How To Write Good Sex

Because there is nothing worse than a bad sex scene in a book - that is, apart from a bad sex scene in real life

- Dhvani Solani

Hopefully, you’ve been there as often as we have. You’re on a harmless train amidst smelly armpits, catching up on your reading, when suddenly things get a little steamy in the pages. And then you get a little hot yourself. You let out a giggle you hope no one heard over the clatter of the wheels, look sideways at your neighbour hoping she is not peeking into your book and thinking what a little perv you are.

We love reading good sex precisely for this – for how it makes us blush in life’s dullest moments. We’ve always wondered how the writers managed to turn us on only by stringing 26 letters in surprising ways.

How do they manage to blow our minds? We asked around to find out.

CONSIDER THE SETTING

The good thing about the erotica emerging from our country is how often it’s set in situations we relate to. “Let’s face it. The chances of me finding myself in Montreal having sex with a 6-feet tall dude by the fireplace is slim,” says Sanjana Chowhan, a freelance journalist whose erotica shorts usually revolve around the office as a setting, but the kind of office most of us would be able to relate to here. Her book titles give you a peek into what’s to be expected – First Job First Time, What Happens at the Offsite, The Secretary. The office stairwell might seem bland in comparison to Hyde Park, but if your readers can put themselves in the protagonists’ place – which really should be your aim – you’ve got a winner.

BUILD SCENE