Sexual tension.

There are many ways. It depends upon where your people are, how many are there and the like.

If they are in a crowded room, a look could do it. Also, a brush past with a touch of fingertips against the back of a hand would build suspense I suppose. A gesture from one that brushes a wisp of hair off a forehead or over a shoulder, etc.

If they are alone, a good ole spat could do it.

Yes, an argument - but smaller scale - not a full on fight. An argument builds tension and if there are feelings, it is evident in the way two interact during a spat.

Or:

One of the two thinks they should not be feeling this attraction because of whatever ( dead spouses who make them feel guilty, work rules, politics, religion you name it). They fight it - it gets tenser.

To my mind, tension is the difference between what a character wants to do and what they feel they can do at that point in time. So anything that contributes to good imagination but constrained expression.

I think I read somewhere that the character's awareness of each other brings this to life. They notice things -- scent, a tiny scar, a nervous habit. You can increase the intimate nature of what is noticed to build the tension -- rhythm of breathing, muscle movement.

Characters touching, but not being free to indulge themselves in this pleasure. Set up situations where they court -- offer to feed one another (eg share an ice cream), grooming (drying one another's hair), healing (massage, bandaging).

You have to create awareness and desire, and balance it with reasons why the characters feel they can't act on these feelings. Of course, the reader must see the giveaway signs of these feelings.

Good question. I found it useful trying to think through it.

Noticing little details about each other. Like how the slant of her eyebrows when she's worried softens her face. How his five-o'clock shadow happens at three o'clock instead. How she uses two teaspoons of sugar in her coffee. How he sneezes when someone mows the lawn. And all the while each is in denial of their interest, but it's obvious they are because nothing goes unnoticed. Signals everyone else around them sees, but they don't. The reader knows what's going on even if neither of them realize, and that creates anticipation for the moment the two finally get together. I think it's great fun to read, and to write.

Love sexual tension.
The way the heart skips a beat. Palms get sweaty, and, of course, body parts react to a scent or a glance. It's forbidden and delicious.

willfulone said:

There are many ways. It depends upon where your people are, how many are there and the like.

If they are in a crowded room, a look could do it. Also, a brush past with a touch of fingertips against the back of a hand would build suspense I suppose. A gesture from one that brushes a wisp of hair off a forehead or over a shoulder, etc.

If they are alone, a good ole spat could do it.

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I'd had a few drinks with my friend, "pregaming it" we'd call it. One, two, maybe three screwdrivers. I was excited, I couldn't wait to see him again. The guys finally arrived. We kissed in the backseat, I couldn't wait to get in the club and have him alone somewhere, a booth or maybe the smoking patio. We pay the doorman and show our I.D's. I excuse myself to use the restroom, my date hits the bar. My friend and her date hit the dancefloor. My cheeks feel hot, I'm sweaty. I can't wait to get back to him. I walk through the door and there he is. His blue shirt standing out among the crowd. His dark skin blending in with the darkness of the club, his eyes peircing through the crowd finally meeting mine. I walk towards him, excited. He's waiting for me. I forget where I am. All I see is him, yet I'm surrounded by people. I shiver.


If that aint sexual tension I don't know what is.

Jen, sharing last night's date doesn't count.

Personally, I like witty conversation. There's nothing hotter than realizing you are the object of his attention and men, from the playground on up, love to needle us. It's also hot when you realize he actually cares about what's between your ears, as opposed to your armpits.

Good ol' awkward silence works, too (and let me tell you, sometimes it's really fun to write).

Blondchen said:

Jen, sharing last night's date doesn't count.

Personally, I like witty conversation. There's nothing hotter than realizing you are the object of his attention and men, from the playground on up, love to needle us. It's also hot when you realize he actually cares about what's between your ears, as opposed to your armpits.

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ha! But you liked it!

For me, it's all about the internal/interpersonal conflict of heightening desire and the physical impossibility/impractibly of going after it.

Anyone remember the old show Moonlighting that intro'd Bruce Willis and paired him with Cybil Shepard? Or how about Remington Steele? The first few seasons, they couldn't breathe without the sexual tension on those shows--the growing awareness of each other, the banter that showed how each of them knew they were attracted but didn't want to admit it, the almost-acknowledgements of what they were really feeling quickly followed by denial to themselves and the other? Priceless.

My advice is ALWAYS shoot for over the top when you're writing because you'll never actually allow yourself to get there on the page. Shoot for reasonable and you're likely to get subdued or subtle, which can be easily missed or dismissed. After all, as the saying goes: No one ever paid for UNDER-the-top.

The only challenge with high sexual tension is that once they do it, it's totally gone. So if that's not the end of your story, make sure you've built something else up that can take its place to carry through to the end of the book.

DeleyanLee said:

The only challenge with high sexual tension is that once they do it, it's totally gone. So if that's not the end of your story, make sure you've built something else up that can take its place to carry through to the end of the book.

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I smell an affair!

I think veinglory has it right.

Whether they're in the middle of a fight and all he wants to do is touch her skin, heated with an angry flush, or if they're wittily bantering over tea and are forced to speak only in subtle innuendo because dear old Aunt Maude is in the room. It's the difference between want and need that makes a scene breathless with sexual tension.

jennifer75 said:

I'd had a few drinks with my friend, "pregaming it" we'd call it. One, two, maybe three screwdrivers. I was excited, I couldn't wait to see him again. The guys finally arrived. We kissed in the backseat, I couldn't wait to get in the club and have him alone somewhere, a booth or maybe the smoking patio. We pay the doorman and show our I.D's. I excuse myself to use the restroom, my date hits the bar. My friend and her date hit the dancefloor. My cheeks feel hot, I'm sweaty. I can't wait to get back to him. I walk through the door and there he is. His blue shirt standing out among the crowd. His dark skin blending in with the darkness of the club, his eyes peircing through the crowd finally meeting mine. I walk towards him, excited. He's waiting for me. I forget where I am. All I see is him, yet I'm surrounded by people. I shiver.


If that aint sexual tension I don't know what is.

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See, this sounds hot, but it's more like sexual anticipation than tension to me. In this you know what you want and likely what you're going to get. It's that question of "maybe it won't happen" that raises the tension, IMO.

I always like to throw in an awkward physical situation which requires them to touch or be very close - whilst maintaining a torturously dignified, this-means-nothing attitude.

One of my favorite scenes from my WIP is where I have the woman driving a sports car and the man in the passenger seat. He encourages her to speed and she gets pulled over. She's freaking out a little because she's never gotten a ticket, and he feels bad because it's technically his fault. The car has tinted windows, so he offers to swap seats with her before the cop gets there.

AWKWARD!

jennontheisland said:

See, this sounds hot, but it's more like sexual anticipation than tension to me. In this you know what you want and likely what you're going to get. It's that question of "maybe it won't happen" that raises the tension, IMO.

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Ahhhhhhhhh great point. I totally get what you're saying.

DeleyanLee said:

After all, as the saying goes: No one ever paid for UNDER-the-top.

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Well, only the millions of people who've bought Jane Austen's novels over the last 200 years.

I think subtle-and-understated can work just as well as in-your-face. Especially if you need your sexual tension to be prolonged over the course of the book, rather than just a few pages.

I found this article about sexual tension. It helped me out a lot. I mean I still would like some more on the topic honestly, but this did help me.

http://www.likesbooks.com/tension.html

I'm a fan of the looks across the room. Both can't help but stare as they peek over objects for a glimpse. When they're close she smells his cologne...

Silver-Midnight said:

I found this article about sexual tension. It helped me out a lot. I mean I still would like some more on the topic honestly, but this did help me.

http://www.likesbooks.com/tension.html

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This article is great. Building sexual tension well is so important in all types of fiction. Thanks Silver-Midnight!

JustJas said:

This article is great. Building sexual tension well is so important in all types of fiction. Thanks Silver-Midnight!

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Glad it helped!

JustJas said:

This article is great. Building sexual tension well is so important in all types of fiction. Thanks Silver-Midnight!

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Yes, I just read it, too. Very useful article. Thanks!!