Writing Erotica: A seduction of the mind?

[Mark James]

Hello:

When I write erotic fiction, I always try to strike a balance between the actual description of sex between the characters and the psychological side of the scene.

The more I've written, the more I realize that there are only so many ways to describe a sex act. So I try to focus most of the story (or chapter in a novel length work) on the build up that leads to the actual sex.

I like to seduce my reader before they get to the sex, so that by the time the characters actually have sex, the reader is desperate for it to happen.

I think of writing erotica as a seduction of the mind. For me, the mind is a sexual organ and arousal begins there. I've read alot of badly written erotica all over the internet, and it seems to focus mostly on the actual sex act. I find that to be dull, tedious and repetitive.

The writers that I enjoy reading weave the sex into a story line that makes the sex a necessary part of the story.

I'd like to hear from other writers out there about how they feel about writing erotica.

1. Do you believe that writing erotica is a seduction of the mind?

2. In your writing, about how much of the story is given to sex, how much to the erotic build up? For me it's about 80 percent build up and 20 percent of actual sex.

Mark

 

[Riven___Caulfield]

Ideally, you shouldn't even worry about where sex appears in your story. You shouldn't preoccupy yourself with that aspect of it at all.

In the perfect erotic story, the sex is incidental to the plot, and must serve it as well as the scene that came before and comes after.

-Riv

 

[Belegon]

pure stroke without build up is totally uninteresting to me. I have to care about the characters to get excited by them.

my writings vary, but I would say I probably average about 65-75 % build up.

 

[shereads]

A sexy brain is a dangerous thing and should be registered with local law enforcement.

Hello:

When I write erotic fiction, I always try to strike a balance between the actual description of sex between the characters and the psychological side of the scene.

The more I've written, the more I realize that there are only so many ways to describe a sex act. So I try to focus most of the story (or chapter in a novel length work) on the build up that leads to the actual sex.

I like to seduce my reader before they get to the sex, so that by the time the characters actually have sex, the reader is desperate for it to happen.

I think of writing erotica as a seduction of the mind. For me, the mind is a sexual organ and arousal begins there. I've read alot of badly written erotica all over the internet, and it seems to focus mostly on the actual sex act. I find that to be dull, tedious and repetitive.

The writers that I enjoy reading weave the sex into a story line that makes the sex a necessary part of the story.

I'd like to hear from other writers out there about how they feel about writing erotica.

1. Do you believe that writing erotica is a seduction of the mind?

2. In your writing, about how much of the story is given to sex, how much to the erotic build up? For me it's about 80 percent build up and 20 percent of actual sex.

Mark

 

[Mark James]

Re: Re: Writing Erotica: A seduction of the mind?

A sexy brain is a dangerous thing and should be registered with local law enforcement.

Actually, an idea is the most dangerous thing. That's why they use television - complete lack of creative activity...

 

[Bandit1]

There has to be some build up to the sex in order to keep my interest.

All of my stories have considerable buildup before the sex, and the sex is always integral to the storyline.

There are a couple of writers here however who get into the sex almost right from the start yet their works are so skillfully crafted that you don't really miss the buildup at all. (Yui for one)

 

[shereads]

This topic reminds me of something I read about Viagra-type drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has had zero success in creating an equivalent drug for women. Female arousal is a mind/body cooperative effort. I guess that's why women, as a rule, prefer porn with a plot.

 

[Boxlicker101]

This topic reminds me of something I read about Viagra-type drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has had zero success in creating an equivalent drug for women. Female arousal is a mind/body cooperative effort. I guess that's why women, as a rule, prefer porn with a plot.

Sometimes a man is in a condition where he can't get an erection even though he wants to have sex. He takes Viagra to help him get hard. Since a woman is always physically capable of having sex, I don't see how there can be an equivalent drug. Sometimes she will have trouble lubricating or will have a condition such as vaginismus(?) but she is always capable if she really wants to.

 

[English Lady]

I have a mi in m stories, some get down to sexwithin the first fw paragraphs and others take a few pages of build up! Generally I do prefer to build up to the sex, the stories where sex is in from the beginning tend to be little fantasis written out for my husband pleasure more thananything else

Although sometimes sexdoesn't ned a build up but maybe a wind down instead

 

[impressive]

It varies.

In most of my stories, the sex is at the end. (One exception is "Wetter ..." which is my longest & has multiple scenes.)

However, I have one in Letters & Transcripts called "Allure" in which there is next to no character development. It could (perhaps should) have been a poem. While it is my shortest (right at 750 words), it has been well received.

So ... it varies.

 

[Kassiana]

1. Do you believe that writing erotica is a seduction of the mind?
--Of course. I can't seduce a body through writing stuff on the Internet or in real life.

2. In your writing, about how much of the story is given to sex, how much to the erotic build up? For me it's about 80 percent build up and 20 percent of actual sex.
--Depends on the story. I have one, still pending approval, which is all about a bet two people make that one will seduce the other. That one has a ton of build-up and not very much actual sex, though plenty of fantasizing and spin-out from their bet affecting other people. Others vary. Some are straight "I've decided to have sex now, damn it" bits with a page or two of how s/he decided to have sex now, damn it before the actual sexfest, others are actual stories building up to that point where sex is inevitable. Some of those stories aren't explicit or graphic, either.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I have two chapters of a current series I'm working on out that is, so far, nothing but build up. I want the "anticipation" to be as hot and wild as the sex, when it finally does happen...

My Xmas contest entry I'm working may have too much buildup. I'm going through it, trying to cut some of the stuff not integral to the plot out.

But the buildup is the sexy part. That's the story. If you want porn, watch a movie.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I don't consider my work to be seduction of the reader. In fact I rarely consider the reader when writing. I just write. I do consider the reader before posting, but I don't generally think of it as a seduction.

My stories are all about build up, back ground, getting to know the characters, their likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams. One of my more popular stories is 19K words with just 2 sex scenes that have any detail. The sex is important, the way you relate it is important, but in my works it is generally not the end all be all. In most of my works the sex scenes could be removed and related off camera and it wouldn't seriously hurt the story. At least that's usually my goal. A solid story with erotic content rather than erotic content with a story told around it.

-Colly

 

[rgraham666]

So far my stories are either very long or rather short.

In the longer ones about 90% of the story is build up, that is characterization.

The 'short pieces of smut' I get to the sex pretty quickly and makes up the bulk of the story.