repetitive sex act across multiple stories?

[ShelbyDawn57]

I’m trying to write an autobiographical piece and it’s occurred to me that all my sexual encounters seem to have followed the same half-dozen predictable patterns, with just the scenery and characters changing. Talk about putting the banal in anal.

Hey, when in doubt, go with what you know works.

 

[bethany_s]

Okay, here's one for all the experts out there -- oh, wait the heck, amateurs too, I don't discriminate -- I'm revising a draft right now. I'm working on the concluding sex scene and the sex act in it is really similar to a sex act I've had in a lot of my other recent stories (five times in my last eight stories). I kinda want to keep it but I'm also afraid I'm coming across as repetitive and unimaginative.

So what say you all -- write the sex act(s) that you want to, and just admit that that's your thing? or change it up so that you don't come across as a one-trick pony?

This is the dilemma I have run into also. I want to write more chapters to my series but I am worried that parts of the experiences might sound repetitive. In real life yes some parts were repetitive, but other parts were significantly different and that's what I wanted to share. But I hate making the reader sit through the repetitive parts lol. I haven't decided how to approach this. The other alternative is to somehow write a summary of the parts that were different for multiple events. But I am not sure of that is the way either. This has caused me to put my writing on hold until I figure out a solution (or to find more time to write also lol).

 

[caleb35]

Thanks to everyone for the comments; some good opinions, as well as interesting digressions on the 1970s porn scene... Not sure that there's much consensus on changing up vs. enjoying your routine, but it does seem there's a consensus on not worrying too much about it either way (so long as the story is good), which I will keep in mind.

 

[THBGato]

My tupennies' worth: readers don't want variety. On a site like this, where they search either under category hubs and/or tags for specific sex acts, they don't want to be surprised. So don't sweat it.

Now I'm not widely read outside of the Lesbian section, so I'll have to give you an example from there. OneHitWanda basically follows the formula of "lonely girl meets another woman who helps her dispell her loneliness. They fall in love." Having read all of her lesbian stories several times, I can't recall any involving anal. I don't think she even uses toys all that much. Her characters stick to fingers and tongues.

Yet readers love her stories. Every single one goes to number one in the category, and deservedly so IMO, as they are brilliantly written, full of real characters and often rich worlds. There are often other plot elements (rescue, reunion) but sexually speaking there's little variety in the act itself (though plenty in the way she writes it). But it is quite clear that readers don't care. Indeed, they lap it up.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Indeed, they lap it up.

Do they indeed

 

[VerbalAbuse]

can't recall any involving anal

wow. no anal in a lesbian story? and I thought lesbian was just another byname for anal.
seriously though, how can one read a story w/o anal!!!

 

[YmaOHyd]

But no, I think that's basically right with two exceptions. First, harem stories. In those, it's expected that you have the first girl, the anal queen, the exhibitionist, the one who's into light bondage or power play, the one who gives boobjobs... The whole rainbow of non-fetish experience parceled out. And even there, the expectation is that the author will still color within the lines; it's basically tab A slot one stuff with a veneer of exotic sexual preference (or it's just tab A slot one with a Benetton catalogue of girls).

The second exceptions are sci-fi/fantasy and non-human stories, where it's possible to set up a sort of story where the audience is really looking forward to seeing what kind of exotic creature the protagonist fucks next. Fox-girl? Tentacle monster? Tree with a cuck fetish? Dullahan that likes to take its head off so it can lick your clit while you fuck it? The whole appeal there is the constant can-you-top-this ratchet of inventiveness, probably grounded with some occasional human/human semi-romantic vanilla sex where the character who's talked off the mountain and fisted the wind can re-establish their humanity.

Writers want variety because writing blowjob -> missionary gets old.

 

[TheLobster]

Do they indeed

They dig into it with all their fingers.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Well, there are in reality only so many ways one can insert Tab A into Slot B, so some degree of repetition is inevitable. But wiriting a sex scene can certainly be like IRL sex. One can vary the setting and the tempo, one can take breaks, the orgasm can be different, etc.

 

[CalBishForNow]

I'd never write a sex scene that was completely redundant. But there's a lot you can vary in addition to who's putting what in which hole. The mood, the setting, who the viewpoint character is, how they're feeling on that day, and more. Focus on those details.

If the plot really demanded a sex scene completely redundant with a previous one, then I'd gloss over it in <3 sentences and move on to the next bit. I've done so before. I've got an ongoing series where Parts 2, 3, and 4 try to establish a pattern of regular dates with one guy, and Part 5 is set about 3 weeks after Part 4 and focuses on when scheduling conflict gets in the way of that pattern and a new guy is introduced. It mentions dates after part 4 but doesn't go into detail.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

If the plot really demanded a sex scene completely redundant with a previous one, then I'd gloss over it in <3 sentences and move on to the next bit.

In a current work in progress, I have two characters make love twice, then I just imply that they go at it again shortly after. It's plot-important that they're in a sort of frenzy, but I didn't want 30,000 words in a row of just sex scene.

--Annie

 

[Djmac1031]

I know I tend to use a lot of the same phrases / descriptive terms. The trick is to not repeat yourself too many times in the same story.

Similar things in various stories is fine as long as you're not just copying and pasting a scene then changing character names.

 

[iwatchus]

I kind of freaked myself out when I copied a three sentence description of a character in a fancy dress from the story where I wrote it to a story in the same universe, where she wears the same dress again. I think I ended up changing one word to assuage my conscience. It was a good description originally. I doubt I would do it again, but I don't feel as bad about it now as I did. And no one ever said boo about it.

In reality there are like a dozen intervening stories in that universe, probably averaging 17K words of something, so two or three full novels of words in between. Not counting anything they may have read not be me. Oh my god, do my readers really read things I didn't write? I feel cheated on. Time to start a Loving Readers category and we can write BTR (Burn the readers) stories.

 

[YmaOHyd]

. Oh my god, do my readers really read things I didn't write? I feel cheated on. Time to start a Loving Readers category and we can write BTR (Burn the readers) stories.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Okay, here's one for all the experts out there -- oh, wait the heck, amateurs too, I don't discriminate -- I'm revising a draft right now. I'm working on the concluding sex scene and the sex act in it is really similar to a sex act I've had in a lot of my other recent stories (five times in my last eight stories). I kinda want to keep it but I'm also afraid I'm coming across as repetitive and unimaginative.

So what say you all -- write the sex act(s) that you want to, and just admit that that's your thing? or change it up so that you don't come across as a one-trick pony?

The fun and challenge of writing sex scenes is to make them unique in some way.

First priority is to weave the sex scene into the plot.

If I can't do that (the plot is just pausing to let the characters get naughty) then second priority is to work the emotions of the characters in that moment into the sex.

Barring that, third priority is to vary up the setting - like find a closet or a back seat of a car or under a tree in the park or a stairwell at work or you know, wherever - or the circumstance in some way like doing it while closing a business deal on the phone or while playing a video game.

Finally, I can always just vary up the positions.