Characters who cheat on their spouse - Am I asking for trouble?

[WendyTrilby]

I'm working on a story where there will be cheating. I've had people cheat on their spouses before on stories, but in those cases, one spouse tends to be a louse, and you kind of want the other to break free. In this case, there is no true louse. It's about being manipulated into cheating.

I do have a happy ending in mind, which might placate those who abhor adultery, but the cheating aspect is vital to the narrative and, at the moment, very erotic, in part due to its lustful/deceptive nature. I have made sure the cheating is physical, not emotional, but I wonder if I'm just asking for a barrage of insults for taking likable characters and having them violate their vows.

Any experiences and feedback you've received would be appreciated.

 

[AchtungNight]

People are going to complain regardless when it comes to a story about cheating. They want to complain, and will find a reason. My advice is concentrate on making the story that makes sense to you and publish it. If it’s good, it will earn praise along with complaints and the praise should make you happy.

 

[lovecraft68]

Moralists are impossible to please.

But others realize that the cheating here is fictional, and some even see it the way they should on a platform like this, as a kink.

Go for it, but be prepared. The holier than thou and incel/BTB factions are potent.

 

[Comshaw]

I've written a few with cheaters as main characters. most aren't going to bat an eye, but there will be a few who get spun up about it.

To illustrate I had one comment that went, "Loved the story but cheating is cheating you get a 1."
As AchtungNight noted, there will always be a few who are going to complain. Think twice about posting it in Loving Wives though. The place is full of self-righteous Yahoos who hate cheating in any way shape or form.

Comshaw

 

[8letters]

I'm working on a story where there will be cheating. I've had people cheat on their spouses before on stories, but in those cases, one spouse tends to be a louse, and you kind of want the other to break free. In this case, there is no true louse. It's about being manipulated into cheating.

I do have a happy ending in mind, which might placate those who abhor adultery, but the cheating aspect is vital to the narrative and, at the moment, very erotic, in part due to its lustful/deceptive nature. I have made sure the cheating is physical, not emotional, but I wonder if I'm just asking for a barrage of insults for taking likable characters and having them violate their vows.

Any experiences and feedback you've received would be appreciated.

I'd think the answer would depend on the category. My understanding is that cheating of any type is despised in Romance. Cheating of any type is the bread and butter of LW.

 

[Devinter]

The happy ending will not appease the angriest of the bunch, but if you tag your story properly and make sure that nobody is caught off-guard by the infidelity you should at least be able to avoid most of the backlash. It's entirely possible to still get a good score and many happy readers on a story like the one you're describing, but you have to make sure that you're reaching the right audience. Unlike others, I would think that LW would be the best place to put it, not the other way around. That's where the people with a cheating fetish go, after all.

A healthy exercise could be to put yourself in their mindset; think of the action of cheating as some sort of fetish that you would personally heavy dislike, be it NonCon or scat or whatever, and ask yourself how you'd react if that was sprung on you unexpectedly out of left-field? In my opinion, it's that reaction of disgust that brings out the worst in these trolls. So long as you can avoid that, you'll be alright. I'd use tags, the description field AND a disclaimer just to make sure everyone that chose to read the story is on-board with it if I were you, but I realize many other authors would find that to be overkill and would probably settle for just the tags.

 

[SimonDoom]

My first and main response is don't worry about what people will think. Probably, some will disapprove. So what? If it's a good story some will like it. Write and publish to please yourself and those who like what you write. Don't write to avoid disapproval.

You don't say much about the story. If you publish it in Loving Wives you probably will attract some who dislike cheating (and getting away with it, if that's what happens in your story). But if you avoid that category, there's much less likely to be that sort of disapproval.

 

[Voboy]

I write all sorts of cheating stories. I almost never put them in Loving Wives, because the cheating isn't normally the main "kink."

Write well, make sure your characters are realistic, and keep the readers entertained. You'll have no trouble just on account of the cheating.

 

[WendyTrilby]

I write all sorts of cheating stories. I almost never put them in Loving Wives, because the cheating isn't normally the main "kink."

Write well, make sure your characters are realistic, and keep the readers entertained. You'll have no trouble just on account of the cheating.

I'm with you on that. This isn't a cheating kink, this is the kind of cheating that happens in real life. A lapse in judgment, an admission of a failed relationship or one that needs attention. I'm good with not going for Romance; I will probably post it where I live -- erotic couplings.

 

[AlwaysDancing]

Cheating stories are the horror movies of erotica. Not everyone has a taste for them. Sometimes the monsters are evil. Sometimes they are misunderstood.

It’s a shame people judge them because they make some of the best stories. The dilemma that’s a part of such stories are classic for the short story structure.

 

[Voboy]

Cheating stories are the horror movies of erotica. Not everyone has a taste for them. Sometimes the monsters are evil. Sometimes they are misunderstood.

It’s a shame people judge them because they make some of the best stories. The dilemma that’s a part of such stories are classic for the short story structure.

It's automatically relatable, too.

Not everyone has cheated, nor would cheat... but everyone has thought about it. It's a conflict that everyone understands the different aspects of.

 

[Yarglenurp]

The first chapter of my series involved cheating by the woman and forgiveness by the man. It’s in the 4.3-ish range.

But I avoided LW and went with fetish, because my stories all tend towards kinky.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm with you on that. This isn't a cheating kink, this is the kind of cheating that happens in real life. A lapse in judgment, an admission of a failed relationship or one that needs attention. I'm good with not going for Romance; I will probably post it where I live -- erotic couplings.

Very wise, Erotic Couplings. That's where I'd put such a story - unless you want to enter the eye of the storm, in which case, Loving Wives.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I have one story, where the wife deceived her husband and cheated. Even though they are a swinger couple, she violated their rules.

"What Were You Thinking?" now has over 105,000 views in Loving Wives. But it's rated 3.36 with over 1,300 votes.

 

[Privates1stClass]

There's behind the back cheating and there's "approved" cheating. I've read several stories here where a woman's best girlfriend couldn't get pregnant no matter what she tried, so the wife "volunteered" her husband to do the deed. It could even have a HEA ending. No harm, no foul.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I write all sorts of cheating stories. I almost never put them in Loving Wives, because the cheating isn't normally the main "kink."

Write well, make sure your characters are realistic, and keep the readers entertained. You'll have no trouble just on account of the cheating.

To digress a bit, what category do you put cheating stories in? I'm writing part of a series that involves cheating but not with a married couple. The main characters are about twenty-years-old. There is another site that has "Cheating" as a category, but Lit does not. Erotic Couplings barely makes sense, but the Non-erotic option is not really good either. I can understand why Romance readers don't like the topic. It's almost "anti-romantic," or rather near the end of what started as a romantic relationship.

Thanks!

 

[AlwaysDancing]

Very wise, Erotic Couplings. That's where I'd put such a story - unless you want to enter the eye of the storm, in which case, Loving Wives.

It didn’t have to be LW to stir the pot.

My story, “Showing Confessions” isn’t very good but the comments?? Divisive!!!

 

[AlwaysDancing]

To be honest, and I’m not pleased with this … it seems to make a big difference if the cheater is a man or woman as to how well received the story is. And that really is a shame. Shouldn’t matter.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

It's automatically relatable, too.

Not everyone has cheated, nor would cheat... but everyone has thought about it. It's a conflict that everyone understands the different aspects of.

Does "thought about it" mean considered doing it, or feared it would be done to them, or heard of it happening to others...?

 

[Mike130]

I'm working on a story where there will be cheating. I've had people cheat on their spouses before on stories, but in those cases, one spouse tends to be a louse, and you kind of want the other to break free. In this case, there is no true louse. It's about being manipulated into cheating.

I do have a happy ending in mind, which might placate those who abhor adultery, but the cheating aspect is vital to the narrative and, at the moment, very erotic, in part due to its lustful/deceptive nature. I have made sure the cheating is physical, not emotional, but I wonder if I'm just asking for a barrage of insults for taking likable characters and having them violate their vows.

Any experiences and feedback you've received would be appreciated.

This didn’t happen when we were married, but when we were dating. My future wife would hook up with other guys for sex, even did a threesome with 2 guys. She told me this after we were married and instead of being jealous, it aroused me. My wife knows the difference between love and lust, love being emotional and lust physical. I have no problem with her satisfying her physical needs, in fact, it’s been a fantasy component in our lovemaking for many years. I guess that’s where wifesharing gets its allure. We’re not swingers, but it’s nice to imagine.

Again, we’re both making the distinction between emotional and physical so there’s different feelings in play.

 

[Voboy]

To digress a bit, what category do you put cheating stories in? I'm writing part of a series that involves cheating but not with a married couple. The main characters are about twenty-years-old. There is another site that has "Cheating" as a category, but Lit does not. Erotic Couplings barely makes sense, but the Non-erotic option is not really good either. I can understand why Romance readers don't like the topic. It's almost "anti-romantic," or rather near the end of what started as a romantic relationship.

Thanks!

I place my stories in whatever category I think the "main idea of the story" supports. Often I know before I start, or right after I do, but sometimes I decide at the last moment. I don't like putting stories in EC, but I'm honest enough to admit to myself when they belong there.

For contest entries, it's often simple: EH for Halloween, Exhibitionism for Nude Day, etc. I've written a great deal in Mature, which I've found to be extremely forgiving of understated infidelity.

Does "thought about it" mean considered doing it, or feared it would be done to them, or heard of it happening to others...?

All of the above, I think.

When I write about it, I usually present it as a fairly normal part of being a sexual human. Because, based on my life and the people I've known who I've talked about this with, it 100% is.

They don't do it, necessarily, but the thought is very often there.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I place my stories in whatever category I think the "main idea of the story" supports. Often I know before I start, or right after I do, but sometimes I decide at the last moment. I don't like putting stories in EC, but I'm honest enough to admit to myself when they belong there.

For contest entries, it's often simple: EH for Halloween, Exhibitionism for Nude Day, etc. I've written a great deal in Mature, which I've found to be extremely forgiving of understated infidelity.

Thank you. Sometimes it's hard to find an overall theme beyond "cheating," which usually leads to the couple breaking up.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Ok, here's a curveball for you. My April Fools story https://literotica.com/s/it-was-for-sciencehttps://literotica.com/s/it-was-for-science has an older married lady who went from a blow job to a gang bang. It's in mature, and no one commented that she was cheating on her husband. I thought I'd be hammered for that.

Go figure...

 

[Voboy]

Ok, here's a curveball for you. My April Fools story https://literotica.com/s/it-was-for-sciencehttps://literotica.com/s/it-was-for-science has an older married lady who went from a blow job to a gang bang. It's in mature, and no one commented that she was cheating on her husband. I thought I'd be hammered for that.

Go figure...

That's been my experience, especially in Mature: they don't get all moral 'n' shit, for the most part.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

When I write about it, I usually present it as a fairly normal part of being a sexual human. Because, based on my life and the people I've known who I've talked about this with, it 100% is.

That's super interesting. I have obviously heard of infidelity. I've never considered doing it, nor worried about having it done to me. Maybe that's naive. I hope it doesn't come across as judgemental, at least.