LET'S WRITE ABOUT SEX, BABY.

FICTION; HUMAN sexuality; FICTION writing techniques; FICTION writing; TABOO; SAUNDERS, George, 1958-; ESCAPE From Spiderhead (Short story); SCHUTT, Christine

The author, a novelist and short story writer, discusses the challenges of writing sex scenes in fictional works. He expresses the view that it is difficult to craft a sex scene that is neither mechanical nor overwrought, and says that badly written sex scenes abound in fiction, even in works by serious, well-respected writers. He notes that many past taboos on forms of sexual activity have been broken and says this makes it harder to write about sex because it removes the thrill of the forbidden. He cites examples of strong writing about sex, including the short story "Escape from Spiderhead" by George Saunders and stories by Christine Schutt.