Adding Steam to Your Love Scenes – Lesson #3

Hi everyone! I sure do hope you’re enjoying this free workshop on adding steam to your love scenes. Last week we talked about using your own experiences and how you can weave what you’ve done into your stories.

This week, we’re adding another layer on what we’ve already gone over. And yes, I'm adding another sexy picture to get us started.

Remember, this workshop is not only about writing technique but what you as a writer can do to make the experience as pleasant for you as you are making it for your characters.

Add love scenes when the characters want to make love, not when you want them to make love.

This is one of the hardest things that an author has to do and that’s called pacing. Again, I relate it back to your own experiences. What happened when you rushed something? Did it work out well? Chances are it didn’t. It’s like rushing a cake; if you take it out too soon, it’s not done, too late and it can be burnt to a crisp.

Everything has a pace, be it fast or slow. When you truly listen to your characters, they will tell you when they need to make love and when they need to argue. Part of adding steam is to know when things are right for the characters, not when a ‘formula’ tells you a love or sex scene needs to be added.

I’m a pantser and all of my stories are character driven.

Some of you may have heard of this term and some of you may not. When I started my writing career, I was anal about planning. I had charts on characters, charts on plots, I played the ‘what if’ game and twenty questions for each of my chapters. I would plan every detail to the nth degree because I wanted things as perfect as I could make them.

Now days, I write by the seat of my pants most of the time because I work things out in my head and follow that plan but not so stringently because I’ve learned to listen to my characters. I know more about them sometimes than I do my own kids. I write what the characters want me to write, which is their story. Nothing more, nothing less.

It is true, however, that there are some stories I still plan to the nth degree and those would be my heavy fantasy or futuristic stories. Those are just as much about the world building as they are about the characters or the plot for that matter. If you don’t plan those, you can get caught in your own plot pitfalls because you haven’t done your planning.

What is right for the characters needs to be right for you as the writer.

There are times when your characters might ask you to write something controversial or not right for you to write. I know it sounds strange but if your characters need to do something that you find objectionable, then maybe their story needs to be written by some one else.

Now this isn’t the same as you being embarrassed over a love scene or something of that nature. When first learning to write love scenes, they can be very disconcerting if you’ve never done that before. I know that the very first time I wrote a BDSM scene, I would get up, walk away from the computer and mutter, ‘I can’t believe I just wrote that’ and mean it. It wasn’t until I had been writing the story for a month that I felt comfortable with it.

Part of the reason that I could continue to write their story was that I didn’t feel bad about writing something done in an adult consensual situation. Adults can and do make their own decisions. My characters were adults. They had adult minds and adult thoughts. They could handle what was going to happen to them. True, you say they were just characters but to me they weren’t and it’s all about perspective.

Listen to your characters as they will tell you what they need.

This is just as important as any other issue talked about here. Characters will tell you what is important to them. In the story I mentioned above, the heroine needed to have a deep, dark fantasy fulfilled to fall in love with the one man she could. I gave her that situation and what happened in it was fulfilling for her.

Your characters need to be as satisfied with the outcome of your story as you are. Sometimes it won’t be a happily ever after but it will always be satisfying.

Exercise

1. Give me a scenario where a love scene would be appropriate for your characters.
2. Give me a scenario where a love scene would be inappropriate for your characters.
3. What type of writer do you want to be and why? (Pantser or planner)
4. Why do you think it’s appropriate to listen to your characters?
5. When wouldn’t it be appropriate to listen to your characters?

You can post the exercise here for everyone to see, or you can send it to me privately at lynncrain@cox.net. Please leave me a comment so I know you’ve been to visit. And have fun!

Until next week…

Lynn

Another Holiday Season

I thought I would be pushing my book this week but I got waylaid on the way by the very holiday I love to write about. Now, don’t give me wrong, I really, really love this holiday but you have to understand where I live.

I live like many authors on this blog, in the normally hot to warm southwest. This week that all came crashing down as when I went to join said authors for lunch, I found myself in a blizzard. Yup, you heard me, a blizzard. I actually took pictures but haven’t downloaded them yet. When I do, I’ll post one with whatever I’m doing next week.

Now a lot of you already live in areas where it snows. Where I live, a snowstorm of any kind almost shuts us down. People out here don’t even know or understand how to drive in weather. Most of them are traveling at almost record speeds and don’t understand when they lose traction. Even in my four-wheel drive, I slowed down.

Still, the desert in the snow is very pretty because if nothing else it adds color. Doesn’t matter that the color is white, it is a whole lot prettier than the ugly brown we have. And I love it. I just called the DH to say, ‘It’s snowing here!’ and his reply was ‘It’s not here.’ Too bad for him in some ways but considering he works almost 30 miles away, I’m glad he won’t be out with the idi – sorry – people who drive the Las Vegas freeways. Can’t help it. LOL!

Now for a little holiday cheer, here’s a couple of excerpts from my new book An Elf’s Magic…I hope you enjoy!

Available NOW at eXtasy Books!
http://tinyurl.com/63jwjg
Book 4 in the Santa’s Elves Series

Excerpt #1

“Dance with me,” a seductive voice said close to his ear.

Tingles traipsed through his insides and his body tightened in response to the seductive nature of her voice. “What?” Instant attraction to the female caught him off guard. He turned his head and his mouth brushed against a pair of soft pink lips as an exotic scent wrapped itself around him.

“I said, dance with me.” A pair of beautiful brown eyes stared up at him.

“Do I know you?” The staccato beat of his heart tapped against his chest and he hoped she didn’t notice. She took a breath and the mere act turned him on even more.

“We met in Boston. You’re Cuinn Locklin and I’m Lacey Sinclair. I’m a friend of your cousin’s. We met at a party, had a drink and even talked about going out sometime. Unfortunately that never happened.” She smiled and arched her eyebrow in what seemed to be an open invitation. “Yet.”

His gaze widened. “I remember. How did you get here?”

“The sleigh picked us up.”

“What I meant to say is, what are you doing here? I don’t recall you knowing my sister, Aingeal.”

She flipped her honey blonde hair off her face. “You mean what’s a human doing here, right?” She shrugged. “I told her she could practice her amnesia spell on me. You know the one where you make the person forget everything that’s happened at an event?”

“I’m aware of it. But you shouldn’t know anything about it. And since Giselle’s human I know she doesn’t know how to do the spell no matter what she told you. She’s a lot of things but…” He tried hard not to stare at Lacey but couldn’t help it. She was beautiful. “Let’s just say, we only share genetics from one side of the family.”

“I guess we’re busted.” She smiled at him again, her eyes lighting up with apparent amusement. “I guess you’ll have to practice it on me, ‘cause now I know a lot of things I’m not supposed to.”

He smiled wryly. “I would say so.” He looked out at the dancers again, uncomfortable with the fact he didn’t excel in dancing at all. “But I’m not sure I’m someone you’d want to dance with.”

“Why not?” she asked with a hint of a laugh, dazzling him with another smile and looked down at his feet. “Your feet may be large, but I can tell you don’t have two left ones.”

He laughed. She was such a breath of fresh air. “Alright. But I’m not very good. ”

“I don’t think you have to be good for this one. It’s a slow dance. All you have to do is put your arms around me and sway with the rhythm of the music.”

He grabbed her offered hand, pulled her toward the dance floor and, doing as she had instructed, took her in his arms and swayed gently to the music. A head length taller, his shoulder was the ideal height for her to rest her head upon while they moved to the music. Her alluring scent, her utterly feminine, soft contours that fit like a perfect match in his, stirred his passion. He willed his body to stop reacting, afraid if he couldn’t control it, he would embarrass them both.

“See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” She smiled up at him.

“No, it isn’t,” he agreed, hoping not to melt into a pile of goo at her feet.

“So, what are you studying in Boston? We never got that far before.” She gazed up at him as if intent on memorizing every line.

“History and computers right now. I haven’t figured anything else out yet, although my oldest brother wants me to help him design toys. But I’d rather have my masters in something I like, not what the family likes.”

She chuckled. “At least you understand that much. It takes some people years.”
“And you?”

“I’m in pre-med. I hope to be a pediatrician some day. First, I need to get out of school and earn money toward my goal. I’ll graduate with a nursing degree specializing in pediatrics within the next few months. ”

“That’s a hard thing to do. My brother Ardan is a doctor and, while he loves it very much, I know it was really difficult. But you sound as if you have a definite plan in place.”

“Anything worthwhile is always hard. Life wasn’t meant to be easy no matter who you are.”

Puzzled, he nodded. She was right of course, but the only person he had ever heard say that had been his father. He looked down at her and smiled. Lacey was a stunning woman and she had sought him out. Maybe that was a good sign. But then again, there were elven matters she wasn’t supposed to know. Giselle was always doing something she shouldn’t. He would have to get back with his cousin on the issue later.

“Coming through, coming through.” Eggther pushed his way through the dancing couples, stopping to stand next to him. “Eggther thinks you’ve found a very pretty woman.”

Excerpt #2

“Ah, hell—” Cuinn swooped down on her and captured her lips with his. He couldn’t help himself. From the moment she walked into the conference room that morning, all he could think about was having her in his arms. He should have told his father at the wedding last year about his desire for her, but her place hadn’t cemented in his heart yet. Now there would be no stopping their bonding.

Gently, he pulled back and gazed at her. “I’ll stop if you want me to.”

Lacey quickly shook her head. “No. I’ve never felt something so right.” She pulled his head back to her and his lips captured hers with no tenderness this time, just a hard, raw need.

Still, he knew she needed tender after what had happened to her this past year. Changing the tone of his onslaught, Cuinn gently sucked her bottom lip and ran his hands softly down her arms. Rewarded with a slight shiver, his body tightened in response to her body’s signals as his caress slipped around to her soft buttocks.

The rapid beat of her heart drummed against him, showing how aroused she truly was. She would be the core of his world and he wanted everything to be right for their first time, so trying hard to remember all the lessons on sex from his father. First, he put up his shields knowing some people in the city would feel the energy. Then, he snapped the glamour spell more firmly around himself because there were some things she couldn’t know until they had reached the North Pole. Cuinn only hoped she would forgive him once all had been revealed.

Breaking off the kiss, he breathed hard as he gently cupped her face in his hands. “Tell me to stop right now and I will because you have to be very, very sure you want this to happen.”

“I am…believe me…I am,” she whispered.

He pulled her to him again, his mouth descending on hers, seeking entry with his tongue. Trying to convey the promise of all he could offer, he moved closer to the bed, easing his knee between her legs. She trembled around him then began rubbing herself up and down on the rough fabric of his jeans, shivering and whimpering. He hoped she felt the way he did and slowly lowered her to the bed, following down.

“I want to touch you the way a lover does.” he said, looking into her now flushed face.

“Me, too,” she whispered and pulled him on top of her.

Her hands caressed his body through his clothes, each movement a slow torture of pleasure. All he wanted to do was rip her clothes off and do what he should have done months ago. Leaning into her, he pressed his lips against her and with just a bit of pressure, she opened her mouth and allowed him easy access inside as their tongues glided across each other, returning kiss for kiss. He slid his hand under her shirt, her skin warm to his fingertips. He yearned for this, wanted this in a way he had never wanted anything else.

His nerve endings tingled again as she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth. His body grew hotter with desire with each tug of her lips. Her hands pulled his shirt from his jeans and moved along his hard abdominal muscles then glided even further around him to squeeze his butt. He almost lost it.

“Lacey,” he murmured. “I want to feel your bare skin against mine.”

Her cheek rubbed against his in agreement.

He sighed heavily. “I need to make sure one final time that this is what you want.”

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Can’t you feel how fast my heart is beating?”

He nodded and grabbed her hair, pulling her back to him again, kissing her fiercely. Cuinn rolled them to the side and began to undo each button on her blouse, opening it slowly to reveal a beautiful lacy bra on her sensual body. Leaning down, he kissed her flat stomach and unfastened her pants. He moved them out of the way then went even lower and she moaned in pleasure.

“That feels so good. Please-please—” she murmured.

“I intend to do just that.”

Lynn Crain
Experience the Magic
www.lynncrain.com