Bad Sex

When I was a boy, I used pull the covers over my head and read the sex scenes in my granny's romance novels. I just typed granny and sex in the same sentence. I did it again.

Anyway, the Literary Review Bad Sex In Fiction awards shortlist is out. And, surprisingly, it includes some fine writers.

Some of the honored purple prose, from new age novelist Paulo Coelho's novel Brida:

At last, she could no longer control the world around her, her five senses seemed to break free and she wasn't strong enough to hold on to them. As if struck by a sacred bolt of lightning, she unleashed them, and the world, the seagulls, the taste of salt, the hard earth, the smell of the sea, the clouds, all disappeared, and in their place appeared a vast gold light, which grew and grew until it touched the most distant star in the galaxy.

Here at Gangrey, we talk a lot about ledes, and endings, and what makes a good story. Let's spend a little time talking about good sex.

What elements make a good sex scene? How do you build tension? How important is location and scenery?

What does a sex scene in look like in the newspaper? Any examples?