All sex scenes in creative literature are fantasy! As writers, we are not here to offer our readers boring encounters. Who on Earth needs that? We have to engage imagination and passion. Pump up the excitement. Guild it with magical romance. This is true for whatever type of fiction you write.
It is just that in fantasy stories, we may need to go a little … further.
Introduction
Let me start this article with a disclaimer: I am not the most sexually experienced girl in the world. However, I write fantasy stories and that means that somewhere along the line my characters are just going to have to do the ‘dirty’. The question I have asked myself is to what extent sex in fantasy stories should be unusual, strange or even down right ‘fantastically’ weird. My own take on this is that it’s a fantasy therefore my characters can do weird things if I want, and secondly, I prefer writing sex scenes that have that ‘different’ edge to them.
So, let’s move on to the issues.
Notice in the above I’ve just said ‘sex’ which covers both heterosexual and gay relationships as far as I am concerned; I make no real distinction in regard to the concept of fantasy sex as to the orientation of the characters.
Do we need graphic sex at all?
Let’s start with the obvious. All sex scenes in creative literature are fantasy! As writers, we are not here to offer our readers boring encounters. Who on Earth needs that? We have to engage imagination and passion. Pump up the excitement. Guild it with magical romance. This is true for whatever type of fiction you write.
It is just that in fantasy stories, we may need to go a little … further.
Three dimensional characters need to have sex in three dimensions, in a way which aligns with their physical, mental and cultural characteristics. A demon is a demon and sex with a demon is not going to be fifteen minutes in the missionary position!
Okay, we are adults. We’ve read the sex manuals on reproduction when we were kids. We went out and did it. Then we explored and did it some more. Yes, we all went beyond the ‘standard’ sex manuals. It’s what we do. So, what I am saying is ‘normal’ sex already covers a reasonable range of sexual practices. Some ‘deviations’ are now practiced widely enough for the majority to barely raise their eyebrows.
And here, dear readers, is the point where I am not going to give you a list! Go on, make your own up.
So, if normal sex has such a wide range of activities what is Fantasy Sex going to cover? Well so far, I have written scenes including:
– With my heroine Sapphira in her demon form (this involves an extra, extra-long tongue)
– An angel (lie back on those wings girl!)
– A Ghost. Yes, really, this works and turns out to be a great plot device!!
– Medusa and a resurrected Titan
– A vampire prostitute specialising in snuff encounters
– Oral pleasure from a mermaid
I will get around to a number of others too. How about with a Zombie? Sounds gross and impossible but I’ve already had an idea, so this will probably turn up at some point.
So yes, I think there is a need for graphic sex within modern fantasy literature. The trick is to keep it in context and in proportion. What that proportion is might just define what you as an author are actually all about.
The strange and exotic aspect
Of course, it doens’t have to be vulgar. Fansy is about developing excitement and growing the reader’s imagination. Fairytale figures and other-worldy locations all add to the effect.
You would not be surprised to learn that one trick of writing sex scenes is to leave in blanks for the reader to finish off. Set the scene and then close the door of privacy on the characters. Yes, the other side of graphic sex is hinted sex, and that is a lot easier when you set the strange and exotic aspects up first.
And then there’s … Abominable Anatomy!
‘Tentacle sex!’ I hear you cry. Well yes, sort of. I’ve already told you about Sapphira’s long tongue whilst she is in her demon form. In general terms, unusual anatomy in Fantasy Sex allows the introduction of new and strange organs to replace / surpass the normal human phallus.
Think tongues, horns, tentacles, ugly things with eyes and teeth where the penis should be … whatever. Make your own list again! In general terms we are talking anatomical variations used for penetration purposes.
We can also make variations on the female genital side of things: move them around the body, more teeth – yes dear reader, do you own yet list again! Clearly, it doesn’t necessarily mean an actual vagina either, just that whatever is receiving the phallus (and obviously certain male orifices quite adequately do this too) has some fantasy properties or complete weirdness.
The rules as I see them
This is just my list. When it comes to sex writing … all together now … make your own!
– Sex should involve at least one human (mostly human!) character for the reader to easily relate to.
– Don’t worry about whether it is straight or homosexual activity that is going on. That’s defined by the personality of the characters involved and the readership you are aiming for.
– Keep the level of sex proportional to other events in your story. Fantasy books need plots, character developments and other forms of action. So, keep your smut (classy, exciting and well written though it undoubtedly is) in its place and have your characters clean up their act when they leave the bedroom! Sex can have a place in the story and you can even make it a central plot device but always ask yourself if you were actually intending to write what is essentially a ‘dirty’ story! Remember that ‘strange and exotic’ scene setting can often work as well as or better than diving stright into graphic wierdness.
– Don’t forget the love.
– Don’t forget the angst. Come on, you know you shouldn’t have done that with him/her/it…
