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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40919
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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.

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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.

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> 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?

Original score: 5