hi lark! do you have any tips for writing something sensual and emotional, but short? like how would you write an emotional sex scene that would feel natural and would make sense and would focus more on the emotion rather than the act, all without having to build up the relationship in the story beforehand? im sorry if i was rambling and if it didnt make any sense :3

themorninglark:

Hi! Don’t worry, I understand your question! And it is one that hits close to home for me, because sensual scenes can be… hard for me to get into, as a reader, for the exact reason that the balance between the act and the emotion is very hard to strike. 

(I don’t write sex scenes for various reasons. But I’ll do my best to answer your question from everything else I have written that is even remotely sensual, heh.) 

I think one thing that always makes a sensual scene stand out for me is when the focus of the scene isn’t on the physicality of it—like, not about which bit goes where, or the positioning of their bodies, y’know?—but where the physicality is described in emotional, metaphorical imagery that carries layers of meaning. 

For example, you could say: he touched his cheek.

Or you could say: he reached, and even the dust in the air held its breath; his touch on his cheek was like a whisper.

Or you could say: bracketed in his callused palms, like this, there was a heat that pooled tight and warm, and this was no quenching touch.

All of these lines describe touching on the cheek. The first line is purely physical without any other implication (and it’s not a bad line as-is, it serves its own kind of purpose, depending on what you want to write). The second and third lines are evocative of the relationship they portray. Without knowing anything about the characters here, just from the second line, you have a sense of their gentle physicality, maybe a little hesitation, maybe something precious and delicate. From the third line, in contrast, you know these are… fire emoji!!! characters, in a passionate relationship.

Another thing I think is important to keep in mind is: just because the sensual scene is a short vignette, doesn’t mean you can’t weave in hints of the relationship backstory. You can do it subtly through the POV character’s inner monologue, for example: and as those chapped lips found his own, he remembered a time by the riverbank after school where he’d pressed his soft-serve against them, laughed when the ice cream dripped onto the grass.

You can even use dialogue to great effect. Just because your characters are making out doesn’t mean they can’t talk. A few lines can do a lot to establish a dynamic. 

“Hey. Still breathing?”
“I can’t hear you. Come closer.”

conjures a different emotional effect from:

“Hey. Still breathing?”
“Yeah. Just. Say my name again, will you?” 

These are just some ideas, and some of the things I’d do when writing a scene like this. I think it helps when you read sensual scenes to pay attention to what it is you enjoy about them, and to parts where the writer manages to convey emotion as well as action. Learning from example is the best way forward 🙂