New Writer and Content Ratings

Hello!

My name is Layne Smyth and I'm a new writer to this genre. I've always been a big fan of trans gendered fiction, and I'm finally taking the dive into writing. To be honest I got into the genre by reading some rather racy work on this site and others, but I'm not particularly interested in writing "erotica". I would like my stories to reach the largest audience possible while still retaining a bit of erotic flare, so I'm asking the community for help. My first story had some racy moments in the end, but I cut them and simply alluded to what was happening. This is something I feel that I can get away with sometimes, but I'd love to have a character get involved with sex but not have it run into "explicit" territory.

How is this exactly done? Is it in the descriptions, the tone or simply the length? Can a woman "touch herself", or can a man "thrust"? If my male character becomes a woman, can I describe what she sees in the mirror after a shower? I know that many of the answers fall into the old saying "I know it when I see it", but as a writer sometimes I either stop way short, or cross the line unknowingly. I'd love to hear back from the community about this, and I look forward to getting to know people here a little better.

Layne Smyth