Plot vs. Sex Scenes?

[M_K_Babalon]

Motherfucking mother fuckers, fucking their mothers without love or any motherfucking manners.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

OK, I am working on a new story about a woman CEO and her personal assistant. The plot involves both desiring the other. There's an amount of plot setting before anything sexual takes place. Here's the question, should the plot include sex scenes, or should the sex scenes drive the plot?

In porn, many times it seems there is little if any plot. I think that a believable story needs plot, character development, and sex as the "natural" outcome. What sayest thou, ye more learned and experienced than I?

Would it be erotica(smut) without the sex? Or do you mean sex outside of the plot? I would think the desire for each other would be the plot and thus would be sex. The desire for each other seems to lean towards a plot driven story, but that's just how my mind works, I write like a romance writer.

In porn the plot is just a thinly veiled excuse to have sex. Which is an example of sex driving the "plot". I delivered pizza during covid and not once did I get the "tip" these porn women offer. Not even the couple fucking already when I got there. I digress... it's up to you to figure the focus of the story and that will kinda reveal if it should be sex or plot driven, I guess.

 

[nice90sguy]

The plot involves both desiring the other

Interesting premise

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'm gonna go with my usual suggestion:

CHARACTER should drive the story.

Whether you're writing a plot heavy story with some sex, or a sex heavy story with an outrageous plot, or not plot at all, if your characters are boring, so is your story.

Character becomes even more important in stories with less plot, because there's only so many ways to write a sex scene and keep it interesting.

And again, if I don't care about your characters, why should I care whether they fuck? No matter how hot you write the scene, I can just go watch porn instead if all I wanna do is get off.

This 100%

Readers are drawn to a story by the premise, but stick with a story for the characters.

Some here (readers and writers) will sacrifice the literary components for the sexual components within a story and go on to live perfectly normal lives. Others will be just as content with a story with zero sexual content if the characters resonate with them.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'm facing an issue that my new story may be lackluster in sex because we're gonna cycle through a lot of characters that people will not have time to get attached to. Heck, it might seem more prudent to post this elsewhere since there's barely enough sex in it to call it erotic. But it counts.

But, on the subject, people LIKE plot. Even when they say they don't, sex feels so much better when it has significance, when you know who is fucking who and why. Even a paper-thin plot is often good enough to show why the sex happens.

I have several stories on here with dozens of characters and "teasing" erotic content at best. (They are all in Novels/Novellas)

Sex is not a requirement for a story to be successful here. Even some of the most popular stories in categories such as Loving Wives have zero sexual content. These focus on the "Lit" portion of the site name, and do so quite well.

 

[nice90sguy]

The ONLY thing that stories here can do for me that Pornhub doesn't do way better, is provide sexual fantasies that have characters and plot. For sex scenes, I'll take Pornhub every time over written depictions of sex, no matter how well-written.

 

[Jmanchu]

Whatever makes it more fun and fulfilling for you to write it. If your characters have depth, then a plot that lets your characters show off their depth and complexity makes more sense. If you're looking to just make something fun and sexy and you just want to show the spicy stuff and you find it more enjoyable to write that... well, get those keystrokes in. Or you can be greedy and put in a lot of both sex and plot all you want. There's no rules to this.

 

[AG31]

Either way can work.

Exactly. Decide what approach you want to take and do it well.

 

[AG31]

For sex scenes, I'll take Pornhub every time over written depictions of sex, no matter how well-written.

That's cuz you're a guy.

 

[StillStunned]

I just realised that in my latest story the characters are actually plotting during a sex scene.

 

[AG31]

Plot and character over everything.

I disagree. Check out
Making a case for pure/simple erotica.

 

[nice90sguy]

That's cuz you're a guy.

Yeah, I guess -- not really into words and stuff

 

[SamBomb]

I disagree. Check out
Making a case for pure/simple erotica.

Oh, i'm sure there is merit for many. For me, it does nothing for me. Porn videos too, without any plot do nothing for me.

 

[Gamblnluck]

In porn, many times it seems there is little if any plot. I think that a believable story needs plot, character development, and sex as the "natural" outcome.

Sex is not always the 'natural' outcome. It is often contrived to fit the story (non consent, bdsm fetish and others.
I would rrather read a story with a decent plot and characters than sex scenes. My own stories reflect that.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Even a paper-thin plot is often good enough to show why the sex happens.

But in many cases that paper thin plot will not be received well. Some categories it may be the norm though

 

[MillieDynamite]

Man loves wife, wife loves man, man is incapable of pleasing wife in bed. Man seeks out another man to fuck his wife. Now a cuckold man watches a stranger fuck his wife. The wife says how good it is, how much better at fucking the enormous cocked stranger fucks her, and how tiny her husband is.

The End
Typical LW writing (read Mary's work for proof)

But in many cases that paper thin plot will not be received well. Some categories it may be the norm though

 

[Gamblnluck]

Man loves wife, wife loves man, man is incapable of pleasing wife in bed. Man seeks out another man to fuck his wife. Now a cuckold man watches a stranger fuck his wife. The wife says how good it is, how much better at fucking the enormous cocked stranger fucks her, and how tiny her husband is.

The End
Typical LW writing (read Mary's work for proof)

Who is Mary?
And yep proves my point. That simple plot is gonna get a sound 2 in the score box and a few hundred flames in the comment box.

 

[Zootonius]

Man loves wife, wife loves man, man is incapable of pleasing wife in bed. Man seeks out another man to fuck his wife. Now a cuckold man watches a stranger fuck his wife. The wife says how good it is, how much better at fucking the enormous cocked stranger fucks her, and how tiny her husband is.

The End
Typical LW writing (read Mary's work for proof)

Odd how a story can trigger a memory:

 

[KachinaDoll]

Without plot and characters you might as well just watch porn and save the effort of reading.

 

[StillStunned]

Without plot and characters you might as well just watch porn and save the effort of reading.

I think you need to separate the two, and see what's really important to the story you want to tell.

There are stories where the sex follows from character. I have a series of short strokers that are all about the sex, but I do think you get to know the characters a little. At least enough to identify with the POV character a little. I'm also working on one that's heavily character-driven, even in less than 5000 words. All you need is to be inside the character's head and make them likeable, or their motivations believable at least on the surface.

You can also write a stroker that's driven by plot. It shouldn't be very complex if the focus is the sex, but it can be there. The characters face a problem and have to overcome it. One of my stories is about a married couple wanting to have sex, but the husband has Covid and doesn't want to infect the wife. Another is about a brother and sister just wanting to sleep, but there's a pesky boner keeping them awake (my most-read story to dat, with nearly 90k views and 1600 ratings in less than a month).

So don't dismiss the humble stroker. If done well (and I'm not necessarily putting mine forward as examples), they can be small vignettes of life, and just as engaging as a profound character study or complicated plot.*

* And we're on Lit. The sex is what it's all about.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Her handle is @theWollstonecraftWoman

Who is Mary?
And yep proves my point. That simple plot is gonna get a sound 2 in the score box and a few hundred flames in the comment box.

She doesn't post in LW often and her votes, for the type of story, aren't that bad. But she does get the occasional burst from a flamethrower directed her way.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I read that as PILOT vs Sex Scenes.

Was gonna say why would a pilot have a fight with a sex scene?

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

My personal opinion that the more vested your readers are in your characters, the hotter they perceive the sex.
If done right, in my humble opinion, the sex will serve the story and move it forward, but the story and characters should remain supreme.

Having said that, I've written a few stories with very thin plots and lots and lot and lots of sex. They serve a purpose, too. I just don't think they're as impactful. Messier, but not as overall impactful...

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Her handle is @theWollstonecraftWoman

She doesn't post in LW often and her votes, for the type of story, aren't that bad. But she does get the occasional burst from a flamethrower directed her way.

Yes, I do.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I'm on the side of plot and character over sex, but also realize the importance of sex in erotica. My only suggestion would be to make sure your sex scenes move the story forward. Even one page 'wankers'(not British, just love that word) need some story to be effective.