Going Light on the Sex

[Flybynite1892]

What's been your experience in writing stories with less sex in them? Are people still here for it, or does interest really drop off?

I'm like 8k words into this Halloween thing right now about a violinist who sold his soul to a demon to get good at violin (and how he's going to avoid having his soul stolen lol). Horror is my main thing when I'm not doing erotica, so on this story I find myself slipping into that whole side of things a lot instead of the sexy stuff. It's a fun story, so it should be done tonight, I think, but I was just curious about your experience publishing stories with less sex.

I guess I'd also be curious about how much your "brand" matters as a writer on here - like if people are following you and reading your stuff because there's a bunch of sex in it (most of my stories have a bunch of sex in them), do people feel weirded out when you do something with less emphasis on that?

Much appreciated, y'all, as always!

 

[StillStunned]

No immediate thoughts on your actual question, but I hope that in your story the violinist offers up his soul to become good, and in exchange... gets violin lessons from a demonic teacher.

 

[SimonDoom]

The readership is so big and so varied that I think it's fair to say that you can find a readership for many, many different approaches, including light on sex.

But all things being equal, I'd say if you skimp on the sex you'll probably get a less positive response. This is an erotic story site and people come here to read erotic stories and get an erotic fix. I tend to write stories of around 7000 to 18,000 words that feature significant buildup followed by a sexual payoff. My personal experience is that if I skimp on the sex scene my readers let me know it and, upon reflection, I agree with them. A good buildup should be followed by a good payoff.

But this is just one of many approaches to stories here.

Don't just write long sex scenes to draw them out. Write them as long as they need to be to fit the needs of your particular story.

 

[Flybynite1892]

No immediate thoughts on your actual question, but I hope that in your story the violinist offers up his soul to become good, and in exchange... gets violin lessons from a demonic teacher.

That would've been a fun way to take it, but no, he falls for this woman who studies folklore and specializes in myths about deals with the devil and she helps him out.

Like I said, this one was pretty far afield.

 

[Flybynite1892]

The readership is so big and so varied that I think it's fair to say that you can find a readership for many, many different approaches, including light on sex.

But all things being equal, I'd say if you skimp on the sex you'll probably get a less positive response. This is an erotic story site and people come here to read erotic stories and get an erotic fix. I tend to write stories of around 7000 to 18,000 words that feature significant buildup followed by a sexual payoff. My personal experience is that if I skimp on the sex scene my readers let me know it and, upon reflection, I agree with them. A good buildup should be followed by a good payoff.

But this is just one of many approaches to stories here.

Don't just write long sex scenes to draw them out. Write them as long as they need to be to fit the needs of your particular story.

Thank you. Yeah, this is a good point. I generally try to take this approach - the buildup with the sexual payoff - but this one is a bit different. I'm too invested to stop - it would just bother me if I didn't finish it - so I will, but I was just curious about what other people had seen when they did this. Much appreciated!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

There is an audience for lower smut ratio but it is niche. They have to find you. If you are asking this question then I can assume that you don't already have a large following. In that case less sex will probably get less positive response. Different categories can make a bit of a difference. In the kink categories (BDSM, anal, fetish, interracial, exhib, etc - most of the categories) you want lots of sex. In the non-kinky categories (romance, novels, humor, maybe mature, mmmmaybe lesbian) you can get away with less smut.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

but I was just curious about what other people had seen when they did this. Much appreciated!

Speaking for my experiences as an unknown with no following, I write a lot of lower smut, higher plot stories and the feedback is generally quite meh. I have a handful (literally like a dozen maybe) of fans who love my stuff but generally I'm quite unpopular. I've been told a few times "not enough sex ... bored," despite the fact that the sex is almost always emotionally woven into and enhanced by the plot, they still don't want the plot, just the sex.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Smut and erotica are our domains, so while sexual content doesn't need to be abundant, it shouldn't be neglected either. For me, what matters the most is the proper buildup before the actual sex scene. Then, as Simon said, make the scene count.
There are those authors who focus on immediate and abundant sexual content and there are those (rare) authors who barely touch on sex. Neither approach works for me.

 

[PrimalDual]

Speaking for my experiences as an unknown with no following, I write a lot of lower smut, higher plot stories and the feedback is generally quite meh. I have a handful (literally like a dozen maybe) of fans who love my stuff but generally I'm quite unpopular. I've been told a few times "not enough sex ... bored," despite the fact that the sex is almost always emotionally woven into and enhanced by the plot, they still don't want the plot, just the sex.

I'll second this POV. I'm generally okay with it, though. My benchmark is "would my story have been accepted at a more vanilla site?" If no, then it's got enough sex in it for me. I'm young and can be patient on establishing a following.

I had an editor a couple of years ago who remarked that I was going light on the sex details. It frankly set me back for over a year, as I pondered the dilemma (that, and some others that were brought up, all of which worth consideration). I finally decided to plow ahead and leave it in my own voice in this particular regard. I recognize that Literotica was set up with high aims, and twenty years ago perhaps the bar was set higher (I got rejected again and again) - but publishing stories here isn't the same as committing to the printed word on paper, and most of my submissions now are done without requesting the aid of an editor. If someday I decide I know how to write gooder, I will withdraw stories as needed, to replace them with the gooder versions.

Some stories of mine include raw depictions, others are more circumspect. Often the story is just a bunch of sex talk, presumably leading somewhere. One choice I often make is to end the story just when a crisis point is reached, which may be just as the action some readers are looking for is about to start (or, may not start, it being a crisis point and all). And I realize that that can become trite if overused and my "following" notices the perceived lack of payoff. I flatter myself that I am offering the reader the chance to use their own fertile imaginations to follow up on the setup - and many readers do not come here for that.

I'm going to put in a plug for the forum called Story Discussion Circle, right next door so to speak in this Forum area. It's been moribund for years, and maybe will stay that way, but I have plunged ahead and placed one of my more, uh, "challenging" works to love, in there for discussion. Anyone reading this thread who would like to place a sample story up for discussion, by starting a new thread of their own in Story Discussion Circle, will find at least one willing guinea pig (me), and maybe a developing critical mass of participants too.

 

[Bramblethorn]

What's been your experience in writing stories with less sex in them? Are people still here for it, or does interest really drop off?

IME readers have been fine with my lower-sex stories.

 

[Mal_Bey]

I have written a six part serial, and the chapter with no sex scored almost exactly the same as the others. I would be cautious applying that lesson to one-offs though.

 

[Voboy]

What's been your experience in writing stories with less sex in them? Are people still here for it, or does interest really drop off?

My experience suggests that less sex is expected not from certain writers nor from certain types of story, but rather in certain categories. Fantasy stories can easily get away with less sex, and SF stories with less still. Romance is a category that tolerates less explicit, shorter fuckscenes too. There are others, too, and the more "fantastic" your violinist story is, the less sex it probably needs.

All that said, I'll give my standard disclaimer: this is Literotica. I know there's a non-erotic category, but if you're not posting your story there, I think you'd be well-advised to make sure you get a healthy amount of sexual content in there somewhere. The readers are coming here for a reason, after all; they're not reading National Geographic.

I guess I'd also be curious about how much your "brand" matters as a writer on here - like if people are following you and reading your stuff because there's a bunch of sex in it (most of my stories have a bunch of sex in them), do people feel weirded out when you do something with less emphasis on that?

I don't know that I have a "style" in which I write fuckscenes, though it's possible (likely, even) that I do, and I'm just blind to that. Certainly I get a number of comments from followers along the line of, "as always, the sex is great..." which suggests to me that they like how I write that part of the story. But normally, those comments are preceded by praise for my pacing and characterization, which implies they value those parts of the story more.

Or maybe that's just post-nut clarity on their part.

 

[Rustyoznail]

As others have said, there are some categories where the readers will wait for sex, but the lead up better hold their attention.

I've got a few stories 16k or longer where nothing much of a sexual nature happens until the last quarter. They've scored well, and have quite a few nice comments.

 

[TheNyxianLily]

Obviously everyone has different tastes, and some people are more willing to invest in a good story for its own sake. Which category you publish in is also a big deal.

I just released my 10th chapter of a non-human series (Blood & Chlorophyll, if you want to look at an example. I'm about 60k words in), and so far the only spice has been a single character masturbating, once. Other than that, my two leads have done nothing more than kiss, and in my most recent chapter, they talked about sex and agreed they wanted to wait.

I've got consistently good ratings, and quite a few readers are actually claiming that they find the lack of sex refreshing.

I think that, if you have a good story, people are willing to wait longer than you might think for the sex.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Though not all my stories are jam-packed with actual sexual activity per se, they are all *about* sex. For instance, if I'm discussing a character, the discussion will be all about their sexual desires and sexual history, rather than, say, detailed descriptions of what they do for work etc. This is what I like to write and read. I don't have huge amounts of readers though, so I certainly can't say whether this is what readers want.

 

[Plathfan]

Great writing isn’t about content alone; it’s about seamlessly guiding readers from reality into the world you’ve created without them ever noticing the shift.

The true craft lies in dissolving their natural skepticism and critical thinking, drawing them so deeply into your story that they lose themselves completely. This goes beyond technique or storytelling. It’s not something that can be taught... it’s magic.

It’s the ability to cast a spell that keeps readers so immersed they forget they are reading and cannot pull away.

If you’re a magician, you don’t need excuses like “slow burn” for a dull start. Whether your story includes sex or other elements is irrelevant.

When it’s over, readers will awaken from the dream-like state and thank you for the journey---or resent you for leaving them defenseless under your spell.

If you’re not a magician, take writing classes and listen to what others say.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

A lot will depend upon the category and the expectations of readers who favor it.

Romance, Novels/Novellas, Non-Erotic, and How-To are all examples of categories where the reader expectation for sex is typically much lower. However, there are hundreds of highly rated stories in other categories, such as Loving Wives that have zero sexual content.

I currently have 28 stories published here, 15 of which have not sex in them other than possibly implied. The average score for these is 4.71.

Be honest with readers by not trying to sell something that your story isn't and it should be fine without any sex.

 

[Cagivagurl]

What's been your experience in writing stories with less sex in them? Are people still here for it, or does interest really drop off?

I'm like 8k words into this Halloween thing right now about a violinist who sold his soul to a demon to get good at violin (and how he's going to avoid having his soul stolen lol). Horror is my main thing when I'm not doing erotica, so on this story I find myself slipping into that whole side of things a lot instead of the sexy stuff. It's a fun story, so it should be done tonight, I think, but I was just curious about your experience publishing stories with less sex.

I guess I'd also be curious about how much your "brand" matters as a writer on here - like if people are following you and reading your stuff because there's a bunch of sex in it (most of my stories have a bunch of sex in them), do people feel weirded out when you do something with less emphasis on that?

Much appreciated, y'all, as always!

As a reader, I skip the sex scenes. They don't really interest me...
I prefer stories with real characters, rich dialogue and an actual story.
I have written both. There is a real audience for stories light on sexual content.

At the end of the day, write what you're comfortable writing. Enjoy your writing experience.

Cagivagurl

 

[joy_of_cooking]

​

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-worst-succubus
Asexual succubus. One of those "D'oh! I wish I'd thought of that!" moments.

 

[intim8]

I guess I'd also be curious about how much your "brand" matters as a writer on here

From my experience reading, it matters, some, but probably less so than in mainstream stuff. There's some writers I trust to always have good stuff, even if it is not always the same kind of stuff. There are writers that I trust will always have a certain kind of story.

I think with branding, it's not a matter of the kind of content, but the smaller things. Like if a writer usually does slow burns, or another writer writes fun romps that hit the ground running. Like the kinds of characters, for examples, college kids, shy inexperienced people, highly experienced people, introspective people, take it as it comes people. Things like that.

I think even if you're branding-conscious, you can do fine writing a variety of things, if you have a recognizable voice and reliable quality.

As to less sex, a lot of readers really like a slow burn. The tradeoff for that is that the sex is more meaningful (in any of a number of ways) when it does happen, and it is a release of the tension built up to that point. Stories don't have to be end to end sex to do well here, but if not, the readers expect more tension and significance in it.

 

[Morevinila]

I have no great experience being new to writing and having only posted 3 stories so far (though I have a number in the pipeline). I personally came to the site to read about erotica/sex scenes and I sometimes get frustrated when there is not enough sex or the sex scenes are despatched too quickly. But I have read some stories I really appreciated even if there was not so much sex because the author managed to create a flow that kept me reading (characters, situation and all that).
Also depending in what category you are writing, readers may expect more the correct portraying of that category than the sex itself. In E&V for example, there may be no sex as such but if there is enough E&V, readers will like it. This is why the LW is so split because some want the wives to be loving and so are happy when they go for sex to please the husbands and other equate the category to Cheating Wives and want to see retaliation and punishment. Which is why I think there should have been two distinct categories (but that is out of subject).
To come back to your question, it all depends on the category. If we look at the last contest, the winning entry doesn't have any sex scenes as such in it, yet it was favoured by the readers.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

The true craft lies in dissolving their natural skepticism and critical thinking, drawing them so deeply into your story that they lose themselves completely. This goes beyond technique or storytelling. It’s not something that can be taught... it’s magic.

No, it can be taught. Just the fact alone that I get better at it all the time - and consciously better at it by analyzing and developing/practicing specific skills and understanding just how I am doing it - means that I'm learning it, and if it can be learned, it can be taught.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Smut and erotica are our domains, so while sexual content doesn't need to be abundant, it shouldn't be neglected either. For me, what matters the most is the proper buildup before the actual sex scene. Then, as Simon said, make the scene count.
There are those authors who focus on immediate and abundant sexual content and there are those (rare) authors who barely touch on sex. Neither approach works for me.

I've written one story in the Non-erotic category (that was truly non-erotic, not that I couldn't find any other place for it) and several essays that have little if anything to do with sex. Most of these efforts have been pretty well-received. Just do whatever you feel like writing.

 

[gunhilltrain]

What's been your experience in writing stories with less sex in them? Are people still here for it, or does interest really drop off?

I'm like 8k words into this Halloween thing right now about a violinist who sold his soul to a demon to get good at violin (and how he's going to avoid having his soul stolen lol). Horror is my main thing when I'm not doing erotica, so on this story I find myself slipping into that whole side of things a lot instead of the sexy stuff. It's a fun story, so it should be done tonight, I think, but I was just curious about your experience publishing stories with less sex.

I guess I'd also be curious about how much your "brand" matters as a writer on here - like if people are following you and reading your stuff because there's a bunch of sex in it (most of my stories have a bunch of sex in them), do people feel weirded out when you do something with less emphasis on that?

Much appreciated, y'all, as always!

This topic has been discussed here before. Usually the answer resolves itself as: just do whatever you wish.

I don't think many of us are "brands." But that is to be expected. I'm reminded of Pete Campbell on Mad Men. He asks a Black elevator operator in his building (they still had operators in 1963 or whenever) why African-Americans seem to like Admiral-brand television sets. (That's a brand that I don't think exists any longer.) That elevator guy should have said, "Well, I don't know. But if you pay me a consulting fee, I'll ask around about it."

 

[NightPorter]

The readership is so big and so varied that I think it's fair to say that you can find a readership for many, many different approaches, including light on sex.

But all things being equal, I'd say if you skimp on the sex you'll probably get a less positive response. This is an erotic story site and people come here to read erotic stories and get an erotic fix.

Basically this. You'll get extra points from your audience for a well written sex story but at the end of the day it IS a sex story site. Lit is not a general fiction website, people go elsewhere for that. There's a certain expectation when you log into lit to read and rate a story.