Writing Do niche fetishes help or hinder writing?

[Beta_Krogoth]

Hey all, i'm having some musings and wanted to see what others thought. I'm mid way through rewriting an old storyline that I started over 10 years ago, with the main plot point hanging over a corruptive, sex obsessed faction. Its adult work and was always intended to be so, although initially it was never supposed to be a story and was just a writing experiment. ANYWAY - Turns out these alien characters were really fun/interesting to write about and i've generally received really positive comments about the story/writing (People often said they turned up for the adult stuff but stayed for the story) but i've often wondered how much the writing is held back by the adult nature and more specifically, the precise nature of the adult content in terms of audience appeal.

The flip side to this is the sex scenes always end up with the most views and attract people looking for their specific brand of fun. I've considered writing two seperate versions of the story, one with adult scenes and one without but for now, i've added a warning system in and tried to write it in a way where skipping the scenes doesn't impact the readers understanding.

My thoughts are, if the nature of the adult content was more... generic... would that boost popularity? Or would it just get lost in the internets deep history? Does the specific nature of the work aid in audience retention at the cost of general exclusion? Anyone have any ideas?

Also, super happy if anyone wants to read and provide feedback, but thats secondary to the main point of the thread.

 

[SailusGebel]

If the said fetishes are niche because people think they are gross, it will hinder your work.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

If the said fetishes are niche because people think they are gross, it will hinder your work.

Speaking about it as non-bias I can (Not sure what the forum rules are in regards to straight up saying it) its nothing that would produce disgust in a traditional manner in someone who was comfortable with sex... but you know, thats the nature of fetishes, people often don't consider their own weird.

 

[SailusGebel]

Speaking about it as non-bias I can (Not sure what the forum rules are in regards to straight up saying it) its nothing that would produce disgust in a traditional manner in someone who was comfortable with sex... but you know, thats the nature of fetishes, people often don't consider their own weird.

I will give you an example. If your story has cuckoldry\netorare, it will hinder your work.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

I will give you an example. If your story has cuckoldry\netorare, it will hinder your work.

Naw, none of those. I'm writing at a niche due to the amount of categories it falls under, rather than something like that. 'ere we go, brace yourself. Apologise if this is TMI.

First off its got anthro characters, so thats quite a large split already. Futa's, which are hit or miss. Sci-fi/aliens which seems to be less popular than fantasy from my observations. The main sex scenes i'm refering to are typically Futa on male with size difference/domination aspects. Speaking specificially about the Futa side of it, I think F/M is the least popular of the possible combinations. There is some non-con/rape stuff (Although the rewrite hasn't hit any of these yet) but I tread quite lightly there.

Long story short, huge futa alien on male with some non-con sometimes. Eithers thats gonna gross you out or more likely, its "eh, not my thing" for any number of reasons. I know the people that like that stuff have enjoyed the written work but that circles back to my initial question.

 

[Olga_Haus]

I'm wondering about this a lot!

My story's got a lot of different characters, who are into a lot of different things, and moving forward I wonder how it'll be possible to retain an audience that doesn't care for every single one of those things.

Statistically it doesn't seem likely there'll be many people who care for every single one of those things. So I guess I have to brace for lots of 'dropped' dots when I hit those beats, or go with that idea of making scenes 'skippable.' Something about that doesn't sit right though, y'know?

I'm cushioned a little because my story's more Bizzaro sex comedy than it is erotica, so people might not bounce as hard off things they don't find arousing than they otherwise might.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

I'm wondering about this a lot!

My story's got a lot of different characters, who are into a lot of different things, and moving forward I wonder how it'll be possible to retain an audience that doesn't care for every single one of those things.

Statistically it doesn't seem likely there'll be many people who care for every single one of those things. So I guess I have to brace for lots of 'dropped' dots when I hit those beats, or go with that idea of making scenes 'skippable.' Something about that doesn't sit right though, y'know?

I'm cushioned a little because my story's more Bizzaro sex comedy than it is erotica, so people might not bounce as hard off things they don't find arousing than they otherwise might.

Yeah, its an odd one. I know people can be very specific about their wants in a story and straying from that can upset them. I've got a horror/thriller/romance/adult vide going on which is odd combo and it has its own moments of dark comedy in it as well. I think comedy really helps keep things moving, comedy enjoyers are generally quite open minded from my personal experience.

On that note, wish there was a way to disable seeing "Dropped", i've only got a couple but its not a useful statistic for me to see on a day to day basis.

 

[SailusGebel]

Naw, none of those. I'm writing at a niche due to the amount of categories it falls under, rather than something like that. 'ere we go, brace yourself. Apologise if this is TMI.

First off its got anthro characters, so thats quite a large split already. Futa's, which are hit or miss. Sci-fi/aliens which seems to be less popular than fantasy from my observations. The main sex scenes i'm refering to are typically Futa on male with size difference/domination aspects. Speaking specificially about the Futa side of it, I think F/M is the least popular of the possible combinations. There is some non-con/rape stuff (Although the rewrite hasn't hit any of these yet) but I treat quite lightly there.

Long story short, huge futa alien on male with some non-con sometimes. Eithers thats gonna gross you out or more likely, its "eh, not my thing" for any number of reasons. I know the people that like that stuff have enjoyed the written work but that circles back to my initial question.

I'm not a pro author and can be wrong, so wait for someone else to answer this question of yours. Personally, I think this is too niche, and it will hinder your work. It's kind of like a BL(boys love) in the following aspect. You might get a certain number of readers from the community that shares this fetish. Usually, those kinds of communities support other authors more actively. BUT; you won't make it past a certain point. And I believe this 'certain point' is fairly low.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

I'm not a pro author and can be wrong, so wait for someone else to answer this question of yours. Personally, I think this is too niche, and it will hinder your work. It's kind of like a BL(boys love) in the following aspect. You might get a certain number of readers from the community that shares this fetish. Usually, those kinds of communities support other authors more actively. BUT; you won't make it past a certain point. And I believe this 'certain point' is fairly low.

This feels pretty correct. I've been looking at stats across many websites and the comments/likes i've had seem... above average? in terms of view to comment/like ratio. But the niche nature of the sex scenes (irrespective of the storyline) does feel like a restraint on the stories potential.

Would Boys Love be a good tag to add? Wasn't sure that was for.

 

[SailusGebel]

This feels pretty correct. I've been looking at stats across many websites and the comments/likes i've had seem... above average? in terms of view to comment/like ratio. But the niche nature of the sex scenes (irrespective of the storyline) does feel like a restraint on the stories potential.

I think it isn't necessarily sex scenes fault. Let's use the same BL I mentioned before as another example. Even if there are no smut\sex scenes, BL gets way less than works with a straight relationship, no romance at all, or GL(girls love). And futa on a male is closer to BL in that regard, yet it isn't BL; so you won't get all those BL fans, and you won't get GL fans. You are in between all those camps.

Would Boys Love be a good tag to add? Wasn't sure that was for.

No, futa on male doesn't count as BL. At least, I don't think so.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

I think it isn't necessarily sex scenes fault. Let's use the same BL I mentioned before as another example. Even if there are no smut\sex scenes, BL gets way less than works with a straight relationship, no romance at all, or GL(girls love). And futa on a male is closer to BL in that regard, yet it isn't BL; so you won't get all those BL fans, and you won't get GL fans. You are in between all those camps.

You get stuck in the middle of the Venn diagram of fans right? You've already got smaller groups to work with because of the nature of the story, you then bisect it further by adding in more variables. Each new "tag" cuts the potential fan base down more.

 

[SailusGebel]

You get stuck in the middle of the Venn diagram of fans right? You've already got smaller groups to work with because of the nature of the story, you then bisect it further by adding in more variables. Each new "tag" cuts the potential fan base down more.

Kinda.

 

[AKnightWithaKnife]

Honestly writing for your fetish can improve your work. I have a thing for tall females in uniform so when I right about said charactera the words come natural to me. Although I’m pretty sure this isn’t the focus of the question

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

Honestly writing for your fetish can improve your work. I have a thing for tall females in uniform so when I right about said charactera the words come natural to me. Although I’m pretty sure this isn’t the focus of the question

>Barges into thread
>Tells everyone they like tall girls in uniform despite it having nothing to do with the question
>Refuses to elaborate
>Leaves

Hah! Nah I get you, writing about stuff you enjoy is obviously more enjoyable. We share that one btw. I'm just pondering over what does more damage vs good.

 

[Olga_Haus]

Yeah, its an odd one. I know people can be very specific about their wants in a story and straying from that can upset them. I've got a horror/thriller/romance/adult vide going on which is odd combo and it has its own moments of dark comedy in it as well. I think comedy really helps keep things moving, comedy enjoyers are generally quite open minded from my personal experience.

On that note, wish there was a way to disable seeing "Dropped", i've only got a couple but its not a useful statistic for me to see on a day to day basis.

Ugh, yeah. It stings a little more than it helps.

The maths seems to be... if you've got one very specific thing then there's the advantage of it bringing the audience looking for that thing.
If you've got two very specific things then it's all disadvantages.

(I hate hate hate what this does to writing btw. Of the millions of people who've read William S. Burroughs over the years I bet only the very tiniest minority shared any of the fetishes he was writing about, let alone all of them. But this is where we are, I guess. Infinite choice is very limiting)

 

[SailusGebel]

Hah! Nah I get you, writing about stuff you enjoy is obviously more enjoyable. We share that one btw. I'm just pondering over what does more damage vs good.

You can try writing two stories; one for yourself, another one for readers\views. Sure, it takes more time. But at least that way, you won't have these thoughts.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

You can try writing two stories; one for yourself, another one for readers\views. Sure, it takes more time. But at least that way, you won't have these thoughts.

Thats not a bad idea. Only issue i've got is that I already have too many on-going projects! Oh woe is me! I'll give it some thought though.

Ugh, yeah. It stings a little more than it helps.

The maths seems to be... if you've got one very specific thing then there's the advantage of it bringing the audience looking for that thing.
If you've got two very specific things then it's all disadvantages.

(I hate hate hate what this does to writing btw. Of the millions of people who've read William S. Burroughs over the years I bet only the very tiniest minority shared any of the fetishes he was writing about, let alone all of them. But this is where we are, I guess. Infinite choice is very limiting)

I feel that. I've thought about stripping some stuff out of my writing to increase its appeal but for now i've opted not to do so. Not for this series anyway. Its OK thats niche.

 

[Ddraig]

I will give you an example. If your story has cuckoldry\netorare, it will hinder your work.

You say that but every single artist (especially the korean ones for some insane reason) get popular due to ntr. If you are willing to draw/write furry crap you are much more likely to be making money. It is more about the fanbase you are aiming for.

 

[SailusGebel]

You say that but every single artist (especially the korean ones for some insane reason) get popular due to ntr. If you are willing to draw/write furry crap you are much more likely to be making money. It is more about the fanbase you are aiming for.

Yes, but you won't grow beyond that reader base. Same with BL. You have a small fanbase\community, that small fanbase\community supports authors\creators that produce the content they want much more. However, it doesn't grow beyond a certain number. You have Solo Levelling, and you have a random Korean NTR manhwa. Even the most popular NTR manhwa won't get as popular as Solo Levelling or The God of High School, etc. This is what I mean. Niche will be niche, and it will hinder you if you aim for a bigger reader base.

 

[Graestra]

This isn’t necessarily about fetishes, but about sex scenes in general, but I find that the majority of stories that have sex scenes implement them poorly. What I mean by this is that every sentence you write should serve a purpose, so a sex scene should serve a purpose within the story. For example, highlighting character development, or being a catalyst for character development, playing a larger role in the greater plot, etc. Sex scenes are kind of like action scenes. Action for action’s sake tends to be un-engaging. The best stories have action scenes that matter both to the characters involved and the world they live in. Sex scenes should be written with a similar intent. Most stories just have gratuitous sex scenes with no thought to properly engaging and investing the reader. If a sex scene can be skipped or easily written out of the story, then is there really a reason to have one in the first place?