my ongoing failure to write a stroker

[big_cane_sugar]

For quite a while now I've been trying to write the kind of story that, were I to read it, would end happily for myself.

It's a lot more difficult than I expected. I haven't found any well-written stories that do what I need done, and I can't bring myself to write that badly. I begin well enough but pretty soon I'm interested in how at least one of the characters feels and next thing I know the whole thing is ruined.

Is there a support group for this kind of problem?

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

For quite a while now I've been trying to write the kind of story that, were I to read it, would end happily for myself.

It's a lot more difficult than I expected. I haven't found any well-written stories that do what I need done, and I can't bring myself to write that badly. I begin well enough but pretty soon I'm interested in how at least one of the characters feels and next thing I know the whole thing is ruined.

Is there a support group for this kind of problem?

I’d argue it ain’t a stroker unless you know how the characters are feeling.

Edit: as someone who’s interested in writing only strokers, my tip would be to focus on creating the anticipation (or, conversely, landing an unexpected surprise) and then exploring the psychological complexity of the situation you’ve created. But, whatever the case, you should enjoy the process. No point to it if it’s a chore.

 

[Rob_Royale]

To me, a stroker has doesn't omit how the characters are feeling but is centered on it. I feel a stroker is sex-centric and about how the characters feel about it before getting involved. Intro is brief and the ending as well. Everything in between is wet and warm. Great examples would be the backseat car ride and poker night tropes. I did mine about a new girlfriend who goes to a Superbowl party with her new boyfriend, only to find out there's a halftime gangbang for the bimbo hostess.

 

[AG31]

To me, a stroker has doesn't omit how the characters are feeling but is centered on it.

"Feeling" can mean physical sensation or emotional experience. For me a good "stroker" (hate that name) needs a healthy dose of the former.

 

[JohnBJohn]

I've written a couple and I tend to be verbose, my stories wandering around a bit as they grow larger. I've written a couple of strokers and the key is to have a general plot outline. Know where it starts, a bit about the scene and then how it ends. You can explore character emotions and reactions within this, but try not to expand the story beyond your intended ending. The first chapter of my FWB series can be considered a stroker as it doesn't have a ton of plot, but I found I liked the characters and wanted to explore, so I did, but that was in chapter 2 (and 3 4 & 5).

 

[TheIntrepidBoyager]

Pretty arrogant to say that writing a "stroker" means writing badly. Pretty condescending to the readers of such stories too.

 

[big_cane_sugar]

Pretty arrogant to say that writing a "stroker" means writing badly. Pretty condescending to the readers of such stories too.

I am the reader, the one enjoying the story in a sexual sense.

 

[StillStunned]

It's a lot more difficult than I expected. I haven't found any well-written stories that do what I need done, and I can't bring myself to write that badly. I begin well enough but pretty soon I'm interested in how at least one of the characters feels and next thing I know the whole thing is ruined.

A well-written stroker requires good writing just as much as any other story. More, perhaps, because you're not relying on character or plot.

That's not to say you can't have character and plot. But the driving element is the sex, so that sex has to be hot, graphic, engaging and satisfying.

 

[AG31]

A well-written stroker requires good writing just as much as any other story. More, perhaps, because you're not relying on character or plot

Definitely a quotable quote.

 

[NotWise]

For quite a while now I've been trying to write the kind of story that, were I to read it, would end happily for myself.

It's a lot more difficult than I expected. I haven't found any well-written stories that do what I need done, and I can't bring myself to write that badly. I begin well enough but pretty soon I'm interested in how at least one of the characters feels and next thing I know the whole thing is ruined.

Is there a support group for this kind of problem?

Been there. Can't help.

 

[CalBishForNow]

I don't understand the question. Part 1 and 3 of this look like strokers. So just do that again.

 

[designatedvictim]

For quite a while now I've been trying to write the kind of story that, were I to read it, would end happily for myself.

It's a lot more difficult than I expected. I haven't found any well-written stories that do what I need done, and I can't bring myself to write that badly. I begin well enough but pretty soon I'm interested in how at least one of the characters feels and next thing I know the whole thing is ruined.

Is there a support group for this kind of problem?

I've been down this road, myself, but on the other side of the coin.

I don't consider my three stories to be strokers, although there's plenty of strokage available in them.

My characters get chatty, I think they have motivations of their own which come out in the course of their dialog.

They have quite a bit of dialog. They get chatty. To my total surprise, when I started writing, I found out that not only can I actually write dialog, I enjoyed doing so.

That was the last thing I expected.

My problem is the opposite of yours. My sequels devolve into (in my opinion) almost pure strokers.

I built the characters in the initial story and now haven't come up with much to add to them. The fall-back becomes more sex.

Not my goal.

I wrote about 80-85% of a sequel to A Week of Sunrises (40K-words) and it petered out because it was mainly brother visits sister, sex happens. A lot.

I couldn't really think up much to add to the characters at that point. Motivation to write flagged.

That story has languished for the better part of a year, now. Untouched.

I'm working on a follow-up to my most recent, Figure Study with my Sister (40K-words). The follow-up is now just over 30K-words.

FSwmS had a lot of sex (which, to my surprise, some people find objectionable), not so much to have a lot, but to show many smaller sex acts between three people during the course of their first night with lesser amounts during follow-on nights. I wanted to show lots of smaller acts and the word totals ran away from me.

They've all (brother/sister/roommate) slept together, so they'll be doing so again. That was most of the same issue with the sequel to AWoS.

In the case of FSwmS, while he'd slept with the sister - repeatedly - but they didn't have sex. The 'will they or won't they' aspect still exists for the sequel.

I think I've avoided most of the problems of the sequel to AWoS, but only time will tell.

And, for what it's worth, I still enjoy reading the stuff I've done.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I don't see why you should try to force yourself to write something that your brain clearly doesn't want to write. If you enjoy character exploration, why would you force yourself to do a story that doesn't explore characters?

But if you really want to do a stroker, consider it less like a story where the characters aren't fully realized (as has been pointed out very succinctly by @StillStunned, strong characters are actually the backbone of a good stroker that is light on plot), and more like a snapshot in time. You keep the scope limited to that one moment of sex. Weave in details that hint at a larger narrative if you want, but if you enforce the bounds of that snapshot, you can't go chase down whatever happened before or after.

You can set it with people who just met, and it's a hookup and the rush of exploring someone for the first time. Or maybe it's a roommate-to-lovers story, where the sexual tension that's been building for weeks finally snaps (without showing all the buildup). Or partners who want to try something new because their sex life has gotten kinda stale. Each of these has a whole world before and after, but concern yourself with the minutiae of the moment. Reference how they got there if it is too confusing to not, but really revel in the fine details of that specific moment in time.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

My advice is to compartmentalize your writing. Break things up.

I read once that with the Mission Impossible movie franchise, they always start by filming the action scenes and stunts first, and then go back and create the scenes that justified the action. You can do the same thing with writing sex scenes (or any other scenes for that matter).

The sex scene is just that - a scene; a piece of the whole. Don't hesitate to write only that scene when the mood fits, and then write other scenes later that create the association your story needs to work.

 

[Rob_Royale]

"Feeling" can mean physical sensation or emotional experience. For me a good "stroker" (hate that name) needs a healthy dose of the former.

Of course, but is it really exciting unless the MCs have to ask themselves at least once, "What in the world am I doing!?"

 

[StillStunned]

But if you really want to do a stroker, consider it less like a story where the characters aren't fully realized (as has been pointed out very succinctly by @StillStunned, strong characters are actually the backbone of a good stroker that is light on plot), and more like a snapshot in time. You keep the scope limited to that one moment of sex. Weave in details that hint at a larger narrative if you want, but if you enforce the bounds of that snapshot, you can't go chase down whatever happened before or after.

And a few lines is all you need to establish characters that are strong enough for a sex-driven story. A woman, chest heaving and red hair plastered to her forehead. A man, hands twisting in impotent fury. A voice breathless with desire. A mischievous smile. A knowing smile. A smile of relief.

A few words go a long way without getting in the way of the hot sex.

 

[anthrodisiac]

And a few lines is all you need to establish characters that are strong enough for a sex-driven story. A woman, chest heaving and red hair plastered to her forehead. A man, hands twisting in impotent fury. A voice breathless with desire. A mischievous smile. A knowing smile. A smile of relief.

A few words go a long way without getting in the way of the hot sex.

I'd just like to commend you on finally thinking about red-haired women for once. It's about time you came around to the ginger side.

 

[Britva415]

I can't bring myself to write that badly.

Pretty arrogant to say that writing a "stroker" means writing badly. Pretty condescending to the readers of such stories too.

I chose to take it a different way, even though I understand that was the way OP meant it.

The way I chose to take it was, "I don't want it that badly." Which is clear. You want to write the other stuff more than you want to write what you (say you) want to read.

 

[StillStunned]

I'd just like to commend you on finally thinking about red-haired women for once. It's about time you came around to the ginger side.

Someone here in the AH keeps going on about redheads, so I thought give them a mention for once.

Next "on writing" topic: redheads, and why they're the best.

 

[AG31]

Of course, but is it really exciting unless the MCs have to ask themselves at least once, "What in the world am I doing!?"

It is to me. The more physical the feeling is, the more excited I am by the story. We're talking about erotica here, not main stream fiction. I find MCs questioning themselves pure distraction. Again, we're talking erotica here, not mainstream fiction.

 

[deathlynx]

I'd just like to commend you on finally thinking about red-haired women for once. It's about time you came around to the ginger side.

As opposed to scaly and feathered?

 

[anthrodisiac]

As opposed to scaly and feathered?

I'm okay with incremental progress. After red-heads comes modern birds, then therapods, so he's only a couple steps away.

 

[big_cane_sugar]

I don't understand the question. Part 1 and 3 of this look like strokers. So just do that again.

Definitely so but they wouldn't do it for me.

In erotic terms, the best story for my purposes I've found on this site so far is this, although it starts slow by the end of the first page it is doing what I need it to do.

That author put a lot of good work (very good work for my purposes) into the sex scenes but not as much into the technical aspects of writing.

I would love to write stories like that, but with just a bit better editing. I think what I might need to do is write stories the way they come to me and then, afterwards, just delete all the story parts.

 

[anthrodisiac]

It might be helpful to think about this from the perspective of what you're hoping to get out of this story.

1. Why do I want to write this story?
2. What is the point of the story for me?
3. What is the point of the story for those who read it?
4. What do I hope to get out of writing this story?
5. What do I hope others get out of reading this story?

Asking yourself clarifying questions like these can help you suss out your intention and the scope of what you actually want to do. Are you writing this story because you like the story and want to chase it? Are the characters stuck in your mind and you want to get them out? Do you want a flashy sexy stroker to draw in more followers? (No judgement if that last one or something similar is the case, it's a totally valid reason for writing a story.) Once you have a better idea about what you want from the story, it can help you shape it and get it into the state you want it to be in, or that is best for the story, depending on how you approach it.