What category is this?

[gunhilltrain]

I'm writing a story that will be about an erotic encounter between a young guy and a female ghost. It doesn't seem to belong in Erotic Horror because at the end it's unnerving for him but not truly "horrible."

The NonHuman category mentions ghosts. Except, when he's actually with her, despite some weird clues, she seems human to him. Another site has a category called Supernatural, which mentions both non-humans and ghosts.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm writing a story that will be about an erotic encounter between a young guy and a female ghost. It doesn't seem to belong in Erotic Horror because at the end it's unnerving for him but not truly "horrible."

The NonHuman category mentions ghosts. Except, when he's actually with her, despite some weird clues, she seems human to him. Another site has a category called Supernatural, which mentions both non-humans and ghosts.

Sounds like Nonhuman.

 

[NotWise]

I'm writing a story that will be about an erotic encounter between a young guy and a female ghost. It doesn't seem to belong in Erotic Horror because at the end it's unnerving for him but not truly "horrible."

The NonHuman category mentions ghosts. Except, when he's actually with her, despite some weird clues, she seems human to him. Another site has a category called Supernatural, which mentions both non-humans and ghosts.

I have two ghost stories up, and both of them have ghosts that seem alive. I put the first into Erotic Horror where the response was very limited. It probably would have been a better fit in Nonhuman, and readers have pointed out that it could have fit in Group. I guess ghosts aren't polarizing in some categories.

After weighing Novels and Novellas against Nonhuman, I put the second in Novels and Novellas. It was a fairly long story and the reception there was small, but more appreciative than for the first story in EH.

It probably should not go to Romance. I've seen stories posted there with ghosts who pass as live, and they were bombed by the Romance readers.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

For best reader numbers, I'd go with Supernatural. It seems like a good fit there. Looking forward to seeing it.

 

[SimonDoom]

For best reader numbers, I'd go with Supernatural. It seems like a good fit there. Looking forward to seeing it.

There is no "Supernatural" category at Literotica.

Ask: what is the primary erotic interest of the story? Not for the character, but for the reader?

The character may not know at first that she's a ghost, but presumably the reader does. If so, that's what drives the erotic interest in the story. The ghost-human interaction is what gives the story its sizzle.

It doesn't sound like Sci Fi/Fantasy, and if it's not scary it's not Erotic Horror.

Erotic Couplings, Novels, and Romance don't capture what's unique and interesting about the story.

That leaves Nonhuman, which deals with non-horror interactions between humans and non-humans.

 

[RejectReality]

So long as the reveal eventually happens that she was a ghost all along, it doesn't matter if the character knows it — ever. So long as the reader knows, that qualifies for non-human.

Actually, a strong hint to the reader that it's the case is sufficient. You don't even have to fully solve the mystery for them, so long as there's a sufficient air of the supernatural in there.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

There is no "Supernatural" category at Literotica..

There isn't? Was there?

I swear there was.

I need to lay off the absinthe. Derp.

Thanks for the course correction, Simon.

 

[gunhilltrain]

There is no "Supernatural" category at Literotica.

Ask: what is the primary erotic interest of the story? Not for the character, but for the reader?

The character may not know at first that she's a ghost, but presumably the reader does. If so, that's what drives the erotic interest in the story. The ghost-human interaction is what gives the story its sizzle.

It doesn't sound like Sci Fi/Fantasy, and if it's not scary it's not Erotic Horror.

Erotic Couplings, Novels, and Romance don't capture what's unique and interesting about the story.

That leaves Nonhuman, which deals with non-horror interactions between humans and non-humans.

It does seem that NonHuman is the best category. The reader can't be sure she's a ghost until the main character does, which is about two days later after the main event. There are clues along the way, although the biggest clue is the category in would be in. Putting it in Erotic Couplings would be possible, but somewhat unfair to the readers I think.

Ah, BiscuitHammer, Supernatural is on another site. There is also a site that has Paranormal, with sub-tags like Ghost, Vampire, Demon and so forth. (Unless you're a paid premium member, I think you have to use their pre-approved tags.)

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

We wrote a story about a woman whose life was coming apart and was either being visited by supernatural beings or losing her mind -- we intentionally wrote it ambiguously in that regard --. We submitted it as group but it went into sci fi where it has good numbers and nice comments. But, as said,the number of readers is lower there than in other categories.

 

[jaF0]

And yet 'Ghost' with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore and 'Always' with Richard Dreyfus and Holly Hunter were decidedly 'Romance' and very successful.

It's the storyline that makes the category, not whether the characters are dead, alive or anywhere in between.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Sci-Fi and Fantasy or Non-Human, based on what you've told us. Fallback = Erotic Couplings.

 

[RejectReality]

Ah, BiscuitHammer, Supernatural is on another site. There is also a site that has Paranormal, with sub-tags like Ghost, Vampire, Demon and so forth. (Unless you're a paid premium member, I think you have to use their pre-approved tags.)

If you're talking about SOL, there are only the established tags. No categories, so the tags have to be structured to use as the means of navigation. Membership status is irrelevant. Everyone gets the same pool of tags.

 

[RetroFan]

I'm writing a story that will be about an erotic encounter between a young guy and a female ghost. It doesn't seem to belong in Erotic Horror because at the end it's unnerving for him but not truly "horrible."

The NonHuman category mentions ghosts. Except, when he's actually with her, despite some weird clues, she seems human to him. Another site has a category called Supernatural, which mentions both non-humans and ghosts.

I've got a few different ghost stories in different categories.

Is your story romantic and sad, for example he really likes the girl and sees a happy future with her, then is devastated to find out she is dead all along? In that case, maybe Romance might be a good category. I've got a story in Romance where a female character is dead all along and it went pretty well.

Your story sounds interesting, I would like to read it when it is published.

 

[gunhilltrain]

If you're talking about SOL, there are only the established tags. No categories, so the tags have to be structured to use as the means of navigation. Membership status is irrelevant. Everyone gets the same pool of tags.

My memory must be faulty because I just looked and I didn't see anything about upgrading tag selection. I did have a feeling of reading that somewhere.

While there aren't categories per se, there is a story type that shows up under the title in the left-hand column of the listings. There are about twenty-five of those, which seems reasonable.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've got a few different ghost stories in different categories.

Is your story romantic and sad, for example he really likes the girl and sees a happy future with her, then is devastated to find out she is dead all along? In that case, maybe Romance might be a good category. I've got a story in Romance where a female character is dead all along and it went pretty well.

Your story sounds interesting, I would like to read it when it is published.

I could try Romance, but it has an explicit erotic coupling in it. And the total time of the "relationship" is about an hour. It kind of depends on how much of a heads-up I want to give to readers. [spoiler alert!] In The Sixth Sense, I don't think the audience knows the true status of Malcolm Crowe until the end. (Well, word did leak out and I knew about it by the time I saw it on cable TV.)

How long does the relationship in your story last? The longer it goes on, the more irrelevant her actual status becomes. Well, not quite true!

I will probably post my story sometime in October.

 

[davion2308]

What's the focus?

If it's romantic and they love one another and find a way to be together, it's Romance

If it's all about how sex is different because she's a ghost, go Non-Human or Sci-Fi.

If it's scary, creepy, or unsettling, go Horror.

 

[RetroFan]

I could try Romance, but it has an explicit erotic coupling in it. And the total time of the "relationship" is about an hour. It kind of depends on how much of a heads-up I want to give to readers. [spoiler alert!] In The Sixth Sense, I don't think the audience knows the true status of Malcolm Crowe until the end. (Well, word did leak out and I knew about it by the time I saw it on cable TV.)

How long does the relationship in your story last? The longer it goes on, the more irrelevant her actual status becomes. Well, not quite true!

I will probably post my story sometime in October.

From hearing more I would say this wouldn't be romance. In my story the main male character has a crush on a divorced single mother who lives next door but he keeps dithering about asking her out, only doing so after much prompting from a platonic female friend 16 years younger than he is. But as it turns out, the friend is in fact not there at all, she was his fiancee who died many years earlier. It is ambiguous in the story as to whether she is an actual ghost, or a figment of his subconscious caused by his ongoing grief and being unable to accept her loss, much like the way a child would invent an imaginary friend. In the story I gave some subtle clues about the dead all along character, for example no other character acknowledging her presence and her clothes being a bit outdated so the revelation makes sense in hindsight.

 

[gunhilltrain]

If it's romantic and they love one another and find a way to be together, it's Romance

If it's all about how sex is different because she's a ghost, go Non-Human or Sci-Fi.

If it's scary, creepy, or unsettling, go Horror.

It would have to be the second one. Actually, the sex feels the same to him, or as if she were real. It would have been romantic, because he's thinking of taking her out later (I know, the sex first, and then the date) but she's gone before he can get a commitment. (Actually, she's sort of tied to one spot in a certain building anyway, which seems to be a common trait of the ghost phenomenon.) It's only creepy when he finds out later that she was a ghost.

 

[SimonDoom]

It would have to be the second one. Actually, the sex feels the same to him, or as if she were real. It would have been romantic, because he's thinking of taking her out later (I know, the sex first, and then the date) but she's gone before he can get a commitment. (Actually, she's sort of tied to one spot in a certain building anyway, which seems to be a common trait of the ghost phenomenon.) It's only creepy when he finds out later that she was a ghost.

I think you are over-thinking this.

The issue is not how it seems to the character. The issue is how it will come across to your readers. Only you know the answer to this. It doesn't sound like Romance because you said yourself that it's a one-hour encounter. It's an erotic encounter between a ghost and a human. If the readers know it's a ghost and if that's what gives the story it's erotic sizzle then it's Nonhuman. But only you know the story.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I may get this wrong, but it seems like it would be a better story if the readers are also unaware of her being a ghost. Putting it in Nonhuman would spoil that effect.

Check for yourself (or ask beta-readers) if it has a romantic vibe or not. If it does, Romance, if it doesn't, Erotic Couplings.

Yes, I've thought of that too. I looked at the NonHuman category, and a lot of stories announce in the title what it's about. [Spoiler Alert!] Like in The Sixth Sense, in this one there are clues along the way about is going on but the reveal is at the end.

Writing it is going faster than I had expected, and it will probably be submitted in October.