Clop: A Sensory Experience (New Fic/Discussion) · 11:24pm Jan 7th, 2021
I haven't written clop in YEARS until last month, when I was commissioned by friend of the program superfun to write some FFM. Not only did I have a blast, I had a neat realization about why I write, and what writing does for me.
So, back in the summer of 2013, I had a sort of clop renaissance. I wrote a short story called A Learning Experience, a thoroughly depraved thing if ever there was one. Much to my surprise, it got featured and now sits at a charitable 15,000+ views. Those numbers are unreal, and to this day A Learning Experience is still one of my most-viewed stories. All of my most-viewed stories are clop stories. I feel like it's fair to say that even though I haven't written clop in many years, my presence on the site is still very much defined by those stories.
So why come back to clop after all these years? The answer is simple:
Initially, I approached writing this story as a venture of capital. Type words, get money. But as I worked through this story, I realized there are a few cardinal rules of sensory writing that can be applied to all writing in general. Let me know if you agree/disagree in the comments!
Most importantly, clop is an exercise in edging (no pun intended). You as the author must balance on the edge between not going far enough and downright trolling. That's where the sexy stuff is. If a reader trusts you, you can take them to some truly wild places, but first you have to make them trust you. That means, don't make a lame story. Gird those loins and follow your idea to its fleshy, sticky conclusions. Be bold. Be fearless. Make horses kiss good. BUT EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT, don't waste their time with a troll.
One way to make an interesting story is to have reasonable characters put into situations where they do unreasonable things. In the clop world, this can be broken down to characters going beyond what they're used to in the bedroom. Pretty straightforward.
She went out of her comfort zone for you, Anon. Don't just stand there!
Pacing and structure, not description, makes the reader hot under the collar. Good sex ramps up. It starts at point A and ratchets up to point B. Sometimes that happens suddenly like a lightning bolt (take the Netflix show 365 Days as a great example of building tension subtlety and then exploding into sexy action). Sometimes it happens more slowly. But no matter how steep that curve is, it always starts low and gets higher. So it is with clop, so it is with all writing. Amen.
Lastly: Streamline prose as pacing speeds up. When I read clop, the steamiest bits are largely made up by my own imagination. The prose serves more as a framework for me to hang my own mental images on. There will be time for ten-bit words and run-on sentences during your pillow-talk sequences. For the truly nasty bits, show pity on the poor reader who just wants to bust a nut by making your prose as easy to read as possible.
This is great advice with fantastic illustrations.
I myself, I don't have the patience to write good clop. Glad you do.
5431011 Everyone writes with their own voice. All are valid! Your voice, for example, spits out long titles