Writing Adventures : Confessions of Erotic Writers Part 2: The Questions You're Afraid to Ask

We are exposed to sex through the media, fine art, and literature, making sex a source of pleasure, pain, liberation, and form of expression as far back as documented history. But what about the people creating the materials we're exposed to? Where do they fit in? How does creating sex effect them?

I've recently interviewed multiple authors (whose info you can find at the bottom) who place themselves within the categories of those who write erotica, smut, or porn. Definition of these categories is irrelevant; the idea is that explicit sex scenes are an element of their work. I've asked them a series of questions that are typically not inquired about due to societal restraint and the inability to broach the topics the world tells us we should be ashamed of. But there's no shame here, only the god's honest truth.

Be sure to check out the answers from multiple other authors in part one of this post HERE

Where do your ideas for sex scenes come from?

"Everywhere.

Okay, so that’s quite a broad answer but it’s true. I pick up my ideas all over the place. Some ideas come from my own sex life, others pop into my head at the strangest times like when the idea for Restoration popped into my head whilst watching a very dry documentary on art restoring. Public transport is good for ideas too and I spend a lot of time on buses and trains as I don’t drive. My character in Uncovering Heather from the Inked Anthology was inspired by a very smart looking business lady on a train in a brown suit, but when she stretched I saw the lining was pink, the inside of her briefcase was pink, the cover of her phone was pink...I was struck by that contrast. It stuck in my brain for a couple of years before her story came apparent though.

Having a dirty mind is a wonderful thing. I can make anything into a sex scene!"--Victoria Blisse

"It really depends upon the story. Most of the time the ideas for the scene comes from the story itself and is molded by the setting that the characters find themselves in. From there the characters more or less let me know what they’re in the mood for.

Only rarely do I ever revolve a story around a sex scene. For example, Trail Magic was written with the idea of having a blowjob scene on the side of a mountain. That scene came from a hike I took where I reached the summit, noticed the summit marker embedded in a large rock, and thought of how awesome it would be to sit at the top, looking over the miles of mountain tops and get blown."--JC Winchester

"I try to think of the most unusual things that can be done sexually, and start from there. I’m not a trope writer, who likes run-of-the-mill, so my scenes are highly unusual. Even the most eyebrow-raising scenes are tastefully written, though. As a result, I lean more toward medical play or higher level kink."--Scarlet Darkwood

"Most are from experience, however, I do a ton of research for accuracy in different kinks, then create my own scenes from what I learn."--Vikki Alan

"It may sound like a cliché, but ”while walking down the street” is really my best answer. I do my best thinking while walking around my hometown of Berlin - and the ideas for sex scenes come about in one of two ways: Either I come across an everyday situation and think ”how could this lead into a sex scene?” (What if that man on the corner was an insatiable sex fiend - unable to keep his hands off that gorgeous woman crossing the street?) Or my mind just wanders - and eventually comes across dirty thoughts."--Frank Noir

"Porn, erotica, and hentai. I read a lot of erotica in my developmental years, and I've always had a mind for stories. Then I start wondering what happens if you do this or that, basing what I write on personal experience, what I've read or watched, or just letting my imagination speculate."--Reed James

"Most come from personalexperience. I've had some incredible encounters with amazing people over the years. Some are mashups of different experiences with different people."--AJ Charms

What state of mind do you need to be in order to write your standard of a "good sex scene" ?

"Horny.

Hey, I’m getting good at these one word answers aren’t I? To really get into a sex scene I’ve got to be at least a little turned on. Now, that doesn’t mean everything I write about turns me on per se, but it certainly gives the scene a little extra steam if I’m in an aroused state of mind. I can’t write a sex scene if I’ve just indulged in some good loving though. The number of times I’ve been pounced upon by my sexy hubby whilst I’ve been writing and then had to leave the scene alone are numerous. I always tell him off for it but I don’t really mean it. After all, it counts as research in my line of business, right?"--Victoria Blisse

"Loose and relaxed. I struggle writing them during periods of high stress, such as finals time during my classes. There are plenty of times I'll crack a beer or have a pour of bourbon to help loosen me up."--JC Winchester

"Though I say I’m more awake in the evenings, I’m usually better in the later morning when I’ve had some decent sleep. I need to be clear-headed and have a solid picture of what I want to accomplish, what I want the people involved to do, and get out of being together." --Scarlet Darkwood

"Usually kind of Dark. I find certain music gets me there."--Vikki Alan

"I’d say aroused – but not too aroused. I should be so excited by the thought of sex that I can precisely imagine what it would feel like and describe it graphically. But of course, at the same time I should be just detached enough that my writing doesn’t turn into sex-crazed ramblings."--Frank Noir

"I find any sort of writing relaxing. I just sit down with my laptop and start writing. As long as there aren't any major distractions around me, I can usually get lost into my writing pretty fast. Even when I get popped out, it only takes me a minute or so to get back into writing."--Reed James

"I need to be aroused. Sometimes I have a glass ofwine and scroll through Tumblr or put on porn. I love real couples who post their own pictures."--AJ Charms

Sex writing usually involves research. How far have you taken your research in pursuit of your craft?

"Now that lead on from my last comment nicely didn’t it? Of course that kind of thorough, personal research is on going and when my sex life is smoking hot so is my writing. Google is most certainly the friend of any author but you can’t beat actually experiencing something to add a depth to your writing. I’ve discovered many things by going to Club Lash (A BDSM club in Manchester) Twisted Sin (I got a lovely lap dance. Boobs are pretty!) and events at MARS and Miss T’s. I’ve also seen a lot of burlesque acts at Dr Sketchy that have powered the imagination and had lots of fun and found new implements and fun toys at the Alternative and Burlesque fairs I run a stall at.

I’m constantly looking for new events, experiences and people to inspire me, this is my constant research for my art. I very rarely seek out a specific thing then write about it. I usually see/feel something and make a story up around that."--Victoria Blisse

"My research has taken me to sites and forums I’d never read. I’ve found myself perusing adult toy sites in search of the next inspiration for a scene, and I’ve ended up on sites where females tell how they’ve dominated men. I’ve also researched medical supply sites."--Scarlet Darkwood

"I've taken classes, interviewed people in the sex industry, and of course; experimented."--Vikkie Alan

"When describing the physical sensations of sex, I draw on personal experience from my own sex life. And some of the dirty talk is inspired by certain sexual encounters as well. But as for the situations themselves, they are mostly more extreme than anything I’ve ever tried – or wanted to try. My stories are meant to be outrageous fantasies – but realistically described."--Frank Noir

"Not far, really. I just read and watch a lot of porn and erotica. I never set out to research one specific thing. I just write kinks that I have already consumed porn or read erotica on."--Reed James

"Besides my personal experiences, I like having one on one conversations with authentic people to hear about their experiences and fantasies. Hearing about the mechanics of their threesome is always interesting but I am more interested in the circumstances that brought them to that point and how it made them feel. I am not shy and I love to ask questions"--AJ Charms

Are you turned on by your own sex scenes?

"Yes.

Oooh, back to the one word answers! Now this isn’t to say that everything I write about is my own personal kink, it isn’t. However, I will find something within every scene I write arousing. I mean, if it doesn’t work on me then how the hell can I expect it to work for my readers? Some of my books are very much about my own kinks. Something Brave is particularly personal to me and maps a journey I have only just started to make myself. I’m hoping to go further, just like Felicity, soon."--Victoria Blisse

"Quite often I am. If it doesn’t turn me on why should I expect it to turn on someone else?"--JC Winchester

"Honestly, it depends on how tired I am or how in the mood I am. Again, I may be more aroused in the morning than at night."--Scarlet Darkwood

"Sometimes I have to stop I get so flustered. Especially first drafts. After a few reads though, it doesn't hit me the same way."--Vikki Alan

"Absolutely! After all, they are based on my own sexual fantasies. And whenever I get it right, I find them highly arousing. In fact, when I began writing erotica as a teenager, it was mainly meant as a masturbatory aid for myself. I found that both the process of writing down and afterwards reading my sexual fantasies made the experience more detailed and vivid."--Frank Noir

"Yes. Earlier when I first started, I would often have to stop to take care of things. I usually don't have to now, but I still get turned on. (Which can be a problem during editing more than writing)"--Reed James

"Since many of them are drawn from real life, the memories of those encounters are highly arousing."--AJ Charms

Do you act out any/ Have you acted out any of your scenes in order to write a sex scene more effectively?

"Oh, how my husband laughs at me at times. When I’m writing a particularly complex action I very often try to emulate it sitting in my seat as I write. I can get into some pretty interesting positions I can tell you! It really can be useful to try the positions out to make sure they work and that you don’t have to be a sex Olympian to achieve it. As I said in my research question I tend to write about experiences I’ve had not try something out because I want to write about it. So more often I am recapturing a moment that has physically happened in my fiction rather than acting out something I have penned."--Victoria Blisse

"A few times I have. Sometimes it helps to understand if a position will work or if it would be pleasurable. That said, there are times I do take artistic license for the sake of making the scene hot, much how not all positions in porn are comfortable in real life.

The most daring one I'd say I've acted out was learning how it felt to be a nudist. I was at a convention of about 75 people where there were a couple of nudists and so the environment was welcoming to exploration. I spent the bulk of the weekend wearing nothing and learning about how to interact with people when nude, polite things to do (like always covering a seat before sitting on it), and how people react to someone being in the buff. It's an interesting experience for sure."--JC Winchester

"Definitely not! As a healthcare worker, I’d be saying, 'Um, I really wouldn’t put that there …!'”--Scarlett Darkwood

"Definitely."--Vikki Alan

"Never. Among other things because some of the situations I describe (more or less non-consensual scenarios) would get me convicted! But on the other hand, whatever I find to be a turn-on in real life may well end up in a story one day ..."--Frank Noir

"I have not. But I've always had good spacial awareness. I went to school to be a mechanical drafter (drawing blueprints of parts). You see three dimensional objects represented in two, often in exploded isometrics and you have to able to visualize how the object would look like from different angles. It's very useful when picturing people and how their naughty bits can fit together in various ways to keep a sex scene realistic. And, well, I also write in genres that you can't act out (monsters, futas, magical fun, tentacles)."--Reed James

"I acted out some scenes from my books. The anal scene from Delicious Little Passions was fun to revisit."--AJ Charms

How would you describe your sex life before and after you started writing erotica/smut/porn ?

"My sex life has always been varied, fun and experimental. The smut writing hasn’t necessarily changed that at all. What it has changed is how I experience sex. It always used to be a private thing for myself and my husband. Now I’m involved in public foreplay a lot more. From reading at one of our Smut Events to being spanked at a real life dungeon, I find my kinks are far more out there in public than they were before I started to write erotica. It’s fantastic. I’ve discovered a whole new world of kinky, sex embracing and empowering people, and that is a real joy."--Victoria Blisse

"Hmmm that actually is a tough one as I started writing smut over 10 years ago. I think the best answer to that is before was fairly vanilla and after became very experimental. I became more interested in trying different fetishes and positions that I read in other people's work and researched for my own. Even beyond sex, I have had to research a number of other topics that has allowed me to broaden my horizons and gain a level of respect for various career fields, locations, and personalities."--JC Winchester

"Unfortunately, no change!"--Scarlet Darkwood

"This may seem shocking, but I think it was wilder before I started writing [sex scenes]. It certainly didn't make me vanilla, but I feel like sometimes my mind wanders to technicalities. (From research) I'm having to learn to separate the two worlds."--Vikki Alan

"Actually, I started writing porn before I'd ever had sex! So there really is no before and after. But of course my real life sexual experiences somehow influenced my writing - and vice versa: I like to think that I explore my sexuality both by having sex and by fantasizing and then writing about it."--Frank Noir

"The same. Just me and my hand. I'm not really a social person. People wonder why I can write so much, well, I don't have a lot of friends and I'm not dating anyone. So it leaves me plenty of time to do what I love--writing my filthy fantasies."--Reed James

"I have a very high libido and a wicked imagination. The frequency is about the same as before I started writing but it certainly spiced things up. My wife recommends my books to her close friends, which sometimes leads to interesting conversations. I find it very exciting that so many people download my books to masturbate or use as inspiration to spice up their sex life (why else would you read erotica?)"--AJ Charms

Meet the Authors