Twenty set-ups that keep turning up in gay erotica, with a story of mine for each one.

The classic gay erotica tropes are set-ups readers recognise the moment a story begins, such as the straight friend or the stranger who stops his car. A trope gives readers a promise about what kind of story they’re in. The craft is in keeping that promise while still surprising them.

What is a trope in gay erotica?

A trope in gay erotica is a recognisable set-up or dynamic that readers know on sight. Some archives sort stories by theme, so readers can go straight to the kind of scene they want. Tropes help a short story move fast. Readers fill in the background themselves, which leaves you more room for the sex.

I’ve grouped the twenty below by what drives them. Each one links to a story of mine that uses it, so you can see how it plays out on the page.

What are the shared space tropes?

Shared space tropes put two men somewhere they can’t easily avoid each other, then let proximity do the work. A small flat or a single bed creates tension without any plot. The closer the quarters, the less excuse anyone has for not noticing the other man. My guide to building sexual tension between two men shows how to stretch that noticing out.

• Flatmates. One man moves in and the other has to live with what he sees. My new roommate’s naked habit is built on a flatmate who won’t keep his clothes on.
• Only one bed. Two men have to share, and sleep doesn’t come easily. The upside of sleeping naked puts two Edinburgh flatmates in the same bed.
• Hostel dorm. Strangers sleep a few feet apart with thin walls. The sign still stuck has two backpackers ignoring the shower rules in Bangkok.
• Gym changing room. Everyone’s undressed anyway, so the question is who looks first. What happens in a gay gym changing room after the last class? plays it out at the end of a late session.
• Steam room. Thick air with nobody else around. Late Night Steam takes two gym regulars there after closing.

What are the identity tropes?

Identity tropes are about who the men think they are, then what happens when that’s tested. They run on a gap between label and desire. The straight friend is the best known. First times sit in the same family. These tropes carry a lot of emotional weight for a short story.

• The straight friend. A man who says he’s straight wants it anyway. What happens when your straight friend plays drunk? turns this into a planned role-play.
• Denial. He keeps a rule that explains it all away. Watching football and cuddling in bed is not gay is named after the rule.
• First time bottoming. A man tries it for the first time with someone who knows what he’s doing. Does bottoming really hurt for gay men? follows Jamie through it.
• Who tops. The question of roles becomes the tension itself. Do gay men decide who’s the top and who’s the bottom? answers it in a steam room.
• Age gap. An older man meets a younger one, both adults. Into the canyon pairs Alex, 36, with Tyler, in his mid-twenties.

What are the being seen tropes?

Being seen tropes are about watching or being watched, with the risk of getting caught as the charge. Some characters want an audience. Others are the audience. The fear of discovery keeps readers on edge, so these stories work best when the outside world feels close enough to interrupt. I’ve written a whole guide on why voyeur scenes work so well.

• Public risk. Sex somewhere anyone could walk past. Car park after gym hookup has headlights sweeping the far end of the car park.
• Caught. Someone walks in at the worst moment. Caught in the Hostel Dorm brings in a third roommate looking for his charger.
• The voyeur. One man watches another who doesn’t know. Cum on the security screen has a night guard watching the laundry room feed.
• The exhibitionist. A man who wants to be looked at. First Time on the Nude Beach starts with a first visit to a nude beach.
• On camera. The audience is paying. The private room follows a paid cam show.

What are the stranger and outdoor tropes?

Stranger tropes strip a story back to two men who want each other with little or no history between them. With no backstory to explain, the story can start at the moment of attraction. Outdoor settings often come with them. They suit short fiction well. The challenge is giving a man readers know nothing about enough personality to matter. Hunter and the empty level gives its stranger a voice through nerves, as he admits he’s never done anything like this.

• The night walk. A chance meeting at night. Streetlight Stranger has a jogger stop for a naked man under the streetlights.
• The roadside. A car pulls over at the right moment. What happens when you change by the roadside and a car stops? is that set-up exactly.
• The beach. Open sand with too many people nearby. The sea in front of him and a cock in his hole takes a holiday fling down past the dunes.
• Role-play. Two men agree on a fantasy, then act it out. The straight friend story above doubles as one.
• The paid scene. A hired stranger plays a part that has been agreed in advance. Bend over or I call the cops is a scripted, paid role-play in the LA hills.

How do you make a trope feel fresh?

Make a trope feel fresh by keeping the set-up readers came for while changing one detail they didn’t expect. A different setting can do it. So can a different point of view, or a character who doesn’t react the way the trope usually demands. Readers want the familiar promise kept, just not in the obvious way.

My guide to why the straight guy trope works goes deeper on one of these. So does my guide to what top and bottom mean.

FAQ

What is the most popular gay erotica trope?

There’s no official count, but the straight friend is one of the best known. Nifty sorts its gay stories by theme rather than trope, with categories such as Encounters or Beginnings.

Can a story use more than one trope?

Plenty of stories combine them. A hostel story can easily be a caught story too.

Are there tropes to avoid?

Avoid anything that relies on a character who can’t consent, or on anyone under 18. Archives like Nifty set their own rules, so check before you submit.

Where can I learn the shorthand?

My gay erotica glossary explains terms like PWP and HEA.