In 2012, I wrote an article for a Canadian magazine titled “How To Write Sex Scenes,” which I discussed in my blog. Quite a few people ask about this. Over time, I expanded that piece into a how-to manual for those wanting to know more about how I write sex scenes, and to also help aspiring authors. In 2016, I GIVE YOU MY BODY (How I Write Sex Scenes) was released as an ebook. You may purchase it in Apple iBook, Amazon Kindle, or Barnes & Noble Nook formats, using the pull-down menus on the left. August 26, 2016: Thank you! Have just heard that I GIVE YOU MY BODY (How I Write Sex Scenes) debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list! Thanks so much to all of you who purchased the ebook, and I hope you’re all enjoying it! -Diana Publisher’s Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! For writers looking to make sure their next physical interlude on the page inspires readers to share the moment rather than to […]
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“My Father?”
Thanksgiving Day, 2017 Given that it is Thanksgiving… what are y’all making for dinner? Ours is pretty traditional – fruit-stuffed turkey (no bread stuffing, because I hate stuffing and I do the cooking) roasted on a bed of apples, carrots, grapes and small potatoes, with rosemary-suffused olive oil rubbed under the skin. Candied yams, because… Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes (I don’t like those, either, but husband and younger daughter love them) with gravy (using the pan juices from the turkey, with broth from Penzey’s chicken soup base). Butternut squash soup, made with butternut squash (reasonably enough), roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic (I bought a thumb of ginger this morning; debating the wisdom of adding just a tinge to the soup). Devilled eggs. Fresh berries. Olives and sliced peppers with a small antipasto platter (ham, deli-sliced roast beef and provolone, because younger daughter and I love roast beef sandwiches). A dish of pickled green asparagus and lightly salted white asparagus. Pumpkin or apple pie for dessert, with home-made whipped cream. Oh, and […]
“My father?” (BEES)
Given that it is Thanksgiving… what are y’all making for dinner? Ours is pretty traditional – fruit-stuffed turkey (no bread stuffing, because I hate stuffing and I do the cooking) roasted on a bed of apples, carrots, grapes and small potatoes, with rosemary-suffused olive oil rubbed under the skin. Candied yams, because… Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes (I don’t like those, either, but husband and younger daughter love them) with gravy (using the pan juices from the turkey, with broth from Penzey’s chicken soup base). Butternut squash soup, made with butternut squash (reasonably enough), roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic (I bought a thumb of ginger this morning; debating the wisdom of adding just a tinge to the soup). Devilled eggs. Fresh berries. Olives and sliced peppers with a small antipasto platter (ham, deli-sliced roast beef and provolone, because younger daughter and I love roast beef sandwiches). A dish of pickled green asparagus and lightly salted white asparagus. Pumpkin or apple pie for dessert, with home-made whipped cream. Oh, and champagne, of course. […]
My Writing Process
March 20, 2016 Over the years, I’ve done hundreds (literally) of interviews, and frankly, most of them consist of the same six or seven questions, over and over (and over and overandoverandover)—with the excuse, "Of course, I know you’ve probably (oh, you think?) answered some (ha) of these questions before,but these are things we think our readers would like to know." (Perfectly legit assumption. That’s why all those answers are in the FAQ section of my website/ and on my Wikipedia page (or at least I hope they’re still there)… and in THE OUTLANDISH COMPANIONS.) "So…. how did you get the idea to write these books?" But never mind; they have their job and I have mine. (Yes, I admit that these interviews give the books visibility, and I appreciate the attention. That’s why I go on answering those six or seven questions with a reasonably convincing appearance of gracious enthusiasm (I’ve seen myself do it several times on video, that’s how I know…). Still, once in awhile you get […]
My Writing Process
March 20, 2016 Over the years, I’ve done hundreds (literally) of interviews, and frankly, most of them consist of the same six or seven questions, over and over (and over and overandoverandover)—with the excuse, "Of course, I know you’ve probably (oh, you think?) answered some (ha) of these questions before, but these are things we think our readers would like to know." (Perfectly legit assumption. That’s why all those answers are in the "FAQ" section of my website… and on my Wikipedia page (or at least I hope they’re still there)… and in THE OUTLANDISH COMPANIONS.) "So…. how did you get the idea to write these books?" But never mind; they have their job and I have mine. (Yes, I admit that these interviews give the books visibility, and I appreciate the attention. That’s why I go on answering those six or seven questions with a reasonably convincing appearance of gracious enthusiasm (I’ve seen myself do it several times on video, that’s how I know…). Still, once in awhile you […]
“I Wilna Let You Freeze”
Friday, December 25, 2015 MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHAG SAMEACH, JOYFUL KWANZAA, BLESSED SOLSTICE and/or a DELIGHTFUL EID-AlUdha to all of you! [I posted this excerpt (aka "Daily Lines") from DRUMS OF AUTUMN on my web blog and Facebook page.] Jamie’s hair and shoulders were lightly dusted with snow, and flakes were settling on the exposed backs of his legs. I pulled the hem of his cloak down, then brushed the snow away from his face. His cheek was nearly the same color as the big wet flakes, and his flesh felt stiff when I touched it. Fresh alarm surged through me as I realized that he might be a lot closer to freezing already than I had thought. His eyes were half closed, and cold as it was, he didn’t seem to be shivering much. That was bloody dangerous; with no movement, his muscles were generating no heat, and what warmth he had was leaching slowly from his body. His cloak was already heavy with damp; if I allowed his clothes […]
WHAT’S IN _YOUR_ BEACH-BAG?
Well, now, here’s a question: What’s a “beach read?” What’s a good beach read? And what are some of your favorites of the species? Once in awhile, I find OUTLANDER on someone’s list of “great beach reads,” but usually none of the other books. (This sticks in my mind, because one of the early public appearances I did when OUTLANDER was released, was a “Great Beach Read” program done with several other authors for a public library—wherein we were supposed to talk about our own books, but also give a list of other books we thought were great beach reads. I remember the occasion, because it’s the first—and thankfully one of very few—occasion on which I forgot I was supposed to be somewhere. I was in fact shopping for bunk-beds with my husband—and my children all “turned” last month, being now 26, 24, and 22, so you know it was awhile ago—when he got a frantic call (he having one of the new-fangled car-phones) from his secretary, to the effect […]
Contents
The following is a listing of the contents for my ebook titled I GIVE YOU MY BODY (How I Write Sex Scenes), which is about 118 printed pages. Table of Contents The Quick-Start Five-Minute Guide to Writing Sex Scenes The One-Hour Expanded Guide to Writing Sex Scenes with Vivid Details, Striking Examples, and Entertaining Foodnotes Character Terminology The Language of Sex is Emotion It Isn’t All Up Close and Personal Nasty Sex Non-Sex Sex Scenes Atmosphere Repetition of Elements The Invisible Sex cene How to Have Sex Like a Gay Man Mind Games Appendix A Acknowledgments Also by Diana Gabaldon About the Author Return to the I GIVE YOU MY BODY webpage… This page was last updated on Friday, September 7, 2018, at 12:45 a.m. (Pacific Time) by Diana’s Webmistress.
Like that…
Where most beginning writers screw up (you should pardon the expression) is in thinking that sex scenes are about sex. A good sex scene is about the exchange of emotions, not bodily fluids. That being so, it can encompass any emotion whatever, from rage or desolation to exultation, tenderness, or surprise. Lust is not an emotion; it’s a one-dimensional hormonal response. Ergo, while you can mention lust in a sex-scene, describing it at any great length is like going on about the pattern of the wall-paper in the bedroom. Worth a quick glance, maybe, but essentially boring. So how do you show the exchange of emotions? Dialogue, expression, or action—that’s about the limit of your choices, and of those, dialogue is by far the most flexible and powerful tool a writer has. What people say reveals the essence of their character. Example: “I know once is enough to make it legal, but…” He paused shyly. “You want to do it again?” “Would ye mind verra much?” I didn’t laugh this […]
Want To Watch Me Write?
Social media hashtags: #DailyLinesWithBusiness, #MinnieAndHalsNovella, #Outin2017 This blog entry is actually part of a longer piece called "Want to Watch Me Write?" that I’m putting together in desultory fashion, between other things. It’s a modest example of what-all goes on my head while I’m writing, including all the thinking that happens before, during and after the writing of a single scene. Our scenario is that it’s 1743, Harold Grey is struggling to raise his father’s defunct regiment, and has just shot a man named Nathaniel Twelvetrees, who had seduced Hal’s wife (she’s just died a month ago, along with the child to whom she gave birth—and Hal doesn’t know whether it was his or not). Hal’s not very stable emotionally at the moment, and his anxious friend, Harry Quarry, is sticking close by him as Hal goes to call on an officer with a good reputation, whom he’d like to recruit for his new regiment. The man lives in a Georgian terrace—a line of upscale townhouses, facing a common fenced […]