Is it necessary to include sexual intercourse?

[Louetta]

I like having a sex scene near the end, but for my multipart stories, I like to end with a cliffhanger or hint toward the next chapter.

I usually end with some kind of epilogue or postscript, talking about what happened or how I felt right after getting f*cked.

 

[SandyWhitlock]

I want sex in my erotica. That might not neccasarily be penis in vagina but some sort of sexual act or release.. There's a lot of people here who will read long stories with heavy on plot but most will want some sexual act written on page I suspect.


When I read stories on Literotica, I'm looking for shorter sexy reads to turn me on and that's what I write. A lot of sex on page.

When I read my dark or taboo romance books, I want actual sex on page as well as good plot and characters I root for. It doesn't have to be a lot of sex but I don't want it to be fade to black.
This is my personal preference and so many others here with different ones.



Sometimes I notice towards the end there will be a sex scene that just seems to be filler or there will be one in the epilogue which many times I'll skip or skim through. It seems like the author is only trying to get a quota of sex scenes in and the plot is over so it really adds nothing to the story.

If you find writing sex boring then it may come off as boring or as an obligatory chore to the reader. Ultimately write what you like.

So I don't think you neccasarily have to end on a sex scene but if you are writing on literotica best to put your work in the non erotic section or do give a warning that there is no sex and only sexual tension.

 

[SandyWhitlock]

Just saw how you said that your story had someone having an orgasm. That's quite sexual to me. When you say "sex" do you mean strictly heterosexual sex with penis in vagina and that was the complaint of the person?

I don't know who said it but someone mentioned for a tale if exhibitionism that story might not neccasarily need to end in sex or a foot fetishist but some sort of fulfillment of the fantasy.

Also if other people gave you good reviews don't fixate on one person's complaint.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

There is a category (Nonerotic) for stories that don't include sex, but in other categories the readers will usually expect the story to include sex. There are some exceptions. Not every chapter in a chaptered story has to have sex. SciFi and Fantasy is a category where the story doesn't have to have sex.

Novels/Novellas, Mature, Romance, and even Celebrities/Fan Fiction are all categories here containing popular stories with no sex or only implied sex.

Some of my loyalist followers tolerate my erotic entries on Literotica but claim not to read them, preferring my more mainstream-style stories.

 

[Auden James]

Well, as KeithD noted, the OP is asking two different questions at the same time, which is why I concur that the OP might better do some more thinking about the special demands of writing erotica. As RejectReality noted, most readers on here probably come to this site to find some free jerk-off material in written form, and most of the offered stories on this site seem to conform to this demand in being little more than simple "strokers."

If you're writing such a stroker, ending it with a sex scene is just that narrative's logical end point.

If you're bored with writing sex scenes, you'd better not do it as the boredom you felt while writing them would most probably transmit itself to your readers. (And simply inserting an unmotived sex scene into a narrative just to have a sex scene in it, is usually not a reasonably good idea.)

As others pointed out there may be some categories on this site (Non-Erotic, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Romance, etc.) where the readership is more accepting of stories not ending with a sex scene or not even including one at all. Maybe you rather try out publishing in these in the future?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Writing sex can be hard. I've struggled with it.

Still, saying you enjoy the erotic tension but don't like to write the sex is a bit like Agatha Christie saying she likes writing all the clues into her murder mysteries but then hates having to do the bit where Miss Marple gathers everyone in the dining room and announces that the butler did it. It should be the bit where all the tensions you've laid along the way suddently fade away in one squidgy thrusting resolution.

Ideally, I'd theorize, there should still be story related stuff happening during the sex. He looks into her eyes and says 'I still hate you, but I'm never going to let you go.' or she says 'This had to be perfect...and it is.' (or by all means, something better) If the story would still be the same with a fade to black where the sex goes, you've probably not written a proper erotic story - which is fine, but as others have said, has its own category.

Plus you know, breakfast. Never hurts to end an erotic story on breakfast. If he's doing the cooking the relationship will probably work out...

 

[MelissaBaby]

Writing sex can be hard. I've struggled with it.

Still, saying you enjoy the erotic tension but don't like to write the sex is a bit like Agatha Christie saying she likes writing all the clues into her murder mysteries but then hates having to do the bit where Miss Marple gathers everyone in the dining room and announces that the butler did it. It should be the bit where all the tensions you've laid along the way suddently fade away in one squidgy thrusting resolution.

Ideally, I'd theorize, there should still be story related stuff happening during the sex. He looks into her eyes and says 'I still hate you, but I'm never going to let you go.' or she says 'This had to be perfect...and it is.' (or by all means, something better) If the story would still be the same with a fade to black where the sex goes, you've probably not written a proper erotic story - which is fine, but as others have said, has its own category.

Plus you know, breakfast. Never hurts to end an erotic story on breakfast. If he's doing the cooking the relationship will probably work out...

I am so glad that there are people here so willing to tell me how I should write my stories if I want them to be “proper erotic stories”.

If someone said they “hate” writing sex scenes, I missed it. What some of us do is approach eroticism from a perspective that the sex is in service to the story, the story is not in service to the sex.

I actually think that Agatha Christie probably took the most satisfaction from constructing her elaborate plots and considered the big reveals as a pro forma convention of the genre.

 

[TheRedChamber]

If someone said they “hate” writing sex scenes, I missed it. What some of us do is approach eroticism from a perspective that the sex is in service to the story, the story is not in service to the sex.

The original poster said they found writing sex boring and have ten or eleven stories that they haven't finished because they don't want to write a final (or indeed any) sex scene - I called that 'hate' for short.

I would say that in a sex story, the sex and the story should support each other. It seems the original poster is essentially reaching the end of their story without any sex. That's fine but they haven't written a sex story, they've just written a story (or a romance, or a thriller or whatever) and if nothing is gained story-wise with the sex scene then they may as well fade to black. Great, but, as they fret, if they are posting it somewhere where a sex story is expected then the audience is going to be disappointed. It may be better to post it in a category where sex is less expected, as several other posters have said.

Genre conventions matter. If in the next James Bond film, Bond retires, marries Moneypenny and then forms a male striptease act with a bunch of laid-off steel workers from Sheffield, it might still be a really good movie, but they'd have to be very careful about what they put on the poster.

I actually think that Agatha Christie probably took the most satisfaction from constructing her elaborate plots and considered the big reveals as a pro forma convention of the genre.

Put it another way. If Christie was struggling to write a big reveal, it might be more to do with the fact that the elaborate plot construction wasn't quite working properly and she might be just as likely to look at where she'd placed her clues in previous chapters as much as she would what was actually happening in that scene.

Surely if you are writing erotica you are considering why, where and how would it be exciting for my characters to have some kind of erotic/sexual encounter. If you're thinking, hey I'm glad they've got their relationship issues sorted out, destroyed the magic ring in the fires of Mount Doom and proved that the One-armed Man was the real killer, but frankly they're now going to go back to having bland, unsatisfying missionary sex for the rest of their marriage then you're in the wrong genre. Surely?

If Agatha Christie isn't interested in the big reveal of the murderer than why would any of the readers be. And if you as the author don't want to see your characters fuck, then who else will?

And the sex doesn't have to be at the end, but it seems like it's nowhere in the OPs stories. And to return to my Bond example, if there's a car chase and a shoot out in the first fifteen minutes of your movie, but then villian is defeated by Bond sitting in M's office and making phone calls to various police agencies for the next hour and a half, you're flauting genre conventions again and likely to get complaints.

I am so glad that there are people here so willing to tell me how I should write my stories if I want them to be “proper erotic stories”.

Maybe that was phrased badly. It was however an earnest attempt to explain how I see things.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Absolutely required? Certainly not.

That said, the site isn’t ‘Lit-hold-hands-ica’. While there are some parts explicitly non-erotic, others where sex is less important and while the very definition of ‘sex’ is maleable, most people come here for eroticism of some sort.

 

[Carible]

I should have been more clear in my question that when I say sex I mean sexual intercourse. The stories I write for this site are erotic, even without the sexual intercourse. They aren't inspirational romance stories that end with a sudden, unrelated sex scene like people keep implying here.

I agree that sex is a good way to end to a story because it's an obvious climax and can tie up plot threads. But in some of my stories I think the characters wouldn't have sex, and it makes the story feel less real if it happens. In my first story that had no intercourse, I got a comment that complained about the lack of sex (as I said) but also a very positive comment saying they were impressed with the lack of sex because it made sense for the characters.

Maybe it's my fault for not being more clear in my post that I am writing erotic stories, regardless of whether they include sexual intercourse (because I thought that was obvious), but I still have my question. Basically I wanted to know if it's, like, an unspoken rule that stories have to include intercourse. It seems like the vast majority include intercourse and very many focus entirely on it. I'm gonna just write whatever I feel like, and if a story happens to not include intercourse I'll leave a warning at the top so people who want that won't be disappointed. Some people have said it would hurt my readership or ratings or something but thankfully I can't imagine ever giving a shit about that, since I'm just writing for fun.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

There is no firm, concrete rule requiring penis-in-vagina coitus. That said, it’s a common sexual activity, probably the most common if we ignore kissing and solo masturbation. People expect it. It’s easier to omit it if you’re writing in Lesbian or Anal, of course.

I wrote a First Time story for a woman who wanted, among other things, orgasms but no penetration. Warning posted up front, ending with two happy young people and it went over well.

Bottom line is that it’s your story.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Surely if you are writing erotica you are considering why, where and how would it be exciting for my characters to have some kind of erotic/sexual encounter.

I'm very interested in the "why", and the psychological aspects of the "how", and indeed the oft-neglected "what after?"

But those don't always require writing the sex scene. Sometimes it helps those things, sometimes it gets in the way. Some of the sexiest stories I've read/seen focussed on the dance of attraction, and on the aftermath, and faded to black when the clothes came off.

 

[NotWise]

Basically I wanted to know if it's, like, an unspoken rule that stories have to include intercourse. It seems like the vast majority include intercourse and very many focus entirely on it.

There is no formal rule, but I think (thus, this is subjective) that most readers come here expecting to find sex in the stories they read. Put yourself in their place. They have an expectation and you titillate them with erotic buildup. If you close the story without sex, then maybe you just gave them the literary equivalent of blue balls.

Maybe some will appreciate the literary merit.

I'm gonna just write whatever I feel like, and if a story happens to not include intercourse I'll leave a warning at the top so people who want that won't be disappointed. Some people have said it would hurt my readership or ratings or something but thankfully I can't imagine ever giving a shit about that, since I'm just writing for fun.

Now that you know there's no such rule, you don't need to worry about it. Write what you want and have fun.

 

[Trionyx]

As noted above, putting a brief comment at the beginning of the story about there being no or little sexual activity allows those looking for same to quickly back click. When I have done this, I have never received a negative comment demanding I should have put in a sex scene.

 

[lovecraft68]

As far as the sub question of do you need sex at all, I'd say no, providing its going to be novels and novellas or maybe sci fi.

As far as the main question, it doesn't have to end with one, there could more after the sex scene to show the reader what resulted in it. A new relationship, two people getting what they needed, maybe some "what did we just do" and either resolving it there or in a sequel.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Personally, I don't particularly care if there's any sex in an erotic story because I'm much more interested in the lead-up to it, like, the characters and the tension. I got a negative comment on my first story because it didn't include sex. Since then, even though I'm writing these stories just for fun, I usually throw a half-hearted sex scene at the end because I'm afraid people will be annoyed otherwise. I find it boring to write sex, so right now I have ten or eleven unfinished, unposted stories that basically end in [insert sex here].

I'm curious if people think it's important that an erotic story include sex, or are there others like me who are mostly interested in the sexual tension and can do without long descriptions of sex? I almost feel like I should start my stories with a warning or something so I'm not wasting people's times lol. Thanks in advance! (my first time posting here )

I think a no-sex disclaimer is a great idea. Likely if the reader wasn't interested they would click to go back and never get to the end to rate you poorly, due to disappointment.

It's great to enjoy the lead-up, the location descriptions, the character development, the building of sexual tension, the teasing, the sexy smiles, and the seduction. I love that shit. It's what my writing is about too. But readers need the culmination of that too. Characters need to get there in the story. The way to not get bored writing it is to make it different every time. Only in porn films is sex about using fifteen sex positions. In reality, it's usually one or two. Settings, clothing, and the level of tension can all dictate how sex is going to happen and what positions are used. This is how I write. Check my story in my sig line below.

Personally, sex to end the story is a letdown. I would always want to have a wrap-up of the story. Yep, they fucked. How did it turn out after?

 

[sweetdreamssss]

I wrote a story where a man feels a woman in a dark bus and she responded..

It's partly anecdotal and it has no piv still i got good votes

It's all about how you handle the tension

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Personally, I don't particularly care if there's any sex in an erotic story because I'm much more interested in the lead-up to it, like, the characters and the tension. I got a negative comment on my first story because it didn't include sex. Since then, even though I'm writing these stories just for fun, I usually throw a half-hearted sex scene at the end because I'm afraid people will be annoyed otherwise. I find it boring to write sex, so right now I have ten or eleven unfinished, unposted stories that basically end in [insert sex here].

I'm curious if people think it's important that an erotic story include sex, or are there others like me who are mostly interested in the sexual tension and can do without long descriptions of sex? I almost feel like I should start my stories with a warning or something so I'm not wasting people's times lol. Thanks in advance! (my first time posting here )

I think it's important to end with a resolution.

Whilst we are purveyors of filth and smut we are also authors and I think that this is the most important part of what we do. We want to construct an entertaining narrative that features a fair amount of sex and sexual tension but at the same time is entertaining and worthy of us spending 20 minutes/30 minutes/more than an hour of our time getting sucked into this fictional world.

One of my favourite endings on LOVE IS LIKE A BLUE SHELL is at a wedding and merely hints that sex is coming.

Provide a resolution and closure and if it does involve some sex, great, if not, then that's fine too.

 

[KeithD]

I think it's important to end with a resolution.

As has already been noted, resolution very well could be what comes after a sex scene. In real life it usually would be. I note this not in counter to what you posted but as a response to the OP question of ending in a sex scene. A realistic story would legitimately take the story resolution beyond the sex scene.

As another note, a legitimate "resolution" of a story, as in real life, would be no resolution of the current dilemma--the point of the story being that there is no change--that the characters and/or situation isn't going to change. That's a legitimate real life "resolution" of a story theme. Status quo.

 

[electric1]

I think the sexual tension is more erotic than intercourse, and there are entire categories where intercourse is not even the norm. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism.

A good story needs tension/conflict, and when adults decide to engage in consensual sex, the conflict is generally over.

If you don't feel your story benefits from a sex scene, don't put it in. Write the story the way you see fit, and it either finds an audience or it doesn't. If the story doesn't draw an audience without a sex scene, it probably won't draw one with a pointless, lackluster sex scene either.

 

[AWhoopsieDaisy]

Its rare I end with a sex scene. I won't post a story on literotica without at least one sex scene in it, but I don't think a story has go end on one. If you think about freytags pyramid for a moment the "climax" of a story isn't the end.

Breaking this up into the three act structure you'll notice that the climax is pretty short and towards the end of the second act. In an erotic story I think the climax is a fitting place to put sex and not just because of the pun.

ACT ONE
Exposition
Inciting incident
ACT TWO
Rising action
Climax
ACT THREE
Falling action
Resolution

To have a sex scene in the resolution section of a story seems a bit odd to me. Im not going to say anyone is wrong or unskilled for doing it, especially in cases where it's very intentionally lacking in plot. Because critiquing that particular subset of erotica for lack of plot is like critiquing a point and click adventure game for its lack of combat mechanics. Lack of plot in PWP (porn without plot) is not a flaw but a feature of the genre.

I'm going on a tangent. I'll stop now.

 

[stickygirl]

In writing my first series I felt under ( self-imposed ) pressure to include sex, though never 'his spray of jizz caught in the dying embers of the setting sun. The End'. I realised after several chapters I was tired of writing about sex and instead focused on the story, characters and plot. Since then I only write for myself and if readers enjoy my perspective that's great but I'm not writing to get people off. If people want a wank, just search for porn vids. Surely readers hunt out erotica because they're tired of the same old crap on PornTube?

 

[KeithD]

I let the readers decide what they're looking for, and I don't expend any energy schooling them for that. They're likely to find it here.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

I spend so much mental energy on the build up to the characters sexual encounter, I've no creative appetite left for much more after the, hopefully, memorable event concludes. So yes, its always my conclusion, save for an occassionally clever twist or cliffhanger after.

 

[EricasDreams]

It depends. I write in a certain theme and style. My stories always feature an unlikely heroine inching toward surrender. Kind of predictable, maybe, but that’s what I like! Such a story has to include a build-up of innocence, curiosity, attraction, apprehension, seduction, lust, surrender. I like to employ a two steps forward, one step back, two steps forward method of ratcheting up the tension through these stages. Normally it works out to about 40% build-up, 40% sex, and 20% resolution. I think one in-depth sex scene and one or two smaller ones that occur naturally within the narrative is effective at keeping the sex from overwhelming.