I've read some really thought-provoking and useful tips recently on writing erotica, on writing in general and on getting it published so I thought I'd pull the links together in one place. Some of them are about the writing itself, some about the tweaking and polishing, others touch on what editors might be looking for. Some of it's the obvious stuff but I found some insights and new perspectives that I know I'll be learning from.Aside from tips for honing the craft of writing itself, the things that come up time and again are to familiarise yourself with the genre, to make sure you read submission guidelines thoroughly and do exactly what they stipulate and to edit and proofread your work to a high standard rather than seeing your first draft as complete. But you knew that. Didn't you?
Take a look over at the How to Write Erotic Fiction blog from Ashley Lister. He has a book of that title coming out soon, but on the blog you can read thoughts from twelve-and-counting authors and editors in a 'five tips' format. You've got the great Alison Tyler talking about the importance of opening and closing lines, and her preference for the word 'said' instead of a lot of giggling, chortling, whispering, moaning and groaning. You have the likes of Sacchi Green, Tenille Brown and Sommer Marsden warning you to make sure your characters' sexual exploits are physically possible and that no extra limbs (ahem) creep in.
Over at the Sex is Social online magazine, I found this post by seasoned anthology editor Rachel Kramer Bussel about the things she's looking for in submissions. She stresses how important it is to make your piece stand out among the hundreds of others by drawing on your unique experiences and knowledge from any area of your life. She also lets us in on the fact that she gets sent far more stories about submissive women than dominant ones and she'd also like more variety in age and race.
At The Self-Publishing Revolution blog, Selena Kitt gives some down-to-earth advice that cuts through the hype of the erotica 'gold-rush' as she describes it. However many people are jumping on the bandwagon, it still comes down to writing a good story, making it hot and writing what you love rather than what you hope is going to be the next Fifty Shades.
On the deliciouslydeviant blog, Velvet Tripp has this to say about overdoing such hackneyed plots: 'Boring! Sorry, but I lose interest very quickly if the plot is too obvious.' She gives an example of how you can take the theme of an anthology and make it different, among other good tips. Velvet also links to some pithy general writing tips from Neil Gaiman and Kurt Vonnegut.
I give my own five quick writing tips here, including my favourite: 'Call a cock a cock.' And here are five things I like in the erotica I read and which I strive for in my writing.
Now that you've got all that straight, remember that when it comes to the actual craft of writing, all rules are made to be broken. Whatever one writer tells you, another will contradict. But as Neil Gaiman's tips remind us, the most important thing above all is to get your fingers on the keyboard and do it.
If you have your own tips, or have spotted any of interest around the web, feel free to share your links in the comments. And if you fancy a more in-depth read, you've got How to Write Hot Sex, edited by Shoshanna Evers, which I reviewed here, and M Christian's How to Write and Sell Erotica, which I'm currently reading.
Picture above from the Virtual Typewriter Museum.
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