Non-Erotic: where is the line?

[SamScribble]

Bear with me, people. I’m thinking this out as I go.

There is a story category here at Lit titled Non-Erotic. The descriptor says: ‘Fiction without a sexual focus.’ What do you think that means?

Over the new year break, I re-read a couple of old favourite books: Robert Drewe’s Our Sunshine and Philip Roth’s The Dying Animal. (I have a penchant for slim volumes.) I suppose that some people might consider The Dying Animal to be an erotic novel – although its main theme is commitment (or lack thereof). Our Sunshine is a fictionalised account of the last days of the infamous outlaw, Ned Kelly. But it does have a few highly erotic passages.

I have posted one Non-Erotic story on Lit (“Soul Cakes’). It has no sex whatsoever. But it was pretty well received.

Most of the stories I post here on Lit have not a lot of sex. They are stories about people, often people struggling with the stuff that people struggle with in everyday life. Some of the stories do OK. Some of them hover at the dreaded 4.49. (Is there a special award for having eight stories on 4.49 at the same time? If there is, how do I claim my trophy?)

I’m wondering if I should follow the lead of publishers of mainstream novels and post my sex-is-just-part-of-life stories in Non-Erotic. What do you think, girls and boys?

 

[KeithD]

I have an account for nonerotic stories. I get my best ratings there. I don't include any sex--or thoughts about it--in those stories. They mainly are stories with a human condition lesson of some sort. I have other accounts for erotica.

 

[TxRad]

I have 6 non-erotic stories here.

two are stories about dirt track racing. One led to my first mainstream novel by request of an editor.

One is a western with a small amount of sexual tension in parts but no sex.

One is about the kidnapping of a smart car. it was an exercise to see if i could make people feel sorry for a computer. It worked.

One was an outline of a scifi story that I couldn't get out of my mind. It later became a mainstream novel.

And the last one had a lot of innuendos and teasing. Most people thought it was a seduction to start with but a twist at the end showed that it was a classic who done it.

My opinion of non-erotic here is that like mainstream it can be sexy but doesn't have actual sex.

Your mileage may vary so go read some of the stories there. I might suggest _Lynn_ as a starting point.

 

[Handley_Page]

I have 6 non-erotic stories here.


My opinion of non-erotic here is that like mainstream it can be sexy but doesn't have actual sex.

Your mileage may vary so go read some of the stories there.
I might suggest _Lynn_ as a starting point.

I quite agree; she is a really competent Authoress.

 

[_Lynn_]

I have 6 non-erotic stories here.

two are stories about dirt track racing. One led to my first mainstream novel by request of an editor.

One is a western with a small amount of sexual tension in parts but no sex.

One is about the kidnapping of a smart car. it was an exercise to see if i could make people feel sorry for a computer. It worked.

One was an outline of a scifi story that I couldn't get out of my mind. It later became a mainstream novel.

And the last one had a lot of innuendos and teasing. Most people thought it was a seduction to start with but a twist at the end showed that it was a classic who done it.

My opinion of non-erotic here is that like mainstream it can be sexy but doesn't have actual sex.

Your mileage may vary so go read some of the stories there. I might suggest _Lynn_ as a starting point.

I quite agree; she is a really competent Authoress.

Thanks, guys.

I'm with Keith on this one. My stories are about the people, their lives, the struggles they face. If it needs sex, then I find another category.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I’m wondering if I should follow the lead of publishers of mainstream novels and post my sex-is-just-part-of-life stories in Non-Erotic. What do you think, girls and boys?

As you ponder this, bear in mind that "erotic" is broader than just sex.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Thanks, guys.

I'm with Keith on this one. My stories are about the people, their lives, the struggles they face. If it needs sex, then I find another category.

When I've been asked about this topic, my reply has always been "I write about people, and people fuck."

 

[NotWise]

Bear with me, people. I’m thinking this out as I go.

There is a story category here at Lit titled Non-Erotic. The descriptor says: ‘Fiction without a sexual focus.’ What do you think that means?

I think it's the readers who define it -- both the readers in Non-Erotic who you want to accept the story, and the readers in erotic categories who might down-vote a story as not sexy enough.

I haven't published to Non-erotic, though some readers might think I should. Take my input with a grain of salt.

Readers in erotic categories usually want sex described in a lot of detail. Sex is the focus of the story. You can write stories that include sex rather than being about sex, but the readers still want the act detailed.

If the act isn't described in detail, then it can probably go to non-erotic. Probably the story should exclude sex that isn't essential to the plot, and sex that is essential should not be detailed.

In what I've read of your stories, they can probably go to Non-erotic even if they do have sex in them, because you're pretty gentle in your description.

 

[sbrooks103]

Bear with me, people. I’m thinking this out as I go.

There is a story category here at Lit titled Non-Erotic. The descriptor says: ‘Fiction without a sexual focus.’ What do you think that means?

Over the new year break, I re-read a couple of old favourite books: Robert Drewe’s Our Sunshine and Philip Roth’s The Dying Animal. (I have a penchant for slim volumes.) I suppose that some people might consider The Dying Animal to be an erotic novel – although its main theme is commitment (or lack thereof). Our Sunshine is a fictionalised account of the last days of the infamous outlaw, Ned Kelly. But it does have a few highly erotic passages.

I have posted one Non-Erotic story on Lit (“Soul Cakes’). It has no sex whatsoever. But it was pretty well received.

Most of the stories I post here on Lit have not a lot of sex. They are stories about people, often people struggling with the stuff that people struggle with in everyday life. Some of the stories do OK. Some of them hover at the dreaded 4.49. (Is there a special award for having eight stories on 4.49 at the same time? If there is, how do I claim my trophy?)

I’m wondering if I should follow the lead of publishers of mainstream novels and post my sex-is-just-part-of-life stories in Non-Erotic. What do you think, girls and boys?

I think it depends on the focus, just like any other tag. A Loving Wife story where the wife cheats with a man who just happens to be of another race isn't I/R. A story where the whole focus is that the lovers are of different races, is I/R.

There was a recent story in LW that was really romantic. I DMed the author that it seemed more like a romance. He/she thought that Romance meant "no sex." IMHO, in Romance, people make love, they don't fuck. Maybe in non-erotic, "she led him into the bedroom and closed the door?"

 

[_Lynn_]

When I've been asked about this topic, my reply has always been "I write about people, and people fuck."

Some do. Some don't. And not all people are adults.

 

[Hypoxia]

Some do. Some don't. And not all people are adults.

Thus not all adults are people. But I digress. I triage tales like this:

Non-Erotic: Sex is not crucial to the story.
Erotic: Sex is crucial to the story.
Pr0n: Sex IS the story.​

I first wrote my one Non-Erotic entry long ago. I mentioned that sex occurred but it was nowhere near the main theme. I've other tales where I warn readers that the sex isn't really erotic, or at least I HOPE nobody strokes to the rough parodies.

 

[SamScribble]

... at least I HOPE nobody strokes to the rough parodies.

As they say up North: there's nowt so queer as folk

 

[SamScribble]

As you ponder this, bear in mind that "erotic" is broader than just sex.

If you've read any of my stuff, you've probably noticed that I tend to find food and music pretty erotic.

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

This is a very interesting thread. I have tended to ignore non-erotic because I use LIT for erotica and oft wondered what was the point of the category because I think of anything non erotic as being published elsewhere.

Thanks for expanding my knowledge.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think it's the readers who define it -- both the readers in Non-Erotic who you want to accept the story, and the readers in erotic categories who might down-vote a story as not sexy enough.

.

I'm a broken record on this subject, but I think this is right. This is the right answer to nearly every category-related question in this forum.

In choosing the category in which to publish your story, you should be completely unconcerned about questions of conceptual purity or accuracy, or fidelity to dictionary definitions. The only relevant question is how readers will respond. I don't know why readers at an erotic story site look out for stories published in a non-erotic category, but I guess they do. So, try to figure out if your story is more likely to appeal to those readers or to readers of another category focused on some aspect of eroticism.

As far as I can tell, non-erotic is not one of the more highly read categories, so that's something to keep in mind.

I haven't published any stories to this category and have no plans of writing any stories here that might even conceivably qualify as "non-erotic", but if I wrote a story that was borderline I'd probably be looking for anyway I could to publish it to an erotic category rather than to non-erotic.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

I posted a story for one of the contests last year where the sex was implied rather than explicit. I was trying to engage the reader's imagination. Apparently it worked because I got a comment to "remember that you are writing for a site called litEROTICA."

Hall of Fame Comment.

James

 

[MelissaBaby]

Some do. Some don't. And not all people are adults.

Uh, okay.

 

[MelissaBaby]

If you've read any of my stuff, you've probably noticed that I tend to find food and music pretty erotic.

Indeed. A couple sharing a romantic dinner can be more erotic than an explicit sexual encounter. So can, as Quentin Tarantino would tell you, a nice foot massage. Speeding down an oceanside highway in a convertible. There is no limit on what can be erotic.

 

[SamScribble]

Speeding down an oceanside highway in a convertible. There is no limit on what can be erotic.

Oh, yes! Zipping along in my BMW M3, on a nice day, with the top down, was always a pretty sexy thing.

 

[NotWise]

Oh, yes! Zipping along in my BMW M3, on a nice day, with the top down, was always a pretty sexy thing.

If that's the sex in your story, then it can go to Non-Erotic. Or maybe Fetish.

 

[SamScribble]

If that's the sex in your story, then it can go to Non-Erotic. Or maybe Fetish.

Ha ha ha. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

 

[NotWise]

Ha ha ha. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

I'd at least want a woman in the car with me, and a destination at the end of the road.

 

[SamScribble]

I'd at least want a woman in the car with me, and a destination at the end of the road.

I did often have a young woman in the car with me - well, younger than me anyway.

And then, at 8:30 one morning, I stuck my head in an MRI machine. Two hours later, a neurologist diagnosed epilepsy. And, an hour or so later, a junior doctor was designated to inform me that my driving licence was no longer my driving licence. Since then, my former front seat passenger has been my chauffeur. Funny how these things work out.

 

[NotWise]

I did often have a young woman in the car with me - well, younger than me anyway.

And then, at 8:30 one morning, I stuck my head in an MRI machine. Two hours later, a neurologist diagnosed epilepsy. And, an hour or so later, a junior doctor was designated to inform me that my driving licence was no longer my driving licence. Since then, my former front seat passenger has been my chauffeur. Funny how these things work out.

I wish you a chauffeur who is a delight to be with.

 

[SamScribble]

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions, girls and boys. I think I am going to try a Romance in which sex is implied but never explicitly described. We'll see what Laurel has to say.