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 that lie in the way represent the conflict.

Now that we have conflict defined, let's look at a purely erotic storyline.

If I may be so bold, I'll bring forward my own definition: a storyline where the aim is sex. Forget the finer, fuzzy feelings for now: purely erotic = sex. One may claim that romance makes sex more involved and, therefore, more satisfying. However, 'purely erotic' makes those fuzzy feelings become nothing more than a tool to make sex better, because sex is the one and only objective.

So what can cause conflict in a purely erotic storyline? Anything that keeps the characters (mainly the protagonist, but definitely not the only one) from enjoying fulfilling sexual experiences.

Personally, I feel both external and internal obstacles are valid, as well as mixed external and internal.

External: If the female character's goal is to get laid with whomever she fancies but is part of a society where women must be chaste, then she must concoct careful plans to fulfill her goal without being punished for it.

Internal: Let's say a character has been involved in an accident that left them invalid. Perhaps they feel sexually crippled and must learn to accept their limitations while not giving up on sexual bliss, whether there's love involved or not.

External & Internal: A young man's identity was defined by societal rules he fully embraced... until the moment he moved to a different place, with different societal rules, and realised his sexual needs lay outside the accepted in his previous society and within the taboo... which turns out is not a taboo in this different place. It is not simply a matter of society's external imposition, as that society exists elsewhere. The external imposition has become internal as the young man discovers foreign societal rules. The imposition is a part of who he is and he must first of all accept he does not conform to the old imposition, then discover his true sexual identity and finally embrace it.

I'd like to repeat and emphasize that in the context of this question a "purely erotic story" is one where the protagonists aren't hindered from achieving their goals by external obstacles such as rivals or social segregation, as they commonly are in romance novels.

The real problem is touched upon in this sentence: romance novels.

If I may be so bold, one is conditioned from birth to associate 'socially valid sex' and love. Love is one's great aim in life, and you will only find real meaningful sex in the embrace of true love.

Not to be a cynic, but forget all that.

Sex is sex, love is love. Mixing the two can be great, but it does not negate the fact that sex can exist for and by itself while being very gratifying.

If an erotic story ends up in 'the couple lived happily ever after', then it's very likely 'erotic romance' or 'romantic erotica' (my own terminology, here). If one wants to split hairs, there are differences, but it basically boils down to the same: lots of sex that ends up in socially accepted true love. Maybe even kinky sex being rescued and led to the good side. Very likely, the protagonist will realise that sex without love is not as gratifying, or that sex with the same partner becomes even better the moment true love is confessed to.

Don't get me wrong: I see absolutely no problem with mixing erotica and romance. However, it does annoy me that most erotica [I've come across] will inevitably end in happily ever after.

Let's go back to the purely erotic storyline.

It seems to me that the development of a purely erotic plot [...] must lack all turning points and therefore all suspense.

The protagonist wants mind-blowing sex. Whatever stands in their way is conflict. One could have a serial-killer hunted by the most recent Holmesian recreation as the background of such a story, but stopping that evil stock-character is not what is upping the tension. It's the fact that the guy's killing spree is stopping you from having the action you're dying for. Even if you end up with your head nearly chopped off, being rescued by the hottest detective on earth is still not the high point. In fact, the dramatic rescue isn't even close to being a climax because the true conflict isn't whether you'll die or live, but whether you'll get laid or not.

Now, I admit this might sound like the protagonist is a bit obsessed and needs a reality check. Perhaps. But one could come up with a character who enjoys their freedom and simply wants a friendship with benefits. Unfortunately, there are obstacles to connecting with the people who physically attract them. Perhaps they've had a bad experience and fear rejection.

Or maybe the character simply has a high sex drive and wants to find the perfect sexual match. No strings attached.

The point here isn't whether the conflict is external, internal or a mix of the two. The point is the aim of the protagonist / story: what really matters? Great sex.

The turning points for a purely erotic storyline are exactly the same as for any other. Eg.: The protagonist is unhappy with their current sex life. They make an attempt to fix the problem but they fail; double-edged frustration mounts. Then someone takes the first step and things look up... but it was a trap and now the protagonist is being blackmailed. In despair, they miraculously stumble upon someone who's willing to help. At the same time, there's sexual tension and... could this be it? Can the two of them not only save the protagonist's reputation in a puritan society but also find a common interest in acrobatic sex positions?

The tension comes from the exact same source as in every other story: will the protagonist succeed or fail in their search for a purely physical, orgasmical connection?

posted almost 6 years ago

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SC for reinstatement of Monica‭

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I think it may be a good idea to first look generically to the possible types of conflict, to then look how well they fit to your definition of a purely erotic novel.

I think the most important distinction in this respect is between obstacles and decision problems (note that I just made up that terminology; I don't know if there's any established terminology for this distinction).

• An obstacle is something that hinders you from getting what you want. The conflict is resolved by removing the obstacle, by circumventing it, or by accepting the limitation. Obstacles are typically outer conflicts (the obstacle is in the world around you), but can be inner conflicts as well (for example, the obstacle can be your fear).

• A decision problem is when you have several goals, wishes or desires that are or seem mutually exclusive. The conflict is resolved by deciding for one of the options, by finding a way to fulfil both, or by recognizing that neither actually satisfies you, and what you really want is something else. A decision problem is typically an inner conflict. It may be an outer conflict if someone presents you with the choice.

Now let's try to apply your criterion that a story is not purely erotic if it contains non-sexual narrative elements which could also be told without their sexual or erotic turn.

I think that pretty much rules out obstacles. This includes some you classified as purely erotic, such as

A character is afraid of sex and overcomes their fear.

A character is afraid of swimming and overcomes their fear. The non-sexual narrative element here is the fear.

A character learns to have sex or to perform certain sexual practices or to enjoy them.

A character learns to swim or to perform certain swimming techniques or to enjoy them. The non-sexual narrative element here is the learning.

A character has sex in circumstances where sex is not allowed or taboo (in public, with a family member, etc.)

A character has a romantic relationship where a romantic relationship is not allowed or taboo (with someone of different social status, with a family member, etc.). Or even, a character has friendship where friendship is not allowed or taboo. The non-sexual narrative element here is the forbiddance/taboo.

Basically the only of your examples that survives is rape, but that one you explicitly excluded from the list of things you want to write about.

So what remains is the decision problem. And for that I don't see any fundamental reason why it cannot be purely erotic. It just means that the conflicting goals, wishes or desires are all to be purely erotic in nature.

For example, the protagonist might want their first sex to be perfect, and believes this can only be achieved by learning as much as possible about different sex practices before actually having sex. They don't feel they've sufficiently studied sex practices yet when they meet someone with whom they desire to have sex now. Suddenly there's a conflict: The only perceived way to have the desired perfect first sex is to not have the desired immediate sex.

posted almost 6 years ago

CC BY-SA 4.0

celtschk‭

740 reputation 16 53 99 13

(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 what you need is an alternative to a plotted novel; these are "character-driven" novels, in which a character may not have an antagonist, exactly, except for the difficulties of her world and inability to get exactly what she wants. Over the course of the novel, she develops and becomes different. The reader continues reading, not just for the erotica, but to see what happens to her, usually because they like her and want her to succeed.

1) Going from first desire to consummation doesn't have to be straightforward. Particularly so for males, and particularly so for homosexuals. Even if she and the boy she desires are straight, he may be committed to somebody else (or to his religion). You can introduce problems in this phase. You can introduce problems after this stage; the consummation did not satisfy her, or her partner demanded acts she did not want to perform, or they got caught in the middle and the sex was interrupted.

2) Going from loveless sex to romantic love: Finding a partner that wants more than sex doesn't have to be easy. Or, a conflict from within, a promiscuous character may enjoy the lifestyle and not want to give it up, but also does not want to give up a particular partner.

3) From a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment: Another internal conflict. So the MC has a lot of sex with a lot of partners, she's learned to do everything, but she still doesn't FEEL sexually "empowered". She has said "yes" a dozen times and its pretty much always the same few things, oral sex, intercourse, maybe anal sex. After yet another episode of that she decides she doesn't feel "powerful" at all. Guys are as easy as buying groceries, and then the script hardly varies. She gets off, but she's getting bored with that, and boredom can be a source of conflict. She wants an escalation, something more challenging. And that is what the story is about, her finding the sex that rocks her world.

In a character-driven story, the story is about the character and how she feels and how she is changing. What she seeks is internal, not external like a treasure. She is her own antagonist -- By not being satisfied with what she has done, and not knowing what to do next, so she makes missteps and has close calls or disasters or whatever.

So you don't have to have a "bad guy" in the novel, per se, or if you have "bad guys" they can be temporary and not the lethal or life-changing kind of bad.

What you can have is a "character against the world" scenario, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, stranded on an island and trying to escape. She is on her own without help and trying to figure out how to get what she wants, sexually.

You can actually combine those three scenarios into one master.

Act I: From desire to consummation.

Act IIa: Reactive; gaining a lot of random sexual experiences.

Act IIb: Proactive; from randomicity to control and sexual empowerment.

Act 3: Now she knows what she wants: From loveless sex to romantic love; the conclusion.

posted almost 6 years ago

CC BY-SA 4.0

Amadeus‭

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