I've written this before

[yukonnights]

Hey, now, I love writing about the emotional side of sex. It’s more enjoyable to me than the act itself. But that’s just me. I can’t speak for others. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard; but, in the end, it brings me the most joy. Sadly, some of my most emotional stories fail to achieve what I hope for from the readers. It’s all good, though. Kant

I think the reason for that failure to connect is because human emotions are much more complex and diverse than the physical human sexual experiences. What may really move me will no doubt leave someone else scratching their head wondering what yukon was smoking when he wrote that. Perhaps a way to say that is; some people are more sensitive to emotions than others? But, the nice thing about emotions is there seems to be more of those 'inner' experiences shared in common among all the genders.

 

[NotWise]

I think the reason for that failure to connect is because human emotions are much more complex and diverse than the physical human sexual experiences. What may really move me will no doubt leave someone else scratching their head wondering what yukon was smoking when he wrote that. Perhaps a way to say that is; some people are more sensitive to emotions than others? But, the nice thing about emotions is there seems to be more of those 'inner' experiences shared in common among all the genders.

I need to balance the emotional, the logical and the physical.

Stories here often lean to the physical and they come off shallow and sometimes stupid. If stories lean too far to the emotional then they're icky for me, and if they lean too far to the logical then they're dry.

 

[yukonnights]

They feel intensely, or not.

They do something sexual, or not.

The rest is explication.

You lost me on this one Sent me off to better understand "explication".

Here's what I found;• the process of analyzing a literary work in order to reveal its meaning: careful reading and explication of classical texts. Based on the etymology of the word explication, studies using explication, and extended argumentation we can deduce that explication in the arts, humanities and social sciences is largely an interpretative process where the outcomes - the new explicit knowledge - is open to subsequent dispute, with the possibility of additional and/or different meanings being derived in the future. [end quote]

As I understand it; explication then is a more analytical parsing of the work. This is the exact opposite of emotive, which moves one to experience emotions. To me, the power of an erotic piece is less about analysis and far more about evoking emotions.

Perhaps Im still not finding the right meaning of explication ?

 

[yukonnights]

I need to balance the emotional, the logical and the physical.

Stories here often lean to the physical and they come off shallow and sometimes stupid. If stories lean too far to the emotional then they're icky for me, and if they lean too far to the logical then they're dry.

I couldn't agree more.

I know this is just me, and it may be a little goofy, bit I tend to try to write something that is just on the topmost shelf of possible...sort of the hopes and dreams of youth where love, once found, is pure and soft. The physical and the real world with all life's obstacles have to be traversed...and the struggle is hard, but in the end the prize is won.

I think the balance you mentioned is a good one. I try for all of those elements too. I often use setting to reveal details of a characters personality using "emotive" thoughts/feelings. The "emotive" feelings/thoughts are almost always there in the intimate scenes.

They even show up in the scenes of crisis...I just finished one awhile back where one of the lovers was shot miles from any help, this set up an opportunity to expound on the other lover's "inner dialogue" about fears of loosing that which she thought she would never find while driving to the nearest town over an hour away. The panic and desperate tears as she watched the helicopter whisk him away.

 

[Hypoxia]

Perhaps Im still not finding the right meaning of explication ?

Wikipedia sez:

The idea and practice of explication is rooted in the verb to explicate, which concerns the process of "unfolding" and of "making clear" the meaning of things, so as to make the implicit explicit.​

The story unfolds from the setup to the final image. What was suggested, becomes. What was murky, clarifies. That's the author's task: to show what is meant. Maybe only arousal is intended; a story MEANS "jerk off". Maybe we want to fuck with readers' minds and emotions, so the clarity is false or twisted -- gaslighting. Authors can explicate (unfold) tales any fucking way they want.

So. People do or feel or say something. Narration unfolds from there, in some arc. Clues and hints are dropped and found and clarified. That's the drama.

 

[gunhilltrain]

It was good for me. Was it good for you?

I'm suspicious that some readers would have preferred the first version, but I wasn't writing for them.

I've struggled with a term, and maybe y'all can help me out. Pornography is what we call stories giving an explicit description of sex. What do we call a story that gives explicit descriptions of emotions?

I feel like the emotional expression is 'dirtier' than most pornography. It's hard to write.

Yes the emotional side is both dirtier and harder to write.

If I may refer to Billy Wilder and old Hollywood again: the "fade to black" tactic has been underrated recently. (It can work in text too I think). Anyway, sorry for the huge subtitles someone stuck in this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7qZzAUWjw

You don't have to see Joe and Norma humping. The best part in fact is when he takes her shoes off.

 

[yukonnights]

Wikipedia sez:

The idea and practice of explication is rooted in the verb to explicate, which concerns the process of "unfolding" and of "making clear" the meaning of things, so as to make the implicit explicit.​

The story unfolds from the setup to the final image. What was suggested, becomes. What was murky, clarifies. That's the author's task: to show what is meant. Maybe only arousal is intended; a story MEANS "jerk off". Maybe we want to fuck with readers' minds and emotions, so the clarity is false or twisted -- gaslighting. Authors can explicate (unfold) tales any fucking way they want.

So. People do or feel or say something. Narration unfolds from there, in some arc. Clues and hints are dropped and found and clarified. That's the drama.

I found and read that definition previously, but got tangled up in the last sentence of that intro line in regard to the expression being used in both analytic philosophy and literary theory.

"The idea and practice of explication is rooted in the verb to explicate, which concerns the process of "unfolding" and of "making clear" the meaning of things, so as to make the implicit explicit. The expression "explication" is used in both analytic philosophy and literary theory."

*This part of the article clears it up:

Explication as a process versus explication as an outcome
When working with explication, it is essential to be clear, and to make clear whether you are dealing with the explication process (and hence working with the verb or gerund), or dealing with the outcomes of the process, such as a work which documents, describes and explains the new explicit knowledge.

Here's another simple definition from Wiktionary - explication: Noun-The act of opening or unfolding.

So, a long way to get back to; tell the story so it makes sense to the reader and expresses the authors intended theme in a creative way. Thanks for clearing the cobwebs for me...I'll be an explicating fool now But seriously, that is a very basic guideline to keep in mind...it they can't understand the story the author has missed the target.

 

[Hypoxia]

ObTopic: Sex (and attendant emotions) can be as simple or complex as we wish to write. As I said up in post #13:

Kama Sutra lists 245 positions for two humans of opposite plumbing and no special fetishes. Expand those with groups, queerness, and kinks, and the count goes rather higher. We have zero reason (except laziness) to rewrite the same mechanical stuff, even omitting fantasy creatures and unlikely anatomies.​

That's mechanics. For emotions, consider that the human brain is the most complex object known in the universe. The number of neural connections, and thus of possible thoughts and emotions, is effectively infinite, too big to count. We might categorize neural impulses: here's a bag of sadnesses, a cluster of joys, a multitude of pains, etc.

But each can be approached (and written) in infinite ways. We decide what story we want to tell, or it rips out of us like a juicy fart. Whew. Approach it from another angle and it changes. That's why I often suggest gender-flipping or conceit-swapping a tale, or taking an unexpected POV. We needn't repeat our writings -- unless we're lazy or rewarded.