I present to you a - probably quite incomplete, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of speech sounds - reference list and a bit of a guideline for the different ways one can describe the sounds your characters make whilst writing smut. I’ll definitely be referring to it, because I sometimes get stuck on exactly how to describe a particular noise. (aka, “he can’t groan again, he just groaned last paragraph”)

Sounds (noun, both independently and describing speech): breath/breathe, gasp, moan, groan, pant, whimper, whine, shout, yelp, hiss, grunt, cry, scream, shriek, sob, growl, curse, sound, sigh, hum, noise, squeak, snarl, howl, roar, mewl, wail, choke, keen, purr

Sounds (noun, describing speech): rasp, husk, drawl, plea, murmur, whisper, beg

Descriptors (adjective): loud, hushed, quiet, low, high, high-pitched, little, tiny, soft, deep, unrestrained, restrained, strained, breathy, rough, sudden, short, drawn-out, sharp, harsh, hard, thick, smooth, thin, heavy, impassioned, insistent, hungry, passionate, repeated, filthy, debauched, sweet, slow, deliberate, guttural, languid, surprised, husky, distracted, happy, pleased, satisfied, wordless, cut-off, bitten-off, contented, hoarse, extended, long, depraved, aching, choked, strangled, broken, helpless, shuddering, shaky, trembling, urgent, needy, desperate, wanton, shattered, pained, eager

Combine a descriptor and a sound for best effect - for example, “needy moan,” “pleased hum,” or “sudden scream.” You can even use two: “low, rough grunt,” “sweet little cry,” “desperate, filthy noise,” as long as you don’t repeat a word that means the same thing, unless you really want to emphasize it. Avoiding repetition is pretty key here. You don’t usually want to say “hushed, quiet gasp” except on rare occasions when it’s very important how soft the sound was.

Use your own common sense, as well; some sounds and descriptors don’t generally work well together. “Deliberate shriek” probably wouldn’t work well, and neither would “languid grunt,” but again, this is all very situational - play around! Have fun.

WRITERS!!!

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!

WRITE!!!!!

WHEN ARE WE GONNA DO IT?!

Friend: How’s the writing going? You’ve been at it for hours

Me:

There are plenty of things to consider when writing smut, and other than the plot and general fucking around, you need to concentrate the context in which your characters are within, the pronouns you will use, and the language you use when writing. Contrary to what some might think, you can’t use the same language writing a smut scene for a newlywed couple, friends with benefits or high school sweethearts. This guide will include those things, but will also include a glossary, how to describe some things and how to to describe others, and a little guide on using pronouns correctly. This will obviously include adult content and other things unsuitable to certain eyes. If you are under the age of consent in your country and/or feel uncomfortable reading adult themes I recommend looking elsewhere.

Part one is 1800+ words and contains context help on virgin sex and making love. I didn’t proofread this much to be frank so I apologise in advance for grammar and spelling errors. The next parts will include casual sex/friends with benefits and maybe hate sex. Send me a message if you’d like to see anything in particular.

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

Hey! So a while ago, I really wanted to be an author. Because of this, I did do a bunch of research and spent my fair share of time on writing blogs reading articles on this exact thing so here are some points/tips I’ve learned:

For starters, the first part of beginning a novel is establishing your idea. From what you’re telling me, it seems as though you’ve already established it and you’re trying to build off of it. But still, just in case you haven’t drawn out a basic outline of major events and scenes that you want, it helps if you write it out on paper in a timeline type of structure. As you do this, think about whether or not this material could make a lasting story. There are some stories that are better left as short stories rather than novels, and we want to be sure that your idea is sustainable. Through this, you will hopefully develop a bigger and better picture of what you want. 

Now, you have a few events and ideas about events in your book but they’re all over the place and not really connected. My advice for piecing things together would be to work backward. Take one of your events and focus on how they got there and why they got there in the first place. 

Know the elements of what the first chapter of a novel should consist of. From my experience, you want to establish a setting, the main character, as well as generate an interest for your potential readers. There are different ways in which you can do this. 

First, you can establish a problem/failure for your character. For example, the third sentence from the book My Left Foot by Christy Brown begins states this: Mine was a difficult birth, I am told. Here, we are introduced to a problem, enabling the reader’s interest to ask themselves the question of “Why was it so difficult?” While this may not be the best example because it is a memoir, you can still feel the anticipation for wanting to know more. This is a very common technique and in my opinion, the best way to begin a novel. 

Second, you can begin your story by establishing what an ordinary day would look like for your main character. This isn’t my favorite technique, but it does have its perks. Through doing this, we learn about your character’s patterns and their daily activities. This arranges the perfect set up for later introducing a problem or disturbance, effectively giving them a reference to what their day/life should be like. This will put emphasis on the differences. 

While there are many things that you want to do with the first chapters, there are also many things that you want to avoid. Here are just a few things that tend to be very off-putting:

Creating a faux scene is a very common mistake. A faux scene would be something that sets up a false environment. An example of this that is often used would be the book beginning with a dream. No one wanted to read about a dream believing that it is reality up until the next chapter where the first sentence is something like “he awoke in a puddle of his own sweat, grateful that it was all just a dream.” A lot of times, these scenes are considered to be irritating due to the fact that they are completely unnecessary. 

Not having a clear goal for the main character can be a total killer. Most of the time, a book will consist of a problem that needs to be solved. If there is no problem or predicament, then what makes this story important? What separates that from a random diary from a teenage girl? Having a clear goal is very important. 

One thing that I’ve noticed that seems to be very common is the use of purple prose. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically prose that is overly elaborate and ornate. These days, brilliant metaphors and over exaggerated details and descriptions are praised for their beauty and splendor. However, too much isn’t good. Purple prose can often come off as boring to the reader as they attempt to interpret every metaphor you write and even try to find something out of nothing. If you’ve ever been in a high school literature class, you’ll get what I mean. But overall, this type of writing is often considered to be insincere and even pretentious. 

Avoid the clichés. Stuff like a staggering drunkard in a crime novel or a character jolting up in their sleep as they wake up from a nightmare can be a painful thing to read. Also, no random life or death situations. Don’t randomly start with the character having a gun against his head without any context. It’ll leave the reader confused.

No prologues. Just don’t. These are so commonly hated and disliked. 

It’s also important to note that many authors, if not, all, go through several rough drafts prior to coming up with the final one. That being said, you don’t have to have your novel start off as some brilliant, award-winning piece of literature from the get-go. You can begin with something basic and build your way up from there. That’s always been my approach to things, as I’m a very careful and meticulous planner.

Other Helpful Links:

How To Start A Novel

Three Ways To Start A Novel

How To Start A Novel Right

witterprompts:

//Witter here with a character sheet that I use. I hope it comes in handy!

“A quote from or about your character.”

     - Book, Chapter, Thought, Etc.

   General Information

Name: [The name you call them and they call themselves mainly; but if it isn’t their real biological name, make sure you note that information down somewhere] Name Meaning: [Self explanatory] Pronunciation: [Self explanatory] Other Names: [Nicknames? Aliases?] Titles: [A title they might have earned? Like ‘The Trouble Maker’ or ‘General’?]

Sex: [Self explanatory] Gender: [Self explanatory] Age: [Can add what they look like in terms of age]

Birth Date: [Were they born on Earth with our terms of years?] Birth Place: [Self explanatory; where were they born?]

Species: [Human? Shape shifter? Alien?] Home-Planet: [Earth? Mars? Completely made up planet?] Nationality: [I think this goes without saying] Occupation: [Space janitor? Mortician? Artist?]

Dominant Hand: [Ambi? Left? Right? Third Hand?] Astrological Sign: [Leo? Cancer? Virgo? A completely new one?] Blood Type: [Might come in handy]

   Appearance

Main Appearance: [Here’s where I put a detailed paragraph or two talking about the general description of my character, from skin color, to facial shape, to height/weight, hair color, birthmarks, scars, skin conditions, eye color, etc.]

Alternative Appearances: [This refers to other forms your character might have. Like, say they have a disguise or they’re a shape shifter]

   Image

Wardrobe: [Self explanatory]

Accessories: [Self explanatory] Musical Instruments: [Self explanatory] Piercings: [Self explanatory] Hygiene: [Self explanatory] Makeup: [Self explanatory] Perfume / Cologne: [Self explanatory] Scent: [Natural] Tattoos: [Self explanatory- I usually put this and piercings up in Appearance, but if it’s feeling cluttered to you, this is fine]

   Health

Diet: [Self explanatory] Exercise: [Self explanatory; how frequently?] Fitness: [Self explanatory; Are they ‘in shape’?] Posture: [Self explanatory]

Abnormalities: [In their health] Aids: [Medicines, coping habits, Glasses, Hearing Aids, etc?] Allergies: [Include their severity] Diseases: [If they have any] Illnesses: [If they have any] Disorders: [If they have any] Broken Bones: [If they have any] Reason for Health: [This is a general explanation of how they might have come to have what they have, hereditary or if they fell from a tree and got a broken bone]

   Voice

Accent / Dialect: [Self explanatory] Voice: [Self explanatory; rough/delicate/raspy, etc] Laughter: [Self explanatory; is it breathy? Bubbly? Almost too soft to hear?] Impediments: [Self explanatory; stutters, etc.]

   Psychology

Languages: [Languages they might know] Personality: [Self explanatory; this usually gets really long]

   Philosophy

Outlook on Life: [Self explanatory] Philosophy / Motto: [Self explanatory]

   Character

Priorities: [Self explanatory; goals they have in mind?] Self Confidence: [Self explanatory; how they outwardly show it] Self Control: [Self explanatory] Self Esteem: [Self explanatory; this is how they feel deep inside]

Quirks: [Self explanatory; like, do they rub their neck a lot? Always fiddle with stuff?] Hobbies: [Self explanatory] Closet Hobbies: [Self explanatory; stuff they aren’t too keen on sharing] Guilty Pleasures: [Self explanatory]

Habits: [Self explanatory] Nervous Tics: [Self explanatory] Soft Spots: [Self explanatory]

Most Prized Possession: [Self explanatory] Collections: [Self explanatory]

Regrets: [Self explanatory] Secrets: [Self explanatory] Darkest Secret: [Self explanatory] Pet Peeves: [Self explanatory]

Phobias: [Self explanatory]

   Preferences

Likes: [Self explanatory] Dislikes: [Self explanatory]

Favorites: [Self explanatory; general things, such as favorite food, movie genre, music, etc] Least Favorites: [Self explanatory]

   Combat

Ability: [Self explanatory] Position: [Self explanatory; position they find themselves when in combat, defense or offense, as well as if they’re leader, etc] Weapon: [Self explanatory] Element: [Self explanatory] Martial Arts: [Self explanatory] Strengths: [Self explanatory] Weaknesses: [Self explanatory] Restrictions: [Self explanatory]

   Home, Work, and Education

Abode: [What kind of place do they live in? Apartment? Duplex? House? What does the interior look like?]

Pets: [Self explanatory] Roommates: [Self explanatory]

Sleep Patterns: [Self explanatory] Eating Habits: [Self explanatory]

   Social

Mother: [Self explanatory] Father: [Self explanatory] Guardians: [Self explanatory] Siblings: [Self explanatory] Children: [Self explanatory] Best Friend: [Self explanatory] Close Friends: [Self explanatory] Friends: [Self explanatory] Team: [Self explanatory] Acquaintances: [Self explanatory] Rivals: [Self explanatory] Enemies: [Self explanatory]

   Romance

First Love: [Self explanatory] Love Interests: [Self explanatory] Significant Other: [Self explanatory] Sexual and Romantic Orientation(s): [Self explanatory]

   Reactions

(Optional; but generally, this is how they react to what they’re feeling)

Angry: Anxious: Conflicted: Criticized: Depressed: Embarrassed: Excited: Frightened: Guilty: Happy: Humiliated: Nervous: Offended: Praised: Rejected: Sad: Stressed: Thoughtful:

   Biography

Background: [Self explanatory, but basically how they’ve grown up- their past, etc. that leads up to their story]

Earliest Memory: [Self explanatory] Fondest Memory: [Self explanatory] Worst Memory: [Self explanatory]

   Miscellaneous