101 Writing Tips from an Exhausted Reviewer

Smut Scenes

For the first time in 101 Writing Tips history, I'm going to start this chapter with a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: This chapter is about writing smut scenes! It will cover all the bad things I see in smut on Wattpad, how to write better smut, but also what 'realistic' smut looks like. If this is something that will make you uncomfortable, please feel free to skip right on to the next chapter!

If you are not sure what smut scene even is, it is essentially when there is sexual content in a novel. How explicit this content is depends on the story and author, but generally, when people think 'smut', the detail is pretty graphic and explicit.

So, yeah. If this is something that you know will make you uncomfortable, turn away! Close the tab! Drink a milkshake! Dance on pile of leather jackets! Swing from some chandeliers! This chapter is not for you.

I will not make this chapter, itself, super explicit in any way -- I will keep it light and funny! Do not worry!

Honestly, I had to fight my own embarrassment writing this chapter. I have, in fact, written a smut scene (not on this account -- don't hunt it down, y'all!). It is on my fanfiction account, where I write Pokémon fanfics.

And no. The Pokémon weren't the ones doing the do. The human characters were.

God. Why did I even feel like I needed to justify that? The internet truly is a nasty place.

Anyways, then I realised... there is literally nothing embarrassing about smut? It's a very human thing. I mean, clearly, lots of people engage in this. There are literally seven billion humans on this planet--and no, it's not the storks dropping babies from the clouds.

Smut is a perfectly normal thing to be curious about, read about, and write about. Stigma is just a bitch.

Which is honestly why I think that smut is a good thing! Most of us are curious individuals who want to understand and explore our own bodies. If anything, it's great that authors are writing and publishing smut -- it can help show readers that it is not as taboo and shameful as we think! It's all very natural and human!

There are, of course, some things to be wary of. The age of consent on Wattpad is 18+ -- so any books on this platform with characters engaging in smut that are younger than this age is a no-go. Also, sometimes, smut on this site can promote some misleading information.

Like. Seriously. The lack of protection. Oh my god. So many characters are not using protection in novels. Please. Use. Protection.

Actually. If you're going to take anything from this chapter at all, please take this:

USE PROTECTION.

Anyways. I clearly got side-tracked.

For the rest of this chapter, please assume that I am always talking about consenting adults when referring to characters engaging in smut.

Similar to pornography, smut can set up some pretty wild expectations that can disappoint readers when they... well, give things a try in real life. Or it can give readers who are engaging in sexual activity some anxieties about why their own sex isn't as perfect and magical.

But, before we talk more about that, let's talk about...

BAD SMUT I SEE ON WATTPAD:

This will be fun!

Experts. Immediately.

I am referring to characters who are virgins.

No, it is not that simple and easy. Don't get me wrong -- it can be good. Heck, it can be great! A bit of self-discloser -- I could not stop smiling after my first time.