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24 votes

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

You could be vague and mention him feeling his trousers or pants "getting tighter", or something of the like. It's pretty much the standard imagery used to represent an erection without actually ...
Liquid's user avatar
  • 15.9k
22 votes

In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?

In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised? No. Erotica is a story intended to titillate, it is intended to aid imagination for the purpose of masturbation. Or ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 104k
21 votes

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

Liquid's answer is good, but I would like to specifically focus on one way of doing it; chiefly, mention the awkward feelings one gets in such situations. Men, especially young men, aren't exactly ...
Matthew Dave's user avatar
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20 votes

In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?

You didn't say who lost their minds, but your question implies that it was wannabe writers. Did you read this to a writers' group? It is quite explicit erotically, and it's not right to assume that ...
Literalman's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

Don't mention the erection at all. As he is about to be smothered in breasts, switch to descriptions of everything he is using to mentally distract himself from having a sexual reaction. Perhaps, ...
wetcircuit's user avatar
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11 votes

In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?

Why the outrage? Well, first off, I think you overestimate the acceptability of showing masturbation in a TV show. Even showing a character going through the motions of it is fairly crass, and ...
eyeballfrog's user avatar
  • 1,351
10 votes

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

This question borders on "what to write" instead of "how to write", so I will concentrate on the latter. If your character has masturbated, he has had erections. Probably every day, since teen age ...
Amadeus's user avatar
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9 votes
Accepted

Narrative arc in erotica?

In this case, recognizing the problem -- recognizing that you want a narrative arc, that something should be intensifying beyond the scope of a single sexual encounter -- is also half the solution. ...
Standback's user avatar
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8 votes

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

The possibilities are endless: "Chubby Checker is doing his stand up routine" "From little acorns, mighty oaks do grow." "You know The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams? Well, the lark has ...
Matt Hollands's user avatar
8 votes

Narrative arc in erotica?

A good erotica should not have crazy sex on page three, or at least the sex that the reader is emotionally invested in. After all, that would (figuratively and literally) be blowing your load way too ...
Matthew Dave's user avatar
  • 9,134
8 votes

How to write romantic scenes that aren't cringy?

This is an extremely good question and I would love to offer some advice from other writers I've found helpful! If you are ESL or new at writing romance scenes, your initial romantic scenes definitely ...
Sciborg's user avatar
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7 votes

Conflict and antagonist in a certain subtype of erotic novels

(1) from the first desire to consummation or (2) from loveless sex to romantic love or (3) from a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment – what can cause conflict? I think ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 104k
7 votes

How to write a good sex scene specifically for erotica?

The best thing you can do in this scenario is read - prolifically - in your genre. Research what works for you, what gets your juices flowing ( so to speak :) ) and what reads like nails down a ...
GGx's user avatar
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7 votes
Accepted

How to tell people you write smut/erotica/porn

"I write stories for adults only." or "I write erotica." It all works. There's enough out there that is NC-17 or even a hard R, or the book/TV/comic equivalent, that people get it if you say ...
Cyn's user avatar
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7 votes

In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?

Some background. Erotica, as a genre, means that mind-blowing sex is the point of the story. If you take away the sex and the story just isn't interesting, or no longer has a point, then it's erotica. ...
Fayth85's user avatar
  • 5,431
5 votes

Conflict and antagonist in a certain subtype of erotic novels

Allow me to start with conflict. There are authoritative definitions of conflict out there, but let's keep it simple: conflict is an obstacle. Typically, a character has an objective and the obstacles ...
SC for reinstatement of Monica's user avatar
4 votes

What are various sites to publish erotica?

One quite effective alternative is: storiesonline They have the option to also post non-erotica, and have a very effective categorisation tool. You can actually find writing on a reasonable breadth ...
kiltannen's user avatar
  • 251
4 votes

How to tell people you write smut/erotica/porn

The big question here is: What is your purpose in telling people about your writing. Some people, some forums, and some audiences, will absolutely appreciate that writing erotica is a skill, a craft, ...
Standback's user avatar
  • 28.3k
4 votes

I want to write a gay sex scene. The characters are both virgins and I don't know how to do it without looking like a fool. Any advice?

The most important thing is to understand why the sex scene is in your story. Are you trying to inform the reader about the characters' emotional states? Are the things they do during the scene ...
Arcanist Lupus's user avatar
3 votes

Conflict and antagonist in a certain subtype of erotic novels

Competition Our manly stud has a rival who is equally manly and studly, but downwardly mobile. Rather than being born in the manor, he was relegated to the stables. Wait, did they have the same ...
wetcircuit's user avatar
  • 27.8k
3 votes

Narrative arc in erotica?

I'll take a different tack on this. Read My Answer here that goes into the Three Act Structure in some detail. Basically, you increase erotic tension the same way you increase any story tension: ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 104k
3 votes

How to tell people you write smut/erotica/porn

There's nothing wrong with the word erotica. That's exactly how it's categorized in bookstores, where it's publicly displayed and not considered something to be hidden from anyone. [Merriam-Webster]...
Jason Bassford's user avatar
3 votes

Alternative words for genitalia

The clinical terms, “vagina,” “penis” and “breasts” would be considered the softer option (ages ago when I used to teach Catholic confirmation classes, there was specific direction when we got to the ...
D. A. Hosek's user avatar
  • 1,061
2 votes

What are general strategies for making the reader uncomfortable with something they might not naturally be uncomfortable with?

You assume that, video games, movies, and other media have desensitized people to the point that something horrendous would be "normal". The description would also have to be pretty well done. The ...
ggiaquin16's user avatar
  • 4,609
2 votes

Does publishing erotica on Kindle Marketplace require an ISBN, or is an ASIN sufficient?

In answer to what book identifiers are required for Amazon Marketplace; No, an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is not required to publish an ebook with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Yes, ...
Ariane Kh Anderson's user avatar
2 votes

How to write a good sex scene specifically for erotica?

I use two approaches: First, like @ggx, I steer clear of metaphors and similes in describing anything about the physical parts. The characters think and use the words they are accustomed to using and ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 104k
2 votes

How to write good erotic scene?

I can't write the direct and explicit scene, and I don't think they are necessary. And really, as a reader I feel like they are 'telling' me something and hoping I will translate that into character ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 104k
2 votes

What is a subtle way of mentioning a man became physically aroused?

You could write 'he felt the blood drain from his face, and knew exactly where it was going instead'. Leave it mostly in the mind of the reader.
Tim's user avatar
  • 121

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