Too much money?

[NaughteeDragon]

I will say that when a story starts the MC winning a major settlement or inheriting millions of dollars from a lost relative, my patience for the story goes WAY down unless that windfall comes with its own consequences.
I set the wealth levels of the characters where I need them to be for the story. My incestuous throuple story has an MMC going to Stanford, not because he needs to be rich, but because of the background I wanted to create for the trio. Another story I’m writing has the characters as struggling but getting by because I needed the lesbian couple to have to scrimp and save for fertility treatments.
Economics should serve the story unless the story is about the economics.

 

[RetroFan]

There's actually a term on the TV Tropes website which describes characters seeming to be living beyond their means with no valid explanation, which is 'Friends Rent Control'. It obviously comes from the 1990s sitcom Friends, in which the six main characters live in NYC apartments that would be well beyond the pay grade of any of their professions at the time (and definitely since then), especially with many of them having other financial setbacks such as being unemployed for a time, inconsistent employment for others, divorce and in the case of Rachel being cut off by her wealthy father.

 

[HordHolm]

To be (a tiny bit) fair to Friends, they ended up laughing at themselves over the rent issue.

Regarding wealth as a short cut... I've used it, but only in an obviously 'fantasy' way in my Penny Dreadful stories. Here, the MC is wealthy because this opens necessary doors for her in a very hierarchical society, and places her in the necessary environment for the plot to occur. Sure, the wealth she has is an enabler, but without that a Victorian/Edwardian would find it much more difficult to socially climb in their time than we do today, however hard it appears now. And as the stories are parody, there need to be certain characters and locations that only the rich would be admitted to (to do anything other than clean or serve).

Otherwise, on looking back at my handful of stories here (and the larger number I have elsewhere) I am actually quite surprised at how 'ordinary' my MCs are - they do all work and have some level of income, but none of them are in any way rich, and none of them can drop everything and jet off to Phuket. The only time I use wealth as a real shortcut is in a private series of stories for my own FMC who likes the fantasy of a devilish MMC taking her character to numerous interesting places and doing dastardly things with her.

 

[DrPope]

What IS wealthy? In Rural Africa $50k makes you the richest guy around... in NYC $50 million and your just barely above upper middle class....

I'd say $1b assets or $100m income is where it gets interesting enough to be called extremely wealthy these days

 

[HordHolm]

What IS wealthy? In Rural Africa $50k makes you the richest guy around... in NYC $50 million and your just barely above upper middle class....

I'd say $1b assets or $100m income is where it gets interesting enough to be called extremely wealthy these days

Marcus Licinius Crassus opined that, "no man is rich unless he can raise his own army."

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I'm all over the place on this. I have characters, not MCs, that are 1 percenters and others that are barely scraping by. Sometimes the characters job is part of the story and others I barely mention it because it's not important to the plot. I don't think I've ever talked about physically paying bills, but many of my stories have job drama in them. Stories like Summer to Remember, the MC's jobs are critical to the story because they drive choices at key plot points. In Teacher's Challenge, the MC is a first year teacher and needs the 10K prize money to pay down her student debt. In Consider Yourself Served, the MMC is a process server and that point is critical to the plot where the FMC is a super rich housewife.

Just depends on how in depth your story is and how important the financials of your characters are.

 

[DrPope]

I have characters, not MCs, that are 1 percenters and others that are barely scraping by

This is a great example ...a "1 percenter" in the USA is earning about $788k a year .... that's wealthy in South Dakota or Amarillo....but barely scraping by a upper middle class lifestyle in NYC.... and about average in River Oaks or Preston Hollow.

 

[SimonDoom]

Interesting that this thread was resurrected after a few months.

I don't think it's that complicated. This is a site for stories that give people erotic satisfaction. Most of the time (not all) people want to read and write stories about characters freely engaging in erotic activity. A certain amount of economic wherewithal enables that. If characters are economically constrained, then their choices may seem to be less free and more the result of economic duress. That may be accurate and interesting, but to many it may be less fun.

Some of my stories involve economic motivations, but most do not. I don't delve into economic circumstances and wealth that much, but it's usually not a factor, so the characters can be represented as making erotic decisions unconstrained by economic circumstances (but not always).

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

This is a great example ...a "1 percenter" in the USA is earning about $788k a year .... that's wealthy in South Dakota or Amarillo....but barely scraping by a upper middle class lifestyle in NYC.... and about average in River Oaks or Preston Hollow.

There's the literal definition of 1 percenter, as you note, and there's the metaphorical meaning of the elite super rich in society. Both make a lot more than me.

 

[Belegon]

Can't say I've written much that ever addressed the money issue... but I have written multiple stories where the person's job comes into play, even if it's only, "when I got home from work, she was standing in the living room wearing only my favorite necktie."

What work a person does can be a very effective way to develop a characters base profile. It can change setting quite a bit as well, or affect timing. For example, A lawyer would generally wear a suit to work and not sweat much on a normal day... and thus can meet his lover right after work at a nice restaurant. Generally speaking, a construction worker - even a specialized one that earns six figures- most likely would want to go home and shower first.

 

[DrPope]

There's the literal definition of 1 percenter, as you note, and there's the metaphorical meaning of the elite super rich in society. Both make a lot more than me.

I get it but honestly where I live (Sunny Isles beach Miami) there are so many 0.1%'s and 0.01%'s that you just don't notice anything about it .....

 

[DrPope]

What work a person does can be a very effective way to develop a characters base profile

This is VERY true ....and is a much more effective tool for character development and resources ....
For example : A small town Family Dr for example might not be earning what his city specialist does but is far more powerful in his community.

 

[RetroFan]

I remember one of the more unusual reasons for the LW readers getting angry at a story once, it was because the characters were rich and their moneyed and privileged jet-setting lifestyles set off a torrent of rage. That wouldn't be a typical reaction however.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I don't think it's that complicated. This is a site for stories that give people erotic satisfaction. Most of the time (not all) people want to read and write stories about characters freely engaging in erotic activity. A certain amount of economic wherewithal enables that. If characters are economically constrained, then their choices may seem to be less free and more the result of economic duress. That may be accurate and interesting, but to many it may be less fun.

I don't have a problem with any of that. What does get very boring very quickly is wealth thrown in lazily to cover for a lack of imagination. We just want to get kinky quickly and we don't want to risk turning anyone off, so we'll just go with the standard BMW and well kept house with satin sheets and anything else that we might need can just magically be there in perfect condition. Other than this convenience, the character's joc/career/means is irrelevant, so why can't they ever do it in the back of his rusty old pickup truck or on the bathroom floor of a bachelor suite shared with 2 roommates? This happens often on lit and the reason is just lazy writing and lack of imagination.

 

[StillStunned]

I don't have a problem with any of that. What does get very boring very quickly is wealth thrown in lazily to cover for a lack of imagination. We just want to get kinky quickly and we don't want to risk turning anyone off, so we'll just go with the standard BMW and well kept house with satin sheets and anything else that we might need can just magically be there in perfect condition. Other than this convenience, the character's joc/career/means is irrelevant, so why can't they ever do it in the back of his rusty old pickup truck or on the bathroom floor of a bachelor suite shared with 2 roommates? This happens often on lit and the reason is just lazy writing and lack of imagination.

A lot of erotica is author (and by extension: reader) wish fulfilment. If you're going to describe your fantasy, why not include your fantasy lifestyle as well?

It doesn't make it very realistic, but then again perhaps it doesn't have to be. Realistic stories are only a very small part of what makes up erotica. Most people watch porn and read erotica for arousal. While there are readers here who enjoy our stories for plot and character development, that's not Lit's main draw. People want to read fantasies, and I doubt many people fantasise about financial worries.

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't have a problem with any of that. What does get very boring very quickly is wealth thrown in lazily to cover for a lack of imagination. We just want to get kinky quickly and we don't want to risk turning anyone off, so we'll just go with the standard BMW and well kept house with satin sheets and anything else that we might need can just magically be there in perfect condition. Other than this convenience, the character's joc/career/means is irrelevant, so why can't they ever do it in the back of his rusty old pickup truck or on the bathroom floor of a bachelor suite shared with 2 roommates? This happens often on lit and the reason is just lazy writing and lack of imagination.

I don't think it's lazy or lack of imagination at all. I think it's perfectly OK to accept the notion that we are writing fantasy stories, or, at least, many of us are. We want to turn people on. Well laundered, beautiful satin sheets are a bigger turn on than dirty, torn, aging cotton-polyester blend ones. Art, to be good, doesn't have to mirror life. It recreates it. In my stories, I leave many "real" things out, because they have nothing to do with what I'm trying to accomplish. I present my characters as good-looking, usually, because it's more appealing, even though most people in real life are very ordinary looking. These things are features, not bugs, IMO. I see it as part of the art, not laziness.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

A lot of erotica is author (and by extension: reader) wish fulfilment. If you're going to describe your fantasy, why not include your fantasy lifestyle as well?

It doesn't make it very realistic, but then again perhaps it doesn't have to be. Realistic stories are only a very small part of what makes up erotica. Most people watch porn and read erotica for arousal. While there are readers here who enjoy our stories for plot and character development, that's not Lit's main draw. People want to read fantasies, and I doubt many people fantasise about financial worries.

I've been saying this for two years. Remember this the next time that someone craps on me for saying it.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I don't think it's lazy or lack of imagination at all. I think it's perfectly OK to accept the notion that we are writing fantasy stories, or, at least, many of us are. We want to turn people on. Well laundered, beautiful satin sheets are a bigger turn on than dirty, torn, aging cotton-polyester blend ones. Art, to be good, doesn't have to mirror life. It recreates it. In my stories, I leave many "real" things out, because they have nothing to do with what I'm trying to accomplish. I present my characters as good-looking, usually, because it's more appealing, even though most people in real life are very ordinary looking. These things are features, not bugs, IMO. I see it as part of the art, not laziness.

Depends on the story of course but it is fairly common and it's usually out of laziness.

 

[SimonDoom]

Depends on the story of course but it is fairly common and it's usually out of laziness.

We disagree. That's fine.

I think you assign too much weight to people's methods and intentions. The heart, the head, whatever. I don't really care "how" other authors write, and I wouldn't presume to tell them that they "should" write a certain way. I think it's results that matter, and we have different ways of getting to our desired destination. I think talent, mindfulness, and attention to detail matter a lot more than artistic purity and the "heart."

 

[StillStunned]

I've been saying this for two years. Remember this the next time that someone craps on me for saying it.

You're saying it's out of laziness. I say it's out of a desire to write a particular kind of story, or a lack of desire to write another kind of story.

Writing fantasies isn't inherently worse or lazier or anything than writing "realistic" scenarios with "realistic" people. There different stories that serve different goals for different kinds of readers.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I don't have a problem with any of that. What does get very boring very quickly is wealth thrown in lazily to cover for a lack of imagination. We just want to get kinky quickly and we don't want to risk turning anyone off, so we'll just go with the standard BMW and well kept house with satin sheets and anything else that we might need can just magically be there in perfect condition. Other than this convenience, the character's joc/career/means is irrelevant, so why can't they ever do it in the back of his rusty old pickup truck or on the bathroom floor of a bachelor suite shared with 2 roommates? This happens often on lit and the reason is just lazy writing and lack of imagination.

It can happen in the back of a rusty old Chevy or in the bedroom of a small flat with too thin walls just as easily as it can happen in a 150 room mansion with satin sheets. To call either choice as offhand lazy is discounting the intent of the writer. I tend to give the writers I read the benefit of the doubt, assuming they've put thought and reason into the setting of their story, letting myself sink into the world they offer. Especially in this genre, we are working heavily in the suspension of belief. While it CAN be lazy writing or lack of imagination on the writers part, it CAN also be stodgy expectations and lack of imagination or willingness to suspend belief on the part of the reader. For me, I'm reading erotic fiction not historical. biographies. Reality can take a back seat. AS I said, I'll give the writer the benefit of the doubt.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

You're saying it's out of laziness. I say it's out of a desire to write a particular kind of story, or a lack of desire to write another kind of story.

Writing fantasies isn't inherently worse or lazier or anything than writing "realistic" scenarios with "realistic" people. There different stories that serve different goals for different kinds of readers.

That's not what I said. Not all stories that involve affluence are lazily written, hardly. But when the affluence does not matter for anything pertaining to the characters nor the plot, usually it is out of laziness and it's pretty easy to tell.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

We disagree. That's fine.

I think you assign too much weight to people's methods and intentions. The heart, the head, whatever. I don't really care "how" other authors write, and I wouldn't presume to tell them that they "should" write a certain way. I think it's results that matter, and we have different ways of getting to our desired destination. I think talent, mindfulness, and attention to detail matter a lot more than artistic purity and the "heart."

I don't care how they get there either, except when it's so transparent that it's easy to tell. Pretty much impossible for me to suspend belief when it's telegraphed right to me.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Lack of wealth is often (but not always) an important plot point in many of my stories.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Borrowing from Chesterton: People who have dragons in their lives may enjoy fiction that takes them to a land where dragons don't exist, but they might also/instead want fiction that tells them dragons can be defeated. Or they might want to read about people fucking dragons but that's not the metaphor here.

Yes, "being rich and not having to worry about mundane problems" is a popular fantasy. But so is "being able to triumph over mundane problems and find love/good sex/etc."

There's a reason "ordinary schlub gets laid" is a staple of the Letters to Penthouse genre. People might prefer to have Christian Grey's life to Ordinary Schlub's, but it's easier for them to relate to Ordinary Schlub's victories.