Tips for Creating Stories Women Appreciate

[StillStunned]

It can be done. In one of those flash-in-the-pan mainstream publications some years ago, an anthology of short erotica, one of the stories featured a man who was clearly physically unattractive. I think he was overweight, I'm not sure, and I can't remember the particular eroticism he was involved in, but I do remember that it worked. It needs a better author than E. L. James, here on Lit @ElectricBlue comes to mind. I'd read the submissions in any category if there were such a challenge here, just because it would stretch people's skills.

I actually have a couple of WIPs with less-than-gorgeous male protagonists. One is about an older man who meets a much younger (and also not conventionally attractive) woman. The other is about a young, awkward, overweight man who's something of a late bloomer and who flourishes as he becomes comfortable around an older woman.

It's all about highlighting their personalities. Most people in real life aren't drop-dead gorgeous, and still we manage to find someone who's attracted to us. If your minds are in sync, the physical stuff really becomes secondary.

 

[Bramblethorn]

And a six inch diameter dick, isn't all that crazy, it's probably more common than a twelve inch long dick. It's closer to an empty toilet paper roll, than a soda can.

No, six inches is more than double the diameter of a normal Coke can. It's almost exactly the same girth as a 155mm artillery shell, as seen in this photo:



You might be thinking of six inches circumference?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

No, six inches is more than double the diameter of a normal Coke can. It's almost exactly the same girth as a 155mm artillery shell, as seen in this photo:

View attachment 2452410

You might be thinking of six inches circumference?

Even the diameter of a Coke can doesn't sound like fun at all.

 

[AchtungNight]

The issues I have with physical attractiveness are that everyone has different preferences. You also may want to imagine a different picture of the character than me. So I give basic physical characteristics, then concentrate on personality, which has more lasting attraction to me anyway. It’s the same for female characters in most stories I’ve read and real women I’ve known. Men too, though not all will admit it. Put characters’ personalities in sync, attraction is easier to believe imo.

 

[MillieDynamite]

It isn't! But I welcome no penis, no matter how small.

Even the diameter of a Coke can doesn't sound like fun at all.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

The issues I have with physical attractiveness are that everyone has different preferences. You also may want to imagine a different picture of the character than me. So I give basic physical characteristics

That's a cop out. "Here, YOU fill in the blanks," is just a step away from, "Here, YOU write the whole thing yourself."

What does he look like? ~ Meh, whatever you want.

Why stop there?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

The issues I have with physical attractiveness are that everyone has different preferences. You also may want to imagine a different picture of the character than me. So I give basic physical characteristics, then concentrate on personality, which has more lasting attraction to me anyway. It’s the same for female characters in most stories I’ve read and real women I’ve known. Men too, though not all will admit it. Put characters’ personalities in sync, attraction is easier to believe imo.

Good point. Everyone has their own idea of what "handsome" or "beautiful" means. In our chain story Devintner gave a basic physical description of one of the characters in his part and when I used him in mine I had the FMC of my part freak out a little bit because she describes him like this: "He looked like the actor cast to play the big city guy in some Hallmark movie."

The reader knows he's tall, athletic, has curly hair, is an impeccable dresser and can fill in the rest from there.

 

[Otto26]

That's a cop out. "Here, YOU fill in the blanks," is just a step away from, "Here, YOU write the whole thing yourself."

What does he look like? ~ Meh, whatever you want.

Why stop there?

Still better than "She had long blonde hair, 38DD tits, and lips that looked like she could suck chrome off a bumper" or "He had twelve-inch cock and that's pretty much all you need to know".

I get your point. I still prefer to only describe my characters as much as is required for the story and let the reader fill in the unimportant, to me, details with whatever they want.

 

[AchtungNight]

That's a cop out. "Here, YOU fill in the blanks," is just a step away from, "Here, YOU write the whole thing yourself."

What does he look like? ~ Meh, whatever you want.

Why stop there?

That’s not generally what I write. I have done some stories with the characters not described at all but I usually give a few details. Usually, though, every reader is going to still imagine them a bit differently. And I still write the stories when inspiration hits. I’m not coping out, I just don’t feel the need to describe every character down to their pores. Too much detail can upset readers as easily as too little.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

That’s not generally what I write. I have done some stories with the characters not described at all but I usually give a few details. Usually, though, every reader is going to still imagine them a bit differently.

You write celeb. Everybody knows what your characters look like.

 

[AchtungNight]

You write celeb. Everybody knows what your characters look like.

Not all my characters are celebrities or based on real people. Even with those based on real people, I still have to deal with things like clothing, hairstyles, and other things people often change. And I’m sure that even the most detailed picture of a character I could describe would be different in every reader’s mind. Let those who enjoy my stories fill in the gaps as they may. Let those who do not enjoy disassociate themselves gladly.

 

[ShinyCrazyDi]

Not all my characters are celebrities or based on real people. Even with those based on real people, I still have to deal with things like clothing, hairstyles, and other things people often change. And I’m sure that even the most detailed picture of a character I could describe would be different in every reader’s mind. Let those who enjoy my stories fill in the gaps as they may. Let those who do not enjoy disassociate themselves gladly.

Right? The first story I published here (Silver Lake Confession?) has MINIMAL physical description. Like seriously, I think the most detail I gave was that one was tall & surfed? I still think it worked well enough. Depending on how you write a story you can definitely get away with completely skipping a list of identifying features. Many classic pieces of literature (not just erotica) have done it. Can anyone describe the narrator of the Turn of the Screw? Yet, we feel like we know her & care about her. We don't even get her flipping name let alone how she looks!

I've also published plenty of stories that have physical descriptions of many of the characters. But I think, depending on what type of story you want to tell, what kind of writing tricks & conventions you want to lean into, you can get away with A LOT of subtly. You can barely describe your characters & as long as the reader FEELS them, they'll fill in the gaps as they read.

I try to approach stories as imagining the characters first, then their appearance kind of comes to me the more I get to know them. I personally prefer the 'less is more' approach of not over-describing. Nothing reminds me more of a Babysitter's Club Book than a paragraph that's just a list of the details you might put out in an APB.

 

[LargoKitt]

This is an interesting thread to observe. I'm especially struck by PSG's comments. I think this is an easy error for a male author to make. It's pretty common--I've done this myself--for a male author to write a story based on the point of view of a male character who is attracted to a female character. There's a good chance that the woman is attractive for physical reasons--reasons that have little to do with intelligence, accomplishment, or interesting personality. The male POV character is underdeveloped because there's no need in a story like this to develop him. The more generic the character is, the easier it is for a reader to put himself in the character's shoes. In a story model like this, there's no incentive to develop the male character much. The male author's response to the question, "Why would the female character be interested in the male POV character?" boils down to, "Because it's me."

I like the question, "Why would the woman character be interested in/attracted to the male character?" as a guiding principle for the story because it makes it much more interesting. It's a challenge for the male author but it's likely to make the story better.

Romance stories are best, IMO, when you have two interesting characters each of whom is drawn to the other because of something interesting and positive in the other character. They can be flawed people, but if there's something genuinely interesting and appealing about each of them the story is likely to have a lot more genuine sizzle.

I notice something in even the best writers, those who really flesh out their stories with interesting details and specificity: When they get to the sex scenes it becomes generic. Sometimes I ask myself: "Has this person actually ever enjoyed making love with another person? Have they ever fantasized in detail about a kind of sex they haven't had?" So my pitch, to myself as well as other writers, is to keep it personal and specific when you get to the sex scene. Let's see the doubts, the nervousness, the true admiration of a specific body. Have her describe his 'treasure trail'. What does his forefinger and thumb feel like on her thigh? His breath on her neck? What stuns him about her laugh as he tickles her foot? What do they enjoy about the hayloft, the forest floor, the rubber raft where they are trying, perhaps unsuccessfully to make love? Maybe the general rule should be: When you get to the sex take your damn time and enjoy it. Real sex too often is over in a few minutes. Stories can stretch it out delectably.

 

[Belegon]

I think I might try to write something with more of a female pov. It might be difficult being a guy but it sounds like an interesting challenge.

Some of what I personally consider my best work is written from the POV of a female lead character. I've had some very thrilling feedback on some of those. My only actual published novel {Real Vampires Don't Surf} is written in a primarily female voice and I received some very encouraging and ego-boosting reviews from female readers and reviewers. I do feel it can be challenging, but I also feel that challenge pushes me to better results.

On the other hand , most of what I have written and left on Lit is from a male POV and my Lit work tends to draw more heavily on my actual experiences and desires. I think much of that {meaning male POV for non-income based writing, female for financial gain} may be a response from me to the challenges of being a male writer in a field dominated by females. I remember having a difficult time being taken seriously in the Romance genre as a male writer when I first branched out into paid work. Hell, at registration for my first Romantic Times convention they kinda tried to push me away from the "authors" table and towards the "cover model" table. I'm not ugly, but I'm no Fabio. And writing as a male definitely drags down sales, or at least it used to.

 

[Belegon]

But when I write a new story, I try to imagine how thrilling it would be that my work actually motivated a lady to touch herself. I know I’ll never know that of course but it’s a thrilling fantasy, if not a healthy goal to strive for. Being a straight guy, I don’t get turned on by the idea of guys getting off to my work. I know it’s reality and I’m good with it, but I prefer to picture a lady pleasuring herself while reading my stuff.

as someone who has had a few bits of feedback where ladies have specifically expressed to me that my writing encouraged them to do some "one handed reading," I can tell you that it is quite satisfying to be given such a compliment. Keep striving for that goal, it's worthwhile.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I think I might try to write something with more of a female pov. It might be difficult being a guy but it sounds like an interesting challenge.

I don't find it hard.

 

[Inkent]

Since you brought this up, try writing stories with a female narrator. It took me a while (I've been here six years) before I could attempt that. So far no one has complained that I've got the "tone" (right word?) wrong. One of them is an existing character that I reused in new stories. Do you want to look at any of them?

I'm on the cusp of releasing a Valentine’s day story told through a wife's POV. It will turn up in Loving Wifes, but I'm going to try my damndest to add real meat to the bones regarding the female lead's character. I have tried this once before, and was pleased to see their were some women that passed positive comment. Let's see how this one fares.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm on the cusp of releasing a Valentine’s day story told through a wife's POV. It will turn up in Loving Wifes, but I'm going to try my damndest to add real meat to the bones regarding the female lead's character. I have tried this once before, and was pleased to see their were some women that passed positive comment. Let's see how this one fares.

Okay, but does it really have to go into LW? I have said that they are all bark and no bite over there (for the most part) but it's a matter if you want the kind of attention you'll get over there. If you want readers to concentrate on the narrator, then Erotic Couplings may be a better place for it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Still better than "She had long blonde hair, 38DD tits, and lips that looked like she could suck chrome off a bumper" or "He had twelve-inch cock and that's pretty much all you need to know".

I get your point. I still prefer to only describe my characters as much as is required for the story and let the reader fill in the unimportant, to me, details with whatever they want.

In Full Metal Jacket, the phrase used by Eight-Ball (he's describing a Vietnamese prostitute) is "suck the chrome off a trailer-hitch." I always thought they were stainless steel, but I've never owned a vehicle with one.

 

[gunhilltrain]

No, six inches is more than double the diameter of a normal Coke can. It's almost exactly the same girth as a 155mm artillery shell, as seen in this photo:

View attachment 2452410

You might be thinking of six inches circumference?

I thought that the "caliber" of all ammunition, whether bullets or cannon shells, is always the diameter. I think technically it's actually the "bore" (width) of the gun barrel, which is pretty close to that of the ammo fired through it.

 

[Britva415]

I thought that the "caliber" of all ammunition, whether bullets or cannon shells, is always the diameter. I think technically it's actually the "bore" (width) of the gun barrel, which is pretty close to that of the ammo fired through it.

You’re not wrong, but nobody was saying that a 155mm shell was measured circumferentially as opposed to diametrically.

 

[Inkent]

Okay, but does it really have to go into LW? I have said that they are all bark and no bite over there (for the most part) but it's a matter if you want the kind of attention you'll get over there. If you want readers to concentrate on the narrator, then Erotic Couplings may be a better place for it.

I'm recalibrating my brain regarding stories that I plan to roll out, I pushed my last piece into Romance, but his one does really belong in LW, the coupling here turns sour quickly!

 

[gunhilltrain]

You’re not wrong, but nobody was saying that a 155mm shell was measured circumferentially as opposed to diametrically.

True, but @Bramblethorn did seem to ask the previous poster if the meant the circumferential measurement.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm recalibrating my brain regarding stories that I plan to roll out, I pushed my last piece into Romance, but his one does really belong in LW, the coupling here turns sour quickly!

There seems to be no shortage of writers willing to go into LW; I've been there twice myself. The site defines it, perhaps a bit vaguely, as "Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more." That sounds like "Loving Spouses," but no one uses it that way. I suppose it doesn't have to be a legally married couple, and there must be such stories in that that category.

This person's opinion is that it is a "normal" category, not a "trump" (hah!) category that overrides everything else.

https://classic.literotica.com/s/love-your-readers-categories

 

[YDB95]

Besides the obvious (don't make every female character a nympho with 38DDDs, etc.), my advice is to just write from your heart. If your style doesn't appeal to women, there's no use in trying to force it. If it does, then there's no problem to begin with.