Thesaurus

I make up my own mini-thesaurus to help me choose other words for "penis" or "clitoris" when I don't want to use the same words over and over again, and I don't want to use the silly euphemisms you'll find in some romance novels ("male member" or "love button"). I take my cue from the POV character, and use the language they would use (maybe "cock" or "pearl").

For the seduction and foreplay I usually start out leaning towards the sweetly romantic words and phrases, then as it gets more tumultuous, the words might get downright crude. If I have a list ahead of time, I don't have to stop in my tracks in the middle of a sentence to figure out what word to use.

Exercise:
Make up your own mini-thesaurus describing body parts or the sex act.



When I plan a scene, I think about its motif or theme, and I take out the thesaurus and jot down every sensual word I find that might fit. I'll fill up a whole page. Then, when it's time to write, I have my lovely list handy.

Recently I wrote a shower scene, and here's some of my listed words: wet, slick, slippery, slide, dew, vapor, mist, glide, fluid, liquid, moist, froth, lather, creamy, soapy, seethe, simmer. (Notice I didn't write down yucky words like sopping, marshy, or soggy.) I kept the list handy as I wrote, and even though I didn't use everything, it did inspire me.

Exercise:
Come up with a motif or theme for a scene. It can be anything: beach, garden, dance, fire, music, food, weather, etc. Look up the word in your thesaurus, and let one word suggest another. Don't stop to think about how you will use a word--keep flipping through the thesaurus and jot down any words you like. Fill up a whole page or several index cards. Now go ahead and write that scene.