What you like and hate in a smut novel?

[Kuzgun]

Hey guys, so I was thinking about writing a smut novel as a side project, you know to take a breather. I did read some as I like this genre but I can't say the same for their quality. Most of them were bad, because of some obvious problems (Bad grammer, edgy characters, plain characters, etc.). So I want some feedback apart from my own preferences.

Before we start; you don't have to answer every question just comment on the ones you have an idea on. No need to force yourselves.

1. In your opinion what makes a good smut novel and makes you want to read more?

2. What makes you drop a smut novel? Or what bores you? Too easy girls? Edgy mc? Weak plot? Or something else, something more?

3. Which pov do you prefer in smut? 1st or 3rd? Do you want to be fully immersed in mc and his actions or do you want to see the view of the women too? Like, how they feel about the mc in hot scenes or something else.

4. Should the novel be entirely based on smut, with every chapter about women and hot scenes, or do you prefer a mixture of action? Maybe more action and hot scenes just should be in every 3-5 chapters? Do you feel more rewarded this way? (This one is quite important in my opinion though, I am quite curious.)

Apart from them, I wouldn't say no to extra feedback too. Just shoot it.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

1. Something with a premise and an end point. There has to be a reason for the smut even if it's a stupid reason.

2. Shallow Characters. I'm better off looking up Rule 34 or some other porn site rather than reading it. Complex characters makes smut better.

3. Both.

4. Needs build up. If every character is just so happy to have sex without a valid reason (even if it's a stupid one) it's hard to connect and it becomes stupid to read.

Speaking of which I'm writing a smut story as a practice project to discipline myself in writing before moving on to actual novels which will require re-writing. I can tell you this, smut is more popular among those who speak english as a second language. A lot of them come from countries where porn is banned.

 

[Love4NovelGuy]

The R word and incest.

 

[Kuzgun]

1. Something with a premise and an end point. There has to be a reason for the smut even if it's a stupid reason.

2. Shallow Characters. I'm better off looking up Rule 34 or some other porn site rather than reading it. Complex characters makes smut better.

3. Both.

4. Needs build up. If every character is just so happy to have sex without a valid reason (even if it's a stupid one) it's hard to connect and it becomes stupid to read.

Speaking of which I'm writing a smut story as a practice project to discipline myself in writing before moving on to actual novels which will require re-writing. I can tell you this, smut is more popular among those who speak english as a second language. A lot of them come from countries where porn is banned.

Of course, build up! Thanks for reminding me. And as a non-native speaker, you may have a point. Though my like for the genre comes from literary satisfaction, I find porn bland.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

1. Good r-18 scenes and a good plot.
2. Bad r-18 scenes and a bad plot.
3. I don't care. I don't care.
4. It depends a lot on the story itself. If the plot is interesting, I won't mind an r-18 chapter once every 10-20 chapters. But honestly, I think the r-18 chapters shouldn't be forced and should appear somewhat irregularly.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

1 comedy
2 violence
3 the bed's pov
4 smut without plot is like a grilled cheese sandwich without bread; a hot sticky and unattractive mess

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

The sex dolls with heartbeats getting mentally neutered halfway introducing the next pile of socks.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

1. Polyandry

2. Monogamy

3. 2nd

4. Every chapter should include women, though you could throw in a couple of chapters where the husbands work together to do something nice for their wife. Cooperation is sexy!

 

[LilRora]

1. Generally it has to be something interesting. It's your call if it is plot, sex scenes, or yet something else, but I personally prefer if it's plot.

2. At least ninety percent smut novels I've dropped were one of two things. One is a harem story where each new girl is a repetition of the previous one, and the previous girls are reduced to sex scenes, or in fortunate cases to dolls. Second is a story where the essence of the interactions between characters is sex. It isn't bad in itself, but can be seriously annoying when it repeats.

3. Frankly, for me it's definitely first person, but I don't like male mc's in general, so I read only a specific kind of smut. What I can say is that you need women's perspective if you want to make them individual characters. Otherwise it's really hard, because there are things the mc won't pay attention to.

4. Sex scenes should be an occasional fantastic experience, not a boring routine. Make the readers wait for the scenes in antipation and sprinkle something new to each of them.

One more thing I want ot say is that every one of the women should have a personality and reason for existing in the story, even if shallow. Don't go "There's too little of women, imma add another", but think what would be the purpose and goal of that woman, not only in regards to the mc, but also the surroundings.

 

[Okay]

1. A good plot and good grammar. Can't write smut scenes well if readers have to re-read every other sentence, right?
2. Easy women. And tsunderes. And super Op idiotic MCs
3. Doesn't matter. But switching POVs once in a while spices things up
4. Need good plot, character building, and all that (unless you want to write p*rn). Pure smut is boring. I'd say maybe a smut scene once every...6-10-ish chapters?

 

[AryaX]

Pure... is boring...

Anything going on for too looooong... is boring...

It would be for the best if there are multiple point of view characters, and they're located in different places, doing different things, so that even if one character in one location, engages in some activity and they continue doing it... what ever it is... for a long time, the story can break those long episodes up by jumping to other places and following other characters who are doing different stuff...

 

[Avidya]

1. Something with a premise and an end point. There has to be a reason for the smut even if it's a stupid reason.

2. Shallow Characters. I'm better off looking up Rule 34 or some other porn site rather than reading it. Complex characters makes smut better.


4. Needs build up. If every character is just so happy to have sex without a valid reason (even if it's a stupid one) it's hard to connect and it becomes stupid to read.

These especially. I was reading a smut thing on here and it just dives so quickly into long stretches of 18+ content and then a few chapters of in-between. Very little time to forge emotional connections, which was fine given its dark backstory- But it meant that outside of schlick shack/spank bank material, I wasn't invested.

A Premise is so damn important too. If there's barely a premise, you might as well be writing Oneshot stuff. This can work, especially if the Smut involves Bad Ends, darker stuff, or just fetishes that do not work in longer-style content. In these cases, none of these matter.

But God damn, as someone who participates in lewd TTRPG games, having an emotional connection between the characters makes it 100x better. It doesn't matter if it's saccharine sweet romance or a searing rough hate fuck. Better than two sex dolls bumping uglies.

 

[Lire]

What makes you drop a smut novel?

When I nut.
But after dropping it on the floor, I usually pick it up again cuz it might get dirty with... you know.

JK. Personally, I don't like it when parts are referred to in strange ways.
Like: My sword, my magnum, my little brother, or my son.

Oh. And NTR.

In your opinion what makes a good smut novel and makes you want to read more?

Waifus.

I don't have enough experience with smutfictions to say anything about the other two. *_*

 

[RaidenReader]

1. Anything with Raiden Shogun involved will receive endless praise from me.
   Oh, and since I personally have trouble turning character descriptions into actual characters in my head, some basic illustrations are always appreciated. Even if they're just taken from google or something, and they aren't canon.
   Just so I can get a sense of likeness.
2. Rape. NTR'd protagonist (I'm okay with the protag NTR'ing someone else).
   Oh, and scat. Snuff too, unless the novel's horror-themed from the start... in which case, I probably wouldn't have started reading anyway.
   Horror sucks the moisture out of me.
3. Depends, really. It's a case-by-case thing for me.
4. I personally prefer a chapter or two of cooldown after a particularly spicy schmex scene.
   I can't be perma-horny after all. Gotta rest in between.