Let’s face it, there is a ton of poorly written, cringe-worthy smut in the Fan Fiction Universe. Sex is an extraordinarily intimate act, whether in life or on the page, so you must be comfortable with your subject matter before you start writing. Take some time before you start to figure out what you’d like to write. The following tips will help to guide you through that process.
Do Your Homework — The first step to writing good sex, is to read it. You can read it any way you like-Fan Fiction, main stream Erotica, whatever floats your boat literotica. This will help you get a feel for the language of sex-it’s not all dirty words. It will also help you to figure out what you like, what turns you on, and what you don’t like.
Plan Ahead — Determining the content of your scene before you write it will make an immeasurable difference in the success of your story. Some writers depend on spontaneity when they are writing intimate scenes, but it is important to remember this is fiction, and not real life. So take a moment, decide who is going to be in your scene, what is going to happen and who is going to be doing what to whom. It will make things a heck of a lot easier if you know what kind of sex your characters are going to have. Missionary? Oral? On the bed or against the wall? Making these kinds of choices up front will make filling in the details a lot easier.
Characterization — Characterization is critical when you are writing an intimate scene. As Fan Fiction writers, we don’t always get to see our characters in vulnerable situations, especially if you are writing for a procedural type drama. This is when it is important to watch your show closely. Study how your chosen characters interact, and figure out what they aren’t saying to each other. Capitalizing on that subtext is the key to a great story, especially when you are planning on taking things to the bedroom.
Evolve — Unless you are writing porn, you’ll need to figure out what kind of a scene you are writing. Sex is the most intimate act that can occur between two people (or more if that is your cup of tea.) Sex changes people, and you’ll need to figure out how your characters are going to be affected (or not) by this interaction. Will this be a healing scene? Animal attraction? A mistake?
Progression & Layer in Detail — A sex scene has a natural progression -foreplay, the act, climax, closure-so you already have a map for how your scene should play out. Also, you don’t have to get it right the first time; you can start writing with simple sentences describing what you want to have happen, and follow that up by layering in the detail. Since you have an underlying structure, you can feel free to write without worry-the groundwork is already in place. Usually I just close my eyes, imagine the scene, and write what I see in my mind’s eye.