Figure Out the Heat Level in Your Novel

Fade to black, opened door, closed door, or up close and personal—how explicit you write physical intimacy depends on the type of love story, your comfortability, and your genre.

Generally, there seem to be six levels of heat. Here’s a breakdown of each level:

Level 1

🔥

Sweet and wholesome. Typically described as “clean,” though that term is falling out of favor as it implies sex is dirty. The readers only see things like hand-holding, kissing, and flirting.

Level 2

🔥🔥

Public displays of affection are welcomed here. Readers are more likely to see the lighter aspects of physical intimacy. Everything happens with clothes on, and no hands wander below the belt or bra.

Level 3

🔥🔥🔥

More physical intimacy here and real adult moments are allowed. Think hookups and dirty talk. Readers will be allowed to follow them into the bedroom, but as the clothes begin to come off, the scene will fade to black.

Level 4

🔥🔥🔥🔥

We’re upping the steam level here. Characters may be more open about their feelings, more physically forward. Readers can follow them to bed though details may be fuzzy, but they’re with the characters during the kissing, the blowing, and the banging.

Level 5

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The description of physical intimacy is usually explicit and while the sex doesn’t become the whole point of the plot, it’s a big-time element of the story. Vocab is usually blunter, less flowery, maybe even a touch rough.

Level 6

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Erotic novels fall into this level almost exclusively. Sex is the plot, or rather, sexual discovery as we discussed earlier. Your wildest dreams and imaginations are on the page for you to dive right into.

Now, of course, the boundaries are not hard here. Many books come into one level and out of another. Write the level of spice you’re comfortable with, that you want to write.

Put trigger warnings when needed and write yourself to the Big O.