How difficult do you find it?

[Emilymcplugger]

Honestly, I have to remember to stop and add an occasional sex scene. Most of my stories would be fine without them

Yeah, it’s harder with this one because the town seems to be involved in the shady deaths of sone of its citizens, so it’s a big driver of plot but it’s so good I find myself getting trapped writing that.

I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.

I’ll just have to do a standard suck-and-fuck 2000 words next time just to keep my hand in (pardon the pun).

 

[KeithD]

Honestly, I have to remember to stop and add an occasional sex scene. Most of my stories would be fine without them

If that happened to me, I'd just be posting the story somewhere other than on an erotica story site. I wouldn't force it just to post it here. I write quite a few stories without sex in them. I just submit them elsewhere.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I don't think that I write sex stories. I write life stories. And sex is often part of life and so, sometimes, my life stories end up with a dollop of sex here and there. Even then, the sex part is seldom that serious. Come to think of it, I probably should be banned from Lit.

If you are looking for advice, Emily, I'd probably suggest that you focus on the story and let sex fall where it will. But then what person in their right mind would take advice from me?

This is what I've always said. I don't write sex stories, I write stories about people who have sex.

 

[Amy_66]

Yes, there are only so many ways to depict the Tab A into Slot B ...

Thus we have 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Tentacle Monsters.'

 

[TadOverdon]

It's been said that writers are selling their point of view. I doubt anyone would find my prose or point of view that interesting, absent my dirty mind.

 

[Northstar4695]

I don't find it hard to balance, but I have changed how I think about these stories. When I first started (not that long and not that many stories ago, if I am honest), I think I was only just trying to set up the sex in a convincing way. Now, in most stories, I am trying to create meaningful characters and stories that happen to be sexy. I am more invested in the character and plot-driven stories. That being said, even some of my more recent stories are really just setups for a scene I thought would be hot. It depends.

 

[Amy_66]

That's what I mean about bolt-on sex...

Oh... I thought "bolt-on sex" was like "strap-on sex," but of "professional quality," and purchased from the back of the "Snap-On Tools" truck...

"Now featuring the Binford 3200 gasoline-powered vibrator..."

 

[Oldtalesoldman]

I agree. I do not POST much, but I write a lot. When I first posted a story here, I did it based on others I had read, and the content thay had incorporated into those stories. But I find myself not wanting to just write sex, post, repeat. I like my stories to have some ring of truth to them, to actually be possible, not off the chart fantasy. It is very difficult to do. I have a tory I'm writing currently, that's 16 chapters in. That's 16 chapters of 3k to 4k words, and I'd bet there isn't enough sex in it to make a half chapter, but the sex is there, so once putting it there, or referring to a fetish or kink of a main character, It cannot be overwritten, and it's continuance is essential to the plot. It will NEVER be posted here, to subtle and drawn out for most here, so why bother, but it has a very good plot and I enjoy writing it,

 

[Duleigh]

Obviously we are all to some degree creators of filth, as such it’s the sex that’s brought people here, BUT, at the same time, plot and character are also vitally important.

So my question is this, how difficult do you find it to balance the requirement of sexual shenanigans in your story with the narrative need to have an engaging and interesting plot?

I know I’m finding it challenging with my current story but just thought I’d see if I was the only one getting lost in plot.

I'm having a very difficult time with it at the moment. The plot to my current story has completely taken over and I had to really come up with an excuse to insert sex into the story, it was almost like,

He: Whoa! We haven't had sex this chapter

She: Well, put that down and get over here!

Another factor is that if I'm not feeling well (which has been an issue lately) it's difficult to "create filth." Luckily "Novels and Novellas" let you get away with that.

 

[AWhoopsieDaisy]

Come to think of it, I probably should be banned from Lit.

Lol if you get banned for that I get banned too.

 

[RejectReality]

I typically have to stop myself from going off on tangents with character development, banter, and back story. Most of those darlings get their throats cut in the musing process, but my backspace key and cut scenes folder get a lot of action as well.

When it comes to my fantasy work, I often end up writing it as a separate story or at least contemplating it. Otherwise, it remains purely head canon which I'll sometimes relay when someone gets in the neighborhood with comments.

I get in ruts with the same ol', same ol' with sex scenes sometimes. What tends to help with that is to do a story with a single sex act that's often set up to purposely be unreciprocated. Oral, handy, exhibitionism, etc. and really delve into detail of that. It draws out little gems that I can sprinkle as spice into full-on scenes to break myself out of monotony. Throwing people into weird locations like a riding lawnmower behind a shed can force you to mix things up as well. Anywhere that's not particularly well-suited for sexual shenanigans forces you to think about positioning, balance, obstacles, hand holds, etc. It yanks you out of the rut of similar sequences.

I do occasionally scale back a sex scene, but it's rare. I dance on the edge of suspension of disbelief, and sometimes I slip.

 

[NightPorter]

I have one draft saying 'insert witty dialogue and her character here', another that says 'finally, they fuck - add more detail'. I was going to open the former up to suggestions here, but I think I have some ideas now.

At least I'm not the only one who does this. I almost published a chapter once that still said (Insert sex scene here.) All the build up was written and the characters reaction to scene was present, I just forgot to right the actual scene.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

For me the is no story without plot. Even a short one-shot scene has to have some motive in it. Vignettes that contrive to a kink, or simply depict a unicorn do nothing for me no matter how well written, but like I said that's just for me.

As far as writing it, the challenge for me is pace. Does the plot bog down and take up too much time between steamy bits? Does the setting imagery or introversive description take too long to read through? It's erotica, it has to be steamy and you don't want to annoy the reader while they slog through your story waiting for the payoff. The trick is to be concise with your descriptions in the non-erotic bits. Use one good word instead of three. Get rid of any redundancy. Make your dialogue natural and to the point.

Then during the sex scenes, heap on the descriptions. It will make things more immersive, hence steamier, and help make each scene more unique and fresh.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Obviously we are all to some degree creators of filth, as such it’s the sex that’s brought people here, BUT, at the same time, plot and character are also vitally important.

So my question is this, how difficult do you find it to balance the requirement of sexual shenanigans in your story with the narrative need to have an engaging and interesting plot?

I know I’m finding it challenging with my current story but just thought I’d see if I was the only one getting lost in plot.

Oh yes. This is very tough. I need to tell a story, not to get the reader off. I've finished two stories so far and thus far the comments have been very supportive of this. In my story Getting Busy, the first 25% of an 18000-word story is the lead-in. It was originally much longer but I did some judicial editing and knocked it down a bunch. The trick when creating the setting and characters is to make it interesting. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to use the time to begin the sexual tension between the characters. Eye contact, kissing, seduction. When sex rolls around, the reader can see a location and know the characters. I am enjoying the process of writing erotica very much.

 

[wws_wws]

Obviously we are all to some degree creators of filth, as such it’s the sex that’s brought people here, BUT, at the same time, plot and character are also vitally important.

So my question is this, how difficult do you find it to balance the requirement of sexual shenanigans in your story with the narrative need to have an engaging and interesting plot?

I know I’m finding it challenging with my current story but just thought I’d see if I was the only one getting lost in plot.

I find if I'm engaged with the plot and characters, then the smutty parts become even more erotic.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Oh yes. This is very tough. I need to tell a story, not to get the reader off. I've finished two stories so far and thus far the comments have been very supportive of this. In my story Getting Busy, the first 25% of an 18000-word story is the lead-in. It was originally much longer but I did some judicial editing and knocked it down a bunch. The trick when creating the setting and characters is to make it interesting. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to use the time to begin the sexual tension between the characters. Eye contact, kissing, seduction. When sex rolls around, the reader can see a location and know the characters. I am enjoying the process of writing erotica very much.

Oh, yeah. I LOVE how the characters move the story in ways you don't know. I'm just writing HOT AND FUZZY part 4 with a bukkake scene that I had no idea was coming when I started the story.

I think that's the best thing that the characters move your stories in ways that you don't expect and it just makes the whole experience just so much more interesting and surprising.

 

[TadOverdon]

My characters get interesting to me when they talk to each other. But I have to throw out, God, probably 75% of the conversations I write because they don't move anything forward.

 

[Rob_Royale]

My characters get interesting to me when they talk to each other. But I have to throw out, God, probably 75% of the conversations I write because they don't move anything forward.

I quite agree. I get a better understanding for my characters as I write dialog. And if we were writing novels too much wouldn't be a problem, in most cases, but in short form fiction it's a balancing act.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I quite agree. I get a better understanding for my characters as I write dialog. And if we were writing novels too much wouldn't be a problem, in most cases, but in short form fiction it's a balancing act.

Mmmm.

I’m trying to balance the two by duelling the plot parts and the sex parts in terms of pushing the chapters forward, however at the minute I’ve managed to get myself stuck between two sex scenes in part 4 and part 5.

Don’t know how I managed that.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Mmmm.

I’m trying to balance the two by duelling the plot parts and the sex parts in terms of pushing the chapters forward, however at the minute I’ve managed to get myself stuck between two sex scenes in part 4 and part 5.

Don’t know how I managed that.

Maybe changing the setting of either sex scene can help.

 

[NotWise]

Mmmm.

I’m trying to balance the two by duelling the plot parts and the sex parts in terms of pushing the chapters forward, however at the minute I’ve managed to get myself stuck between two sex scenes in part 4 and part 5.

Don’t know how I managed that.

Let's see... If you're stuck between two sex scenes, then it sounds like it's time for the plot to move forward, and it isn't.

For that situation I have: sat on my hands waiting for inspiration, made the plot more interesting, removed one of the sex scenes, combined the sex scenes, and rearranged the plot so that things that happened earlier happen later.

I do that last one quite a bit because I barrel ahead with the plot then find out that the story flows better if parts of it happen later.

 

[Duleigh]

My characters get interesting to me when they talk to each other. But I have to throw out, God, probably 75% of the conversations I write because they don't move anything forward.

But if you are writing interesting characters and witty dialog, and you remove 75% of it, aren't you denying your readers some of your best work?

You're an awesome writer, just let go with a story and bury them in more awesome, then let them decide

 

[MetaBob]

But if you are writing interesting characters and witty dialog, and you remove 75% of it, aren't you denying your readers some of your best work?

You're an awesome writer, just let go with a story and bury them in more awesome, then let them decide

!

 

[TadOverdon]

Well, thanks

But if you are writing interesting characters and witty dialog, and you remove 75% of it, aren't you denying your readers some of your best work?

You're an awesome writer, just let go with a story and bury them in more awesome, then let them decide

Well, thanks!

But for me every scene needs to move a story forward. Dialogue IMO is not natural conversation but the illusion of such, creating a sense of leisure and character while serving the primary purpose of creating or resolving conflict and leaving the characters in a different place than at the beginning of the exchange.

Or something else.

 

[Duleigh]

Well, thanks

Well, thanks!

But for me every scene needs to move a story forward. Dialogue IMO is not natural conversation but the illusion of such, creating a sense of leisure and character while serving the primary purpose of creating or resolving conflict and leaving the characters in a different place than at the beginning of the exchange.

Or something else.

I agree with driving the narrative forward, and I try to make the dialog do that. Sometimes I find it easier to let my characters describe something instead of the narrative, then it becomes more natural. Like when a car comes into view a person would say, "Hey, that looks like the ol' 57 Chevy your dad used to drive, the one with the white over turquoise paint..." and let the conversation describe the car.

I've noticed that dialog in stories does not reflect dialog in real life. Face to face conversations are filled with short statements and very short answers to questions unless an explanation is demanded. That doesn't work well written out in a story, it's easy to get lost between the two characters so conversations use much longer statements which is how we talk on the telephone.

People are weird.