MESSAGE BOARD TOPIC #48

[Comicality]

I won't lie to you...the first cuple weeks that I spent online after finding Nifty for the first time were...um....'busy' ones! Hehehe! They were the kind of stories that I have been looking for my whole life! Are you kidding? Gay situations? Romance? Kissing? Boy on boy sex? I was in HEAVEN!

 

Since then, I've 'calmed down' a little bit with the erotic stuff that I read and write. I'd like to think that it was personal maturity settling in, but I doubt it. I'm still a kid and always will be. However, even though the sex doesn't get me all jumpy and overexcited like it used to, it's still there. I still read it, I still write it, and I still enjoy it. Even though a lot of readers have told me that they just 'skip' the sex scenes in my own stories. So, the question this week is....

 

= What do you think about writing sex scenes into online erotica? And is it really neccessary? =

 

Do you like it? Does it thrill you to read it? Would you be completely satisfied if you read a story all the way to the end, only to find no sex whatsoever at the climax (pun intended)? Maybe you see a certain dignity in a story that doesn't need the flash and gloss of a highly graphic sex scene. Or perhaps you find a story with no sex to be a great big tease. Whatever your feelings are, let us know!

 

Sex....is it traditional, courteous, overdone, or uneccessary? The board is open!

[reapersharvest]

The thing about sex scenes in online stories is that if someone is looking for a sex story to... use, then they'll skip through plot, dialogue, and any other "distractions" whereas the inverse is true for people looking for a real story, they aren't in that "mode" so they skip the sex. Of course, Nifty being an erotica site, a certain level of sexuality is expected. One of my stories I submitted apparently was "ambiguous" when it came to the lead's female best friend, so it got put in the Bisexual section even though the main character was clearly gay. And then there's the sense of "urgency" to give your readers something at one point so they don't lose interest before the sex comes up. That's what I'm dealing with in Underworld.

[JoleChristopher]

this might sound weird but sex in a story depends on the author for me and not always the story all authors write sex different and i want to have chemistery with the authors 'style.' i read a lot of stories but if i can not get in to the way the authors write i skim the sex. for the story i want a build up. i want to be teased. i want to want the sex there before it happens. tension is good. if i read a story full of sexual tension and nothing ever happened i would feel cheated. if i read a story with sex in every chap i get bored.

JC

[JamesSavik]

As a reader, Sex is OK in a story as long as it makes sense to the plot, characters and setting. Doesn't bother me at all. However- if that is all there is to the story, I'll get bored and move on.

 

I know how to have sex. It's the succesful relationship part that is most fascinating to me since I so obliviously know nothing about having one.

[Agincourt]

= What do you think about writing sex scenes into online erotica? And is it really neccessary? =

 

Do you like it? Does it thrill you to read it? Would you be completely satisfied if you read a story all the way to the end, only to find no sex whatsoever at the climax (pun intended)? Maybe you see a certain dignity in a story that doesn't need the flash and gloss of a highly graphic sex scene. Or perhaps you find a story with no sex to be a great big tease. Whatever your feelings are, let us know!

 

Sex....is it traditional, courteous, overdone, or uneccessary? The board is open!

It all depends, on such things as my current mood (and level of horniness), the circumstances in the story, and the skill of the writer.

 

If I've just had someone f**k me stupid (in a nice way) that day and I'm still full of the glow, I will probably be pretty receptive to some hot sex scenes that remind me of the experience. (Ooh, I said "receptive"!) Or if I'm really looking forward to the next time, I might also be happy for a warm-up. In those cases, even if the sex scenes seem pretty damned gratuitous, I'll overlook their "intrusion" and enjoy them.

 

But there are clearly times when the extended details somewhat interrupt the flow of the story. It's an overall pacing question. If important things are happening in the overall story, halting the forward story motion to detail every lick, suck, and squishy sound can seem somewhat intrusive. It would be similar to detailing each lifting of the knife and fork as the characters eat a meal, where the meal doesn't really have any relation to the story.

 

If it's a story of discovery/coming of age/stumbling through the "first time"/etc., then some detail may be warranted, because that really is part of the story. And I like it when the characters are less than perfect, or do something awkward that they laugh at, or just have fun with their discoveries. If Joey is trying to sit on Alan's cock but it keeps slipping out, there can be some interesting character development as the two of them try to figure out how to make things work. It goes beyond the mechanical in-and-out leading to perfect simultaneous orgasms that can become sort of tedious in a lot of stories.

 

Once the principal characters have been described in detail engaging in a particular kind of sex act, it may not be necessary to repeat that description in connection with subsequent similar encounters. Rather, it may be enough to say, "And later, in their bedroom, drawing it out as long and teasingly as possible, Alan made sure that Joey knew just how grateful he was."

 

Skill of the writer obviously affects everything about the story, but sex scenes especially suffer in inept hands. It takes a lot of imagination and creativity to keep things fresh. And, just as in a real-life sexual encounter, as a general rule the writer should bring the readers along seductively and with foreplay, allowing the characters to kiss, cuddle, undress, cuddle some more, and tease each other erotically before they start thrusting away. I also think it helps to include some emotional reaction and inner thought of the POV character as arousal increases and barriers start to erode, rather than just providing a journalistic description of the mechanics and anatomical details.

 

On a related note, in many cases it quickly becomes obvious when the writer is attempting to describe sexual activities that the writer has only imagined, or read about elsewhere, rather than having personal knowledge. I recognize the fantasy value of writing about such things, but it can still tend to cause more experienced readers to disconnect. I guess the solution is to do good research first.

 

I think it can be fun to build sexual tension with subtext, double entendres, and other subtle techniques that fall short of actual step-by-step descriptions of sexual acts.

 

Bottom line: As I said above, it all depends.

 

A

[Nephylim]

 

On a related note, in many cases it quickly becomes obvious when the writer is attempting to describe sexual activities that the writer has only imagined, or read about elsewhere, rather than having personal knowledge. I recognize the fantasy value of writing about such things, but it can still tend to cause more experienced readers to disconnect. I guess the solution is to do good research first.

 

A

 

 

Oops. I have always written male gay sex scenes completely from my imagination (where else would I have got them not being male myself?) and what I have read elsewhere of the mechanics. I think that all but the mechanics are pretty much the same as any other kind of sex... the emotions, the lead up, the reactions.

 

Maybe I am completely wrong. You're right I should do more research... much more research

 

Anyone volunteering?

[Comicality]

It's funny you brought this question up today, because I am very happy to say that "On The Outside" will be the first story to be posted for the Shack Summer Celebration tomorrow night! And "On The Outside" was the very first story I ever wrote where there was no sex in the first chapter. All of the others were highly sexual before "OTO" came along. It felt like...since it was Nifty, it kinda had to have that 'stamp' of sex on it to keep people satisfied with the story. (Well...that and I was ALWAYS horny!)

 

Is sex necessary in gay fiction? No, not really. But at the same time, I think that sex in the stories should be 'natural', same as in real life. I can sometimes sense when an author is holding back or intimidated by a sex scene. I was 14 once...and holding hands and giggling over milkshakes was sweet and lovable....but yeah...after a while, I want some nookie! Hehehe!

 

For me, writing sex depends on the situation, and I try to manipulate the 'feel' of the story by the descriptions and word usage and length of the sex scenes. To make it feel less intimate or like it was just a 'random banging'...I'll keep it short. I'll use words that are more lustful, maybe even a little vulgar. It's sex, but it's meant to be a bit of a turn off. Or maybe just something that the reader can disconnect from the second it's over.

 

If it's a soft and sweet virgin experience...I'll usually stretch it out much further. It can be a majority of an entire chapter or more. And I'll treat it delicately, with a lot of inner shyness and emotion running through the character's head A bit of awkwardness, a bit of fear, a bit of excitement. And I'll be a little more 'poetic' with the use of words to describe what's happening.

 

If it's just one of a collection of sex scenes between two characters that are already together and in love, and well experiened with one another, then the sex scenes vary from shorter to longer, focusing more on their connection and knowledge of what the other boy is into. With those scenes I'll usually write more about the feelings between them more than the mechanics.

 

And then, of course, there are times when I might just say, "And then they had lots of sex!" And just write from the moment after when they're cuddled upnaked on the bed, and get back into the story. So it depends on the situation.

 

I have to admit...I kinda get disappointed when people skip over the stuff that I write. I write sex as a part of the story, and I add emotions and thoughts that will come into play later in the story. I sometimes write some humorous dialogue, and folks skip it, I'll write something with 'angst', and folks skip it. Sometimes I write action scenes, and folks skip it. Because they want to get back to the story, but they don't realize that IS the story. Sometimes I go overboard with description, but it's a real 3-dimensional experience that I'm trying to create for the story, and if folks miss it...and they get to the big ending...I feel like it won't have the same impact.

 

That's just me though. Whenever I talk about another author's story or they ask me to review it, one thing I always do is point out places where they could add more detail. Like...don't sum that whole thing up in one sentence. There's a lot of opportunity for added depth in there. How does he feel, what is he thinking? I wanna be able feel like I'm reaching out to feel that same warm flesh that he's feeling. I want to be able to 'taste' that kiss on my lips. It doesn't have to be 20 pages long or anything, but I say if you're gonna make sex a part of your story, then go for it. Go all out, and make it something that readers will remember.

 

If they read it, that is!

[phana14]

Oops. I have always written male gay sex scenes completely from my imagination (where else would I have got them not being male myself?) and what I have read elsewhere of the mechanics. I think that all but the mechanics are pretty much the same as any other kind of sex... the emotions, the lead up, the reactions.

 

Maybe I am completely wrong. You're right I should do more research... much more research

 

Anyone volunteering?

 

Nephy?

mail me?

Oh! you guys are so tense! relax!