Help! How to start a story.

[SexyM976]

So here it is. I’m fabulous at writing the sex part of the story and I have written a ton within the last year. I have been told I have a way with words.

But my problem is...I can not seem to figure out how to start it. The stuff I am doing currently is just for fun with my man. Most of the time I’m writing about sexual interactions or desires we are having.

But I would love to turn these actually into stories I could possibly sell. Maybe there’s a place to find prompts?

As a last resort- are there people out there that buy the sex scenes for stories? If so where can I find them.

 

[ElectricBlue]

But I would love to turn these actually into stories I could possibly sell. Maybe there’s a place to find prompts?

As a last resort- are there people out there that buy the sex scenes for stories? If so where can I find them.

A sex scene just by itself might get some traction as a stroker, as they are affectionately known at Lit, and video porn producers might be vaguely interested; but if you can't hang a story off it under your own steam, I'd quietly forget about the selling part, to be honest. Even with a story, selling smut ain't easy; without a story, pretty much impossible, I'd have thought.

You could trawl through the Story Ideas forum - you might be able to join your scenes up with someone's idea for a story.

 

[SimonDoom]

I agree with EB. It's no knock on you or your abilities, but decently written sex scenes are a dime a dozen. To turn a sex scene into a real story it helps (I'm going to say "it helps" rather than "you need" because there are always exceptions to every piece of advice about writing) to have characters and a plot. To have a plot, you have to have conflict, or tension, or something.

A basic plot structure would be:

Character has a need. (Mary wants to have sex with her husband John right now).

There is an obstacle to the fulfillment of her need. (They're in a bar crowded with people).

She overcomes the obstacle. (She figures out a way to slip him inside her with only a few people watching -- maybe with the help of a few people who shield them from the bar owner).

Overcoming the obstacle results in sex. (They have sex in front of people in the bar.)

This would be an outline of a story with a sex scene that would go in the exhibitionist category. By putting the sex in a public setting you create tension and conflict and make the sex more exciting and fun to read about.

You don't say what kinds of stories you write or like. That would help, because it would help frame the kind of conflict you would write around the sex.

Sex scenes are sexier when they represent the resolution of some kind of conflict, broadly defined. So think about what kinds of erotic stories you like and what kinds of conflicts they present and go from there.

Start with a character who has a sexual need. Put an obstacle in front of their need. Think about how you would want them to overcome the obstacle so they can have great sex. There you have it -- a story.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Start with a character

Bears repeating, again and again.

Start with a character. Use any template; a person you know, a favorite movie star, a character on a TV show. Start with a character.

 

[jomar]

And then, as they say, put the character in a tree, throw stones at the character, then get him out of the tree.

 

[tomlitilia]

Sex scenes are sexier when they represent the resolution of some kind of conflict, broadly defined.

Amen. The leverage written erotica has over visual lies in the drama, imo. If the story is just a sex scens, describing what goes where, then I might as well watch porn

 

[tomlitilia]

Bears repeating, again and again.

Start with a character. Use any template; a person you know, a favorite movie star, a character on a TV show. Start with a character.

It's not the only way. I usually start with a rough plot.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It's not the only way. I usually start with a rough plot.

I start with neither plot nor character. The triggering idea for my stories is nearly always a tiny scene; a moment, something somebody has said, something I've seen. Plot and character follow on from that, and major characters can appear from nowhere.

My subconscious must be quite a busy place, I think. I'm seeing a regular pattern now: a new story can sometimes take a week or two to get going, as if I'm circling around it, trying to find the way in, lining everything up; then suddenly, unannounced, I'll start writing faster, more frequently, and it's away - my job then is to keep up. That's when the buzz kicks in.

 

[8letters]

So here it is. I’m fabulous at writing the sex part of the story and I have written a ton within the last year. I have been told I have a way with words.

But my problem is...I can not seem to figure out how to start it. The stuff I am doing currently is just for fun with my man. Most of the time I’m writing about sexual interactions or desires we are having.

But I would love to turn these actually into stories I could possibly sell. Maybe there’s a place to find prompts?

As a last resort- are there people out there that buy the sex scenes for stories? If so where can I find them.

Sex scenes are my least favorite part of writing LitE stories. If you'd be interested, I'd love to try having you write a sex scene for me. I'd give you full credit for the scene. I'd send you what I had done up to that point of the story, give you some general ideas I had for the sex scene and see what you could do. I write incest stories, mainly brother-sister.

 

[MelissaBaby]

It's not the only way. I usually start with a rough plot.

I’m not saying it’s the only way, I’m just giving the OP my thoughts on what works for me.

 

[8letters]

As for starting a story, I'd suggest picking some process that you know well that you can do with a friend of the opposite sex. Saying buying a car, or planning a party, or teaching a dog to obey, or going to a bar with some co-workers. Then imagine going through that process with your man, but back when you were still friends. Imagine what the conversations would be like. How would you flirt with him? How would the conversation change over time? You could even roleplay the situation with your man. Then when the car is bought or the party is over or it's closing time, write would it'd be like for you and your man to have sex for the first time.

Bonus piece of advice - I think I've seen a lot of stories on LitE where the person seems to be writing down their sexual experience with a partner. They use "you" constantly in those stories. I find those type of stories offputting because I'm not doing what you say "you" is doing. Use a name, not "you".

 

[Handley_Page]

But my problem is...I can not seem to figure out how to start it. The stuff I am doing currently is just for fun with my man. Most of the time I’m writing about sexual interactions or desires we are having.
.

Please forgive me, but this is too good:

Once upon a time. . . . . .

 

[KeithD]

I usually start with confusion and action that at least starts to present the dilemma. Until you've gotten the dilemma (or at least one of them) out on the table, you haven't started the story. I also don't think you've started it until you've engaged the reader's interest/curiosity. I think that's better done by gripping their curiosity than by dumping background buildup on them.

 

[HeyAll]

Try working backwards.

If you have an idea for a sex scene, say in an office, then keep thinking; 'how did it get there? how did that happen?'

Keep expanding on the backstory, and eventually you'll have your begging.

 

[yukonnights]

I usually start with confusion and action that at least starts to present the dilemma. Until you've gotten the dilemma (or at least one of them) out on the table, you haven't started the story. I also don't think you've started it until you've engaged the reader's interest/curiosity. I think that's better done by gripping their curiosity than by dumping background buildup on them.

Ditto this. ^^^

I might just add, there are many online resources about "How To Write A Short Story". If you've never read up on these basics, I think you would find a lot of help by poking around on some of them.

As has been said, 'conflict' or 'dilemma' is the one that sometimes goes missing in some very simplistic stories. This 'dilemma' can be, and often is in erotica, an internal conflict one of the main characters is facing that keeps her/him from his true desires.
*****
SexyM976, if you're interested;

A typical story might look like this. (But always remember there are no hard rules in writing, just general guidelines):

Plot. This is the storyline that guides you. It's not hard and unchangeable, but it is a guide to keep you moving toward a defined end. Some don't need or use an outline to stay on track. I find a general outline at first is helpful, then I let the story unfold as it goes.

First Part of the Story: Introduction
Characters; A story will often begin with 'character building' where the author introduces the main characters to the reader. (another common beginning is a dramatic look forward giving a hint of the conflict to come...then back to the present for the buildup. <- be careful not to give away too much though or the conflict and climax will be diluted - think "spoiler".)

Second Part of the Story: Rising Action
Rising Action/Conflict; As the characters are being built, details of setting and the hints about the dilemma/conflict get dropped in. The character personalities continue being revealed. This is sort of like teasing the story (and reader) forward with building tension about the conflict, which gives you an opportunity to set the stage up just the way you see it in your head.

Third Part of the Story: Climax
Climax; The turning point of a story. It is the moment where it seems like the main character is in danger or could even possibly fail at resolving the conflict/dilemma. Depending on the kind of conflict being faced (man vs. man, man vs. self, etc.) the actions at this point in the work can be either physical or mental. A combination of both is often the best. (from penandthepad.com)

Fourth Part of the Story: Falling Action/Resolution
Resolution: The way you want your story to end. This is probably something that was set in the initial Plot. The 'falling action' eases the reader into the 'resolution'. This can be a happy ending, a sad ending, or something in between. But this was your target when you first started the story.

This last bit brings up something that isn't so much a technical step to writing a story—but more why did I write a story? What message did I want to send out into the world? This is the Theme. This is the authors opportunity to offer his or her opinion/view/feelings into the world through the story.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

There are a bunch of prompts on pinterest.

And I am just the opposite, I loathe writing the sex scenes. It's always the last part I write and if I could just omit them I would write so much faster. I'll get a whole chapter written in a couple hours and then sit and try to write the sex in and that can take a week or more.

 

[jp55665566]

Always start with a helicopter crash.

 

[MetaBob]

Once I know my characters they often write the story themselves, I just wrangle their excesses.

In the past, if I've gotten stuck, I've tried writing brief synopses for each of the characters involved, which helps me get to know them better, and the words flowed. A general outline can also help, even if it's only in your head. Where do you want the story to go? What are its milestones? Where and how will it end? When your characters take over, that's where the wrangling comes in.

 

[CuteSlaveLisa]

Please forgive me, but this is too good:

Once upon a time. . . . . .

Or...

In the beginning...

Love and Kisses

Lisa Ann

 

[ChloeTzang]

It’s the problem everyone new to writing faces. A scene by itself is straightforward. It the characters? Who are they? Why are they doing this? What’s their motivations? What obstacles do they have to overcome? How is this story going to end? It’s a learning curve and writing the sex is just one of the challenges.

All the books on writing are great but in the end you have to apply those lessons and do it. My approach was to take a story I liked and rewrite it in my own words. That way you have a ready made plot and characters you can steal. Then write the story in your own words. Rinse and repeat until you’re writing your own original stories and study other writers all the time. Their plots, characters, use of language, style, dialogue,.....

 

[Voboy]

I almost always start in the middle of something. Like the reader is just dropping in on the lives of my characters. Which, in a way, they are... if the characters are realistically drawn.

If you need to explain how the characters got to your beginning, you can do it later, retrospectively. Or you can hint at it. It all adds tension.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I start with neither plot nor character. The triggering idea for my stories is nearly always a tiny scene; a moment, something somebody has said, something I've seen. Plot and character follow on from that, and major characters can appear from nowhere.

My subconscious must be quite a busy place, I think. I'm seeing a regular pattern now: a new story can sometimes take a week or two to get going, as if I'm circling around it, trying to find the way in, lining everything up; then suddenly, unannounced, I'll start writing faster, more frequently, and it's away - my job then is to keep up. That's when the buzz kicks in.

I could be argumentative and say that as soon as you imagine somebody saying or doing something, you've created a character.

 

[CuteSlaveLisa]

I almost always start in the middle of something. Like the reader is just dropping in on the lives of my characters. Which, in a way, they are... if the characters are realistically drawn.

If you need to explain how the characters got to your beginning, you can do it later, retrospectively. Or you can hint at it. It all adds tension.

That is the way we experience life. As children we go to XXX, it was there 100 years or 3 months before we got there. We move forward in time. We are experiencing tomorrow, but we simultaneously learn what we did not know about yesterday.

Sometimes we make connections between the two...

No straight lines make up my life;
All my roads have bends;
No clear cut beginnings;
And so far no dead ends;

-All My Life's a Circle, Harry Chapin

Love and Kisses

Lisa Ann

 

[jomar]

Always start with a helicopter crash.

Or a highway pileup with 18 wheelers jackknifing and cars blowing up.

 

[SimonDoom]

I could be argumentative and say that as soon as you imagine somebody saying or doing something, you've created a character.

I agree with you, and I actually think that both EB and Tomlitilia prove your point. Regardless of where their creative sparks comes from, they're both like you in that their stories (the ones I've read, anyway) are character-driven. Like Tomlitilia, I start developing all my stories with a plot idea, rather than a character or incident or whatever, but the story itself always starts with a character, or characters. Once I have a plot concept, I need a character to drive it, and the character must have traits and needs that propel the plot. The character is always introduced at the beginning of the story, and the character's needs/wants/desires/quest are revealed, more or less, early on. A nifty plot is much more convincing and satisfying when it seems to spring from a character's needs and motives rather than being foisted onto a story from above by the author.