Peter E. Fenton Opens Up About Writing Sex Scenes

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It’s just two weeks until Hoodoo House comes out and before the novel is released I think it is time to confess something. It has to do with sex. When I started writing novels, the truth is … I hadn’t read many romances. My original objective wasn’t really to write romance as much as it was to write stories that had gay central characters. And the fact that those characters could fall for each other was a way to build stakes for the characters into the stories. Even now, my books are more in the category of romantic suspense. And my latest books are more mysteries that have a relationship at the core.

But my publisher was interested in romance, and I wondered what that meant in terms of … well … sex in the books. When I asked them, they said it varied from book to book. They put a heat rating on their books that ranges from simmer to sizzle. Most of my books come in at the lower end of the scale, with three or less descriptive scenes throughout each book.

I did some research and discovered that there are a range of approaches. Some writers write highly descriptive passages that made me blush and position their work more in the realm of erotica. Other writers take a subtler approach. And some focus on romance and leave sex out altogether.

In my first novel, I found ways to integrate the scenes where the main characters got intimate as part of the action of the plot. I learned that a majority of my scenes were dubbed “fade to black”, which meant that I set up the romantic encounter with some foreplay that is described, and then end the scene before getting too graphic, allowing the readers to use their imagination.

But what became clear is that in terms of readers, there will always be some people who want MORE sex in the books, and there will always be those that want LESS sex in the books. You can’t please everyone.

So I sat down with my partner Scott, and we had a long talk about sex in books. What is interesting? What is corny? What is too much or too little? And these are a few of the things I have learned … described in a way that is more technical than sexy. I thought it might be interesting to reveal that even when it comes to writing a sex scene, there is a lot of thought put into what happens so it serves the overall novel. And if you want to see the results of applying these ideas to the stories … well, you’ll have to read my books.

These observations are based on one-on-one encounters. I’ve never tackled a scene with more than two characters in a sex scene.

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Just putting in a hot scene to add interest to a moment in the book isn’t enough for me. For a sex scene to really have an impact, it needs to be motivated by plot, indicate a turning point in the relationship of the characters, or reveal something important about the characters. So I need to know about each character’s sex life as part of my back-story. Aside from what type of sex they like to have (Are they passive or aggressive? How often do they have sex? What do they like to do?), I realized that the greatest element of interest was WHY they want to have sex in any given moment in the book.

In Mann Hunt the sex scenes tell us quite a bit about the individuals. Without giving anything away (in case you haven’t read the book yet), for some of the characters, sex is an addiction. Some use sexual advances in order to gain status or power over another character. And some characters are drawn into having sex because it is new for them. So when I wrote those scenes, I initially worried less about the mechanics of the encounter and more about what was motivating the sex scene.

Good sex scenes in books can tell us a lot about a character, and if those characteristics are integrated into plot … the scene is earned … it has an actual purpose beyond titillation. It might surprise readers to discover that the nature of the story in Hoodoo House has fewer sex scenes, and more romantic tension than Mann Hunt.

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So once I’ve figured out WHY a scene of intimacy is appropriate for plot, or character development, then it’s time to get to writing the scene itself. Now all good burlesque dancers know that often what starts things off is the tease. The removal of clothing. So it helps to have a clear description of the character prior to the intimate encounter. What are the characters wearing? What do they look like? Are they in short shorts and a tight t-shirt, just their underwear and socks, or perhaps a suit that fits perfectly in all the right places? These descriptions help determine what is going to happen next. And who doesn’t love a character that gets slowly stripped out of their clothes, or perhaps someone who in a moment of passion has their clothes ripped off quickly?

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It is interesting to me that lots of sex scenes happen in beds. That sort of makes sense, as sex is often perceived as a bedroom activity. But there are so many other possibilities in romance novels. Intimate encounters can happen anywhere, so thinking of other locations that match up with the plot can spice up the moment. In looking back on my writing, many of my scenes happen indoors in what would be considered standard locations, but in The Woodcarver’s Model there are scenes that take place outside of the bedroom.

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Some of the least interesting sex scenes I’ve read (and attempted to write) focus on anatomy and don’t involve more than sight and touch as the senses being described. An interesting place to work from is the other senses … smell, taste, and sound. As the characters begin to interact, what do they experience beyond just what they are touching? The smell of cologne or the smell of body sweat can have very different impacts on the characters (and the readers).

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Of course, eventually it comes down to describing things in a bit more detail. I found initially that this was awkward, sort of like describing putting together IKEA furniture. Insert tab A into slot B sort of writing. I think the best sex scenes involve mechanics that are attainable (unless your central characters are acrobats … then you have a lot more flexibility in the way you write the scenes). But describing the carnal act is complex as there are only so many words for each anatomical part. Fortunately there are whole websites dedicated to ways to describe the bits and bobs of human anatomy, and good writers come up with new ways of describing human body parts.

One thing I definitely try and avoid is clinical words. For instance, I think it is much sexier to describe a character gently kissing a shoulder and working their way up the nape of the neck, then describing a character gently kissing a scapula (well, unless you are writing a clinical medical romance, in which case perhaps words like scapula, umbilicus and pelvic area may be more appropriate … well, probably not). I try and think of how the character themselves would describe the parts in their own voice.

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Ultimately, what I have learned, is that writing something that is SEXY doesn’t actually have to involve a lot of SEX. Characters that long after each other, characters that have attractive qualities, characters that have strong desires … these are the elements that make for a great novel. And if they happen to tumble together and have sex … well, I dig deep into the above techniques and see how I can make it the best possible scene that will avoid having the reader skip those pages.

Most folks know that good mysteries require suspects that have means, motive and opportunity. One could argue that for a sex scene to be at the top of its game, the bottom line is that it needs similar elements … characters with strong need and a motive to express their attraction, the ability to make something happen in the right location at the right time as the plot unfolds, and hopefully as a result, the reader finds out something interesting about the character, and maybe finds the description alluring and fun at the same time. So next time you are tempted to skip a sex scene in a book … give it a read just for fun, and see if any of the above elements come to the surface. What appeals to readers is subjective, but I assure you that when I write, I’m aiming to ensure that my readers are well taken care of.

Until next time,

Warmest Regards,

Hoodoo House comes out On Tuesday June 25th.

For more information on ordering a copy, click here.

Need to reach Peter E. Fenton?

Email at peterefenton@gmail.com

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