- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 55,683
- Reaction score
- 25,863
Revised January 2021--but just a few tweaks
Newcomers arrive a little leery of going public. To any and all, I’m glad you took the step to join us even if you’re only reading at this point.
AbsoluteWrite’s an especially good place for erotica writers, because there aren’t many writing sites that take erotica seriously. AW treats it like any other genre, unlike a lot of writing sites I checked out.
Those who prefer--which is a lot of new people--can read boards (lurk) without posting. Both members and non-members can read all message boards which have no password protection, so any content you post here at the Erotica Board (a category under Writing Genre) must be okay for all ages. Remember, AW welcomes writers 15 and older, and younger people can lurk without joining.
It is never okay to post your writing for critique on this board. Every genre has its own Share Your Work (SYW) board where members with fifty posts can put up their own work for feedback. (Careful, we can tell when you're racing to hit fifty rather than interacting as a member, and that won't work.) The SYW - Erotica board and the password-protected part of the erotica board require a special password which you can get by contactingAW Admin MacAllister. You must state that you are 21 years old or older. Yes, we are aware that in many places, 18 is an adult, but the higher age requirement is for the legal protection of the site.
It's a good idea to get that password early and to offer your critique to others before asking for any. You'll learn a lot analyzing someone else's erotica writing that you can apply to your own.
That password also allows you entry to the password-protected portion of the Erotica board. There we discuss aspects of writing erotica without concern over being too graphic. We also socialize. Sometimes it's pretty quiet, other times a busy place.
I recommend you read not only the Writing Erotica board but also the general boards about writing fiction of any kind. Just because it's about sex doesn't mean it needn't be well written. You’ll pick up all kinds of tips, meet great people, and quickly learn who knows their shit and who’s a beginner. The Novels board and the Grammar and Syntax board are the equivalent of lots of college with a Creative Writing major. Seriously.
Among the people seen often at the Erotica board are authors who have sold books, ebooks, and/or short stories, and plenty more who will sooner rather than later, along with still more who are only beginning to explore the genre. At every level, people are able and willing to share what they’ve learned on the way, both about writing in the genre and about marketing. It's pretty cool, actually, that we're not competing with but supporting other writers.
While some of us at the Erotica board are pretty open about who we are and what we like when it comes to sex, others are not. It’s not like other genres--nobody assumes the thriller author really wants to kill anybody, or in fact already has. Posting writing intended to turn people on reveals something that’s deeply personal, and we’ll all understand if you choose not to do it, now or ever.
I do hope you and any others who only lurk will feel free to step from the shadows and introduce yourselves, telling us only what you’re comfortable with. I’ll go first: I’m Maryn, the oldest one here (I think) but not the most experienced (I know!), long married, two adult "kids," and I'm a recent transplant to the frozen upper Midwest. I started writing sexy fanfic when the market for mystery short stories got tiny, and found I really liked it. I removed “my guy” and started writing stories nobody could sue me over. (He's still really handsome, though, and I cast him occasionally as one of my characters.)
Maryn, quite long-winded as usual
Newcomers arrive a little leery of going public. To any and all, I’m glad you took the step to join us even if you’re only reading at this point.
AbsoluteWrite’s an especially good place for erotica writers, because there aren’t many writing sites that take erotica seriously. AW treats it like any other genre, unlike a lot of writing sites I checked out.
Those who prefer--which is a lot of new people--can read boards (lurk) without posting. Both members and non-members can read all message boards which have no password protection, so any content you post here at the Erotica Board (a category under Writing Genre) must be okay for all ages. Remember, AW welcomes writers 15 and older, and younger people can lurk without joining.
It is never okay to post your writing for critique on this board. Every genre has its own Share Your Work (SYW) board where members with fifty posts can put up their own work for feedback. (Careful, we can tell when you're racing to hit fifty rather than interacting as a member, and that won't work.) The SYW - Erotica board and the password-protected part of the erotica board require a special password which you can get by contacting
It's a good idea to get that password early and to offer your critique to others before asking for any. You'll learn a lot analyzing someone else's erotica writing that you can apply to your own.
That password also allows you entry to the password-protected portion of the Erotica board. There we discuss aspects of writing erotica without concern over being too graphic. We also socialize. Sometimes it's pretty quiet, other times a busy place.
I recommend you read not only the Writing Erotica board but also the general boards about writing fiction of any kind. Just because it's about sex doesn't mean it needn't be well written. You’ll pick up all kinds of tips, meet great people, and quickly learn who knows their shit and who’s a beginner. The Novels board and the Grammar and Syntax board are the equivalent of lots of college with a Creative Writing major. Seriously.
Among the people seen often at the Erotica board are authors who have sold books, ebooks, and/or short stories, and plenty more who will sooner rather than later, along with still more who are only beginning to explore the genre. At every level, people are able and willing to share what they’ve learned on the way, both about writing in the genre and about marketing. It's pretty cool, actually, that we're not competing with but supporting other writers.
While some of us at the Erotica board are pretty open about who we are and what we like when it comes to sex, others are not. It’s not like other genres--nobody assumes the thriller author really wants to kill anybody, or in fact already has. Posting writing intended to turn people on reveals something that’s deeply personal, and we’ll all understand if you choose not to do it, now or ever.
I do hope you and any others who only lurk will feel free to step from the shadows and introduce yourselves, telling us only what you’re comfortable with. I’ll go first: I’m Maryn, the oldest one here (I think) but not the most experienced (I know!), long married, two adult "kids," and I'm a recent transplant to the frozen upper Midwest. I started writing sexy fanfic when the market for mystery short stories got tiny, and found I really liked it. I removed “my guy” and started writing stories nobody could sue me over. (He's still really handsome, though, and I cast him occasionally as one of my characters.)
Maryn, quite long-winded as usual
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