The Difference Between Erotica and Porn

There is often debate on what is the difference between erotica and porn. This debate occurs in every medium that can showcase sexuality. In movies, anything that consists of mainly graphic scenes of sex is considered porn. Today most porn in movies rarely have a story. In the old days they tried to put in a story, however, most were lame attempts. Today there is no character building and all ends up being is scene after scene of people engaged  in some type of sexual activity. Whereas what is considered as erotica in movies isn't graphic activity, though there can be a fair share of graphic nudity, especially female nudity. But there are no erect male genitalia, no penetration or 'money' shots.

Now before anyone thinks I have a thing against porn or that its low brow shit. I must say that I really don't have a problem with porn. I have always thought its gotten a bad rap due to all the purity police and those that want to have something to point to and say my stuff isn't that. Its easy to elevate your own work by calling someone else's work something that sounds derogatory. Porn has its place and am not one to hide the fact that I have partaken in watching my fair share of it. Anyone that says they haven't is probably lying to you no matter how pious they are. I hope someday we will grow to accept nudity and sex as the beautiful extensions of humanity that they are and stop thinking of it as taboo or dirty. At one time in our human history it wasn't like that but then people figured out you can control people by making morality norms and laws. I dream of a day where people don't find it necessary to control other people. Its a dream I know. Anyway....

Back to the subject at hand. In literature the difference gets a lot more difficult to define as there is not much difference. For the most part the main difference is how explicit you wish to be. In fact you can have erotica without having any sex at all. However, all stories have the same elements and without those elements you don't have a story. Now those elements are simple, you need a character or characters, a setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. So your story can be rather simple. But the elements have to be there or you don't have anything other than sex organ A goes into body part B, or a listing of things that happen. No one really cares to read that when a click away they can see it happen with just as much flare. Humans are visual creatures and so we can watch organ A go into body part B and get worked up. Specifically men. But that does not translate well into written form without something around it. You got to wrap it up into something or the sex sounds like a instruction manual. No one gets much out of instruction manuals. That wrapping is the story.

In erotica I like to know what the characters are feeling, hearing, smelling, and what they are thinking as they go through the experience. I like to know what turns them on, why it turns them on, and what conflicts lie within them that might make them resist, rethink, or regret what they are doing. Therein lies the story to me. Much of what I write, especially my short fiction, are stories were people hook up and have an incredible experience with someone. I will admit there isn't much plot to my short fiction, however, I try to make sure my characters are real and to me real characters are the most erotic. That is why I prefer my porn to be written as you just don't get that from movies.

At one time people thought good written erotica had to be 'arty' or told in a way to describe sexual body parts without calling those body parts what people actually call them. I lump this up into what is now commonly known now as purple pose. I detest this type of writing. To me its pompous and will turn me off faster than a cold shower in November. I am a direct type of person, I call an apple a apple and not a sweet sphere of the Gods. Therefore, my writing reflects this. You can call it simple but it is what it is.

At the end of the day my take is that in writing there isn't any difference in erotica and porn. Both erotica and porn are geared to get a reaction out the person reading or watching it. Normally that reaction is to get them off. Like porn, erotica covers the gambit of things that turn people on. Unlike porn it also gets attached to other more 'mainstream' genres like Erotic Romance, Erotic Horror, and Historical Erotica and so on. So therefore, back to the question. What is the difference between porn and erotica? Nothing. Therefore, if you call me a porn writer then so be it. If you read my work and it entertained you and even better yet got you going or got you off...mission accomplished. If it didn't then I'm sorry I hope my next story will be suited better to your liking. If you call my writing porn as another way to say its trash...then that's your opinion and I wish you would just call it trash and be done with it. If you call porn because of some puritan sensibility...then I have to ask why you're here in the first place? Didn't you see the warning signs?

That is my take on this debate. Let me know what you think and if you read my work then I thank you and if you like to offer constructive criticism then email me and I'll love to hear from you. Until next time...