The single most important resource for erotica writers is Morgan Hawke's Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Sex Scenes. She doesn't call it an idiot's guide, but that's what it is. We recently started using Morgan's framework in most of our own stories. Sex scenes constructed this way are hotter, easier to write, and also quicker to write.
Need honest feedback on a story before you send it to a publisher? Want that feedback to come from experienced writers who will enthusiastically help you improve your story? Desdmona's Fish Tank is our favorite place for story critiques. Pick a pen name, sign up, and post a story to the free web forum. Note that the feedback will be as blunt as it is helpful unless you specifically say "please be gentle." You can post erotic stories to the Tank and non-erotic stories to the Cooler. Note: Before posting a story, replace any smart quotes in your story with straight quotes or else the results will be ugly!
The Erotica Readers and Writers Association has an email list for critiques. However, the mailing list is high volume. Reading it is like trying to drink from a fire hose. If you are willing to invest the necessary time, you can get great critiques from ERWA. The ERWA also has many other resources for erotica authors, including sample stories, a writing blog, tutorials, and especially calls for submissions.
Many editors require your story to be submitted in "Standard Manuscript Format" which may be abbreviated as SMF. If editors ask for this format, and you don't follow it, your story will normally be discarded unread. If they specify a different format, then follow their format instead. If no format is specified, it is safest to follow SMF. (It's better to show up for a job interview wearing a suit and tie, even if the interviewer isn't, than to show up without a suit and tie, only to discover the interviewer is wearing his.) Here are good explanations of Standard Manuscript Format from William Shunn - modern SMF for short stories and Daily Writing Tips - SMF is evolving and Mary Soon Lee - traditional SMF
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
The Best in Erotica Authors - Baton Blog Hop
Thanks to Spencer Dryden, writer of the suspenseful romance novella Bliss, for inviting David to this blog hop.
Spencer asked four questions. Here are David's answers:
1. What am I working on?
Just a bunch of typical erotic short stories: An author with a fear of depths, not heights, takes a terrifying ride with the kinky lady who operates a glass elevator; On her first night in England, a kind-hearted American woman meets a charming Englishman whose incredible tale of woe complements his offer of "Free Willy," and he isn't talking about the movie; Two of a stripper's admiring fans claim to be God and Jesus, respectively, before she receives a Heaven-sent marriage proposal. Like I said, just typical stories. Well, they're typical for me, anyway.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
It reflects my strange sense of humor. My characters work themselves into the most ridiculous situations without any apparent effort.
3. Why do I write what I do?
To find out what happens. I'm a confirmed "seat-of-the-pants" style writer. The characters talk to me and I write down what they say. They only talk as long as I write. If I didn't write, I'd never find out how the stories end.
4. How does my writing process work?
Well, mostly either a scene or a character pops into my head. If it's a scene, I try to reverse-engineer what happened to create the scene, and then guess what will follow the scene. If it's a character, then I just write down what the character tells me. Very few of my stories happen in the traditional way, where the author gets an idea and then methodically expands it into a story. My brain doesn't work that way.
Spencer asked four questions. Here are David's answers:
1. What am I working on?
Just a bunch of typical erotic short stories: An author with a fear of depths, not heights, takes a terrifying ride with the kinky lady who operates a glass elevator; On her first night in England, a kind-hearted American woman meets a charming Englishman whose incredible tale of woe complements his offer of "Free Willy," and he isn't talking about the movie; Two of a stripper's admiring fans claim to be God and Jesus, respectively, before she receives a Heaven-sent marriage proposal. Like I said, just typical stories. Well, they're typical for me, anyway.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
It reflects my strange sense of humor. My characters work themselves into the most ridiculous situations without any apparent effort.
3. Why do I write what I do?
To find out what happens. I'm a confirmed "seat-of-the-pants" style writer. The characters talk to me and I write down what they say. They only talk as long as I write. If I didn't write, I'd never find out how the stories end.
4. How does my writing process work?
Well, mostly either a scene or a character pops into my head. If it's a scene, I try to reverse-engineer what happened to create the scene, and then guess what will follow the scene. If it's a character, then I just write down what the character tells me. Very few of my stories happen in the traditional way, where the author gets an idea and then methodically expands it into a story. My brain doesn't work that way.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Favorite music video - Meryn Cadell's "The Sweater"
Here's one of our favorite music videos. Meryn Cadell's humorous song "The Sweater" is performed as an interpretive dance by a brilliant group of dancers! Be sure to use Youtube's Full Screen button on this video.
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