Writing the Sex Scene

The sex life of a character is no less important than their career, family dynamics, finances or social life, and a good sex scene, no matter who the participants are, should be about far more than body parts. So why is it so hard for good writers to write sex scenes well? How do we know when to show a sex scene and when to infer it? What makes a sex scene compelling and essential rather than pornographic and pathetic? In this workshop we will discuss the issues of writing a sex scene in literary fiction; review a few examples of successes and failures; and maybe even try our hand at writing one of our own.