Ideal Sex Scene Length.

[Fr0sty]

While reading through some smutty scenes, I've started to notice that writers tend to write up their sex scenes with huge differences in length between each other. Some write short blurbs, made up of only a few paragraphs, while others write behemoth pieces that require significant scrolling.

I'm interested to know what people like reading best. Are super short ones the way to go? Or do people prefer is more involved? If any scene in particular sticks out to you as your "favorite", do you like it because of it's length or in spite of it?

 

[Nonesuch]

Entirely dependent on the context of it. Are the characters nameless mobs, one-offs, or people you intend to build a story around? Is the sex repeatable or unique in some way? Do you *want* the player to activate the scene over and over again? What kind of game is it, and what is the mood and atmosphere? Does this sex scene lead into another sex scene?

All of these things impact length, there's no such as an ideal word count every smut writer should aspire to.

 

[Foxxling]

Although this topic is entirely subjective and a matter of opinion a few more things to consider

-Spacing: One thing i've noticed is that a lot of the longer scenes tend to have walls of unbroken text which can be a bit of an eye sore. improving spacing by limiting paragraph lengths, minimizing text walls and maybe adding a [Next] button to break up the scene are all ways one can space the text so that it doesn't end up being a fucking chore to read.

- Minimalism: Some of us, myself included, love our adjetives. Some of us, myself included, could trim the fat of our scenes and take out some, not all, of the flowery language and overlong smut-tasticness that sometimes does more harm the help.

Organization: Paying attention to the way the scene is organized is essential. There are a couple, one I wrote myself, that I read and it's like what tf happened. Making the scene flow and paying attention to things like word usage and the progression of events can go a long way in making a five page sex scene easily consumable

 

[Evil]

It also depends, is the scene just going to be a quickie, or is it going to be a more involved sexing up, or is it full on romancing?

 

[zero point sixty]

Yeah, I initially voted long, then wished I had voted 'doesn't matter'. I realised what's more important is appropriate pacing. After all, in spite of my general preferences for longer scenes, I'd always take a good short one over a long boring one.

 

[William.]

I would see a couple posts talking about the actual sex content and how it has little difference to what came before, how it's same scene different character sometimes, and I kind of subscribe to that belief. That's why I worry more about connecting to the characters in question. For me, if I can't get at least some emotional investment in what's taking place, specifically with the characters, then I'll not enjoy the sequence at all. That's what kept me following TiTS for years because of all the busts, art, and time people take in tailoring every encounter and especially the prologues to those encounters.

I like long stuff where the player and the other actors in question have varied motions and acts in the play, so to speak. For a lot of scenes I write, it starts in one position then you shift to another and end in yet another, I try to take into account the player's alignment at all possible moments, and I try to keep them doing more than working their hips.

Everyone has different preferences but I write with 'investment' at the front of my mind. But I agree that good pacing is more important than anything else, and a good rule of thumb I try to follow is: "Every sentence should advance the story."

 

[B]

It's pretty subjective, although I have a hard time dealing with and enjoying scenes that are especially long. It's why Paige's sex scenes are structured the way they are: I wanted to reduce the length of her sex scenes without losing any content. It worked out pretty well, I think.

 

[Noob Salad]

3,141 words.