Story lengths and story-telling content for the Literotica audience

[Loskop78]

Hi all,

I'm starting to explore with actually putting fantasies and story ideas to "paper" and I'm looking for some feedback on what and how much should go into a story for here. Thinking more that the types of stories here are for people who are looking for some relief of certain levels of horniness and not looking for high levels of literary prowess.

A few questions:
~ What is a good length? Personally, I don't like stories that end quickly, I prefer when there is some substance and you can feel you get into the story being told. But, how long is too long? I read a couple of posts and it sounds like longer pieces are fine - I just want to make sure I'm not going to bore anyone (assuming the story itself is good).
~ How much "story" should there be compared to the "fun bits"? Is there interest in character development/creation or non-erotica storylines, or is the emphasis/preference really more on the sexy parts?

Any responses are appreciated!

 

[filthytrancendence]

~ What is a good length? Personally, I don't like stories that end quickly, I prefer when there is some substance and you can feel you get into the story being told. But, how long is too long? I read a couple of posts and it sounds like longer pieces are fine - I just want to make sure I'm not going to bore anyone (assuming the story itself is good).

These are much more complex questions than you probably realize at this point. The answer to all of them is that it depends, and there isn't really a universally right answer...

But my advice for starting would be:

• Pick a very simple setup. The more complex your scenario, the more setup work you will need to do to make it believable, so save yourself from tripping over that one early and do something easy.
• Word count and story density are not synonymous. Be careful about adding length just because you feel like it ought to be longer. Each story should be as long as it needs to be to accomplish your intent as a writer. Don't worry too much about hitting a certain word count, just write the story you want to tell. Read your first draft, and if you feel like it needs something more, add it. If you feel like you're meandering and losing the reader, cut some of it. Having a beta reader like an SO or friend can really help walk this line.

~ How much "story" should there be compared to the "fun bits"? Is there interest in character development/creation or non-erotica storylines, or is the emphasis/preference really more on the sexy parts?

As much as there needs to be. And you have full license to decide that for yourself. There's plenty of successful stories on this site that have functionally zero story. There's plenty that have zero or close to zero fun bits. I've got a story published that's 18k words and the sex doesn't start until about 15k words in. I've got one that's 1700 words and 1500 of them are a sex scene.

The beautiful thing about writing stories is, there's very few rules. The terrible thing about writing stories is, there's very few rules.

Honestly, just start putting something on a page. Start simple and write what you know. You will learn a lot more in the doing than the thinking about doing.

And don't be afraid to get involved here. We're a lively bunch, but it's a fun, supportive and diverse community.

 

[Loskop78]

Thank you! Appreciate the feedback - I've been wondering about getting started and decided to just jump in and figure it out as I go.

 

[filthytrancendence]

Thank you! Appreciate the feedback - I've been wondering about getting started and decided to just jump in and figure it out as I go.

That's the perfect way to start!

Good luck

 

[Rustyoznail]

"How long is too long?" Depends if you're keeping your reader happy. A one Lit page (about 3500 words) can drag, but a ten pager can fly. The story should be as long as it needs.

Personally, the majority of my stories are around the 3 - 5 Lit pages (12-20k words) mark. I tend to be a bit ruthless in my editing, trying to cut out unnecessary descriptions. That leads into your other question. I'm terrible at writing the fun bits. It takes me ages to make it sound interesting, so as FT said, just start. You'll figure it out.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

There are 100,000 word novels on this site and 1000 word strokers on this site, and both have an audience.

Tell a story, take as long as you need to tell it.
Then go back and edit.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Agree with others. Probably more important to have a solid first ~500 words to hook. Then again, some readers are patient if they like the concept you’re laying out. Good luck!

 

[THBGato]

I started a thread about this a while back (I was particularly interested in the relationship between story length and reader engagement in terms of comments/favourites). Might be interesting to you:
https://forum.literotica.com/thread...mments-and-favourites.1623264/#post-100119016

 

[ElectricBlue]

Two threads running on the same topic.

See also here:

https://forum.literotica.com/threads/what-is-considered-a-short-medium-long-story.1635686/

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Thinking more that the types of stories here are for people who are looking for some relief of certain levels of horniness and not looking for high levels of literary prowess.

Wrong assumption.

 

[Actingup]

Jump in, as the others said, but IMHO, you could also:

- limit yourself to a max of around 5-10K words for your first story. Readers don't know you yet, and you're still learning your skills, so there's no harm in keeping it short while you grow your skills and your readership.
- read the 'how to make your characters talk' essay as soon as you start introducing dialogue. If you don't pay attention to this one, it's likely to cause pain when you submit your masterpiece.
- browse through the FAQ.
- do some research on the different categories if you haven't already. Putting a hotwife story into Loving Wives might seem an obvious thing to do, but you need to have a medical team on hand.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

~ What is a good length?

Like I said on another thread, you'll know how long a piece is string is when you get to the end.

It can be an inch, or it can be a mile. It's still a piece of string.

There was a whole thing recently about stories not to exceed 750 words. Lots of entries, lots of strings.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Right now one of the best pieces of advice is to write towards whatever catagory, you're gonna write for. That way you're not back here with another "where should I put this story?" question.

 

[Loskop78]

This is all great feedback! Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and share advice or experience. Some of the answers were as I expected (which is good to know I was on the right track). Others really help with new information or puts a helpful perspective on things.

Thanks again, and I'll be back! Maybe I'll even see about publishing something soon...!

 

[Writer61]

Hi all,

I'm starting to explore with actually putting fantasies and story ideas to "paper" and I'm looking for some feedback on what and how much should go into a story for here. Thinking more that the types of stories here are for people who are looking for some relief of certain levels of horniness and not looking for high levels of literary prowess.

A few questions:
~ What is a good length? Personally, I don't like stories that end quickly, I prefer when there is some substance and you can feel you get into the story being told. But, how long is too long? I read a couple of posts and it sounds like longer pieces are fine - I just want to make sure I'm not going to bore anyone (assuming the story itself is good).
~ How much "story" should there be compared to the "fun bits"? Is there interest in character development/creation or non-erotica storylines, or is the emphasis/preference really more on the sexy parts?

Any responses are appreciated!

42

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

I tend to have a high plot to sex ratio. Some of my top stories ratings wise actually have no sex in them. But what I do have is an emotional connection with the characters. Even the sex-fuel antics of my favorite domme-sub couple have a high degree of love and compassion. As word counts go, I rarely write more than 10k in one go. I don't have the attention span. But, I often write series. I find that a nice way to do something bigger without exhausting all my creative energy in one go.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Stories find their audience. Some folks like short stories, others long. Some like sex filled extravaganzas, others prefer a slow burn with lots of story and a sweet payoff at the end. Write your stories and don't worry about the readers. Your readers will find you.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I tend to have a high plot to sex ratio. Some of my top stories ratings wise actually have no sex in them. But what I do have is an emotional connection with the characters. Even the sex-fuel antics of my favorite domme-sub couple have a high degree of love and compassion. As word counts go, I rarely write more than 10k in one go. I don't have the attention span. But, I often write series. I find that a nice way to do something bigger without exhausting all my creative energy in one go.

This is solid advice, since you asked about ratios of "fun parts" to story.
There is no shortage of highly rated stories on this site that have little or no sex.
One of my highest rated stories only has 1 sex scene, it's fairly brief and the MMC doesn't even orgasm.
There are all kinds of tastes here, and there is no formula for "what the lit audience wants".

 

[AchtungNight]

Whatever works best for you and the story is my answer. I’ve written stories heavy on plot and light on sex, also the opposite. The amount of each has been what the story called for and what I felt best in every case. My only additional advice is to make erotic scenes flow in naturally- don’t just set up cliches to lead into them, this will be obvious to veteran readers and probably encourage mocking- and if you’re doing a series, try to include at least one sex scene per chapter. That keeps the stroke fans satisfied. Good luck.

 

[Voboy]

I give the same advice here every time: write for yourself. Meaning, assume your notional “fan” is just like you, with the same preferences and proclivities. If you like stories of a certain length or type? Write those!

 

[Loskop78]

Since you've all been fantastic with respondes, I'm thinking maybe my approach with my first attempt is on the right track. It's definitely not ready for publishing here, but could be released to a couple of beta readers. Is anyone interested in having a look?

It's around 7k words, with a theme of simple younger man-older woman coupling (20yo son of best friend moves in with mid-40s best friend of mom for college).

PM me if you're interested in reading and we can figure out how to share it.

Thanks!

 

[SkyBubble]

Each story should be as long as it needs to be to accomplish your intent as a writer.

As long as it meets the minimum word count.