What is "slow burn"?

[TheLobster]

So, I've been polishing my Geek Pride story, doing all the Lit things such as coming up with a blurb and tags.

For the latter, my usual method is to add the ones that are obvious and then pad the limit with matching tags for the category I'm posting to, giving priority to the more popular ones in case of any ambiguity. Since this story will be my first foray into a new category (Romance), I've been relying on the popular tag list even more than usual to make sure my submission has a chance of finding the right audience.

It was there, on the all-time Romance tag cloud, that found the rather prominent label called "slow burn". I've been trying to figure out what this term really means, specifically as it pertains to Literotica as opposed to, say, the mainstream romance novels.

It's quite easy to find what the non-Lit romance readership thinks about it, of course, but sadly it doesn't really apply to many works that you can find here. You can hardly expect a slowly developing relationship that takes 200 pages to get to the love confession and/or the steamy parts -- which is roughly the sentiment I found echoed in r/RomanceNovels and the like -- when the whole story is just 10-20k words. And I've seen many such "short" stories, with red H no less, that have been tagged with "slow burn".

So, is slow burn even really about length?
Does it have to include a certain progress of a relationship through different stages?
Does the couple have to start with little to no romantic feelings, or can e.g. one person have a crush on the other?
Does it have to be primarily about the emotional journey where both of them realize their feelings for one other, or can "real life" get in the way to provide respite and/or situations where the relationship can progress through hardship / cooperation / any other 'regular' plot element?

In other words, what do readers and writers on Lit mean by slow burn, esp. in the presumably less smutty categories like Romance and Lesbian?

 

[Pookie812]

Slow burn is just an underlying, constant/consistent tension, usually sexual, that slowly progresses or goes in spurts. That's my opinion at least.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I have read fantasy stories with a slow burn romance subplot where one or both of them did have feels for the other, but they kept trying to ignore or downplay it. So yeah it's not necessarily about them taking a while to feel it. It can instead be about them taking a while to act on it.

 

[Bamagan]

I don't really know what anyone else expects when they see the tag, and I doubt there's a true consensus. For my part, on the handful of occasions I used it as a tag, it was because I spent a significant portion of the story building up to the 'actual' sex (penetrative sex, in the context of the story in question). The first 60k words or so were (hopefully) rising tension, and the last 60k were explorations on the new relationship. I would contrast that to stories that begin in media res, so to speak, which is fairly common in short fiction.
To more specifically address your questions, I don't think it's about length so much as proportionality. Wherever the characters start out, a substantial amount of the story needs to be devoted to the 'kindling' of their new relationship, and I would expect most readers would not be surprised to encounter various roadblocks and backslides along that path.

 

[onehitwanda]

Slow burn is like slow cooking - dehydration rather than satiation.

 

[Pookie812]

Slow burn is like slow cooking - dehydration rather than satiation.

I like that lol. Like edging but no cumming. I think if you wanted a true *slow burn* story, there would be no climax, no conclusion, just the continuing torment of a lack of resolution.

 

[ThatNewGuy]

I consider "slow burn" the tag equivalent of an introductory note that reads, "If you're looking for a quick wank, this ain't it."

I think some writers also use it as shorthand for, "I care about developing and fleshing out my characters, dear reader, so expect to spend a good bit of time with them before anyone's clothes start falling off."

It's certainly possible that folks use the tag to convey more nuance, as in your examples, but when I see the tag as a reader, that's how I translate it in my head. : )

All that said, I've not read extensively in Romance and have only posted one story there, so others may have a more helpful perspective to share.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

In the context of Lit it more or less means "expect to be a few Lit pages in before the hanky-panky starts".

 

[Djmac1031]

As has been pointed out, the term can have different meanings to different people.

My series The Jenna Arrangement was labeled as "slow burn" by many readers because, while each chapter featured some kind of sexual exploit and / or development in the two lead character's relationship, they didn't actually go all the way sexually or declare their love until part 12.

 

[AlinaX]

I think I would die of boredom if I tried to write 60k or 11 chapters of slow burn.

 

[SPARTAN047]

https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/17ikobh/please_help_me_understand_what_slow_burn_actually

This might be an interesting thread.

Normally, 'slow burn' is about forest fires and someone who is slow to show anger, but it comes out explosively later.

For romance novels and erotica, I suppose you could think of it the same way. A little spark starts in the forest near a tree. It takes a while to start up, but one tree eventually smoulders and burns, and spreads it to the adjacent trees. Those adjacent trees will spread them to their neighbouring trees, and soon the whole forest is ablaze. Such a conflagration is very hard or impossible to control.

This is how some of those romance novels start, they end in a very explosive climax like an inferno, and as much as people will hate me and want to 'proactively date' me, a lot of cuckold and cuckquean stories start and end the same way. The hotwife gets pregnant from her bull or the hothusband will impregnate the cuckcake and all her friends while neglecting his wife, since their emotions and lust are slowly triggered, teased, regulated with some hot and cold behaviour, maybe manipulation, coercion, introducing a rival, or any other means, and then the cuckoldress or cuckqueaner (I made that up) just can't control themselves.

Cheating stories, IRL or fictional, can follow the same path.

 

[lovecraft68]

There's a build up to the sex, some type of conflict, some situation that adds some should we, shouldn't we. There is generally more to the story and characters and rather than an immediate in your face sex scene, the authors sets the tone and anticipation throughout, making the climax that much hotter because you've been teased for the duration of the story

A stroker is a quick fuck over the bed
A slow burn is long teasing foreplay and around the world

 

[M_K_Babalon]

It's generally the slow growth of a relationship, how long it takes two people to realize they love each other, or in case of Lit; fuck, I suppose. In my opinion, ignition happens towards the end of the story, so length doesn't matter.

 

[PrimalDual]

An editor who assisted me with stories a couple of years ago used the term "slow burn" to describe my style. It was not a compliment.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Slow burn...
It just means the relationship builds slowly. The tension between the characters can be difficult, normally there is some hesitation, or roadblock...
It is the tension between the main characters that makes it interesting.
It has nothing to do with story length, it's all about tension...

 

[Voboy]

Slow burn is just an underlying, constant/consistent tension, usually sexual, that slowly progresses or goes in spurts. That's my opinion at least.

This.

And also, this:

I consider "slow burn" the tag equivalent of an introductory note that reads, "If you're looking for a quick wank, this ain't it."

I think the hidden message to prospective readers is expect a lot of buildup before the main characters exchange fluids.

FWIW, I don't use "slow burn" as a tag.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So, is slow burn even really about length?

I don't think length has got anything to do with it. I've got some 750 word short stories that have what I consider "slow burn" - where the developing mood is the main thing, not the sexual climax. Although, they do get there in the end.

Does it have to include a certain progress of a relationship through different stages?

Pretty much, arriving at a destination slowly.

Does the couple have to start with little to no romantic feelings, or can e.g. one person have a crush on the other?

Irrelevant, in my mind.

Does it have to be primarily about the emotional journey where both of them realize their feelings for one other, or can "real life" get in the way to provide respite and/or situations where the relationship can progress through hardship / cooperation / any other 'regular' plot element?

That depends entirely on your plot. You're looking for "rules of engagement" when there aren't any.

In other words, what do readers and writers on Lit mean by slow burn, esp. in the presumably less smutty categories like Romance and Lesbian?

Who knows? It's not painting by numbers - or shouldn't be. If you look for formulas, your writing will end up formulaic. And readers will surely spot that - and for some readers that's exactly what they want.

But for a writer? Again, who knows? I for one don't want to write stories the same way everyone else does. But other writers nail the formula and keep repeating it, and good for them. It boils down to what you want to do, or be, as a writer.

 

[TheLobster]

Thanks, everyone. These were some insightful and helpful answers. I'm happy that this question sparked a little bit of a discussion, too.

My selfish intent in asking this question was trying to figure out if it would make sense to tag my Geek Pride story as "slow burn". In the end, I didn't. While there is of course some build up and conflict before it, the whole story is focused largely upon one Precipitating Incident™, after which things progress very quickly for the new couple. A lot of what would normally be part of a slow burn story is only hinted at or implied rather than shown directly, which seems at odds with what readers expecting a slow burn story would hope to see.

I'm still looking forward to others giving their opinions here, of course. I can think of at least a few AH folks who I'm sure would have some valuable comments on this topic

 

[StillStunned]

I think I would die of boredom if I tried to write 60k or 11 chapters of slow burn.

It took my characters Sligh and Avilia the better part of 55k words across 5 chapters, with a bit of teasing and frustration, and one fuck of convenience, to properly get it in.

It didn't feel boring.

 

[yowser]

If one is going to do a 'slow burn' it's best if actual ignition occurs. I think some of the least satisfying stories I've read here have long, almost intriguing build-ups only to result in fireworks dampened by an evening fog, cut short, or need I say it, anticlimactic.

Nothing wrong with a lazy kitchen full of simmering excitements, just make sure you end up with a proper meal.

 

[iwatchus]

If one is going to do a 'slow burn' it's best if actual ignition occurs. I think some of the least satisfying stories I've read here have long, almost intriguing build-ups only to result in fireworks dampened by an evening fog, cut short, or need I say it, anticlimactic.

Nothing wrong with a lazy kitchen full of simmering excitements, just make sure you end up with a proper meal.

Thanks for the advice, that turns out to be very timely for me. I am approaching the end of my first slow burn story here and was trying to decide how to end it.

Explicit details, generalities, or they ride off into the sunset with each other?
I am also trying to decide on one more setback for their relationship before consummation is achieved.

 

[designatedvictim]

...or goes in spurts.

I see what you did there.

 

[designatedvictim]

In the context of Lit it more or less means "expect to be a few Lit pages in before the hanky-panky starts".

Yeah... that's pretty much how I've always interpreted it.

I used the tag, myself, on my most recent story, AWoS, which spent over 12K words (of 39K) setting things up before the first sexual contact.

With my first story chapter, I never really considered it might be slow burn until after the fact. I think the main characters got naked around 5K words and, if you ignore a bit of a premature reaction on the viewpoint character's part, they didn't get sexual until about 11K words.

This was consider too wordy and too long to get to it by some parties.

I enjoy having the characters directly interacting - other than, along with, the sexy bits.

YMMV.

 

[PrimalDual]

My preferred style, which readers and also at least one editor seem to hate, is to set up a scenario and then end the story at a branching point where any of several outcomes could occur. A one-page example I'm proud of (enough to mention) is https://www.literotica.com/s/six-hours-out-of-port . Does she do anything at all? Does she do the minimum? Does she do more? I've played around with at least four continuations, but opted to spell out none of them. To me, this is erotica, which supposedly the site embraces. Erotica is whatever excites my imagination. I'm not against pr0n, and some of my stories here are explicit too. But I see nothing wrong with a Slow Burn, whether or not it results in consummation. Applying a tag of "no sex" angered me though I felt it incumbent based on the site's practices - but I think Six Hours Out of Port is chock full of sex.

 

[Cali_Love]

Whoops! Every one of my stories is a slow burn but I never once thought to apply the tag. Ha. Of course I ignore tags before reading a story, like, whatever.