BellaOnline Forums Career Fiction Writing How Explicit Should You Make Your Sex Scene?

There are many ways to write an amorous encounter from a mere mention (“and then they made love,”) to pages of detailed description. You decide based on several variables.

How Explicit Should You Make Your Sex Scene?

Dear Val -

That is a great overview of the choices! I write in all ranges in different books and agree it depends wholly on the audience and purpose.

Thank you, Lisa! I had fun writing that article and trying not to mention the word "sex" once (though I had to put it in the title).

I think that's awesome that you write to all levels. I've only ever written to level 4 (the medium explicit level) and I think it would take work on my part to get mentally flexible enough to write to the other levels.

Great article! I sent this one to Dan for his novels.

Thank you, Jilly! I hope he finds it helpful.

When I was writing and I did include sex I was always very explicit about it. I have never censored myself and never will. If a story did not have this fitting in it then I just did not include sex in it, this was the same with every subjects.