Class

Awkward is My Superpower: Writing Sex

Bring a sex scene you're already sweating over or start from the naked blank page. The class will begin by exploring techniques and strategies for writing about sex and will include close reading of examples (likely to include work by Amy Bloom, Carmen Maria Machado, Toni Morrison, and Coim Toibin) as well as concrete writing exercises to implement the techniques we discover. Then we'll share. Yes, in this case, we must. Getting it out there, feeling your face go red—it's essential to the process. We'll discuss our sex scenes like adults. Well, it might be a bit awkward--but that's okay!

Workshopping the sex will help make the scenes better. But it will also help us all get over ourselves, so we can write about sex a lot more confidently. By the way, the focus of the class is literary sex—the scenes may sizzle or fizzle, but we'll emphasize writing sex in a way that develops character and moves the story forward. And I won't tell you what to write, but to keep the space safe for everyone, the scenes you share must be of consensual sex.

This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book; we encourage participants to be fully vaccinated and masked in the interest of everyone’s safety. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.