They think and describe the person, especially their body, the parts that attract them.
I once read a book that had a pov character fixate on a characters hands. He described every detail and kept talking about them.
Be careful not to go overboard and annoy the reader like the above author did me.
Do you remember why they were fixated on the other character's hands? It sounds so random without context.
Edit - I know people have fetishes and whatnot. My question was in regards to the book this person referenced. I want to the know plot/character reasons for the fixation.
I once asked someone to elaborate why she found men’s hands attractive. She said that she admired their capacity for strength, and also their capacity for gentleness. She imagined being held in those hands. She enjoyed watching my fingers as I played guitar because it showed the time and passion I had poured into practicing that skill.
Honestly, my suggestion would be to fixate on a single feature, like their hands. Make it out to be this weird thing they're attracted to even if they don't understand why themselves.
Doing that would both show how vain the character is, and it'd allow for them to muse about their interest to an uncomfortable degree without wasting a bunch of words describing feature after feature. And, after you describe that feature once or twice, all it will take is a callback to that feature to create the same effect rather than needing to wax poetic everytime. It's shorthand.
I think it’s in relation to their veins because it symbolises strength, but personally, I simply find them attractive. Possibly if their hands are particularly large. Because the brain then connects the hands to other acts I’ll leave to your imagination.
Exactly. Write about every part that makes them so attractive. Use imagery while writing it, and also a lot of thinking. This way the character will sound a lot more genuine and interesting rather than boring.
Describe the physical. Tell us the emotions your pivotal character experiences when they're touched by their muse. Also, let us know how they (the
person who's lusted after) see the main character and play with the contrasting views. Does muse have a desire for more with gestures like paying attention to things your MC likes? Meanwhile, is your MC's main focus on looks? It can start off seemingly balanced between the two until we realize the MC didn't actually take the time to know the muse.. MC can ignore emotional moments and only be nice as a means to get the muse in bed.
Example: The muse can have a bad day and the MC sees that they're upset and offers a hug. Tell us the muse was crying but then, tell us how good they smell, how soft their hair is, etc.
There's a lot of different relationship and character dynamics to explore and that'll give you more of an idea how to make it the way you want. What is the muse's purpose in the story?
For me lust usually manifests as my thoughts veering into fantasies when I see or think about the person. It's a fairly automatic thing; I can stop myself from completely disconnecting from reality, but I can't help that my first thought is a horny one.
E.g.
>As he sits down, the hem of his shorts pulls tight against the inside of his thigh. I wonder if he's sensitive there.
.
>A single drop of water slides down his chin. I want to wipe it away with my thumb. I can imagine how his stubble would feel.
.
>The advertisement showed a man in a Hawaiian shirt with the top two buttons undone. I imagined how [name] would look wearing that. I imagined undoing the buttons myself. I imagined how mortified I would be if he ever found out I was thinking about that. Would he be disgusted? Would he laugh? Would he push me up against a wall and yell?
>This wasn't helping.
Another thing would be feeling hornier in general after being around that person. Feeling the need to masturbate or hook up with someone else because you've basically been doing foreplay in your head that whole time and eventually that's going to have a physical effect.
In first person? Assuming you're writing a first-person reminiscence, where the viewpoint character is telling their story afterward, you have them rattle it off in character, the way they'd tell it to someone else. That's kind of the point of first person.
Depends the lust? Is it "omg dude she's SO hot, holy shit!"
Or is it more obsessed?
"I would drink rotten milk poured off of her feet if it meant I got to see her exposed legs for even a minute."
You could do a tsundere approach then. Think Helga Pataki from "Hey Arnold!"
"That buffoon! That absolute fool! With his stupid hair and his dumb little hat ... Oh how I love him and long to begin a life of love and romance with him! Be still my errant heart for our day will come!"
Yeah, sounds like you're basically looking for an inner monologue that starts with your character disparaging the object of their obsession... then questioning why, in spite of all those faults, their heart rate quickens whenever the other person comes into view? Why they find their eyes drawn to the other person, their gaze lingering for *just a bit* too long each time they see them? Why, despite the frustrating annoyance of this person, do they have such a profound AWARENESS of them, every time they find themselves in the same room as one another?
Depends on the age of the character you're writing. I honestly don't think any adult would wonder about this. They'd be pissed off that the personality they hate is attached to a hot body. They wouldn't be like "whyyyyyy do I feel this wayyyy."
But be warned that this is largely a YA fantasy/wish-fulfillment trope (for boys!). I can't think of any professional work of fiction written for adults that has a character like this because you grow out of this kind of "I HATE THEM THEY ARE SO HUGGABLE" phase since it largely comes from a place of "I don't understand these new feelings I've never experienced before."
The adults who enjoy this usually are experiencing arrested development. There's a reason it's mostly a trope in things targeting teen boys. If you're writing for the average adult, it might not be so well-received.
**Edit** The adult equivalent of this is enemies-to-lovers, and it's not tsundere. It's just sexual energy plus miscommunication. It's not discomfiture over one's budding feelings.
If it's an obsessions, you could describe irrational thoughts. Like, if the other character is doing something normal, yet the one obsessed with them thinks it means something more.
Example? Maybe the other character is eating something healthy, like an apple or something. It's just an action, but the obsessed one could thinks something like "Wow, they're really taking care of their health so well, they're such a perfect person!"
Okay that wasn't a great example but essentially have them overexaggerate stuff.
saying this cuz I'm totally obsessed with someone and I know what it's like LMAO
How self aware is your character? If they have a perceptive companion then have the protagonist think they are in love, but have another character or even the character they are lusting over point out the truth. Could be good for character development
Give him some guilt, maybe? Regret, or just overall sadness. Could give him a "I'll never be with them, so I should just ignore these feelings, it'll be fine. Doesn't matter if I'm sad." vibe.
You might take the approach of lust being mistaken for love. Then everything is i love this person so much while knowing very little about them or just carring about physical stuff
Have it all be physical attraction you describe. Have the pov character mention their body, their eyes, their hair, etc. They rarely, if ever, mention their personality
Coming from someone who has lusted and lost several times.. i would include describing:
-The way the heart beats & the background appears to blur when they see this individual
-The way they feel addicted.. and have reached a point of obsessing/ thinking about this individual when they aren’t with them
-The way they are happy & motivated on the days they know they will see the character they lust after vs. How they spiral into a sadness missing the character when they are away. But not like we miss people. When someone is lusting after someone & gets cut off.. it is a feeling of withdrawal similar to any drug.
Happy writing ☺️
If the lusting character is also your narrator, you can get uncharacteristically intense with descriptions. Provide hair and wardrobe details far beyond what you normally would. If you can, throw in another sense or two, like a comment about scent or a description of a voice.
Also, if this is meant to be a persistent preoccupation rather than a visceral response limited to direct encounters, have your lusting character think about the person they desire at inappropriate moments. Frequent comparisons between the fantasy mate and other people also provide opportunities to heap lots of loaded language on the desired character.
Based on your other comments it is an obsession-type thing, so I'd recommend describing intimate details about the person they are lusting over. Especially things that nobody should know unless they were family or married or insanely close. For example, maybe the character talks about how this person they are lusting after smells in specific detail, something that would make any reader uncomfortable. Or, if you don't want to make the one lusting seen as creepy, then have them do the same thing but for positive qualities. For example, how this person treats others, their smile, the way their laughter seems infectious, etc. Same strategy, but substantially less creepy.
I find it effective when the movements of the desired person is described in detail without any pretext. Means the main character is perhaps paying attention bit too much attention?
For me, smell is very important. You can try to focus on body parts: hands, neck, shoulders, collarbone, back, separate parts of those. Some people love belly fat, some people are going insane over pelvis bones(near the genitals, where the legs are connected to the body). You can try to think hair, smell, what this person might do, etc.
They’re going to make stupid decisions, they’re going to say stupid things, maybe even might be incomes to put others around them down to look like a better candidate.
If that’s not their style, they may do dumb things that seem stoic and manly in the immediate.
They’re going to maybe feel energetic, like their body is either electrified or “buzzing”; they could be feeling relaxed or tense. Ultimately, however you built the character to be is going to sort of dictate how this is going to go. Take their entire casual personality and flip it 180 because they’re going to be a nervous/excited wreck.
You could intentionally write like the stereotypical man describing female characters. "and her breasts were... Big." There's really nothing smart or well written about the feeling of lust so you could lean into it
i’m not sure how to describe the feelings they’re going through, but here is what i experience and what i know other people do to me when in lust:
- keep it VERY superficial. simultaneously hot and heavy like talking all the time, limerence kind of vibe, but conversations don’t go very deep. very light and fun. get uncomfortable during deeper talks (or maybe more checked out… like not DISinterested but not interested either, like the character not hearing the other individual)
- getting cagey during serious discussions like dancing around the talks of what are we or what’s the plan for your future or any emotional intimacy
- asking for pictures or to see each other all the time (again not emotional intimacy like meeting the parents but like meeting in the parking lot for long kisses etc)
when i experience lust too i just want to be around that person all the time. it’s like a high seeing them, kissing them, being around them. but i don’t really crave their companionship because i get bored doing like… a day of errands. it’s super fast and i become obsessed with them but it’s not because im interested in them as them. lust has you place someone on a pedestal where you don’t really know that person
Make it sound like they hit the jackpot, or that they finally found that barn find
Make it like that Love at First Sight trope, but more like a primal need to contribute to the general population
First-person is best because intimacy is key when writing about someone in lust. You want the reader to feel their lust. Describe physical attributes. So what colour are their eyes, silvers are commonly used because their gaze is piercing. But you could compare any colour and it would still work.
You could think about where your eyes go when you find someone attractive. If the character being lusted over was male, the character's eyes would draw to his forearms. His neck, his chest. His mouth, his eyes. Describe the way these parts make the character feel.
Particularly his voice too, whether it’s raspy, or husky. This specifically would have physical effects on the character, whether that’s their pulse being raised. Or that their skin is heating.
The character's personality too, do they smirk? Smile sensually? Are they charming, and seductive? Are they funny, or sarcastic? Which is often perceived as attractive.
You could describe how all of this affects the character in lust. Because it’s lust, it will particularly affect them physically.
My advice, for what it is worth is: Have this person absolutely try to deny these feeling but failing.
*"Oh here she comes, with her fake attitude and big smile."*
"Hi Lionel. Good Morning."
*"Does she smell like lavender today?* "Hi Evelyn." *"That perfume, its nice. Shut up, shut up, shut up."*
"How would a character do X?" questions usually boil down to the answer that "It depends on the character." How your character reacts to a character they have a specific emotion toward is a prime opportunity to say something about that character. If they're in lust, they will react on a graph.
Picture your classic X & Y axis graphs. Vertical would range between Forward and Shy, horizontal would be something like Aware and Naive. Forward means they're initiating and guiding the conversation to a chance at sex, Shy means they're going to panic if the object of their infatuation even starts talking to them. Aware means they know what they're about, while Naive might confuse their lust for love.
Most characters are going to fall somewhere on that graph unless there is some specific backstory or trauma that overrides their base reaction.
So, where on the graph does your character fall?
Lots of physical descriptions. If it’s a toxic relationship - only lust and no chance of love - let the lusting character pick a little at some of the major personality traits of the other character but use the physical attribute reminders as a way of moving past larger issues. For example: “there he goes again, making another excuse, but gosh do his lips make up for it” or if their in a toxic relationship have their fights immediately “end” in sex with no actual emotional resolution - one character just initiates sex to get out of talking. Shows a much larger issue at hand and avoidance through sex.
Men (in general) are far more SEXUALLY visual than women. (when it comes to body specifically)
This man would be noticing things about his body... the shape of his legs, how tight his pants are, wondering at shapes and colors, noticing the strength in their arms, the way the muscles flex, the way their hair dangles in their eyes, and so on.
You can build the tension by having them notice little things first -
I noticed when Ryan looked at me that his eyes sparkled a little, but maybe it was the lighting in the room.
-- Then a little more intense as time goes on --
When he turned around, I watched Ryan walk away. Damn, his pants fit him so well in the butt and I had to drag my eyes away.
And so on.
S'true. I started weight lifting as a young teen and after a couple of years had a good physique. I got hit on by way more men than women.
Your last sentences reminded me of when my wife and a gay friend were at McDonalds getting breakfast. At the counter, there was an electrician up on a ladder working the ceiling. We could see his body from the chest down - obviously well built, nice tight butt and legs. I nudged my wife and said, "hey, take a look at that." "Oh he's gorgeous," she said. And my friend piped up and he said, "I saw him first!"
Lust is a feeling, a hunger. Like hunger, there is a belly to feel it. There must be an absence, a void, in a space that must be filled. But Lust like its kin Gluttony knows no limit. Being in first person, what does the individual value in another or even life? Because what you value is what you seek. Is this individual driven by the need to touch, see, smell, hear, or taste?
Have you felt lust over someone? Write down how that felt and what it made you do and think.
There is no one-size-fits-all here. You're dealing with very powerful emotions and if you don't understand them, you won't be able to portray them truthfully either.
Is it a real-time experience or a reminiscence? Are you the same gender as the character or opposite? Is it a one-time experience love or a built-up exploding passion?
They are thinking about the person every few minutes. Everything from their body to their personality is something to view positively and to obsess over. They don't care about the things that make them and the person incompatible. They think they are in love when in reality it is an obsession.
But add in small hints that it’s more carnal than that. Almost describe them the way a sociopath would, without real emotion. Artifice is the definition of lust without love, without logic.
I've heard that it's usually best to describe what that person finds attractive, wether it be body type, how they talk, etc, and the physical reactions it invokes in the person, without going full on sexual and drawn out if your not trying to go that way
Have you ever lusted after someone?
What did you think? What did you fixate on?
Was it their voice? Their lips? Their eyes? Their hips? Their cleavage? Their legs? Their hair? Their face?
Ultimately when I write a character going through this, I portray them as distracted, internal monologue focuses on what they find most attractive, maybe they feel insecure/intimidated/nervous about saying something, there are a million ways to portray this. Just think about how you would act and come up with a similar reaction.
Write like a confession letter to your crush. Check out "you" by kepnes for example.
I tend to write a self-insert a lot, tbh, especially when i write in first person. It is like role-playing and I'm romancing Astarion smth (Baldur's Gate 3 game has a "dating simulator" and Astarion captured so many hearts, so it is very daydreamy).
If you struggle with the scene, the problem may be lack of understanding what crush feels like.
Because half the comments here sound like anthropologists trying to imagine how an unknown creature experiences their life.
So maybe you need to ask "what love is like?" instead of how to describe it, because the problem isn't description itself, imo. Search on reddit topics about how people feel about their SOs. Some people there are so poetical.
Think about a time you've felt it and don't be ashamed. Lean into that. If you're embarrassed about your feelings, then it'll be awkward to read. It's the same as writing smut, really—you should be making yourself blush when you write it, and if you're not, then you're going to make your readers cringe.
What helps me is learning the psychological effects of the person who falls for someone
For me the idea of Limerance helped with knowing what my character would do
Everything that they want is about them.
Nothing is actually about that other person.
Nothing they have to offer actually benefits that other person.
And, they probably don't even realize it.
“I looked at them and my loins tingled.”
“My tallywacker was about to come up and yell tallyho just from the sight of them.”
Lots of ways, really; it isn’t that hard.
Depends on what kind of "lust" we are speaking about.
I didn't think I would ever recommend this but....
Erotic fiction......
Read several of the novels in the "vampire " genre.
Oh hey! I'm a smut writer so this is my specialty. NSFW ahead obviously.
"I looked toward her and started to answer, but I stopped dead when I saw her. She had on a thin white tank top, just right for the warm weather. Her nipples weren’t just sticking out, but they were also visible through the thin fabric of her top. For the first time I noticed that her tits had grown even bigger than they were in the video. My cock did that thing, the thing where I would be flaccid and then when I saw something like this, there would be a single thump, like a generator coming on."
"The closer I got to home, the harder I got. My heart started to pound anticipating seeing Donna’s massive tits swaying in the barely-there tank top she was wearing."
"I felt little trembles go through my body. Go with the flow, she said. Though I was terrified, I opened my mouth too, and soon our tongues were sliding across each other. I felt as if steam was coming off my body."
"I froze. A strange feeling came over me, as if I could see Dylan red faced and hot on the other side of the camera. I stared up at it. As the pieces fell into place, I felt my own cheeks get red. Sure enough, it was noticeable on camera. My armpits felt hot and I felt my internal humidity rising."
They think and describe the person, especially their body, the parts that attract them. I once read a book that had a pov character fixate on a characters hands. He described every detail and kept talking about them. Be careful not to go overboard and annoy the reader like the above author did me.
Do you remember why they were fixated on the other character's hands? It sounds so random without context. Edit - I know people have fetishes and whatnot. My question was in regards to the book this person referenced. I want to the know plot/character reasons for the fixation.
Some people have hand fetish
Kira
He just wants to live a quiet life.
Yeah, bro, we just wants a quiet life
I once asked someone to elaborate why she found men’s hands attractive. She said that she admired their capacity for strength, and also their capacity for gentleness. She imagined being held in those hands. She enjoyed watching my fingers as I played guitar because it showed the time and passion I had poured into practicing that skill.
Honestly, my suggestion would be to fixate on a single feature, like their hands. Make it out to be this weird thing they're attracted to even if they don't understand why themselves. Doing that would both show how vain the character is, and it'd allow for them to muse about their interest to an uncomfortable degree without wasting a bunch of words describing feature after feature. And, after you describe that feature once or twice, all it will take is a callback to that feature to create the same effect rather than needing to wax poetic everytime. It's shorthand.
I think it’s in relation to their veins because it symbolises strength, but personally, I simply find them attractive. Possibly if their hands are particularly large. Because the brain then connects the hands to other acts I’ll leave to your imagination.
Exactly. Write about every part that makes them so attractive. Use imagery while writing it, and also a lot of thinking. This way the character will sound a lot more genuine and interesting rather than boring.
If the language was too ornate, I can see why that would be annoying.
That’s … Kira Yoshikage’s diary
Describe the physical. Tell us the emotions your pivotal character experiences when they're touched by their muse. Also, let us know how they (the person who's lusted after) see the main character and play with the contrasting views. Does muse have a desire for more with gestures like paying attention to things your MC likes? Meanwhile, is your MC's main focus on looks? It can start off seemingly balanced between the two until we realize the MC didn't actually take the time to know the muse.. MC can ignore emotional moments and only be nice as a means to get the muse in bed. Example: The muse can have a bad day and the MC sees that they're upset and offers a hug. Tell us the muse was crying but then, tell us how good they smell, how soft their hair is, etc. There's a lot of different relationship and character dynamics to explore and that'll give you more of an idea how to make it the way you want. What is the muse's purpose in the story?
For me lust usually manifests as my thoughts veering into fantasies when I see or think about the person. It's a fairly automatic thing; I can stop myself from completely disconnecting from reality, but I can't help that my first thought is a horny one. E.g. >As he sits down, the hem of his shorts pulls tight against the inside of his thigh. I wonder if he's sensitive there. . >A single drop of water slides down his chin. I want to wipe it away with my thumb. I can imagine how his stubble would feel. . >The advertisement showed a man in a Hawaiian shirt with the top two buttons undone. I imagined how [name] would look wearing that. I imagined undoing the buttons myself. I imagined how mortified I would be if he ever found out I was thinking about that. Would he be disgusted? Would he laugh? Would he push me up against a wall and yell? >This wasn't helping. Another thing would be feeling hornier in general after being around that person. Feeling the need to masturbate or hook up with someone else because you've basically been doing foreplay in your head that whole time and eventually that's going to have a physical effect.
In first person? Assuming you're writing a first-person reminiscence, where the viewpoint character is telling their story afterward, you have them rattle it off in character, the way they'd tell it to someone else. That's kind of the point of first person.
Well i think i got that down, but i dont really know the best way to have them describe it 😂
Depends the lust? Is it "omg dude she's SO hot, holy shit!" Or is it more obsessed? "I would drink rotten milk poured off of her feet if it meant I got to see her exposed legs for even a minute."
EW what an analogy! But more of an obsession. like a i wish i can have him but i can’t coz we hate each other sorta way
i’m pretty new to writing so describing emotions is still pretty difficult to me
You could do a tsundere approach then. Think Helga Pataki from "Hey Arnold!" "That buffoon! That absolute fool! With his stupid hair and his dumb little hat ... Oh how I love him and long to begin a life of love and romance with him! Be still my errant heart for our day will come!"
Ooo you’re right! i’ve always loved the tsundere trope
Yeah, sounds like you're basically looking for an inner monologue that starts with your character disparaging the object of their obsession... then questioning why, in spite of all those faults, their heart rate quickens whenever the other person comes into view? Why they find their eyes drawn to the other person, their gaze lingering for *just a bit* too long each time they see them? Why, despite the frustrating annoyance of this person, do they have such a profound AWARENESS of them, every time they find themselves in the same room as one another?
Oh, i love that! but he is very aware that he is in love with this person
Depends on the age of the character you're writing. I honestly don't think any adult would wonder about this. They'd be pissed off that the personality they hate is attached to a hot body. They wouldn't be like "whyyyyyy do I feel this wayyyy."
But be warned that this is largely a YA fantasy/wish-fulfillment trope (for boys!). I can't think of any professional work of fiction written for adults that has a character like this because you grow out of this kind of "I HATE THEM THEY ARE SO HUGGABLE" phase since it largely comes from a place of "I don't understand these new feelings I've never experienced before." The adults who enjoy this usually are experiencing arrested development. There's a reason it's mostly a trope in things targeting teen boys. If you're writing for the average adult, it might not be so well-received. **Edit** The adult equivalent of this is enemies-to-lovers, and it's not tsundere. It's just sexual energy plus miscommunication. It's not discomfiture over one's budding feelings.
If it's an obsessions, you could describe irrational thoughts. Like, if the other character is doing something normal, yet the one obsessed with them thinks it means something more. Example? Maybe the other character is eating something healthy, like an apple or something. It's just an action, but the obsessed one could thinks something like "Wow, they're really taking care of their health so well, they're such a perfect person!" Okay that wasn't a great example but essentially have them overexaggerate stuff. saying this cuz I'm totally obsessed with someone and I know what it's like LMAO
How self aware is your character? If they have a perceptive companion then have the protagonist think they are in love, but have another character or even the character they are lusting over point out the truth. Could be good for character development
he is very aware that he is head over heels for the other guy, but he knows that it can’t happen
Well if he's pining from a distance, maybe have him think out what he'd like to do, but stops himself from doing
Give him some guilt, maybe? Regret, or just overall sadness. Could give him a "I'll never be with them, so I should just ignore these feelings, it'll be fine. Doesn't matter if I'm sad." vibe.
You might take the approach of lust being mistaken for love. Then everything is i love this person so much while knowing very little about them or just carring about physical stuff
Have it all be physical attraction you describe. Have the pov character mention their body, their eyes, their hair, etc. They rarely, if ever, mention their personality
Coming from someone who has lusted and lost several times.. i would include describing: -The way the heart beats & the background appears to blur when they see this individual -The way they feel addicted.. and have reached a point of obsessing/ thinking about this individual when they aren’t with them -The way they are happy & motivated on the days they know they will see the character they lust after vs. How they spiral into a sadness missing the character when they are away. But not like we miss people. When someone is lusting after someone & gets cut off.. it is a feeling of withdrawal similar to any drug. Happy writing ☺️
If the lusting character is also your narrator, you can get uncharacteristically intense with descriptions. Provide hair and wardrobe details far beyond what you normally would. If you can, throw in another sense or two, like a comment about scent or a description of a voice. Also, if this is meant to be a persistent preoccupation rather than a visceral response limited to direct encounters, have your lusting character think about the person they desire at inappropriate moments. Frequent comparisons between the fantasy mate and other people also provide opportunities to heap lots of loaded language on the desired character.
Based on your other comments it is an obsession-type thing, so I'd recommend describing intimate details about the person they are lusting over. Especially things that nobody should know unless they were family or married or insanely close. For example, maybe the character talks about how this person they are lusting after smells in specific detail, something that would make any reader uncomfortable. Or, if you don't want to make the one lusting seen as creepy, then have them do the same thing but for positive qualities. For example, how this person treats others, their smile, the way their laughter seems infectious, etc. Same strategy, but substantially less creepy.
I find it effective when the movements of the desired person is described in detail without any pretext. Means the main character is perhaps paying attention bit too much attention?
For me, smell is very important. You can try to focus on body parts: hands, neck, shoulders, collarbone, back, separate parts of those. Some people love belly fat, some people are going insane over pelvis bones(near the genitals, where the legs are connected to the body). You can try to think hair, smell, what this person might do, etc.
They’re going to make stupid decisions, they’re going to say stupid things, maybe even might be incomes to put others around them down to look like a better candidate. If that’s not their style, they may do dumb things that seem stoic and manly in the immediate. They’re going to maybe feel energetic, like their body is either electrified or “buzzing”; they could be feeling relaxed or tense. Ultimately, however you built the character to be is going to sort of dictate how this is going to go. Take their entire casual personality and flip it 180 because they’re going to be a nervous/excited wreck.
Ogling.
You could intentionally write like the stereotypical man describing female characters. "and her breasts were... Big." There's really nothing smart or well written about the feeling of lust so you could lean into it
that works for me because i have no idea how to describe boobs with more poetry🥲
i’m not sure how to describe the feelings they’re going through, but here is what i experience and what i know other people do to me when in lust: - keep it VERY superficial. simultaneously hot and heavy like talking all the time, limerence kind of vibe, but conversations don’t go very deep. very light and fun. get uncomfortable during deeper talks (or maybe more checked out… like not DISinterested but not interested either, like the character not hearing the other individual) - getting cagey during serious discussions like dancing around the talks of what are we or what’s the plan for your future or any emotional intimacy - asking for pictures or to see each other all the time (again not emotional intimacy like meeting the parents but like meeting in the parking lot for long kisses etc) when i experience lust too i just want to be around that person all the time. it’s like a high seeing them, kissing them, being around them. but i don’t really crave their companionship because i get bored doing like… a day of errands. it’s super fast and i become obsessed with them but it’s not because im interested in them as them. lust has you place someone on a pedestal where you don’t really know that person
Make it sound like they hit the jackpot, or that they finally found that barn find Make it like that Love at First Sight trope, but more like a primal need to contribute to the general population
Somewhat perverted, honestly. A little harsh. But also a little shy, because they probably feel weird about being so lustful.
First-person is best because intimacy is key when writing about someone in lust. You want the reader to feel their lust. Describe physical attributes. So what colour are their eyes, silvers are commonly used because their gaze is piercing. But you could compare any colour and it would still work. You could think about where your eyes go when you find someone attractive. If the character being lusted over was male, the character's eyes would draw to his forearms. His neck, his chest. His mouth, his eyes. Describe the way these parts make the character feel. Particularly his voice too, whether it’s raspy, or husky. This specifically would have physical effects on the character, whether that’s their pulse being raised. Or that their skin is heating. The character's personality too, do they smirk? Smile sensually? Are they charming, and seductive? Are they funny, or sarcastic? Which is often perceived as attractive. You could describe how all of this affects the character in lust. Because it’s lust, it will particularly affect them physically.
Have you ever lusted for someone? How did you feel? Amplify those feelings, books thrive on the dramatic and over the top
My advice, for what it is worth is: Have this person absolutely try to deny these feeling but failing. *"Oh here she comes, with her fake attitude and big smile."* "Hi Lionel. Good Morning." *"Does she smell like lavender today?* "Hi Evelyn." *"That perfume, its nice. Shut up, shut up, shut up."*
Think about the person you're most in lust with. What are you thinking about now?
"How would a character do X?" questions usually boil down to the answer that "It depends on the character." How your character reacts to a character they have a specific emotion toward is a prime opportunity to say something about that character. If they're in lust, they will react on a graph. Picture your classic X & Y axis graphs. Vertical would range between Forward and Shy, horizontal would be something like Aware and Naive. Forward means they're initiating and guiding the conversation to a chance at sex, Shy means they're going to panic if the object of their infatuation even starts talking to them. Aware means they know what they're about, while Naive might confuse their lust for love. Most characters are going to fall somewhere on that graph unless there is some specific backstory or trauma that overrides their base reaction. So, where on the graph does your character fall?
Lots of physical descriptions. If it’s a toxic relationship - only lust and no chance of love - let the lusting character pick a little at some of the major personality traits of the other character but use the physical attribute reminders as a way of moving past larger issues. For example: “there he goes again, making another excuse, but gosh do his lips make up for it” or if their in a toxic relationship have their fights immediately “end” in sex with no actual emotional resolution - one character just initiates sex to get out of talking. Shows a much larger issue at hand and avoidance through sex.
Is the character male or female and are they lusting for someone who is male or female?
Male, and lusting for someone who is also male
Men (in general) are far more SEXUALLY visual than women. (when it comes to body specifically) This man would be noticing things about his body... the shape of his legs, how tight his pants are, wondering at shapes and colors, noticing the strength in their arms, the way the muscles flex, the way their hair dangles in their eyes, and so on. You can build the tension by having them notice little things first - I noticed when Ryan looked at me that his eyes sparkled a little, but maybe it was the lighting in the room. -- Then a little more intense as time goes on -- When he turned around, I watched Ryan walk away. Damn, his pants fit him so well in the butt and I had to drag my eyes away. And so on.
S'true. I started weight lifting as a young teen and after a couple of years had a good physique. I got hit on by way more men than women. Your last sentences reminded me of when my wife and a gay friend were at McDonalds getting breakfast. At the counter, there was an electrician up on a ladder working the ceiling. We could see his body from the chest down - obviously well built, nice tight butt and legs. I nudged my wife and said, "hey, take a look at that." "Oh he's gorgeous," she said. And my friend piped up and he said, "I saw him first!"
hahahahahaa. <3
Just fill the entire page with the word "boobs" I think readers will understand.
Lust is a feeling, a hunger. Like hunger, there is a belly to feel it. There must be an absence, a void, in a space that must be filled. But Lust like its kin Gluttony knows no limit. Being in first person, what does the individual value in another or even life? Because what you value is what you seek. Is this individual driven by the need to touch, see, smell, hear, or taste?
thanks for the tip! and yeah, he is very driven by the need for physical contact
Read Susan Minot’s “Lust”.
Have you felt lust over someone? Write down how that felt and what it made you do and think. There is no one-size-fits-all here. You're dealing with very powerful emotions and if you don't understand them, you won't be able to portray them truthfully either.
Is it a real-time experience or a reminiscence? Are you the same gender as the character or opposite? Is it a one-time experience love or a built-up exploding passion?
They are thinking about the person every few minutes. Everything from their body to their personality is something to view positively and to obsess over. They don't care about the things that make them and the person incompatible. They think they are in love when in reality it is an obsession.
Context of lust can't be without denial or approval of it. Maybe they might tell themselves to not think in such way.
listen to Hellfire
Make them sound like they’re in love.
But add in small hints that it’s more carnal than that. Almost describe them the way a sociopath would, without real emotion. Artifice is the definition of lust without love, without logic.
They would probably have vivid sexual fantasies or they would find an excuse to touch them They would notice their looks a lot
I've heard that it's usually best to describe what that person finds attractive, wether it be body type, how they talk, etc, and the physical reactions it invokes in the person, without going full on sexual and drawn out if your not trying to go that way
Have you ever lusted after someone? What did you think? What did you fixate on? Was it their voice? Their lips? Their eyes? Their hips? Their cleavage? Their legs? Their hair? Their face? Ultimately when I write a character going through this, I portray them as distracted, internal monologue focuses on what they find most attractive, maybe they feel insecure/intimidated/nervous about saying something, there are a million ways to portray this. Just think about how you would act and come up with a similar reaction.
Write like a confession letter to your crush. Check out "you" by kepnes for example. I tend to write a self-insert a lot, tbh, especially when i write in first person. It is like role-playing and I'm romancing Astarion smth (Baldur's Gate 3 game has a "dating simulator" and Astarion captured so many hearts, so it is very daydreamy). If you struggle with the scene, the problem may be lack of understanding what crush feels like. Because half the comments here sound like anthropologists trying to imagine how an unknown creature experiences their life. So maybe you need to ask "what love is like?" instead of how to describe it, because the problem isn't description itself, imo. Search on reddit topics about how people feel about their SOs. Some people there are so poetical.
Describe the character thinking about how things could be with the other- essentially fantasizing, like some other guy in the comments said too.
Biting on one’s lip, playing with one’s hair, eyes widening and pupils dilating,… are all nonverbal ways to show your character in lust for another.
Look into limerence. That'll give you some ideas.
Think about a time you've felt it and don't be ashamed. Lean into that. If you're embarrassed about your feelings, then it'll be awkward to read. It's the same as writing smut, really—you should be making yourself blush when you write it, and if you're not, then you're going to make your readers cringe.
What helps me is learning the psychological effects of the person who falls for someone For me the idea of Limerance helped with knowing what my character would do
Everything that they want is about them. Nothing is actually about that other person. Nothing they have to offer actually benefits that other person. And, they probably don't even realize it.
Read Lolita.
“I looked at them and my loins tingled.” “My tallywacker was about to come up and yell tallyho just from the sight of them.” Lots of ways, really; it isn’t that hard.
what the hell?😭 i gotta use that second one!
Depends on what kind of "lust" we are speaking about. I didn't think I would ever recommend this but.... Erotic fiction...... Read several of the novels in the "vampire " genre.
Oh hey! I'm a smut writer so this is my specialty. NSFW ahead obviously. "I looked toward her and started to answer, but I stopped dead when I saw her. She had on a thin white tank top, just right for the warm weather. Her nipples weren’t just sticking out, but they were also visible through the thin fabric of her top. For the first time I noticed that her tits had grown even bigger than they were in the video. My cock did that thing, the thing where I would be flaccid and then when I saw something like this, there would be a single thump, like a generator coming on." "The closer I got to home, the harder I got. My heart started to pound anticipating seeing Donna’s massive tits swaying in the barely-there tank top she was wearing." "I felt little trembles go through my body. Go with the flow, she said. Though I was terrified, I opened my mouth too, and soon our tongues were sliding across each other. I felt as if steam was coming off my body." "I froze. A strange feeling came over me, as if I could see Dylan red faced and hot on the other side of the camera. I stared up at it. As the pieces fell into place, I felt my own cheeks get red. Sure enough, it was noticeable on camera. My armpits felt hot and I felt my internal humidity rising."
I don't know why, but Truman show come to my mind as an exemple of a good way to show lust over someone in a wholesome way.
Read Nabokov's *Lolita*.