omgggg gosh?????? first of all thank you. second idk when you sent this but I’m soooo sorry if I’m replying super late. Tumblr notifications are so shitty rn 😦

Also I’m not sure if you mean writing in general or writing smut specifically? I’m garbage at giving tips or advice uhhh.

Writing in general is bullshit. Inspiration comes to me when I’m sleep deprived and idk how common that is for everyone, but if you have ideas, WRITE THEM DOWN. Don’t pretend you’ll remember them later cause we all know we won’t. Doesn’t matter if you have 500 unfinished WIPs, write new ideas down. 

My biggest tip I think is to not write a finished piece all at once. Especially if it’s over 1k words. Take a break and come back to it. This makes it easier to spot mistakes and awkward sounding sentences especially if you’re like me and don’t have a beta reader. Like I literally will take months to post a relatively short fic because I keep taking breaks and coming back to it so much. 

Also idk about you but I’m quality over quantity. Don’t worry so much about posting often (especially if it’s fanfic/a hobby and not your job) take your time and post twice a year if it means what you’re posting is really good. That’s better than posting 4 times a month IMO. Not everyone feels the same way though and would rather post super often regardless and that’s fine too. I’m just a perfectionist.

Speaking of being a perfectionist, don’t be a perfectionist. “You’re your own worst critic” is 100% true and chances are all the things you hate about your fic are actually not a big deal and probably aren’t even an issue at all to the majority of your readers.

Another tip and idk if this is a universal thing or not, but VARY THE LENGTH OF YOUR SENTENCES. It’s huge for dyslexic readers like me and makes it a lot easier to read. It also tends to flow better and just generally sounds nicer. 

That’s really all I have for general writing tips (which isn’t a lot bc idk wtf i’m doing either usually)

Some advice on smut.

Smut is complicated because people like different things. This is all what I like reading in smut so ymmv.

This is the time to be descriptive. I advise against being overly descriptive in general writing because it typically doesn’t matter what color the couch is or what the air smells like on an average afternoon. Smut is different. Sex is alllll about the senses. Describe the appearance and sounds in vivid detail. Smells and taste are important in smut too but not AS much as sight and sound.

Like… “Keith stared at Shiro’s muscular body.” is ok. but “Keith let his gaze wander along Shiro’s body, swallowing at the sight of his biceps flexing under his shirt. The wet fabric clung to his body like a second skin, highlighting every dip and curve of his massive arms.” is better

Go into detail about what sensations your main character is feeling on their skin. What specifically, does it feel like to have his dick sucked by the guy (or girl or whoever) he’s had a crush on for years? What sounds are they making while they’re going down on him? How do the sounds make him react? Do they  make him feel like a casanova sex god or do they make him nervous because oh gosh what if he’s messing up?? 

Describing genitals is more tricky. It kinda depends on if you want romantic smut or raunchy sex. I typically write the latter lmao. If you’re going for romance, keep descriptions of the other ones junk to a minimum. If you’re writing raunchy kinky sex, go wild. Describe the color and curves and angles and length and girth. When I’m reading fic with trans characters (especially trans men) I get uncomfortable with vaginas described in detail. I don’t know how everyone feels about that but if you’re not trans, keep that in mind. But I doubt it’s a universal feeling among trans people.

Use descriptive verbs. I cannot stress this enough. Over use of adjective can get awkward and cringey but used correctly can be great. Some good adjectives for smut that I like are Hot, Tight, Wet, Tender, Firm, Light, Rough, Heavy, Thick, Sweet, Flushed, and a lot more idk. This is the time when a thesaurus is essential. 

Verbs like throbbing, dripping, burning, rubbing, stroking, pumping, trembling, shaking, tensing, stretching, pulling, grinding, squeezing, tightenening, gasping, pounding, and kneading are good. Again, thesaurus.

“weeping cock” and “throbbing cock” are cliches so use them very sparingly. I’ve used both before. It kinda depends on when and how you’re using them.

Please, for the love of everything, don’t call a penis a penis. Even if you’re writing romantic smut. Again idk if this is a universal thing, but nothing ruins the moment for me more than when a dick gets called a penis. Yes that’s what it is. But it’s the medically correct term and is just generally not sexy. Same goes for vagina. Vaginas are a lot trickier since there’s aren’t as many words to describe them nicely. Pussy and cunt are….. difficult. They’re a very case by case basis and while some people don’t mind them, there are people that are completely turned off when these words are used. 

Length, erection, cock, dick, and in some cases ‘member’ are good for for penis. Member is another one of those ehhhh ones though.

For vagina it’s a lot harder at least for me. I usually use multiple word descriptors like dripping entrance, tender opening, “wet patch between her/his/their legs” But I rarely write smut with vaginas so I’m reallllly not the person to be taking advice from for this.

Also with anal sex, fingering/prepping is sexy. If it’s not sexy to you then make it sexy. Go into detail about the way the other person is being penetrated and how they’re losing it even before it’s really started. Just….. include the prepping before anal sex you guys. 

And idk what else to add to this I guess if you want more specifics you can ask but…. like I said I’m bad at giving advice. I hope this is at least somewhat helpful though.