season 1

Sexual Fangtasies

For this inaugural season of Consentacles: Monstrous Thoughts on Ethical Erotica, I am going to sink my teeth into the world of sexual fangtasies—what they are, what the science has to say about them, and how they connect to erotica and smut.

Sex scenes in books can serve a lot of thematic functions, but for 95% of them, the main purpose is turning the reader on. So we’re starting this series with what we know about fantasies and turn-ons, based on Dr. Justin Lehmiller’s study on American sexual fantasies, which he covered in his book, Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life.

In Season 1 of Consentacles, I’m going to take his research conclusions a step further and talk about how we can use this data to find or write better erotica. I’ll also be referencing some writing books like my favorite writing book of all time, The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes, as well as famous erotica writer Guy New York’s Write Till You’re Hard and Rachel Kramer Bussel’s How to Write Erotica.

Near the end of the season we’ll be discussing non-consensual/forced sex fantasies, so I’ll be referencing Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again: Women and Desire in the Age of Consent by Dr. Katherine Angel then. And I’ll even bring in a little bit of philosophy with Octavio Paz’s The Double Flame: Love and Eroticism.