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A Spotify Playlist to Get Your Characters Naked: Tips to Write Your Sex Scene

How to write a scene that will take your characters' relationship to the next level.

By sleepy draftsPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
Top Story - April 2021
88
A Spotify Playlist to Get Your Characters Naked: Tips to Write Your Sex Scene
Photo by Milad B. Fakurian on Unsplash

Music has the ability to set your skin on fire.

There are songs that slam you up against a wall and kiss you until your lips bruise; music that strips you down to your barest and most vulnerable self. A slow, yearning beat and a desperate voice have a way of smoldering you from the inside out.

"The Wall" by PatrickReza

So how can you bring that heat into your characters’ bedroom? (Or hallway… or kitchen… or fire escape…)

The same way you might create the mood for yourself: by putting on a steamy playlist.

Each part of an intimate moment is like the arc of a story. Some of the most sensual moments begin with a simple glance, with building anticipation, and hidden moments of intimacy.

"Come Down When You're Ready" by TENDER

A song with a slow burn can help you slow down in your writing. You can start to savor the moments that your characters are creating together. Pay attention to the ways your body responds to the music – are you waiting for something to happen? If you can feel the tension as you write it, your audience will feel the tension as they read it. Aim for this – don’t give your reader what they want, just yet.

Bask in that sweet ache. Draw out your pleasure of the moment and let your fingers take their sexual frustration out on the keyboard. Your readers will thank you.

Now that you’ve set the mood, it’s time to set the scene.

"Dinner & Diatribes" by Hozier

Now that you have an idea of your characters’ attraction to each other, you can begin to ask who they are to each other. Better yet, who do they think they are to each other?

This will depend on the point of view (POV) you’re using. If it's in the first person, it’s easy to focus all of your energy on lusting over the subject of your character’s affection. Don’t forget, though, that it takes two to tangle.

Knowing the ways your narrator is sexy will affect the way you embody their voice.

If you know that your narrator is slightly more dominant, then that will affect their language. You can use this knowledge to make small choices that will allow your reader to feel your narrator's confidence in all the right places. Let your narrator be as magnetic as the character they’re drawn to.

If you’re writing in the third person, consider the pull that your characters have towards each other. Also, examine what is keeping them apart. It might be an environmental factor or a personal one. This tension will keep your reader engaged. This suspense will also make it that much sweeter when your characters finally do come together.

Forget sexy – focus on sex appeal.

"Silk" by Elijah Blond

You don’t need to be sexy to have sex appeal. It could be the slight gap in your teeth or the way you wear your jeans. Sex appeal can be in the simple way someone looks at you.

Ask yourself what is appealing about your characters? What is appealing about their situation? Sometimes, the most seductive part about a fantasy can be the sheer audacity of it. Sometimes, though, the most sensual moments within a fantasy are in the tiny truths that sigh between our sheets.

Go into detail about the freckles across your lover’s back. Count the ways you’ve imagined their lips across your skin. Let yourself remember the way her body moved against the mosh-pit like it would explode if it didn’t collide with another human being.

Draw on your own visceral memories.

"I See Red" (reverbed + pitched + slowed) by Everybody Loves an Outlaw

The best way to write a sexy scene is to feel sexy, yourself. Remember the mindful, resonant sex you’ve had, the dirty sex you’ve had, the hot, passionate sex that’s devoured you like flames – let it inhabit your own body the way you want it to inhabit your characters’.

My favorite way to do this is by letting the music take me. I make myself “free-write,” meaning that I don’t let myself internally edit. I let my stream of consciousness take over and write it all out, no matter how little sense it makes.

These raw moments of honest writing can transport your reader someplace ethereal. When the writing reflects the same messy process that our brains sometimes take, it can engross your reader in a way that measured words never could. There is something truly honest about stream of consciousness writing – suspend your inner critic, and see what comes out! It might be truly magical.

Keep the heat going after the fire has turned down.

"Wanderlust" by Coletta

You might feel a little breathless after your steamy scene has ended. The right song can help you navigate this transition from a forest fire of passion, to a warm afterglow. By keeping the music going, you can make sure that your tone stays true while you bring your readers back into their bodies.

Writing often requires vulnerability. We have to examine our darkness, as well as our desires to create something that feels real. Writing is an act of connection through messy, meticulous words and raw feelings. It can be hard to get into that space as a writer. Sometimes we need a little push in the right direction.

This 1-hour 15-minute long playlist will let you get inside your characters’ heads as their bodies go on a journey together.

Sometimes the answer to writing your sexiest scene is to slip into something a little more vulnerable.

If you enjoyed this article, check out my short story, "The Taste of Red" in Vocal Media's Filthy community!

Note from the Author

Thank you for reading my article! I appreciate you taking the time to consider my words. If you enjoyed this article, you can let me know by adding a "heart," or by reaching out to me on Instagram at @sleepmily or on Twitter at @sleepydrafts!

If you want to support my writing, check out my author profile for more articles, thoughts, and short stories. Tips are never an obligation, however, they are always deeply appreciated!

Thank you again for your support. I hope this piece made your day a little brighter.

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About the Creator

sleepy drafts

a sleepy writer named em :)

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