Need some advice

hhhhmmmm, depends on what flavor you're going for. Actually (and mod's can clean this up if they want) go to Literotica and read over a dozen random stories in the gener that you want to write... and do exactly the opposite. There are some good writers on that site, and a hell of a lot of bad ones.

Mostly however, do what you like to read. I started writing erotic horror becasue I liked horror and I'd always get to the point in the book of "Don't stop THERE." If you're wiggling in your seat while writing you've hit it.

Depending on the "heat content" of your story. Sex or sexual contact every 3k is considered appropriate. That can be non-stop sex or plot for a few chapters and then non-stop sex for a few... your choice.

Well, okay. Do you like M/M - then Em Veinglory, Fiona Glass (Elfmeet & Lost Property are fantasy Romance) and Alley Blue's Willow Bend is contemporary and getting good reviews. M/F/M Julia Talbot just released one - I like her M/M stuff and I would assume that would be as good. Traditional M/F, I'm not so up on; I think Em has some het stuff out there- She can confirm/deny that. But if you go to Coffee Time Romance and look in their review section under "Exotic" there's a bunch there F/F I know very few Jolie du Pre is the only one who comes to mind. I know she has some free stuff on her site and just landed a contract with a GLBT publisher.

I'd be an attention whore and say mine, but I tend to write more Erotic Horror.

Even though you're writing a novel, I would suggest picking up a short story anthology. When I started writing erotica, I found it easier to see the distinction between mainstream/literary-type erotica and written porn in the short story form, and you get a LOT more variety for your buck. (Because if you're writing a novel, you know all the plot/character/resolution mechanics, and those are the same in erotica - or at least they should be, IMO). The Mammoth anthologies are usually pretty good - they do one every year. You can also find some short stories for free online at sites like nerve.com, cleansheets.com.

If you really want to read a novel, I just finished 100 Strokes Before Bed, and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy, even though it has been subject to some (valid) criticism. If you want to read something that I thought WASN'T very good, there's Nadjima's The Almond. Seeing bad writing is just as helpful as seeing good writing sometimes, right?

And you know, if you're leaning toward romance anyway, there's no shame in picking up a Harlequin. A while back they were running a contest in their Blaze line and I read a few to see if the contest was something I wanted to enter. Category romance isn't my favorite thing, but I did like the two or three I read. They've also just launched a new erotica line called Spice, but I haven't read anything from that.

Good luck!

Yeah a lot of Romance lines are putting more and more sex in their stories. People have started dubbing it RomErotica as it's really blurring the boundries. Tor's Paranormal Romance line also has a lot of heat in it. For novel length pick up any steamy romance then double the sex and you'd have a decent erotic novel.

And the slash (hence the term slash - as says one of the myths) denotes the sexual pairings.

Also, do a web search on "Purple Prose" you'll turn up a lot of what not to write sites. The trend right now is to be descriptive without being clinical or overly flowry.

If you would like to read some erotica that is basically just that, try RN Rouqulaire, I butchered the spelling but it is Anne Rice under a pen name. Also check out Laurell K Hamilton (as I;ve mentioned before) Get a book towards the end of the Anita Blake Series like Cerulean Sins or Incubus Dreams- total erotica only they do have story lines.

James Buchanan said:

Mostly however, do what you like to read.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU!!! That's a point I've addressed a few times in my local writer's group. One of the members just refuses to get it.

She wants to write erotica to make a quick buck (hah!), and rather than write what gets her motor running she writes what she *thinks* editors are looking for. We can't convince her that editors are after good writing.

In her quest for riches the writers she tries to emulate are at the bottom of the barrel in their craft. Writing down to the reader must be ok, since *this* writer sold something! String enough crude words and body parts together and that's got to turn someone on, right? (Not.)

We've tried to point her toward quality work in the genre, but that's too much trouble. It's easier to write badly than to improve her craft.

As a consquence, her "regular" writing, as she calls it, is getting bloody awful.

I've written my share of nookie scenes in the course of my plots, and can vouch for the fact that if it really turns me on, then it'll likely turn someone else on. You've got to have a big dash of sin-cerity! (And tell yourself that your mom is NEVER going to read it!)

Oh--I got the best thumbs up on one particular scene where I was vague on what the characters were doing and didn't name a single body part. I did this on purpose to see how hot I could get things and it apparently worked. One of my friends had a read then spent the weekend putting her spouse into a state of happy exhaustion.

Whoa!

If you're thinking of writing erotic romance (rather than erotica which, as a genre, is totally different), then try some of the "Sensual" offerings by Ellora's Cave, or try eXtasy Books or New Concepts Publishing. Depending on your subgenre (contemporary, or paranormal, or whatever) there are plenty to choose from. Some of my favorites:


J.C. Wilder (Ellora's Cave)
Jaid Black (EC and, I think, Bantam--nicknamed "the Queen of Steam")
Monica Burns (Forbidden Pleasures that combines two novellas is really good! New Concepts)
Morgan Hawke (eXtasy--she writes pretty racy stuff, but it's INCREDIBLY well written. For something of hers milder, try "House of Shadows")

Good luck!

Gillhoughly said:

THANK YOU!!! That's a point I've addressed a few times in my local writer's group. One of the members just refuses to get it.

She wants to write erotica to make a quick buck (hah!), and rather than write what gets her motor running she writes what she *thinks* editors are looking for. We can't convince her that editors are after good writing.

In her quest for riches the writers she tries to emulate are at the bottom of the barrel in their craft. Writing down to the reader must be ok, since *this* writer sold something! String enough crude words and body parts together and that's got to turn someone on, right? (Not.)

We've tried to point her toward quality work in the genre, but that's too much trouble.

Click to expand...

Well, if she strings enough dirty words together, and I hate to say this, but their are SEVERAL less-than-stellar e-pubs who will offer to publish her work. And you are absolutely right, if the writing is GOOD, the STELLAR publishers will work with her to tweak the sex.

I'm a perfect example. My first published work is erotica with HEAVY BDSM and violence. The fact that the hero is a WELL known Judeo-Christian icon is just icing on the cake, LOL. But Changeling looked at this short story by an unknown commodity, in a notoriously hard sell sub-genre, and they took a chance because I write well.

That book, btw, has made me more than three hundred bucks and it continues to sell every single month. Because it's a damn good story.

Honestly I started out writing het stuff - because that's what the market would bear. People told me it's good... but your women sound like guys. And, well.... THEN I found out there's actually a market for it. So I now write about what turns my crank. And I do it well (ish -- National literary awards... probably not). So if you've written romance before... just don't close the doors and let your characters get it on more often. It's pretty much the same thing, only steamier.

And bumps Emma's hip.

LOLOL, bump you right back. Oh, I finagled Novel Visions from Kay! Man, that's good!

ROFL, all I had to do was swap her mine. LOL, I hope she likes mine as much as I like hers, HAHAHA!

I am new at this as well, with questions. I have visited Ellora's Cave, found it helpful. I am working on a book compiled of short stories, similar to the series of books called Secrets , I am a fan of all of Anne Rice and Erica Jong, they are my motivators. I have approx 15,000 words done and would like to have it looked at to see if it has potential, of course I need to know how and where to share it, I do not want to shock or offend anyone because of the sexual content (very descriptive). any suggestions