I am, in fact, working on a new story. The first run at it didn't seem right to me, though and I wonder what other Lush writers think. I ended up with about 4000 words of fairly well-written (in need of editing but good for a first draft) character development and no sex. It's getting there but I found I was getting more interested in building the scenario around the main character than getting him into the sack (figuratively speaking since I think the first sex will be outdoors). So, I restarted with a new version that gets things moving faster (e.g. begins with a short sex scene but one that is rather peripheral to the actual story) but I feel like I'm losing some of the context and some of the rationale for the main character's behaviour by doing so. I know he's going to have sex and I know who it will be with, it's just that the story feels like it needs some detailed exploration of the whys and wherefores of his actions.
How far can you go with an erotic story with only some flirting and context?
Does sex need to happen sooner rather than later to make it a true erotic story?
How much non-sexual character and plot development can you have before it's no longer an erotic story, but a mainstream one with explicit sex?
What a character does,how they do it, when they do it, why they do it, all display the inner "person". That's how -- I think -- character development happens best in erotica. We don't need to know what they ate for breakfast, what school they went to, or if their cock swings to the right or the left. The more varied their sexual behavior, the deeper the character is developed. Can they be tender as well as passionate? Do they really enjoy what they are doing and what's done to them? Are they romantic or just hooking up for the night? Give the reader sensual details, not a list of their attributes.
If they are just flirting, it's not erotica, in my opinion. It's just normal fiction with some "romance of a sort". See what the title of this forum thread is? "Lush Sex Stories Forum". Sex. Not character vignettes, not flirting, but sex. What's the plot of a sex story? Sex is. What's the story of a sex story? How the characters act and react before, during, and after the sex acts. Your use of the phrase "getting him into the sack" -- again only my opinion -- sounds a little callous, but that's just me. Is he wanting to make love with another human being or just get a quick fuck to get his nut off? In good erotic fiction, the sex is not peripheral. It is the raison d'etre.
Actually, "in the sack" was a bad choice of words. The whole point is a guy getting away from a hedonistic lifestyle that he's fed up with and finding that escape (partly at least) in a truly passionate encounter(s) with a woman (versus the promiscuous, mindless f*cking he's been getting). What I'm setting up is the dissatisfaction that drives him into it.
I'm not trying to make the sex peripheral so much as wondering how far one can go with building up the situation that explains the sex without making the sex peripheral.
You've got some interesting points there, yourmisterdark. Thanks for the input.
If that's his motivation, then the "struggle" between his usual habits/behavior and the more tender seduction of his intended (less experienced) partner is the story. From, umm, "easy" to complex, as I see it.
The difference between pornography and erotica is the fact that one seeks only to arouse, while the other sends a deeper meaning. You have your own ways of showing your art, nurture it well.
I wouldn't worry about it at all. Many of my stories don't hit a full sex scene until around the 3500-4500 word mark. I like the build-up and sexual tension as well. I think it makes for a more interesting tale. Of course - then I get deep into the sex and that carries for several thousand words as well. My rule of thumb is that if you're taking time with a longer build-up don't skimp on the sex scene once you actually get to it. I think a proper short story should have some character and plot development, otherwise it just ends up being a 'penthouse letter' style quickie.
If you have a well written and interesting story going, then don't worry about the long build up. Think of it as long foreplay. That just makes the finish that much better.
I really don't like writing a simple, get together and screw story. For a story to take a life of its own, it must have a story that would be engaging without the sex. The plot must have a point beyond getting into the sack, and the characters must be interesting on their own.
My best stories have managed to do this. When I have such a story, then the sex comes more easily. The characters themselves will dictate the action because they are rounded enough that I know what they would do in the situation they find themselves in.
To me, this allows the story to develop naturally and it will have a believable flow that won't distract the reader. The suspension of disbelief will remain intact.
From your outline it would seem to me that the eroticism comes from his internal struggle rather than any relationships he has.
The characters you introduce should be as throwaway as his attitude to sex.
You already have two leading characters: what he is and what he wants to be. The conflict between them could be a powerful source of eroticism.
Just a suggestion of course. Look forward to seeing what you've come up with
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Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber Thanks all. Some useful thoughts and advice here. I've backburnered the story temporarily, not so much because of this issue but because it had hit a point where I wasn't sure where it wanted to go next (yeah, I'm one of those writers who doesn't do outlines and such but believes that the "story writes itself"). I'm working on something else (possibly ending up as a triptych revolving around various members of a familly, but with no involved) in the meantime.
