Getting Characters into Bed...

I have a few stories on the back burner that aren;t going to be erotic--because it is both character and plot that don't provide the right ambience.

If you and the plot have ste up for erotic moments maybe you need to recast the character? Or get them 'in the mood'?

Could it be that you just aren't ready for them to get into the sack yet? I'd flush out the rest of the story and if it never happens, then like veinglory said, it might just not have the right feel to be erotica.

veinglory and omega might be right; either the characters are not right for each other, or it's not time.

If you still want to get them in bed, here’s a couple of ideas:

Put them in a situation where they’re generally alone together and undistracted for a certain amount of time. It could be something as simple as taking a trip together (business trip, convention, etc.) and staying at the same hotel or motel. They don’t even have to share a room, just make it so that they would naturally spend most of their time together, be allies, and away from their day-to-day cares. This bring them to an unexpected closeness, which leads to. . . . ?

Have something happen to one of the character where he or she needs the other for aid, comfort and understanding (one's grandmother dies, etc.); and the other character responds with caring and affection (perhaps an affection that the character wasn't even aware of). Something like this quite often allows people to open up, show their true selves, and brings them closer together. If there really is something between the two, well . . . who knows what might happen. Once two characters are "hugging and holding", you can go from there. Maybe.

Those were just some ideas.

ac

Give them a reason to have a fight. Get their emotions boiling, and--if there’s any chemistry at all--this can lead to a sexual explosion.

James Buchanan said:

That was actually the main problem. All these two "wanted" to do was fight with each other. They were stuck in the perpetual "I can't tell you I like you" so I'm going to pull your braid instead stage.

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Girls, huh? Well, you could injure one of them. Some little thing like a sprain, which leads to rubbing, which invariably leads to sexual thoughts. Or give them some common enemy that will draw them together.

Right, this is what I would do. Feel free to ignore me though,

They are there, having a heated arguement, getting right in each others faces, then one just kisses the other one, things go from there.

What do you think?

Right, something has to change the status quo in an abrupt, unexpected fashion. It could be chicken's idea, or something one of them says, something funny, or something absurdly stupid or out of character.

Well, I'll chime in since I have some experience with trial attorneys. (Used to be one.)

One thing about most male litigators is, the really good ones tend to be very powerful, charismatic guys--no problem creating chemistry there. But if they're on opposing sides of a case, they never let their guard down, ever--every word is designed to give them a superior negotiating position over the other side. (And even the ones who work in the same firm are sometimes in competition with the other guys, vying for the next step up the ladder.) So it makes sense that your characters would not be able to loosen up and get intimate, at least at first. That rings very true to me.

But when a case is over, especially a big one, it changes everything. They don't have to posture to the other side anymore. And especially if they reached a successful settlement after a particularly gruelling round of negotiations, the guys can end up feeling both exhausted and really warm and fuzzy about each other. Especially if each had to make big concessions to get to a reasonable settlement. They might even knock off early and go out for drinks together. So--not knowing many details about your story, I'd suggest that if your characters--after a really heated debate or negotiation session--manage to reach an amicable agreement over a really heated issue, that might be a good way to get them behaving differently. Some of the others here suggested a big change in the status quo, and maybe this is the sort of change that might do the trick.

Another thing--the stereotype about lawyers drinking a lot--well, some of them do. That might help loosen up a character, as well.

Finally, late nights (past midnight) happen a lot, especially for young attorneys, and especially right before a trial. If two opposing attorneys are trying to get the wording right on a settlement agreement to make both clients happy the night before a trial is scheduled to take place--which happened to me plenty--they could be together, very late at night, in a very deserted office.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck with your project!

Katya

James Buchanan said:

*cough* 10 years of the litigation insanity and counting -- somebody kill me now.

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You have my sympathy...


Congratulations on finishing the piece--it sounds compelling. Best of luck with the submission and please keep us posted!

Katya

Glad to hear you've completed it!

I'm the opposite, I've got them in bed, I've just can't get the stuff right that comes before that. I'm sure it's stress, everything I write just reads terrible and things have been pretty hectic here. *sigh* need a holiday.

Well, it's just a simple story really. It's not so much coming up with the ideas, more my writing ability at the moment.

A very basic overview. Mark and Amy both fancied each other but never told each other. They drifted apart but meet up again at a party. The attraction is still there and the romance begins.

The problem I'm having, is I have two young children and a husband. Those three have been taking it in turns to be ill, the youngest is teething and not sleeping through the night. So I'm pretty much in a zombie state and have been for a while. As a result, my brain is not completely connected to anything else and I'm struggling to write anything decent when I do get a chance to write. Last night I wrote a little of the story, but I kept having to miss out little bits because I just couldn't think how to get her from the house to the party (for example). Reading it back today, it is very stilted, so it needs rewriting anyway.

Luckily, it's not long until my holiday. My laptop is coming with us and I'm hoping the fresh air and R+R will help matters somewhat. I can sit by the window and let the cliffs and ocean inspire me