At the moment I'm working my way through the competition entries.
One thing has struck me so far while reading the many excellent stories: that is how sometimes a superb piece of writing can suffer a little when the sexual act is described. And I hold up my hands, am as guilty as the next person in this regard.
It's made me realise just what a difficult genre erotica is to write in, how hard it is for an author to describe the same-old-same-old.
I was just wondering what the reader take on descriptions of the sexual act is.
I have given three choices in this light-heated poll. Feel free to ad your own criterion.
Chatterbox Blonde- Rumps Mystical Bartender
Well for me I try to take the perspective of the main character.
If they're in control of the action then the descriptions will be much more detailed.
If things are being done to them then the descriptions are mostly going to be flashes of emotion and physical sensations.
I also factor in how aroused that character is. If you're really in the moment and really turned on you just don't remember precise details.
Its more a vague fog of physical sensations and floating in an ocean of sexual pleasures.
That's just how I do it, then again I find it helps to wear that character as a mask and role play them to make the word pictures fit their perspective.
Whatever was posted is always meant in love and respect never to offend.
I'm also highly likely to have posted this from a phone so there may be typos or odd word changes, auto correct can be a pain.
I've been listening to my kinky pencil here's my current work
My current Competition entry is here
A Cure For Stagefright
I put a little banner in here, it might change. I'm still messing about with it.
I like:-
Making love for the normal stuff. And, well, making love for the naughty stuff too. Yes I know I'm boring, but what can you do?
Be nice to each other
More often than not, I allude to acts. I'm writing mostly micros and there's not a lot of room for florid descriptions, but that carries over to my longer pieces, as well. I have no interest in producing school boy fantasies of "his huge..." "her dripping..." or anything else like that. Quite frankly, that sort of stuff puts me off entirely, unless it is a clever satire and even then I'm likely to stop reading pretty quickly. When it comes to it, I tend to be pretty matter of fact and real world about what takes place -- sex as a component of the story, not the story as a component of the sex. All of which probably explains why I don't get a lot of reaction to my pieces and notes like "real nice writing, but needs more fuck stuff."
And Verity, you are NEVER boring.
I read a lot and usually get through a couple of books a week. Love a good story with an intricate plot. But when I'm reading erotica I want it to be fast and raunchy. Set the scene and then get on with the bouncy-bouncy.
To each his or her own, though.
In my opinion, third-person descriptions are harder to write and more susceptible to generating florid and laughable phrases. I prefer to read - and write - first-person stories.
Interesting that only writers have commentated so far — and thank you all for doing so.
Below is me throwing some thought on other aspects of reading/writing.
I suppose I posited the question hoping to get a response from more readers — wanting to know whether they read smut just to scratch an itch or whether they also want more than mere sex in their sex reading, become immersed in an imaginative world. It's hard to know what the silent majority enjoy as it tends to be the writers who leave comments for their fellow writers — that's if the present comp is anything to go by.
I remember many years ago finding a copy of The Hite Report on Female Sexuality in the local library. Reading the chapters, real women talking about their sexuality, certainly eased my itch!
I've been trying to remember the way I would read fiction before I took up scribbling (at such an advance age).
I'll have to use a music analogy to explain. My brother-in-law took up guitar later in life. He told me it transformed the way he listened to music. Now that he had seen behind the curtain, the magic of previously enjoyed songs often waned. He could see how it was done, the mystique broken. But as a counterpoint, he developed admiration for stuff he previously might have felt indifferent about.
When I was in my late teens, if I came to dialogue in fiction I would often skip over it, wait for narration to get the plot back on course. Trying to intuit stuff from people talking seemed hard work. I wanted it spelt out. All those how to write books are by writers who may have a totally different mind set to the average reader. If you want to see what poor writing many young people are willing to put up with for the sake of a good story, pay a visit to Wattpad.
Of course, now older and wiser, I can never get enough dialogue (If it is done well).
I'm just thinking out loud, trying to get a handle on how reading can change for an individual over the years, trying to get some insight into the way individuals read here on Lush.
In closing, for me I see nothing wrong with explicit, visceral descriptions of bodily acts. I suppose it is lazy writing the irks, a reliance on tropes. And it can go the other way; the search for novel ways of describing sexuality leading to ill-fitting phrases.
Writers, please feel free to comment on how your reading has changed after taking up writing.
When I'm writing, it's a mixture of 1 or 2, depending on context. Though I do often drop into 1 out of laziness! A goal of mine is to write more of 2.
When reading, I don't mind option 1 or 2. As long as the story transports me into the author's world and won't let go, I'm happy with any depiction.
Please browse my digital bookshelf. In this collection, you can find 101 stories, nine micro-stories, and two poems with the following features:
* 26 Editor's Picks, 69 Recommended Reads.
* 15 competition podium places, 9 other times in the top ten.
* 20 collaborations.
* A whole heap of often filthy, tense, hot sex.
Partner-in-Lust / Cummunist
I like a mixture of them all. Not much of a romantic here, so raw and explicit works great for me, but I do love creative and enticing nuances that invite my mind to fill in the blanks. Also, I appreciate getting to feel the sceneries - especially when the senses get involved - and character buildup.
I guess it all depends on the kind of story - and mainly, the type of characters. Though I believe it should be ultimately about what YOU want it to be.
One thing I don't particularly like is the measuring tapes that seem to be the norm in erotica. I have never ever thought 'Oh what a yummy XX-inches cock' or 'Mmm, such a succulent pair of XX-cups'.
But that's just me :P
Thank you to all of you authors who selflessly entertain us mere readers on regular basis!
(bow)
Curiosity is one of those insatiable passions that grow by gratification.
I find so much depends on the genre and tone of the piece, but I also read without the expectation to get aroused since if I did, I'd only read the smallest slice of what lush has to offer and miss out on a lot of talented writers. 
