What do editors look for? Mitzi Szereto

Mitzi Szereto (http://mitziszereto.com) is an author and anthology editor of multi-genre fiction and non-fiction, has her own blog Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto’s Weblog (http://mitziszereto.com/blog), and is creator/presenter of the Web TV channel Mitzi TV (http://mitziszereto.com/tv), which covers “quirky” London. 

Below are the things that Mitzi looks for in short stories that are submitted to her anthologies:

I look for an original voice, freshness in the material, and prose that has style. For me there's nothing worse than stale-sounding material that sounds as if it was churned out to fit some formula or derivative of everything else that's out there. My biggest pet peeves are porn-speak and writers who submit material that bears not the slightest resemblance to what I've asked for.

1) Develop your own voice and style rather than parroting those of others.

2) When it comes to writing sex, avoid the use of trite euphemisms and hackneyed sexual descriptions (especially if you want to get into one of my anthologies!).

3) The sex should not be the story, but be part of the story. Remember that you are writing A STORY, not a script for a porn video. (Do they even have scripts????)

4) Avoid the formulaic. You might sell some work, but it won't necessarily earn you any respect as a writer.

5) Be creative in your writing, not regurgitative. Just because you've seen something written a certain way by other writers doesn't mean you should emulate it. Very often it's just the opposite.


Mitzi Szereto (http://mitziszereto.com) is an author and anthology editor of multi-genre fiction and non-fiction, has her own blog Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto’s Weblog (http://mitziszereto.com/blog), and is creator/presenter of the Web TV channel Mitzi TV (http://mitziszereto.com/tv), which covers “quirky” London. Her books include Thrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire; Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles); Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts; Red Velvet and Absinthe: Paranormal Erotic Romance; In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales; Getting Even: Revenge Stories; Dying for It: Tales of Sex and Death; and Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers. She has pioneered erotic writing workshops in the UK and mainland Europe, teaching them from the Cheltenham Festival of Literature to the Greek islands. Her anthology Erotic Travel Tales 2 is the first anthology of erotica to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Five Tips from Alison Tyler

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Five Tips from Kathleen Bradean

Five tips on how to write erotica from Kathleen Bradean:

1) Write a story you believe in.

2) Patience is your best ally, even if it is annoying.

3) "I meant for it to be ambiguous" is code for "I don't understand why people tell stories."

4) Like any long term relationship, you're going to fall out of love with your novel from time to time. Find new reasons to love it rather than abandoning it.

5) There is no such thing as a muse. There's only you. Feel free to don a toga and strum a lyre if it helps.

Kathleen Bradean is the author of many pieces of fiction including 'Chill' in Violet Blue's anthology Best of Best Women's Erotica 2. More of Kathleen's work can be found by visiting: kathleenbradean@blogspot.com or ohgetagrip@blogspot.com.

Five Tips from K D Grace

Five tips on how to write erotica from K D Grace:

1) Write like the wind! Don’t stop, don’t slow down! Don’t even breathe until you get to the end! One of the worst mistakes fledgling writers make is to rewrite the first three chapters into infinity and never get beyond that. Turn off the internal editor when you write that first draft. Don’t worry that people might think that it’s about you. Everything we write is about us, even when we think it isn’t. Write shamelessly and unabashedly, and that’s true whether you’re writing sex or anything else. Remember, it doesn’t have to be good, it doesn’t even have to be average. It just has to be WRITTEN! THEN and only then do you have something you can polish and shape and perfect.

2) Don’t give up! I can’t stress enough that rejection is a part of the package for every writer. It’s included in the deal. It will happen, and there’s a 99.9% chance it will happen a lot. Consider it an opportunity to perfect your craft. Consider it an endurance race. Consider it whatever works for you, whatever will keep you writing until you get there. If you do that, you WILL get there.

3) Write every day, at least a little. Every word you write not only helps you perfect your craft but also primes the pump. The more you write the more you’ll be able to write. And remember, it doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be written.

4) Always remember the same rules apply for good erotica that apply for any other story. Sex should never be gratuitous. It should always serve a purpose. Sex should move the story forward. Sex should give us insight into the characters we didn’t have before. Sex is a fabulous tool to create the chaos or the bliss needed to shape the plot.

5) Have fun with it. You won’t want to press on if you don’t enjoy writing. It’s too hard, it’s too much work. But if you allow yourself to play with it, toy with it, experiment with it, get lost in it, I promise you’ll find that you really can’t get enough!

K D Grace is the author of many pieces of fiction including Body Temperature and Rising. More of K D Grace's work can be found by visiting: http://kdgrace.co.uk or her romantic erotica website: http://gracemarshallromance.co.uk/