Note to Self: Get to the Sex

[TadOverdon]

I'm final editing a Romance story. I think the genre demand is to fall in love with the object of affection as soon as possible, and (for this genre) the sex should wait. I'll post the story when it is released, and probably link it here. Someone tell me if I am obviously wrong, otherwise we'll see how it does.

The more modern "adult" lines from companies like Harlequin get to the physical stuff more quickly, a lot of the time.

 

[EroticCupcake]

The more modern "adult" lines from companies like Harlequin get to the physical stuff more quickly, a lot of the time.

This is probably good advice. The structure of my story won't support it. Maybe for the next one...

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I'm final editing a Romance story. I think the genre demand is to fall in love with the object of affection as soon as possible, and (for this genre) the sex should wait. I'll post the story when it is released, and probably link it here. Someone tell me if I am obviously wrong, otherwise we'll see how it does.

I've written a lot of slow burn romance and I've never had a complaint. A lot of readers have commented that they actually enjoy a slow built up, rather than the couple hopping into bed almost as soon as they meet.
Although, I have written a few of those, too.

 

[FeralSmile]

If you post a long work in chapters in a category like I/T, any chapter that does not contain incest will get dinged by readers. I once had one of twelve chapters in a book moved to a different category by the admins.

I wrote a 5-chapter I/T story in early October. It revolved around a nurse growing closer to her brother and his fiancée. Chapter 1 was build-up (with lots of fantasy and masturbation), Ch 2-3 was the nurse and her brother having increasingly kinky sex, and Ch 4 was mostly the foreshadowed lesbian non-incest sex scene between the nurse and her brother's fiancée. I confess that I threw in a couple of quick incest scenes at the start of that chapter to keep readers happy. It seems to have worked; that's the second-most-popular of the 5 chapters, right behind Ch 5, which is the inevitable threesome I'd been setting up the whole time.

The first chapter is the lowest-rated by a considerable margin (4.6 as of today), which I attribute largely to it being mostly stage-setting and buildup, and also the narrator's POV being a lot to take in. The fantasies and masturbation just aren't as hot as the later sex scenes, and I think readers who got invested in the nurse's hygiene fixation and clinical language found the later stuff more exciting as a result. I expected a fair number of readers would be turned off at the start though.

 

[EroticCupcake]

I ended up breaking the original rule that started this thread for a Romance story:
https://literotica.com/s/man-woman-and-meaning-between

It could probably use more sex and earlier, but it wouldn't work for this story. I think making FMC adorable is a reasonable strategy, but to be determined if I pulled it off.

For the original story that started the thread (long romance over years), I'm going to add the sex immediately. They can almost get together for years while also having wild sex in between.

 

[TheDok]

Hum. Formula Sex Writing 101.

I'm puzzled now. What happened to the sage advice of writing about what you want, different from what your readership might want?

So every 7,000 3,500 2,XXX words, someone(s) has/have/needs sex. Just a minute while I check ... sh*t, I'm at 9,934 words, and my romance main characters have accidentally touched hands with a lingering look. Guess I'll backtrack and have them f*ck at the beginning of the third page, halfway down page two, or once on each Lit page, or very often and hope the readers understand why two people who barely know each other are humping like camels under the sheets. Of course, I'll try to put something romantic in between – just so the category-of-choice remains valid.

Or is there a category called Just F*cking Sex? Did I miss that one in the category list somewhere?

I couldn't agree with you more. This site is lit-erotica inferring that literature (or in my case an attempt to write) is a component of what it contains. I try to write stories containing sex as part of the action and not just for its own sake. The erotica has to be (for me at least) in context. I have one story with 4000 reads (visits) 80 votes, and a rating of 4.6 in the Romance section with no sex in it whatsoever. Write about you want remains the best advice

 

[EroticCupcake]

I couldn't agree with you more. This site is lit-erotica inferring that literature (or in my case an attempt to write) is a component of what it contains. I try to write stories containing sex as part of the action and not just for its own sake. The erotica has to be (for me at least) in context. I have one story with 4000 reads (visits) 80 votes, and a rating of 4.6 in the Romance section with no sex in it whatsoever. Write about you want remains the best advice

So far my Romance is going okay, but it seems like low traffic. Either my title is not optimal or Romance is lower traffic (or both).

 

[StillStunned]

Given the nature of this site, and what readers generally expect when they make their way here, I think that a story should at the very least indicate that there's going to be some sex at some point. Hints of desires and fantasies early on are a good way to set the mood and keep the reader interested.

 

[TheDok]

So far my Romance is going okay, but it seems like low traffic. Either my title is not optimal or Romance is lower traffic (or both).

I write mainly Romance and BDSM (a strange mix) and Romance seems to be low traffic compared with other categories. I'm not sure the title makes a difference. Some of my stories have less than 3000 reads (visits)but have been well-rated which for me is much more important than total reads. it implies I am writing reasonably well whilst I am enjoying doing it. If I wanted I am sure I could quickly pen a Loving Wives or Incest story and rack up tens of thousands of reads and hundreds of vitriolic comments but I wouldn't enjoy doing it, so what would be the point?

And I've just read both of your Romance stories and both were excellent and 5 star reads. It takes time for readers to discover authors I guess, particularly if you are writing in a new category

 

[EroticCupcake]

I write mainly Romance and BDSM (a strange mix) and Romance seems to be low traffic compared with other categories. I'm not sure the title makes a difference. Some of my stories have less than 3000 reads (visits)but have been well-rated which for me is much more important than total reads. it implies I am writing reasonably well whilst I am enjoying doing it. If I wanted I am sure I could quickly pen a Loving Wives or Incest story and rack up tens of thousands of reads and hundreds of vitriolic comments but I wouldn't enjoy doing it, so what would be the point?

And I've just read both of your Romance stories and both were excellent and 5 star reads. It takes time for readers to discover authors I guess, particularly if you are writing in a new category

Thanks for the feedback and support. I'll try to return the favor.

 

[EroticCupcake]

I'll wrap this thread up. Parting observation is that Romance has fewer reads, but much higher voting / comments per read. I suppose it's a different flavor, neither better nor worse.

 

[dadadadiox]

Yeah, I'm interested in how to structure story to honor genre convention while still writing what I want to write.

I’m currently struggling with my latest submissions in non-erotic. One chapter was reassigned over a very brief and limited sex scene and a chapter was rejected this morning over a few lines of post-coitus dialogue. I've already rewritten and resubmitted. We'll see if that passes.

The sub-header in that category is 'non erotic SEX stories'. That led me to believe the small amount of sex I have in this particular story would be permitted.

Like you, I want to write what I want to write. I also have no interest in submitting this relatively tame tale in genres where the readers are seeking strokers. That would waste readers' time and frustrate the trolls. I know where that leads.

 

[darkride]

I've been writing my first major erotic work over the past 6 months or so. Nothing I would call "serious" - I have a story in mind, planned out to some degree, and am just writing and posting it chapter by chapter - I've just dropped Ch10 before Xmas, which each chapter aiming for approx 5k words.

My intent was that each chapter should leave the reader aroused, so whilst I am introducing characters, some exposition, and action, I'm trying to ensure that something in there is at least a bit titillating. I did research topics like - how long should each chapter be in order for the reader to ahem engage in the story... how fast does the average reader read, etc etc etc. Ultimately - we're all different, some fast, some slow, much like other aspects of life.

To date, my best received chapter was the latest one, which also happened to included essentially the 3rd explicit sexual act. Personally, I prefer some of the other chapters I've written, as writing a sex scene tends to become a bit formulaic... However ultimately it's what the readers of erotica are hanging out for, I guess. To cum simultaineously with the characters...?

 

[EroticFriction]

Definitely read some of erotic cupcakes stuff before making snap judgements, in many ways some of the best stuff I've read on this site.

I also relate to feeling some insecurity about getting readers to stick through longer sections of character and plot development, but many of my favorite stories and series here do just that, and some are super popular (most fall in the middle somewhere not records broken, but a good fan base).

I think in the end writers have to write for themselves first, unless it's an assignment. Anything short of that runs the risk of coming off as dishonest in some way.

Cupcake, your writing is very, very good. I do prefer your series to the one-offs, but that's just my preference for slow burn and immersion.