiction can be so cathartic and fun. It's a risk-free way to try things out, without all of that extra worldbuilding that comes with creating an original work. It's a way to try out a genre or a plot or character type that you've never tried before, but then get to just put them back up on the shelf afterwards for others to play with.
Pushing boundaries and testing our limits is key to growing and learning as writers, and what better way than to throw characters together in situations they normally wouldn't be? What would happen if we did an A/U crossover between The Hunger Games and City of Bones where Katniss and Clary work in an ice cream truck together and fall in love over sprinkles and chocolate sauce?
Push your boundaries! But...
Don't - Write anything you're uncomfortable with
Sometimes a scene doesn't need to be a scene. If you want two characters to explore something that squicks you out, it'll show in your prose! Sometimes a fade to black is just fine too. Again, less is more!
Conclusion
There is no real right or wrong way to go about writing erotica scenes in your fanfiction, only really as much as there is a right or wrong way to go about writing in general. One last piece of advice - read as much erotica as you possibly can.
Get a feel for what you like, and what you're comfortable with. Prefer the fluffier romantic kind? Go for more feelings in the moment. More into the kinkier emotionally detached scenes? Then buckle down with some dirty vocabulary and get experimenting.
The main thing is, if you think it's hot, your readers will think it's hot. Stay steamy, my friends!
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Do you have a favorite Fanfic that has some great steamy scenes?
