Hey: Idea

[hmmnmm]

Just was thinking a minute ago. I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever worked with the idea of a story that is not overtly erotic, but does have a strong undercurrent of erotica, that runs from head to toe.

If you have dabbled with this idea, I'd be very curious to know how that went for you. I really like it the more I think of it. It feels like something that would be a lot more comfortable to do. The explicit stuff just doesn't ultimately feel right, for me anyway. Don't know why. I mean, I'm into the feel, big time. But... you know? Hm, now I'm overwriting.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Weird Harold]

Just was thinking a minute ago. I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever worked with the idea of a story that is not overtly erotic, but does have a strong undercurrent of erotica, that runs from head to toe.

If you have dabbled with this idea, I'd be very curious to know how that went for you. I really like it the more I think of it. It feels like something that would be a lot more comfortable to do. The explicit stuff just doesn't ultimately feel right, for me anyway. Don't know why. I mean, I'm into the feel, big time. But... you know? Hm, now I'm overwriting.

Thanks in advance.

A huge portion of the publishing industry features just such stories -- it's called the Romance Genre.

The kind of story you describe is the bread and butter of publisher's like Harlequin -- or at least what got then established; mainstream Romance has gotten a LOT more explict that it used to be, but so hs SF/Fantasy, Mystery, and almost every other genre.

 

[hmmnmm]

A huge portion of the publishing industry features just such stories -- it's called the Romance Genre.

The kind of story you describe is the bread and butter of publisher's like Harlequin -- or at least what got then established; mainstream Romance has gotten a LOT more explict that it used to be, but so hs SF/Fantasy, Mystery, and almost every other genre.

No shit? So that's what romance is.

But it wouldn't have to be confined to romance? Should it? Maybe just extremely well-suited.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Erotica versus Non-Erotic

We need another category called Erotic.

We have a Non-Erotic category that Literotica dumps any story in that does not have graphic sex.

It's kind of ridiculous that Literotica, an erotic story web site, doesn't have a category for erotica.

 

[sr71plt]

Just was thinking a minute ago. I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever worked with the idea of a story that is not overtly erotic, but does have a strong undercurrent of erotica, that runs from head to toe.

If you have dabbled with this idea, I'd be very curious to know how that went for you. I really like it the more I think of it. It feels like something that would be a lot more comfortable to do. The explicit stuff just doesn't ultimately feel right, for me anyway. Don't know why. I mean, I'm into the feel, big time. But... you know? Hm, now I'm overwriting.

Thanks in advance.

I don't follow. Do you think "erotic" equates with "sex acts"? It doesn't. At whatever point it approaches arousing, it's already eroticism.

 

[Weird Harold]

No shit? So that's what romance is.

But it wouldn't have to be confined to romance? Should it? Maybe just extremely well-suited.

No, it doesn't have to be confined to the Romance Category here at Lit, but it is the kind of story that the Romance Genre in print publishing was built around.

It is a style/plot element that is used in a lot of other genres as a subplot or for character development, but if it dominates the story, it will get derided as a nothing but a "Harlequin Romance" by hardcore fans of whatever genre it's marketed as.

That's not quite the same as choosing a category here at Lit although the same derision of "a sappy romance" from the fans of the more explicit categories (non-consent, BDSM, group, loving wives, anal, etc) would likely result if it wound up in their territory.

There used to be a huige market for that kind of storyline in almost any any kind of fiction -- in fact it was considered very risque in some genres to even admit that adult might fallin love, let alone have sex. However, the modern market for just about everything except children's books demands the level of eroticism you're talking about as a minimum in just about everything. Sometimes to the detriment of the story, IMHO, but the "experts" say Sex Sells, so every story has to have as much sex as you can get away with.

Even Harry Potter has some 'erotic' aspects hinted at that are about as explicit as Rowling could get in a series aimed at "tweeners."

 

[hmmnmm]

I don't follow. Do you think "erotic" equates with "sex acts"?

Absolutely not. The two are definitely not automatically synonymous.

At whatever point it approaches arousing, it's already eroticism.

I guess I'm thinking of a lot of approaching. Sometimes approaching very very close, other times receding. The potential always being there.

 

[hmmnmm]

Or, what about trying to counterbalance the 'sappy' with somewhat darker elements? Severely restrain the sappy.

 

[Weird Harold]

Or, what about trying to counterbalance the 'sappy' with somewhat darker elements? Severely restrain the sappy.

If you're going to write (successful) genre fiction, you have to conform to the genre's conventions and expectations -- Trying to mix "sappy romance" with "gothic horror" doesn't fit the formula for either genre and would require some extraordinary story-telling to be well received.

I'f you're going to write Soft-porn/Romance style erotica then you need to market it to fans of Soft-porn/Romance. If you've got to tone it down or "balance it with darker elements" you're writing for a different audience and soft-porn/romance is probaby not the choice of story-telling style to pick in the first place.

 

[hmmnmm]

This is one of most informative hours I've spent in a long time.

Much appreciate the help in sorting some of this out.

Got stuff to think on.

 

[hmmnmm]

We need another category called Erotic.

We have a Non-Erotic category that Literotica dumps any story in that does not have graphic sex.

It's kind of ridiculous that Literotica, an erotic story web site, doesn't have a category for erotica.

Oops. Missed you.

I'd go for an Experimental category. I know, a lot of that would still probably go in Non-erotic, and the ones more erotic you'd have to still figure out where to put it. There is still the Novel/Novella, but even then, if you'd try and tell someone what it's 'about' and the best you can give them is 'oh a little of this and little of that' you're still back to where you tried to dodge a fragment of reality.

Now if they had something like Slightly Disturbed Romance? That could be an accommodating forest of exploration.

 

[oggbashan]

Some of my stories are like that.

Examples: Bagged at the Opera; Golf Widower; Hedgehog Feud; Nursery Santa...

Some complain that there is no sex. Others appreciate the implied sex.

Og

 

[hmmnmm]

Some of my stories are like that.

Examples: Bagged at the Opera; Golf Widower; Hedgehog Feud; Nursery Santa...

Some complain that there is no sex. Others appreciate the implied sex.

Og

Shall check them out for sure.

Thank you.