What's the minimum amount of sex you expect from a story?

[InSlowMotion]

I've been reading very plot-driven series like Darkniciad's Blackhawk Hall. Some chapters feature very little sex. Personally, I like a short, lust-filled tale as much as the next guy, but I also like the slower ones I mentioned, since the stories are entertaining and there's a lot of teasing. My personal favorite of all time (Macallan Promises by PacoFear), takes a long time to get to the act.

So to all of you, what's the minimum amount of sex that a Literotica story can get away with, and still leave you satisfied? Obviously, this will depend on the readers, but I'd like to hear some opinions. For example, would you drop a story if you're halfway through and there's still no sex? What about a series?

 

[sr71plt]

Zero.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Zero.

Yep..

 

[InSlowMotion]

What kind of erotic story would that be? All plot and teasing? You got me curious there, got any examples?

 

[PennLady]

I'd say it depends a lot on the story and the genre and the reader. You can get a way with less and less graphic sex in romance. Some authors, like DG Hear and woodmanone, have next to no graphic sex scenes in their stories, and don't seem to suffer because of it.

I have written romances and nonhuman romances where the sex comes in a few chapters in, because I was first concentrating on the relationship and building up a little tension. Again, no one seems to mind.

I don't know that you could do that in other categories, or in how many of them.

Some authors, on the other hand, feel that since this site is dedicated to erotic stories, that every installment of a story should contain some sex. I personally disagree, but it's a big site, so plenty of room for everyone.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I started to say one sex scene is the absolute minimum for me, and then I realized it really depends on the category. An exhibitionist/voyeur story, for example, could have none and still be an erotic story. An entire story could consist of no more sex than a woman exposing herself in a variety of situations, with no other sexual activity whatsoever. In that case, it would all about the tease, or the thrill, or the shame and humiliation.

On the other hand, a Group sex story must have at least one sex scene and there had better be three or more people involved.

 

[sr71plt]

What kind of erotic story would that be? All plot and teasing? You got me curious there, got any examples?

There is a Nonerotic category here and those stories do just fine. Some of my best ratings are in that category. If the category wasn't available here, I'd question a nonerotic story on an erotica site too--but it is.

 

[lovecraft68]

Let's forget about the "non erotic" category. He is asking what is the minimum amount of sex in what is supposed to be an erotic story.

For me, if its a chapter series, there does not have to be any in the first chapter as long as there is something that builds up to what will happen in the next chapter.

But for a standalone at least one encounter unless as someone else said its in exhibition, but at that point there should be a lot of erotic descriptions that would feed my mind to "make up the rest"

But a lot relies on story telling. I've a seven page lit story where the characters don't kiss until page five and its a peck the sex starts on page six, the story has done very well.

But people's expectations are different. For a stroke reader if a cock is not in some girls mouth by the third paragraph they are disappointed.

 

[sr71plt]

what's the minimum amount of sex that a Literotica story can get away with, and still leave you satisfied?

This was the wording of the question. Guess someone can't read.

 

[pepperbox]

Minimum for me is none if the character development and plot can carry the story within the chosen category. The author should consider the category carefully and make sure the story fits. I think if the plot and character are handled well the story could be about preparation for or thoughts about the act instead of the act itself and still do well. I would prefer at least one though. After all, this isn't a harlequin form.

 

[Bramblethorn]

None. I've read some very hot stories that concentrated on the pursuit/seduction/flirtation and never spelled out the physical detail.

 

[InSlowMotion]

This was the wording of the question. Guess someone can't read.

Yeah, I forgot there was a non-erotic category when I asked the question. I'll have to read your story, LC, which one is it?

 

[_Lynn_]

Zero.

Ditto.

 

[YDB95]

A story can still be erotic with no actual sex. I did it in this story, for example, and got a lot of positive feedback for the fact that they didn't do it (because it would have been lacking in self respect for the protagonist if he had slept with her).

Since erotica is the whole point here, I do usually expect some sex in any given story (unless it's in non-erotic), but I have no hard-and-fast rules at all, and I won't be disappointed in a well-written story if it has no sex. There have certainly been plenty of really bad stories that did have lots of sex, too!

 

[SevenSquared]

Agree with most of what has already been said. Obviously in the non-erotic category zero sex is fine (ldo). In other categories... well, it depends on the category and the theme/structure of the story.

A lot of stories are centered around the plot device of whether or not a character will have sex and if so with whom ('First Time' stories are an obvious example) and in these just one sex scene at the end is fine, even if it is a long story. Once the protagonist has had sex a lot of the point of the story is gone, so it is often preferable to end it rather than drag it out needlessly.

Some stories don't need any actual 'sex', like the aforementioned E/V stories and Toys/Masturbation stories too, although they should still have an 'erotic climax'.

Stories that are broken down into chapters... well, that's more difficult. I think a lot of stories are broken down into chapters needlessly and excessively. If a story is twelve 2,000 word chapters then I tend to treat it just as one long story anyway and the same rules apply as if it were a single story. If the story is actually one where the chapters are long and each is self-contained story just with the same characters, or in the same world, then I would say that each probably needs some kind of erotic content to keep the reader interested. Of course, there are lots of stories that lie somewhere between the two extremes above where a judgement call is needed.

Personal experience - I have a 6-page story with just one sex scene at the end and that has scored very well and received very favourable comments. I also have a chapter story, where each 4-page chapter has at least two erotic scenes in it. This hasn't scored quite as well on average but I think that's more to do with the story not being quite as good.

 

[SecondCircle]

I think everyone is on the right track. It is an "erotic story" site to me more than it is a "sex story" site. There are so many things that different people could consider erotic. I think if a story tickles that naughty side of you even the slightest bit then it has succeeded. This could be through use of flirting, teasing, or even just feelings that the author portrays through their character. Sex, of course, is the overall idea, but sometimes it's not the only erotic part of an intimate relationship. If the writer does well enough, they can get you worked up without even showing you so much as a nipple. It's more in the way we tell stories than what actually happens. Every author, including the ones here, has his or her own flavor. It's why you want to read some authors and not others.

I guess this doesn't work for the "stroke readers" that are out for a quick fix, but I think erotic writing should be more than that. Stories have the power to make you feel things. I don't consider erotica as simply "porn" but rather stories that invoke sensual feeling from the reader.

So, yeah. None. Though I do prefer stories here to appeal to some sense of intimacy, be it romantic, sexual, flirty, or down right dirty. Just me though.

 

[andromon]

I personally expect about 100% sexual content in a pornographic story. When I have a story to tell that is not purely sexual, I refrain from using pornography at all.

When the reader is aroused, all they want afterwards is even more sex. Do not purposefully full-on arouse the reader with directly sexual content without delivering more and more sex unless you want to disappoint and annoy them.

As for overexaggerated backstory masquerading as "plot", it's rarely plot - more often than not, it's just infodumping that barely serves to establish the characters that still ends up being simplistic enough to have been expressed through a single word like "wife", "co-worker", "female lawyer", "boss" et al. How many erotic stories waste thousands of words to establish that the narrator's wife is a good looking nice lady? They could have acheived the same level of bare-bones characterization through writing "My beautiful wife of ten years..." and then getting straight to the point.

What is not plot:
- characters having smalltalk;
- characters going about routine business that barely brushes the subject matter - it isn't build-up if it's irrelevant;
- characters going through the boring parts of socialization - introducing themselves, getting ready for a vacation;
- irrelevant nonsexual backstories.

 

[Cleophila]

While there definitely appears to be an audience that demands cutting quickly to the action, I think a good story needs a bit of build up. It's inadequately erotic if you don't care about characters and situation. However, if there's no sexual content at all then it hardly counts as an erotic story. As people have mentioned, this needn't be actual penetrative sex, but some sexual content is necessary.

I've written two stories on this site. One is a long story in over 30 chapters of 2000 or so words each. The sex part didn't happen in full until chapter 33. Probably the story lost readers as it went along because of this and, if I did it again, I'd probably break it into fewer, longer chapters. However, all the non sex chapters retain high ratings (even red Hs for many) and generally positive feedback, just a smaller audience.

My other story was a stand alone single part story. For that there was no sex until the end as, once again, I felt the story needed to build up to that moment.

In both cases, I felt when writing the stories that there was very little place to go after the main sexual scenes so the story's all building up to them. So, yes the point of an erotic story is some sexual element, but if you're going to build the story around that it's probably more effective to hold back a bit.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm not sure that everyone realizes what is required for there to be plot. Dilemma-tension-resolution (or failure to resolve). That's what makes up a story plotline--that being there and the content serving that construct. So often I see the criticism that there was no plot and I go there and there's a plot. So, I don't think that the problem usually is the lack of a plot; it's more that it wasn't made into much or that it was irrelevant to the bulk of what was there. What I usually see when someone says there's no plot is that it was incidental to what was there, not that it didn't exist. And most strokers are minus a plot because they don't have a dilemma (and there's really little tension in the sex scene).

I think that's what Cleophila sees missing (or doesn't see). It's not that there needs to be a lot of background in front; there needs to be a dilemma.

 

[andromon]

Just like in food, drama is out of place in erotic art. Reader motivation is already fully in place if the sexual tension is properly conveyed.

As for establishing characters, it is very beneficial, but writing a 2000 word novella is counterproductive. It's like if restaurants forced everyone to do a workout before they were allowed to eat.

 

[sr71plt]

2,000 words isn't a novella. It's a short short story. Just sayin'.

And drama out of place in erotica (which is what I assume you meant when you wrote "erotic art")? Not a chance.

 

[andromon]

2,000 words isn't a novella. It's a short short story. Just sayin'.

30 chapters of 2000 words each were mentioned in the post we're both referring to. Mind the context.

As for drama, it is indeed out of place and I have provided the reasons: there is a conflict of stimuli. But the more important point is: you've got a horny reader, you don't need to grab their attention further. At best, you're going to spread their attention thin. Drama is a tool, not an end. If a tool is not necessary, it is discarded. As for your "nuh-uh" argument, I love it, but I can't afford to take it seriously.

By erotic art I meant precisely that: an umbrella term for soft- and hardcore pornography. Refer to a dictionary.

 

[oggbashan]

...

As for drama, it is indeed out of place and I have provided the reasons: there is a conflict of stimuli. But the more important point is: you've got a horny reader, you don't need to grab their attention further. At best, you're going to spread their attention thin. Drama is a tool, not an end. If a tool is not necessary, it is discarded. As for your "nuh-uh" argument, I love it, but I can't afford to take it seriously.

By erotic art I meant precisely that: an umbrella term for soft- and hardcore pornography. Refer to a dictionary.

You could have opened a whole can of worms with this post. Erotica is NOT necessarily pornography. We have had many debates about what is or is not erotica.

I believe, and sometimes write stories based on that belief, that it is possible to be erotic without overt sex.

There is space in Literotica for stories to be in-your-face sexual descriptions and also for more subtle sex. Neither type is better or worse than the other. They are just different and attract a different reading group.

If a story works for a particular reader, then it is erotic, whether the sex is obvious or not.

The question posed by this thread can only be answered as an individual reader. The minimum amount of sex depends on your personal definition of 'sex'.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I personally expect about 100% sexual content in a pornographic story. When I have a story to tell that is not purely sexual, I refrain from using pornography at all.

When the reader is aroused, all they want afterwards is even more sex.

There is no "the reader". There are thousands of individual readers, each with their own preference. Some of them like wall-to-wall sex. Some of them are much more interested to see sex handled as part of a larger story.

When I first posted a story here, I was worried readers might find it too slow and talky with not enough sex. The feedback I got was quite the reverse - plenty of people who want something with a bit of story and character development. (And I'm sure there were plenty who got bored and quit reading without leaving feedback; like I said, tastes vary.)

What is not plot:
- characters having smalltalk;
- characters going about routine business that barely brushes the subject matter - it isn't build-up if it's irrelevant;
- characters going through the boring parts of socialization - introducing themselves, getting ready for a vacation;
- irrelevant nonsexual backstories.

Heh. I've included most all of this in my submissions here. Both my lead characters give detailed backstories and then talk about their grandparents' backstories too. There's a performance management discussion, a card game (non-sexual), a long rock-climbing sequence, IT training, a 1500-word section about cellos, and a chicken soup recipe. And yet they do OK with readers here.

You'd probably hate them, and that's absolutely OK. But don't assume that "the reader" always feels that way.

A lot of the stuff you mention can indeed be a waste of space. But used properly, it can serve a purpose. Small-talk can convey personality. Even detailing the "boring bits" can assist with the pacing, if I'm trying to convey the frustration a character feels at being separated from her partner.

 

[Bramblethorn]

As for drama, it is indeed out of place and I have provided the reasons: there is a conflict of stimuli. But the more important point is: you've got a horny reader, you don't need to grab their attention further. At best, you're going to spread their attention thin.

To me this is like saying "don't put cheese in a sandwich, it'll just distract them from the ham". Done right, these things complement one another.