Writer's question

[Lambchop]

... then end with her slooooowly removing . . . one by one . . . millimeter by millimeter . . . all the multicolored pens in his pocket protector . . . while he . . . explains . . . just . . . how . . . a slide rule . . . works . . .

See? Isn't that excellent? Chiffettes everywhere are going into happy mode.

That is excellent.

Thank you, dear. Yes, I'm thinking it is. Hmm.

I'm surprised more ladies haven't weighed in on this. I hope they weren't put off by the topic and just had something urgent to do first.

[Bubbie]

OK, for you writers out there I'm sure you've all faced this question.

When you write erotica do you think that the plot and characters should be equal to, greater than, or less than the graphic sexual descriptions?

Very interesting. I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. I had a writing prof who said he used to teach this very subject years ago. I was always curious about how parents who are footing the bill for college tuition might have viewed a class like that.

Anyway, erotica is designed to stimulate the senses. If your attempt is to be successful, this naturally requires descriptive passages that vicariously place the reader in the scene in some fashion. I presume that's why the prof was able to get away with his teaching methods. Strong, well-rounded characters and a believable, well-executed plot, in my opinion, take a back seat here to tantilizing descriptions that draw on the reader's sensory memories. Without the latter you don't have erotica.

Note: It's possible that what the prof talked about may not have been an entire course on erotica. It may have been some exercises that he had students do to sharpen their writing. It's been a while since I've heard him talk about it.

[Caroluna]

I'm surprised more ladies haven't weighed in on this. I hope they weren't put off by the topic and just had something urgent to do first.

brawk! brawk!!

[Jack]

I love chickens. They're so gorgeous and stupid.

[Flyingcursor]

I think that was a hen either running for the rooster or running for cover.

Lambchop - you are a natural. Perhaps you should give up all this acadamia for your true calling.

I never expected anyone to actually answer this post seriously. IMHO you MUST have well developed characters for any story in any genre. Once the reader is absorbed into the life of your character you won't need as much GSD; it won't be necessary to provoke the proper response.

[Lambchop]

So, Fly, are you going to tell us if you're taking this course and why?

[Bubbie]

I never expected anyone to actually answer this
post seriously.

Silly me. You asked what I presumed was a serious question and I
mistakenly gave a serious answer. I'm relatively new here and I'm not
familiar with some of the personalities on the board. Sorry.

IMHO you MUST have well developed characters
for any story in any genre. Once the reader is absorbed into the life of
your character you won't need as much GSD; it won't be necessary to
provoke the proper response.

Right or wrong it sounds like your mind is made up. I would like to read
some of your erotica that relies on the character and not description to
sell the erotic nature of the story. Right now I'm not sure how well
that would work, but my opinion can be swayed and I'm game to reading
anything you want to send my way that illustrates your position.

I could cite several instances where stories were big sellers and the
characters were flat with no real depth. They exist and they have sold.
I'm not saying that makes them "good" stories or something that I care to
read. I'm simply responding to your comment, "IMHO you MUST have
well developed characters for any story in any genre."

Sorry, I'm being serious again.

[djm]

Greying Seniors Decay
Golfers Suck Doorknobs
Gandalf Snorts Daily
Gyrating Swirls Daringly

Harlequin Romance novels, anyone?

djm

[Flyingcursor]

I never expected anyone to actually answer this
post seriously.

Silly me. You asked what I presumed was a serious question and I
mistakenly gave a serious answer. I'm relatively new here and I'm not
familiar with some of the personalities on the board. Sorry.

Not at all. All of the answers are good ones.

Lamby - I'm not taking any course. I was going for shock value and failed miserably.

[Lambchop]

Fly, I don't think you failed! Not at all! I think you just shocked everyone speechless and they're still trying to recover.

[izzarina]

You can go on for almost the whole thing using computer repair to foreshadow what will happen, then end with her slooooowly removing . . . one by one . . . millimeter by millimeter . . . all the multicolored pens in his pocket protector . . . while he . . . explains . . . just . . . how . . . a slide rule . . . works . . .

See? Isn't that excellent? Chiffettes everywhere are going into happy mode.

That is, by far, one of the best things I've ever read.

[mutepointe]

Could you write a story about mermaids anyway?

[Lambchop]

Could you write a story about mermaids anyway?

My goodness, you certainly have your heart set on this, don't you!

Is this the Weeki Wachee mermaid or the other kind?

[Tikva]

I could cite several instances where stories were big sellers and the
characters were flat with no real depth. They exist and they have sold.
I'm not saying that makes them "good" stories or something that I care to
read. I'm simply responding to your comment, "IMHO you MUST have
well developed characters for any story in any genre."

Yeah, this definately comes with the genre. After watching a whole BBC documentation about lichen industry, I should know.

I guess PC to GSD ratio depends on the lenght of your story and the target audience.

A long story always needs a bit more GSD than a short one in order to keep the reader's interest.

Females usually wish for more background information while males are more likely to be content with GSD only.

Hormonal teenagers might get impatient with overly long introductions while the more mature reader might find that interesting.

[buddhu]

Sex is a prime motivator in humans and in males especially. It can be difficult to write a good character without mentioning it at all.

I only ever had one story that got me a request from the editor to revise a sexual passage to make it less graphic, and in that case is was the specific use of certain words that caused the discomfort. With approximate synonyms the passage lost little impact and was still as explicit as before, to my mind.

If the genre is erotica then, as I perceive it, the aim is titillation. When one considers the vast spectrum of human sexual preference I think it is clear that there is no formula that will float every boat. For example, some people prefer their P0rn to expose all, others prefer their on-page or on-screen combatants to be clothed in one or another style and to one or another degree.

If sex is incidental, or supportive of wider issues, then its presence needs to be substantial enough to serve its purpose, but limited enough that it doesn't assume greater prominence than its raison d'etre requires.

I'd guess that, of my published output, perhaps 70% of stories contain sex scenes. These are probably most often scenes that show characters in their least guarded, and thus most telling, moments. In short stories I find that to be an approach that can say a lot about a character when word count is tightly prescribed.

I have never written erotica per se. I reckon it'd be more difficult than I imagine to write something really good...