Alison Kent says:
I find the number-one telling difference between traditional romance and erotic romance is that characters in erotic romance tend to fall into bed and then fall in love.
PLOT: Establishing motives, goals and conflict. A character’s outward desire (goal) and the exterior force behind it (motive) create the momentum of the external plot. Both the desire and the force behind it must be clearly defined, as together they will push the character into making choices and taking action. Throwing obstacles (conflict) between a character and his goal makes for compelling fiction, as it gives readers a hero to root for. Once you’ve established your character’s external goal and motive, you can then have fun deciding how to tell his or her story.
It’s not the position or the location that makes the scene erotic or edgy. It’s what’s at stake for the characters, the risks they’re taking, the conflict to which they’re closing their eyes that sends such a consummation scene into envelope-pushing territory.
Use sharp evocative words and short sentences to give a scene a sense of urgency. Longer descriptive sentences that employ more adjectives or metaphors will give a languorous quality to a dreamy or sensual scene.
Of course some of the good advice Alison Kent gives here can apply to all genres. Well, now for a change of genre, I’m off to read an action thriller - By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz.
Keep writing… and reading!
