I’ve been toying around with an erotic novella, and musing again on what makes something erotic. This isn’t the first time (Part I, Part II), but then this is something so nebulous and interesting, I’m sure whole bookshelves can be filled on the subject.
Here’s what I think is another important ingredient: Suspense and anticipation. That delicious moment when the characters are dying to touch each other… but they can’t. Or the casual brush of skin against skin, when they want so much more. A hot glance. One button undone, and a glimpse of what’s underneath.
And it makes the sex scenes so much more erotic when they finally do appear on the page. 🙂