what obligations to realism?

[RainyDayPen]

Personally I think Joy's concept is good for a literary novel/story. I think authors in the literary fiction category have all obligations to realism.

In this website I think we have to keep our readers in mind. And I fucked up in that regard in some ways and I'm learning from that mistake myself. Generally, here people come to masturbate to stories about their interests & kinks, and/or to read romantic or sweet fantasies (the slow burn stories).

I think realism sometimes clashes with that even when some readers will complain, the majority of readers prefer the fantasy to the realism on this website or other erotica websites.

Myself, so many stories I enjoy here are complete and utter nonsense that would NEVER fly in real life. In a million ways. And yet it still hits just right.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Personally I think Joy's concept is good for a literary novel/story. I think authors in the literary fiction category have all obligations to realism.

In this website I think we have to keep our readers in mind. And I fucked up in that regard in some ways and I'm learning from that mistake myself. Generally, here people come to masturbate to stories about their interests & kinks, and/or to read romantic or sweet fantasies (the slow burn stories).

I think realism sometimes clashes with that even when some readers will complain, the majority of readers prefer the fantasy to the realism on this website or other erotica websites.

Myself, so many stories I enjoy here are complete and utter nonsense that would NEVER fly in real life. In a million ways. And yet it still hits just right.

Even within the fantasy of the harlequinesque slow burn happy ending type, you need your characters to be real enough to be relatable, and the situations real enough that your readers can se themselves in the story. If you read my transgender stuff, my heroines all transition too fast and look too good with just minor help. I also try to make the stories engaging and the settings as real as I can. So, I'd say as real as possible without breaking the illusion.

 

[alohadave]

I think authors in the literary fiction category have all obligations to realism.

I disagree with this. There is no obligation to realism, and plenty of lit fic do not adhere to realism to tell their stories.

 

[KeithD]

The standard template I was taught involves exposition, rising action, climax(he he), falling action, and denouement. I would think a story with unrelenting misery would have a hard time following this pattern. It can probably be as erotic as hell(pun intended), but would it be a good story?

Dilemma, conflict (repeat as necessary), and change (or purposeful failure to change).

 

[MillieDynamite]

I constantly struggle with the rules related to portraying rape on the site. So, most of the time, I have the woman experiencing a perverted enjoyment humiliation of the event. It isn't just the ones for here, either. I have to stay within the confines of the rules on sales sites. I don't use rape as a story element often. In fact, in some of my stories, I've toned down the erotic to mostly not including much sex. This led to a complaint on one site about the cost because of too much story with too little sex in it.

 

[AlexBailey]

Is Literotica for titillation only? Is it only for ‘comedy’ and not for ‘tragedy’ lest a story put a reader off of their jerk?

Life’s erotic events aren’t all fairytales, why should erotic stories have to be?

That said, it seems completely fair to include a preface, “This story has tragic elements and may not be for readers seeking a light hearted thrill.”

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I constantly struggle with the rules related to portraying rape on the site. So, most of the time, I have the woman experiencing a perverted enjoyment humiliation of the event. It isn't just the ones for here, either. I have to stay within the confines of the rules on sales sites. I don't use rape as a story element often. In fact, in some of my stories, I've toned down the erotic to mostly not including much sex. This led to a complaint on one site about the cost because of too much story with too little sex in it.

This is a tough one. I'm struggling with it right now in fact. My MC's mother died from an overdose. She goes to a party and gets offered drugs. It goes to the extreme including her having sex with multiple partners. Very date rapey, but for her, the bigger issues is the drugs. She's petrified of turning out like her mom. So, how to deal with her greatest fear without minimizing the rapey stuff...

 

[KeithD]

Is Literotica for titillation only? Is it only for ‘comedy’ and not for ‘tragedy’ lest a story put a reader off of their jerk?

Life’s erotic events aren’t all fairytales, why should erotic stories have to be?

That said, it seems completely fair to include a preface, “This story has tragic elements and may not be for readers seeking a light hearted thrill.”

You had me right down to the including a babysitting preface. I don't do that and expect readers to be adult and able to take care of themselves if they are reading here.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I don't think we need to put warnings that the story might be too sad for a reader. If you warn them, you've lost the tug on their heartstrings from the get-go. Little House never put a warning, "This story is very sad," or "This tale is very light-hearted," before the show. In fact, I can't name one book that warns me, I might cry at the end.

This is a tough one. I'm struggling with it right now in fact. My MC's mother died from an overdose. She goes to a party and gets offered drugs. It goes to the extreme including her having sex with multiple partners. Very date rapey, but for her, the bigger issues is the drugs. She's petrified of turning out like her mom. So, how to deal with her greatest fear without minimizing the rapey stuff...

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I can't name one book that warns me, I might cry at the end.

I've done that very thing but I've also tried to cultivate a relationship with my regular readers where that can be expected. It's my opinion it helps generate comments, but I can't prove that. I also warn them if I'm straying from my usual fare. Both have been appreciated.

 

[CyranoJ]

Personally I think Joy's concept is good for a literary novel/story. I think authors in the literary fiction category have all obligations to realism.

That's... not how literary fiction works. Realism is an approach to literature (a number of approaches, really). It isn't the definitive goal of literature.

 

[RainyDayPen]

That's... not how literary fiction works. Realism is an approach to literature (a number of approaches, really). It isn't the definitive goal of literature.

Probably should have explained that better. I meant in certain types of literary fiction. It would be messed up to read someone's completely bullshit story set in WWII with just about every historical fact wrong. And in the fantasy/sci-fi genre fiction it's expected the author will always be internally consistent to their world and systems of magic etc. But in erotica people don't care as much IMO if the details are wrong and if things are perfectly accurate as long as the fantasy is strong.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Probably should have explained that better. I meant in certain types of literary fiction. It would be messed up to read someone's completely bullshit story set in WWII with just about every historical fact wrong. And in the fantasy/sci-fi genre fiction it's expected the author will always be internally consistent to their world and systems of magic etc. But in erotica people don't care as much IMO if the details are wrong and if things are perfectly accurate as long as the fantasy is strong.

I would agree that historical fiction and sci-fi have much more critical audiences. I'm listing my theoretical physicist friend as a source on my sci-fi series.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Freytag's Pyramid works regardless of the subject or theme matter. In a positive story, the rising action leads to the protagonist winning/asserting control over difficult circumstance. In a negative story, the action leads to protagonist losing/unable to achieve control over difficult circumstance.

 

[Paul_Chance]

The degree of realism in any given story depends on the story. If you're striving to write a realistic story, then it matters a lot. If you're writing a fantasy, even a dark fantasy, then it doesn't matter as much.

(Keep in mind also that what is "realistic" is highly subjective. There are two or more sides to every encounter between people. Each event gives birth to two realistic accountings of the event from the POV of the narrator. In a sexual harassment story, it's entirely possible to have two radically different perceptions of what happened - with both being equally realistic, at least in terms of the POV taken.)

 

[oneagainst]

I wrote a story about workplace sexual harassment culminating in very nearly a rape (averted at the last minute). About a quarter of it is depressing aftermath showing how the experience ripples through her life, in ways ranging from trivial (she missed dinner with a friend) to quite serious (she needs to find another job, and might have panic attacks every time she does a common and necessary task in her line of work).

It's intentionally not much fun to read and I should probably cut it but...I feel this obligation not to go out on a high note on this particular story? Not to say, "and then she escaped by the skin of her teeth so that's all right then!"

Has anyone else dealt with such feelings?

(As you know) I don't necessarily hue very close to realism except in one important aspect: the characters have to feel real. Whether they're trapped in furniture or assailed by an AI, their reactions need to be authentic and consistent with what the reader has come to understand about them. So in this case, no magical endings.

That said, a couple of story devices might land this one in a better way. For example start at the end with the aftermath and then have the story lead up to it. Then the reader knows what's coming. Or, you can still land a satisfying ending by having the MC walking out of the situation having lived and learned, showing the start of a transformation that gives hope for the future. "Tomorrow" etc

 

[nice90sguy]

I wrote a story about workplace sexual harassment culminating in very nearly a rape (averted at the last minute). About a quarter of it is depressing aftermath showing how the experience ripples through her life, in ways ranging from trivial (she missed dinner with a friend) to quite serious (she needs to find another job, and might have panic attacks every time she does a common and necessary task in her line of work).

It's intentionally not much fun to read and I should probably cut it but...I feel this obligation not to go out on a high note on this particular story? Not to say, "and then she escaped by the skin of her teeth so that's all right then!"

Has anyone else dealt with such feelings?

Nothing makes a story less sexy than when it has a serious, realistic, and engaging cautionary message. But a story without one isn't really worth writing.

 

[Paul_Chance]

I am not a fan of the trigger warnings at the front of stories. You can deduce the basics from the category. Other than that, they don't add anything to the story and the eliminate the possibility of the author surprising you by taking the story in a direction you didn't expect.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I am not a fan of the trigger warnings at the front of stories. You can deduce the basics from the category. Other than that, they don't add anything to the story and the eliminate the possibility of the author surprising you by taking the story in a direction you didn't expect.

I only add them for specific things. Mostly urination or fisting. I feel it’s fair to warn,

Em

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I am not a fan of the trigger warnings at the front of stories. You can deduce the basics from the category. Other than that, they don't add anything to the story and the eliminate the possibility of the author surprising you by taking the story in a direction you didn't expect.

I agree in a general sense, but I have some very loyal followers and have recently gone 'off reservation' with a few stories. I felt it necessary to let them know they were venturing into a different word. Hard core BDSM as opposed loving and supportive romance...

 

[Paul_Chance]

I'm still skeptical. Assuming you dropped the story in the right category, the fact that is a hard core BDSM story, in the BDSM category, or that it's a fisting/peeing story in the Fetish category should be warning enough to the readers (and tags of course).

 

[nice90sguy]

I only add them for specific things. Mostly urination or fisting. I feel it’s fair to warn,

Em

That's what I keep telling my wife

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I'm still skeptical. Assuming you dropped the story in the right category, the fact that is a hard core BDSM story, in the BDSM category, or that it's a fisting/peeing story in the Fetish category should be warning enough to the readers (and tags of course).

Fair enough, except the main story line is that the character is a man that transitions into a woman.
The story would work in Trans/CD, BDSM, Fetish, F/NC, Group, hell maybe even L/W, but who knows what really works in there?
Since my home base is Trans/CD, that's where I put it making the warning flags appropriate.

Take a look and let me know...

--- The Art of Reconstruction