Everything I Know About Good Sex Writing I Learned from Sesame Street

Sesame Street taught me a lot of things, from how to count to 10 in Spanish to how to cope with death (remember with Mr. Hooper died?!) I watched Sesame Street every day as a child and it’s hard to say just how much those urban, carefree monsters had on my life. Most of their lessons were simple: counting, sharing, understanding the importance of friendship, but just because their lessons were simple, doesn’t mean we always remember them. Granted, I could now continue onto self-righteous spiel of the importance of humanity and honoring your fellow man, but this is an erotica blog! So let’s talk about sex, shall we?

In an effort to indulge my nostalgia and at the same time impart some writing wisdom, I offer you:

5 Tips for Better Sex Writing, Inspired by Sesame Street

Give it a Grouch: I haven’t done much research on Jim Henson and his inspiration for Sesame Street and its characters, but I’d venture a guess to say that somewhere in his life, he had a neighbor (or family member or friend) who did nothing but complain. A model for Oscar the Grouch had to come from somewhere! Therein we find lesson number 1: When writing erotica, pull inspiration from real life. Surely, an entire character can be inspired by someone you’ve met along the way, but don’t forget to let real life inspire your scenery or your dialogue. I once wrote a story and coffee while sitting in a coffee shop and set the sex scene on a hefty, wooden table inspired by a friend’s house I had stayed at weeks prior.

Diversify: Sesame Street was revolutionary in its use of diverse characters and its promotion of racial and socioeconomic acceptance. I do believe that Luis and Maria were two of the first Hispanic actors to appear regularly on mainstream, American television without serving only to fill a stereotypical role. When considering “casting” in your erotica, remember to diversify. In one story, write about a sex encounter between a married woman and a married man, or a total stranger. Next time, cast a dominatrix in the starring role. If you’re a man, write from a woman’s perspective and vice versa. Not only will it challenge your skills, but it will keep your readers “coming” back for more.

Indulge your imagination: Big Bird knows best; let your imagination be your guide. Remember that Snuffy, Big Bird’s fuzzy, elephant-like best friend, didn’t exist at all but in Big Bird’s imagination. (Odd choice for an imaginary friend, but then again we’re talking about a giant bird with the intellect of a 5 year old). Despite no one else believing in Snuffy’s existence, Big Bird continued to dream. When writing, don’t forget to indulge your imagination. Write about fantastic seductions that would most likelyfizzle in the real world. Get descriptive with body parts, sounds, movements, locations. Remember that erotica should be creative and unexpected. If we didn’t want creativity, we’d simply watch porn.

Find a theme to carry you through: On Sesame Street, Big Bird was the poster child for silly questions. He always asked “why” and the entire episode would be dedicated to providing him an answer. Granted, they would cut in and out of other clips (a song about the letter “S,” a counting fest with The Count, or what have you), but by the end, Big Bird’s problem would always be solved. When writing about sex, find a theme to carry you through. “Spike” by Rachel Kramer Bussel, which appears in the 2006 edition of Best Women’s Erotica is all about the use of spiked heels in domination. Plan to pepper in some new characters and plot twists, but don’t forget to find a point and get to it by the end. Don’t expect to just sling together random sex scenes and be taken seriously as a writer.

Channel Your Inner Monster: “C is for…” Well, in the world of erotic fiction, “C” could be for a lot of things. But for Cookie Monster, “C is for cookie.” The best thing about this lovable blue muppet is that he knew what he loved and indulged as often as possible. Whenever you can, insert a little bit of your passion into your writing. Does the idea of being tied up secretly get you going? Role playing? Sex in public? Chances are if you write about something that really turns you on, you’re going to have readers who feel the same way. All it takes is one good line or image to get the motor running and like our good friend Cookie “That’s good enough for me.”