Incorporating Sex in Your Fiction Writing

Why do you think that there are so many representations of sex in advertising? Why do movies and television shows include explicit sex scenes? The answer is very simple: Sex sells. Of course, this doesn't mean that you have to incorporate sex into your fiction writing just to become a best-selling novelist. You don't have to use sex in your fiction writing, but if you decide that it's an avenue you'd like to explore, you should learn a few ground rules to avoid offending your audience.

Make Sure the Sex Scene Advances the Plot

You've probably noticed that many sex scenes in movies are strictly gratuitous. This might fly with the producers over in Hollywood, but your literary-minded readers won't be impressed. Incorporating sex into your fiction writing means finding a legitimate place for the sex. Is it a pivotal moment between two characters that will change the focus of the novel from here on out?

Analyze Your Audience

A novel written for young adults probably shouldn't include explicit sex scenes. Neither should a science fiction novel or a fantasy epic unless the sex scene furthers the plot in some way. When you're working out the plot of your fiction story, make sure to consider the intended audience. Who will enjoy your novel the most? Once you know the answer to that question, you can ask yourself whether or not that audience would appreciate your integrating sex scenes into your fiction writing.

Remember the Need for Suspense

Part of the reason why sex scenes in fiction writing are so popular is because they provide a sense of relief. For 100+ pages, the reader has been anticipating the inevitable union between two key characters, either because their love is consistently thwarted or because the reader is simply rooting for them. A sex scene should always be the culminating of something that has been brewing since page one, so if you're going to integrate a sex scene in your fiction writing, make sure to wait until you've built sufficient suspense.

Know the Difference Between Seduction and Sex

In most cases, the key moments of a literary sex scene are those leading up to copulation, and not the act itself. Unless you're writing erotica, your readers don't particularly care about the exact placement of limbs and other body parts while your characters get it on; most adults know how intercourse occurs. Instead, integrating a sex scene into your fiction writing should be about building up to that penultimate moment: the furtive glances over a bottle of wine, the make-out session on the couch after a movie, the heated discussion about where their relationship is taking them -- you get the idea.

Focus on Emotion

In most fiction stories -- whether romance or otherwise -- the sex scenes are merely a byproduct of intense emotions. Your readers aren't rooting for your characters to have sex because they want a detailed description of the act, but because they sense a budding romance that will be solidified after the removal of clothing. Rather than focusing on who puts what where, try detailing the emotional roller coastal that inevitably results from sex.

How, when and where you integrate sex scenes into your fiction writing is entirely your prerogative. Just remember that the tact with which you integrate those sex scenes might determine whether or not your readers ever return for another story.