Love - And Other Four Letter Words
by Comicality
It's been almost six or seven years since I've been reading stories online. I got caught up in many of them, admired a few choice ones, inspired by a handful, and 'had fun' with more than I can count! Believe me! The extremely wide range of emotions and libidos that I've experienced since finding stories like this have truly had an impact on me, and that's something very powerful. One of the concepts that has always been clear to me, as both a reader and a writer, is that every word we have at our disposal has a different 'feeling' behind it. A certain vibe, transmitted through the use of language. Some of these 'vibes' can have a positive effect on your writing and your story as a whole. Others...can end up putting a negative spin on what you're trying to do. There have been countless times that I've seen a sweet and touching romance story suddenly swing down into this pornographic slang that makes the story sound a lot more 'basic' than it really is. For example, if in one 30K chapter someone goes from describing the softness of a boy's hair, the sweetness of his persona, and the bright sparkle of his eyes when he smiles...to the size of his 'fuck stick' and the tightness of his 'boy pussy'...then the mixed signals it creates can sometimes begin to dettract from the story itself. It doesn't make a story BAD, not by any means. But there is a definite conflict of purpose if you're trying to create this beautiful and uplifting relationship, and then suddenly pushing for that hardcore sexual image. In some of the stories I've read in the past, it can be like getting hit by a truck. And to many, it can end up being a turn off. So word use is an important part of what you read and certainly what you write.
Now I am no saint myself. God knows that I've probably thrown every vulgarity that can be fit into a story at this point. A lot of my older stuff is full of graphic sexual images, and looking back on it, I wish I hadn't 'overdone' it like that. If you're reading a story of mine, and even see the word 'cock' in it...I can assure you that it is more than a few years old. It's difficult to come up with other ways to say it, and sometimes I feel down right CORNY calling it anything else! But it's one of those trigger words for me that starts to tip the gentle balance between romance and porn, so I don't use it anymore. Again, that's not to say that any story with the 'c' word in it is going to be a smut-fest. Not true. But for what I write and the stories and messages that I am trying to get across with my work, it has almost become inappropiate. Understand that a word as simple as 'crotch' can instantly interrupt an otherwise poetic sentence. People focus on that word, and it takes their mind and their emotions to a whole other part of their psyche. Mentioning a virgin experiencing his first taste of his lover's hardness can keep an emotional involvement going with the characters in the story. However, more often than not, mentioning 'sucking someone's cock like there was no tomorrow' creates an entirely different feel to what you're writing. If that is the feeling you're going for, then great. But if the rest of your tale hasn't made a gentle segue into that kind of graphic depiction, then chances are you're going to surprise your audience. And that's where the conflict is.
Personally, when I started writing, I was basically imitating the mood and the content of the majority of stories that I had seen online. I wanted them to be hot and steamy and really get people's juices flowing! (No pun intended, of course) That was my goal, and I used those words to illicit that exact feeling. The sucking, the face fucking, the pounding of some cute boy's ass. However, as time went on and I got a bit more confident with the series that I was working on and the characters involved, I realized that the hardcore stuff wasn't as neccessary anymore. In fact, I was getting emails from people who skipped over the sex scenes completely. To me, that meant more than anything a hot sex scene could provide. So as time went on, the sex became more implied in most cases. And in others, when I mentioned it outright, it was with much softer emphasis on the sex itself and more on the sensations and feelings passed between both boys DURING the sex. Overall, I think it made for a more loving experience, and I'm glad I did it that way.
(To see a good example of how my writing changed from then until now, check out the difference between "A Class By Himself" and "A Class By Himself: Remixed". It took FOREVER to try to rewrite those sex scenes with more passion and a little less lust.)
It might be difficult at times, and yes it will stump you from time to time, but try being creative with your words while writing. Try substituting 'fucked him in the ass' with 'entered him and began to push forward'. The difference between the two can change the whole tone of your story in a single line. If it helps, just sit back with your eyes closed, and imagine that feeling, that rush, that awesome connection with someone you really love and care about...and then find as many points of reference as you can to try to explain it to someone else. It takes practice, and every comparison you think of won't be gold, but if a slow and sensual session of love making is what you're looking to create with your story, it can make everything flow much more easily.
Now then...not ignoring the more 'fun' and graphically potent side of the equation...there CAN be a very visual and emotional impact that you can create with the more 'physical' expression of sex. For example, by manipulating these same words and phrases in your story, you can demonstrate the huge gap between having sex with someone you just met and making love to someone you've loved all your life. Or you can create a wild experience between two people who have been a bit 'sex hungry' for some time, and you might want to turn up the heat a little. Sometimes a hotter interlude can be written with an effective use of this 'extra language', and it can really make use of that "hit by a truck" feeling that your readers get from seeing it. So, by all means, take advantage of it if you want it to fog up the computer screen of everyone tuning in. Comsie is NOT above getting 'rough' every now and then! Hehehe!
So, keep in mind while writing, that every word you use is going to have impact on how your story reads. Understand that every emotion has an entirely different language and set of word usage attached to it. Whether your characters are angry, sad, happy, afraid, or sexed up beyond control...every word has to support that particular feeling. Switching it up without warning can really take away from the experience you're trying to provide. Like I said, I've been extremely impressed with a lot of the stuff that I have read online, but the ones that stick out the most in my mind are the ones where the author has made artistic choices in the words he/she has included in their work. It really does make a 'good' story GREAT!
This page was last updated on February 11, 2016.