I hope your Monday is going well :)
So, now that I've got your attention, let's talk about sex, lol ;)
But before we begin, I'm answering a question I have been asked many many times.. if you're writing romance, isn't writing sex scenes porn? Good question but there still seems to be a gray area so hopefully this will clear up some of the confusion a little bit; that's my plan anyway.
Let's say, you're writing an erotic/spicy contemporary romance.. there are two main characters.. your hero and heroine.. and these two characters end up together and only with each other. Sex with these two are as a loving couple, aka, they are taking their relationship to the next level and by the end of the book, they'll end up with a happily ever after. So, in this example, nope, not porn.
And no.. it doesn't matter whether it's mapped out move by move, or it's up to the imagination/your mildly written words to get across the point in the scene. It is still not considered porn.
Romance is the central and honestly main theme in the story. You need the two characters to stumble through a lot of crap, climb up hills, bowl down mountains, etc., all the while the sexual tension is building even though nothing is 'happening' yet.. then when it does happen, it's just between them and they run off in to the sunset.
Now that's cleared up a bit, there are levels of heat in erotic romance. You could be a writer who may be comfortable with leaving the door open just a crack. Or one that leaves the door half open, or all the way open.
Or, you could not be really comfortable writing sex scenes at all. To be honest, this can be sexy as hell, steamy as all get out.. all without writing each and every detail. No harsh language, no detailed body parts of anything going on. Nadda. But, you can so say it without actually spelling it out, toned way down.. your words about the characters are all that you have.. and let me tell you.. that's mighty powerful at times! Try it, if you don't believe me. If you're used to writing sexy with very little limits placed, try placing the let's keep it as clean as can be, and see how you up the tension like nobody's business, lol ;)
Here's a short rough draft/not edited tidbit.. it's toned down but clearly something's happening, lol ;)
Midnight. In Cinderella's time, that'd be her cue to get up and make a run or it. But she was not Cinderella. She frowned slightly. She didn't have a fairy godmother. There was no prince looking for her so he could rescue her from this hell.
Her prince? Arching an eyebrow as she took a sip from her drink, she thought of the elevator man. That's who'd be her prince. She grinned, once again enjoying the mental picture of him standing across from her. He was handsome. Her smile widened. Handsome and downright drop-dead gorgeous, the hottest hard body she'd seen in a while.
Her grin grew wider still, stretching her lips to their limit. She licked them as she tried to calm the tingling that overcame them when she thought about him. She wanted to kiss him before. But now...now that he was in her thoughts again, she wanted it even more.
She wanted to push him against the wall, rub her hands across his chest while pressing her body against his. The sensation in her lips moved through her body. At first it was slow, but once it flowed, creating desire...
You get the idea. And yes, they do end up as a couple and have their happily ever after...
So, whether you write steamy as hell, or tame but intense.. if you keep it between the two main characters, and they end up happily ever after (or happily for now, depending on the publisher guidelines)... It's romance!
Hope this helps :) Happy Writing!
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