Hear!

I’ve been taking a look at the senses and so far I’ve covered touch and smell. Today it’s hearing. At first you might think that this is one sense that doesn’t require much attention when writing erotic romance or any kind of story for that matter but think again. Have you ever been introduced to a handsome man with a reedy voice? Or to a beautiful woman who sounded as if she were talking through a mouthful of gravel? What about the other way around?

I know a man who has the most gorgeous voice – deep and melodious – he wouldn’t even need to talk sex for you get off on the sound of his voice. I first met him over the phone when I was setting up a regional meeting. Months later, still unable to get his voice off my mind, I made a point of looking for him during the same meeting. Well, he didn’t look at all like what I’d expected. I’d kinda imagined Denzil but he looked more like Martin Lawrence. We talked and I liked him as a person but that was it. I was very disappointed but there you go, that’s the power of hearing to fire your imagination.

Use it in your stories – does the hero’s voice sound like rum on the rocks or does it remind the heroine of nails being scraped across a blackboard? Describe it. Does she have a low, sexy voice or is her voice high-pitched? Does she make noise during lovemaking or is she silent? How does this make the hero feel? What is her reaction to his voice? Does he whisper or murmur in her ear?

Think also about the connotations attached to voices – a woman with a high-pitched whiny voice isn’t very believable as a femme fatale. Similarly, a hero who saves a child from a burning building and makes the heroine’s heart go bumpety-bump will rarely have a thin, reedy voice.