Word Choice

Can you give pointers on how to write smut properly?

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Smut Fic is a great resource! I’ll try giving some of my own, too, tho!

#1 Tip: The key to writing smut is be yourself & have fun!

OK, that’s a joke, but it’s true. Write smut that you enjoy. If you are turned on by what you’re writing, it’s good. Smut is tricky because everyone has different preferences.

For example, some people will hate Dom/sub, while others go out of their way looking for it. Stuff like dubcon, noncon, omorashi, etc. will be more divisive, but even vanilla blowjobs will turn some readers off. So just accept that you can’t please everyone and write for yourself!

Word Choice

Do you call a penis: a cock? shaft? manhood? member? What about lady parts? Some readers will click that back button the minute they see “pussy,” while others won’t read smut that uses any other term.

Some word choices are safer than others. Generally speaking, no one enjoys clinical terms like “penis” or “vagina.” And no one objects to “him” or “her” (i.e. “He entered her”).

If in doubt, the vaguer you are, the less likely it is to turn someone off. I am fond of overusing “warmth” and “heat” for everything (i.e. “He entered her warm depths”). Plus, what is a “heat” anyway? When I write gender-neutral smut, the POV character is always getting their heat or sex stroked, and their entrance penetrated. Vague terms are quite useful!

Here’s a little “smut thesaurus” I made of terms I use or at least don’t find objectionable. Again, you never know what someone might find cringey, and some of them I consider borderline, but there’s nothing on the list that’s universally seen as bad. Like “orbs” for eyes.

Filthiness level

Not all porn is as porny as other porn! Take for example, the same blowjob:

She took him in her mouth, bobbing up and down in his lap.

Or...

Her lips parted around his thick, veiny cock, tasting the salt of his precum on her tongue. Sliding down his shaft until her nose was buried in his dark hairs and his crown struck the back of her throat, she... etc!!

If you’re not sure how to start, it’s OK to do lighter smut that doesn’t get quite so explicit! A lot of people prefer smut that’s more focused on the emotions and less on the graphic details. I definitely started out writing cleaner smut.

Your word choices will also affect the filthiness/tone of a fic. Not everyone wants cocks and cunts everywhere! I’d recommend saving your naughtiest words for your naughtiest, most graphic fics, and fluffier language for fluffier, cleaner fics.

Inspiration!

If you can’t just churn out sexy scenarios on demand...

Read other smutfics/romance novels. I have a whole “smut thesaurus” google doc that I add to every time I see some phrasing that I like. Do not plagiarize entire sentences word for word. But when I see my favorite author use “laving” I’m like... yes. That is a good word for licking. Let me add that to my list of licking words.

Fantasize. Not to get TMI but if you’re stuck on a smut scene... you know. Consider getting the ol’ vibrator out. Or have sex with someone if that’s an option. Cuddle a pillow. Stop stressing over the keyboard and just imagine what would feel good. THEN WRITE IT DOWN SUPER QUICK BEFORE YOU FORGET. I’m always taking notes on my phone.

Porn. Just. Straight-up watch some porn. You’re still responsible for the emotional component, but you’re allowed to steal all of the physical acts from a porn video if you want.

Don’t forget the emotions!!!

Character development and a strong emotional basis are what separates smut fic from porn. The physical act of two people mashing their body parts together in different configurations loses its interest after awhile. For me anyway. I need a STORY!

Why are they having sex? How do they feel about the sex they’re having? Tell me how the sex is an expression of how much they care about each other! Or show me how their sexual connection is what makes them start to fall in love! Show me they’re afraid they’re not good enough, but the way their lover moans their name fills them with such a warm, trembling feeling! Tell me how reassured they are when their partner holds their hand! Or how safe they feel with their solid weight pressing them down into the mattress. Or how wild and arousing it is to be with such a fiendish villain! How powerful it feels to have an arrogant, wealthy man begging for you on his knees! How all your insecurity slips away when you give up all control to a trusted partner. How amazing it feels to be that partner, and be trusted. Slow, comforting “you had a bad day and I’m taking care of you” sex where they comb their fingers through your hair. Awkward first times!

There are so many different feelings to be explored with sex!

(Ex. Trope-and-Tales devastated me with a smut scene where the arrogant jerk guy desperately wanted affection and kept trying to have sensual, loving sex, but she was angry at him and wanted rough hate-sex, and it was disappointing for both of them and heartbreaking. I’m still not over it. I’ll never be over it. So, you know. Kudos to what you can convey with sex.)

So really, if you put the emotions front and center, you can’t go wrong. Smut is like any other part of writing... just with more body parts mashing together.

Description: Kissing and Smiling

Anonymous asked: I’m having a problem when it comes to describing kisses and smiles without using the word lips and still sound natural. Usually, I don’t mind the word, but it seems like I’ve been using it far too often in my writing, especially when it comes to smiles or smirks. Do you have anything to help with that?

Writing smiles and kisses without using the word “lips” is pretty tricky, but it can be done. Just don’t go overboard in trying to avoid using the word. Lips are crucial to both of those actions, so you can’t avoid them entirely. One thing to keep in mind with describing kisses is that lips touching lips or skin isn’t the only thing going on. Hands are roaming, hearts are speed-thumping, and hormones are going crazy—so just spending a little time on what else is going on will both flesh out and lengthen the scene without having to keep describing what the lips are doing. Smiling, at least, gives us a little more to work with. For one thing, there are multiple ways to indicate that someone is smiling:

grinning

beaming

laughing

giggling

chuckling

simpering

sneering

There are also many ways to describe the face of someone who is smiling:

face brightened

face glowing

eyes lit up/sparkled/twinkled

looking delighted/happy/amused/pleased/satisfied

cheeks dimpled

upturned face

And there are ways to describe what the mouth is doing when someone smiles:

mouth upturned

mouth twitched (quick smile)

mouth quirked/quirked up/quirked at the corners

mouth twists with [emotion]

And, instead of smiling, you could describe other visible aspects of the emotion causing them to smile:

doing things with enthusiasm

a bounce in their step, skipping, dancing

swinging arms, tapping feet

showing interest

happy tears

fist-pump, clapping, moving excited

Also, internal aspects that the person smiling might be feeling:

radiating joy

lighthearted

feeling good

being content

(with thanks to The Emotion Thesaurus for help here…) Here are some additional resources for you: Kissing Scenes How to Write a Kissing Scene via letsvvrite Pucker Up! via WriteWorld 5 Steps to Writing the Perfect Kissing Scene via Miss Literati Describing Character Reactions And Emotions: She Smiled, He Frowned

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royalrhythm

6 years ago

a list of soft, pretty words 🕊💐

astral (adj.) of, connected with, or resembling the stars. paradisaic (adj.) of or belonging to heaven or god. empyrean (adj.) belonging to or deriving from heaven. seraphic (adj.) characteristic of or resembling an angel. sublime (adj.) of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe. svelte (adj.) slender, graceful and elegant. (describing a person)

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royalrhythm

5 years ago

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

* body language masterlist

* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said

* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

* some more body language help

(hope this helps some ppl)

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royalrhythm

5 years ago

I’m right and I should say it

Love Language - Showing, not telling love

smiling at each other without reason

listening to each other rant

caring about each other’s health

lots of innocent and not so innocent touches

writing each other notes

giving small gifts without special occasion

making sure to spend quality time together

showing interest in each other’s interests

supporting each other

caring about each others’ lives outside of the relationship

doing something nice for each other

trying to get to know each other's friends and families

taking their load off of them

remembering things they told them

holding hands in public

telling their friends about them

Have fun!

- Jana

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royalrhythm

6 years ago

Are there other words like egregious where their meanings are antonyms?

you bet your butt there is! they’re called contronyms

(before getting into the words, I should clarify that the following words words aren’t really contronyms. Instead, their new definition is the opposite of the more archaic one)

artificial new definition: made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally.artificial old definition: artfully or skillfully made.awful new definition: very bad or unpleasant.awful old definition: inspiring reverential wonder.harlot new definition: a mischievous man.harlot old definition: a prostitute or promiscuous woman.resentment new definition: bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.resentment old definition: the quality of being thankful.specious new definition: misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive.specious old definition: fair or beautiful.symposium new definition: a drinking party.symposium old definition: a conference or meeting to discuss a particular subject.terrific new definition: of great size, amount, or intensity.terrific old definition: making someone afraid or anxious; terrifying.

then there are words that can mean one of two things which are opposite! (the true contronyms)

bitch: someone who is over aggressive or domineering OR someone who is excessively submissiveclip: to bind together OR to seperatedust: remove the dust from something OR apply dust to somethingoff: to turn off (a light) OR the go off (an alarm)resign: can either be resign or re-signseed: lay down seed OR remove the seeds from somethingstone: throw stones at OR remove the stone from a fruit (peaches, plums etc.)

thank you for the ask

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royalrhythm

4 years ago

Some idioms and phrases you should know about part I :

Salt of the earth: a very good or worthy person.

Gut-wrenching: making you feel very upset or worried.

Make a spectacle of yourself: to do something that makes you look stupid and attracts people's attention.

Pass muster: be accepted as adequate or satisfactory.

Putty in someone's hands: easily influenced by someone else, excessively willing to do what someone else wishes.

Look before you leap: carefully consider the possible consequences before taking action.

Set the wheels in motion : to do something that will cause a series of actions to start.

Off the books: without being included on official records.

A long Haul: something that takes a lot of time and energy.

An end in itself: a goal that is pursued in it's own right to the exclusion of others.

Night owl: a person who prefers to be awake late at night.

Kick the Bucket: to die.

Alter Ego: a person's secondary or alternative personality immediately or extremely quickly; at once.

Freak of Nature: something or someone that is unusual, rare, or abnormal in some way / To avoid attracting attention to yourself.

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royalrhythm

5 years ago

also seriously if a character isn’t white, i promise your only descriptive options aren’t food words and varying degrees of tan. it’s okay to say brown. pale brown! light brown! golden brown! medium brown! dark brown! deep brown! so many kinds of brown!

BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN

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