Editing Checklist, #9: Love Scenes

So.  Sex.  There's a lot to cover here, so let's just dive right in, shall we?

- Does the sexual tension begin the moment the hero/heroine (h/h) meet?
- Is the scene foreshadowed?
- Does the scene occur at the right point in the story?
- Is there enough foreplay for the scene, the characters, and the story?
- Does the foreplay reveal as much about the h/h as the rest of the scene?

- Does the scene heighten tension/conflict?
- Are the characters (and readers) kept on edge?
- Do the h/h get too comfortable?
- Does the scene change the interaction between the h/h?
- Does that change show in the next scene?

- Do the h/h make love in character?
- Do the h/h make love with all five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, sound)?
- Is there "deep POV"?
- Did you write the whole experience (sensory details, emotions, actions, thoughts)?
- Does the scene have rhythm?
- Do the words/sentences create the mood you want?

Possible Pitfalls To Avoid:
- Unintended repetition
- Anything about the writing (sentence structure, punctuation, vocabulary, etc.) that pulls you out of the scene
- The scene reads like an instruction manual
- The movements aren't physically plausible

Note: Love scenes= any expression of physical affection between the h/h

Make it hot!