Is It Okay to Just Write... Smut?

[caleb35]

Kinda of a weird question I want to throw out there. So, this is an erotica site, we read and write erotica here. Got it. And I think most of us would agree that some of the best stories are ones that artfully combine erotica with other well-written components (ethos, plot, characterization, etc.). But, as authors/writers, should we aspire to always trying to write something more than just erotic scenes linked by plot?

The reason I ask this -- I've got a couple of story ideas (mostly just ideas but one or two already in draft) that I think are decent, enjoyable smut stories. But that's all that they are. Smut. I don't have any great plot twists in them, there are no memorable characters, I'm not writing any innovative sex scenes. Most importantly, I don't feel that I'm saying anything in the stories. They're just fun sex romps, IMO. And part of me thinks that's okay and another part of me is unsatisfied with writing a story that doesn't at least attempt to have something else to relay or impart beyond sex.

Now, writing all of this out, of course I see the response -- yes, it's okay to just write a sex story and only a sex story (provided that you write as well as you can). And yet there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone. I'm curious what some of the rest of you think about this and if you ever have similar feelings when coming up with new stories. Thanks.

 

[MiaBabe23]

Absolutely you should write them

Complex plots and characters and twists can be fun, although sometimes they can be contrived too

Enjoyable, ‘slice of life’ stories are popular across many genres, and erotica is no different. There are plenty of stories on here that amount to that type of approach

Although - if you’re unsatisfied with it, perhaps you feel it has more potential, which would be well worth exploring

 

[Britva415]

The fuck!? NO! Jesus!

/sarcasm

Anyway, you're the only judge. If you aspire to something different, you're free to reach for it.

Or not.

 

[caleb35]

The fuck!? NO! Jesus!

/sarcasm

Anyway, you're the only judge. If you aspire to something different, you're free to reach for it.

Or not.

You had me there for a second

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Porn without plot is a popular style, of course it's entirely up to you if you announce that in advance.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I think 'just erotic scenes linked by plot' is a more virtuous style of writing than trying to cram some sort of hamfisted message into fiction writing so it can be more than smut. Just write the story, and if the story has something to say, that's great. If it doesn't, if it's just a series of events that's fun or sexy or scary or all three to experience, that's completely fine too.

 

[Britva415]

Porn without plot is a popular style

So is porn with the merest wisp of veneer of plot.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Kinda of a weird question I want to throw out there. So, this is an erotica site, we read and write erotica here. Got it. And I think most of us would agree that some of the best stories are ones that artfully combine erotica with other well-written components (ethos, plot, characterization, etc.). But, as authors/writers, should we aspire to always trying to write something more than just erotic scenes linked by plot?

The reason I ask this -- I've got a couple of story ideas (mostly just ideas but one or two already in draft) that I think are decent, enjoyable smut stories. But that's all that they are. Smut. I don't have any great plot twists in them, there are no memorable characters, I'm not writing any innovative sex scenes. Most importantly, I don't feel that I'm saying anything in the stories. They're just fun sex romps, IMO. And part of me thinks that's okay and another part of me is unsatisfied with writing a story that doesn't at least attempt to have something else to relay or impart beyond sex.

Now, writing all of this out, of course I see the response -- yes, it's okay to just write a sex story and only a sex story (provided that you write as well as you can). And yet there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone. I'm curious what some of the rest of you think about this and if you ever have similar feelings when coming up with new stories. Thanks.

I can tell you are torn between the desire to write pure smut and something that's more literary, so to speak. Both choices are quite okay, and my advice is to write both.

I don't mean that you must combine them in your stories, although that's a perfectly fine approach as well. What I mean is that you should write a story or two or three that's the purest smut, just like the one you want to write. And then go write a story that's more character and plot oriented, and don't feel burdened by the obligation that you have to throw in smut if you feel it doesn't go well with such a story.

Try both. See what you enjoy. I think you'll find that you can enjoy writing both kinds of stories.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Is it okay to just write... smut?

Yes.

Anything else that comes after is optional. Do whatever you want, not what the others want you to do. Your writing is valid. Write whatever you want.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Is It Okay to Just Write... Smut?​

Yes of course it is - why wouldn’t it be?

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

And yet there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone. I'm curious what some of the rest of you think about this and if you ever have similar feelings when coming up with new stories. Thanks.

Yeah, I do feel similar. But I try to lean on the idea that "saying more" with your story doesn't necessarily need to be grand or earth-shattering. It can be something simple, something colored by your perspective and understanding of the world.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Write whatever you feel like writing. Feast upon it!

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Most of the site is like that. The brainiac stuff touted here on the AH is the outlier.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Now, writing all of this out, of course I see the response -- yes, it's okay to just write a sex story and only a sex story (provided that you write as well as you can). And yet there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone. I'm curious what some of the rest of you think about this and if you ever have similar feelings when coming up with new stories. Thanks.

Don't agonise about it. Write the story, then decide what it is, if you really must label it.

Smut, erotica, porn, doesn't matter what you call it, just write the damn thing!

 

[caleb35]

I can tell you are torn between the desire to write pure smut and something that's more literary, so to speak. Both choices are quite okay, and my advice is to write both.

I don't mean that you must combine them in your stories, although that's a perfectly fine approach as well. What I mean is that you should write a story or two or three that's the purest smut, just like the one you want to write. And then go write a story that's more character and plot oriented, and don't feel burdened by the obligation that you have to throw in smut if you feel it doesn't go well with such a story.

Try both. See what you enjoy. I think you'll find that you can enjoy writing both kinds of stories.

Thank you, @AwkwardlySet. I feel you encapsulated what I was trying to get at. On a related note, and one of the reasons I posted this thread -- I've got a couple of ideas in mind where one woman seduces another woman, with each story climaxing and concluding with the success of the seduction. Each story seems like it'd be good and enjoyable (at least to me, hopefully to readers as well). However, I feel there's a bit of sameness to them, where they might differ on details and precise scenario, but otherwise they're the same. So, part of it is concern with having something to say in them beyond just smut (literary, as you said), but another concern is falling into a rut of paint-by-number stories which I feel that I've seen other writers do on a number of sites (here, Amazon, Medium, etc.).

 

[KittyOfSteele]

yes, it's okay to just write a sex story and only a sex story (provided that you write as well as you can).

Sweetheart, you're limiting yourself with this mindset. It is also okay to write as poorly as you can. In fact, I dare to say it is encouraged to write badly from time to time. Don't be afraid of fucking things up, and don't be afraid of fucking things up on purpose. If you're asking this question in the first place, and put this parenthesis, it means there's a perfectionist creeping on you.

Don't be afraid of fucking up things.

 

[iwatchus]

It's one of the good things about the site, you will get some readers no matter what you write. And smut will give you more readers. Especially if the smut involves mommy sitting in a lap.

 

[Britva415]

there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone

So, what would "satisfying" look like?

I don't feel that I'm saying anything in the stories

What would you want them to say?

What has been keeping you from exploring this and giving it a try?

Lack of ideas?

Answer those first two questions and you might come up with some.

Another tool to try is "three why's." A "bare smut" story could be expanded pretty easily if one were to take some of the character traits or the inciting incidents (I know there's a way to say this without being redundant but damn if I know what it is right now)

and play "three why's" to discover some backstory or some motivations or some unmet needs, beyond just getting fucked.

The conflicts which are suggested by those could be as trivial as just "more story besides merely linking sex scenes" or as profound as "the human condition refracted through a relucatant peg-pounding librarian and her criminally-negligent CEO boyfriend who just wants to feel something."

Three why's introduction
Three why's from another angle

 

[caleb35]

So, what would "satisfying" look like?

What would you want them to say?

What has been keeping you from exploring this and giving it a try?

Lack of ideas?

Answer those first two questions and you might come up with some.

Another tool to try is "three why's." A "bare smut" story could be expanded pretty easily if one were to take some of the character traits or the inciting incidents (I know there's a way to say this without being redundant but damn if I know what it is right now)

and play "three why's" to discover some backstory or some motivations or some unmet needs, beyond just getting fucked.

Three why's introduction
Three why's from another angle

It's not so much wanting to say something specific, more like, does the story offer anything beyond just offering smut? And as many others (including myself) are pointing out, that might be a bit silly to expect in each case, but I do feel that stories tend to be better if they can appeal on more than one level. As to your suggestion of the "three why's" -- I'm somewhat familiar with that in other fields but have never applied to writing or character motivation -- but I'm intrigued; might have to give that a try sometime. Thanks.

 

[caleb35]

Sweetheart, you're limiting yourself with this mindset. It is also okay to write as poorly as you can. In fact, I dare to say it is encouraged to write badly from time to time. Don't be afraid of fucking things up, and don't be afraid of fucking things up on purpose. If you're asking this question in the first place, and put this parenthesis, it means there's a perfectionist creeping on you.

Don't be afraid of fucking up things.

I mostly agree with you but I'm also doing to play Devil's advocate a bit if you don't mind. I agree completely that one shouldn't be afraid of fucking up -- I say that because I've been afraid of fucking up in the past (and still am, sometimes) and that definitely inhibited me, so I hear you loud and clear on that. As to being okay to write "as poorly as you can," I'd agree but with a caveat. I think it's okay for your finished work to turn out poor, so long as you still did the best job that you could on it. Not beat yourself up as you're writing it, but that you didn't just do something slapdash or below your abilities. I think it's okay to write something unsatisfactory but it should be as part of a process towards improving your writing for future works.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I think it's okay to write something unsatisfactory but it should be as part of a process towards improving your writing for future works.

That's... That's the goal of fucking things up.

Trust me, do something that you are not okay with on purpose. You don't need to publish it, just do something bad on purpose to clear your head up. Making mistakes is the best way to learn, and actively chasing the mistakes can make you more aware of them when you're not trying to fuck things up.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Thank you, @AwkwardlySet. I feel you encapsulated what I was trying to get at. On a related note, and one of the reasons I posted this thread -- I've got a couple of ideas in mind where one woman seduces another woman, with each story climaxing and concluding with the success of the seduction. Each story seems like it'd be good and enjoyable (at least to me, hopefully to readers as well). However, I feel there's a bit of sameness to them, where they might differ on details and precise scenario, but otherwise they're the same. So, part of it is concern with having something to say in them beyond just smut (literary, as you said), but another concern is falling into a rut of paint-by-number stories which I feel that I've seen other writers do on a number of sites (here, Amazon, Medium, etc.).

Plenty of authors here write stories that have the same theme, yet differ in details. And that's all fine, believe me. Readers who like the theme will appreciate each of the stories you write.

You could even make them different by writing one of those ideas like pure smut, and in the next one, maybe try to go for plot and character development, but with the same theme you enjoy writing. There's really no way to go wrong here. Try every approach until you find what suits you the most.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Fearing the reaction of your readers and playing it safe is a sure way to stop enjoying your writing. Do this for yourself and forget everything else.

 

[ColtonWrites]

I have definitely done both - stories that are just sex scenes with plots, and some that are whole stories that just happen to include sex scenes (although when I do that, I try to ensure the sex moves the plot).

Both have produced good work. I have a novel-length sci-fi romance (Wandering Fury) that's definitely plot-with-porn, and a gay/trans BDSM romance (I Chose Him) that's definitely porn-with-plot. Both are (imo at least) good stories that make a point.

I suppose you could argue that all of my stories are "saying something" because I write trans-positive stories. The characters are usually exploring some aspect of their identity. But you can really say that about any romance, I think.

 

[AG31]

should we aspire to always trying to write something more than just erotic scenes linked by plot?

No. Let us know when/if you publish these stories that trouble you. I'll go right out and read them. I go to the public library for plot and character.

And yet there's that part of me that's unsatisfied with that alone.

Then write both.

When I get the energy I'm going to update the tags on my stories to include "simple erotica," hoping that it will catch on and I can use it to find stories to read.

 

[Britva415]

It's not so much wanting to say something specific, more like, does the story offer anything beyond just offering smut

I get ya, and to achieve that, you'd need to make it specific. "Something" and "anything" aren't generic, they start out as ideas.