Put The Steam In Steamy Romance

Why do readers like steam? Granted, some readers don’t (no judgement), but some do (again no judgement). In both cases there has to be some tension of a steamy nature between the characters. I’ll avoid the term sexual tension, since the clean romance readers don’t want to see or hear about sex. After all, there has to be some attraction in a relationship or no story, right?

So, why do readers like steamy scenes? Well, if the scene is there purely for the prurient effect, and the reader is older than fifteen, they won’t. Readers expect a scene to have reason to be there. In a romance, a steamy scene is usually the release of “attraction tension” between the main characters.

In clean romance, there isn’t much buildup of attraction tension between the characters. We, as readers, just assume it’s there, but it all happens out of sight. In a steamy romance there needs be a lot more tension buildup. The characters better do more than hold hands and chastely kiss. I’m not talking about PDA. I mean tension–they have to feel they are being drawn irresistibly into a physical relationship (probably against their better judgement). They have to let us know the attraction is consuming, I mean like an obsession!

The other reason readers like steamy scenes (come on, be honest) is because a good steamy scene makes you hot. If you have ever watched two people hump (a medieval word) you were probably bored after the first ten seconds. (I went to college in the sixties.) Lots of the actual participants are bored too–hence the thousands of returns on Google for “how to spice up your sex life.”

So, how does a writer create a steamy scene that makes a reader hot. A steamy scene is the ultimate example of when to immerse a reader into a scene.

• Tell what the person did, not how they did it.
• Evoke mood with atmospheric detail–an alley? a restroom at a fancy restaurant? a bedroom in an English manor?
• Describe body language.
• What doesn’t work is using dialog to carry a sex scene. Why not? Don’t people talk during sex? Sure. A couple may joke, but laughter isn’t a relief of lust-filled obsession.
  One or the other may express a lack of self confidence. For instance, “I don’t like anyone touching my ears. They are large, and I’ve always been self conscious about them.” That statement sounds like the start of a therapy session. Talk about a buzz kill!
  Bottom line is if the sex is intense, a person is all feeling. He or she won’t be interested in a conversation. A reader wants to be carried along by the characters senses and thoughts.

Two great examples of steamy scenes (besides mine, of course) are The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori and Velvet Devil by Nicole Fox.