We started the new Words Away year with a salon exploring the intriguing topic of The Art and Craft of Writing Sex in Fiction. The venue had been undergoing renovation and the café, freshly painted, felt chilly without all of its customary furniture - so we wrapped guest author Leone Ross in a blanket and she entertained us with her warm hearted and free ranging take on how to write an authentic sex scene. Gladstone the cat made an appearance halfway through the discussion and was put to practical use as Leone’s lap warmer. There were not enough cats or blankets to go around! But the cafe should be restored to its usual cosy self for our March salon.
Leone Ross , rugged up with Gladstone the Tea House Cat
The answers to everything you’ve ever asked yourself about being a good writer, said Leone, are always in character, rarely in plot (that comes later)… It’s all about curiosity. You have to imagine the character. What is in the heart of the person in front of you? Who’s this person that you are dealing with?
And before you get to what makes the character sexy you have to ask what does she have for breakfast? How does she move her body? What is the nature of her relationships with the people she loves…and does she like cats (for example)? When the character comes together as a composite and seems real then you’ll know how she likes to be touched.
We explored what makes a sex scene feel truthful. It’s all about ‘authenticity and detail,’ said Leone. Ensure you ask all the obvious writerly questions, for example, what does it smell like? What does it taste like? What is the feeling of it? Asking questions about the senses will help you find the language for it. We are all sexual human beings, but you don’t have to be a sexual athlete yourself to write a compelling sex scene. Whether you’re writing about the fumbling of virgins or a thwarted ‘almost-there’ erotic moment between two people - we are imperfect creatures and therein lies the interest. Emma Darwin suggested that sex is a kind of conversation (read more from Emma’s blog about writing sex - link below).
The audience arriving and keeping warm with cake
We had an interesting question from the audience about writing same-sex scenes and the potential for confusion with the use of pronouns. ‘Lack of clarity is often about not having done enough character work.’ Imbue your characters, said Leone, with enough information so that the reader can differentiate. If you’ve done your job prior to the sex scene and we know these people – who they are, what they look like, how they breathe, what’s going through their heads – then regardless of their sex, we’ll know who they are. Avoid the tired language of pornography and second-hand movie-sex (all those arched backs and so-called perfect sex). Avoid cliches and stereotypes - do your homework and examine your intentions. ‘If you’re writing about plumbers in Slovakia, you need to know why. If you don’t know anything about them, go do your research and acquire the knowledge. Go there with thought.’
Writing in general is an exploration of the self. Get to know yourself and pay attention to the erotic in life. Watch people! Find a way to relax in general with writing but specifically with sexuality - it’s important to just chill. If you’re in hell - keep going - first drafts are hard, so forgive the writing and know you can make it better later. A lot can be done in the edits but everything is better than not writing. You might as well write crap as it’s less painful than not writing.
Leone set us a couple of writing exercises to experiment with:
Exercise 1: The Journey
Think of a sexual thing you don’t approve of (something you might find a bit yucky or wouldn’t want to do).
Imagine a character, on a fifteen-minute journey, who is fantasizing about this thing (you might think it is kind of yucky or problematic, but they think it’s great.)
Have them thinking about this thing and then when they get to the end of the journey they are going to doing this thing.
Tip: Try writing in first person - it’s easier.
Exercise 2: A Recipe
Imagine a scene, the more innocuous the better, with someone doing a very simple sexual thing - it could be a kiss.
Write it like a recipe, blocking out the physical act. So for a kiss you might ask where will the tongues go? Where will the faces go in relation to each other?
Write it in steps. For example: 1. Move three inches to the left. 2. Man reaches for the waist of the other man. 3. They move three inches to the right.
Do that for the entire recipe - be literal - get each body’s movement.
Then add sound, texture, colour, light and smell.
Finally write it up like a scene. This exercise forces you to look at the movements of our bodies as a series of steps. It requires you to think about the sensuality of the act, but it’s also a technical exercise making you intellectualise it rather than getting in your own way.
We loved Leone’s joyous reading of ‘Drag’ from her short story collection…I read it on my holidays last January, in the perfect setting of Bryon Bay, Australia…(sigh)
Thank you to Leone Ross for her generosity and insight as well as a wickedly wonderful reading. We’re looking forward to the publication of her new novel This One Sky Day in the Spring of 2021 with Faber & Faber. Thanks to Emma and the audience too for making it such a fun event too. Next month on Monday, 9th March we’ll be meeting author Amanda Craig to discuss Parallel Worlds: writing recurring characters and serial fiction as well as delving into her writing process. Do join us! Keep and eye on the website this week for new salon dates with brilliant guests…and while you’re there check out our forthcoming creative writing workshops at the London Bridge Hive.
Hope to see you soon!
Kellie
Links
Leone Ross, Emma Darwin blog post: The Art and Craft of Writing Sex in Fiction, Words Away Salon blog post: The Agony & The Ecstasy of Writing Sex in Fiction with Michèle Roberts
