So You Want to Write Erotica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s no denying it, sex sells. If you’re currently a writer you may want to add to your portfolio by including erotic works of fiction. If you’ve haven’t written anything then try erotica as your first piece. I began this blog as a way to help other writers who wish to enter this exciting and rewarding genre.

I could bore you with what erotica is and what it isn’t, but I won’t. One thing you should know is erotica is not equal to porn. Erotica has substance to it, where as the vast majority of porn does not. Porn almost always has no real story line – it gets right to the point. Erotica tells a story with some juicy bits of sensual dialogue, imagery and description. Think of it as a delicious meal. If you rely heavily on the meat and forget about the potatoes your readers will feel cheated.

Most readers of erotica are women – not all of course, but most. Think about what gets your juices flowing. If you don’t have specific experiences to draw from don’t let that discourage you. Let your imagination be your guide. Develop some interesting characters and scenarios.

Chances are you’re writing at a computer and not writing long hand with pen and paper. Just start typing and see where your characters will lead you. If you don’t like it, highlight it and delete it. Simple.

Start with an easy exercise. Develop an interesting character. Give her (or him) a name. Think about what your character does for a living. Is she married? Dating? Write a paragraph describing your character. Describe her clothing, hair, body type, facial features. Allow her to become familiar to you. It’s okay to model your characters after people you know in real life. Just don’t be too specific, you don’t want to offend anyone and you certainly don’t want anyone demanding royalties.

In future posts I’ll be discussing how to choose what terms you’ll use when describing the meat part of your stories. (So remember to follow this blog via email or feed.) This seems to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for new writers of erotica. Now go and develop your characters and get ready to start writing your erotic stories.