I’ve always believed that one of the main differences between porn and erotica is the “realness” of the characters. Of course, that’s not the only difference—plotting, voice and technique all make a difference.

But it’s often the characters we remember long after we’ve forgotten the plot. Think about the Story of O. What comes to mind? For me, it’s always O herself. Sure, I know she had a lot of sexual exploits, but it’s her vulnerability, her exploration of her desires, her physicality that I remember best.

The basics of characterization, such as eye color, hair color and clothing are often talked about and are easy enough to write. There are also many forms out there that are designed to help you know your character inside and out, from where they were born and their first sexual experience to their favorite color and rock band.

While these details are important for you to know as the writer, it’s what you do with the details that really matter. There’s a difference between choosing physical traits arbitrarily (“Hmm, let’s see, I haven’t had a blue-eyed blonde-haired narrator yet) and choosing them to carefully illustrate character, conflict and theme. The goal is to choose details that are not only specific to your character, but also show something about your character, as well as the larger theme or idea of the story.

Here are some things to think about when creating (or improving) your characters:

Names:

You already know that the names of your characters are important. So don’t pick any old Tom, Dick and Harry. Baby name books are abundant, and will give you the history, ethnicity and meaning of names. Also, be aware of the echoes and impressions that names carry. Brooke and Lily say as much about lineage and class as Moonbeam and Rainbow. Which isn’t to say you can’t switch them up: How would your sexy dominatrix lawyer handle it if her given name was Daisy?

Body:

If you spend time looking at people, you’ll quickly realize that a blue-eyed blonde really is a stereotype. And stereotypes are one of the things that keep characters from coming alive. So, how do you make your bombshell into a real person? If you want to show that your character is appearance-oriented or insecure, you could make her eyes so blue that it’s obvious she’s wearing contacts and put barely-there roots in her blonde hair.

The other advantage of this type of description is this: if your narrator is seeing this hot blonde woman and noticing her roots and fake contacts, then that says something about him as well. Maybe he’s an optician. Maybe he prefers natural girls. Maybe he’s Hugh Hefner and is looking for his next girlfriend.

Only You:

I often give my characters something that no one else has. In my story, “Pierce Me,” (Slave to Love; Cleis Press) the narrator’s boyfriend has an old earring hole in his ear that never quite healed. Most people would think it’s a freckle, but because the narrator knows him so well, and knows his past, she recognizes the hole for what it is: a risk that he took that didn’t quite work out. This theme of risk and chance runs throughout the story.

Scars, piercings, tattoos, a birthmark on her lip, a mole on his cheek, a cock that swings to the left — all of these can say something important about a character, especially if used in a way that’s unexpected. Give that sweet librarian a pierced labia or make your acid-dropping rocker afraid of needles and watch what happens. Just make sure it’s in character’maybe your librarian had a dom lover who asked her to get pierced or it’s the secret thing she always wanted but didn’t dare to do until she turned 30.

What they Carry:

What your character wears, carries, uses and buys all tell the reader something important. In erotica, common props such as condoms, sex toys, wedding rings, stockings and heels or lipstick are all used to convey character information. Again, the trick is to choose the props that are important, and to give them enough detail to make them unique. After all, one person’s treasure is another’s trash. Don’t give your character a dildo. Give her a giant purple dildo that was a present from her ex, the one who had a fetish for fisting.

The contents of your character’s purse, bag or wallet can also show a lot about them (why only extra-extra large condoms?), as can the condition of various objects (is the bag cheap, but in pristine shape? are his jeans pressed?). Going one step further by using unexpected details can increase the complexity of your character and surprise the reader.

“Tell” to show:

In almost every story I’ve read, a character nods, gasps, giggles and closes their eyes. While these descriptions work to show action, they’re also common and do nothing to really lift your character off the page.

One way I get beyond that is by giving every character of mine a “tell.” Originally a poker term, a tell is a dead give-away of how the character is feeling, what they’re thinking or some other internal happening. In my story, “Breaking,” my character “shuffs” his feet whenever he’s nervous. Thus, instead of saying “he was nervous,” I can give readers the vision of his feet moving back and forth and they’ll know exactly how he feels.

Sometimes, a character might know their own tell and try to control it. Other times, just as in poker, they may be unaware of it themselves and it’s only the other characters (and the reader) who knows what it means. Characters can have sexual tells as well. I once dated a guy whose toes curled up every time he was close to coming. Although I haven’t found a character to use it on yet, it’s one of those details that I’ve stashed away for a rainy day.

Don’t forget the Sex:

The final step in creating a real, live sexual character is, yes, the sex. This means sexual body parts as well as sexual experiences. How many times have you read about nipples that were the size of a coin, rock-hard cocks or orgasms that crashed like waves?

Like nodding and giggling, these are a sort of a writer’s shorthand for appearance and action. Work hard to find ways to make your character’s sexuality unique. If nothing else, this is the perfect excuse to watch a lot of porn, read Playboy for the pictures and check out online sex sites. You’ll quickly realize that every cock and pussy is different, as is every person’s orgasm. And before you know it, you’ll have a million ways to describe the light blue veins that run along the underside of his cock, or the way that her nipple hardens when he brushes it with his thumb.

As for creating a unique orgasmic experience, check back next month for my new column, Fucking on Paper, where I offer five rules for sizzling sex.

Other Places to Create Quality Characters

• Creating Characters that Jump off the Page
• Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters
• Using Body Language to Create Believable Characters
• The Care and Feeding of Alpha Males

Shanna Germain
February 2006

“Sexy on the Page” © 2006 Shanna Germain. All rights reserved.