Erotica in (Well-Written) Fiction

Discussion in 'Discussion' started by Ars Nova, May 23, 2014.

  1. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

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    Some of you may have seen this coming, what with my now-more-evident-than-ever penchant for provocative avatars. I would hope I don't need to add this disclaimer, but be aware that sexytalks will take place herein, so if you're not all about discussing the carnal arts then this may not be the thread for you. By the same token, don't get too graphic—You can easily talk about the thing without describing it in acute detail.

    I think I have a somewhat controversial view on this, given select past events which I won't get too deep into, but I've often wanted to write stories that would be out-and-out pornographic if not for a slightly more balanced sex-to-plot ratio. One such idea is to write of a modern-day coven of wicca who specialize in sex magick, and use it to explore concepts of physical and emotional intimacy, control dynamics in relationships, sexual deviance and taboos and the mindsets of those who lean towards them. Not only do I want to write these things but I want to see more of them—not strictly for the purpose of, ahem... gratifying oneself physically, but not ignoring it either—rather, using it as a tool in the writing process.

    There's a webcomic I like called Three Years. It's a Homestuck fanwork. I'll spare you their life stories, but it's about two kids taking an extended road trip through the null space between universes—not entirely alone, but mostly—who begin to develop feelings for each other. The catch is that they recently found out they're brother and sister. There was a promise of exponentially saucier scenes, though it seems to have been discontinued before anything spectacular happened. Anyway, it's a really cute and gut-wrenching story about two kids who fell in love under faulty pretenses and now have to wrestle with the emotional hurricane that creates, and without the visceral sexual details I feel as if the story would be deprived of so much impact. You have to feel right along with them the closeness and anticipation, the heat and intenseness as they draw closer, and the palpable void between them when one breaks away and mumbles "This is so wrong."

    Immersion is a natural part of storytelling. You want the observer to feel the emotions your characters feel, to relate to them and empathize. Why then would we ignore aspects such as attraction and arousal? I feel certain stories can only or best be told through those sensations, not only because of their power but because of the myriad of situations to which they apply in our daily lives. They have the power to break down barriers, same as any other emotion. Not to mention, well-written tales of sex and sexual situations, where those involved practice it responsibly (or, if not, faced with consequences for their abandon), might help curb the tide of ill-informed kids and teenagers losing their future and livelihood to sex.

    So, opinions? Struck a chord, or do I just look like a creep up here on my soapbox?
     
  2. Hyuge ✧ [[ Fairy Queen ]]

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    I like a good sex scene or two. It gives the story more depth and makes it more relate-able. I'm not one for all the details, but I'd rather they didn't beat around the bush either [[ hurhur #maturity ]]. I like that exhilarating rush of endorphins from reading something a little risque. I also like to write it. I would probably post more stories in my writer's thread if it wasn't for the content rules. I mean, it's all tasteful, but no infractions for meeeeee. None of the stuff I've wrote is online because I find it embarrassing. I have a lot of respect for people that can write erotica and have their name on the cover. I think it takes a lot of self - confidence for them to have their works published. I'd feel like people were constantly judging me for writing that sort of thing so I just keep it to myself. It's safer that way.
     
  3. Laurence_Fox Chaser

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    As an asexual, sex and romance in my works of fiction isn't terribly important to me. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate a good erotic piece of fiction as much as the next person. However, if the sex furthers the plot of the story somehow then I am all for it. But if it's just thrown in there for fanservice or to cause controversy, then it might as well not be there. And in some cases, I'd rather it weren't there. Because it feels forced and awkward and a general mess.

    I write a fair deal of smut fics myself. Usually stand alone drabble fics for my friends as gifts. I am told that I write wonderful smut. And it's not for any sort of gratification on my end. I don't get anything out of it aside from making my friends happy.
     
  4. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

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    So would you say that smut can be gratifying and purposeful? That's mostly what I mean to ask, since I've seen a lot of advice that says there's no reason to really get into a sex scene in writing unless you're writing porn.
     
  5. Misty gimme kiss

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    I disagree! I'm not a writer by any means, the extent of my writing is Star Wars angst fanfiction, but until recently I had never included a sex scene despite writing primarily about romance. It was perhaps very lightly implied once or twice, but even when writing the scenes where it could be implied, I wanted to leave it up to the reader to decide whether or not the characters... sealed the deal, shall we say.

    Moving along, for the chapter of my fanfiction that has been rotting on my hard drive for a few months, I finally felt that I needed to seriously consider adding a sex scene. In terms of utility,
    I need to eventually work in a pregnancy (or not need, I basically told myself I was going to buck canon so I could just decide that the couple was ultimately childless, but I want to have them ~reproduce~ for other plot reasons), so some form of sex does need to happen. However, this never needed to be explicit, as I could very easily just say "and then she was pregnant" the end (though obviously more eloquently) and the lack of a sex scene wouldn't be jarring by any means. I knew that pregnancy would be worked in since I started the fanfiction, but because it never needed explicit sex I always regarded any sex scene(s) as "well I could or I couldn't do it"
    It wasn't until this chapter, which will be the ninth, that I felt I needed to again approach the question of whether to add it. As things look now, there will be a sex scene, though it's extremely light (the note I wrote for myself in my chapter outline was "they **** (tastefully)"). I felt it was important to build the emotion and the, in a way, tragedy of the following events. It's a tool & a plot device for me in that regard. The fanfiction isn't porn or smut in any way, with or without this chapter. I don't deny that readers who really feel the couple in question may get some light satisfaction out of reading the scene, but that's not the primary intent or purpose in including it, and nobody that read it could call it porn (it's literally like two paragraphs, and if you know my writing at all, it's very little action and a lot of emotion).

    LEAVE IT TO MISTY TO WRITE ABOUT STAR WARS IN AN EROTICA THREAD, I was going to write a reply from a readers' perspective but just couldn't put my thoughts into words. I had a bit to say from a writer's perspective tho~
    not sure if any of this is coherent or meaningful
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2014