I would like to point out that the information below is purely take on wiritng slash. I do not believe myself to be a perfect writer, I just wrote this as a guide for those starting out in the slash world.

Erotica or Porn?

What, are they not they same thing? No, they are not, although there are a lot of people out there who seem to be unaware of this, as well as the fact that most "slashers" do prefer erotica. In reality, erotica is little more than a light-weight version of porn, where you show rather than tell your reader what is happening. Erotic stories rarely names anatomy ands tend to focus more on the feelings of the characters than the actual sex. For example:

Porn: Jim lost control and shoved his whole length into Joe's ass, and Joe writhed as the thick cock rammed inside him.

Erotica: Jim found it impossible to hold it any longer, and he carefully entered his lover. Joe moaned softly as Jim filled him, their union complete.

See the difference? Or, think of art. A photo of a naked woman would probably be pornographic, whereas if she was wrapped in a light, see-through material it would be erotic.

I'm not saying that you have to confine yourself to one or the other, although I tend to try for erotica most of the time, simply because I sometimes find the full-on stuff a little hard to stomach. Be aware of the difference, and if your story turns out a little pornographic, just give your readers a little warning to avoid offending anyone.

And, I'm going to be a little shameless here and suggest that you may read Patience, which is a little piece of erotica that I wrote. Although intended as a Westlife story, it mentions no names or specific characters traits and should be readable by all.

Location

Ok, so it's all well and good to have sex in bed. But, let's face it, sometimes you, your readers and/or your characters get bored of this and want a bit of variation. Here are a few suggestions for other places:

• Sofas/ chairs

• A rug in front of an open fire

• The kitchen table (!!!)

• A balcony

• A beach, preferrably at sunset/sunrise or at night under a starlit sky

• A sundrenched, secluded meadow

• A hillside overlooking a magnificent view

• A sex club

• The bath/ hot tub/ shower

• A car/ bus/ limousine

The possibilities are endless, just use your imagination!

Establishing the atmosphere

Before you start your sex scene, you have to establish why your characters are having sex. If they are in love, you have to set a romantic atmosphere. If it's just lustful sex, the atmosphere should be more aggressive. Here's a few tips for creating those atmospheres:

Love: Believe it or not, but writing a sex scene filled with love can be much harder than just writing a lustfilled night. Firstly, here more than ever it is important to write erotica. You should use soft words to establish the love between your characters, they should do things carefully, gently, and lovingly. They will caress and kiss each other. Your characters should react with soft moans and whimpers, sighs, whispers, and shivers. Try to avoid referring to bits of anatomy, and if you must, use penis, erection and butt rather than cock, hard-on and ass. And, don't forget the foreplay!

Settings that work well for a loving scene: A beach, a rug in front of the fire, a hillside, a meadow, and the bed.

Props that could be used: Roses and most other kinds of flowers, starlit skies, candles (especially if they are scented), romantic foods like chocolate and champagne, and soft, sensual fabrics such as satin and velvet.

Scents to evoke the senses: Natural scents such as roses and other flowers, vanilla, cinnamon, apple etc.

An example of loving sex: *I feel strange as I reach out to touch him, I am happy, and, and, and… overwhelmed by all kinds of indescribable emotions, they are all a big blur and I can’t separate them, can’t make out what it is I am really feeling. He whimpers and bucks and he is begging, silently, I can see it in his eyes as he sits up again and capture my lips with his.  [...] I rub myself against him, needing to feel him closer, and he repeats my movements, and we are driven by the same want, the same need, the same emotions, and we tangle together and soon I don’t know what belongs to him or what belongs to me – we are but one being.* from Exploring

Lust: Of course, even a loving copule can engage in a lustful scene, especially if they have been away from eachother for quite a while, or if they only have a limited amount of time on their hands. It could also be that your characters are only sexually attracted to each other and there is no love involved. Whatever the reason, a somewhat aggressive atmosphere should be establish to reflect on the need of the characters. Here, harsher words can be used. Your characters may be rushed, and they are free to grab, shove, and claw each other. Reactions can include pleading, begging, groaning, low moans (throaty sounds suggest aggressiveness), screaming, and writhing. You can refer to cocks, hard-ons and asses, but don't overdo it or your story may become overtly pornographic. Here, you can forget about any substantial amount of foreplay - after all, your characters need/want each other too badly to have time for such fornmalities!

Settings that work well for a lustful scene: Anywhere, really, but especially improvised places like the shower/bath, a car or tour bus, the balcony or even the kitchen table will capture the heat of the moment.

Props that could be used: Bonds, whips, candles, leather, and I find that giving a character a bit of stubble will add a certain roughness to the story.

Scents to evoke the senses: Musk and spices.

An example of lustful sex: *“Merry, please!” My voice is so rough that I can hardly recognise it as my voice. “Please…” I try to keep my voice low and steady, but I can hear the clear shiver in it. I gasp for breath and wait. And wait. And wait.

He thrusts inside me with one swift thrust, and for a moment I think I will break in two, but then his lips are on mine and I forget the pain for the pleasure. And the pain slowly leaves me, and now all I can feel is pleasure – more pleasure than I have ever felt before.* from Perfect Moment

There are, of course, a range of emotions and atmospheres that can be slotted into a sex scene. For example, how about if one of your characters is a little apprehensive and is having moral doubts? Exploring the doubts and the arguments of a characters conscience can add a different dimension to your scene - it will be more than a mere sex scene. Something like this:

*Shane pushed Kian back on the bed, gently but firmly. Kian groaned as Shane’s weight pressed down on him. Somewhere in the back of his mind his conscience tried to tell him to stop what was happening, but the mixture of lust and alcohol made him ignore it. [...] Kian groaned as Shane eased one finger into him. It felt strange and somewhere in his head the persistent voice was telling him to pull away, but he registered Shane’s other hand caressing the small of his back. It soothed him and helped him ignore the voice.* from How Much is Too Much?

I'm sure you will find other emotions within your own characters. Don't be afraid to explore them! If you're finding it a bit hard to create atmosphere in your story, I suggest you read through a few of your favourite stories by other authors for ideas and inspiration. But, as usual, don't copy whole sentences out of someone elses story, that's plagarism.

The Foreplay

As I mentioned before, if you're writing a lustful, heated scene, your characters may not have time for the foreplay. In a romantic and loving scene, however, foreplay is a part of creating atmospehere. If you're a little stuck on what to do for the foreplay, here are a few ideas:

Massaging: Massages work well as relaxing, sensual foreplay. If one character starts massaging the other's neck and shoulders, you should be able to make a natural prograssion from that point to the sex itself. To add sensuality to a massage, make hands run through hair and rubbing temples. A shirt should be disposed of easily, especially if you have some massage oil (try a scent like rose or lavendar) handy. Try massaging legs and feet to naturally shed other items of clothing.

Touching: Errant touching can really enforce a sense of the characters not being able to stay away from eachother. It can also add seoftness to a lovemaking scene. Fingers running across a chest or cheek will capture this, as will hands entangled in hair and shapes being traced on someones chest or back. So, if hands start to wander, don't worry and enjoy it!

Kissing: Kisses are a pretty obvious, and also great, thing for foreplay. And I don't mean on the lips now. Kisses can be placed on noses, eyelids, ears, chests, hands, shouldaerblades, stomachs, lower backs, necks and even erections if yu pleased. No restrictions, be creative.

Licking, nibbling and biting: All of these can work very well mixed with light kisses, and can be concentrated on pretty much the same places. Try nibbling at earlobes for some spine-tingling fun.

Also try to bring foodstuffs into to bedroom (or whereever else you happen to be) to enhance foreplay.

The Union

This is probably the part where some of you get stuck. You have your characters are naked and begging, and your brain freezes. What you mightn't realise though is that you have already written the hardest bits, what happens now is just a natural end for this.

A few pointers for uniting your characters:

• For the comfort and security of your characters (and readers), use some kinds of lubrication. Lubricating jelly, oils, butter, whatever you have handy but do use something.
• It's also good if your top "stretches" your bottom to minimise discomfort at entry. (Just insert three fingers, one at a time.)
• Once you've gotten to this stage, keep talking to a minimum. Not many people will be able to hold a conversation during sex! Neither is it likely that one of your character will constantly tell the other what to do. Moans, groans and whimpers, as well as whispered names and I love yous, are of course fine.
• Try not to always have your characters climax at the same time, as some people find this unrealistic.
• And, if you're not writing a porn story, continue on with staying away from naming anatomy, some people find this distasteful.

That's all! You should now be able to write enjoyable sex. Good luck and have fun!

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