Ainesseyspiegel - My Side Of Freedom

Writing Sex

Okay, so I saw a post recently on writing sex, and it got me thinking about some things. What is the best way to incorporate sex scenes into fiction? 

I think it really depends on the mood and tone of the story/poem/novel. Unless you are writing specifically children or teen lit, I think anything sexual is fair game, although the words you use and the amount of detail you go into will shape the tone of your story. A lot of the time, the build-up to sex is much more important to focus on than the actual sex in writing fiction. Focusing on emotions between the two characters, physical sensations they encounter at the thought of sex, and the way the two people fall into bed together will help keep your otherwise serious mystery novel with a side of romance from turning into porn. Describing sex acts in detail and using specific words for genitalia, in my opinion, cheapens the work and can make it tawdry rather than titillating. 

Of course, you’re not always trying to say the same thing, and a lot of how sex scenes function is determined by the plot and characters. I find that when my characters are having a sexual encounter that is awkward, uncomfortable, frightening, traumatic, dangerous, etc., I will go into more specific detail about the actual sex acts, whereas in writing a scene between two people in love, I will be much more vague and focus more on emotions and what the scene means to them. Another instance where describing the sex more specifically can be necessary is if it’s a character’s first time; going through how the character is taking it all in, what he/she doesn’t know about what he/she is doing, what feels new, good, wrong, etc. can be helpful in moving the story along, if it is a virginal scene. 

Most importantly, I think it’s just good to remember to use sex scenes the way you would any other scene: if it’s essential to furthering the plot or the development of the characters, go for it. If it’s not, leave it out. 

What do you other writerly folks think? How/when/why do you write sex scenes? 

five rules to interacting with faeries

the first is be aware that names have power. give yourself a nickname or give no name at all.

the second is do not accept anything edible from a faery. to eat from the lands of fae is to lock yourself from the land of mortals.

the third is regarding information. if a faery gives you information, do not thank them. you may say you appreciate their assistance, but thanking is tantamount to admitting a debt owed.

the fourth is about accepting gifts. be very cautious when doing so. many gifts will have unforeseen side effects. if a gift is offered, accept it, but if you do not trust the one who offered it, do not hesitate to destroy it. salt water is always a good cleanser.

the fifth is how to speak without offense. most fae are very old. this means propriety is very important. grudges can be held for centuries when you live millenia. if you do not wish to do something, the way you refuse is critical. be polite. anything less may land you in hot water.

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions:

Taken from the Nanowrimo forums. For my future reference. I might just answer questions later, or post my own answers as well.

What kind of shoes do people wear?

Do they have guns?

As a culture, do they prefer sweet foods or savory foods? (or spicy?)

Do they have horses? Other large pack animals?

How do your people typically dance, and when?

What kind of food do your people eat, and how is it grown?

What are your people’s death customs? Cremation, burial, something else? Is there any kind of mourning ritual?

In your world, is the country ruled by one family/king, or by several?

What education is available?

What is the economy of your world like? If there are several countries, what resources do they trade, and what do they need to import to survive?

What kind of opportunities and power do women have?

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Oh, there you are. Were you calling me? Sorry, I was looking for my-

Hey! You found it! I was wondering where that notebook ran off too! I was afraid I’d have to start all over again. It would have been annoying rewriting six pages worth of plot. You know how I am. I end up going in an entirely different direction with one, still like the other, and then I can’t decide which direction to keep. You ever wonder why stories can’t just have dozens of different endings, and different paths to take based on the choice you make? Well, you’re right, there were those old choose your own ending books, but that wasn’t exactly what I meant. They were fun though!

Why are you frowning? Huh? Oh. You read that passage, huh? I…didn’t think you were going to flip through it. I didn’t think you cared that much. Please don’t look at me that way. I don’t mean to be, well, mean. You just never ask about any of my writing. And, well, I tend to write what I know. Granted, it’s all twisted and deformed, so people don’t usually draw the connections…wait. So how did you?

What are you smiling for? He does that, my character. He grins just like that, slightly raised brow and everything. Are you…are you doing that on purpose? What did you just say? That was his speech! My character said that in his moment of vulnerability! It was my favorite scene. But…that wasn’t in those four pages.

Hey, what are you hiding behind your back? Those pages, what are they? Don’t try and hide them. Hey, I see writing! Did you write that? Let me see…it’s a story! With my characters…and some different ones. Hm? You want to know how it can all fit together? Your stuff and mine? I get it. You want to co-write something.

Take a seat, I’ll make some tea. What was that? You don’t know what you’re doing? You don’t think you’re any good? You don’t think it should ever see the light of day? Ha! Nonsense. Go on, make yourself comfortable. There’s a lot you’ve got to learn. The first thing is, there isn’t any story that isn’t worth writing down.

What Never Made it to Print (Part One)

They always knew they’d end up together at the end of the line, they just hadn’t imagined it would be in this way. In hindsight, maybe they should have had some clue as to what that kooky old fortune teller meant when she said, ‘Together forever, and not a day more’.

Kyle had brushed it off as a cop out, saying the old woman had no way of knowing anything else about them-they really hadn’t given her anything to work with during their introduction and had yet to do anything more than give very short responses to inquiries she used to make her so called deductions- so she had gone with the usual thing that psychics always said. That there was someone out there that they would be with until their dying day, someone who they seemed to care about more than anyone else in their lives. He would admit that she had a unique sense of style, claiming that the two of them would be joined at the hip until the inevitable as opposed to their current girlfriends, but that was about all he was impressed by. Considering that it was nothing he didn’t already know, she was lucky to get that small bit of admiration out of him.

Shawn just didn’t see the point of putting any merit to the predictions. They might have gotten him excited when he was five, and Kyle’s mom had threatened to move hundreds of miles away if the boy’s didn’t eat their vegetables, but that was twenty years ago and the white lie was nowhere near palpable enough. Kyle was not going anywhere, and Shawn was not planning on letting any argument split up the only long lasting ‘relationship’ he had ever had in his life. If the fates had not seen fit to separate the two of them by now, it just wasn’t going to happen. So he was not to going to be inexplicably terrified of the thought of losing his best friend. While he believed that anything could happen at any given second, he also believed in facts and statistical data. The area they both lived in, the crowd they both ran with, the backgrounds they both came from, and the jobs they both had, were not conducive to a tragic outcome. They were both safe in the lives they created for themselves and as long as they were careful, it was always going to be that way.

So how they ended up here, out of breath and clutching to each other as if there was nothing left while literally staring down their demise, was pretty much a shock to both of them. Looking back on things now, it really shouldn’t have been.

(Sometimes I begin writing something, and while I decide at the end of my writing time that I like what I have so far, I never quite find a place to put it. So I put it on a shelf for later and occasionally look at it again to see if something comes to me. This is one of those times, and I still have no clue.) 

dream-foreternity

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