Should author stick to a single genre?

[kanika_k]

I wrote first 3 of my stories in different gener namely transgender, erotic horror and lesbian. So my question is do you as writer prefer to stick to a perticular gener or like me love to explore different different.

 

[SimonDoom]

I like to explore different genres. It's more fun that way.

 

[StillStunned]

Write what you want to write, and stick in whatever category suits it best.

Of course this will hurt your ratings. Some readers are only interested in a single category, and if you have lots of I/T followers, for instance, their frustration at seeing a new story that doesn't scratch their itch will weigh heavily on your scores.

But I can't imagine limiting myself to a single category. I can't imagine limiting myself to a single style, even. The more I write, the more I want to experiment. I can't imagine approaching this hobby with clipped wings.

 

[Nynah]

I'm a slow, overly self-critical writer so my output is fairly low; as a result, I will probably submit no more than a handful of stories per year here. I tend to stick to my chosen kink for that reason, so at this time I can't see myself venturing outside of it as that is primarily what I'm interested in writing. But if I somehow find the time and/or the muse for other genres, I would certainly love to give a few other ones a shot. I have a soft spot for Sci-Fi/Fantasy so that's the likeliest category I would spread my wings in. Aside from that... I can't say I've had interest in writing much else, as much as I love reading stories in other parts of Lit.

I imagine that in this, I'm probably in the minority of writers who frequent this forum but less so in general when all of Lit is considered.

 

[QuillPig]

I have four different usernames for different kinds of stories (plus this account, originally created for an experimental story I ended up never posting).

The downside is that it may be more difficult to build up a following, since any one of your names is out there less frequently.

The upside is that you don't ruin the fantasy for readers of one type of story, say fuzzy romances, with your kinky fetish stories.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I don't know. I've been writing for as long as I can remember, yet I started erotica slightly more than five years ago, even though I've written a couple of eroticas up to ten, and even twelve years ago. I begun within the realms of Cyberpunk and Urban Fantasy before going into to Police Procedural and Neon-noir, which is where the Cyberpunk got its DNA from... then I found erotica, and I realized how all of those things I started with stacked up with erotica comfortably, and even went beyond what I used to do... though that realization was fairly recent.

Writers, like other artists, do evolve, enjoy to experiment, and we're always going for new things. To stick to one genre, or category, is more of a personal choice. Some people say authors should stick to one genre, others say they don't. Some authors do stick to one genre, others don't. Some authors make a bunch of different pennames, others don't.

I like to focus on lesbian and transbian stories because I'm comfortable with those pairings. That's just my thing. There are other tropes that are common in my work, but I can crank a neon-noir tale, a high fantasy story, and with enough research and time, a deeply philosophical Hard Sci-Fi Cyberpunk story (think more Shadowrun [even the way it explains magic works under theories and dogmas presented by actual mythos, religion, witchcraft, and other magical practices], Deus Ex, and Ghost in the Shell rather than the Cyberpunk TTRPG, though that's not to say it's bad, but rather just a little off of the genre's roots about the dangers of unchecked technology and power) with as much finesse as I can write smut. Hell, among the piles of unfinished stories in my junkyard, you'll even find Space Operas, and even fake Sacred Texts that never saw the light of day...

What I can sum up this to is simple: write what you like. Whether you want to stick to a genre, or spread your wings, is up to you. Some will stop following you if you spread your wings, that is true, but that just means you're not stuck in one box, and their vacancy might open up new spots for better followers who are interested in what you have to offer, regardless of genre.

 

[StillStunned]

The upside is that you don't ruin the fantasy for readers of one type of story, say fuzzy romances, with your kinky fetish stories.

If I have a story that I feel is more "literary" than "smutty", I tend to put it in a special series called "One-Off Artsy Stuff".

 

[MK_Whimsy]

I've written what I wanted to explore, which happens to be across several different and often unrelated categories and themes.

The downside is that it may be more difficult to build up a following, since any one of your names is out there less frequently.

The upside is that you don't ruin the fantasy for readers of one type of story, say fuzzy romances, with your kinky fetish stories.

I thought about this when I started posting. Ultimately I decided to keep them all under one account because I never intended to write all that many stories in the first place.

 

[TheLobster]

Some readers are only interested in a single category, and if you have lots of I/T followers, for instance, their frustration at seeing a new story that doesn't scratch their itch will weigh heavily on your scores.

This hasn't been my experience. Most of my following comes from I/T but that didn't seem to prevent me from scoring 4.7+ in the other categories.

 

[Bazzle]

I've written the same story 86 times and put 90% of them in the same category. One day I will try something new

 

[Belegon]

I spray around a little bit, but overall my sex is pretty straightforward and a bit vanilla. Where the story goes tends to be a function of who's in it. I am looking to expand my horizons as a writer. Therefore, in my still somewhat brief return to Lit, I have already put up one story in a category I had never posted in before. I'm working on what is probably going to be a mature story and also on an entry-level BDSM story. It's entry-level in the sense that it involves two characters without experience trying to learn on their own. My thought was if it is well received and there is any demand or a sequel, I could have them finding a local club and getting a mentor (or two)

 

[TheOtherTeacher]

Challenge yourself! Write in a category you don't usually write in.

You can keep similar themes perhaps, but try and push your writing in new directions.

(Example - you could write a lesbian story set on a spaceship? And put it into the sci-fi category)

 

[SimonDoom]

The word "should" should raise a red flag in this context. As an author of erotic stories you "should" never feel that you "should" do anything in particular. Do what you want, brazenly and with gusto. Damn the word "should."

 

[Not2Pervy]

I’ve posted to more than a dozen categories so far (3 years), because I wanted to stretch myself, and managed to score above a 4.5 in all but three of them. I’m tempted to try again in those, and in new ones, just to see if I can do it. But if I want to score above about 4.75 I think the verdict of the readership is pretty clear that I’m going to need to stick to the two that are my real comfort zone.

But the pay’s the same here either way, and I think I’d get bored without the stretch.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

I think it all depends on what you’re going for, in the long run. As some of our fellow authors have noted, writing in a variety of categories for the challenge. Others write their preferences, and that’s okay.

I have stuck with interracial out of pure spite - too much of that category is the worst kind of racist bullshit, the same tropes over and over again, and I wanted to write my book with a variety of interracial relationships that are just normal without any standard tropes. It fit, so I kept them there.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I don't set out to write in a certain category. I just tell the story and decide afterwards what category it belongs in.

When I started I never imagined I'd write a non-human story, but the idea struck me and it's got a 4.7 something rating.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Do you mean 'genre' or do you mean category, OP? Stories that share categories can be wildly different -- Loving Wives is famous for this. Other stories cross categories regularly. AsnyLark's mostly brilliant Pining lived in the Anal category (before it was taken down) but could have been a Romance just as easily. Nearly all of @onehitwanda's work is romantic by genre but not by category.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I've dabbled in about ten categories and I have pulled in followers from each one. Readers seem to have no issue jumping categories if the work is good. On Literotica. If you ever decide to market your work for $ elsewhere, the opposite is true. Readers who pay for erotica, tend to stay in the same lane.

 

[Cagivagurl]

For me... Personally. Different categories offer different challenges. As a novice, I chose to attempt looking at the world through different eyes...
Force myself to see characters from the other side of the door...
Changing categories forces you to challenge what you know, and what you assume you know.
It has been cathartic to write from different perspectives...
It probably upsets some of the readers. There are many who live only in one category...
I'm sure some of my scores have suffered because of that.
So be it, scores have never worried me. Like everybody, I enjoy getting positive feedback and scores. In saying that I often know before submitting a work, it will "Score." Badly... The secret is to try and ignore that aspect and simply write your story...
It is yours to tell, it will be unique and told through your mind...
Enjoy that...
If I was to offer advice, I'd say. Write in as many different categories as you can... Test yourself...

Cagivagurl

 

[ronde]

The word "should" should raise a red flag in this context. As an author of erotic stories you "should" never feel that you "should" do anything in particular. Do what you want, brazenly and with gusto. Damn the word "should."

I agree, but with one caveat. You should not write about topics with which you have no knowledge other than what you would like to be true. In fantasy and sci-fi you can stretch plausibility until it screams, but in stories involving real people, the story will come off as just the writer's over-sexed imagination if you don't write like you know the subject. To write good stories, write what you actually know or care enough about to do some basic research. For instance, you don't need a doctorate in psychology to write good BDSM or incest stories, but you do need at least a rudimentary understanding of the personalities and motivations of the characters involved. Otherwise, your characters will be just cardboard cutouts substituting for the voice of the writer rather than real people doing what real people do.

 

[SimonDoom]

I agree, but with one caveat. You should not write about topics with which you have no knowledge other than what you would like to be true. In fantasy and sci-fi you can stretch plausibility until it screams, but in stories involving real people, the story will come off as just the writer's over-sexed imagination if you don't write like you know the subject. To write good stories, write what you actually know or care enough about to do some basic research. For instance, you don't need a doctorate in psychology to write good BDSM or incest stories, but you do need at least a rudimentary understanding of the personalities and motivations of the characters involved. Otherwise, your characters will be just cardboard cutouts substituting for the voice of the writer rather than real people doing what real people do.

I respectfully do not agree. Imagination is more important than experience. I don't think one should ever feel inhibited from exploring a kinky interest in a story despite lack of experience or research.

My highest-rated story is a BDSM story, and I have very little meaningful experience in that world, nor did I do a lick of research in the BDSM field to write that story. It sprung entirely from my imagination, pure and simple. I enjoyed writing it and most of my readers seemed to like it.

 

[LisaMayTurner]

Only the author knows the answer after the third episode is written and received.

 

[kanika_k]

'genre' or do you mean category, OP

Yes. Category would be too specific for an author to write a story. For e.g. someone only write incest/taboo category would be rare. But some one writing a specific types of story is more likely.

 

[nymphic]

I don't think I could stick to one category or genre if I tried. My tastes vary wildly and I mostly write for myself.
(Admittedly I haven't written much, and I'm a very slow writer, so ratings are not at the top of my priority list)

 

[ElectricBlue]

I respectfully do not agree. Imagination is more important than experience. I don't think one should ever feel inhibited from exploring a kinky interest in a story despite lack of experience or research.

This. I know fuck all about mermaids, alien angels on Titan, shape shifting witches in Arthurian Britain, shape shifting daemon birds who travel through time, and any of the other odd-ball stories I've written, but that's not stopped me writing any of them.

So far, I've written in 23 categories (if I remember my own category count correctly) and done quite nicely in just about all them.

One thing my stories are not, is the same.