[SpaceWeavil]

Apologies if this has been asked / discussed somewhere before, but this is just something I’ve wondered about, having read some of the recent threads, and having received some comments about this regarding my stories. I’ve never written anything NC-17 (I’d never even attempted a romance till ‘Alliance’), but I don’t have anything against it. My question though is – are most readers looking for that sort of thing for a story or do some people prefer non-smut stories, if that makes sense?

[inglor]

Do I have a preferenc? No, what I read depends on on the mood... If I see a NC-17 rating, I usually don't expect a good story and I'm reading for the smut and a good story is a bonus (as long as the smut is good). I read R and lower rated ones for the story and the light smut is a bonus.

My first decision is smut or no smut. If it's smut then I will even read Legomances (no offense against Legomanciers, its just that if I'm reading for smut, I don't care who is involved as long as its not Orcses) no smut then I chose either by author and recommendations, or by the characters involved.

Inglor

[Ellbee]

Most of the time, if I'm just in a reading mood, I'll go down the list and read anything that catches my fancy, smut or no smut. But occasionally - or, well, maybe slightly more often than occasionally - I get a hankering for smut, and then only smut will do. The messier the better. Er...who said that?

-Ell

[Haleth]

I realise I'm in a minority here, but it doesn't matter how well the smut is written. If there's no story, I can't be bothered to read it.

[dolarabee]

As it's been said before it all depends on the mood. Sometimes I want a more action-oriented story not getting all entangled in love pursuits, or sometimes one that is, or just a smut biscuit where plot is thrown to the wind. It all depends on the mood.

I tend to like that UST thing (was introduced to that with the first fandom I got involved in - The X-Files) but where there is unresolved sexual tension, I also like to have it, at some point, get on with it in terms of a resolution. So I will be expecting a sex scene and if I don't get it, well, look what happened to the X-Files series.

do. (sputtering much nonsense today)

[Robbie]

[dolarabee]

Love, you so totally missed the point. It's the fact they carried on this UST for seven seasons and then wham bam thank you ma'am, we the viewers find out that he's knocked her up but didn't get to see it. Everyone, and I say everyone bailed out after that. Even Duchovny, for crying out loud.

::le sigh::

[NancyBrooke]

As in real life, I mostly go with the mood.

Smut vs. No Smut - depends on what I'm after. If I want smut, I go looking for it.

w/ or w/out a story - depends on the quality of the story. Smut as an expression of the plot and characters involved in a well-written story is absolutely great; smut in a weak or poorly written story is the worst. PWP can be fabulous - but the writing and story - set-up maybe a better way to think of it - has to be there or it's a no go.

[SpaceWeavil]

I’m more or less the same – I will read NC-17 stuff if the mood takes me. I only ask this question because, as I said, I’ve had a couple of comments about the lack of smut in my stuff, and recently I’ve decided to do the ‘stuck in ME’ challenge thing, and have been plotting with a mate of mine online – she basically said the same thing, that I had to add some sex into it (there is a romance interest as a subplot) or no one would even bother looking at it. That was why I wondered if, compared to a romance story with no sex, one with sex would be preferable. Just being neurotic writer woman again I suppose.

[dolarabee]

[SilverMoonLady]

Honey, if it's good story, it's worth a read, whether it has sex or not, and I know I'd rather read some really good UST than completion that feels forced.
Then again, given the very small audience I have personally, what do I know? Rosemary (smut-biscuit) still has more hits than Cool Waters (angst, no sex). Go figure!

Write a good story, if sex happens, they'll tell you and then it will feel right. However, if a really good smut scene is hanging about your brain, write it down and then work your way backwards and forwards to give it context.
Just my two cents..

[Andreth]

Just me personally, but when I read a romance story that has no culmination, so to speak, I feel very disappointed. But the culmination doesn't have to be a graphic description (although there's nothing wrong with that! ) Even just having sex alluded to or vaguely described is enough for me.

From what I've seen, most people who read romance do expect a sort of consummation of the relationship at some point. I don't think you necessarily have to write an all-out smut scene to do that.

I do read stories that don't have smut in them, and find them very enjoyable. But with this being a het archive, I do think smut is high on the preference list here.

[SpaceWeavil]

[Andreth]

You're not alone, Jess. I'd never written romance before and decided to include it in my veiled light story so I'd get the hang of it. Of course, I'm still trying to get the hang of it and I'm learning one of the drawbacks of posting as you write - that once it's out there you're not exactly able to say, hold on, time out, I'm going to go back and edit out most of this romance stuff or change things around because I don't like the way the story is going now. So we're all always learning how to write new things.

The sex writing was also something I wanted to learn and the first time I let someone read my sex writing, I thought I would die of embarrassment. I felt like a bona fide pervert and that everyone would think I was some kind of deviant for writing things like that. Our little Village group was a godsend because it gave me the opportunity to practice writing about sex with a small group of supportive people, so I've been lucky in that aspect.

You're surrounded by friends here and I know you'll get the same kind of support if you decide to make a foray into the more erotic aspect of writing. But you should learn only if *you* want to and not because it's something you feel other people expect out of you. But I know you'll do well no matter which route you decide to take.

[sindohte]