How do you write such amazing sexual tension with your characters? I start writing and it's like my characters want to jump in bed by chapter two! I want to draw it out, especially since one character has some hang ups when it comes to sex (especially with

At its most basic level, sexual tension builds when characters want to have sex but can’t for whatever reason(s). This applies to characters in established relationships, too - couples can create sexual tension by flirting with and teasing each other in situations where they can’t have sex, to heighten the anticipation for when they can seal the deal later.

Sexual tension has two dimensions: physical attraction and psychological attraction. You need both to truly satisfy the reader.

Physical attraction is usually easier for authors to write. Characters can find each other physically attractive regardless of the obstacles keeping them apart, even if they don’t like (or can’t stand) each other. It’s also easy to find moments to showcase a character’s physical attractiveness.The human body doesn’t need a lot of encouragement to think, “Yeah, I’d hit that.”

Psychological attraction is trickier. Like I said above, if you’re looking to build sexual tension, that tells me there’s one or more obstacles preventing the characters from having sex. Their psychological attraction to each other has to develop over time to a point where they’re willing to face the consequences of overcoming those obstacles, because their desire to be together now outweighs everything else.

If your characters are ready to jump into bed by chapter two - and that’s not what you wanted - that tells me there was no real conflict keeping them apart in the first place.

Sexual tension is a process of taking two steps forward and one step back. Every time the characters make progress in their relationship, the conflict springs up to reality-check them. But, through the events of the story, the characters are also developing their psychological attraction to each other, which drives them to continue pursuing it despite the obstacles in their path.

What that looks like is very individual to the nature of each story’s conflict, especially whether said conflict is internal or external (or both). In your example, you say one of the characters is an abused omega who has hang-ups about having sex with alphas due to past trauma. Would that character want to have sex with a new alpha right away, regardless of how much he liked him? Probably not.

Why not? Well, that’s the conflict you’re exploring with the relationship! What specific events in the omega’s past would interfere with him developing a new relationship in the present? What actions on the new alpha’s part - even if completely benign - might trigger flashbacks or bad sense memories for the omega and scare him off? How did the abuse affect the omega’s sense of self-worth, his assertiveness, his ability to trust people? And so on.

For the alpha’s part, how does he feel about getting involved with an omega who has a history of abuse? Is he even aware of it? If not, how does he interpret the omega’s reactions to him - is he offended? Confused? If he does know about the omega’s past, what kind of anxieties does that provoke for him? Does he worry about re-traumatizing the omega, or maybe that he’ll inadvertently take advantage of him? Etc.

A lack of desired sexual tension usually means you need to delve further into the conflict(s) keeping the characters apart. That conflict needs to be serious and believable, or it’ll just seem like an artificial prop you’re using to drag things out, which annoys readers a lot! And the progress towards resolving the sexual tension should have some sense of forward momentum - even in a slow-burn scenario - so that the reader is feeling that same tension and anticipation, and is cheering the characters on instead of getting frustrated with them.

As always, outlining is your friend.

I hope this helps! Thank you so much for the question, as well as your kind words. :-)