Do you have any tips for writing smut?
[disclaimer: I don’t have any experience when it comes to writing smut in novels, so this is based around what I’ve learned from screenwriting].
[warning: I start ranting pretty heavily towards the end of this, I’m sorry in advance but this is a topic regarding the movie industry that makes me so incredibly mad which is why I sound aggressive]
Okay. So here’s the thing, an intimate scene does not have to include nudity or be heavily detailed for it to be considered ‘’hot.’’
I don’t care what Hollywood has taught you. I don’t care if it’s authentic for two characters to rid themselves of all their clothes, or if it’s normal to describe / show the female body on screen, and get as dirty as you possibly can with it.
Yes, it’s realistic, nothing wrong with it. When humans get intimate, there’s no clothes involved, and we should strive to write things that are realistic [in the emotional aspect] but it is not always necessary to describe the whole act down to its core! Sometimes it’s enough to simply imply that two characters has done the deed.
Some heavy kissing, a character being pushed onto the bed, and then you fade to black. That’s enough for people to understand what’s happening!
You can imply that two characters has had sex by coming back to the scene at a later time, by describing the setting, in which the two characters are cuddled up in bed, and clothes are laying all over the floor.
A scene isn’t automatically ‘’hot’’ just because it includes a bunch of limbs, and a whole lot of detailed description. Focus on what your characters are feeling in the scene. This isn’t for your audience to enjoy, it’s for your characters.
If you’re writing a screenplay, skip the stylized cuts, skip the montage. Let your characters go from point A to point B, and let them relish in it. Realism is important, focus on making the escalation from light to heavy kissing natural.
And as far as nudity goes in Hollywood, I’m tired, okay. I’m tired of reading about female actresses who feels pressured, or are forced into doing nude scenes that they’re not comfortable doing.
LISTEN TO ME. NUDE SCENES ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT. NUDITY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY EQUAL GOOD SEX SCENES
And unless those boobs shoot magical confetti, there’s no reason for them to be shown on screen.
You know what would be more creative / intriguing to watch, while also making sure that your actresses are comfortable?
Your characters, making out on the bed, as their kisses grow more passionate, A pulls the covers over A+B’s head. Or maybe, they’re making out against the wall, and somebody’s pushing the other one towards the door, slams it shut as we fade to black
Or why not just have your character put their hands under the woman’s shirt, while whispering something seductive into her ears?
Your viewers will know what’s under there! There’s no reason to feed your audience the whole cake when there’s so many more ways you can cut it.
