Apologies if someone's already posted a similar topic recently but was thinking about something that I wanted to get opinions on. A reader's comment on my most recent story got me thinking about this -- should you write out every sex scene in your erotic story in order for it to count as erotica? If not, how much should you describe in detail? I started asking myself tonight if I'm giving short shrift to readers if I present them an erotic story that includes some sex scenes but only includes brief mentions/references to other sex scenes. If anyone has opinions on this, I'd be interested in hearing them; thanks in advance.
How much sex to include in your sex story
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SimonDoom
Kink Lord
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Write out every sex scene -- no. You don't have to do this.
My one piece of advice to you, based on my own personal experience and the feedback I've received, is don't shortchange your climactic sex scene. Readers will notice if you do that. Your story may have a bunch of different sex scenes, but the one that matters most is the one at the end. It's perfectly fine if the scenes leading up to that one are skimmed over or treated quickly. But the final one should be a good one.
My one piece of advice to you, based on my own personal experience and the feedback I've received, is don't shortchange your climactic sex scene. Readers will notice if you do that. Your story may have a bunch of different sex scenes, but the one that matters most is the one at the end. It's perfectly fine if the scenes leading up to that one are skimmed over or treated quickly. But the final one should be a good one.
Kelliezgirl
Debauched Dilettante
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There aren't any hard and fast rules.
There are popular/successful stories on this site that are wall to wall sex, and others with little, and in some cases no sex at all.
Lit has an incredibly varied audience, write what works for you.
There are popular/successful stories on this site that are wall to wall sex, and others with little, and in some cases no sex at all.
Lit has an incredibly varied audience, write what works for you.
Thanks for this feedback. I hadn't thought about this specific point before but you may be onto something; definitely something I should keep in mind going forward.
Rob_Royale
with cheese
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If the sex drives the story, go for it. If it's just added to 'spice' things up or make the story longer, you could/should skip it.
ronde
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It depends upon what you consider to be "erotica". The definition of erotica that I use is a solid story with a plot and well defined characters that also includes some erotic content. That content can range from several descriptions of sexual acts or situations to vague references to sex that entice the reader to "read between the lines" and form the sex scene in his or her mind. I don't like detailed descriptions of body parts, positions, etc. because they force the reader to "see" what you imagined.
What you should be writing is a story that pleases you and is at least plausible for a reader.
Ssbbw4u1974
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All of my stories are smutty... And very sexual.
They do have characters with names and personalities, but they have hot sex! Intense and raw!
They do have characters with names and personalities, but they have hot sex! Intense and raw!
Cagivagurl
Literotica Guru
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A story is a vehicle to transport the writers thoughts...
If there is sex hiding within, then all good and well, if not so be it.
I have read some stories ruined by the writers perhaps implied obligation to include a sex scene, which didn't really fit.
The important thing in my opinion is, "write to tell your story."
Tell it as you imagine it... Don't try to pander to a 'perceived' audience. It is your story, you are obligated to nobody other than yourself.
Cagivagurl.
If there is sex hiding within, then all good and well, if not so be it.
I have read some stories ruined by the writers perhaps implied obligation to include a sex scene, which didn't really fit.
The important thing in my opinion is, "write to tell your story."
Tell it as you imagine it... Don't try to pander to a 'perceived' audience. It is your story, you are obligated to nobody other than yourself.
Cagivagurl.
MelissaBaby
Wordy Bitch
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I have to drive my clients around a lot; to appointments, job interviews, court dates, etc. I have one guy who always complains about my driving. Eventually, I got so tired of it that when I was out running errands one day, I stopped at a car dealership and got one of their business cards. The next time I took this client somewhere and he started to complain, I took the card from my pocket, handed it to him and said, "If you don't like it, go buy a car."
You think you can write my story better than I can? Cool, let's see you do it.
big_cane_sugar
Experienced
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I actually believe in this very strongly. The whole reason I write is because there are stories that I wish existed and they're not going to exist unless I write them. Very often I read a story and even if I love it I think of something I would've liked to be different and sometimes that winds up being an entire story.
What probably never happens is that I read a story and think well I hated so much about that... so now I want to write something like it lol
EmilyMiller
Lit’s Keyser Söze
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This is a ‘how long is a piece of string?’ question. I don’t mean to be dismissive about that. I just posted a 1,700 word story that is entirely a sex scene. I think WhoreBNB at over 30,000 words must be my record for most number of sex scenes, but if an older couple of swingers hire two escorts for a week, what is going to happen? But even WhoreBNB, fuck-fest as it is, has an actual story and internal self consistency. The sex scenes make sense.
Then something like Emma Agonistes has no explicit sex scenes (it has references to an enjoyable night and the FMC leaves the scene as two other characters begin to copulate). Given it’s an absurdist fairy tale in the spirit of Alice In Wonderland, that also makes sense.
There is no rule. Write your story. It will tell you what to do and how to do it. Trying to fit in a sex scene just because you feel obligated is not likely to end with a good story.
There are all sorts of readers here. You can’t make them all happy. But if you are happy with what you have written, others will be too.
Voboy
Sometime Wordwright
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This, above all else.
If they know so much about writing, they can do some of their own. This is YOUR story. You get to tell it however you want.
pink_silk_glove
Literate Smutress
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This is also the main reason why scores really don't indicate quality. The majority of the readers are looking for their own fantasy to be recited back to them and if you don't do this, they will be disappointed, bummed right out or sometimes even hostile. "That character wouldn't do that!" just means that the character in their fantasy doesn't do that, so you got it wrong! (bitch!) These are people too lazy or unskilled or both (but mostly just lazy) to write their own fantasy down, and too damn cheap to pay someone to write it for them. And these are the folks judging whether or not we can 'wriet gud'. So don't put much stock (if any) into the scores on a free porn site, and definitely do not measure your own skills or ability (other than ability to pander if that is your aim - which is a valid aim so long as one admits it) into scores at all.
SimonDoom
Kink Lord
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On the subject of reader/commenter advice, my perspective is a little different. I don't listen to readers who tell me WHAT to write, but I will listen if they give advice on HOW to write and the advice is good. I'm always open to being better and am receptive to advice on how to do that. What rankles is if I feel like they're telling me to write their story and not mine.
Five_Inch_Heels
Unexpected
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There may not be any in a future tale.
TheDok
Fifty Up
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I think it depends on why you are writing and in what category. If you're genuinely writing for yourself, it doesn't matter, but if we are honest, most of us want people to enjoy what we write. In the category of erotic couplings, I guess wall-to-wall sex is what the readership may want, but in my experience in the romance category, many readers appreciate a good story where sexual activity is part of the process, but as in life, not all of it. You may not get a huge number of reads, but you can receive good feedback and hot ratings. I have one story, Prima Nocta, with no sex and 6000 reads and a score of 4.59, and I would prefer that to publishing a lurid, badly written description of oral in the Loving wives category and getting 50,000 votes, vitriolic feedback, and a score of 3,7. Write what you want, you're not getting paid
AG31
Literotica Guru
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Two questions here.
Does it count as erotica? My personal opinion is that stories about sex count as erotica. That doesn't really tell us how graphic the sex scenes have to be. One of my favorite bits of erotica takes place in a hardware store.
Stories about other things, like relationships, that have hot sex scenes in them, don't count as erotica in my book.
But that brings us to the second question. Does it count as worth publishing in Literotica? Most definitely. I can't give you an opinion about stats, but an awful lot of the stories on Lit don't meet my definition of erotica. But they're probably some of the best and most widely read.
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