OK. Having realized (duh) that my giant synopsis is, in reality, a first draft, I’m moving right along now!
Well, I was moving right along until admitted I can no longer sidestep the Dreaded Sex Scene. Like Frodo Baggins trudging toward Mt. Doom, it’s pretty much inevitable. Unless an Orc gets me first, which might be a relief.
I honestly don’t know where to start. I have some before-the-deed dialogue and some post-coital sweet talk, but that’s about it. Essentially, I don’t know if I can do justice to the MMC’s character as a gentleman who, up to this point, has kept his hands to himself. He hasn't exactly been rubbing all up on the FMC with one hand up her skirt and the other down her bodice.
My MMC isn’t a rake, but he’s not a Jane Austen gent, either. So I’ve got to tread the middle ground on this – sensual, but without blow-by-blow color commentary. And I want to avoid the cringe-worthy genital euphemisms used in some books. Now, I get why these colorful phrases are bandied about from one book to the next. The actual dictionary words for naughty bits are too cold and clinical, while slang can be too crude and nasty for some readers. But there's got to be a better way to describe a guy having an erection than saying "his body hardened." Ummm....what? Sounds more like a state of mummification than a state of arousal.
Anyway, if I’m not careful, I can betray the tone of the entire WIP in a few pages, which has focused more on their developing relationship and less on going at it every time they’re alone together. And yet, this relationship is slowly but surely working toward a big payoff in bed. A fade to black would be the easy way out, but it wouldn’t provide that payoff and this couple, along with the reader, shouldn’t be cheated out of what they’ve worked so hard toward. This is the moment that this couple truly, irrevocably bonds and it's got to come off that way.
On top of it all, I’m feeling totally squeamish writing about people getting it on! It’s embarrassing just putting it down in black and white. How will I feel when someone reads it? Does this get easier the more times you do it? Sort of like sex? Hah!
Tell me I'm not alone! Share your tales of the agony and the ecstasy of the sex scene. Maybe it will take my mind off how mortified I am. Also, any tips are definitely welcome.
Well, I was moving right along until admitted I can no longer sidestep the Dreaded Sex Scene. Like Frodo Baggins trudging toward Mt. Doom, it’s pretty much inevitable. Unless an Orc gets me first, which might be a relief.
I honestly don’t know where to start. I have some before-the-deed dialogue and some post-coital sweet talk, but that’s about it. Essentially, I don’t know if I can do justice to the MMC’s character as a gentleman who, up to this point, has kept his hands to himself. He hasn't exactly been rubbing all up on the FMC with one hand up her skirt and the other down her bodice.
My MMC isn’t a rake, but he’s not a Jane Austen gent, either. So I’ve got to tread the middle ground on this – sensual, but without blow-by-blow color commentary. And I want to avoid the cringe-worthy genital euphemisms used in some books. Now, I get why these colorful phrases are bandied about from one book to the next. The actual dictionary words for naughty bits are too cold and clinical, while slang can be too crude and nasty for some readers. But there's got to be a better way to describe a guy having an erection than saying "his body hardened." Ummm....what? Sounds more like a state of mummification than a state of arousal.
Anyway, if I’m not careful, I can betray the tone of the entire WIP in a few pages, which has focused more on their developing relationship and less on going at it every time they’re alone together. And yet, this relationship is slowly but surely working toward a big payoff in bed. A fade to black would be the easy way out, but it wouldn’t provide that payoff and this couple, along with the reader, shouldn’t be cheated out of what they’ve worked so hard toward. This is the moment that this couple truly, irrevocably bonds and it's got to come off that way.
On top of it all, I’m feeling totally squeamish writing about people getting it on! It’s embarrassing just putting it down in black and white. How will I feel when someone reads it? Does this get easier the more times you do it? Sort of like sex? Hah!
Tell me I'm not alone! Share your tales of the agony and the ecstasy of the sex scene. Maybe it will take my mind off how mortified I am. Also, any tips are definitely welcome.