Point of View: Intimacy and Perspective
In erotic fiction, point of view isn’t just a technical choice. It’s intimacy. It’s distance. It’s deciding whether your reader is pressed up against the characters’ skin or watching the scene unfold from across the room. The POV you choose is the lens through which your reader experiences desire — and it can make the difference between a story that’s hot and a story that’s unforgettable.
Too often, writers treat POV as a default (“I’ll just write in first person because that’s what erotica does” or “third person feels safer”). But in truth, POV is one of the most powerful erotic tools you have. Used well, it amplifies tension, shapes character, and draws the reader into the story until they’re practically complicit.
First Person: The Inside Job
Writing in first person is like giving your reader a key to your character’s body and mind. It’s raw, immediate, and intimate. Perfect for:
- Deeply personal awakenings.
- Characters wrestling with shame, curiosity, or hunger.
- Confessional tones that make the reader feel like they’re sharing a secret.
The catch? First person can become claustrophobic. If your narrator lacks self-awareness or spends too much time describing their own anatomy, the heat fizzles. Keep it authentic, not anatomical.
Third Person: The Seductive Distance
Third person allows more flexibility. You can zoom in close enough to feel the pulse of arousal — or pull back to see the broader picture, the setting, the dynamics between multiple players. Perfect for:
- Power games where distance enhances tension.
- Stories with multiple partners or perspectives.
- Writers who want to balance erotic detail with world-building.
But beware: third person can feel cold if you don’t commit. Go deep into character thoughts and sensations, or risk turning your reader into a detached voyeur.
Multiple POVs: A Dance of Desire
Sometimes, the best way to capture erotic tension is to let the reader slip between perspectives. One moment inside the submissive’s trembling thoughts, the next inside the dominant’s cool control. The shift can heighten drama, reveal miscommunication, or show how two characters experience the same act completely differently.
Just don’t overdo it. Head-hopping mid-scene can break immersion. Switch deliberately, not recklessly.
The Power of Unreliable Narrators
Erotic fiction thrives on tension, and nothing fuels tension like doubt. An unreliable narrator — someone who misinterprets events, conceals desires, or lies to themselves — can be deliciously provocative. The reader gets to peel back the layers, wondering what’s real and what’s projection.
Imagine a character who insists they’re in control, while every line of dialogue betrays how close they are to breaking. That’s erotic gold.
POV as Seduction
Ask yourself:
- Do I want the reader to feel like a participant or an observer?
- Do I want them complicit in the desire, or do I want them teased from a distance?
- Am I choosing the POV that makes the story hottest, or just the one I’m most comfortable writing?
Erotic POV isn’t about convention — it’s about effect. Your reader’s arousal hangs on the lens you choose.
Final Thought
In the end, point of view in erotic fiction is about more than perspective. It’s about power. Whose mind do we enter? Whose body do we feel? Whose secrets do we share? Get it right, and your reader won’t just watch the story unfold — they’ll live it.
Amazon UK https://amzn.to/4dr7btU
Amazon US https://amzn.to/3ZIVjjM