A conversation with Sandra Manther about body, shame, and female sexuality With her literary erotic novella “Schleim” (engl.: Slime), Sandra Manther ventures into a topic that rarely finds a place in the portrayal of female sexuality: physical resistance, discomfort, silence. Her text is not a smooth fantasy – but an exploration between lust and disgust, … Continue reading “Lust has nothing to do with perfection.”
The body stores memories. Trauma leaves traces in it. Eroticism often awakens these traces. This becomes visible in writing. Authors use it to add depth. The body becomes a place of confrontation. Lust meets pain. The past intrudes on the present. Such themes fascinate readers. They reveal human vulnerability. Trauma shapes eroticism. It becomes complex … Continue reading The body as a place of memory – trauma and eroticism in writing
In erotic literature, clothing is never neutral.It is border, language, and instrument of power.It hides, but it also defines what may be seen.To describe clothes is to describe social order. A hemline that’s “too short,” a zipper that comes undone, a uniform that turns desire into discipline — all are more than textiles.They are social … Continue reading Clothing, Control, and Shame – Feminist Readings of Erotic Scenes
Erotic tension doesn’t come from action. It comes from delay.Many writers confuse tension with event. They rush the characters into bed and wonder why the story goes flat afterwards. Eroticism follows different laws than plot.It’s not a destination, but a current — one that must be guided, not discharged.The goal is not to withhold pleasure … Continue reading How to Sustain Erotic Tension Across Chapters Without Releasing Too Soon
Erotic dissociation describes a complex feeling. Pleasure and fear are intensely mixed. The body reacts with arousal. At the same time, the mind signals danger. This phenomenon fascinates many authors. It often arises in intimate moments. The psyche splits. One part enjoys the touch. The other part fears the consequences. Such experiences are real. They … Continue reading Erotic dissociation – When pleasure and fear are felt simultaneously
When the foreign gaze lives inside us We grow up surrounded by images that tell us what a body must look like to be desirable.These images don’t just look at us — they look through us.They linger in dressing rooms, front cameras, and quiet thoughts before sleep.This is the internalized gaze: the moment we start … Continue reading Eroticism as Self-Empowerment – Writing Against the Internalized Gaze
Exposure as structure The so-called ENF moment – the instant when a woman finds herself unexpectedly naked – is not mere provocation. It is a structural device.It marks the point where a character loses every layer of protection: clothing, control, composure.What happens next determines the meaning of the scene. The ENF moment is never an … Continue reading The ENF Moment as a Dramatic Turning Point – From Shame to Self-Empowerment
Who’s watching whom? At the heart of every erotic scene lies the gaze. It defines who holds control, who desires, and who is reduced to being seen. Yet too often, literature repeats an old choreography: a man looks, a woman is looked at, and the text follows his desire. Modern erotic writing demands a reversal … Continue reading Reversing the Gaze – How to Reimagine Voyeuristic Scenes
The body reveals what words conceal Shame is one of the strongest emotions you can bring to a scene. It burns hotter than anger and freezes faster than fear. Shame is not a thought — it’s a physical event: the sudden flush, the racing pulse, the dry throat. Only later comes the thought: What have … Continue reading Shame as a Driving Force – How Embarrassment Makes Characters Grow
Invisible Depths When you create a character, you first see only the tip of their life. Their smile, their clothes, their behavior in class or in bed. But like an iceberg, the decisive layers remain hidden beneath the surface. Family background, friendships, school, first love, sexual experiences – all of it shapes them, even if … Continue reading The Backstory of Your Characters: Why You Must Know the Whole Iceberg
