I was asked this recently: “In writing M/M or M/F erotica with obviously plenty of sex scenes, how do you keep the sex fresh, interesting, hot and varied??? Is this easy/difficult for you??? What kind of “tricks of the trade” do you have to employ?”

I liked answering so much, I thought I’d share here too.

I don’t really think about it in terms of tricks or anything. I think of it in terms of characters. Each person is unique and each couple is unique. I figure out pretty quickly what turns my characters on and why they’re attracted to the other. Then I use that. For me, that manages to always keep it fresh. To use the Heaven Sent boys as examples, Darien looks at sex from a different angle than Johnnie, and not just because he ends up being a bottom. He’d far prefer being caught than doing the stalking and we all know Johnnie much prefers the hunt. But even Darien and Tyler are different and they both started off het and got convinced that gay was the way to go. They think differently, so they act differently, so the sex is different. At least, that’s how I’ve always looked at it.

Even when it’s kind of the “same scene”–eg sex in a bed or in an alley–the circumstances are invariably different. Where were they before this? Have they slept together yet? Is this one of their first time? Is it day or night? Are there other people in the “house”? Even little things like is the bed made or is the window open can make a scene that’s pretty much the same as another into a unique thing.

Even in the few times that I did come up with the scene first–as in, “oh man, I want to write a scene using that toy!” (yes, it’s happened)–I immediately think of what kind of person would want to use the thing. What happened to give them the kink? Or was it a new thing that just kind of landed in their lap? Is their chosen partner for or against? Expecting it or surprised? Again, it goes back to the characters where all I said above applies.

Written by Jet Mykles


Jet is a writer of sexual fantasy with a firm belief that all men are at least partially gay, that vampires are just people with a liquid diet and shapeshifters live on every block.
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"Keeping it Fresh" by Jet Mykles was published on October 11th, 2008 and is listed in Jet Mykles.

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Comments on "Keeping it Fresh": 6 Comments

  1. Rosemary wrote,

    This is off subject, but I’m dying to know, will there be more of Tech Support ? I absolutely loved that story and hated to see it end.

    Ro
    Diehard m/m fan

  2. Jet Mykles wrote,

    Hi Ro,
    I don’t have any plans for another Tech Support, but it’s not completely out of the question. Thanks for letting me know!

  3. Mary M. wrote,

    Hi! Just wanted to thank you for that very interesting post!! I’ve thought often about trying to write slash and my main concern was always that after two or three stories all my sex scenes would sound the same. Of course, there’s also the problem that my vocabulary is limited since English isn’t my first language, but still, it’s a good tip: remember how different your characters are and let things happen according to their personalities and back story :). Thanks.

  4. Jet Mykles wrote,

    It’s the best way to go, trust me. Let the characters have their heads and they rarely steer you wrong. THEY know what they want, even if they’re not all that great at communicating it to you :) The trick is learning to read their minds

    glad I could help. good luck!

  5. Marame wrote,

    Great post, Jet. I just re-read Genesis last night and was struck by how each couple’s love-making was different. Besides the absolutely effing brilliant ending, we’re treated to Johnnie & Tyler making beautiful love together, Luc & Reese’s sexy ass play, Brent & Hell’s restrained strip-tease, and Chris & Darien’s sinful tongue-bath. What an amazingly different array of sexual tones!

  6. Jet Mykles wrote,

    Thanks, Marame! That’s exactly what I was going for with that scene. With the entire series, actually. It was very important to me that each couple was unique. so glad you enjoyed it!

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