Sex in Chapter 1?

[VerbalAbuse]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

 

[mildlyaroused]

For me - absolutely not mandatory. Write the story you want to tell.

The general Lit audience, though, is a different kettle of fish.

People want sex. Penetrative sex isn't needed in chapter 1 (that's a waste of tension in a lot of cases), but people probably want some sort of sexual action. I'm not sure exactly how much, though. It will vary, reader to reader.

I'd release the first chapter as you intended, maybe with a disclaimer that it's erotic and sexually charged, but isn't very sexually explicit. Some people who want quick action will leave, but a lot of people on this site genuinely like more sophisticated stories and they will be happy.

Otherwise you could extend Chapter 1 to encompass the first sexually explicit moment in the story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

No.

But it is an erotica site, so you don't want to wait too long. Having said that, I have a multi-chapter story that dragged readers along to Chapter 6 before they got their payoff.

It was an experiment, starting out with a 750 Word first chapter, then progressively longer chapters, until Chapter 6, which was about 6000 words. My aim was to see how many readers would stay with the story. Answer, about 60% of those who read the first chapter read chapter six, which is way above the norm.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

Not mandatory at all. However it's a great way to hook readers.

What's happening here is probably just like the bulk of criticism: "You didn't read my mind and give me the fantasy that's in my head and I'm upset!" or "You didn't follow the formula that I expect!" Their formula is their formula and not necessarily yours. That's up to you, so don't take it personal.

Remember: the lit audience isn't really a literary crowd, it's a porn crowd. It's not like your Thursday night book club meeting with people who actually like to read. Maybe 1/3rd of the readers out there are interested in your story in any way (these are the minority of literary people who actually like to read). The rest just expect you to recite their fantasy back to them and if you don't deliver, some of them can get vocal. In that case, it's them, not you. This does not mean that there is no valuable constructive criticism out there. There can be plenty at times, but you just have to be objective about any feedback that you get (good or bad) and take it in stride instead of straight to the heart.

If you like a good dose of story next to your smut, that's totally okay, but it might take you a while to find your audience or for them to find you. The lit-verse is a big quagmire out there. Don't let it scare you, just understand that it's a big messy swamp. Keep writing what you believe in and eventually those who resonate with you will find you. It might take months or years or it might happen next week. Just be patient, keep writing from your heart and strive to improve with each submission.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

wrong? no. it's an opinion they're voicing if they say it's wrong. you write what feels best [no pun ].

 

[EmilyMiller]

Sex in Chapter 1?​

I’ve written sex in paragraph one and no sex for thousands of words (I think 7k is my current record). It depends on the story.

Emily

 

[Rob_Royale]

By the term Chapter 1, do you mean the entire posted first story? I can imagine some readers to be disappointed in that, but not all. I wouldn't call it a requirement, but I'd recommend it.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

just expect you to recite their fantasy back to them

well said

 

[VerbalAbuse]

By the term Chapter 1, do you mean the entire posted first story? I can imagine some readers to be disappointed in that, but not all. I wouldn't call it a requirement, but I'd recommend it.

exactly. The first post. The first "story".

 

[Rob_Royale]

exactly. The first post. The first "story".

Out of curiosity, how long is the story?

 

[VerbalAbuse]

Out of curiosity, how long is the story?

I don't have an outline yet. Just a first chapter in work. I mean to write a simple romantic story, so definitely not a long one.

 

[CalebZhass]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

Very similar shoes, I wrote a lengthy and very mild first chapter to my story only to realize there is very little sex in it and even that is at the end. I definitely plan the series to be a lot more explicit, but the first chapter turned out to be almost non-sexual I decided to mix it up a bit and start the series "in medias res" style, in the middle, then going back to the roots with the second chapter. Allowing me to have an action packed first one, that is more representative of the overall tone I plan for the series to have. However, as much as I enjoyed writing that story, it completely derailed my plans, as now I have a romantic thread to deal with down the line, that I didn't even plan on originally I don't mind really, but it wasn't what I planned originally.

Also, I'm still somewhat antsy about how the second chapter will be received by someone expecting a follow-up to the first one, but I force myself to push past those thoughts. This is the story I want to tell and that detour was the one concession I was willing to make to my original vision to make it serve the Lit audience better.

That's not saying I don't try to organize my story in such a way, that it has enough of the good stuff in it for people to actually find what they are looking for, but I consider that to be a challenge to write my vision in a format that is ultimately aimed to please.

As others have said, just write what you want and like, especially if you are in it for the sharing and not for the fame. There will be people who like it I'm sure and those who don't are unavoidable, especially if you write something that is light on explicit material. We are on an adult story site after all, I'd assume most readers come here to get off

 

[Rob_Royale]

I don't have an outline yet. Just a first chapter in work. I mean to write a simple romantic story, so definitely not a long one.

I think that might be fine then. If I read say, 5000 words and there's no sex, I'd be fine with that if the story was good. If it's just a ton of backstory and it doesn't grab me, odds are I won't bother reading part two.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

I had this exact problem when I first posted a story here. All I can say is, people will stick with the story over multiple chapters and lots of readers do genuinely enjoy a slower burn, long story. Ignore the comments, write what makes a good story.

 

[StillStunned]

My record is midway through Chapter 3 before the main characters get it on. Probably about 18k words.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I have written a multi chapter story, and some of my readers were commenting that there was no explicit sex in Ch1, and that that was wrong.

I am contemplating writing another story to be posted in chapters, and again, I am considering a Ch1 without penetrative sex between the two MCs. The chapter will be sexually charged for sure, just no penetration, no orgasms.

What do you feel about this? Is sex mandatory for Ch1?

It's not, though it doesn't hurt to let readers know up front. I started a series with the note "Chapter 1 is introduction only; there's no sex until Chapter 2" and I don't think anybody complained.

 

[AchtungNight]

Keep readers interested in your story and you won’t have a problem making it slow burn. The sex should be a sure thing- maybe open with the couple in flagrante delicto and then flashback to how they met and got involved? I’ve had success with variations on that a few times.

 

[StillStunned]

Keep readers interested in your story and you won’t have a problem making it slow burn. The sex should be a sure thing- maybe open with the couple in flagrante delicto and then flashback to how they met and got involved? I’ve had success with variations on that a few times.

I agree.

Someone here once suggested having some kind of sex within the first 500 words. I think that's a good guideline, although it doesn't actually have to be sex. Just something sexual, something to reassure the reader that yes, it is going to be a sexual tale and their patience will pay off.

 

[HordHolm]

I agree with @StillStunned on this - to have something sexual early on, without it needing to be sex. It could be attraction, for example, or a flashback to something that might also help building a backstory.

 

[TheRedChamber]

There can be a bit of confusion between what I'd call a 'chapter' and a 'submission'. In traditional literature, a chapter averages out at between 3000-4000 words. In comparison a submission on Literotica is as long as the author wants it to be (provided its 750+ words). Some people publish each traditional chapter as an individual submission, some publish the whole damn novel as one. (@BobbyBrandt is a strong advocate of this approach)

My recommendation would be, firstly not to publish individual chapters as submissions as it's generally accepted that they score lower on average, are annoying to have to change between for the reader, and cause this 'no sex in a submission' issue. Secondly, you can slice up your longer work into whatever chunks you feel appropriate but I'd try to include some sex (or at least 'erotic activity') into part one.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Disappointment comes only from unfulfilled expectations.

@Bramblethorn has a good suggestion about adding an author's note at the beginning to inform readers of what they can expect. Your title, description, tags, and even the category you are posting in can also set readers' expectations. Try to adjust those expectations whenever possible to minimize the disappointment.

And, no, sex scenes are not a requirement. There are hundreds of extremely popular stories on this site which contain no sexual content or only teasingly hint at it. Category selection and establishing reader expectations are what contribute to their success.

​

 

[Devinter]

My 'record' is in chapter 3 of a series, almost 20,000 words in. And let me tell you, people sure enjoyed that chapter a lot more than the two previous ones. And that was despite the 'build up' being shock full with constant sexual tension and erotic scenes where the two characters got close to sealing the deal. It was also in the incest category - and category definitely matters! 'Slowburns' work best in Incest, Romance, and SciFi/Fantasy as far as I can tell. Other categories will be more problematic.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Disappointment comes only from unfulfilled expectations.

@Bramblethorn has a good suggestion about adding an author's note at the beginning to inform readers of what they can expect. Your title, description, tags, and even the category you are posting in can also set readers' expectations. Try to adjust those expectations whenever possible to minimize the disappointment.

Yep, and I should add to my comment above that although the first chapter didn't have any sex, the very first line did hint at the sexual angle to the story. I agree that expectations are key, and it goes beyond just "will there be sex?"

 

[AllenWoody]

I agree.

Someone here once suggested having some kind of sex within the first 500 words. I think that's a good guideline, although it doesn't actually have to be sex. Just something sexual, something to reassure the reader that yes, it is going to be a sexual tale and their patience will pay off.

This. If I have a long stretch where it just doesn’t make sense for ‘the’ sex to happen, I will sometimes splice in what I think of as appetizer sex. Someone bathing, an inner fantasy, a re-telling of an incident, a memory… anything to raise the temperature and let the reader know not just that there will be sex, but give a hint of your style.

 

[RedFireBrand]

Meanwhile I have 2-3 sex scenes per chapter (starting with the first) that average 7,000 words long. It all depends on the kind of story you are telling.