Five Tips from Tenille Brown

 Five tips on how to write erotica from Tenille Brown.

1) Read and familiarize yourself with the erotica genre as to avoid redundancy and so you know what type of writing/stories are most popular and most desired.

2) Put your best foot forward - Submit properly formatted work to editors that adhere to their guidelines and fits their specific call.

3) Research your market - That way you don't end up sending anal erotica to an editor looking for bondage stories.

4) Create believable characters and settings - Remember, it's still a story, not just some pages with some sex.

5) Make the erotic portions believable - Avoid too much gymnastics-like sex. Also, sometimes a little goes a long way. Subtle can be sexy, too.

Tenile Brown is the author of many pieces of fiction including 'Cling' in Rachel Kramer Bussel's anthology, Sex and Candy. Tenile's blog can be found at http://therealtenille.com and her twitter handle is @TheRealTenille.

Five Tips from Lisabet Sarai

 Five tips on how to write erotica from Lisabet Sarai,

1. Set goals for yourself but be willing to be swayed by inspiration
Writing is a balancing act between reasoned, disciplined work and the crazy
dictates of emotion and imagination. I have a writing plan, for at least six
months into the future, and I have a plan for my time whenever I sit down to
write (e.g. how many words I expect to produce or where I expect to end up in
terms of the plot). However, things don't always go according to my plans,
usually because I'll have some other idea that twists the story in a new
direction, or maybe an entirely new story pops into my mind. I've learned not to
be too rigid. Sometimes the wild notions that throw me off the rails are in fact
just what I need.

2. Don't compare yourself to any other author
It's easy to get discouraged about your own writing career when you look at
other authors who seem to be more prolific, more popular, more savvy about
marketing, more eloquent, more original, or whatever. When those comparisons
start to haunt you, do your best to ignore them. Remind yourself that each of us
has her own voice, her own method, her own path to success. Negative emotions
like envy, guilt or a feeling of inadequacy will not motivate you to produce
quality fiction. Negativity tends to smother inspiration.

3. Learn and focus on your personal areas of weaknessListen to your editors, your beta readers and your critique partners. They will
help you to see general areas where you can improve your craft. We all have
them! Once you've identified these areas, pay attention to them when you're at
work writing (or in the editing process, if your methods involve a rough first
draft with lots of later polishing). Never stop focusing on quality and
self-improvement.

4. Don't dismiss grammar and spelling as superficial nicetiesSome authors appear to believe that if a story is sufficiently original and
involving, then using proper grammar and correct spelling are unimportant
frills. I strongly disagree. Grammar, like vocabulary, dialogue, and
description, is a tool for conveying nuances of meaning. An ability to quote or
explain formal grammar rules is not necessary, but an accomplished author knows
how to use the structure of sentences to express her thoughts with greater
precision. Meanwhile, in today's digital world, there is no excuse for
submitting a manuscript full of spelling errors.

Submitting clean manuscripts will endear you to your editors. Furthermore, in
this fast-paced era of e-publishing, many publishers seem to be devoting less
time and effort to editing. Don't expect your publisher to fix your mistakes. If
you're content with a slapdash manuscript full of grammar and spelling gaffes,
you really have no right to call yourself a professional author.

5. Find a writing method that works for you personally
There are as many approaches to writing as there are authors. Some authors do
meticulous outlines and character profiles. Some simply sit down and write
whatever comes to mind. Some do three, four or more drafts, making major
revisions with each iteration. Others edit as they write, so that their first or
second draft is ready to submit for publication. Some authors can split their
time among multiple books or stories simultaneously. Others need to focus on
one WIP at a time.

You'll get advice everywhere about how you "should" write - in how-to books, on
blogs, in critique groups. Be willing to consider the proposed techniques, but
recognize that there is no one correct way to write. You need to experiment
until you find the approaches that are most satisfying and productive for you
personally. You may discover that these change over time, too, or that the best
techniques depend on what you are writing.

Lisabet Sarai is the author of countless pieces of quality erotic fiction. More of Lisabet's work can be found at: http://www.lisabetsarai.com and http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com.

Five tips from Catherine Lundoff

 Five tips (in no particular order) on how to revise from Catherine Lundoff:

1) Almost everything wrong with an early draft can be fixed with thorough revisions.

2) Revising means learning to look at your work from a critical and detached perspective. It takes practice and timing – revising a brand new story right after you finish it isn’t as effective as letting it sit for a period of time while you work on other things. Then you can go back to it with a fresher eye to find the problem areas. 

3) Learn to love revising.

4) Some things to do when revising:      · Check for spelling and grammar errors.     · Ask yourself questions about your plot and your characters’ motivation. Look for logical flaws.     · Read your work aloud to see how it sounds.     · Do you have any words or phrases you like to use? Check to see how many times you used them in your story and start rewriting those sections.

5) Quit while you’re ahead. Don’t get caught up in an endless rewriting loop. When you feel that your story is the best that it can be, submit it. Then go write something else.

Catherine Lundoff is the author of many pieces of fiction including the short story 'Twilight' in Best Fantastic Erotica. More of Catherine's work can be found by visiting: http://catherinelundoff.com/.

What do Editors Want? Pepper Mason

 Pepper Mason is an up-and-coming artist, author, and editor of high quality erotic short stories. She began writing as a hobby in 2003, but began self-publishing as an independent author earlier this year in hopes of one day cultivating the hobby into a full-time career. She has edited several works of friends and colleagues off the books, and all of her personal work, services and contact information can be found at peppermasonbooks.weebly.com.

1) I cannot stress this enough. Independent authors should never publish a book without letting at least one (preferably more than one) other person proof read it. No matter how many times you read your own work, there are bound to be errors that you’ll miss. Even if you can’t afford editing services, have a friend or colleague read over your manuscript for you. (Other independent authors on a budget may be willing to trade proof reads. Just ask!)

2) Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check will never be able to replace human comprehension. It can’t tell you when something is written awkwardly, and it doesn’t cover the entire gamut of punctuation misuse. It will also oftentimes miss words that are misspelled, when those words end up being spelled correctly but with a different meaning. Never assume you’ve corrected all of your errors with a simple run of this or any spell/grammar checking program.

3) Be careful with continuity. If your character is slowly pushing up the silky green fabric of her lover’s shirt to expose his washboard abs, please make sure he wasn’t shirtless in the prior scene. Things like this are easy to miss when you’re plowing through plot like a person possessed.

4) Repetition. I have found this to be a common plague amongst the writing community, even within the work of professionally edited and published authors. Be careful not to use the same phrases and words over and over again. You have a thesaurus at hand any time you’re connected to the internet; you can find another word for ‘walked’. Try ‘moved’, ‘trudged’, ‘cantered’, ‘stalked’, ‘slouched’, ‘stomped’, or  ‘marched’ instead. It sets the tone for how the character is moving, instead of simply informing the reader that he is, in fact, moving. Also be careful with the infamous “He did this, he did that” repetition. Characters can be addressed in a number of ways, and not always at the beginning of a sentence. You can replace ‘he’ with things such as the character’s name, ‘the blonde boy’, ‘the young man’ etc, etc.

5) Plot. Even if you’re writing a four-thousand word short erotica, plot is important. It holds the entire story together. I always recommend creating a detailed outline of your plot before beginning to write. Even a loose plan can help you organize your plot, and keep your story from dragging on or becoming nonsensical. Make sure your plot makes sense and flows smoothly before you put a single word in that .doc file. It will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.

More of Pepper Mason's work can be found at peppermasonbooks.weebly.com.

Five Tips from Valentine Bonnaire

 Five tips on how to write erotica by Valentine Bonnaire:

1) Read the erotic classics. Here’s a tiny list from Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9684.Best_Erotic_Classics 

I say this because they are the classics for a reason! A few people aren’t on here: James Joyce, for example, or the Marquis de Sade. It’s hard to get hotter than some parts of Joyce’s Ulysses. Anybody who had a banned book is probably really good. Really, really, really good!

2) Write what you know. Write your own gender. I say this because when you do this, the reader is really going to “get” what you are saying. I never write a sex scene I haven’t done or would do in real life.

3) Read erotic poetry! Neruda, Paz and “The Ink Dark Moon” http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Dark-Moon-Komachi-Shikibu/dp/0679729585 are all favorites of mine. Read outside the genre as well. Sometimes the most erotic book ever will not be called an erotic book. I found Jeanette Winterson’s “The Powerbook” to be one of the most erotic books I’ve read.

4) Start small and be published in the right places. I chose Cleansheets.com and the Erotica Readers and Writers Association for that. The latter has a fantastic writer’s list. Getting your first feedback will be invaluable as a confidence builder. Trust the editors!

5) Find your niche, and if you use a nom de plume stick with it! I made the mistake of switching once and that wasn’t so good. Keep track of your publishing credits and when you have enough join things like Poets&Writers. Take in a writers' conference or two? Get your courage up by doing a reading. That’s harder than it looks. The first time I let a conference workshop leader read one of mine, she said she had to stop. The piece was called “Gardenias” and the word that stopped her in her tracks was, “wet.” Never underestimate the power of language. We work with such loaded and oftentimes sacred words.

Valentine Bonnaire’s work can be found in the archives at Cleansheets.com as Adrianna de la Rosa and Valentina Bonnaire, and at ERWA in the galleries and Treasure Chest. “Flowering” will appear this year in The Mammoth Book of Quick and Dirty Erotica edited by Maxim Jakubowski. http://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Book-Quick-Dirty-Erotica/dp/076244813X Three chapters of “Man in the Moon” appear in “From Porn to Poetry 2” edited by Susannah Indigo. http://www.amazon.com/Porn-Poetry-2-Susannah-Indigo/dp/0971662347/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362620438&sr=1-1&keywords=from+porn+to+poetry+2

Five tips from Saskia Walker

 Five tips on writing erotica from Saskia Walker. 

1. Make time: Try to make a regular routine for your writing. Even if it's only fifteen minutes a day on your lunch break, or twenty minutes before the rest of the family get up in the morning, a regular routine will help you achieve your dreams.

2. Tenacity: It's rare that a writer becomes a publishing sensation overnight. Even big name authors receive rejections. If you receive a rejection, keep writing, and resubmit! Your writing might not have been right for that editor but another editor might love your voice. Best of all, every time you write it'll teach you something new. Hang in there!

3. Be patient: There's a lot of waiting involved in being an author -- waiting to hear back about a query or submission, waiting for a story or book to reach publication -- to name just a couple. Don't wish your life away waiting on the news, move onto the next project in between times. If you work that way, you will hone your craft and your output will soon snowball.

4. Research: Before you submit work to a publisher contact some of the authors you see published there and ask about their experience. Would they recommend the publisher? Study guidelines too. Be absolutely sure you're subbing your work to the right place and in the right format.

5. Enjoy!: Have fun and enjoy your work. If you do, that will shine through on the page your readers will have fun too. You can't wish for a better reader reaction than that.

You can find out more about Saskia Walker and her writing at http://www.saskiawalker.co.uk/

www.saskiawalker.blogspot.com

THE HARLOT ~ February 2013. THE LIBERTINE ~ March 2013. THE JEZEBEL ~ April 2013.

Five Tips from Donna George Storey

 (5 Tips for Writing Erotica They’ll Read Again and Again)

Many excellent writers have shared their writing tips already, and I endorse them all, but I wanted to mention a few personal guidelines I’ve developed over the years to take away the terror when I sit down to write a new story.

1.  Writing a story is like seducing a lover.  You want to intrigue, delight and ultimately move your reader so that she or he will want to come back to your imaginary world over and over again.  It’s a tall order, but the easiest way I’ve found to connect with my ideal reader is to write about what intrigues, fascinates and turns me on.  It doesn’t always have to be based on real experience.  I’ve discovered many new varieties of sexual pleasure in fantasy, and later in the flesh, through my explorations for a story.  However, unlike a lover, a reader can always tell when you’re faking it, so make sure you want to be there and enjoy.

2. When planning a seduction, you dress to look your best, turn on the charm, and give your partner your full attention.  How does this translate into a story?  Don’t stint on the planning phase.  Let the ideas simmer, play around with the plot and characters, let them take on a life of their own.  The “charm” is your willingness to make the scenes and all the senses come alive.  Paint a picture for your reader, but also write a symphony of language and cook up deliciously naughty scents and tastes.  Finally, a strong first line that grabs ‘em by the nose, quick and clever transitions, and a satisfying final line are the literary equivalents of courtesy to your “date.”

3.  Put your story to this test:  take way all the explicit sex and see what’s left over. If you still have a good story—even if it’s much shorter—then you’ve passed.  Besides lots of hot sex, a good erotic story always has an intriguing plot, characters with humanity, and descriptions throughout that are sensual in themselves.

4. Stories that yield more pleasure on the second, third or fourth reading require that many editorial passes times ten for the writer.  I believe a writer only deserves a reader’s attention when she puts her best efforts into shaping the plot, weaving a wonderful atmosphere, lighting a fire between (or among) the characters, and making each word work for its place in the story.  This never happens in a first draft.  Of course, first drafts require freedom and flow for the imagination, but after the shape of the story is set, put on your editor’s hat and earn the return!

5. Forget the orgasm.  Well, not completely, but in a partial departure from real-life dating, the build up to the climax matters more.  I barely remember the orgasms in my favorite erotic stories.  It’s the delicious path to ecstasy that I seek over and over again.  Story-wise, the climax is the significant change in the relationship of the characters—a moment which sometimes, but doesn’t always coincide with the orgasm.  I’ll admit that one of my biggest challenges is writing about the orgasmic experience in a fresh, realistic way.  Usually a few well-chosen sentences will get the job done, but they’re never the heart of the story.  After all, if you set up the mood right, the reader holds the ultimate pleasure in his own hand.

Happy writing!

Donna George Storey is the author of Amorous Woman (recently released as an ebook) and a new collection of short stories, Mammoth Presents the Best of Donna George Storey. Learn more about her work atwww.DonnaGeorgeStorey.com or http://www.facebook.com/DGSauthor