Depressing but necessary plot section in erotica

[chasingriver]

Hello. I just joined the board, so I hope this is the appropriate forum for my question. It's plot-related, but erotica-specific.

I've been writing fanfiction for about six months now, and I've started working on my first work of original erotic fiction. I'm about 20,000 words in.

Part of the plot involves one of the main characters going through a very bad patch (drug addiction) after being split up from the other main character (emotionally and location-wise.)

There's not going to be much happy sex during this period. There is the potential for some unhappy sex between him and other minor characters.

My question is this: am I shooting myself in the foot, by essentially having a depressing bit in the middle of my story? Worse, a depressing bit with no sex? It's essential to the plot, but I have to wonder how much angst people will tolerate in their erotica before ditching it and moving on (even if there is a reconciliation and a happy ending.)

Thanks for any thoughts you might have.
~chasingriver

[Filigree]

I hate to sound this way, but you need to write what the story needs. You might want to see if you can shorten the elapsed plot time needed, and/or use it to develop the characters. Unhappy sex with other characters is all right by me, but may go against canon for some of the stricter romance e-pubs.

And bear in mind, once you have an addictive behavior it has to be dealt with. Unless you have magic in mind, those problems linger for years even after the addicted person has cleaned up.

[chasingriver]

Actually - I don't disagree at all.

The other main character basically intervenes and much of the rest of the story deals with his post-addiction/behavioural issues in the context of a D/s relationship (which redevelops slowly between them after the detox has taken place.)

That's good to know about the 'sex with other characters thing' for future reference, but again - I think there are places this needs to go that it will just have to go.

Thanks for your feedback!

[veinglory]

As already mentioned, you probably limit your market more by having sex that could be seen as "cheating" than by having no sex at all in that section.

[chasingriver]

Interesting. Even if they are not currently in a relationship with each other and both parties know that?

[Filigree]

I was surprised by the strict canons of most e-pubs. Most of them say anything goes before the two love interests hook up, but after that - sex outside the relationship is a no-no.

[chasingriver]

Wow. Good to know. It makes me glad I'm writing this for me, and not for someone else.

[Filigree]

Not saying you can't do it. Just do it well and make it count. We're not supposed to have rape as a plot point, either, and there's a fairly graphic public rape scene in the second chapter of my book. That got it bounced with extreme prejudice from two e-publishers, but several more were willing to work with it. I eventually softened the scene a little, but it's part of the plot.

[dangerousbill]

Originally Posted by chasingriver

There's not going to be much happy sex during this period. There is the potential for some unhappy sex between him and other minor characters.

I think you should finish the story and then make decisions on whether some sections are too slow or depressing. These sections can be lightened in some way, perhaps by adding an upbeat subplot to ease an unremitting flow of angst.

[Captcha]

We should also distinguish between erotica and erotic romance... your post made it sound like you're shooting for erotic romance, in which case the non-cheating convention has to be addressed. But if you're looking at erotica, the rules are different.

[Filigree]

Here, here. Erotic romance has many more strictures to it, apparently. I've had to learn them, but I'll riff on them if needed. Erotica is a much more open genre.

[firedrake]

Originally Posted by Filigree

Here, here. Erotic romance has many more strictures to it, apparently. I've had to learn them, but I'll riff on them if needed. Erotica is a much more open genre.

Aye, woe betide you if you dare stray from the formula and write about, oh I don't know, things that happen in real life.

[WriterDude]

I worry about this sort of thing all the time. Too much/little sex and such. I try to compare to other genres, If it was horror, how long between the scary stuff?

[Filigree]

As long as the story dictates. Really. There's a reason why I don't read a lot of the formulaic stuff coming out of the romance mills - it just doesn't work for me. I read a how-to book once about the exacting diagram of the average contemporary romance novel. Interesting stuff to know, but I'd drop it in a second if my story wanted different pacing.

[Big Kahuna]

Rules?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmTiVFZqXIE

[jaksen]

Maybe you're not writing erotica (in this case anyhow.) Maybe you're writing literary with an erotic touch.