The Sensation of the Senses: Taste

Continuing on with my series on the senses, this week we’re focusing on the sense of taste. There are a lot of ways to play with this in your erotica writing–you’re not just restricted to describing the taste of bodily fluids (although you’re more than welcome to do that too).

You Are What You Eat

One of the more obvious ways to use the sense of taste in your writing is with food and drinks. Perhaps your characters are at dinner or are having some sort of sexy food play like in 9 1/2 Weeks; consider what they’re eating and take your time with it. Instead of simply saying, “She ate a cherry,” you could instead say something like, “The cherry burst across her tongue, the sweetness sliding down her throat.” Slow down and really consider what various foods taste like. Too often, I feel like people rush through eating and drinking without really savoring it. By engaging the sense of taste, it creates a more tactile experience for your reader.

Taste Me

Every person’s mouth has a different taste. You don’t need to focus on the less than desirable tastes (i.e. morning breath, immediately after eating your body weight in garlic bread, etc.), but think about other popular tastes: can your character taste the wine on their partner’s lips? Can they taste the last kiss of a cigarette? Flavored lip gloss? Vigorous activity can produce some sweat–can your character taste the salt on their partner’s skin? Consider the other sorts of tastes you could experience and have fun exploring them!

I hope these quick tips are useful for your next scene. More than anything, just have fun with it. Sex is fun and your writing should reflect that, so get busy!

Are there any other taste elements you think I should’ve included? Let me know in the comments!

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