The longest sex scene you've written

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I just finished the longest single sex scene I've ever written. I've been at it since early September and I've tried to tune out any distractions the last few weeks to power through it. From first arousal to post-coital sigh, it weighs in at 4,392 words.

(I can think of at least three AH regulars who would scoff at such a anemic little scene, but for me it is an accomplishment.)

And it's not gratuitous. There is character and plot development, some foreshadowing, and even a couple of easter eggs woven in there. I think it's going to work out pretty well in support of the overall story. Of course I won't know until the rest of the story is finished.

But now that I can take off my self-imposed blinders and indulge in a distraction or two, I'm curious. What's the longest sex scene you've ever written? And after it was published, were you happy with the response? Or did readers think it went on too long? Would you make it shorter if you had it to do over again?

 

[SimonDoom]

This is a hard one to answer because I'm not sure how to define "sex scene." If I define it to include the beginning of a physical interaction that culminated in orgasm then I think I have a couple of scenes that are roughly as long as yours, but not appreciably longer. One is the climactic scene from my alien tentacle sex story, Planet of the Tentacons, and the other might be the kitchen/food sex scene in my sister-brother story Hot Night In The Kitchen With Sis.

 

[Privates1stClass]

What's the longest sex scene you've ever written? And after it was published, were you happy with the response? Or did readers think it went on too long? Would you make it shorter if you had it to do over again?

Haven't counted the characters, but way shorter than yours. I try to have an extended build-up (rather like foreplay) leading up to the climax, then a few paragraphs to let my characters cool down a bit. Perhaps a half of a LIT page would be my longest for a single sex scene. But then I have stories where there are multiple sex scenes in a chapter.

The response I've gotten has been mostly positive. My stories are more on the romantic side, so those who are looking for hard-core sex might not find them as erotic as they expected.

I think it depends on the story, frankly. Just as in ordinary sex, sometimes there are quickies, just to get rid of that itch, and then there are the long romantic interludes where the couple can spend an entire Saturday lazing about, taking their sexual activities to new heights.

I'd be interested to learn how other authors respond to this question.

 

[yowser]

Does sex take 4,392 words?

 

[Voboy]

Mine average about 3k words. Longer if they're the climactic scene in the piece, shorter if they're just intermediate.

Usually, anyway. To every rule, there's an exception.

 

[SimonDoom]

I should add, I've never had a reader complain that a sex scene was too long, but I've had readers complain that a scene was rushed and too short. And in retrospect, I think I did rush the sex scenes a few times. I would draw them out if I were to do them over -- not just to make them longer, but to make them more satisfying as the culmination of the story.

My stories, like many others', usually follow a pattern of buildup and then sex scene at the end. The sex scene isn't just sex -- it's the climax of the story. So it's important to handle it right. If I've been building up to it and getting readers excited I want to make sure there's a good payoff, and rushing the sex scene can spoil that.

If you figure the act of sex can be well over an hour long, or even much longer than that, and feature dialogue, internal thoughts, external events, interruption and involvement by other persons, and possibly incorporate titillating toys and play of various kinds, I think it's easy for a sex scene to take up more than one Lit page (3750 words). Or it can be shorter than that. I don't think I have an "average" but if I reviewed all my stories I'd guess that the climactic sex scene was usually 1000 to 3000 words or so, and preliminary sex scenes were shorter than that.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I'm with Simon. How does one define a 'sex scene'? Do hot looks over the restaurant table mark the beginning, the hug on the way out? First hesitant kiss? First solid grope? And do you count soft caresses and loving words afterwords?

I guess I could be bold and say just short of 7,000 words for one extended sex scene, but that was exhibitionist sex in For Your Dining Pleasure, a couple 'doing the deed' in front of a paying audience, with one short break in mid-act.

Normally, I'd agree with the others, maybe 1,500 words or so?

 

[NotWise]

I didn't have much problem defining when sex starts.

I went back to "Working for Mom," because it seemed like the last sex scene was pretty long for me. It was about 2500 words, complete with diversions, and foreshadowing. They'd spent the afternoon and evening working up to it, including a couple short sex acts, but the final sex scene started when he pushed her against the hotel room wall.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I'm not sure if it's my longest, but the sex scene in "The Floggings Will Continue" is about 6679 words if I start counting at "It was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life".

 

[RejectReality]

No clue if it's the longest, but the first one off the top of my head was Holly Jolley Christmas, and the final sex scene of that one is 7k words ( threesome ) and it's one of three in the story.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

How does one define a 'sex scene'?

A fair question. I mean it's clearly open to interpretation and I'm mostly just making conversation here, not trying to rank a leaderboard or anything. In my case, the story I'm working on has a much larger plot than just "people have sex" so I guess in my mind, the story's sex scene begins when it is obvious to the reader that the narrator is about to have sex; that it's no longer a possibility, but a definite.

I suppose you could argue that since this is Literotica, that's obvious to every reader of every story from word 1. And going by that same definition, I've written stroke stories that could be considered nothing more than one, long sex scene.

So maybe the definition of a sex scene depends on the context of the story it's in.

Now it seems to me that it would be easier to tell when a sex scene ends. But I suppose that's not necessarily always so. In my case, my narrator fell asleep - a classic end to any scene if ever there was one.

That probably doesn't answer TP and SD's question.

 

[RejectReality]

Personally, I didn't start counting the wordage on that one until she sat on his face. There's quite a bit of lead-up that could be considered part of the scene, since they're watching sex videos in bed and engaging in some foreplay, but I skipped it for word count purposes. Ended the wordcount at the last lick before the fade to black.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

A fair question. I mean it's clearly open to interpretation and I'm mostly just making conversation here, not trying to rank a leaderboard or anything. In my case, the story I'm working on has a much larger plot than just "people have sex" so I guess in my mind, the story's sex scene begins when it is obvious to the reader that the narrator is about to have sex; that it's no longer a possibility, but a definite.

I suppose you could argue that since this is Literotica, that's obvious to every reader of every story from word 1. And going by that same definition, I've written stroke stories that could be considered nothing more than one, long sex scene.

So maybe the definition of a sex scene depends on the context of the story it's in.

Now it seems to me that it would be easier to tell when a sex scene ends. But I suppose that's not necessarily always so. In my case, my narrator fell asleep - a classic end to any scene if ever there was one.

That probably doesn't answer TP and SD's question.

It's a fair-enough response, for how does one define 'sex'? At least one president didn't consider fellatio to be 'sex' as I recall... On the other hand, many people would be upset at seeing their significant other holding hands with another, let along kissing.

It was, in any case, your question, so your definition will have to do.

 

[YDB95]

When I read the OP, my best guess as to my longest one was the first sex scene in Elizabeth, Chapter 2 (it's at the top of page 2), but on copying and pasting it to Word, I found it was only 1,102 words from the paragraph when Elizabeth begins undressing until the immediate afterglow. So that's probably not my longest one after all, but I do still consider it my best one.

On further exploration, the scene in After the Opera (one of my lowest-rated stories, but still one of my personal favourites) is 2,407 words. It's also most of the story. I thought the climactic scene of D Cup Blues Again might be even longer, but it's a few hundred words shorter. Next I thought of A Rose For Christmas, only the second story I ever submitted here and I really threw everything but the kitchen sink into the sex scene on that one...but it was "only" 2,200 or so.

Without actually going through all my stories, I'm guessing the champ is Allie and Friends at the Beach, at 3,070 words. It also features the only gay male scene I've ever attempted (not very good, but then it is two straight guys putting on a show for their girlfriends, so that probably wouldn't be very good in real life either!). At least I can say I tried that!

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

Dang. Now I have to check the scene lengths in all of my stories. I'll check back in a month or so.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have never checked nor have I ever had a complaint they weren't long enough. I know some were lengthy and some were not.

And what if the entire story was about sex? I have a story that's 38,000 words long and it could be construed to be one long sex scene. Although they do take time outs for food and drink and sleep. The story is about getting some, which is done pretty often. Some of the sex is limited to two minutes at a time, other sex is until one or the other has an orgasm. There are six couples playing a game. And it's not Truth or Dare but Monopoly with adult twists. And all the sex takes place over a long weekend.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I would equate a sex scene to a black hole, and start counting from the moment you cross the event horizon.

My Black Sheep - ~18k words (or none, depending on how narrow your definition of sex is)

Most of mine probably sit between 3k and 7k words.

EDIT: Most people who get to the end of Black Sheep and bother to tell me about it describe it as "intense," which was the point. It holds a 4.6 rating, which is below average for me but pretty good considering the content. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I love it.