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Build up vrs. Sex Scene

member9458 said:
Last week I posted a story that was 10 Lit pages long and didn't bring the two leads together for at least eight Lit pages—or, in Google Docs, page 69 (nice) of 87. In that case, there was a lot of plot to get through before my leads could hook up, but I think it works, and it's doing well in the ratings, so, eh.

In general, though, that's not my preference—that was a story I felt like I needed to tell where sex was a little more of a byproduct than the point. Don't get me wrong, I like my buildup too; NotWise, SamScribble, and SolarRay said it better than I could, but buildup is the difference between sex and erotica. However, we're all here looking for a release, and I try to write accordingly.
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Excellent answer. 🌹Kant
 
For the reader a sex scene without a build-up is like having sex without foreplay... not very exciting!
 
Ezrollin said:
For the reader a sex scene without a build-up is like having sex without foreplay... not very exciting!
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My newest storyline plays off my diary about a sexual encounter with my best friend that led to a short relationship. I highly doubt people would enjoy a story without reading the little things that turned our friendship into a relationship and understand the true impact of the sex of those involved.🌹Kant
 
In life as in art... The most memorable climaxes are those we anticipate whilst we suffer. Some of the most beautiful vistas are only earned after arduous climbs. And sometimes we all like a quick handjob.
 
Rollinbones said:
In life as in art... The most memorable climaxes are those we anticipate whilst we suffer. Some of the most beautiful vistas are only earned after arduous climbs. And sometimes we all like a quick handjob.
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That's why Playboy brought back the pics section.;) Long live Hefner!
 
MelissaBaby said:
I have described my work as having possibly the lowest wanks per word ratio on Lit, so you can surmise where I stand on the issue.
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I'm thinking your 'lowest wanks' award may change hands with my April Fools contest entry :rolleyes: But I enjoyed indulging myself on something I wanted to say... But now, I think I need to go peek at your stories to see how tough my competition really is for that coveted 'lowest wanks' award. :D
 
I am not sure how much we should judge our writings based upon what is is told to us on here in the form of critiques.

Now from what I see for replies on this thread, I regard everyone who has posted as above average erotica writers, but one also has to write for their audience. For many readers on here, they may not have much time, are lonely and just want to be turned on by a good story. Getting that balance of quality, but to the point quickly; as writers, that is difficult.

Much of my writings will never be posted on here, only because my stories tend to be long and have relational build-up. This is a short story erotica venue so the two do not often match, but that is the difficulty of writing short stories in the first place...making them intense, but also short. I therefore do not consider myself a gifted short-story writer.
 
CuttingEdge said:
I am not sure how much we should judge our writings based upon what is is told to us on here in the form of critiques.

Now from what I see for replies on this thread, I regard everyone who has posted as above average erotica writers, but one also has to write for their audience. For many readers on here, they may not have much time, are lonely and just want to be turned on by a good story. Getting that balance of quality, but to the point quickly; as writers, that is difficult.

Much of my writings will never be posted on here, only because my stories tend to be long and have relational build-up. This is a short story erotica venue so the two do not often match, but that is the difficulty of writing short stories in the first place...making them intense, but also short. I therefore do not consider myself a gifted short-story writer.
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I've been trying to figure this balance out for a long time. I know that I ask myself whether or not I want to take on the reading of anything really long...and I always check the number of pages before starting.

But, as others have pointed out, some of the most successful stories are novellas that seem far too long for me to read in this format. I've mentioned this before, but my own lack of motivation to start a story I know I won't be able to finish in one sitting, was the motivation to try a series approach. The multi-chapter format seems to break it up into less intimidating bites for me to read...and probably others too. I don't think there's any limit put on the number of chapters a series can have.
 
CuttingEdge said:
Much of my writings will never be posted on here, only because my stories tend to be long and have relational build-up. This is a short story erotica venue so the two do not often match, but that is the difficulty of writing short stories in the first place...making them intense, but also short. I therefore do not consider myself a gifted short-story writer.
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Many of the stories on the category top lists are quite long. "Threads: The Island" which sits atop the Incest/Taboo category and has for ages now is 42 Lit pages long. "Uncertain Justice" in Non-Erotic is 55 pages long. ScattySue's work in the Lesbian Sex category includes top-listers that are anywhere from 11 to 22 pages in length.

Don't cut yourself off at the knees. This is very much not just a short story erotica venue, and longer stories with more build-up and character development aren't only welcomed but welcomed warmly around here. Trust me, you don't need to write strictly for the stroking crowd. Plenty of folks come here to have their brains tickled too. :)
 
Indeed. Long stories are not to be feared.

My first long story was broken up into parts because I feared going over six pages,which makes no sense in retrospect.

So now I write what I’d want to read, and what I want to read are, in general, nicely-written stories with a lot more than just plenty of hot sex.
 
CuttingEdge said:
This is a short story erotica venue so the two do not often match, but that is the difficulty of writing short stories in the first place...making them intense, but also short. I therefore do not consider myself a gifted short-story writer.
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Not always. There are some unbelievably long stories on Lit - the longest I know is about 80 Lit pages. That's over 200,000 words.
 
electricblue66 said:
Not always. There are some unbelievably long stories on Lit - the longest I know is about 80 Lit pages. That's over 200,000 words.
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Does that include the Novel-section?
And 200.000 words is a nice read to me. Because, to be honest, the story I'm currently writing and submitting in single chapters (aiming for 30-35) has 150.000 words and I'm only up to chapter 25 so far. Then again, I'm just a windy bastard :D
 
Gentleman_G said:
Does that include the Novel-section?
And 200.000 words is a nice read to me. Because, to be honest, the story I'm currently writing and submitting in single chapters (aiming for 30-35) has 150.000 words and I'm only up to chapter 25 so far. Then again, I'm just a windy bastard :D
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The one I'm thinking of is in Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
 
My two most successful stories are actually quite long and focus more on the buildup rather than the sex itself. It's just how I prefer to write. I also find that most of the stories I enjoy reading here are lengthy. Lien_Gellers Christmas Cracker for example. Most comments on my longer stories show that readers appreciate the buildup, stating that it's worth the wait when the sex does happen. That said, there have been one or two that complained. Oh well. Here's an example of some of my better comments:

<b>Long But Good</b>

It’s a shame someone wouldn’t read this story because it has 12 pages! I read it all the way through! I have to say that it was written so well! Now, I normally don’t gravitate towards story’s like this only because I’m a 22 year old single female. I can’t really relate to “swinger” type stories. But this was great. I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I came three times ready this. Great job 😊
 
I tend to get attached to characters, so the longer a story takes, the more I grow attached and end up reading more of it ;)
 
Gentleman_G said:
I tend to get attached to characters, so the longer a story takes, the more I grow attached and end up reading more of it ;)
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It’s readers like you that are the reason I enjoy writing.
I want my readers to be attached to the characters I create and humanize so they are relatable to the reader. Kudos for the awesome answer💋Kant🌹
 
Gentleman_G said:
I tend to get attached to characters, so the longer a story takes, the more I grow attached and end up reading more of it ;)
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And as a writer, honestly I like the same because in the real world I am not a shallow person, nor have I ever been attracted to one.

For the others authors; thanks for the replies with quotes, I feel empowered now, and I do appreciate it.

Also...it was great to see which authors I can now read so I no longer need to wade through so much crap writing that is out there. By that i mean, when I read, "she was a thin blonde with big blue eyes, and big double D's on her chest"...well l, I just stop reading.
 
CuttingEdge said:
By that i mean, when I read, "she was a thin blonde with big blue eyes, and big double D's on her chest"...well l, I just stop reading.
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Well, at least that allows you to sift through the less good stories then. If you don`t like a story, just pick another one.
I generally start with the Hall of Fame stories. They`re there for a reason. Not that I`m in there, but perhaps one day ... ;)

Oh, goody. I finally managed to put a link to my own story in my signature. Now I should prepare for lower ratings, since the worst critics are other writers :D
 
Without any doubt the build up is the most important. You need an interesting premise to attract and retain readers, otherwise its just mindless sex.

For example, the overall premise of my story 'Cute Celebrity Chloe Comes To Stay' is simple; a good looking 19-year-old guy (Jason) gets into a pretty 18-year-old girl's panties (Chloe) and nails her. While this alone might be enough for some readers who just want to read about 18 & 19-year-olds having sex with each other and nothing else, I made things interesting by making Chloe a popular Australian soap opera actress who is very pleasant and down to earth, not a diva at all and Jason a nice young guy who readers can identify with. I made Chloe as cute as possible to build up the anticipation of getting to read about her naked and having sex. I also threw in some comedy elements early in the story such as two dim-witted guys asking her male cousin dumb and inane questions about her, then passing out when they finally meet her and are star struck, and her female cousin being a jealous bitch about her cousin's success.

Such a story might not be every reader's cup of tea, but I know I did my best to make it interesting.
 
electricblue66 said:
Was it in Fan Fic? That's just the story of Jason and Kylie ;)
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No, it wasn't Fan Fic it was Erotic Couplings as it was entirely fictional.

I've never written any Fan Fic or Celebrity stories. While it would probably be unlikely, is there a possibility you could end up in legal trouble for doing so?

For example if you wrote a Celebrity story about two attractive female TV presenters having a lesbian affair with each other could this cause an issue if one of them (and her lawyers) found out about it and was none too pleased?

And with Fan Fic, say a writer wrote a partner swapping story about characters from the popular sitcoms 'Everybody Loves Raymond" and 'King of Queens' that saw Robert paired with Debra, Raymond with Carrie, and Doug with Amy could it cause issues if whoever holds the rights to these stories discovered the work and was anything but pleased?
 
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RetroFan said:
I've never written any Fan Fic or Celebrity stories. While it would probably be unlikely, is there a possibility you could end up in legal trouble for doing so?

For example if you wrote a Celebrity story about two attractive female TV presenters having a lesbian affair with each other could this cause an issue if one of them (and her lawyers) found out about it and was none too pleased?
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I doubt it - otherwise the entire category would probably have been gone already - but you never know. Once you get it published as a book, then hell yeah, you will get sued :D But on some obscure, anonymous website? I doubt it.
 
In a few of my stories, including one I’m writing now, I’ve successfully used sex AS buildup. You create a character who’s a total horndog/slut/stud/what have you, or in some other way defined by the degree to which they have lots and lots of sex.

Then, you spend the rising action depicting them having lots and lots of sex. The scenes should of course be well-written, but perfunctory compared to the REAL sex scene at the climax (a pun! How droll!), which is better than the rest of the sex both for the character and the reader.

It’s relatively rare that I build a character like that, but it does happen. It also has the side benefit of offering many possibilities for humor.
 
Definitely prefer reading about the build up, sometimes the actual sex scenes themselves can feel flat in comparison if they aren't written correctly
 
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