What Makes Good Smut?

Have you ever wondered why so much smut is poorly written? The answer is fairly straight forward: a lot of porn is created without the elements that are necessary for good writing. For example, character development. It's hard to write a sex scene where people grow as a person, but character development is an extremely important aspect of writing good literature. So how do we write good sex scenes? Let's answer this by tackling each problem with common smut. 

First, let's discuss character. In my opinion, this is the easiest aspect to tackle. It's important to remember when writing sex scenes that these characters should appear to be fully fleshed out people to the reader. They are not just sex symbols used to narrate an eventual orgasm. While you may have an interest in a certain kink or behavior during sex, what matters is your characters. If you are writing a character who is incredibly modest and embarrassed to experience sexual desire at all, it's going to feel poorly written if this character is a well experienced dominatrix in the bedroom. Or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, it's going to be hard to believe a character who has never given up control anywhere else in the story is quick to submit in the bedroom unless there is reason provided. This doesn't mean these contradictions cannot exist or that characters need to be exactly like their outward personality during sex scenes, but it does mean that this contrast needs to be acknowledged at some point in your writing.

Another aspect that is commonly overlooked in writing sex scenes is the purpose. What is the purpose of this sex scene and how does it move the story along? If it doesn't tell the reader anything new, it's likely not necessary to include. So what are some things that a sex scene can tell the reader? Well, let's look at our modest dominatrix from the previous paragraph. Revealing this character to be a dominatrix in the bedroom can provide new insight to the character or change how her partner views her outside of the bedroom. Other options include playing with internal dialogue. Showing us how this dominatrix feelings about the other getting to see this side of her can strengthen the readers understanding of the relationship. While as showing a newly married couple having the same sex as they've had the other four days of their honeymoon with no new reveals regarding aspects of the characters or relationships and no forward momentum in the plot... that scene should probably be skipped.

There is also the factor of repetition and the five senses. Sex, in its nature, is an incredibly repetitive activity to describe, and repetition is naturally boring to read. People also have a very bad habit of only including sight and sound in their descriptions when trying to show instead of tell. By including some of the other senses, such as taste, smell, and touch, you can break up a bit of the natural repetition of the descriptions in your sex scenes.

A much harder thing to correct when trying to write good smut is the problem of what the reader considers sexy. This is not something that can be easily fixed, but being aware of the problem is a great first step. Not all readers will find the same things attractive as your characters enjoy. Keeping this fact in mind while you write, alongside who your target audience is, can make it easier to determine what language to use and what to provide extra detail on that won't turn your readers off from what you've written all together.

There are plenty more ways to improve your sex scenes, but tackling these first few aspects are a great start. Enjoy your porn writing!