Story endings

[Saunaaddict]

I struggle with how to end stories. Ending right after everyone cumming always feels abrupt to me. Does anyone have any tips?

 

[NotWise]

I struggle with how to end stories. Ending right after everyone cumming always feels abrupt to me. Does anyone have any tips?

It might depend on how much story there is to your story. If it's mostly setup and sex, then "everybody cums" might be just right.

Stories normally have a denouement after the climax, where you might clean up loose ends and/or underline the theme of the story. That isn't always the case. My most popular story here rolls the climax and denouement into one scene, but it isn't a sex scene.

If the climax of your story is a sex scene, then the denouement might be something like a conversation between lovers after sex. If the climax of your story isn't a sex scene, then the denouement can easily be a sex scene, and the story might end perfectly well with everyone cumming.

The story I'm finishing now will end as round two starts.

 

[SimonDoom]

The general format for most of my stories is:

1. Introduction. The characters are introduced. Somebody has a sexual need or challenge that creates conflict and dilemma and that drives the plot.

2. Body of the story: Buildup to the climax/sex scene. Conflict and tension.

3. Sex/climax of dramatic arc of the story.

4. Denouement: I usually have a short ending section after the sex. I think it's important not to prolong things after the climax of the story. The purpose is to wrap things up and to set a tone for the finish of the story. At the very end I like to finish with a memorable line -- either of narrative or dialogue. I like an ending that hints at things to come -- as though the story is going to continue. Keep them wanting more.

I usually do NOT have a hard time with endings because I write the ending fairly early in the process. I want to know, early on, the tone on which the story will end, and once I do then I can write the rest of the story with that tone in mind.

 

[Blind_Justice]

If your plot is simply there to get to the sex, maybe it's time to rethink your approach.

Write something where sex is not the end goal. Doesn't mean you put less effort in the sex scene, it just means there is something else happening besides x people maneuvering to get laid. It could be as simple as a couple going on holiday by train, they meet a hot person and invite them into their sleeping berth for a steamy threesome (probably interrupted by a midnight passport check, especially when driving through Europe, god knows I've been there). The story can start at the station as the couple departs and end at the arrival city, maybe with a hook for a sequel involving the cute maid they saw in the hotel. The sex scene sits smack dab in the middle of the thing, with a bit of flourish before and after. Easy as that.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I just usually kill off everyone. Not really... not all the time at least.

There is always a beginning, a middle, and an end. How long the end is depends on the middle.

You can of course, have everyone finish, do some kissyface and then say goodnight as everyone starts snoring. Then you leave yourself a way to continue it if you want in a second installment.

 

[SimonDoom]

If your plot is simply there to get to the sex, maybe it's time to rethink your approach.

This may work for you, but not for me.

I'm writing erotic stories here. For me, the point of an erotic story is the "sex." In a mom-son incest story, the climax is when they have intercourse. The act of sex resolves the conflict that led up to it. Once the sex happens, I tidy up and resolve things quickly.

If it's an Anal story, then anal sex resolves things. It happens near the end of the story.

If it's an Exhibitionist story, then the final and most outrageous act of exposure resolves things.

In every erotic story I write sexual activity of some kind is tied in with the dramatic climax and resolves the story. So there's no need for much story after that.

 

[HeyYoureThatGuy]

Echoing some of what's been said. If the whole point of the story is the sex—akin to a porn movie using the loose framework of a pizza guy to get to the fluid exchange—then ending on everyone coming isn't that strange.

But if you've developed characters, you owe it to readers to let us know what happens after the explosive orgasms. My first story here is 10121 words total. The denouement is 380 words, but I tried to tie up the major character questions that were left hanging after the last sex scene. The biggest question being: Is this a long term relationship?

 

[Voboy]

I usually end soon after the climactic fuck, most often with a funny-ish line or a mild cliffhanger that I never have any intention of resolving. As a reader, I like to end the story with a smile, and I don't mind if stories lack 100% resolution. I like imagining what comes next, and if i'm invested in the characters I usually have a nice time doing just that. It's a way to make the story continue even after it's over.

 

[Blind_Justice]

This may work for you, but not for me.

I'm writing erotic stories here. For me, the point of an erotic story is the "sex." In a mom-son incest story, the climax is when they have intercourse. The act of sex resolves the conflict that led up to it. Once the sex happens, I tidy up and resolve things quickly.

If it's an Anal story, then anal sex resolves things. It happens near the end of the story.

If it's an Exhibitionist story, then the final and most outrageous act of exposure resolves things.

In every erotic story I write sexual activity of some kind is tied in with the dramatic climax and resolves the story. So there's no need for much story after that.

Thankfully, there's more than way to write a story. For me, a story can be erotic without revolving exclusively around sex.

I didn't aim my post specifically at you, Simon. It was aimed more at the OP. I was hoping a change of perspective might open up new possibilities for him. The example I cooked up doesn't require a whole novel of exposition or a hundred pages of epilogue, but it allows the sex scene to be nicely framed.

 

[sirhugs]

I usually end soon after the climactic fuck, most often with a funny-ish line or a mild cliffhanger that I never have any intention of resolving. As a reader, I like to end the story with a smile, and I don't mind if stories lack 100% resolution. I like imagining what comes next, and if i'm invested in the characters I usually have a nice time doing just that. It's a way to make the story continue even after it's over.

This is similar to my approach, though in my case, often the "cliffhanger" is the set up for a potential sequel (not that I necessarily ever write the sequel).

 

[SimonDoom]

I didn't aim my post specifically at you, Simon.

I know. I'm not suggesting there's just one way to do it, either. That's what makes the Site interesting. What's "erotic" varies so much among readers and writers.

 

[Blind_Justice]

@Simon: OK then. I'm not in the mood for bickering tonight.

I admire the ability to write a a focused piece. That's a skill I haven't mastered, at all. My stories often feature more than one sex scene and the sex is kinda important, but I write plot first, porn second. I've tried to write quick, dirty strokers three times so far.

"Tear's Desire", "Twin Suns of Atlantis" and "Nikym's Predicament" were all intended as short and sweet jerk-off numbers. They ended up sprawling and plot-heavy, with lots of world- and character building. Mostly because my better half felt that the sex scenes needed a bit more framing. I guess I managed to over-deliver.

After these three attempts, I've given up and completely embraced my style of rambling epics. Seems my readers agree. Apart from "Twin Suns", the stroker attempts rank in the bottom third of my portfolio.

 

[KeithD]

This is an erotica story site. The sex is primary for me to post the story here rather than at a nonerotica site. But the plot is important to me too (and the importance of the characters, for me, is in serving the sex and the plot). I like starting with sex, if for no other reason than that sex in the story is that important to me and provides a dilemma, which is how I start a story--with dilemma. "Why the sex and circumstances of the sex" can unwind from there being sex at the beginning. Sex can be in the middle too--and at the end. I do write some strokers, where the whole point is the sex, but mostly, for Literotica, I write a plotted story in which sex is important and is graphically present. Who/what/why the characters are is only important in how they fit into the plot and how they serve an erotic setup to sex.

I don't get any "must" on where the sex should fit to please that Holy Grail "the reader" so many here are seeking. It fits where it fits--and as often as it serves reader arousal.

 

[SamScribble]

Because I have yet to end a story with the sentence: ‘And then everyone suddenly died’, I usually like to leave an opportunity for the reader to speculate as to what might happen next. Of course, this does lead more than a few readers to insist that I write what happens next. But I seldom do.

 

[Emirus]

2 (or maybe 3?) types of sex stories.

In my opinion, there are two types of story (although it could be argued there are three) in which sex is involved.

The first type of story is where it’s sex plus more sex, aimed at the stroker readership, with a few words added to try and make it a story. I’ve written two of those to get an itch out of my system about people, in real life, I dislike. I’ve also written a third which is a little different because it’s a parody of a famous tv show. It was very enjoyable to write because I could really let my imagination, and sense of humour, run wild.

The second type of story is where it actually is a story and the sex is an integral part of the plot, occurs at the appropriate time, and is how it should happen with those particular characters.

Write for yourself but bear in mind the audience you’re aiming for and remember if you don’t enjoy reading it when it’s finished neither will they. In all of those stories the ending, in my opinion, was apt and occurred naturally which is how it should be no matter what you’ve written.

 

[Brutal_One]

With an ongoing story arc I am not facing that yet. Of course I can ‘see’ once there is a climax (not in sex terms but in story terms) that concludes the arc. The characters though and the universe they reside in will carry on. I am sure a new angle and a start of a new arc will spark off the back of it but as that is some way off yet I don’t have to worry about the denouement for some time

Brutal One

 

[Wilson Spalding]

I struggle with how to end stories. Ending right after everyone cumming always feels abrupt to me. Does anyone have any tips?

Read it out loud.

Really.

Whether you're ending on the high point or throwing in a denouement, epilogue or whatever, it's likely going to vary based on the point and pacing of the rest of the story. It's very much a "feel" sort of decision.

I've done both. Some stories well suited to a little post-climactic wrap-up, especially if we've invested some time in the characters beyond the sex... and I've ended on an emotional punch (an orgasm surrounding a few key words that drive the context of whatever the kink happens to be).

Read your story out loud, and get a feel what that author is trying to set up. If you're having anxiety over it, maybe write a couple of endings and see which one works best.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

I struggle with how to end stories. Ending right after everyone cumming always feels abrupt to me. Does anyone have any tips?

I think that to get useful advice, you'll really need to provide a little more information about the types of stories you're writing.

 

[8letters]

This may work for you, but not for me.

I'm writing erotic stories here. For me, the point of an erotic story is the "sex." In a mom-son incest story, the climax is when they have intercourse. The act of sex resolves the conflict that led up to it. Once the sex happens, I tidy up and resolve things quickly.

If it's an Anal story, then anal sex resolves things. It happens near the end of the story.

If it's an Exhibitionist story, then the final and most outrageous act of exposure resolves things.

In every erotic story I write sexual activity of some kind is tied in with the dramatic climax and resolves the story. So there's no need for much story after that.

I agree with what Simon wrote. I think my readers really want to see my characters in a long-term relationship before the story ends. Sometimes, that takes a while after they've had the resolving sex. I added a half a page epilogue to "My European Summer Vacation" that had no sex in it and my readers loved it.

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

Like someone else posted earlier, I have ongoing story arcs so I haven't wrapped any of my erotica up. I do have a fair idea how each one will end. As for the broader question, it ends when your characters are done. If you don't feel like the story is told, then you are not done. That said, you can go too long past where the story should end. John Ringo said something about this that has always stuck with me. He was talking about one of his early manuscripts. His editor said, "This is great. But the book ended 12 pages before the manuscript did."

Whilst that's not as big an issue for most stories here it's something to think about as much as leaving a lot of loose ends.

 

[PennameWombat]

I struggle with how to end stories. Ending right after everyone cumming always feels abrupt to me. Does anyone have any tips?

It's rare that my stories end with the sex. It happens, but my higher-rated and viewed stories all have the last section the culmination of the story's plot. The closet to "They climaxed. The End." is probably my "On the Job" 2020 entry, but even that had a very short denouement which indicated my male character had been somewhat touched by the experience. The female was always meant to be a cipher so we know little of her beyond she knew what she was doing. I have a couple of shorter works that weren't much more than the sex.

I have a couple of others that end with characters just getting busy, but as subsequent to what they'd done earlier, but there's a clear gap:

Ala what NotWise wrote: "The story I'm finishing now will end as round two starts."

Some of my higher-rated stories actually have very little sex in possibly the last third or even the overall work. My Halloween 2019 entry has 18,000 words but only one of the eleven sections has explicit sex in it, although the ending implies two characters are going to fuck each other silly (and, one comment said "hey, where's the rest of the story?" It's in "Chasing Robes and Shadows" where they indeed do so.) It was a slow burner but is currently rated over 4.5.

My "Geek Pride" series always puts my two main characters in jeopardy so they're usually too busy trying to stay alive to fuck too much through the 'climax' of the story. My "One Night" entry had a section of setup (first half), hot sex (much of second half) but the final section was a 'morning after' that creates various questions that are left open. Yeah, a sequel will come but it's intentionally not coming soon. But it definitely changes the way you'd view the sex. Ending it with Tom and Carole in bed would've created a very different story.

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

I like to find natural stopping points. Fall asleep, close a door, but leave the story open to be continued if I want to.

I write in chronological order and sometimes write beyond what should be the end.

Think about the TV show SCRUBS. It was supposed to end but the network continued it. The later episodes sucked. JD and Turk were too old for the antics that made the show great.

Same with ER. It should have ended what Carter left for Africa and told Archie "You set the tone," the same thing Greene told Carter when he left. The episodes after that felt forced and were not as good. Though I must admit having Rachel show up as a med student in the finale was pretty awesome.

Find a stopping point and stop.

 

[SisterJezabel]

"And they all lived happily ever after..."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

For short stories, a bit of how they feel or what has changed is needed after the sex, so that it feels like a 'story' rather than an isolated scene. My earlier lower-rated pieces have a bit of that problem.

I like an end which suggests that more could have been told, just wasn't. One of mine has a character leave a hotel room in the morning and tells the others (his wife, his ex, and other woman),

"Stay in touch, yeah?"
We did.

Or a moral - a story that's talking about a potential BDSM scene for two pages mentions they do play, then "But the brain really is the most important sex organ. Years later, it's not the beating I remember, but that long interrogation beforehand."

For a novel or series it's much harder, knowing when to end chapters and when to end the story. I'm posting chapters where each has some sexual content, then gets to some sort of question about what happens next. The characters could have gone forever so I ruthlessly pruned most sub-plots, have established when it ends (A meets B's family), but I may have tied it all off a bit quickly - I've got a few weeks before the last chapters go up to edit.

I think endings need to be in proportion to the length of story - a 2000-word stroker can stop fairly abruptly, but anyone who's read 100k over 10 chapters deserves a thousand words to wind down.

 

[sirhugs]

"And they all lived happily ever after..."

but did they really?