Thoughts on the Romance story

[Tomh1966]

Im one of those people with 78 different stories in process from 95% done down to 1% idea "X situation in Y condition."

I have a 90% done story of a swing that goes bad... slowly.

I have a 5% start of a related (BUT unrelated!). It's a love story if the life paths of 2 of the people in the swing story had gone differently. I write stories that interest me. This story is related to the swing story as in the same characters but is 100% monogamous.

It's a love story. Understand I have not written in the Romance section and I know they HATE cheating parts... but what about other kinks?

1) Many of my stories have the female protagonist with an exhibitionist streak. Would that piss off most off Romance readers? The female protagonist falls head over heels until death do us part in love with the male protagonist, but she discovers her (100% monogamous) exhibitionist side. She is NEVER EVER even going to think about cheating as defined as touching another person emotionally or physically in a sexual way. (Beyond the normal, 'he is cute' scenario that most humans face 89072134 times a day.

2) I've seen that supposedly it's about the chase in many Romance stories. They are going to bed each other a few weeks in then continually explore each other and pretty much fuck the crap out of each other afterward. They are horny soulmates.

I'm not going for a huge readership in every story. I get enough hits (and abuse) in my LW stories.

I write for fun. I enjoy my creations. Would my romantic exhibitionist story fly in Romance?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Im one of those people with 78 different stories in process from 95% done down to 1% idea "X situation in Y condition."

I have a 90% done story of a swing that goes bad... slowly.

I have a 5% start of a related (BUT unrelated!). It's a love story if the life paths of 2 of the people in the swing story had gone differently. I write stories that interest me. This story is related to the swing story as in the same characters but is 100% monogamous.

It's a love story. Understand I have not written in the Romance section and I know they HATE cheating parts... but what about other kinks?

1) Many of my stories have the female protagonist with an exhibitionist streak. Would that piss off most off Romance readers? The female protagonist falls head over heels until death do us part in love with the male protagonist, but she discovers her (100% monogamous) exhibitionist side. She is NEVER EVER even going to think about cheating as defined as touching another person emotionally or physically in a sexual way. (Beyond the normal, 'he is cute' scenario that most humans face 89072134 times a day.

2) I've seen that supposedly it's about the chase in many Romance stories. They are going to bed each other a few weeks in then continually explore each other and pretty much fuck the crap out of each other afterward. They are horny soulmates.

I'm not going for a huge readership in every story. I get enough hits (and abuse) in my LW stories.

I write for fun. I enjoy my creations. Would my romantic exhibitionist story fly in Romance?

The only thing I know about Romance readers is that they usually dislike breakup stories (like at the end of a series). ("Put it in Non-erotic!") Well, the end of a relationship is as important, if not more so, than the beginning. I don't know what they think of cheating since I've never had such a story in Romance.

Don't worry too much about what they think. (Let them write their own stories!) There is a slight chance that the site might change the first story to Exhibitionist and Voyeur. But they tend to tread lightly when changing an author's preferred category.

 

[ronde]

Im one of those people with 78 different stories in process from 95% done down to 1% idea "X situation in Y condition."

I have a 90% done story of a swing that goes bad... slowly.

I have a 5% start of a related (BUT unrelated!). It's a love story if the life paths of 2 of the people in the swing story had gone differently. I write stories that interest me. This story is related to the swing story as in the same characters but is 100% monogamous.

It's a love story. Understand I have not written in the Romance section and I know they HATE cheating parts... but what about other kinks?

1) Many of my stories have the female protagonist with an exhibitionist streak. Would that piss off most off Romance readers? The female protagonist falls head over heels until death do us part in love with the male protagonist, but she discovers her (100% monogamous) exhibitionist side. She is NEVER EVER even going to think about cheating as defined as touching another person emotionally or physically in a sexual way. (Beyond the normal, 'he is cute' scenario that most humans face 89072134 times a day.

2) I've seen that supposedly it's about the chase in many Romance stories. They are going to bed each other a few weeks in then continually explore each other and pretty much fuck the crap out of each other afterward. They are horny soulmates.

I'm not going for a huge readership in every story. I get enough hits (and abuse) in my LW stories.

I write for fun. I enjoy my creations. Would my romantic exhibitionist story fly in Romance?

I've written a lot of romance stories that seem to have been well accepted by readers. Here's my take on romance stories.

1. First and foremost, the characters have to be real people. That means they have to act like real people act in public so readers can identify with one of them. Once the two characters have figured out who they are and if they seem to belong together, you can reveal the side they never show other people.

2. It's not always about the chase. As often as not, it's the two characters trying to convince themselves that there's no "there" there until they finally decide they do love each other. When you think about your own experiences with the opposite sex, it's probably not often that you've set out to convince someone that they love you. Most people would only indulge in "the chase" if they were looking for a bed partner for some period of time, but nothing permanent. You could turn a one-night stand into love, but it would have to be done based upon something other than sex to be believable to most readers. Otherwise, it's just a fantasy. There's also nothing wrong with writing a fantasy, but it's not really romance.

3. There's nothing wrong with turning your female character into a perfect wife to the outside world but a slut in the bedroom with her husband. I think most women are thrilled when their husband looks at them whether they're clothed, on the way to being naked, or naked. She might even go out of her way to look sexy to other men, but as long as that's all it is, she's probably like most women. Beauty parlors and bikini's don't exist just so the wife can be desirable for her husband.

4. It's fine to have them think they're in love, then split up for some reason, and then get back together to never part again. It works that way in real life sometimes.

5. For most real people, sex is a benefit of marriage, not the reason for it. If the couple haven't found something more than sex to keep them together, they probably won't stay together.

Hope this helps.

 

[NotWise]

When I first started posting stories to Lit, I really wanted to post to Romance. Laurel caught the first and moved it where it belonged, but the second one slipped through. It's an understatement to say that it didn't make the Romance readers happy.

I went to the Story Feedback forum and asked why the Romance readers hated my story, and my question was answered by one of the most respected writers in the category, as well as by other readers. The bread-and-butter for the Romance category is the Romance story: A man and woman meet and find they have a common interest in each other, struggle through barriers to build a relationship, and end Happily Ever After (Happy for Now also works). There are variations that also work, including some same-sex relationships.

"Building a relationship" is the key component in the formula. Other story arcs don't work as well, and some will invoke the collected ire of the Romance readers. Ending existing relationships and challenging existing relationships--even if things work out in the end--are among story arcs that may fail in Romance, not matter how "romantic" you might think they are.

 

[Bramblethorn]

2) I've seen that supposedly it's about the chase in many Romance stories. They are going to bed each other a few weeks in then continually explore each other and pretty much fuck the crap out of each other afterward. They are horny soulmates.

My one story in that category has the two main characters in bed together at around 7k into a 23k word story. Audience seem to have liked it. "We slept together, now it's complicated, can we make this work?" is a well-established form of romance.

 

[Tomh1966]

Hmmm From Sounds like the exhibitionist angle just won't fly in Romance... Agreed?

Just not sure the love angle is going to play in E&V

Ideas?

 

[MajorRewrite]

Just not sure the love angle is going to play in E&V

Ideas?

I think romantic love stories can fly in any category. The category kink is just a layer on top of the romance.

All of my stories are love stories, but none are in the romance category. They’re taboo, mature, and loving wives.

 

[NotWise]

I agree with the Major. You can put romantic stories in about any category and the readers will eat it up. From my experience, scores take a hit if the story isn't sentimental.

As far as the exhibitionist theme goes, it probably won't fly if that's the focus of the story. If the story is about their relationship, and it turns out that she likes to show off, then it might work.

 

[Tomh1966]

I'm thinking E&V. Its familiar territory for me.

I was questioning it because it is sooooo syrupy sweet already that it may fit elsewhere than E&V. The story is light years from being done.

Thank you for all your input. It is wonderfully valuable.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I only have three stories in the Romance category but several in the N/N category that could have gone there if they were shorter.

My take from the experiences I have had in the Romance category is that a happy ending is critical. The readers there also like things kept simple, without many convoluted subplots or character dimensions that challenge their intellect too much.

Also, sex is optional in this category almost more so that any other category. Readers find their kinks elsewhere.

 

[AchtungNight]

Personally I would have no problem getting romantic with an exhibitionist. I’ve had that kink myself at times. I don’t regularly read Romance, though, so I can’t speak for the readers there.

My recommendation- choose the most prevalent category for your story and put it there. My story Beijing Streakers features Exhibitionism, Reluctance, Group Sex, FF and MF erotic couplings, Interracial relations, Incest, anal and oral sex, cheating spouses, historical fiction, multiple fetishes, and many non erotic themes like the human rights protest and the chase scene. If the heroes had been caught it could have veered into Erotic Horror. The only reason it’s in Celebrity is that the characters are based on Olympic athletes and video game personalities. That was the most prevalent category. I placed it accordingly. Do the same with your work. If it doesn’t fit in Romance, try Exhibition/Voyeur.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I think I have stories in Romance(Not looking to see), and it's basic stuff, they want HEA. If you don't think it fits, put it somewhere else, or Laurel might, not sure how often she does that, though. Best I can tell you, what you should know, is; write for the section you want it to be in. Easiest way to make this site work. Read a few there and see what flies.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I write for fun. I enjoy my creations. Would my romantic exhibitionist story fly in Romance?

Yes.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

If it's more about the characters and what drives them, Romance.

If it's more about the sexual activity and them or the reader getting off from the exhibitionism, E/V.



But both lots are fairly tolerant, and some exhibitionism isn't a huge turnoff for many people, so may not make much difference.

 

[MyBareTorso]

The only thing I know about Romance readers is that they usually dislike breakup stories (like at the end of a series). ("Put it in Non-erotic!") Well, the end of a relationship is as important, if not more so, than the beginning. I don't know what they think of cheating since I've never had such a story in Romance.

Don't worry too much about what they think. (Let them write their own stories!) There is a slight chance that the site might change the first story to Exhibitionist and Voyeur. But they tend to tread lightly when changing an author's preferred category.

Slightly off-topic, but just wondering, when the site's moderators decide to change the category you've chosen for your story, do they let you know first, or just publish it in the category they deem more appropriate? Just curious. Thanks!

 

[gunhilltrain]

Slightly off-topic, but just wondering, when the site's moderators decide to change the category you've chosen for your story, do they let you know first, or just publish it in the category they deem more appropriate? Just curious. Thanks!

It only happened to me once that I can recall, a couple of months ago. The original category was Celebrities and Fan Fiction, It was an essay about the new Barbie movie, which of course hadn't been released yet. The submission was rejected, and the note from Lit said that it belonged in a forum post, not as a submission.

I wrote back saying that it was far too long to be a forum post. I also offered to tone down some references to real life people (Margot Robbie, among others) even though that issue was purely a guess on my part. In about two days, it just appeared - in Reviews and Essays. None of the content had been changed at all.

https://classic.literotica.com/s/what-s-up-with-barbie-s-feet

 

[yowser]

Slightly off-topic, but just wondering, when the site's moderators decide to change the category you've chosen for your story, do they let you know first, or just publish it in the category they deem more appropriate? Just curious. Thanks!

No, you just wake up in the morning and find your tale has migrated.

First time it happened to me the tale also received a reader comment titled (sic) "Wrong Catagory" with a long list of why.

OTOH by being dropped into LW it garnered far more attention (and reader-followers) than anything previous.

It's a feature, not a bug.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

Slightly off-topic, but just wondering, when the site's moderators decide to change the category you've chosen for your story, do they let you know first, or just publish it in the category they deem more appropriate? Just curious. Thanks!

It's just Laurel and she doesn't. I've never had it happen to me. I've had one or two where I even guessed where it should go and there it stayed- she had more faith in me, than I did.

 

[lc69hunter]

Im one of those people with 78 different stories in process from 95% done down to 1% idea "X situation in Y condition."

I have a 90% done story of a swing that goes bad... slowly.

I have a 5% start of a related (BUT unrelated!). It's a love story if the life paths of 2 of the people in the swing story had gone differently. I write stories that interest me. This story is related to the swing story as in the same characters but is 100% monogamous.

It's a love story. Understand I have not written in the Romance section and I know they HATE cheating parts... but what about other kinks?

1) Many of my stories have the female protagonist with an exhibitionist streak. Would that piss off most off Romance readers? The female protagonist falls head over heels until death do us part in love with the male protagonist, but she discovers her (100% monogamous) exhibitionist side. She is NEVER EVER even going to think about cheating as defined as touching another person emotionally or physically in a sexual way. (Beyond the normal, 'he is cute' scenario that most humans face 89072134 times a day.

2) I've seen that supposedly it's about the chase in many Romance stories. They are going to bed each other a few weeks in then continually explore each other and pretty much fuck the crap out of each other afterward. They are horny soulmates.

I'm not going for a huge readership in every story. I get enough hits (and abuse) in my LW stories.

I write for fun. I enjoy my creations. Would my romantic exhibitionist story fly in Romance?

I may be an aberration around here, but I am a sucker for romance. I can find romance in a well done, loving and consensual cuckold relationship, a hot wife/sharing relationship, and almost any variation on the above, as long as it remains loving and consensual, and at the end of the day, their arms are wrapped around each other, rejoicing in their journey together