Can you handle the heat?
Welcome back my literary friends!
Content warning - Do not continue reading if you are under the age of 18. Or if you are a friend, or family member of mine.
Today we are discussing the dark underbelly of the writing world - erotica. Perhaps that is being a tad melodramatic, but there are some who believe that erotica is basically porn. And in my opinion they’d be right.
What else is erotica if not porn in text format?
But what do you do as a writer, when the majority of your readers are people you know personally? People who enthusiastically call or text to tell you how much they loved your latest book?
Do you create a pseudonym because the new book you wrote would make your friends and family look sideways at you at Christmas lunch?
What about if there are themes similar to an ex-relationship, but the book is entirely fictitious?
Do you paste in the dedication; ‘Stephen, I can only wish this was a biographical account of our sex life’?
I digress. Perhaps that is a topic for consideration at a later date.
In my brief career as an author, I have come to learn a little about the world of erotica and the ‘spice index’ that we, as a society, measure romantic novels against. So, if you too, find yourself confused about what constitutes erotica, this is my Scoville Scale for the world of spicy writing!
Keeping in mind that readers and writers may have varying opinions depending on their perspective.
1-100 Bell pepper (Capsicum)
Sweet, Hinted, Hallmark, Entertainment for the whole family.
Our first category is what I (and plenty of other writers) refer to as the ‘Hallmark’ spice level. Essentially zero. Characters may kiss, but often the lead up is quite drawn out and the kiss is ‘the big moment’ in the story. It is considered very sweet and romantic.
2,500–10,000 Jalapeño
Notes of Spice, alluded to. A little embarrassment associated with watching with family.
Next up we have the ‘allusion’ level. Characters may kiss, rub up against one another and… cut scene! These writing styles leave it open to the reader to imagine what occurred behind closed doors. Can be considered an introduction to spicier works, but mostly keeps it PG.
50,000 - 350,000 Birds Eye, Habanero
‘Saucy’ Getting Warmer. An awkward but bearable watch with your parents.
In this category, we know characters have engaged in sexual acts, but they often leave the details out. There may be more description leading up to the moment but not explicitly spelled out. These texts can be described as ‘getting steamy’, ‘saucy’, ‘suggestive’.
750,000–1,500,000 Ghost Pepper
‘Spicy’ - Is it getting hot in here? Sex discussed with details. Don’t watch with your parents.
When we get to this level of spice, there isn’t much left to the imagination. We often read what the characters do, when and how with enough detail to visualise the scene. The kind of book you only read on the train when the carriage is empty and causes you to blush when someone asks you what you’re currently reading.
1,500,000–3,000,000+ Carolina Reaper
Smut - Oh…oh…oooh! Don’t even tell your family this movie exists.
What can I say? This level of ‘spice’ is straight erotica. In some circles it is known as ‘smut’, and described as ‘erotica with some storyline’. This isn’t the type of book you pick up to become engrossed in the story and stumble across the ‘sex bits’ in surprise. Many readers pick up the Carolina Reaper intending to speed read from scene to scene, if you catch my drift. This is the type of novel that has you sweating merely at the thought of possessing it. What if someone borrows my kindle and sees it on there?!
There you have it friends, my interpretation of the Spicy scale in erotic fiction. What do you think? Do you agree or did I lose you somewhere between ‘family friendly’ and ‘smut’?
x A