When you are at the bookstore looking for a new book to buy, you may find yourself browsing through the various genres of fiction -- and skipping the Erotica section completely. Erotica literature has a stigma. It's no secret that people are not always open about their sexuality. Even when it is written words on the page, it is still an embarrassment for some people. When you mention the word "sex," people blush or get embarrassed, as they simply don't want to discuss such an intimate act outside of their marriage.
Those people are not your ideal readers for a novel, but it's important to understand that erotica is not just about the intimate acts between two or more people.
This kind of literature should not be compared to the hardcore versions of this kind of act that you can find online. Instead, real literary erotica is simply about a story, with well-developed characters, and just a bit more description when it comes to the Sexual act.
Sex takes a backseat
Whenever erotica writers sit down to plan out their novel, they don't necessarily start with a sex scene. It may not be sex that even inspired the novel idea. It's important to note that while the intimate act does play a key role in this kind of genre, it's not necessarily the focus of the story. You can compare this to a crime novel. A crime has to take place for it to be a crime novel. It's the same thing with erotica.
An intimate act has to take place for it to qualify for this genre, but the crime itself is not necessarily what takes up the entire novel. A murder or a robbery doesn't span 300+ pages. It may just be a few pages and then the entire novel revolves around investigating who committed the crime and why.
It's the same thing with erotica.
The sexual act between two people doesn't mean anything unless readers understand who they are and why they do what they do. In other words, sex takes a backseat when it comes to developing a great erotica novel.
Characters and plot are important
When writing such a novel, it's important that you place great emphasis on the characters and the plot.
A good writer in this field knows that no matter how great the intimacy is between two people, there still needs to be a good story that can back up why this is happening. If your characters are not well-developed and you storyline lacks in all aspects, your book will be boring. People want to be entertained when they pick up this book. Again, compare this to a crime novel. Your crime description can be amazing, but if the following plot is just lackluster, people will put it down. People want a connection with the characters and want to see themselves in the plot.
What do you think about writing erotica? Do you think erotica is really all about the intimate scenes, or do you think the characters and plot are more important?
