Qfyilyi

In his answer to my previous question, @Standback distinguishes two types of erotic storyline:

1. stories in which the stakes are romantic or sexual




2. stories in which the stakes are neither romantic nor sexual (e.g. an erotic thriller)

In an erotic novel, where the stakes are romantic or sexual – i.e. the story develops (to use @Standback's examples):

• from the first desire to consummation or


• from loveless sex to romantic love or


• from a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment

– what can cause conflict?

It seems to me that the development of a purely erotic plot, that is, a plot where the erotic storyline is not put into the context of a thriller, horror, romance (where a rival or differences in class stand between the lovers), or other non-sexual storyline, must lack all turning points and therefore all suspense.

Like the building of a house, unless you add an earthquake or financial crisis, a purely erotic storyline will unerringly build towards its climax. A purely sexual relationship will turn into love from time spent together alone, if love is at all possible. A person with no sexual experience will gain it if they have sex and nothing can keep that person from acquiring experience. Only the desire for consummation can fail because of one partner's shyness, and then the antagonist is that person's fear. In all other cases:

What causes conflict in a purely erotic storyline?

I'd like to repeat and emphasize that in the context of this question a "purely erotic story" is one where the protagonists aren't hindered from achieving their goals by external obstacles such as rivals or social segregation, as they commonly are in romance novels.

(1) from the first desire to consummation or

(2) from loveless sex to romantic love or

(3) from a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment

– what can cause conflict?

I think what you need is an alternative to a plotted novel; these are "character-driven" novels, in which a character may not have an antagonist, exactly, except for the difficulties of her world and inability to get exactly what she wants. Over the course of the novel, she develops and becomes different. The reader continues reading, not just for the erotica, but to what happens to her, usually because they like her and want her to succeed.

1) Going from first desire to consummation doesn't have to be straightforward. Particularly so for males, and particularly so for homosexuals. Even if she and the boy she desires are straight, he may be committed to somebody else (or to his religion). You can introduce problems in this phase. You can introduce problems after this stage; the consummation did not satisfy her, or her partner demanded acts she did not want to perform, or they got caught in the middle and the sex was interrupted.

2) Going from loveless sex to romantic love: Finding a partner that wants more than sex doesn't have to be easy. Or, a conflict from within, a promiscuous character may enjoy the lifestyle and not want to give it up, but also does not want to give up a particular partner.

3) From a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment: Another internal conflict. So the MC has a lot of sex with a lot of partners, she's learned to do everything, but she still doesn't FEEL sexually "empowered". She has said "yes" a dozen times and its pretty much always the same few things, oral sex, intercourse, maybe anal sex. After yet another episode of that she decides she doesn't feel "powerful" at all. Guys are as easy as buying groceries, and then the script hardly varies. She gets off, but she's getting bored with that, and boredom can be a source of conflict. She wants an escalation, something more challenging. And that is what the story is about, her finding the sex that rocks her world.

In a character-driven story, the story is about the character and how she feels and how she is changing. What she seeks is internal, not external like a treasure. She is her own antagonist -- By not being satisfied with what she has done, and not knowing what to do next, so she makes missteps and has close calls or disasters or whatever.

So you don't have to have a "bad guy" in the novel, per se, or if you have "bad guys" they can be temporary and not the lethal or life-changing kind of bad.

What you can have is a "character against the world" scenario, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, stranded on an island and trying to escape. She is on her own without help and trying to figure out how to get what she wants, sexually.

You can actually combine those three scenarios into one master.

Act I: From desire to consummation.

Act IIa: Reactive; gaining a lot of random sexual experiences.

Act IIb: Proactive; from randomicity to control and sexual empowerment.

Act 3: Now she knows what she wants: From loveless sex to romantic love; the conclusion.

Competition

Our manly stud has a rival who is equally manly and studly, but downwardly mobile. Rather than being born in the manor, he was relegated to the stables. Wait, did they have the same father? If so they are true equals in one sense. (Or it is reversed and the rival is wealthy.)

Alternately, the innocent lamb is competing against a trampy vixen who knows her way around a man's… um, anatomy. Also can be reversed, but this is unlikely as the protagonist needs to return to innocence.

Holding back

One of the partners is unwilling to commit. Alternately they are unwilling to "release the beast" of true passion.

False pretenses

Someone has been lying. They are not what they seem, or their background would make them an unworthy or unacceptable mate. In a just world this would not be an issue, but (like the stable boy) fate was enacted long ago, and nothing can change that now.

Also, disapproving royal family does not want their bloodline to be compromised by a commoner.

Insincerity

One has been dishonest, but this time it was for calculated reasons. They were in it for financial gain, or deliberately seduced the partner to ruin them. Now feelings are different, but once the truth comes out can the other ever trust them again?

Incest

um… yeah. The heart does not always respect the laws of nature, or society.

Maybe she slept with his brother/father/son/mom that one time. It still crosses the taboo family barrier and the family holidays will be awkward.

In love with someone else

Sex (without love) is like an obsession or a drug. They know it's wrong, and they hate themselves. They even resent the other and try to avoid contact, but when they come together their bodies explode with fire and passion that their "nice" partners would never know.

Unlike a rival, the innocent-party is unaware of the relationship happening under their nose. They are a best friend or mentor, or a publicly respected figure who is morally superior to both of them.