Literotica writing lore which may not be as helpful as people think

[WittyUserName]

Hey ND brother,

I know what you mean. I sometimes have to stop myself from explaining every detail. Like:

I picked up the lube bottle, which had been lying on the bed next to me where I left it, and flipped the top. I pulled one butt cheek to the side and drizzled some gel onto my ring. Then I closed the lid and lay the bottle on my tummy while I rubbed the lubricant around and into my asshole.

As opposed to:

I lubed my ass ready for him.

Sometimes those details are needed, sometimes not. It can be so tough to figure out when to add things in. All we can do is keep trying to improve!

 

[WittyUserName]

I'm on the spectrum too. Borderline case where I am able to enjoy some of the "benefits" but I suffer from the problems as well. I'm the Darren who sent you an email with the subject "Literotica Feedback" on the Slutsisters in BPP if you're interested in talking about other things since we both have the same condition. Trying my hand at writing now. How are you able to write your sex scenes? I've to imitate those in stories I like or replicate what I see in the movies and expand on them to the best of my ability by simulating them in my mind.

It's strange. When I'm doing my creative content or writing for my opera hobby, I've the same fear or rather it's the fear I'll have to answer questions so I make sure my writing is watertight and with enough detail to answer any questions which might arise in advance. However, when I'm writing, I only go into the specifics if I feel it helps the story or myself. I'm writing for myself.


Are you one of us or under another category? If you're one of us, all the better, I appreciate ladies with a witty mouth, especially if they're capable of dirty thoughts or ideas. I noticed you're always armed with some repartee. Hopefully I'll have the chance to fence with you.

I think it's possible to avoid explaining every detail if it doesn't help the story or writing it doesn't turn you on.

There's honestly no harm in writing like what you did though if you want to make yourself able to picture what you're writing or the reader able to picture what you're reading. Such detail does make the writing highly evocative.

Oh, hi again! Feel free to reach out via email again if you'd like. As for the sex scenes, I usually just try and imagine what's happening in my head and describe the details I'd be interested in.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Depends on the reader, too, of course, and we aren't all the same.

Unless it's over-the-top stupid, I don't mind overdescription. Because I don't see it. My brain just skates right over it.

--Annie

 

[Katie_Mae]

Another one:

Lit lore: Don’t describe your protagonists so that readers can project themselves onto one character and their fantasy onto another.

In reality: Characters live in the author’s head, not the reader’s, and it is solely up to the author how much or little to reveal about their appearance. If details of appearance enhance the story, then of course they should be included.

I thought the lit lore was that readers are unable to become aroused unless you describe your characters' physical appearance and the whole "no, less description is better" stance was just a reaction to that by people who don't enjoy reading about someone's physical appearance?

At any rate, it doesn't matter which was first and which was the reaction.

They're both wrong. But, also, they're both kinda right.

I think the not-so-helpful advice can be boiled down as such:

Lit law: Everyone is the same.

Reality: Everyone is quite different, actually.

Now, by "everyone is the same" I don't mean the lore is that people think everyone is exactly the same. I mean readers are here for different reasons, looking for different things, like different things, and writers are here for different reasons too, and this sometimes gets forgotten.

It's true, there are some people who need physical appearance to be described to become aroused. There are others, like me, who don't. I don't know what most of the characters look like in many of the stories I enjoy, or if I do it's often only the important or major details. (Unless the author draws an actual picture, then I can see what they look like. Or if the book gets made into a movie or something.)

Words of character description don't "build a picture in my mind," my eyes skim over them and my mind doesn't retain most of the details of appearance. If a story is very heavy on character description, it might not bother me, or it may encourage me to put it down and try something else. Which is fine, not every story is for every person.

Moving on... when the arousal happens is different. I've read here that some people masturbate while reading stories which to me is rather wild. But hey. Different strokes for different folks.

Moving on... not everyone is here reading to get aroused. I'm often not.

And then, it's not just the readers who are here for different things and reasons, us writers are too. What we're intending to get out of posting stories here will impact both out behaviours and measure of success. What you should do as a writer to achieve your goals, is very different from what I should do.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What you should do as a writer to achieve your goals, is very different from what I should do.

And hence ‘lore’ is less than helpful.

I’ve had people tell me that they masturbated to one of my stories. I’ve had people say that they cried to one of my stories. Both are words eliciting an emotional response, which is one of the main objectives of writing (not the only one of course).

 

[alohadave]

I don't know what most of the characters look like in many of the stories I enjoy, or if I do it's often only the important or major details. (Unless the author draws an actual picture, then I can see what they look like. Or if the book gets made into a movie or something.)

I also do not imagine faces other than in a generic way that they have all the normal facial features. This is both in reading and writing.

I don't think I've ever described a character's eye color. Hair color yes.

 

[alohadave]

I’ve had people tell me that they masturbated to one of my stories.

I find it really weird and uncomfortable to masturbate to stories of people I'm familiar with here in the forums. I've read some, and really enjoyed them, but I have to read them as stories, not as fap material.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I find it really weird and uncomfortable to masturbate to stories of people I'm familiar with here in the forums. I've read some, and really enjoyed them, but I have to read them as stories, not as fap material.

Yeah - these were not AH regulars (the masturbating bit), just regular readers in PMs or feedback emails. I write (in part) to turn people on, so it’s cool. As along as they don’t want to describe in detail what they did, or expect to turn ‘talking’ to me into a sext session, I take it as a compliment to my writing. I’ve had similar messages from people who seemed very much like women to me as well.

For me, there is a difference between someone masturbating thinking about my story and doing the same thinking about me. If it gets parasocial, I quit the convo.

Without getting into too many details, I’ve had guys with physical or emotional problems say my stories helped them to get excited. So long as what they say sticks to just that, then that feels like a public service.

 

[ADirtyPerv]

I find it really weird and uncomfortable to masturbate to stories of people I'm familiar with here in the forums. I've read some, and really enjoyed them, but I have to read them as stories, not as fap material.

LMAO I tried to follow your advice with Mom's Poophole Loophole. Pretty difficult.

Some good stuff there, though.