Sci-Fi & Fantasy question

[Neonurotic]

I'm writing a story that will fit in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy cat, however, not for a chapter or two. There will be Non Erotic chapters and I wondered if I should just keep the story all in Sci-Fi & Fantasy or split it with Non Erotic cat?

 

[3113]

Put all in Sci-Fi, and hit at what's to come in opening chapter

I'm writing a story that will fit in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy cat, however, not for a chapter or two. There will be Non Erotic chapters and I wondered if I should just keep the story all in Sci-Fi & Fantasy or split it with Non Erotic cat?

Don't split it. Splitting stories puts you at risk--especially in this case--of readers reading their first two chapters, then dropping the story when it moves. Because they thought it was one kind of story, and read it for that reason, but it's actually another type and they don't want to read that. So a non-erotic reader might start reading, think it's a present day, non-erotic, and this is what they want...but no, it's an erotic science fiction. So you lose those who didn't want erotic and those who didn't want sci-fi.'

And the sci-fi reader only sees "chapter 3" in "new sci-fi" and why should they start reading that? Triple loss!

As for the non-erotic/non-sci-fi chapters...Sci-fi readers are patient and will give the story a chance to get to both the sci-fi and the erotic--if they know it's sci-fi by it being in that section. But they're not *that* patient. So, How long are the chapters? If they're only a lit page or two, merge the first two into the starting chapter and end on a sci-fi note. Or, perhaps, think about whether you're starting in the right place. Writers, when they start a story, often warm up with a few chapters that, on second read, they realize they didn't need. Are you absolutely sure you need two non-erotic, non sci-fi chapters? And if you do, is there no way to put a tidbit of what's to come on page one? Like "How did I end up on this space ship..." and then flash back to your non-erotic, non-sci-fi world where it all started.

You might be wondering why I'm urging you so strongly to try and re-jigger this. It's because readers here know they don't have to be patient. When a reader picks up a book, they're usually willing to wait and give the writer "indulgence" time to set things up--because they paid for the whole meal. So they'll accept appetizers and soup and salad before getting to the juicy bits. But readers here can easily click off a story and head to another one--they're at a food festival and all samples are free So writers do better here if they start, as the old rule says, "En media res"--in the middle of things, or at least, if they make sure the reader can smell the juicy bits that are coming and, thus, make them willing to wait for them.

In other words, hints of the sci-fi to come, if not the erotica, would probably be wise.

 

[Sammael Bard]

Depends...

I'll give you two examples of some famous series published here in Lit. Unfortunately, one has been taken down by the author but the other one is there for you to see.

The Last Tritan series by Waterburn has all of its stories put under the Non Consent category, even though more than a few chapter don't have any hint of Non Consent sex happening anywhere.

Readers and loyal fans are seemingly happy.

Demonic Submissions by TheLastChaosLord begins with Non Con, but in the 27-29 chapters that the author had put up on Lit, he had distributed it into various categories depending on the theme of the story.

Readers and loyal fans still happy.

I think no one will mind it if you put in the same category or in different ones depending on the theme.

Sci fi is a very broad term and encompasses a wide variety of themes, so I think you'll have no difficulty in posting all of your stories into it.

I suggest that you post all of your stories into one category.

 

[Neonurotic]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I will put it all in Sci-Fi & Fantasy. I kinda figured the category readers were more lenient for a real story as long as I delivered.

 

[RejectReality]

The readership is perfectly fine with slow-to-the-sex stories, and even stories that don't start off with a sci-fi/fantasy feel.

So long as it gets there in the end, you'll do fine leaving the whole story in the category.