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I apologize for the length of this post, but after reading this thread. I've had to seriously rethink the beginning of my story and would love some input.
I'm in the thick of plotting my second novel which I anticipate will be either erotic romance or erotica (I'll cross that bridge later). I came across the aforementioned thread tackling the issue of student/teacher relations and it seems to make the case that any student/teacher relationship scenario is a bad idea if I want to get this baby published by a mainstream (is that the right word?) trade pub.
Basically, my protagonist is 18 and two weeks away from graduating. She's had a thing for her art teacher (age 27-30, still undecided) since freshman year, but kept it a secret 'cause of rules and decency and stuff. Her teacher has never been anything but friendly and respectful, with maybe a side of playful because they're both a bit sarcastic. They have more of a peer relationship than a teacher/pupil dynamic and he sees great potential in her work. He even helped her get into a super prestigious art school, which feeds into their "friendship." (Think long hours working together, researching, talking shop, etc.)
My original plan was to have her catch him in a compromising position a week and a half before graduation, which would then inspire her to act on her feelings. He, on the other hand, is extremely against the whole thing because of his authoritative position, regardless of how soon she's graduating. A few days after that incident, there was going to be a scene in which she attempted to seduce him while on a school field trip, with him still objecting to the entire ordeal (though he is attracted to her...this is where that earlier thread starts to hit a little too close to home), after which it sort of turns into a "I want you to draw me like one of your French girls" scenarios. They don't touch each other until after she graduates, but I'm concerned that ANY sort of sexual interaction between them prior to graduation would place the story into taboo purgatory.
After some brainstorming, I thought I might instead push the "she catches him" scene to the school trip and nix any sexual interaction until after graduation, but work on building tension in the meantime (he's still extremely adamant that nothing can happen). I'll also mention that the story itself spans five years, so this is only a small portion of the overall plot, and her parents learn about it early on and allow it to continue because they trust the MC's judgment and deem her mature enough to handle it (plus, she's going away for college, so there's an expiration date).
What I want to know from all of you is:
1. Would her observing him doing something sexual (without his knowledge) prior to graduation still turn you off to either the teacher or the story overall? (The man is friggen mortified, if that helps.)
2. Would him displaying any sort of attraction towards her be a dealbreaker, even if (again) they don't touch until after she graduates? (His guilt over their attraction is a major aspect of his character arc and fuel for later relationship dysfunction.)
3. If I decided to query this as Erotica rather than ER (even if they end up together in the end), would that make a difference? The MC is going to have other partners and relationships at different points throughout the book, making it more about her journey than their relationship, but he's still a significant character at every point.
Again, sorry for the length! I didn't want to leave out anything potentially important (read: damning). I know this is a common trope and that it squicks some people out. My goal is to tell the story of this young woman's sexual journey/awakening in a way that is heartfelt and perhaps boundary-nudging, but without going so far as to make it too "niche" or unpublishable by mainstream pub standards. This isn't supposed to be "a story about an eager student seducing a hot teacher," but rather, "a story about a young, passionate artist who happens to have fallen in love with her hot, but hesitant, art teacher," if that makes a difference.
Thanks for reading (seriously, you deserve a cookie ).
I'm in the thick of plotting my second novel which I anticipate will be either erotic romance or erotica (I'll cross that bridge later). I came across the aforementioned thread tackling the issue of student/teacher relations and it seems to make the case that any student/teacher relationship scenario is a bad idea if I want to get this baby published by a mainstream (is that the right word?) trade pub.
Basically, my protagonist is 18 and two weeks away from graduating. She's had a thing for her art teacher (age 27-30, still undecided) since freshman year, but kept it a secret 'cause of rules and decency and stuff. Her teacher has never been anything but friendly and respectful, with maybe a side of playful because they're both a bit sarcastic. They have more of a peer relationship than a teacher/pupil dynamic and he sees great potential in her work. He even helped her get into a super prestigious art school, which feeds into their "friendship." (Think long hours working together, researching, talking shop, etc.)
My original plan was to have her catch him in a compromising position a week and a half before graduation, which would then inspire her to act on her feelings. He, on the other hand, is extremely against the whole thing because of his authoritative position, regardless of how soon she's graduating. A few days after that incident, there was going to be a scene in which she attempted to seduce him while on a school field trip, with him still objecting to the entire ordeal (though he is attracted to her...this is where that earlier thread starts to hit a little too close to home), after which it sort of turns into a "I want you to draw me like one of your French girls" scenarios. They don't touch each other until after she graduates, but I'm concerned that ANY sort of sexual interaction between them prior to graduation would place the story into taboo purgatory.
After some brainstorming, I thought I might instead push the "she catches him" scene to the school trip and nix any sexual interaction until after graduation, but work on building tension in the meantime (he's still extremely adamant that nothing can happen). I'll also mention that the story itself spans five years, so this is only a small portion of the overall plot, and her parents learn about it early on and allow it to continue because they trust the MC's judgment and deem her mature enough to handle it (plus, she's going away for college, so there's an expiration date).
What I want to know from all of you is:
1. Would her observing him doing something sexual (without his knowledge) prior to graduation still turn you off to either the teacher or the story overall? (The man is friggen mortified, if that helps.)
2. Would him displaying any sort of attraction towards her be a dealbreaker, even if (again) they don't touch until after she graduates? (His guilt over their attraction is a major aspect of his character arc and fuel for later relationship dysfunction.)
3. If I decided to query this as Erotica rather than ER (even if they end up together in the end), would that make a difference? The MC is going to have other partners and relationships at different points throughout the book, making it more about her journey than their relationship, but he's still a significant character at every point.
Again, sorry for the length! I didn't want to leave out anything potentially important (read: damning). I know this is a common trope and that it squicks some people out. My goal is to tell the story of this young woman's sexual journey/awakening in a way that is heartfelt and perhaps boundary-nudging, but without going so far as to make it too "niche" or unpublishable by mainstream pub standards. This isn't supposed to be "a story about an eager student seducing a hot teacher," but rather, "a story about a young, passionate artist who happens to have fallen in love with her hot, but hesitant, art teacher," if that makes a difference.
Thanks for reading (seriously, you deserve a cookie ).