Erotica

[KillerMuffin]

What is erotica?

I've been thinking about that when a thread on the General Board called nominations was flying around. Some authors take it seriously, they write erotica as if it were as important as any other genre. Some authors take it as a chance to write down sexual fantasy and post. Some readers want characters, plot, development, some readers just want to whack off and don't want anything else to get in the way of a good juicy cum.

When you write a story for this particular site, what do you think of the story? A full story with characters and plot, or just a hot sex scene?

There is some controversy about this particular site, no doubt. It's just a porn site and we wanna read smut, or it's about erotica. Laurel has stated that she wanted a place for authors to post stories, and she had done that admirably. To me, it's more than a porn site and the stories are more than just a quick jack off. I like stories with sex in them, societal taboos have taken out that element of the human spectrum, and I missed it. Men and women fuck, but we can't let that be known in contemporary stories or they get relegated to "nice story, but..."

What do you think?

 

[Madame Pandora]

GMTA

Well Killer, I can only thank you for starting this thread ;-)

The nominations board made me think the same thing. I pondered for a bit, and here's MHO.

I think erotica is not either one, but both. It is BOTH the hot and heavy "all this is leading to is a good hump" story, and the more subtle sexual tale, crafted with artful taste. I believe this for the same reason I own both Life is Beautiful and Die Hard. All art, be it film, music, dance, or the written word has a voice, and that voice may or may not have something well crafted to say, but it's still talking.

I have a friend who only goes to see films where there is a pretty good chance of a nuclear explosion in the final stages of the plot. I have another friend who will not watch anything "commercial." Me...I think they are BOTH missing out.

I want to enjoy both the action movie and the art film. As long as it moves me.

The stories I've posted here are all leading to a sexual encounter. I focus on my characters a great deal, trying to make them realistic, but they are all bound for one specific act.

Sometimes I just want to read or write about fucking. The primal, enmeshing hunger of it. The taboo of it. The naughty thrill. The fantasy of flesh. BUT...there is that other side of me. The sensual side. The barest glimpse of chaste skin, the seductive allure of passion held back, the tongue-in-cheek conversations of the hesitant.

Again...I try to look at it like film. There are MANY movies where the plot has been gangbusters...but lord did the acting suck. By the same token, I have seen some amazing acting and directing over pretty dumb scripts. It cannot all be the perfect blend of the best case scenario, so sometimes you just walk away with parts. That's why you relish the truly sublime things more, they're rare.

In many songs there is often only one line I love. In many movies, there is often only one scene that captures me. In many books there is often that single passage which owns me. I break them down into parts and enjoy what I can.

Erotica is all...and nothing.

But, oh...those ones that are the perfect combination of primal encounter and uncompromising style? Well...those are the high bar we judge all the other "one song albums" on.
And this site does have its share of those ;-)


MP

 

[CreamyLady]

Hmmm. My own view is that erotica is created to elicit a physical reaction (like pornography), with something more, to touch the soul as well. There is a mental and emotional connection in erotica that is lacking in simple pornography.

There is a sensitivity to erotica; something else is going on other than two animals rutting.

This is my view of erotica. Others, of course, may disagree. We all know it when we see it. We just see something different.

 

[Tawny T]

Well, this author got started originally writing down my own fantasies - for myself. I read some of the stuff written, and thought rather egotistically, I could write better. Well, lots of people think I do.

I still mostly write for my own enjoyment, during and after! I love a good story, and a good sex story. I try to combine the two and we have - erotica. I frankly admit that I read some of them (mine) over, and pleasure myself whilst doing so. Is that self gratification or not?

I have given pleasure to myself as well as others. Am I a humanitarian or what? God, I'm good, and -- humble too!

 

[chatbug]

When you write a story for this particular site, what do you think of the story? A full story with characters and plot, or just a hot sex scene?

Others have posted what they think erotica is. The definitions I've seen are close enough to what I think.

To answer the question KillerMuffin asked, when I first started writing a few years ago, I was writing for my own sexual gratification. I then found out about Usenet, and alt.sex.stories. I started to write for an audience as well as for myself. I found that I was bored with writing just about the sex. I wanted to write stories with characters I cared about and could relate to and were somewhat plausable. I can only hope others will appreciate and like what I've written.

I'm glad I found Literotica, and am in the process of reediting and posting my better stories here. Hopefully full stories with characters and plot.

 

[Amadeus]

The moments seemed to stretch into days and finally she spoke

Surely there is nothing so boring as reading something which has nothing to offer but a string of dirty words, and perhaps nothing more pleasant than reading a reasonably well written story line with sensual, erotic content.

Most of us long to have the talent and the energy to write a book someday. One problem along the way is getting enough interest to practice and get corrective, useful feedback. Because erotic content attracts a lot more interest than run of the mill story telling, this is a unique venue for receiving feedback. And, those who bother to give feedback, interestingly enough, are reasonably thoughtful. On ASSTR, you can get a count of your readers, which is non=verbal but useful feedback. It is difficult to keep writing without having some knowledge that someone is reading it.

Stephen King, started his writing career in the erotic magazines according to his latest book, "On Writing" which is a good book about the process of writing and also a good personal memoir.

And, finally, erotic writing and quality erotic stories are fun, stimulating and a pleasure. The other stuff posted is just unfortunate debris to be thumbed past.

Keep writing!

 

[Weird Harold]

What is erotica?

I've been thinking about that when a thread on the General Board called nominations was flying around. Some authors take it seriously, they write erotica as if it were as important as any other genre. Some authors take it as a chance to write down sexual fantasy and post. Some readers want characters, plot, development, some readers just want to whack off and don't want anything else to get in the way of a good juicy cum.

To me, there is Erotica and there are pornographic vignettes.

In the past, I've described pornographic vignettes as those stories composed of pentrating prose, a cliactic ending and lots of OOOOHs, AAAAAAHS AND OH Myyyyyy God!s strewn liberaly about.

My personal philosophy is that storytelling is independent of genre. A well told story is one that is technically correct, evokes the images and feeling the author wants to convey, and tells the whole story.

What people write for their own eyes only can be written however they want, but once it's posted for others to share, it should be written "properly" so it communicates with the reader. Genre doesn't matter because the same skills are needed to describe a sunset, a beautiful woman, A sexy man, or a lonely space station spinning around some forgotten star.

 

[scorpio00155]

quote:
------------------------------------------------------------Originally posted by KillerMuffin
When you write a story for this particular site, what do you think of the story? A full story with characters and plot, or just a hot sex scene?

------------------------------------------------------------

What a head scratcher of a question! I guess firstly I wrote for pleasure, posting came later on when I decided to see if anyone other than myself might be interested in what I had written.

Personally I prefer a rounded story with plot and characters, although this is not always easy to develop in short stories. I think it's true to say that what may be one persons erotica is anothers 'good hump story' (to quote Madame Pandora).

Scorpio00155

 

[Jake2001]

Why do we write erotica?

Good question Muffin.

Personally, I think we write to solicit emotion in our readers. And what better, stronger emotion is there than an act of sex! Is our motivation that trace of estrogen or testosterone that is flowing through our system at the moment? Perhaps it is to a point, but I think it is more than that. I think it is a desire to convey a presence. It is a challenge in us to try and paint a picture that will get the potential readers to feel, to identify, and hopefully enjoy what we have written.

Now, I do not admit to getting an erection as I type a particularly hot scene and I certainly do not jackoff when I finish describing how my wife and her new girlfriend kiss with my cock throbbing hard between their tongues. Nor do I squeeze and rub my hard dick through my cutoffs as I go back to read the last paragraph and contemplate the next few sentences.

Oh, excuse me ... did I say that?

I will admit, though, that I am anxious to have my first attempts released to the board when Laurel gets back from Europe and has time to approve them. I intend to introduce my wife to literoica.com and have her read them. Maybe then she will understand why, lately, it is the wee hours of the morning before her husband crawls into bed next to her and why he is so amorously inclined.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Why do I write erotica?

Mainly because I enjoy reading it. I've trawled around the Web, read various stories - some good, some great, the majority... well, let's say I found the majority wanting.

I thought to myself, 'try to do it yourself'. So I did. At first purely for my own entertainment, with no intention (then) of submitting it.

Then I found Literotica. An intelligent, free (Free!) site with entertaining writers and some good stories. Erotic stories! Some good, some great, some...

So I sent a story in, and the response has been good, generally favourable, enough so to convince me to keep trying. I write primarily to entertain myself and if anyone else likes it, great. I like a situation to develop, to put my characters into believable situations. I cannot write a bang, bang, every trickle of bodily fluid-type story. I prefer a gentler approach. I may try a different style. You'll see it only if I'm happy with it.

But I'll keep trying. Trying because I like to read erotica, and I like to write it, too.

 

[MunchinMark]

I think that plots are important. This is really just me, but I don't like a completely detached scene. I always think about the whys and wherefores. You can go to far, I have written several extremely long pieces of prose with no erotic content, but I just bin them as the reader would not keep reading.

 

[CreamyLady]

My favorite stories among those I've written start as an image, and then I sit down and type what I "see." I can't describe it any better than that. I'm watching something unfold in my head, capturing as much as I can with the keyboard, and then the film stops and I save it.

The stories I'm least happy with were hard work; like watching a movie with dirty glasses, or something. I felt as if there was too much to see, and it was hard to describe.

I started writing erotica because it was a great way to learn to sustain narrative and action. I'm more interested in sex than the wild west, or I'd have tried writing westerns.

Seriously, I'm moving away from erotica when I write. I find that it gets in the way of my stories. I'm not sure exactly where I'll end up, but it has certainly been a learning experience.

 

[Guest]

I'd rather see a blurring of the bounderies between what is seen as "erotica" and what's seen as "pornography". Whenever someone says they like erotic fiction but they don't like porn, there's usually a kind of condescending snear attached, as if they're saying that the poetry, sensuousness and emotional connection of a loving encounter between two people is better, more dignified or morally superior to hot, sweaty animalistic fucking where your primitive brain takes over and all your logic and reason flies out the window along with all those middle-class notions of what "good taste" is.

I think that both kinds of sex are immensely satisfying and equally important to living a healthy life. If you can have both of them from the same relationship then you're laughing. Or you would be if you weren't too busy tangled up with the love of your life, having the kind of mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex that implodes your brain and causes your emotions to dance and spin like a Russian bellerina.

I think it's exactly the same with erotic literature - both types of writing are just as valid. It's a real challenge writing something that really conjurs up the romance and poetry of an erotic encounter between two people flushed with love. But, it takes just as much creativity and talent to write a raw, blunt, no-holds-barred, completely un-sentimental fuck scene that's convincing enough to "bring off" someone who's used to reading something more challenging than the National Enquirer

I've read plenty "erotica" that hasn't stimulated me intellectually, emotionally or sexually. I've read some "pornography" that's been closer to art than any of the "erotica" I've read.

Good art should always try to bring about some kind of response in its audience - shock, amusement, sadness, confusion, happiness, disgust or even sexual arousal. I don't think it should matter whether it's your mind, your heart or your loins that it's stimulating. If you can somehow cause all three reactions then you might just have created great art.

I think the argument here isn't between erotica and pornography. It's between good writing and bad writing. If a terrible writer tries their hand at erotica they're going to fail just as miserably as they do with their pornographic writing.

It wouldn't offend me at all to have my stories described as "pornographic" but it would really hurt me to find out that people thought I was a terrible writer with no noticeable talent.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Roger Simian said

'It wouldn't offend me at all to have my stories described as "pornographic" but it would really hurt me to find out that people thought I was a terrible writer with no noticeable talent.'

To which I respond,

Amen, brother!

 

[Carl East]

Personally, I write for three reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, I enjoy writing. Secondly, I love the fact that some people really do enjoy my stories. Finally, I get a kick from knowing that a few of my stories actually get people off, in a sexual way.

I do know, that not everybody likes my style of writing, but that's okay because I don't enjoy all the stories I read. We all have our own particular favourite types of story, and it's impossible to please everyone.

I consciously try to vary my stories, going for both surprise and erotism, and I like to think that I give a good mix of both. My advice (for what it's worth) to anyone starting to write, is to enjoy the experience for you, rather than please anyone else.

Carl.

 

[Closet Desire]

I think...

...pornography is only about sex and that erotica is a story with sex...hopefully lots of sex.

I also think erotica is as important a genre of literature as any other. Certainly it dates as far back as language, even into the caves of Italy and France (Battaille). It also has played a major influence in more general genres, particularly with the Romantics.

 

[Paolo Labico]

Why I write Smut...er...ah...Erotic Fiction

My initial reason was strictly mercenary: I wanted someone to give me feedback on my ability to write anything...and to do it for free! Until I saw this thread I never really thought about the flavors of the genre. This is Paul's Philosophy of Porn, there are three types:

To be considered the vaunted high-brow Erotic fiction, the story has to still work if you summed up all sex in one line. In one of my stories the setting is the aftermath of a battle, which I did sum up in one line. For a different venue I could have spent 4 pages on the fighting, and mentioned that a girl was raped at the end.

A pornographic story is driven by the sex. It can't be rewritten in another format. If done well it should encite emotion as well as erection/lubrication.

Smut! (I think it should be said with exclamation)is all about Whackin' The story has to devolve into something like "Honey the Pizza-boy is here...." once you remove all the sex. They sometimes seem cut and pasted from a bout of cyber-sex.

I suggest that comparisons between them are a bit pointless. It's a bit like comedy. Like comparing "much ado about nothing" with an episode of "monty Python"-ok maybe Benny Hill for the Smut! equivalent. Yes, If i was running out of a burning building I'd grab the Shakespeare, but a dead parrot nailed to a stick makes me laugh my ass off.
The main reason there seems to be a descending hierarchy is that the "lesser" categories are easier to write badly and still get posted, so there is a flood of them. Really good Smut! is hard to write. If you accept my premise that it deals with a bombardment of images, I'd say that the erotic poetry section comes closest.

Paul

Damn! We need a spell check on this thing...Where's my editor!

 

[Schmadrian]

What is erotica?

I can remember a Playboy Playmate once saying "There are three types of activity that can go on in someone's bedroom: fucking, making love, and making babies. I can tell you about the first two."

I have this personal approach to looking at the 'quality' of things-artistic. Without getting into examples, because subjectivity and semantics rule supreme in this arena and no one is inherently 'correct', I differentiate between a singer and a vocalist. A guitarist and a guitar player. An actor and a star. A film and a movie.

There are huge differences between 'pornography' (I never use the word, it's been burdened by connotation), erotica and erotic literature. Again, I won't give you specific examples (I can if you want me to, I'd be more than happy to privately post some faves in each category), but from what I've seen/found during the overmuch amount of time I've spent trolling through the archives here since I found literotica.com, 'most' of what is posted is pornography. In the sense that it exists on one level, for one purpose. to either get someone else off, or get the writer off.

(I should say that although I make it a point to be appreciative of all creative efforts, that there is no such thing as 'good' music or 'bad' art, just stuff you either like or dislike, this having to do with my belief in the sanctity of the creative process and how I sincerely worship at its altar, most if not all of the writers whose work I've taken the time to read should make a point of reading more. Because they're too caught up in the need to express themselves and have not managed to apply a deft touch or execute their pieces with much technique or facility. I love the piece of dialogue from 'A Chorus Line' where the director -in the film played by Michael Douglas- tells a girl "I can't make you a *great* dancer. But I can make you a *better* dancer.")

Erotica takes it a step further. There's not only sensual/sexual intent, but a certain amount of style. the writer has learned to express themselves in the very same way that a good lover is more 'enjoyable' to be with than just someone who fucks. The experience is more rounded. It brings into play more than just the mechanics of sex.

Erotic literature...well, this is the rarest of the rare. This is the stuff of *transcendence*. It goes beyond the physical act at the core of the tale and in fact makes it a bit player. Erotic literature is produced by writers. Not merely people who write. When you read erotic literature, you know you're in the presence of something awesome. You can't quantify it, you just *know*. I'm not a statistician, but the percentage of this stuff in relation to what's out there is, at best, 'tiny'.

Some of us will only ever write pornography, your archetypal Letter to Penthouse. (I'm no snob; I cut my teeth on these gems.) Some of us will learn our craft and churn out erotica. The blessed...it it's our heartfelt desire, and we want it bad enough...will produce erotic literature.

Good luck to us all.

Schmadrian

P.S. Just as a little answer to the inevitable 'Who does this guy think he is?' query, I'm a novelist/screenwriter who happens to make a living out of writing erotica. And yes, when I want to, I write erotic literature.

 

[Closet Desire]

You should...

...probably wait for the question! (grin)

 

[Closet Desire]

Got your email...

...no way to reply? Drop me another line if you like and let me know how to email you!

 

[Guest]

My experience

Hi guys, I don't know if this thread is still going or not but I thought I'd lay out my opinion on the subject.

What I have found in my stories is that my worst rated story is also my most pornographic. In the stories where I took the time to develop the plot and the characters I got much better ratings. Judging from this I would say that most of literotica's readers who vote, and that is a big distinction, prefer erotic stories to porn. However if you look at the stories that are posted I think you'll find that a slim majority of the stories border on simple porn.

Nothing wrong with that, I like reading them almost as well as erotic stories.

Well I so much for my opinion. Thanks for letting me spout!

Ray