Elizabeth Bear, a professional writer of various sci-fi books, once blogged that writing a good sex scene wasn't all that different than writing a good fight scene. The same rules more or less apply.
The scene should move the action, and at the same time further the characters, it should equally involve the reader.
Rodgers sex scenes are rather understated in comparison to erotica which is graphic. So there's a range. I think if you are uncomfortable? It's best to avoid "erotica" or "graphic" and go with the less is more approach.
Examples in fanfic writers?
rahriah - who did Barb's Buffy/Spike verse series? Such as A Raising in the Sun, The Lesser of Two Evils? Tends to write understated or less is more. Her sex scenes fall somewhere between Rosemary Rodgers and Georgette Heyer. Dialogue is used, and innuendo.
herself_nyc is more graphic, yet realistic. She goes with physicality. Her sex scenes are less "romantic" than rahriah's and dip towards erotic, yet have the definite feel of realism. Examples? Spike and the Ambiguities. She also does a lot of "BSDM" sex or "anal" sex...so more risque and anais nin. Except her sex scenes always further plot and always further character. She also is willing to make them "gross" - see Where they have to take you in.
Nautibitz - is more humorous, also uses lots of dialogue, lots of risque sex, very erotic, and very graphic. (Some of her sex scenes are laughably impossible or require someone with quite a bit of flexibility....) They don't always further character or plot, and are purely erotica. She does Everybody's Human better than most.
My advice? Go with what you feel comfortable with...and know. The trick is building up to it. Regardless of how it is written, if the build-up is bad or it comes out of nowhere...it won't work. Rahriah in her fanfic Raising in the Sun or The Lesser of Two Evils - builds up to it, very gradually, and the pay-off works. She leaves most of it to the imagination.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-12-19 10:56 pm (UTC)The scene should move the action, and at the same time further the characters, it should equally involve the reader.
Rodgers sex scenes are rather understated in comparison to erotica which is graphic. So there's a range. I think if you are uncomfortable? It's best to avoid "erotica" or "graphic" and go with the less is more approach.
Examples in fanfic writers?
rahriah - who did Barb's Buffy/Spike verse series?
Such as A Raising in the Sun, The Lesser of Two Evils? Tends to write understated or less is more.
Her sex scenes fall somewhere between Rosemary Rodgers and Georgette Heyer. Dialogue is used, and
innuendo.
herself_nyc is more graphic, yet realistic. She goes with physicality. Her sex scenes are less "romantic" than rahriah's and dip towards erotic, yet have the definite feel of realism. Examples? Spike and the Ambiguities. She also does a lot of "BSDM" sex or "anal" sex...so more risque and anais nin. Except her sex scenes always further plot and always further character. She also is willing to make them "gross" - see Where they have to take you in.
Nautibitz - is more humorous, also uses lots of dialogue, lots of risque sex, very erotic, and very graphic. (Some of her sex scenes are laughably impossible or require someone with quite a bit of flexibility....) They don't always further character or plot, and are purely erotica. She does Everybody's Human better than most.
My advice? Go with what you feel comfortable with...and know. The trick is building up to it. Regardless of how it is written, if the build-up is bad or it comes out of nowhere...it won't work.
Rahriah in her fanfic Raising in the Sun or The Lesser of Two Evils - builds up to it, very gradually, and the pay-off works. She leaves most of it to the imagination.