Two questions regarding writing sex and romance

[Innocent_Outside]

I've been around for a while, though I rarely post on these forums. I see there's a lot of activity here, so hopefully I can get some input about a couple things I have been wondering about recently.

The first question, actually it's more of a request for ideas or input, is about writing the act of a couple engaging in foreplay and intercourse multiple times in one story. When I write it I start wondering if maybe the sexual parts are too repeatative. Then again, isn't sex doing the same thing over and over? I guess I'm looking for suggestions on how to keep it from becoming something someone will read and think "Gosh, I just read this earlier in the story."

The other thing I was hoping for some input on was whether or not it's worth writing a romantic story and posting it on literotica. Since the majority of the stories are sex-oriented, I've wondered if stories that have a very small amount of sexual content are very well received. I've read quite a few submissions by others that fit into that description, but most stories focus on sex. Right now I'm in the middle of what's turning into a very long romantic piece that kind of revolves around the respect my two main characters have for each others premarital sexual boundries. That's not to say that they aren't pushing the envelope a bit, but there's not nearly as much graphic material in it as the majority of stories that are submitted. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Pure]

there is a definite audience for romances at Lit. and these seem to be of two kinds--either discreet sex or raunchy, very graphic sex. many readers--especially the more evolved-- love the latter combo of engorged organs and angelic, eternal 'spiritual' connection.

---
as to repetition, the key is whether it's porn or attempts to be literature (erotic). in the first case, the sex scenes have to pop up regularly and get 'better' and fancier and never lose detail.

you're right that in a real-life story, this inevitable advance of raunchiness would not occur; indeed it would be odd to find detailed, *very similar* sex-encounter descriptions every few days of the story (every Fri night).

if the sex was important, the author would say, after the first two or three times, 'and so it went for the next eight months.' And then, at a later point, note a change, i.e., a different kind of encounter.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Taking the second question first, there are a lot of people on Lit who love romance. There aren't many people who can write it well.

The key to good romance is sustained erotic tension, and if you can keep that tension alive and not fall into the kind of apathetic meandering that traps a lot of writers, then you should have no trouble finding an audience.

As for your sex scenes, the quick answer is that while there are only so many things two people can do in bed, the way they do them and the emotions behind them are infinite. I've done a few things where my characters make love twice in one scene, and usually the first is hot and passionate, like they just can't wait to get their hands on each other, and the second tends to be more tender and leisurely.

You just think of the way a man can be with a woman (talking from the male side). When passions are high, he's almost violent, slamming against her, squeezing her, very emotional and desperate. Afterwards he tends to be more gentle, more sensual, the sex is more loving and expansive.

Sex in a story isn't just about who puts what where. It's always an expression of what they feel inside towards each other (and themselves), and those feelings are the real heart of an erotic scene. A brutal mouth-fucking doesn't mean the same thing as long, tender kissing and doesn't express the same emotions. You have to understand what they're feeling first, and then figure out how they'd show it.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

As usual, I agree with Pure and Doc. Assuming this isn't just a vignette, a recapitualion of some copulation, but a story with a beginning, middle, and end (some change would also be nice) then the sex should be there for a reason.

If the story involves just two characters, I'd suggest limiting the blow-by-blow discriptions to three: the first, last, and one inbetween as a change of pace. The rest can be limited to something slmilar to what Pure suggested.

Over the last couple of years, the Romance category at Lit has become very active. It now has around 4700 stories, which is more than: Fetish, Interracial, Lesbian, Gay, Celebrity, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Non-human, and Anal.

The number of views and votes tends to be lower than in some of the other categories, but the scores are usually higher. As with the Romance genre in the current publisheing world, the amount of sex in these stories varies. If it has none, then Non-Erotic would probably be a better choice.

Hope to see you around here again and at the Author's Hangout.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Penelope Street]

The first question, actually it's more of a request for ideas or input, is about writing the act of a couple engaging in foreplay and intercourse multiple times in one story. When I write it I start wondering if maybe the sexual parts are too repeatative. Then again, isn't sex doing the same thing over and over? I guess I'm looking for suggestions on how to keep it from becoming something someone will read and think "Gosh, I just read this earlier in the story."

That could be an issue. I don't see a problem with characters having sex multiple times in the same story if why they are having sex changes.

The other thing I was hoping for some input on was whether or not it's worth writing a romantic story and posting it on literotica.

Yes, it's worth writing the story if you want to write it. After you're finished, imo, is the time to ask yourself if it's worth posting here- or anywhere. I believe it is something of a myth that a story needs to have a high sex to word ratio to be popular with the readers here.

 

[Penelope Street]

Afterwards he tends to be ...

asleep.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

asleep.

Tacky, tacky, tacky.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[sunandshadow]

I write romantic erotica, and while the sex scenes do seem to naturally occur a bit father apart than in plain erotica, there's no reason you have to have few or have them be repetitious! Don't get caught in the trap of thinking that sex scenes are fluff between the serious bits - sex scenes can contribute powerfully to your plot and are great for exploring your characters' psychology. And there are lots of different types of sex scenes or themes you can give them to make them unique: first time, hurt/comfort sex, fight/makeup sex, shared victory screw, one partner accidentally hurts or offends the other, one partner reveals a new fantasy, try a new position or accessory like chocolate sauce, try a new location, one partner gets impregnated (or wants to), one partner is jealous and puts that energy into extra sexual effort, one partner realizes they love the other and the sex becomes spiritual (like Pure mentions), one partner is transformed somehow and they have to nervously experiment and see how the sex will be different, etc.

 

[AutumnWriter]

My suggestion is to go for quality over quantity. I believe that the situation and manner in which the sex takes place has to fit the story line and the character development. We've all had sex a few times, so we don't need a manual.

I submitted stories with limited sex scenes and received a pretty good reception. There could have been alot of readers who got bored and dropped it, but they were merciful and didn't post an impolite critique.

I would go ahead and post, once you are satisfied, yourself. If you believe that you have created a good work, then don't post it, you will always have an unanswered question.

Good luck.

Autumn Writer