Stories Without Sex

[SamBomb]

I always release either full stories or pars of stories that range in the 8-12k words.

However, I'm starting a new story and I've got about 9k words in and its a perfect beautiful stopping point for part 1.

The problem is, there is no sex. Well, there is no sex scene, it's implied that the secondary care gave a BJ or something to get something done for the MC.

Is there a good tag for this?
Do people write stories without sex in them here?
How is that going to go over in the non-consent/reluctance category?

It's a slow corruption story of a girl joining a kpop company and them turning her into the slut of the group and using the girls looks as their main selling point. 4 chapters in, and it's way too early for that main virgin character to have sex.

I'm not sure where to go from here, continue on writing, or release as is.

 

[NotWise]

You can tag it "slow burn" and readers might not expect sex right away. That only works if they actually read the tags. You could put something like that into the short description, but it seems like a waste of valuable space. You can also put a note at the beginning of the story. Those are often italicized to make them distinct from the story.

Or you can do what I would probably do -- forge ahead and let the readers take it in stride.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

In my (limited) experience, some people will complain that there's no sex or give a low rating, but some people will be encouraging and understand that stories need time to build.

Personally to avoid stress I work in a sex scene somewhere, even if it's just secondary characters or someone watching porn or an imagined fantasy in their head. But that's not for everyone.

In summary: if you really care about rating/feedback, put sex in. If you care more about getting the story how you want it, leave it out. Either way, readers of the later chapters will appreciate you putting in the build-up.

 

[StillStunned]

I think you can get away without a sex scene as long as the style of your story indicates that sex will happen sooner or later. Some hints, not pussyfooting around the concept of sex, a general aura of sensuality.

And don't leave it too long to publish the second chapter. If you're going to tease your readers, they'll want the good stuff sooner rather than later.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I think that it will be less of a problem if you have chapter 2 and 3 etc (ideally the entire story) complete and ready before you publish any of it. That way you publish chapter 1 and there's no sex, but chapter 2 publishes just a few days later and has sex.

If people read chapter 1 and there's no sex, then have to wait weeks for chapter 2, you are leaving them hanging with no sex, that's a double whammy. But if they can read chapter 2 soon after or right after chapter 1, they can enjoy a sexless chapter 1 and still get their sex fix from chapter 2.

There will always be haters of course, but this will lessen the hate.

 

[SamBomb]

Reading these very helpful comments, I will make sure part 2 is ready or close to ready before submitting. Thank you.

 

[Voboy]

I would not even bother separating it into parts, honestly.

I regularly write 20-30k word stories. 9k is often a point where I'm just starting to get people naked. I'd just keep on writing and post when done.

It is a sex site. Unless I was categorizing a story as non-Erotic, I would include sexual content in everything I post. I'd go as far as to say that if I clicked on your 9k-worder and then got no sex, I would not even think about returning for the rest of it. I'd view that as a bait-and-switch.

 

[SirAeghann]

Honestly, there's too many variables to worry about one specific thing. The rating will likely suffer for the lack of sex, but some of my chapters that have no sex are the most favorited and most commented chapters of my series. So it's got good and bad. Likely, a little note at the beginning saying it's slow burn and has no sex in the first part will save the rating from dropping too hard. Or, flesh out that implied scene to a full scene.

 

[MyBareTorso]

I would not even bother separating it into parts, honestly.

I regularly write 20-30k word stories. 9k is often a point where I'm just starting to get people naked. I'd just keep on writing and post when done.

It is a sex site. Unless I was categorizing a story as non-Erotic, I would include sexual content in everything I post. I'd go as far as to say that if I clicked on your 9k-worder and then got no sex, I would not even think about returning for the rest of it. I'd view that as a bait-and-switch.

I agree wholeheartedly with this...not chaptering your story would be a good fix for your current issues...you can still, of course, have chapters within your larger single submission, so your story could be read in the same way, and would be easy for the reader to return to...

 

[PennameWombat]

One of my more popular stories, A Christmas Miracle on Dewdrop, is 35,000 words as a single story and is nothing stronger than 'R' rated (if you're familiar with American movie ratings), in essence, there are two 'sex' scenes, but neither is explicit and mostly the 'action' is elided out. It's in SF&F, so maybe that helps. Although there were intentionally loose ends to allow a sequel, it was written to be stand-alone.

I included this in my author's note at the front:

One note, this story does have plenty of erotic moments but a limited amount of actual sex - but not a zero amount. If you're looking for something truly down-n-dirty, this might not be the tale for you.

Also, Chasing Robes & Shadows, in Novels & Novellas, is another 35,000 stand-alone that has very limited actual sex. Even though one section takes place at an orgy, the sex at that event is not the centerpiece. It's really a mystery, a police detective investigating deaths and disappearances.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I would not even bother separating it into parts, honestly.

I regularly write 20-30k word stories. 9k is often a point where I'm just starting to get people naked. I'd just keep on writing and post when done.

It is a sex site. Unless I was categorizing a story as non-Erotic, I would include sexual content in everything I post. I'd go as far as to say that if I clicked on your 9k-worder and then got no sex, I would not even think about returning for the rest of it. I'd view that as a bait-and-switch.

, except for those last couple sentences.

Edit: something you will deal with, along the way, is reader entitlement. The idea that you owe them something. Good art does and should take reader expectations into account, plays with it, but do not let that unduly skew your creative vision.

 

[SamBomb]

You folks convinced me, the last scene was literally the MC waiting outside wondering what was taking so long, then her friend comes out with smudged lipstick, hair disheveled, clearly doing something to gain the favour they needed.

I'll just rewrite, so she actually sneaks a peek at what is going on and finds out that way instead. It doesn't change much, and adds the sex scene.

The afterwards of that is such a good cliffanger, I don't want to lose that.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Voboy]

, except for those last couple sentences.

Oh no, that's just me personally. I should have made that clearer, perhaps. But it's worthwhile for the OP to get that opinion I hope, expressed with respect.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I always release either full stories or pars of stories that range in the 8-12k words.

However, I'm starting a new story and I've got about 9k words in and its a perfect beautiful stopping point for part 1.

The problem is, there is no sex. Well, there is no sex scene, it's implied that the secondary care gave a BJ or something to get something done for the MC.

Is there a good tag for this?
Do people write stories without sex in them here?
How is that going to go over in the non-consent/reluctance category?

It's a slow corruption story of a girl joining a kpop company and them turning her into the slut of the group and using the girls looks as their main selling point. 4 chapters in, and it's way too early for that main virgin character to have sex.

I'm not sure where to go from here, continue on writing, or release as is.

I wrote my story "The Maneater" for the Pink Orchid challenge this year, and the majority of the 22.3K word story only discusses sex and sexual attraction. The only brief sex scene I threw into the middle of it was for the purpose of showing the wife demonstrating how she controls her husband.

It's posted in "Loving Wives" with 11K views and a rating of only 3.61/108.

The Pink Orchid challenge organizer, Omenainen doesn't like my Main Female Character (and I knew O had previously expressed such feelings about my MFC). And obviously by the ratings the majority of the readers don't LOVE and barely might LIKE her (or maybe it's my shitty writing).

But that story appeals to the single most important reader on this entire planet: ... ME!

Write and post what you want and take control of your own self-esteem!

 

[Cagivagurl]

I always release either full stories or pars of stories that range in the 8-12k words.

However, I'm starting a new story and I've got about 9k words in and its a perfect beautiful stopping point for part 1.

The problem is, there is no sex. Well, there is no sex scene, it's implied that the secondary care gave a BJ or something to get something done for the MC.

Is there a good tag for this?
Do people write stories without sex in them here?
How is that going to go over in the non-consent/reluctance category?

It's a slow corruption story of a girl joining a kpop company and them turning her into the slut of the group and using the girls looks as their main selling point. 4 chapters in, and it's way too early for that main virgin character to have sex.

I'm not sure where to go from here, continue on writing, or release as is.

Not every story has to be filled with sex scenes...
It is about erotic literature. It can be erotic, without being explicit.
A story will ebb and flow along it's natural path. Let it do exactly that.
One of my lessons learnt. "You can't please everybody." Make sure that you are happy with it. If you are then it's all good...
Personally, when reading. I skip the sex bits. It's the story I enjoy.

Merely my thoughts.

Cagivagurl

 

[MelissaBaby]

Not bragging’, just saying’, but I won the Christmas contest last year with a story that had no sex in it.

If Only In My Dreams

 

[THBGato]

The problem is, there is no sex. Well, there is no sex scene, it's implied that the secondary care gave a BJ or something to get something done for the MC.

Is there a good tag for this?
Do people write stories without sex in them here?
How is that going to go over in the non-consent/reluctance category?

No idea about NCR as a genre, but some of my favourite stories have no sex in the first chapter. We're talking 100k plus reads, 4.9+ rankings.

Not bragging’, just saying’

Following MelissaBaby, I currently have two sexless chapters in the all time top twenty Lesbian Sex stories. In one of them, the closest they get to sex is when the two female leads accidentally start jerking off a male side character. You would have thought Lesbian readers would object to that kind of behaviour, but apparently not!

Back to the OP, I always put a note at the start warning readers there's no sex (and often providing alternative reading suggestions).

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Not bragging’, just saying’, but I won the Christmas contest last year with a story that had no sex in it.

If Only In My Dreams

Also not bragging. I have a 750 word story with no sex in it that currently sits at a pathetic 3.7 and of its six comments only one is positive. I'll spare you all the link.

 

[Codoc24]

A story without sex??!! That's like beer without alcohol......just joking. Damn the torpedoes and write the story however it pleases you. Unless your goal is to get a high ranking. I once wrote a story (not for this site) and my editor thought the ending was horrible. It was not a HEA or HFN. But I thought it was an appropriate ending for my story. I told her life doesn't always have happy endings. If you've ever seen the movie "Looking For Mr. Goodbar," the ending is kinda-sorta like that. A gut-punch. It was like a Shakespearean tragedy. (Note: I am in no way implying that my writing is anywhere near as good as Shakespeare's.)

 

[gordo12]

Seriously, like Melissa said, stories without sex do fine. Buckshot Ranch, the recent Summer Lovin contest winner, has none. Several of my other stories have none. All received well.
Write what you want the way you want it.