What's the difference between Smut and Ecchi stories with R-18?

[deweyan]

I haven't read that many, so I don't really get the difference — if there is any.

With my new Tomboy Harem novel that just came out and is received with open arms for how flawed it really is, I thought that with all of the chemistry between the first LI and the MC that's happening 6 chapters in, something lewd is bound to happen.

And so, here I am, asking for guidance on what the genre even is.

If someone could please explain it alongside some guides and warnings about it to my fun-sized brainrotted brain, it'd be very helpful of you.

 

[gadgaurd]

Simply(and maybe incorrectly) put:

Ecchi: Lewd stuff is gonna happen, but nothing explicitly sexual. Using some classic anime tropes, a guy may accidentally walk in on a naked lady. Or one character wears a really short skirt and inadvertently flashes people a lot. That kinda thing.

Smut is a bunch of straight up detailed fucking. And I mean a lot. Sex typically being integral to the plot in some way. For example, a protagonist who gets stronger the more they have sex and very much enjoys that method of progression.

There's also erotica, where explicit sex is still a thing but it's not quite as essential to the plot as smut. And as a result doesn't crop up as often.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Genre: Smut | Scribble Hub

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Definition:
Erotic work of fiction that’s mainly targeted toward females. Smut stories often gives heavy focus on love and relationships between the main characters.

Genre: Ecchi | Scribble Hub

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Definition:
Possibly the line between hentai and non-hentai, ecchi usually refers to fanservice put in to attract a certain group of fans.

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[CharlesEBrown]

Simply(and maybe incorrectly) put:

Ecchi: Lewd stuff is gonna happen, but nothing explicitly sexual. Using some classic anime tropes, a guy may accidentally walk in on a naked lady. Or one character wears a really short skirt and inadvertently flashes people a lot. That kinda thing.

Smut is a bunch of straight up detailed fucking. And I mean a lot. Sex typically being integral to the plot in some way. For example, a protagonist who gets stronger the more they have sex and very much enjoys that method of progression.

There's also erotica, where explicit sex is still a thing but it's not quite as essential to the plot as smut. And as a result doesn't crop up as often.

Hmm - if your definitions are correct, then I very, very rarely write smut but most of what I write is either ecchi or erotica. Interesting.