Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended by Booklist.
Review: "Along with pure how-to advice, Benedict supplies some thought-provoking literary criticism on sex in the modern novel. This volume is far more substantive than most how-to-write manuals and is certain to be of interest to aspiring writers of literay fiction." (Booklist, June 1996
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent discussion of issues relating to writing about sex
Review: Great book to flesh out your approach to writing about sex. The author rightfully points out that writing about sex evokes the oft hidden world of the writer's own inhibitions. Great integration tips for sexual discussions within a larger story
Rating: 
Summary: Writing About the Carnal Sin
Review: I read this book cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ms. Benedict not only gives examples of erotic scenes and different scenarios like 'the first time' and 'adultery', but gives good pointers on how to write each of them. She teaches you how to get inside your characters' heads and realize their backgrounds, beliefs, anxieties, etc. before writing The Big Scene. It is important that you know your characters because if you don't, you'll produce nothing but empty pornography. Get this book if you want to write about quality sex.
Rating: 
Summary: Not truly useful for a writer
Review: I thought this would be more of a how-to for prospective writers, but it ends up being more of a treatise of sex as a whole, not how to write about it and make it interesting. You're better off reading Dr. Ruth, who is at least entertaining. This was dry, dull and boring
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a book to get.
Review: I'm a freelance writer, looking to expand and improve my writing, and The Joy of Writing Sex is one of the best resources I've found. It's not just about writing erotica. It gives the reader tips and guidelines for introducing love scenes into any genre, and how to make it believable, and provides examples from modern literature. Elizabeth Benedict doesn't say or do anything cutsie, and that makes the book not only informative, but a pleasure to read.I think that possibly the best thing about this book, other than the examples, are the exerpts Benedict included from the interviews she conducted with authors about their work.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a book to get.
Review: I'm a freelance writer, looking to expand and improve my writing, and The Joy of Writing Sex is one of the best resources I've found. It's not just about writing erotica. It gives the reader tips and guidelines for introducing love scenes into any genre, and how to make it believable, and provides examples from modern literature. Elizabeth Benedict doesn't say or do anything cutsie, and that makes the book not only informative, but a pleasure to read. I think that possibly the best thing about this book, other than the examples, are the exerpts Benedict included from the interviews she conducted with authors about their work.
Rating:
Summary: A Staple for Romance and Erotica Authors
Review: If you are having a hard time addressing issues like "sex in the age of AIDS" or "recreational sex", _The Joy of Writing Sex_ will help you explore these topics. Benedict gives great examples, writes in an easy to follow manner and addresses us as authors of fiction - not in a textbook manner. This is a must have in a romance or erotica author's library.
Rating:
Summary: A Staple for Romance and Erotica Authors
Review: If you are having a hard time addressing issues like "sex in the age of AIDS" or "recreational sex", _The Joy of Writing Sex_ will help you explore these topics. Benedict gives great examples, writes in an easy to follow manner and addresses us as authors of fiction - not in a textbook manner. This is a must have in a romance or erotica author's library.
Rating:
Summary: Applicable to Any Type of Scene
Review: If you are writing modern fiction, the odds are you will include a sex scene somewhere in your story. The problem I see in most published fiction is that the sex is predictable, i.e. it's almost always fantastic. This could also be interpreted as boring, leading me to frequently skim over 2-5 pages searching for the point where the story starts again. Authors who strive diligently to avoid dead spaces anywhere else in their novels will let the action come to a dead halt while the characters get laid. Ms. Benedict shows you how to avoid this all-too-common problem. Just as some scenes in a story are located in a bar, along a street, or at a society party, some scenes happen in the bedroom (or kitchen, or back seat of a car), and these scenes can do everything a scene is supposed to do. They can move along the plot, reveal characterization, disclose an important piece of backstory, and/or up the conflict. This is why Ms. Benedict's advice can help all of your writing, especially when she asks you to explore your characters' attitude toward sex. What are their attitudes to everything else in the world? It's a great question to ask yourself each time you lead your characters into a new situation - they've got opinions and reasons for them! If your sex scenes are only sex, and you wish they were a lot more, I highly recommend this book. One caveat: the examples include gay sex as well as hetero, and this may be offensive to some readers.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely necessary book for serious writers
Review: Man, it's one thing to think about sex, another thing to have sex, and waaaaaay different to write about it. It's difficult to the max, especially when you really don't want to come off sounding like you're writing porn - or even erotica. Elizabeth Benedict has done a favor for all of us writers who have struggled with the topic, right down to interviewing famous writers of famous sex scenes. It's a resource for MFA students, authors, teachers, and just ordinary people who like to write for their own pleasure. The Joy of Writing Sex is sane and straightforward, entertaining and informing, hip and...sexy!
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