Stories with depressive themes or unhappy endings

[rescatooor]

I just wondered what your experiences have been with stories that discuss heavy themes like depression or abuse or anything else that you probably wouldn't expect to find in an erotic story.

Have you written stories that might match that description? What has the response been? Have you read such a story, one where after finishing you felt like you had been dragged through mud? Do such stories even have a place on this site?

I'm trying to get a story like this published, just to get it out of my own toxic system. I'm just trying to figure out what to expect. Thanks in advance!

 

[SimonDoom]

I just wondered what your experiences have been with stories that discuss heavy themes like depression or abuse or anything else that you probably wouldn't expect to find in an erotic story.

Have you written stories that might match that description? What has the response been? Have you read such a story, one where after finishing you felt like you had been dragged through mud? Do such stories even have a place on this site?

I'm trying to get a story like this published, just to get it out of my own toxic system. I'm just trying to figure out what to expect. Thanks in advance!

The readership at this site is huge and varied. Although many readers probably are not looking for sad stories because they don't find them as erotic, I am sure there is a substantial readership for a sad story that is well-written with solid characters.

Most of my stories are positive, because to me that's more erotic, but I do have one in which the recent death of a parent is a big theme. The story has a sad tone. It did very well.

The key is to have solid characters and to make the sad events plausible. If you kill off a character in a sudden reversal or twist at the end you might get some angry readers. But there are great stories that have nasty twist endings, so that shouldn't necessarily discourage you, either.

Go for it!

 

[RetroFan]

I normally write comedic stories, but I have three stories that have very sad and serious themes as follows:

LEARNING TO LOVE LOUISE (Romance) - This starts like a nice little romance where everything is all sweetness and light. A teacher named Paul, single in his early 40s, is keen on asking out his neighbor Louise, a pretty divorcee in her late 30s with two young sons. He dithers and delays this, before finally getting the courage to ask her out with plenty of encouragement from Jane, Paul's co-worker and platonic best friend, who is much younger than Paul. Louise agrees to a date and things seem to be going well, only for Paul to freak out inexplicably and run out on the date. It is then revealed that Jane is not who she seems, and in fact not alive at all. She was Paul's fiancée, who died just before their wedding many years earlier, leaving Paul devastated and depressed for years on end, unable to accept Jane's death. It is deliberately ambiguous in the story as to whether Jane is a ghost, or a figment of Paul's subconscious, like a child's imaginary friend. Much of the story deals with Paul's struggles in life after he lost Jane.

TAKE COVER FROM TRACY - This story takes place in Darwin, Australia at Christmas 1974, when the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy, and revolves around Jake and Jessie, two strangers who have a chance meeting and quickly fall for each other. This story has many different moods within it - it actually starts off very funny, but the lead up to the storm is eerie, scenes when the storm hits are scary and the aftermath as they see the death and destruction devastating.

APRIL LEADS JULIE ASTRAY - This lesbian story revolves around two 18-year-old girls in North Carolina in 1963 who have had difficult lives. Julie caught polio in the early 1950s when a child leaving her with a damaged leg and plenty of emotional scars, and April was the victim of extremely serious physical and psychological child abuse at the hands of her now estranged mother. The story also shows with April's family the difficulties people had after the Second World War.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Themes like drug abuse, crime, imprisonment, betrayal? Yeah, I've done that.

My Fall and Rise Ch. 1

My experience is that there isn't a huge audience here for it, but there are those who can appreciate it.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Hmn. Writing a depressive story to get it out of your system...

Hmnnnn.

Well try it and see. If it works, totally great; if not, try a different strategy. You're never gonna know for real until you do it for real.

 

[bushyTrail]

Deleted

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I did a Sci-Fi and Fantasy story, A Maid for Timon. Not many people were pleased with it and, from the comments, it was because of the story's unhappy ending. Objectively, it wasn't all that bad, but it certainly didn't meet 'customer expectations'.

I guess if you are writing it as a cathartic process of some sort, great. I wouldn't on the other hand expect voters to reward you for it.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have one that is sort of Hitchcock in nature...

Just Another Day

You'll have to read it to find out what happens because if I explain it will ruin it for you.

 

[NotWise]

There are unhappy ending and then there are unhappy endings. The Third Ring is a short, epic tragedy. Just the same, it's been well-accepted.

 

[oggbashan]

My story:

https://www.literotica.com/s/donna-1

Is unhappy. The readers/voters seem to agree. It is rarely rated higher than 3.60

 

[rescatooor]

I guess if you are writing it as a cathartic process of some sort, great. I wouldn't on the other hand expect voters to reward you for it.

Yeah, I really don't. I was a little split on whether I should submit it at all. But I had a couple of test reads and they still enjoyed it. I'm more curious how badly I will be punished for it, because I fear it is one of those stories that exist for the author, not for the reader. Well... One for you, one for me.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Yeah, I really don't. I was a little split on whether I should submit it at all. But I had a couple of test reads and they still enjoyed it. I'm more curious how badly I will be punished for it, because I fear it is one of those stories that exist for the author, not for the reader. Well... One for you, one for me.

Well, it’s sad when - stepping away from any particular story - something well-written is not judged on its artistic merits but rather on whether or not it makes the reader sunshine-lollipops-n-sparkly-unicorn happy. In a painting context, Picasso’s Guernica would have been tossed in a rubbish heap, next to Goya’s painting of the Peninsular wars.

 

[Hypoxia]

I may eventually write the tale of a couple fucking as their plane crashes. I don't expect a high score.

 

[shewantsmore]

Things dont always have a happy ending,that's life so why should stories be any different, as long as theres a good story line and the characters are believable ,people split up and dont always have a happy ever after ending,I would still read them

 

[Blind_Justice]

My stories - despite mainly aiming for entertainment - often have a grim tone and don't end all that happily ever after either.

One of my personal favourites, "The Temptation of Gheeran", features a former assassin who has to come to grips with his blindness. There are several points in the story where he could, technically, earn a HEA, but things spiral out of control rather quickly and his own conscience forces him to pick the unhappy ending in the end.

My sole I/T attempt "More Than Video Games" has earned the ire of the crowd for not featuring a "they fuck happily ever after" because it becomes obvious rather quickly that the sex gets in the way of nephew and aunt being best friends. So they stop and I've earned more than enough complaints for that.

My current pet project, "Mud & Magic" deals with a lot of heavy themes. Among the fantasy staples of good vs. evil there is a huge bit about dysfunctional families, abuse, bullying and emotional scarring in there. Some people did not like that, not one bit.

Over the years I've become a damn cynic and that trickles down into my storytelling as of late. I desperately want to write something funny for a change, but it simply doesn't work. Meh.

Generally speaking, I'm okay with negative emotions in my smut. Overcoming adversity is very powerful and can make for a fantastic story arc. Besides "fluffy happy fucky fucky" gets old rather fast. Stories need conflict, one way or another. The happy ending is so much more worth it when the characters have to work for it.

 

[shewantsmore]

if people don't like sad stories don't read them that's easy,but I would follow the story through to the end

 

[Cuppers]

how about

stories that start out as happy, depressive and then truly happy.

not sure but, i just finished reading a book title


IN THE PALM OF MY HAND,

By David Pucci, ...
and it was great. google it

btw..based on actual events

 

[gordo12]

I killed a main character for the Down Under event. It didn't resonate well with the readers and has ended up being my lowest rated story.

Still, I wouldn't have written it any other way!

 

[Emirus]

I just wondered what your experiences have been with stories that discuss heavy themes like depression or abuse or anything else that you probably wouldn't expect to find in an erotic story.

Have you written stories that might match that description?

I don’t read or write stories with a depressing ending. But that’s just my personal preference. Even when I had a character hung and electrocuted as the finale to a story it was still a happy ending.

 

[Jing83]

I don’t read or write stories with a depressing ending. But that’s just my personal preference. Even when I had a character hung and electrocuted as the finale to a story it was still a happy ending.

That reminds of the scene in Homeland season 3? Where they hang the main marine guy in Iran.

 

[Hypoxia]

I mostly write to entertain myself, not the ravening mob with browsers. Sure, I pump out strokers. But my favorite creations often end twistedly. I love the O.Henry touch, and cliff-hanging, puzzling, and ambivalence. My fave ending is unexpected.

 

[8letters]

I just wondered what your experiences have been with stories that discuss heavy themes like depression or abuse or anything else that you probably wouldn't expect to find in an erotic story.

Have you written stories that might match that description? What has the response been? Have you read such a story, one where after finishing you felt like you had been dragged through mud? Do such stories even have a place on this site?

I'm trying to get a story like this published, just to get it out of my own toxic system. I'm just trying to figure out what to expect. Thanks in advance!

Comforting My Little Sister has as the Main Female Character someone who has just ended an abusive relationship and is still being harassed by her ex. It has a 4.70 rating and 90 comments. Quite a few comments discuss domestic abuse.

 

[Handley_Page]

I'm trying to get a story like this published, just to get it out of my own toxic system.

I found that writing to get the nasties out of my head was a Good Thing.
I was not a member of the Lit community at the time, so 'publishing' was not an issue.

 

[ChloeTzang]

....Have you written stories that might match that description? What has the response been? Have you read such a story, one where after finishing you felt like you had been dragged through mud? Do such stories even have a place on this site

I’ve written one or three like that and they’ve all gone down well. There’s readers here who appreciate good stories to go with the sex. Hmmmm, let’s see, eaten alive by parasitic aliens? Check. Thai whores spiralling downwards? Check. Boyfriend dies and leaves her pregnant? Check. There’s probably one or two more there. They’ve all gone down relatively well so just do it! If it’s to depressing, use a pseudonym. I’ve done that for a couple.

 

[GuessImJamie]

Themes like drug abuse, crime, imprisonment, betrayal? Yeah, I've done that.

My Fall and Rise Ch. 1

My experience is that there isn't a huge audience here for it, but there are those who can appreciate it.

Neither of us see Rise and Fall as depressive (read it to the end). God, it has a totally wonderful ending. Six stars (because we can't give seven, not that we can give six, but who cares).