WRITING SEX SCENES

By Rosanna Chiofalo

Though sex scenes in novels may seem to come effortlessly to writers, most authors will tell you that they feel some anxiety before writing them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The key to writing seamless sex scenes that will leave your readers begging for more (excuse the pun!), is to forget about your audience and completely immerse yourself in your character’s mind—and body!

The pitfall that most aspiring writers, as well as new authors, fall into is worrying too much about what their loved ones will think. I, too, was guilty of this when I wrote my first sex scene. As the youngest of four children and with siblings who were quite a bit older than me, my first thought was what they would think of their kid sister writing such a hot and heavy scene. I could hear one of my brother’s voices in my head as I wrote my sex scenes, saying, “Where did you learn this stuff?” Of course, it wouldn’t matter that I’m in my early forties and a happily married woman!

One of the most difficult aspects of being a writer is exposing yourself, and especially your writing to the world. Even when a book isn’t based at all on your own life, writers know that readers can’t help but see an extension of the author in his or her writing. Perhaps this sense of exposure is partially why writing sex scenes can be so intimidating.

Another challenging aspect of writing sex scenes is making them natural and not forced. Using the right language is crucial to believable sex scenes. Also by avoiding repetition and staying away from clichés, writers can greatly enhance their scenes. Think about your characters’ dialogue. For example, if your heroine is an assertive, sassy character, then making her prim and proper in the bedroom—whether it’s in her actions or language—wouldn’t make sense unless she was intentionally role playing. Above all, writers must always remember to stay true to their characters.

What’s helped me the most in writing convincing sex scenes, as well as making me more comfortable, is reading. As any author will tell you, reading each other’s work is the best way to improve your own writing, regardless if you’re writing about sex or how your heroine has had her heart broken. The more sex scenes I read, the less I have to think about crafting them. The writing flows more easily.

Lastly, I also like to keep a notebook in which all I write are mini sex scenes. Sometimes, I use some of these scenes for my books but many times I don’t. The notebook’s purpose is to get me in the habit of writing sex scenes and make it less apprehensive for me each time I do so. I write longhand in the notebook rather than sitting in front of my laptop. Writing longhand where I can sit on the couch or anywhere that is comfortable makes it more relaxing for me and takes away some of the pressure writers can feel when sitting in front of their computer at their desks where they normally write their novels. Find what works for you and stick to it. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to creating the most breathtaking, sizzling scenes—and not caring what your friends and family think!♥

Rosanna Chiofalo is the author of the upcoming novel BELLA FORTUNA (Kensington Publishing, August 28, 2012). She lives with her husband in New York. Please visit http://www.rosannachiofalo.com/.

SEDUCTION, SEX AND SATISFACTION

by Maria Ferrer

No, I'm not talking about last night's date or FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.  I'm talking about writing.  Truly!




SEDUCTION
Your eyes meet across the room; then travel up and down –what we hope is –a hot body. Attraction sparks; desire races up and down your spine. You both make a move towards the other, and thus, the seduction begins: That first look. That first move. That first spark.

In our writing, we also want to seduce our reader to our side. We want them curious, excited and eager. We want her –it’s usually a her –to look at our cover and fall in love with our hero. (Let’s pretend a leaner, more virile Fabio has been found and is draped across the front of our book cover.)

We want to titillate her enough that she picks up our book and runs, not walks, to the nearest cashier. She rushes home to be alone with our book, to turn that first page, to lose herself in our words.


SEX
The excitement builds. Alone at last. Now comes the good part. Some people keep the bedroom doors closed, others throw them wide open. Both ways are exciting and filling.

The deed is done. The climax reached. The last page turned. The Happily Ever After is ours. Mr. and Mrs. Hero ride off into the sunset and our reader is sexually satisfied and emotionally fulfilled.


SATISFACTION
Today, a cigarette may be passe, but a nice glass of wine is a good way to celebrate the satisfaction of a good read, a good night.

Satisfaction is key, because if it was good, our dear reader will want to do it again, and we certainly want to leave her aglow and asking for more.

As writers, we must seduce our readers. We must give them pleasure -- yes, sexually and artistically – and most of all, we must satisfy their need for a good story, a good romance and a happy ending. And, if she tells all her friends, that’s an extra bonus for us.♥



Maria C. Ferrer is working on a secret baby book and a romantic suspense. She also writes erotica under her nombre de pluma, Del Carmen. Her first short story, “Ride A Cowboy,” was published in the WOMEN IN LUST anthology (Cleis Press, 2011). Maria blogs regularly at http://www.rwanycblogginginthebigapple.blogspot.com/, http://www.4horsewomen.blogspot.com/ and http://www.mydelcarmen.com/.
  
  

CONFESSIONS STILL POPULAR

By Hanna Rowan

As a preteen I often secreted myself in the basement to sneak a peek at such magazines as True Story or True Confessions, reading stories I considered quite racy at the time. And while times and social values may have changed, True Story and True Confessions continue to offer a peek into the lives and hearts of women, and a lucrative market for the writer who can tell a heartfelt story in 3000 to 7000 words.

True Story and True Confessions are the sole survivors of a group of magazines which used to contain such titles as True Romance and True Love, originally published by MacFadden which merged with Sterling in 1991 to form Sterling MacFadden Publishing. In 2004, Dorchester acquired the group of publications. Early in 2012, a new company called True Renditions LLC acquired the magazines. (http://www.truerendtionsllc.com/) This company has been working to increase circulation and exposure, bringing back an option to subscribe.

Editors Samantha Hazell and Hannah Wolfson are active in a yahoo group for confession writers. For writers interested in exploring this field, a subscription to groups.yahoo.com/group/truewriters will provide access to writers’ guidelines and the expertise of veteran confession authors.

For anyone unfamiliar with confession magazines, a visit to http://www.zinio.com/ will allow them to buy a copy if they cannot find one on their local newsstand.

Guidelines posted by the editors in April of this year include the following…

“The underlying theme is overcoming adversities in life. True Confessions’ readers want to read about women who have been through turmoil, but made it to the end by relying on their own willpower, determination, God, their children—whatever it is! Our readers want to be inspired by the characters they read about and gain strength and knowledge from the experiences they go through.

“True Story is an extraordinary publication that gets its inspiration from the hearts and minds of women, and it reads like a woman’s diary. Each issue of the magazine is an emotional journey filled with testaments of the ups and downs that every woman experiences. The articles touch on those things in life that a woman holds close to her heart, such as love, loss, family, and friendship.”

The stories are told in first person, past tense. Both magazines offer themed features as well, with varying amounts of payment. True Confession stories pay three cents per word, and True Story pays five cents. Editors prefer email submissions to trueswriters@yahoo.com, but will accept paper submissions in standard manuscript format at True Renditions, 105 E. 34th St. Box 141, New York NY 10016.♥




Hannah Rowan worked as a reporter for her local newspaper writing news, features, a gossip column and a humor column for almost twenty years. She was a stringer for the Star ledger and did news for WXMC-AM radio, and has been published in national magazines. Hannah has had two romance novels published. During a hiatus from writing she has been working at an assisted living facility doing activities, but has reentered the writing world with a story published in the June edition of True Story magazine.
 
 

I'll Take Manhattan!

Fourth of July, like Memorial Day, leads me to thoughts of the wars our country has endured, and our history of struggles against enemies, foreign and domestic. As a New Yorker, following September 11, 2001, the sense of New York has changed for me, and for all of us, I suspect. We began to alter our routines and we had to become accustomed to men with guns and dogs and periodic terror alerts.

But this is not the first time Manhattan has undergone this change.

During World War II, the City, under the guardianship of fiery Fiorello La Guardia, was on high alert. Everyone participated in some way as all eyes turned East, toward the Atlantic Ocean, and the threat of German invasion. There were citizens patrolling, and working as lookouts. There were Victory Gardens, there were rubber and iron drives. Shelters were devised, and apartments were commandeered for female WACs. Bond drives were plentiful, and famous and rich inhabitants donated money, and jewelry and more to the cause, rallying the public to do the same. The Brooklyn Navy Yard became a massive ship-building operation churning out the hundreds of boats that bulked up the US’ previously sparse navy.

And they were not on alert in vain. There were, indeed, German U-boats off the coast of New York and Long Island. There were spies – saboteurs landed on Long Island and were captured through the vigilance of a 19 year old patrolling the beach where the men landed.

While there were no air attacks, air raids were prevalent and everyone was always on alert for planes overhead that might bear the dreaded swastika.
And there were the pro-Nazi political activities and spying operations of the German American Bund. The Nazis in Berlin worked with them, appointing leaders of the various movements, and them removing them if they felt they were not serving their purpose. The massive rally at Madison Square Garden that took place at the outset of the war in Europe was attended by a huge crowd, including Charles Lindbergh and protestors rushed the stage and were dragged away. This event loomed large in the minds of New Yorkers once war with Germany was declared. There were fights with German citizens, and the heavily German Yorkville section of the City was always under watch and suspicion.

Two books, “Over Here” and “Helluva Town” (by Lorraine B. Diehl, and Richard Goldstein, respectively) recount the experience of living in New York City during World War II.

From the actresses who populated the Stage Door Canteen, to the police and firemen who dealt with wartime accidents, including the explosion of several ships in our harbors, to the scientists who began work on The Manhattan Project (so named because it began in Manhattan, and continued with work at Columbia), the citizenry was involved. There were air raids. Blackouts became the order of the day, including in Times Square where Broadway marquees went dark.

Knowing that I am walking the same streets that a young girl may have walked, patrolling a blacked-out city, or passing a building that may have housed a spy ring, this can be intriguing knowledge and it is one reason why my World War II novellas are all set in Manhattan. They each explore the lives of ordinary people who become embroiled, in one way or another, in the wartime drama. The novella I am currently working on involves a young actress at the Stage Door Canteen who meets a soldier preparing to ship out. As was the case with so many, the urgency of the times compels them to an intimacy that would never have occurred in calmer times.

And my planned series of World War II novels all include New York City and the environs as the jumping off point for the various characters: Female pilots, nurses, journalists, spies, USO performers, scientists, and a “Rosie the Riveter” – the plot of whose story revolves around the actual events that took place on Long Island. The various aircraft plants, including Grumman, were targets of spies, and a German American Bund group based in Yaphank received money from Berlin to plot a major sabotage of the Grumman plant there. My heroine will – of course – thwart that plan. Along with the help of an undercover infiltrator from the US OSS.

There is so much inspiration in our City – past and present. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this wonderful town than to take advantage of its people, its history and its courage!

Happy Fourth of July Ladies & Gentlemen.