•• Posted on tumblr by @/void-my-warranty
we all have a guilty pleasure of enjoy smut so let's learn how to write it
This may be obvious, but have sex and orgasms. If you can't do one, do the other. Nothing compares to personal experience, and you really need some kind of base knowledge to expand into things of the imagination. Try a variety of things if you can. You know, for the plot.
Pay attention to the limits of your own body, what you're uniquely able/unable to accomplish, what you like/dislike. All bodies are different, and you may find that typical smut doesn't line up with how your actual body works. THAT IS GOOD. Write that. There will be people who have the same experience and they will appreciate the representation. Even if they don't share your experience, the realism will build trust with your readers.
Watch other people cum (not in porn) and pay attention to how their bodies flex, the types of noises, cadence of breathing, areas of trembling, etc. For a lot of people, finishing is a deeply introspective action, and there won't be "screamed his name" anywhere in the vicinity. Realism is more interesting than cookie cutter smut, because real life offers variation. Lean into imperfection.
Know your character, their backstory, their trauma, and think about how that affects what they enjoy. Think about what they might not be brave enough to ask for, embarrassed about, expecting, proud of, or self conscious about. Let something unexpected happen, force them to communicate or adjust to their partner in a new way.
Have your characters talk during the scene. If dirty talk feels forced, have them talk normally. Have them flirt, confess, beg, argue. Have them stutter, or use the wrong words, or let something slip that they didn't mean to say. Silent smut is boring smut. Sex is a unique opportunity of vulnerability for your characters, take advantage of it.
Emotional intelligence is what takes smut to the next level. In what way is each character feeling connected? Feeling adored? Feeling understood? Feeling affirmed? Feeling safe? Write the intangible and the messy tangle of thoughts and tiny ways that your lil guys relate to each other. Smut is where (imo) too many writers zoom through the scene without lingering on the details. The details are sexy.
Switch up the expected sequence of events. If you can't think of any reason X might want to stop mid (act) to do (act) to Y, invent one. Create plot through disruption. Have someone accidentally finish. Have someone be unable to finish. Have the power dynamic flip. Have someone refuse to do (act) in favor of (more kinky act). But always know why X made the choice, and how it made Y feel. Make your characters play while they play.
Be aware of what needs trigger warnings. You can literally write whatever you want (on AO3), but please TW it responsibly. I cannot tell you the number of times I've been upset at finding unexpected coercion in the middle of a smut because the author doesn't understand what qualifies as non-con. People live through all different kinds of SA, and more "socially acceptable" breaches of trust can be just as triggering to victims as overt non-con.
If you're not confident on your grasp of consent, it's a great opportunity to educate yourself. Your writing will vastly improve, because understanding consent will solidify your character's motivations, and allow you to dip into dub-con or non-con intelligently if you so choose.
I like to be specific with my trigger warnings because often times people's triggers are specific, and it allows readers to make an informed decision. Yes, it can spoil the plot. Make the fic so interesting that they forget what's going to happen.
If there's something you don't like writing, it's okay to gloss over it. Kissing is hard to write. If you know how to write prolonged, detailed frenching that isn't gross... I'd pay for that information so hit me up.
Decide what's important to you as a writer. Explicit consent always? Feeling of safety? Loss of control? Pushing boundaries? Forced enjoyment? Power dynamics? If you're not sure, think through the spicy scenes you've written or want to write. Typically there is some theme that will be present, and that can say a lot about what you as a writer find interesting and important. That's your niche, so to speak.
Sex is mental. People fuck with their brains. All you have to do is write it.
