How long before the love making starts?

[martiniguy]

How much of a story are you willing to read before you get to the good stuff? If the story is heading in a good direction, will you put up with a page or 2 or 3 of set up, before the sex starts? A simple question from a novice.
Thanks for any input.

 

[JRaven]

It depends...

There's a lot of "it all depends" to your answer.

If the story line is good, it really doesn't matter how long the setup is. Consider how many books are sold without any sex at all in them.

On the other hand, consider your audience here. Very long stories are usually broken up into seperate chapters posted seperately. To have a whole chapter of four pages without sex wouldn't get a lot of readership. Chapters 2,3, and 5 could easily get more views and votes if they have "the good stuff".

Another aspect of the audience to consider is in what category to put your story. Think of this hypothetical story.
Chapter 1 - Setup - Non-Erotic
Chapter 2 - Hubby sets up wife with a boyfriend - Loving Wives
Chapter 3 - New boyfriend's wife plays with protaganist - Lesbian Sex
Chapter 4 - 18 years after her fling with boyfriend, she has sex with their love child - Incest
Some chapters will get read, others won't. Some will offer great feedback, some will scold you for your sinful thoughts.

But more important that your audience is why you're writing in the first place.

If you're writing to please your readers, consider what they want. IMHO, most stories should devote at least 25% to the setup. Even if it's a chapter two, there should be some reason as to why they're having sex again.

If you're writing for yourself, let the story be. Give it your best and make it the best story you can make it. You just might surprise someone besides yourself and get a lot of great responses.

Good luck,
Jenny

 

[Texguy84]

There's a lot of "it all depends" to your answer.

If the story line is good, it really doesn't matter how long the setup is. Consider how many books are sold without any sex at all in them.

Also, while story is good, sometimes people are just looking for a stroke story. I've found myself going in either direction based on my mood. Really the best barometer is to write what you like. If you feel like writing a 20 volume epic with backstory and in-depth characterization with a smattering of hot sex scenes, write it. If you feel like writing a half page story about a girl and her three boyfriends and their friday night fun, write that. Hell, I remember one story about a pair of socks having sex in a washing machine that got rather good ratings.

Some chapters will get read, others won't. Some will offer great feedback, some will scold you for your sinful thoughts.

I'm honestly disappointed that none of my stories have gotten any blistering negative feedback. Just one "this is wrong and you're going to Hell forever! Jesus loves you!" would make my day.

 

[JamesSD]

How much of a story are you willing to read before you get to the good stuff? If the story is heading in a good direction, will you put up with a page or 2 or 3 of set up, before the sex starts? A simple question from a novice.
Thanks for any input.

It really does depend.

That said, you shoudl at least start building to the sex somewhere in the second lit page. The exception is Romance, which tends to be paced much slower.

 

[sirhugs]

a different view:

except in Romance, or Novels, I think readers will hit " Back"" in mass if you don't have sex building up within a few paragraphs.

I would NEVER go on to page two in a story that was all plot and no sex to that , and I think I'm more patient than most readers.

 

[asian_princess]

mmmmm a question i ponder every time i write a story. And in this case, i think the best thing is to just to tell you what i feel and not what i think others want ( cos i wouldn't have a damn clue!)

JRaven is right, considering the audience here...the sex, is somewhat expected..and in my case, when I'm reading, always highly anticipated.
I usually scan the first page and read the first paragraph. Some stories are saved by their sexual content...and benefit from it showing up as possible.

And if you're like me, a writer who relies on the sex to save their story hehe , there are ways to have sex appear early in the story without having to give up the set-up of plot or characters. A short peekie here, or masturbation scene there never hurt and can help hold the attention long enough for the story to really get their claws into the reader.

BUt then again, a well written plot stands on its own credit...and there is definitely the audience here who appreciate a good story for what it is...sex or no sex, so write how it feels right to you.

 

[BlackSnake]

How much of a story are you willing to read before you get to the good stuff? If the story is heading in a good direction, will you put up with a page or 2 or 3 of set up, before the sex starts? A simple question from a novice.
Thanks for any input.

Sometimes I start my stories off in the mist of sex (love making is for romance). I'll loose interest if I have to wait too long. Lit pages are long, waiting to the second page maybe a stretch.

 

[bisexplicit]

I agree with what others said before, if you're hitting a second lit page and nothing sexual has happened yet, you're gonna lose a good number of your readers.

 

[silverwhisper]

i personally will continue reading for pages if the writer is skilled.

ed

 

[Penelope Street]

It is a myth, at best, that a story will go unread if sex doesn't occur on the first page. Each reader brings different expectations; some want a simple sex scene, others are looking for a real story. Thus you're bound to lose some readers no matter what you do. Personally, I have never stopped reading because the sex scene did not occur prior to a particular page, but I've quit reading more stories than I can remember because the sex occurred before I cared about the characters. My advice is to not heed the blowjob by paragraph five methodology. Write the best story you can and let the characters decide when they should do the hunka chunka.

 

[MagicFingers]

It depends

I assume you are talking about LIT pages? Remember they are much longer that WORD pages, for instance. There are about 6 Word pages per one Lit page. I usually want to see something happening before page 2, but I have read some long stories with no sex until the 3rd Lit page, and that was alright because the story was good or the background was necessary.

Yes, romance, or love takes longer, to develop the feelings, and people might not want to "wait for it", as Radar used to say.

There were some treads a year or two ago where people talked at length about length. Some people told me my story was too short, and that I should develop the characters more. Then, right after, other wise people told me I needed to get to the sex quicker, and that nothing should be put in the story that doesn't relate to the story. So, go figure.

I usually write and edit until the story is done. No more, no less. Whatever it takes me to tell what I want to tell. Then, cross my fingers and hope people will like it.

 

[sirhugs]

so there you go...a full range of views.

Hope they helped.