Like so many other people, you may have been inspired to write an erotic novel thanks for the success of "50 shades of grey." There's something appealing about the powerful businessman, being attracted to a young student who wants to explore her sexual side. There's a sense of power control between the two characters, as he has the money and the confidence to do what he wants, and she feels insecure and innocent in his presence. There's something incredibly sexy about another person taking control, saying everything he wants to do to a woman. At least this is what the readers wanted.
This is why this series was so successful. It offered something that people hadn't experienced in the mainstream media before.
Of course, the book and the series were highly criticized because of the way they tackled the topic of control. Many felt that Grey was so controlling and she had no ability to say no to him. It really became a power struggle between the two characters even though this may not have been what the author intended. Even though the two characters are not that far off in age, there is a sense of the controlling male and the innocent younger female creating a big gap.
Implying a major age difference despite their having one
In the "50 Shades of Grey," the author doesn't go into details as to how old these two characters are.
When you're reading the book, you get an idea that they are pretty compatible with one another. They both desire one another and despite having different tastes in terms of their sexual relations, the two appear to be somewhat Close In Age. When the movie was released, the two actors actually did look like they were fairly close in age.
Even though the two are close in age, they are very different in terms of social status. While Christian is a powerful businessman, Anastasia Steele is a young student who seems to be very innocent and inexperienced. This could suggest an age difference, as these are common traits of erotica novels. It's very popular to feature a much younger girl with a much older man.
Move on from the story
The younger-woman-older-man storyline is one that you will see quite often and readers need something new. That's not to say that your characters can't be different ages, and even 10 years apart may not cause a big buzz. But the 18-year-old girl with a 45-year-old man that is looking for something refreshing after divorce is the storyline that fans see too many times. While it may have been trending at one point, readers are looking for something else. Surely, this can't be the only kind of story that gets people excited.
It may be an idea to use more realistic and appropriate age differences. A few years can still suggest that there is a level of experience that the younger character has yet to see or feel.
You could also be that the older person has no experience because they've been so devoted to their career and working life that they haven't taken a break to truly explore their sensuality.
What do you think about the storylines that suggest a powerful older man getting together with an innocent much younger female? Do you think it's too predictable?
