Less competition for me. :)
I'd like to know how some smut writers write their smut, ...how smutty our smut should be, [and] places to put smut where it [won't] obstruct the actual plot. I also just want more smut to read...
-- Looking for Good Smut --
If you can take the Smut out of the Smut Story
and still have a viable story,
and still have a viable story,
You did it WRONG.
This was derived from Issac Azimov's Law of Science Fiction:
This Law is true for every genre of fiction, but especially true for Smut Fiction.
specifically for the Smut.
Do Not add Smut to an already existing story!
-- If you can substitute all the smut scenes with Kissing scenes, your plot has probably shifted into something else -- and that something else is what your story should be.
First, figure out what your story's new focus is. Is it a fascinating Mystery, a rollicking Adventure, a tender Romance, intriguing Magic...? Next, take out all your lovely smut, save those scenes in another file to use in a different story, put kissing scenes in those gaping plot holes then finish your story.
How do you Write a Story for Smut?!
Before one writes a single word of the story you plan to have smut in, one needs to know that there are major differences
between a basic smut story (Erotica), a smut Adventure story, (Adult
Pulp Fiction and Erotic Romance,) a story with with love scenes, (common
Romance,) and rape fics, (Bodice Rippers.)
Each of those types of stories all have different Plot Structures where the smut serves a difference purpose.
Erotica:
-- Smut IS the Plot.
Erotica stories tend to be short because their plot is literally; They met. They had sex. What happened after.
This sort of story is easily --and quickly-- written because the writer
merely needs to come up with a smut scene, then figure out how the
characters met to have smut, then what happened after they had smut.
They saw.
They conquered.
They came.
~ The End.
Adult Pulp Fiction/Erotic Romances:
-- Because the MC needed Smut, Plot Happened.
Believe it or not, Pulp Fiction and Erotic Romances are pretty much the same thing -- an Adult Grand Adventure. The only real difference between them are their target reading audiences. Pulp Fiction is generally aimed at male readers, where Erotic Romance, despite the misleading genre title, are aimed at the female reading audience.
The writer's job is to find a reason for their main characters to Need that Smut to Happen, then expand on how every time they succeed in getting it on, their actions complicate their grand adventure.
The beautiful Omega deliberately seduced the rampaging Alpha to allow the others to escape.
In female oriented Erotic Romance, and BL novels, smut also actively demonstrates the level of emotional intimacy the couple has reached, especially after a traumatic event.
The more poorly written Pulp Fictions however, tend to use a Reward system.
After something happens, the main characters indulge in smut.
-- The main character does something Dangerous; a rescue, an escape, a heist, a fierce battle, and they are rewarded with smut. (Ian Fleming, I am looking at you!)
This is a cheap-assed, bargain bin version of the cliché 'Boy gets the Girl as a Prize for doing something Brave' plot. This cliché is older than the earliest fairy tales and twice as used. Think: cave-man.
If you are aiming strictly for the Male reading audience, go for it! They'll appreciate it enthusiastically.
However, I as an author and a female reader, despise it. In fact most female readers intensely dislike that cliché.
Why?
It's demeaning.
If a guy does something life-threatening for my sake such as a rescue, I might reward them with a hug, or a kiss on the cheek, or money, but never smut. Not unless I was already in a sexual relationship with them.
The only type of person that will reward a guy with smut when they are Not already in a relationship with them, is either:
A woman being forced to do so. In which case he better Not accept that reward or he will lose all respect from every female reading his story...!
Or a woman looking for a sucker to use. This kind of person will also toss him away the instant they find someone stronger, richer, and more powerful. This kind of person is known as a Skank and females Hate them. We certainly don't want to read about them unless they come to nasty, nasty ends.
Romance:
-- Falling in Love leads to Smut.
Many, many Romances have smut, but most of them don't really need
it. This is because what drives the plot in a Romance story isn't
Physical Love. The plot's focus is Emotional Love, and emotions are what make the story happen -- and need the most detailing.
However, if you truly want smut in your Romance story, to do it properly
each progressive love scene should demonstrate the increasing level of
Affection and Trust --the increasing level of love-- between your main
characters.
Bodice Rippers:
-- The classic rape fic where the victim falls in love with their rapist. AKA: Stockholm Syndrome.
Before we get into how to write one of these, the writer needs to know two things:
Number One: American female readers tend to HATE rape fics --this includes M/M rape fics-- with a burning passion, unless that story ends with a gruesome revenge scene that the rapist does not survive.
Bodice Ripper novels went out of fashion in the USA in the mid 80's because of a massive cultural shift in the USA where 'having sex' and 'enjoying sex' were no longer considered shameful -- something Nice Girls didn't do until after marriage.
Ahem... The authors no longer needed the excuse of a forced seduction to get their Nice Girl characters into bed with their male leads.
Number Two: Over 80% of the English reading --and book-buying-- audience is Female.
On the other hand...!
If you are targeting male readers this type of story will definitely appeal to them because rape is a very common male stroke fantasy.
The key to writing Bodice Rippers successfully is to have some kind of smut content in every chapter (every 2,500 words minimum,) even if it's just peeping at naked flesh.
However, there should still be a decent excuse for every bit of smut to happen! It doesn't have to be a good excuse, just enough of one to move the story to the next scene.
Detailing smut however, is optional with smut scenes only being a paragraph or three in length. This is because while male readers prefer detailed descriptions of the characters participating in smut -- female and male-- they prefer to use their imaginations to detail the action.
The Bodice Ripper is the core of the Oriental Harem story.
How do you End a Harem Fic?
-- No idea. From what I've seen so far, the story keeps going until the Main Character dies.
How Descriptive should the Smut Scenes be?
This depends on your target reading audience.
The
people, the places, the action, the sounds, the smells, the tastes, the
colors, the textures... Female readers want to see each scene clearly
in their minds better than in a movie. They want to experience it all;
mentally, physically, emotionally. They want to be those characters and live their lives from inside their skins.
However there is a limit to how much one should describe!
- Good example of descriptive writing:Laurell K Hamilton's early Anita Blake books. Her later books completely lost the plot.
- Bad example:JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. He was writing a travelogue and it shows. His Hobbit is much better, but still crammed with travelogue details.
They want to see the participants and players in full technicolor in their imaginations; skin tones, hair color, eye color, the exact softness of skin, fragrances fair and foul, descriptions of body types, and exactly how a bosom fits in the character's palm.
They like the messy details too; the
slap of skin and the squelch of wet flesh, musky damp scents, and the
taste of sweaty skin.
Location changes, scenery changes, fight scenes and other daring-do scenes should also be as detailed as a movie scene.
The emotional aspects can be skipped almost entirely -- unless Revenge
is involved. Apparently Hate, Rage, Anger, and Frustration are allowable
emotions for the main protagonist to wallow in.
Love and affection are
emotions they succumb to -- after fighting long and hard against them.
Average Smut scene: 500 to 1000 words.
If you want to detail out the smut to 5000 words or more, your male readers will definitely enjoy it, but a couple paragraphs of a rough outline of what happened works too. This is because males like to add in their own little details and dialogue while they're fapping to smut.
- Good Example of descriptive writing male readers appreciate: Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.
- Bad Example: Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Each female lead and all the action is lovingly detailed, but the smut scenes are barely a paragraph in length and described very poorly. I was so disappointed.
How much Smut...?
However...! Before we go into detail about how much Smut each type of story generally has, my definition of Smut needs to be addressed.
To many writers, Smut = Sex. My definition is a lot more broad.
Okay.
How much Smut
should go in each type of Smut Story?
should go in each type of Smut Story?
- Smut Scenes: One per 5000 (5k) words.
- How Smutty: Extremely detailed.
- Fetishes or kinks: Yes, please! Limited to what is legal to publish. Generally no scat, no bestiality, no watersports.
Erotic tension begins with the opening line of the story and every word of description should add to that tension. The moment the two main characters make eye contact Lust smolders into being and every word after that should be erotically charged until the very last line.
Keep in mind, most Erotica is short; 5000 (5k) words to 20,000 (20k) words at most. It is agonizingly difficult to keep up the sexual tension beyond 20k without changing participants. It CAN be done, but it is not easy.
Adult Pulp Fiction/Erotic Romance:
- Smut Scenes: Eight to fifteen per 100,000 (100k) words.
- How Smutty: Hardcore detailed.
- Fetishes or kinks: Limited to what is legal to publish. No scat, no bestiality, no watersports.
Romances:
- Smut Scenes: Three to five per 100,000 (100k) words.
- How Smutty: Detailed enough to know who is doing what, but through rose-colored glasses.
- Fetishes or kinks: Only what is acceptable by housewives and high school girls. (Mild bondage, no pain!)
Be sure to detail the internal dialogue and emotional angst of your POV character.
The idea is to keep the readers guessing as to how the Romantic
Interest really feels. Using the Romantic Interest's POV even once
removes all romantic suspense and gives away the Ending! This is BAD
because once the readers know how the story will end, they no longer
have a reason to keep reading your story.
- Smut Scenes: Some kind of smut content from mild to hardcore every chapter.
- How Smutty: Hardcore detailed. Change targets every 50,000 (50k) words with a new location and a new plot twist to give you a fresh excuse to have smut.
- Fetishes or kinks: Limited to what is legal to publish. No scat, no bestiality, no watersports.
Just don't completely abandon the previous partners, especially if they've married the harem master! Doing that will create a plot hole your readers will crucify you for in the comments.
To avoid that sort of problem, give each successive partner their own individual problem the main character needs to assist them with. That partner's story concludes when the problem is fixed and the main character moves on, leaving a happy and thoroughly satisfied ex-partner behind.
The light novel series Vampire Hunter D uses this formula for each individual book.
In Conclusion...
So, how do smut writers write their smut?-- With loving descriptions and careful attention to detail.
I hope this proves helpful.
