Explicit or Not

[Luvbug40]

So what do you perfer in a story. Do you want explicit sex that is detailed, sex that is breifly discribed or do you just need the lead up to it.

As for myself the thing that gets my panties wet is the setting and how the sex came about. A good setup to the sex matters much more to me than the discription of the sex itself. I have seen porn films where there is no story, just sex. These do nothing for me. I like the seduction part of the story and the sex is a bonus.

Is it because I am a woman I want the setup. If I was a man would I only care about the sex?

Please state your gender and what you perfer

Explicit Sex in detail with a good set up.
Explicit Sex in detail only, who cares about set up.
Breifly Detailed sex with a setup.
Set up only, the sex is an extra I can take or leave.
Other points of view or comments.

 

[MagicFingers]

"A"

How they got there is important to me, and I'm a middle aged man.
I can't stand those porno flicks with no plot or story at all. They are Sooo boring.

You should try to change this to a "POLL" so people can click on an answer. It might get more reads somewhere else too, like how-to cafe or somewhere like that, or the stuffy Editor's hangout.

 

[skygazer]

Male...mid thirties... I like explicite sex with a good set up

 

[sereneone4u]

I am with skygazer...explicit with a good set up.

 

[harry87]

In general I think women like sex to have substance, whereas men - especially the younger ones - just want to jerk off as quickly as possible. It's not true for all of them, of course, and there are many outstanding male writers here.

I'm a male myself, and would say that explicit sex in detail with a good build-up was the way to go. Erotica without context is porn - and porn is the same old same old. There needs to be strong characters that engage the reader; things like foreplay, atmosphere, tone, and emotion to really suck them into the world these people inhabit. If all of these things come together, something as simple as a hug between the right two people can be electric. I'd even go as far as to say that it doesn't really need to be all that explicit either. I don't think you need to have pages describing the sex-act. Just make a few telling referrences and get across how special it is to the characters.

But I'm just not sure whether this is a majority view. As yet I haven't written anything myself because I'm am a perfectionist and spend forever fussing over the 'balance' of my stories. Do you ask yourself the following questions: Is the build up too long? Too short? Not enough sex, too tame, etc,. If so, you've found a buddy to talk erotic writing methods with.

Sometimes it takes me chapters even to get to a simple kiss, and I think to myself, 'For crying' out loud, this is supposed to be a submission for literotica!'
and then I have to go back over everything I've written and try to condense it. The expectation is for sex. Few people are going to have the patience to read it. Though, there are some dedicated souls.

The approach I'm taking is to 'charge' the whole story/book/novel with an omnipresent sensuality that grips the reader even when there's no actual sex happening. Vampire novels have traditionally done this. Imagine your narrative as breathy, visceral, portentious. See the sensory side of everything - clothes, furniture, conversation, dreams. If two people are doing something as sanitary as playing chess, describe that scene from the point of view of what their bodies are doing, they way they look at each other, and so on.

It might sound like a bizarre reccommendation, but Frank Herbert's Dune has been a real influence on me in terms of writing with passive eroticism. So much of what happens in that novel is from the physical perspective.

I hope all of the above made sense and was of some help. If it didn't, I'm very sorry for wasting your time. Remember, I haven't written anything so I'm not any kind of authority on this. You're welcome to PM me if you want to put heads together with. It would be welcome, as right now I'm ploughing a lonely furrow.

 

[Luvbug40]

I understand what you mean harry87. Some good points.

Sometimes I think I rush things a little too much and make the story too short. I just am not into so many of the details like four paragraphs of what she had for breakfast this morning. This is a sex story not a novel.

I write about lesbian sex and my favorite type is the encounter. Someone that did not know what they were about to experiance and finds themself involved in a sexual situation. I try to tell my stories as if I was telling a friend of a encounter that happened to me. (One of them did, if you ready my stories maybe you can guess which one, the rest are just fantasies)

I also sometimes do not get really explict durning the sex scenes as I feel that the readers imagination can be more erotic than the graphic detail. I like just enough detail to get across what is happening and leave the rest to their fantasies. When the story demands it I am a little more graphic.

I have a story pending right now that I find very erotic but not very graphic. I guess as a writer I am trying to find my balance and the balance my readers want. I know it is hard to do because everyone is different and has induvidual turn ons.

I guess I just write for myself and hope other people enjoy it. I must be doing ok as all my stories are listed as HOT. I am just trying to improve myself and hopefully give more to my readers.

 

[rgraham666]

My stories generally fall into three categories.

One is what I call 'short pieces of smut'. They focus on a single act, explicitly described. Bed of Roses and A Quiet Night At Home fall into this category.

One I call 'in-between' pieces. There is some plot and character build up, but it leads to a single act, explicitly described. Librarian and Discovery are examples of this.

Then I do full blown stories with complete character development and a real honest to God plot. There is sex in them, explicitly described. Not always at the end though. But usually. The Orange Slip, Abyss and The Gift are my favourites of my stories in this category.

Generally I write what ever pops into my twisted mind.

 

[Reshbod]

For me, the setup is the key. If I can't get into the setup, I usually stop reading before the sex starts. If I do find the setup interesting then I prefer the sex to be explicit.

 

[mrbaddaddy]

Just give me some lava-hot dialogue, and I'm hard and happy.