Cum vs. come

[KimJo]

I'm another one who uses "come" for the verb and "cum", very very sparingly, as the noun. I think I've only used "cum" in one or two of my books, and in both cases the editor left it as was.

 

[Domoviye]

I'm glad I read this thread, I always thought cum was the best word.
But I'm a male, so at least it seems to be my genders mistake and not simply my personal stupidity.

 

[dangerousbill]

Oh no, not people trying to draw artificial lines between "porn" and "erotica" again.

Erotica is what I write; porn is what others write.

 

[scarletpeaches]

I took what bill said to be a joke. Or sarcasm.

But for the record, I say there is a difference between erotica and porn, and don't much care if the 'argument' bores other people. I've explained on my blog before why I take this stance.

 

[Boston Steve]

You can say there's a difference all you want, but I challenge you to find any three people who can agree on where to draw the line. One person's porn is another person's erotica, and vice versa.

When people say they write erotica instead of porn, mostly what I think they're saying is that they write about sex and do it well, as opposed to writing about it poorly.

*agrees to disagree with Scarlett*

 

[scarletpeaches]

Well I do write about sex well, so there.

Surprising, as I never get any.

Erotica has sex with a reason. Porn has sex with fridge repairmen in dungarees.

 

[Boston Steve]

I thought porn had sex with pizza delivery guys, random people around the pool/hot tub, and MILFs.

 

[scarletpeaches]

I think I'm getting confused with bad perms, German accents and handlebar moustaches.

And that's just the women.

 

[Boston Steve]

Girl-on-girl moustache rides FTW!

Is it always the one with the moustache who has to wear the strap-on harness?

 

[dangerousbill]

When people say they write erotica instead of porn, mostly what I think they're saying is that they write about sex and do it well, as opposed to writing about it poorly.

I think I figured it out, to my own satisfaction at least.

Erotica is about sex in some context, perhaps as an extension of another genre: erotic romance, erotic scifi, erotic fantasy, etc.

When it's just sex, it's porn. Sex by itself is like salt. Eating a spoonful of salt is no fun and it's boring. On buttered veggies, it multiplies the flavor.

Likewise, porn is no fun and it's boring. Mixed with romance, or a western, it boosts the story.

Just my far-too-humble opinion.

 

[scarletpeaches]

I think I'd agree with that.

 

[dangerousbill]

I thought porn had sex with pizza delivery guys, random people around the pool/hot tub, and MILFs.

I heard erotica defined as meaning that the pizza boy doesn't always get laid. Sometimes, he's only delivering a pizza.

 

[Boston Steve]

Another definition, that I say with tongue (partly) inserted in cheek. Porn is written as stroke material for men. Erotica is written for women to flick one off to.

 

[scarletpeaches]

Which cheek?

 

[Boston Steve]

Which cheek?

Yours, sweet cheeks.

 

[Satori1977]

 

[bearilou]

Come = erotica. Cum = badly-written porn.

That's how I differentiate the words.

Not fond of 'cum'.

 

[KathleenD]

I write smut, myself. GOOD smut.

 

[Boston Steve]

I write smut, myself. GOOD smut.

Good job.

 

[scarletpeaches]

And I am a published author of smexy smex!

 

[Boston Steve]

And I am a published author of smexy smex!

Who finishes the shit you start.

 

[DiloKeith]

... But for the record, I say there is a difference between erotica and porn, and don't much care if the 'argument' bores other people. I've explained on my blog before why I take this stance.

*goes to find blog post and bookmark it for later*

For the record, I don't use the word "cum", but I wouldn't let that preference stand between me and getting published.

 

[nkkingston]

I prefer 'come', but I'll live with 'cum' as a noun. Can't stand it as a verb, though.

I've been reading Eveline, by anonymous, recently, and I was pleased to see 'come' was standard in Victorian porn* too! I thoroughly recommend it; Eveline is one of the most intelligent, powerful women I've encountered in Victorian writing!

*I use the term interchangeable with erotica in most cases, which probably shows my writing roots, but I'm not sure anyone would call Eveline erotica.

 

[Ken]

... if your editor spells it that way then that's what you should do, is my guess. Consistency is the name of the game of course. Use one or the other: not both. That said, the terms do seem to have different feels to them. So if one or the other really feels right to you, go with that. Whatever you do though do not do this:

"I'm cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggggggg!"

 

[nkkingston]

Though I've seen 'cum' in several reputable pubs, I don't think I've seen 'cumming' yet, which suggests it's noun/verb pretty standard place to draw the line.