Newbie Question

James Ryan

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Hello,

My name is James and I am new to erotica writing (I would describe myself as an academic in my normal life). For the past three years I have been writing short erotic stories for therapeutic purposes (mostly about interracial hetero characters). I have no idea if they are any good (I enjoy them but I don't know how much that matters). My question is, where can I post one or a few of my works for critique and grow as a writer?
 

Maryn

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A pleasure to meet you, James. I'm the dolt in a family of academics, so I'll nod and pretend I know just what you're talking about. It's a skill I mastered long ago.

What we expect--nay, demand!--is that members interact as part of our community of writers before seeking critique. Once you have 50 posts that aren't mere fly-bys, you are allowed to post your work at Share Your Work - Erotica. If you are new enough to critique that you need people to be gentle while being honest, say so.

There's a password, which you get from either the site's owner or its administrator. (The link to do so is on this board. I'm not at home where I have all this stuff handy.) There is also a post from the site's owner about what is allowed there and what is not. It's fairly basic--no minors, no rape-as-erotica, no bestiality, like that.

My understanding of the market, which is nowhere near as good as other members', is that there's a need for interracial material, so if this is something you're good at, that's a plus.

Oh, and before I forget, that same password I mention for SYW - Erotica will also get you into the Erotica board's adults-only section, where there is a large social thread where we talk both writing and whatever else comes up, and where members can start discussions not appropriate for underage members.

Maryn, who has never before written such a long reply wearing only a towel
 

James Ryan

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Thank you Marissa that sounds like a fun idea. I usually refrain from reading other peoples work because I am a sponge and have to be careful with that.
 

James Ryan

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A pleasure to meet you, James. I'm the dolt in a family of academics, so I'll nod and pretend I know just what you're talking about. It's a skill I mastered long ago.

What we expect--nay, demand!--is that members interact as part of our community of writers before seeking critique. Once you have 50 posts that aren't mere fly-bys, you are allowed to post your work at Share Your Work - Erotica. If you are new enough to critique that you need people to be gentle while being honest, say so.

There's a password, which you get from either the site's owner or its administrator. (The link to do so is on this board. I'm not at home where I have all this stuff handy.) There is also a post from the site's owner about what is allowed there and what is not. It's fairly basic--no minors, no rape-as-erotica, no bestiality, like that.

My understanding of the market, which is nowhere near as good as other members', is that there's a need for interracial material, so if this is something you're good at, that's a plus.

Oh, and before I forget, that same password I mention for SYW - Erotica will also get you into the Erotica board's adults-only section, where there is a large social thread where we talk both writing and whatever else comes up, and where members can start discussions not appropriate for underage members.

Maryn, who has never before written such a long reply wearing only a towel

Maryn thank you. It sounds as if I need to be a community member (ie contribute to the community) before I can have community privileges, that makes sense. I'm game. I am sadly a sensitive butterfly and afraid my poor ego will die under the pressure of critique (one of the reasons I haven't sought out publishing) but I know I should put the ego away if I want to learn and thrive. Also, I assumed that interracial stuff might be something people would want to read currently. If people are still marching through Charlottesville flashing hate symbols I would imagine a good interracial romp is still pretty taboo in some circles and taboo is always popular.

P.S. Don't all erotica writers do things in nothing but a towel?

- - - Updated - - -

thank you I appreciate it
 

ElaineA

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The best news is, you can go into the Share Your Work section now (password: vista, which is different from the Erotica subforum PW) and critique NON-erotica. There's everything there under the sun and it shouldn't influence you too much (I have this same issue, so I totally understand). Try to be mindful of the dates of the work posted. Some of the subforums are lightly used and you don't want to critique a work from 2 years ago. You can also lurk there, seeing progressions, reading others' critiques and comparing to how you read the work.

Remember they're all just one person's opinion. You'll see that a work can inspire a variety of responses. Don't hesitate to jump in. Even one sentence can help a writer out. Plus, you earn good will for when it's your turn.

Enjoy the process, and happy hunting around on AW! :hi: