::snicker::

[ciroccoj]

Things you find going through old e-mails:

Well, that actually wouldn't raise my squick-o-meter too much. I've read some, though, that devolve into "and then his [body part] [verb] into his/her [body part] and then they [anatomically impossible action] and then the [secretion(s)] came gushing out like torrent of [bad simile]" by which point I've started scanning down to the end of the sex part hoping to pick up the plot again. I know many people find the above titillating, but to me... geez, that's about as titillating as Gray's Anatomy.

General questions, because I'm curious:

1. Do you ever read sexually explicit material?
   
2. What are some elements of well-written sex scenes?
   
3. What are some elements of badly-written sex scenes?
   
4. Do you ever write sexually explicit material?
   
5. How do you write it?
   
6. Why do you write it?

Comments

Great questions!

[jessebee.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, most of my answers are going to sound like reruns of medee's, as she has again pretty much nailed things ::bows in the direction of the West Coast:: but I'd like to give it a whack.

1. Absolutely. As frequently as possible and with great interest.
2. As medee said, the best ones are about sex and *something else.* If there is nothing driving it other that "gee they are pretty wonder what they'd look like in bed!" then there really isn't any worthwhile point. For my part, I also believe the best scenes, because they involve *something else,* rarely need to resort to crudity. If the writer must resort to cheap and crude descriptions of actions and pet-names for body parts, then there is obviously nothing of much value underpinning the scene. Some of the hottest sex I've ever read had almost no real mention of intimate body parts--the feelings and emotions of the characters involved were more than enough.
3. What medee said, 'cause I certainly can't top that description! :-)
4. As often as I can come up with a reason to, which is alarmingly often. ;-) Not that most of it ever makes it off of my hard drive, but there you are. ;-)
5. To echo medee again, carefully. Thoughtfully. Slowly (more slowly than some would like ;-). When I write a sex scene, I most often work the entire sequence out in my mind's eye first, and then find a way to commit it to words. I try to live up to the opinions I voiced in #2, although I'm the first to admit that I don't always make it. The scenes of mine that I have been happiest with have been the ones that were the hardest to write. Meaningful sex *should* be difficult to write, imho. The writer is playing voyeaur on what should be the most beautiful, affecting, and intimate act that people can commit. It should never be taken lightly.
6. Mostly because when a fandom pairing has caught my heart, I (as a reader) want to see these two people achieve this most intimate understanding. So I do it for them. But sometimes, I confess, I write because I've read something somebody else wrote and thought "hell, I can do better than that." So in some cases it's also for the challenge.