How to Create Sexual Tension Between Characters | The Novelry on Writing

While sexual tension is most commonly desired in romance novels, chemistry between characters is an essential ingredient in any good story. Whether you’re writing an enemies-to-lovers romantasy or a thriller with a romantic subplot, adding yearning and anticipation can create steamy scenes that will make your reader swoon. Writing sex scenes can fall flat without the heart-aching build-up to the act. In this special Valentine’s Day episode of The Novelry on Writing, author and editor Georgia Summers and writing coach Libby Page offer five tips to create that sizzling feeling of excitement on the page. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:50 - Tip #1: Physicality and Forced Proximity 04:01 - Tip #2: Specificity 06:42 - Tip #3: Dialogue 10:47 - Tip #4: Setting 13:37 - Tip #5: Conflict Guest Bios Georgia Summers Before joining The Novelry, Georgia Summers was an Editor at Tor, an imprint of Macmillan, where. Georgia worked closely with a range of science fiction and fantasy debut authors. She was the commissioning editor for international cozy fantasy bestseller Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin. As well as being an editor at The Novelry, Georgia is also a published author. Her debut, The City of Stardust, was pre-empted in a significant two-book deal for Hodderscape in the U.K. and Orbit in the U.S. as well as several other countries. It was a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller in its launch week, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and an Indie Next pick. Libby Page Libby Page is a writing coach at The Novelry and the Sunday Times bestselling author of five novels. Her debut, The Lido (published in the U.S.A. as Mornings with Rosemary), became a Sunday Times bestseller within three days of publication. It won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and has been published in more than 25 territories worldwide. It is one of the leading books to be associated with the term Up Lit, coined by the publishing industry the year The Lido was released. Libby was named a Guardian New Face of Fiction and has been praised by The Times, the Observer, and the Sunday Express for her feelgood fiction. The Island Home was chosen by Red magazine as one of its top books of the year, and Libby’s latest book, The Lifeline, is a sequel to The Lido. Resources Check out these blog posts for more insight on how to write and publish your story: How to Write a Love Story: 5 Top Tips (For Every Genre!): https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/how-t... Romance Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Fiction: https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/roman... Talia Hibbert on How to Write Spicy Romcoms: 5 Tips: https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/talia... The Novelry on Writing Podcast: 5 Tips to Turn Up the Heat in Romantasy: https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/podca... Read the full episode transcript here: http://www.thenovelry.com/blog/podcas... For one-on-one help writing your novel, join us on a creative writing course at The Novelry today. Sign up for courses, coaching, and a community from the world’s top-rated writing school. Share this episode! Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. All writers learn from other writers, even the greats. Write your novel with motivation and support from The Novelry. Sign up! Your story starts here... Connect with The Novelry Official Site: https://thenovelry.com Facebook:   / thenovelry   Instagram:   / thenovelry   Twitter: https://x.com/thenovelry YouTube:    / thenovelry   Show Description Learn how novels work from publishing’s top experts at The Novelry, the world’s #1 school for writers. Hosted by our bestselling writing coaches and publishing editors, this podcast is a practical, helpful guide to writing novels for every genre. Enjoy inside tips and tricks to make your writing a joyful experience while building your expertise in writing craft. With new topics every week, there is always something to learn at The Novelry, the world’s top-rated fiction writing school with more 5* reviews from writers than any other creative writing course. #novelwriting #writingtips #writingcommunity #fictionwriting #creativewriting