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All About Pleasure: The Ultimate Writer’s Romance | ||||||
| Published: 1 day ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
by Donna George Storey
I started writing fiction in the spring of 1997, which makes this more or less my fifteenth anniversary of dealing with the writer’s life (see Kristina Wright’s spot-on post from last month, “What It Means to Be a Full-Time Writer” for what I used to believe sixteen years ago). It might sound like a decent chunk of time to have experienced the perils and triumphs of academic, literary and erotica publishing, and I do know a little more than when I started, but the realities of the literary marketplace continue to surprise and mystify me. Recently a good friend has started seeking representation for her YA historical novel. Many people, especially those who want to write but haven’t, are ready to smirk at the pathos of a first-time novelist taking on New York. In this case, however, I’m excited for her, because I’ve read a draft and absolutely loved it. My friend lived in the country where the novel is set, is fluent in the language, and has done significant scholarly research on the time period. More than this, she’s managed to weave her deep knowledge into a suspenseful story that gives the reader an honest look at this culture through the eyes of a believable, sympathetic young female protagonist. I’d be proud to have written this book. Need any writer say more?
My friend has also done her homework on the the process of selling her novel. She’s read how-to books, checked appropriate agent blogs and polished her cover letter and synopsis to a shine. Apparently now agents don’t only require that your current project be as timelessly classic as The Great Gatsbywhile having the appeal to reach an audience at least twice that of the Harry Potter series, you have to have an impressive set of saleable future projects ready to push out the door in a year or two. Since self-publishing is threatening to make the job of literary agent obsolete, I have to admire their balls in being so extravagantly choosy. Or perhaps they figure only a blockbuster author will be willing to pay the 15% to handle all the sub rights’ negotiations?
Even with an excellent manuscript, my friend’s search may not be easy. If the agents deign to reply at all, some will tell her one or more of the following: that the book has no payoff; that it’s too fast-paced; that it’s too slow; that it’s too obvious; that it’s too subtle; that it was well written, but they didn’t fall in love with the characters; that the characters were likeable, but the writing too esoteric; that they could only commit to a series; that she should change the love interest or have the father marry a different character or have the protagonist be prettier; that there is too much cultural explanation; that there is too little cultural explanation.
It sounds like I’m joking. I’m not.
Yet I realize, too, that beneath a very thick layer of cynicism, I still actually believe in the grand romance of publishing. Let me roughly outline the basic tenant of this sweet illusion.
The ultimate writer’s romance is the beautifully uplifting belief in a kind of literary justice. That is, if the publishing industry accepts and publishes your book, it is “good” and if they reject it, it sucks, or is at least not good enough. What is published by New York is the cream of the writing that is out there, because agents are selecting the most worthy work submitted to them. Beyond that is the most important criterion by which to judge a book—the number of sales. The same logic applies. The more popular a book is, the “better” it is. Although I will agree higher sales are better for the publisher, agent and, to a lesser degree, the author, what I’m speaking of is the popular assumption of quality, as in this book is worthy of the precious moments of your life you will spend in reading it. Therefore—and I probably shouldn’t mention this book because I haven’t read it, but that deficiency is irrelevant for my present argument—Fifty Shades of Grey is the “best” and most important erotica book ever written because of its phenomenal sales figures.
If you’re tempted to point out my confusion between the popularity of a book and its admittedly subjective “quality,” I believe that is exactly what happens on an emotional level for many readers and critics, including myself. And the reason I’ll admit this is because of my hopes for my friend’s novel.
Talk about a fantasy. In my fevered mind, the first round of agents she’s approached will all immediately reply asking for the full manuscript with the following confession.
Dear Ms. A,
I can’t tell you have thrilled and relieved I am to have the chance to read an intelligent page-turner. To be honest, these vampire-sorcerer-shapeshifter-dream-catcher spin-off’s are starting to eat my brain. It’s okay with me that this is a stand-alone novel, because most of the world’s memorable literature has not been written as a seven-part series (I mean really, who’s read all of Remembrance of Things Past?). It gives me great pleasure to serve humanity’s higher need for an excellent story that will encourage its readers to engage in deeper thought about actual historical events and what we can learn from them, rather than worry only about making tons of sales with any old crap that can be described with the hot-button tags of the moment. Thank you for allowing me to be genuinely proud of what I do.
I’m setting up the auction for your book now.
Best regards,
Hot-Shot New York Agent
Because my friend’s novel is one of the best things I’ve read in a long time, and that includes an embarrassing number of disappointing but very popular Oprah Magazinerecommendations, I expect that the publishing industry will see the value of her work, too, and realize how far they’ve gotten off track since the days of Maxwell Perkins. Go ahead and laugh at my naivete, I deserve the ridicule. However, many readers out there, who confidently insist that advertising doesn’t affect them in the least and that they watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians with ironic distance, also fall prey to this appealing delusion. And many publishing professionals will swear that their experience and instincts maximize the success of the projects they choose to champion, while they, too, are constantly taken by surprise by what actually performs well.
Few of us would admit that we still believe the free market naturally brings us what is good and right, although in darker moments we might agree it gives us what we deserve. But then why do we (okay, I’m sort of using the royal “we”) get so angry when what we are presented with yet another disappointing mega-seller? Maybe because deep down writers are romantics who still hope that our innate talent will be seen by the right billionaire publisher who will then elevate us to the level of the truly beloved Voice of the Culture? Or at least that a quality book will be treated with respect and presented to an audience of readers who will feel their lives are better for having read it?
Call me a foolish romantic, but a little illusion always helps us on our writing journey. I still have my fingers crossed for a HEA ending for my friend and her book–and wish the same for all writers who have the courage to write what they truly love.
Donna George Storey is the author of the erotic novel, Amorous Woman. Her short stories have recently appeared in Best Women’s Erotica 2012, Best Erotic Romance, and The Best of Best Mammoth Erotica. Learn more at http://www.facebook.com/DGSauthor.
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Collision | ||||||
| Published: 4 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
By: Craig Sorensen
Collisions happen. Sometimes they are fatal, sometimes they are life changing. Sometimes they are just a tiny space in time.
Perhaps a space that will be as easily forgotten as it occurred.
In my prior job, the corporate offices were in a building constructed on a former pier that jutted out into the Hudson River. Standing at one end, looking to the other, could look like a three mile walk.
Naturally a fast walker myself, this could lead to a less-than-appropriate pace.
One day, I was late for a meeting on the Manhattan end, a woman stepped around the corner from the endless cube farm down the middle of the building at just the wrong time.
No one was hurt in the collision, but I did feel awful about running into her, and she was rightfully pissed at me, but the rapidity that her expression softened stuck in my head.
It was no more than three seconds in my half-century of life, an inconsequential moment, certainly not a pivot point in my life. It might well have been forgotten if my fiction writing mind hadn’t taken firm hold of the idea and begun to turn it over.
I wrote the formative ideas for the below not too long after the collision, then set it aside. I came back to it, changed it, shifted it and grew it. Could it really work into a story someone might like to read? I don’t know; this was what came out. I guess this was a flash fiction exercise in “iceberg writing.” Not really a story itself, I built it on the idea of these two people, and set out to illustrate them in tiny fragments of a single moment where they crossed, showing only their gut reactions to an event, and hinted at a future.
Collision, ©2012 Craig J. Sorensen
It seems this building has no end. Narrow aisles like ladder steps, the crossbars occupied by the oblivious staff members of our most recent acquisition.
A Nevada desert road stretches to infinity.
No terrain. No rain. My meeting is at the far end, somewhere up there. Ledger sheets will lead to decisions that will affect the lives of every face that lies behind the nameplates along the hall. Nameplates I’ve never bothered to read. I turn my wrist. My steps lengthen and pound a fast rhythm.
My arms rise in reflex, one hand braces on a wool clad hip, the other arm steadies a narrow waist. Full breasts cushion my ribs like airbags deploy on collision.
“Bastard!” I don’t know the flower in her perfume; her breath is cayenne.
My voice goes up two octaves like a knee to the nuts. “Goddamn!”
Juicy tears dangle from both sides of her chin. Did I do that? I grope for an apology. Her pinpoint pupils are a tiny dot in a field of cobalt – the cold winter sun through an old bottle. Her porcelain skin gleams against the black business suit, jacket half way on, her arms are suspended mid frame, helpless. Helpless. I should ease away from her respectfully.
Astaire and Rogers wait for the music to start, but the ensuing silence is more like the Novocain on an abscessed tooth. We remain, frozen. Her hand gathers my pink dress shirt into a tight fist. Her hip presses slightly forward into the hasty embrace.
I release her. “I’m really am sor—”
“You should watch where you’re going.” Her words are a whisper. She gently pats my heart. Her pupils widen, suddenly black as a mourner’s dress. Her nicked, thick wedding band reflects the endless row of fluorescent tubes above.
“God, I am really sorry, Ms, um . . .” I lift my brow.
She sniffs hard, pulls back, finishes putting on her coat and wipes both cheeks. “Huddleston. I—me too. I didn’t mean it—I shouldn’t have called you—a—I mean, that.” She smiles then continues in the opposite direction.
I savor the last hints of her scent and my sudden, rare, ripe guilt. I look back and watch her walk away. She doesn’t look back. Her pace looks angry, faster than my pace when I ran into her.
I turn my popcorn hard on, something I regret almost as much as asking her name, to twelve O’clock. “Well I am. A bastard, that is, Ms Huddleston.” I say too quiet for anyone to hear. “Usually I am.” I am late for my meeting, but walk slowly, and consider.
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Are we Dead Yet? | ||||||
| Published: 6 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
 I’ve been fortunate to have played host on my blog to a very interesting discussion on the rise in popularity of ‘cipher’ characters – protagonists who are blank slates. The most topical one at the moment is Anastasia – the female main character in Fifty Shades of Grey. She is, by no means, the only one. Increasingly, I’m coming across characters, in both erotica and in erotic romance, who have no goals, no aspirations, no talents, no agency. This is especially true when it comes to sexually submissive characters. It goes against everything I was taught as a writer, and against all the most celebrated literary characters who are held up as exemplars of brilliant characterization. And yet these novels are wildly popular. Too popular to simply discount as literary flukes. Too well-liked to attribute their popularity to a readership lacking in discernment. I think it behooves us as writers to examine how it became not only acceptable, but desirable to deliver up protagonists with no personality, no agency. And then to examine what has happened in our culture to support or encourage this change. Finally, I think we are required to consider the ramifications of this shift. As interactive media evolved, it allowed for a very different kind of relationship between the story and the consumer. There were always role-playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons, but the rise of the computer game enabled the creation of story-space that required the immersion and active participation of the player. The once maligned 2nd Person POV became a necessary narrative device for interactive gaming. Writing games necessitated the author to, in essence, make a hole in the storyworld where the player could insert themselves, and allow enough flexibility of plot to make the player feel like he or she had invested enough agency to care about the outcome of the story/game. Post-modernism greatly influenced many aspects of creative content creation. There was a thorough democratization of the validity and worth of opinion and experience. Expertise, craftsmanship, authority of the subject were rejected in favour of the lived experience of the common man/woman. Entertainment types like reality TV have become very popular, valorizing the experience of the everyman – and turning it into spectacle. It also is very cheaply produced entertainment. It doesn’t require a lot of the creative expertise of earlier forms – actors, writers, set designers, etc. From a literary theory perspective, the rise of new ways of understanding the author’s role in the narrative exchange between the text and the reader forced us to examine where meaning-making lies. And in the latter half of the 20th century, it was generally agreed that the reader played a much greater part in the reader-text-writer relationship than previously acknowledged. Readers internalize the written text and then, essentially, re-write it into their own experience. This allows novels to have the intensely personal impact that they have on us. This has influenced writing enormously. Writers began to accept their roles as proposers of fictionality rather than transferrers of truths, and attempted to write increasingly more ‘open’ texts, in which the reader was left to formulate conclusions themselves. It no longer matters what the novel meant to the writer as he or she wrote it. Now all that matters is what it means to the reader through the filter of their interpretation. So, in a way, it’s not all that surprising that startlingly vapid characters like Anastasia, are as popular as they are. As one commenter on my blog said: “I like to immerse myself into what I’m reading and imbue characters with my own thoughts and ideas.” And what better way to do this than to provide the reader with an essentially empty vessel? As another commenter wrote: “…she will be easy to step into as an identity character because so little of her is really fleshed out.” It occurs to me that this is a reflection of a greater sociological polarization. Not only does it seem we are, as a factionalized society, unwilling to listen to an opposing argument or consider that any part of it might be valid, but now we can no longer even tolerate the fictional portrayal of characters who cannot be easily made into ourselves. It would be foolish not to acknowledge that there are deeply feminist implications in the rise in popularity of female characters who have no goals or aims or aspirations other than to be a compliment to the male protagonist in the story, but I don’t really want to get into that discussion. The desire for empty vessels into which we can insert ourselves literarily has broader implications that go beyond gender. At its heart, this relates to a society in which individuals have no interest in the experiences of others. It is not enough to sympathize with or be co-travelers on a character’s fictional journey. We have to have space made for us to be in the starring role. And I have to wonder whether this is a fundamental product of a consumer culture in which the customer’s voice is, ostensibly, the only one that matters. Have we had our consumer egos pandered to with such intensity, that we cannot tolerate the other, the alien, the different? If it is not our story, is it unconsumable to us now? I think Barthes was simply a little premature. The ‘Death of the Author’ did not occur when we relinquished the role of meaning making to readers. But when writers can no longer write rich, complex, evolved main characters and are compelled, if they want to be popular, to write empty vessels instead, then it really is the death of the author. It is fairly easy to program a computer to spit out a sequence of fictional events. And certainly, most of the scenarios we create in fiction are not all that new. The thing that afforded writers creative space was to write interesting characters who transgressed through those familiar landscapes in new and interesting ways. Now, it seems, we are not required to do that either. Are we dead, yet?  |
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Confessions of A Literary Streetwalker: “A Cookie Full Of Arsenic” | ||||||
| Published: 9 days ago [ submited by M.Christian ] | |||||||
 Ever seen Sweet Smell of Success? If you haven’t then you should: because, even though the film was shot in 1957, it rings far too much, and far too loudly, in 2012.
In a nutshell, Sweet Smell of Success (directed by Alexander Mackendrick from a script by the amazing Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman) is about the all-powerful columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) – who can make or break anyone and anything he wants — and the desperate press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis), who loses everything for trying to curry favor with Hunsecker for … well, that Sweet Smell of Success.
So … 1957 to 2012. A lot’s changed, that’s for sure. But recently rewatching this, one of my all-time favorite films, gave me a very uncomfortable chill. But first a bit of history (stop that groaning): you see, J.J. Hunsecker was based – more than thinly – on another all-powerful columnist, the man who once said, about the who he was, and the power he wielded as, “ I’m just a son of a bitch.”
There was even a word, created by Robert Heinlein of all people, to describe a person like this: winchell – for the man himself — Walter Winchell.
A book, movie, star, politician – anyone who wanted success would do, and frequently did, anything for both Walter and his fictional doppelganger J.J. Hunsecker. Their power was absolute … even a rumor, a fraction of a sentence could mean the difference between headlines and the morgue of a dead career. As Hunsecker puts it to a poor entertainer who crossed him: “You’re dead, son. Get yourself buried.”
Welcome to 2012: we have iPhones, Ipads, Nooks, Kindle’s, 4G, Bluetooth, Facebook, Twitter … in many ways we’re just a food pill away from every futuristic fantasy ever put-to-pulp. But there’s a problem … and it’s a big one.
I think it’s time to bring winchellback … not the man, of course, even if that were possible, but the word. Yes, a lot has changed from Walter and Sweet Smell of Success but, sadly, as the old cliché goes: “the more things change the more they stay the same.”
The Internet has altered – quite literally – everything, but in many ways the speed, and totality, of its change has made a lot of people, writers to readers to just-plain-surfers, desperate for benchmarks: a place or person to go to that, they hope, will be there in the morning.
For writers this often means an editor, site, or just another writer. In the ‘biz’ these people are called names: meaning that mentioning by them seems to have a kind of rub-for-luck power for other writers – with the ultimate prize being (gasp) noticedby them. Sadly, this make-or-break mojo is occasionally true – though a surprising large number of these “names” are only divine in their twisted little minds.
I’ve said it before and so, naturally, I have to say it again: writing anything – smut to whatever you want to create – is damned hard work: all of us writers put our heart and souls down on the digital page and then send it out into a far-too-frequently uncaring digital universe. No writer … let me say that again with vehement emphasis … is better than any other writer. Sure, a few get paid more, have more books or stories published, but the work involved is the same – as is their history: name any … well, nameand you will see a person who, once upon a time, was sitting in the dark with nothing but hopes and dreams.
Which is why these … winchells give me unpleasant flashbacks to Lancaster telling Curtis: “Son, I don’t relish shooting a mosquito with an elephant gun, so why don’t you just shuffle along?”
Honestly, I will get to the point: never forget that what you are doing, as a writer, is special and wonderful. Yeah, you might be rough around the edges; sure, you may be years away from stepping out of the shadows and into the blinding light of being (gasp) a nameyourself; but you deserve respect.
I have a simple rule. Okay, it might be a little harsh but it keeps me going in the face of trying to get out there into the big, wide, and far-too-uncaring world: ignore me and I ignore you.
Facebook likes and comments, twitter responses, by the way, don’t count. That’s not communication – at least not to me (not to sound like a crotchety old man). If I write anyone – an editor, site, or just another writer – and I don’t get an answer then I wish you into the cornfield. The same goes with rude responses … like the writer who asked me to promote her book. I said that I would if she’d promote mine as well. Quid pro quo, right? She never wrote back – not even after a few polite suggestions for mutual exposure … so I hope she likes popcorn.
Being rude, not answering messages, playing the “are you a name? If not then screw you” game: there is no reason for this behavior. Never!
Instead of trying to suck to up names or support them and their sites with a pathetic fantasy that you, too, may actually be seen by them, find some real, true, and good friends: people who will hold your hand when it gets dark and scary; who will bring you along no matter where they go; who understand the bumps in the road because they, too, are on the same path; who will understand kindness but also karma – that good begets good.
Being a winchell may taste good, at first: being able to consider yourself better than other writers, to associate with other names in the business, to be able to make – or break – anyone who want for whatever reason you have … but there’s a great Hollywood expression that rings in my head just as loudly as any line from Sweet Smell of Success:
Always be nice to the people you meet on the way up, because those are the very same people you’ll be meeting on the way back down.
In closing, remember that anyone, anywhere – nameor not — who doesn’t treat you with at least professional equality, mutual respect, or just simple human politeness is, to quote from Sweet Smell of Success: “A cookie full of arsenic.”
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GLBT Live Chats with the Pros | ||||||
| Published: 12 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
When: June 7th, Delilah Devlin; June 17, M Christian Where: ERWA chats are held on the ShadowWorld chat server, channel #erachat. (Follow the link above. On screen you’ll see ‘Connect to ShadowWorld IRC’. In the Nickname box, key in your name. Leave the channels box at #ERAChat, and click ‘Connect’. A chat text box will appear at the bottom of your screen) GLBT erotica is a genre to be reckoned with, and ERWA will help interested authors with two GLBT Live Chats with the Pros. Delilah Devlin and M Christian will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and exchange ideas with authors of GLBT erotica. Whether you’re penning your first gay fiction, or are a spicy-seasoned pro, don’t miss this opportunity. 1) Delilah Devlin will host a live chat Thursday, June 7th, at 8:00pm EST, (5:00pm PST; 1:00am GMT). Delilah Devlin is a prolific and award-winning author of erotica with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over 100 erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. She is published by Avon, Black Lace, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. If you want to know how to do the deed, Delilah is the lady to talk to. This is your chance to chat live with her. Read about Delilah at http: www.delilahdevlin.com. 2) M. Christian will host a live chat Saturday, June 16th, at 3:00pm EST (12 noon PST; 8:00pm GMT). M. Christian, editor for Sizzler Editions, is an acknowledged master of erotica with more than 400 stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, and Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica. If you want to know what GLBT editors want (and don’t want) and how to make your submissions stand out, M. Christian will be happy to answer your questions. Read about M Christian at http: www.mchristian.com.  |
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Call for Submissions | ||||||
| Published: 13 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
Rookies: Gay Erotic Fiction For this new anthology, I am looking for stories that cater to the theme of rookies, new cops fresh out of the academy who have taken the oath to protect and enjoy getting served. Think security guards, beat cops, detectives that have moved up in the ranks, military police, beefy correctional officers, horny police chiefs, horned up FBI agents and/or U.S. Marshals out to get their man no matter what. I want good cops that aren’t always so good and bad cops who live up to their reputations. Shane Allison is in search of the best rookie cop raunchy erotica around, focusing on a range of techniques, implements, characters and scenarios, from new styles of gay erotic writing to seasoned scribes. The rookies theme should be a central focus of the erotic element of the story but the plot does not have to hinge on it. Original, unique, creative characters, settings, scenarios and forms are encouraged. As befitting the title, I’m looking for the best, hottest, most creative erotica for this collection. Original stories strongly preferred, but reprints of work will be considered but will be given lower priority than original work. All characters must be over 18; no incest or bestiality. Let your imagination run wild. How to submit: Send double spaced Times or Times New Roman 12 point black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, not .docx) OR RTF of 1,500-4,000 word story. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) required. Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 word or less bio in the third person to rookiesantho@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. You will receive a confirmation within 72 hours. I will get back to you by December 2012. Be sure to include contact and bio information on the FIRST page of your story. Payment: $50 and 2 copies of the book on publication  |
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Writing Exercise – Dialogue | ||||||
| Published: 13 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
By Ashley Lister
My wife informs me there are four types of orgasm. The Positive Orgasm, characterised by the exclamation, “Oh! Yes! Oh! Yes!” The Negative Orgasm, suggested by cries of, “Oh! No! Oh! No!” The Religious Orgasm, identified by exclamations such as “Jesus! God! Jesus!” and the Fake Orgasm, typified by the words, “Oh! Ashley!”
Dialogue in fiction serves three main functions:
· Dialogue advances plot.
· Dialogue demonstrates character.
· Dialogue shows relationships.
Dialogue is one of the main challenges that needs to be mastered for anyone wishing to write credible erotic fiction. Connoisseurs of pornography repeatedly complain of unconvincing conversations and asinine interjections spoiling the ambience of sexually explicit material. Editors of erotica frequently bemoan the monological exchanges typified by banal exclamatories in erotic scenes. No one expects the fictional participants of a sexually explicit encounter to exchange pithy views on Keats or Kierkegaard. Yet most readers would prefer characters who can say something more insightful than, “Yeah, baby,” or “Oh! No!” or even “Oh! Ashley!”
It’s worth noting here that the current vogue in writing stands against the overuse of speech tags and modifiers in dialogue. Whilst it is occasionally helpful to say, John complained; Jane asked; he stammered; or she exclaimed (etc), it is acknowledged that these verbs should be redundant if the dialogue has been well-crafted and is fulfilling its function correctly.
Consider the following:
Text 1
“What are you telling me?” John demanded.
Jane glared at him. “I’m telling you that it’s over,” she bawled.
“It’s-” he began.
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is,” she interrupted.
He shook his head. “I’m not making anything diff-”
She didn’t let him finish the words. “Goodbye, John,” she said finally.
Text 2
“What are you telling me?”
“I’m telling you that it’s over.”
“It’s-”
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”
“I’m not making anything diff-”
“Goodbye, John.”
The modifiers in Text 1 slow the pace of this exchange. In the first line, “What are you telling me?” John demanded, it can be argued that John demanded is redundant. John is asking an explicit question and these are not usually ‘whispered’ or ‘said huskily’ or ‘ muttered whimsically.’ The reader should be able to infer from the heated nature of this exchange’s opening that John is demanding an answer. Telling the reader this much borders on being too expository and writing beneath the readers’ abilities to understand the narrative.
Similarly, in lines 3 and 4, it can be seen that the modifiers are unnecessary.
“It’s-” he began.
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is,” she interrupted.
Because the reader will understand that John has been interrupted – a fact implied by his single word utterance, ending in an abrupt en-dash – there is little need to tell the reader that John has been interrupted. This over-explaining carries connotations of the annoying tautology found in exchanges such as:
“Why don’t you smile?” asked Jane, urging John to smile.
“I am smiling,” said John, smiling.
Perhaps the most intrusive redundancy in Text 1 is the last line.
She didn’t let him finish the words. “Goodbye, John,” she said finally.
All the previous arguments against overexposing the interruption can be applied to the first sentence in this line. John’s previous utterance finished halfway through a word and ended with an abrupt en-dash. Whatever Jane says after that is almost certainly an interruption.
The sentence could have effectively ended with Jane saying, “Goodbye, John.” The final three words, ‘she said finally’ are unnecessary and potentially confusing. We already know that Jane is saying these words so there is no need for the author to tell us ‘she said’ them. We also know that they have been spoken at the end of the exchange so there was no real need for the word ‘finally.’ In some ways this provides a dead-cat bounce: the initial impact of the statement being followed by an unneeded echo that does not offer the reader anything new and dilutes the finality of the original statement. This is the author being overly indulgent at the expense of the story and the characters. In this argument Jane should be given the last word but the author has taken that privilege away from her.
Having said all of the above, the conservative use of modifiers does help to ascertain the identity of the speaker. Modifiers can also convey additional meaning that is not explicitly or implicitly present in the reported speech. In line 2 of Text 1, the reader is shown that Jane glared at him. This is necessary information for providing story detail. Without this information the reader doesn’t know if Jane is avoiding eye-contact or fighting back tears of regret or shampooing her hair and considering a henna rinse. Because no one glares at people when they are joking (or doing anything other than being part of a confrontation) the single verb is giving the reader a lot of detail about the vitriolic nature of this exchange.
As with all matters in creating enjoyable fiction, the onus is on the writer to present a clear and unambiguous text for the readers’ interpretation and entertainment. And, as with all erotic fiction, the essential point is to keep thinking about the reader with every word that’s written.
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Call for Submission | ||||||
| Published: 15 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
Mini-Anthology eBooks GUIDELINES: Each mini-anthology of 10,000 words will include 2, 3 or 4 stories: That could be 4 stories of 2,500 words, 3 stories of 3,300 words or 2 stories of 5,000 words. Please keep as close to those word counts as you possibly can. This series is the ‘confessions’ series, so all submissions must be written in the first person and should hit the ground running with a jolly good plot! It needs to be really spicy from the kick-off so erotic content must be in the first two or three paragraphs – although not necessarily full blown sex. Unusual scenarios and settings will attract my attention too. There must be at least two sex scenes in the 5,000 word stories. Twosomes, threesomes, groups, spanking, BDSM, fetish, etc are all welcome subjects. Push the boat out with ideas. I would like more really kinky stuff for this new series. Unpublished works only please. Submission details at:  |
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Erotic Lure Newsletter: May/June 2012 | ||||||
| Published: 19 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
Dear Perverse Pagans, I know some of you might disavow any connection to paganism, but I’m writing this on April 30th – Beltane’s Eve or Walpurgis – and so my thoughts naturally turn to mystic bonfires, fertility rights, May poles (of various sorts) and rowan switches. Okay, I know you’re not interested in my dirty mind, but rather, in the dazzling array of erotic delights we’ve assembled for this month’s edition of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website. No, this is all about YOUR dirty mind! And believe me, we’ve got what you’re looking for. For a change of pace, let’s start in the Adult Movie section. John Stagliano’s massive opus “Fashionistas Safado” is now available in a special collectors’ edition – more than eight hours of stunning fetish fashion and edgy, intense S&M sex – and that doesn’t even include the outtakes. I’m starting my Christmas wish list early this year! For an updated (and adult-oriented) take on a classic Western plot, check out “Rawhide II: Dirty Deeds”, a tale of a stubborn ranch-owner determined to hold on to her land, the arrogant developer who’ll do anything in her considerable power to force a sale, and the mysterious drifter who’s the wild card in their deck. Also of note are “Last Tango”, a haunting, explicit revisiting of the Marlon Brando classic, and “Cabaret Desire”, featuring a bohemian cafe where men and woman can commission personalized erotic fantasies. In the smutty porn category, don’t miss the bizarre but arousing “Freak”, about a party girl who ends up in a coma after a night of debauchery and finds herself mentally reliving the increasingly extreme sexual encounters that led to her demise. I found many more films I wanted to showcase, but I can’t afford to dawdle in a single section for too long. (Why do you think they call Adrienne our web Mistress?) I’ll just quickly remind you to click through to our affiliates like DVD Empire, and Adam & Eve if you’re itching to acquire any of these gems for yourself. Get visual: From the movie pages, it seems only natural to slide over to the Sex Toy Playground. After all, toys and porn go together like peanut butter and jelly, love and marriage, whips and handcuffs… In this month’s edition, the experts at Good Vibrations provide a treatise on how to select a dildo from today’s many options (hint: their technique involves cucumbers!) Mr. and Mrs. Toy give thumbs up to the multi-speed, multi-pattern Mio vibrating cock ring. And, as usual, the Sex Toy Scuttlebutt offers a sampler of the best erotic devices available on the market, from the classic Hitachi Magic Wand to the innovative Intensity, an electro-stimulator device to strengthen the Kegel muscles (and induce mind-blowing orgasms). As usual, we’ve arranged discounts for ERWA visitors from all our partners, so you can get the very best implements of pleasure at the lowest possible prices. This month we welcome a new affiliate, UK-based Bondara. Accelerate your orgasms: Where to go next? Let’s circle back to the Erotica Gallery, where our guest author is the legendary Cecilia Tan, founder of Circlet Press and pioneer of the speculative erotica genre. Cecilia has provided three amazing stories as well as an incredible self-introduction. Would you believe she invented tentacle porn at the age of thirteen? Don’t miss her account of her sexual and literary journey. As usual, the Gallery also features great stories, flashers and poetry from members of the Storytime list. This month’s contributions range from outrageous raunch to harsh realism. Highly recommended! The mind is the ultimate erogenous zone: If you’re craving more erotic writing after touring the Gallery, come browse our Books for Sensual Readers. This month you’ll find a wide variety of anthologies, from Maxim Jakubowski’s mammoth collection of the best of the best new erotica to Kristina Wright’s LUSTFULLY EVER AFTER, erotic retellings of classic fairy tales. J.T. MacLeod’s single author collection WARRIORS AND WENCHES features tales of magic, mischief, danger and desire. Meanwhile OC Press presents RAG DOLL: A HORROTICA NOVEL by Mathew Klickstein. The author guarantees that most readers will be shocked by his sociopathic anti-hero and the various depraved activities the characters enjoy (or suffer). Given the stellar reputation of the publisher, I for one am willing to take the risk. Looking for erotic romance? Check out Cindy Spencer Pape’s IMMORTAL CRAVINGS series, featuring vampires, werewolves, demons, lion shifters and more, all eager to get it on with one another. In the gay erotica section, I was drawn to DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL, a multi-author collection about forbidden love in the military. And knowing Sacchi Green’s high editorial standards, I have to recommend GIRL FEVER: 69 STORIES OF SUDDEN SEX FOR LESBIANS. There’s more… but the Mistress is threatening me with her riding crop, so I’ll just mention that purchases made through our links are ERWA’s only source of support, and move on. Next stop is the Authors Resources pages. This month, Ashley Lister pens the final installment of his column “The Write Stuff” – “Visits from the Typo-Fairies”. Warning: don’t try to read this hilarious offering while drinking your coffee! And don’t be too disappointed about Master Lister’s departure. He’ll still be offering wise and witty authorial advice monthly on the ERWA blog. I continue my Naughy Bits series with my column “Did the Earth Move?” My topic is active content: forms, animations, videos, widgets and all that cool stuff that burns computer cycles. Want to know how it all works? Ask the Erotogeek! Have you ever clicked the link labeled “Writers’ Resources”, below the monthly columns? You find a long list of useful websites for authors, from blogs and how-to sites to specialized dictionaries. Well worth a bookmark! The Calls for Submission pages highlight dozens of current opportunities for you to sell your work. M.Christian’s looking for sexy spy stories for his Honeytrap anthology. Lucy Felthouse and Victoria Blisse are editing two collections, “Smut in the City” and “Smut by the Sea”, for the new House of Erotica imprint. Delilah Devlin’s looking for smoking hot fireman stories. Kristina Wright is editing a new collection of sexy erotic romance. And don’t miss the two open calls from the Coming Together altruistic erotica imprint: “Hungry for Love” – zombie erotica edited by Sommer Marsden to benefit the American Diabetes Foundation – and “In Vein” – vampire erotica to benefit Doctors Without Borders, edited by yours truly! Don’t be afraid to submit: Inside the Erotic Mind this month, our intrepid members talk about stuff that simultaneously turns you on and freaks you out. Care to share YOUR secret cravings? Just click on the Participate link. Nothing is forbidden inside the erotic mind: Our featured Wed Gem this month is Melange Books. Romance, sweet, sensual and erotic, westerns, science fiction, horror, contemporary, chic-lit, men’s fiction, women’s general fiction, action-adventure, speculative, drama, gay, lesbian, urban fantasy, paranormal, cross-genres, urban fantasy, mainstream fiction, and non-fiction. Also, on May 1, 2012, Melange’s new You Adult imprint, ‘Fire and Ice’ will go live! Well, I managed to make it through the site without being subjected to any of the Mistress’ discipline. Sigh. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time! Speaking of next time, the ERWA site and the Erotic Lure will be taking our traditional break in June. I’m off to my annual slave’s training camp. I’ll be back with a new Lure around the beginning of July, in traditional red, white and blue lingerie. Meanwhile, if you’re hungry for more hot, smart erotic content, check in regularly at the ERWA blog. I’ll be there, along with lots of your other favorite authors and columnists. Until then, I remain… Orgasmically yours, Visit Lisabet Sarai’s Fantasy Factory Write, learn, and play on ERWA email list. Details at:  |
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What It Means to be a Full-Time Writer | ||||||
| Published: 21 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
by Kristina Wright
Every month or so, I receive an email from an aspiring erotica writer. Often, they haven’t read anything I’ve ever written– they just Googled ‘erotica’ or ‘sex stories’ or something similar and up popped my blog, which is probably the least sexy blog ever written by an erotica writer. But they write to me anyway, inquiring about how they, too, can quit their day jobs and write erotica full-time. Or write anything full-time as one person told me: “I’d write anything if I could quit my job, erotica or science fiction or children’s books, whatever.” Which seems to me to be more about hating the current job than about a love for writing. And by “full-time” they mean make at least as much as they’re making at their current full-time job, if not more. I’m a bit boggled by these emails, coming as they from strangers not familiar with me or my work or even an idea about what it means to be a “full-time” writer. I’m equally boggled by the comments from friends and acquaintances alike (and sometimes strangers, too), who alternately joke about my “smut” writing or say things like, “I don’t want to get a real job when I retire. I want to be a writer.” Sigh… But I do know what they’re trying to say, I really do. What I do is not “real” to most people and I realize that. From the outside, what I do looks easy. Fun. Not work. Not effort. I try to explain the realities, but their eyes glaze over. Writing in and of itself is a very boring occupation to hear about. Writing is to other careers what golf is to sports. No one wants to hear about it, but from the outside it looks easy enough for anyone to do. What’s the big deal, right? You just write your fantasy or your dream from last night or an updated version of some story you read in high school. It’s as easy as hitting a little white ball into a little cup in the grass. How hard can that be, right? Until they attempt to do it. Then they’re looking for the magic backdoor into the world of being a full-time writer. The fun kind, of course.
I say I write full-time and I do, but it’s not 9-5 or 10-6 or Monday through Friday with weekends off. It’s when I can, as much as I can. It’s 11:30 AM until 4 or 5 PM, Monday through Thursday and sometimes 8 PM to midnight on those nights, too. It’s a few hours on Friday when my husband gets off work early and Saturday from the time the babies nap until Starbucks closes at 9:30 PM. It’s some Sundays when I’m under deadline, it’s even when I’m sick or tired or invited to go do something more fun. It’s staying up 3 AM writing a proposal on Thanksgiving morning when I have to get up at 7 AM to put the turkey in the oven. It’s thinking about and plotting stories when I wake up in the middle of the night, when I’m driving, when I’m playing with the two year old or putting the seven month old to bed. It’s cobbling anywhere from 30 to 50 hours a week from my schedule to do the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. That’s what writing “full-time” means to me. And sometimes I long for a regular schedule, normal hours, weekends and holidays off, not to mention a steady paycheck and vacation time and health benefits. Full-time writers don’t get any of that. Sometimes we don’t even get a royalty check– I’ve seen royalty statements with negative signs in front of the numbers on the bottom line. Has a non-writer ever seen one of those from their full-time job?
I don’t think my schedule is what people have in mind when they say they want to do what I do. Not most of them, anyway. They don’t want to hear about the hours, or about the sheer hard work that goes into writing. Or about the rejections that come for stories only I love. They don’t want to know that they might put in six months of hard work into a manuscript that will never see the light of day. I have several manuscripts like that. Books that taught me a lot about writing but will never be published, which means I will never make any money on them. That’s the other thing aspiring writers are most interested in, after the easy and fun work schedule– the money. They envision bucket loads of cash raining down on them from the New York publishing gods. The polite ones assume I make more money than I do, the rude ones ask me outright how much I make. The answer varies from, “Not much” to “Enough to keep me in coffee” to “I can’t complain” to “How much do you make?”
Here’s the harsh truth none of them want to hear or believe about their own future-fantasy writing career: precious few full-time writers are just writers. We are freelance copyeditors and proofreaders. We ghostwrite memoirs and write advertising copy for the local freebie newspaper. We do technical writing and text book editing. We are fact-checkers and researchers. We are librarians and bookstore managers. We are anthologists and bloggers and artists. We teach three sections of College Composition at the community college each semester and we teach Writing the Personal Narrative at the local literary center. We hold writing workshops in library meeting rooms and we review books for a dozen different magazines and websites. We design blogs and websites for other writers and creative types and we do lots of things that have no real name but are somehow writing-related. Sometimes we do many of these things in any given year– and we still don’t make enough money to buy a new car or take a proper vacation.
Aspiring writers don’t want to hear the harsh realities of the easy and fun job of hanging out at Starbucks all day. They want to be the next Stephen King or Suzanne Collins or E.L. James. They want to be famous. They want that Glamour Shots photo they had taken five years ago (or that photo of them on that yacht that one time in St. Thomas) to be on the back of a shiny hardcover book in the front of Barnes & Noble. They have already chosen their pseudonym, it’s a combination of their mother’s maiden name and their favorite Jane Austen character. They spent a lot of money on a shiny new MacBook Pro but so far the only thing they’ve written are Facebook status updates about their muse and how they love the writing life. Mostly, they play Solitaire and drink $4 espresso drinks and send vague query letters to agents about the book they’re going to write if the agent can get them a three-book deal. When they haven’t gotten a response (much less an offer of representation) from an agent within the week, they write Facebook status updates about how the publishing industry is a clique, a dinosaur, a closed door to talented newcomers. Then they play another round of Solitaire and tell themselves they need to self-publish like what’s-her-name who made all that money on Amazon writing those vampire stories. Except they never bother to learn the ins and outs of successful self-publishing and none of the writers they have emailed randomly will tell them the secrets of being full-time writers. They assume it’s because those writers are intimidated by someone more talented– they never assume those writers are too busy writing, editing, teaching, etc., to tell them the truth: the only way to be a full-time writer is to find a way to write full-time, even if you also have a full-time “real” job, even if you have kids and a house and a chronic illness and elderly in-laws and, and, and… The only way to be a writer is to write. That is not what they want to hear. So they write a shitty review on Amazon for a book they never read, write a Facebook status update about how author X is a hack and her book is illiterate trash, then they go back to playing Solitaire, smug in the knowledge that when they do finally get around to writing and self-publishing their book, they will have the last laugh.
Does that sound harsh? A hack smut writer in her ivory tower pooh-poohing the brilliant aspiring writers who only need a bit of advice and an introduction to my agent, editor or publisher in order to become The Next Big Thing that I can never hope to be? Yeah, you caught me. Sorry. God knows I make so much money and I’m so wildly successful that any question about how to obtain my fun and easy lifestyle is to be perceived as a threat and immediately condemned. My apologies. Let me make it up to you and buy you a coffee while you tell me about your muse. What’s her name again?
What do I tell those questioning souls who email me for advice? I tell them all the same thing and, oddly enough, not one of them has ever written me back to thank me. I guess I didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. But here is what I tell them: read a lot. Read everything. Read in the genre you want to write, yes, but also read outside of it. And write. For the love of all that is holy, write your ass off. Don’t write erotic romance because it’s the hot new (old) genre right now. Don’t write horror because you have a lifelong crush on Stephen King (I did and I do). Don’t write children’s books because they’re short and therefore must be easy to write. Write what you love to read. Write what inspires you and makes your heart go pitter-pat. Write the story you’re carrying around in your secret heart even if it doesn’t fit into any genre category. Write without thinking about the money, because the money might be years in coming if it comes at all. Hell, write without thinking about who might read what you’re writing. Write to please yourself. To turn yourself on. To scare yourself with how far off the deep end you’ve gone. Write with your real name at the top of the page, to remind you of who you are, not who you want other people to think you are. Forget about finding an agent or submitting your manuscript to a publisher until you actually have a manuscript to submit– a manuscript that has been written, edited and proofread, then read by a few trusted souls and edited again. A beautiful, as good as it can get manuscript that is representative of your very best work as a professional writer. Don’t have that yet? Then you’re not a writer.
There are countless books and magazines and blogs about How to Be a Writer and I encourage all aspiring writers to read and understand as much about the craft as they can. But at the end of the day, the only thing you have are the words you have written. And if you haven’t written any words, you are not a writer.
Oh, and one last thing: that word– aspiring? It’s bullshit. You either are a writer or you’re not. Which are you?
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Call for Submissions: The Honey Trap: Sexy, Seductive Spies | ||||||
| Published: 23 days ago [ submited by M.Christian ] | |||||||
Call for Submissions
The Honey Trap: Sexy, Seductive Spies
Editors: Essemoh Teepee & Genevieve Ash Publisher: Renaissance E-Books: Sizzler editions Audio Publisher: Alternatepress Limited: eSensual Books /Audible.co.uk Deadline: June 14th, 2012 (earlier submissions encouraged and preferred) Release: August 2012 They say that espionage is the world’s second oldest profession. Seduction has always played an important part in what spies do. How do you ‘turn’ someone, get them to work for you against their country, employer or friends? There can be many motives for becoming a spy, a double agent, or sharing commercial confidences. Fear or the desire for money, revenge and of course hard, sweaty, multi-orgasmic sex, are all powerful incentives for betrayal. The “honeytrap” is probably the oldest trick in that murky, clandestine world. The sexual seduction of a target; discovering their dirty little fantasy and giving it to them, then springing the trap shut; making them your unwilling, or perhaps willing slave! Who is the spy? What are they looking for in a recruit and why? Who is seducing whom? Let your imagination run wild and give us exotic locations, fascinating characters, a mix of genders and sexuality as well as intense sex. This is a perfect opportunity for glamorous people, surprise twists and all of the trappings of the world of the Spook. Or surprise us with something off the wall! All sub-genres welcome, we are looking for a balanced mix. We expect imaginative locations and set ups as well as strong character development. All heat levels welcome but we like it hot!
Deadline for Submissions: June 14th 2012. Rights: First world-wide exclusive e-Book Anthology to Renaissance e-books and exclusive world-wide Audio rights to Alternatepress Limited (eSensual Books) Payment: $25, paid on publication:
You will receive a confirmation of receipt within 3 days and notification of acceptance/rejection by July 14th  |
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Breaking Out of My Comfort Zone | ||||||
| Published: 23 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
I started out writing erotica on a dare. I had no idea about the market, what was being published, or what wasn’t… but once I’d written a short erotic story which got a very good reception, all that changed. I found that I’d really enjoyed writing the story, so I wanted to continue. What’s more, I wanted to get my work published. I started researching books and magazines, and continued to write naughty short stories.
 I was very lucky in that I got one of my first few short stories published in the now defunct Scarlet magazine. The buzz of publication was immense. It spurred me on to pen more smut, and soon afterwards I was fortunate enough to have a story accepted for publication by Xcite Books, in one of their anthologies. From there, I wrote and wrote. Through University and through a full time job (I’m now self-employed), I never stopped. But although my plots became more adventurous, the sex became quirkier, kinkier, and (hopefully) the quality of my work improved, one thing stayed the same. The length of my work. Granted, my average word count per story increased from two to four thousand words, and I even started creeping up towards twelve thousand words on occasion, but I was still firmly writing in the short story category.
Why? Because it became my comfort zone. I entertained vague ideas of novels, and stashed them away in the darkest corners of my brain to be brought out “one day,” but stuck with short stories. That is, until I was enticed out of my comfort zone, like a donkey with a carrot. I was asked if I would like to write a novella for a brand new range of books being put together by Xcite Books. I umm-ed and ahh-ed for a little while, then sent back a “yes please,” before I changed my mind. I knew that once I agreed to it, I wouldn’t back out.
Then I panicked. What would I write about? Did I have a plot detailed enough to sustain a novella length piece of work? Would it erotic enough? Romantic enough? Interesting enough? My panicking was irrelevant, of course, because I’d signed a contract and promised to deliver a manuscript by a certain date, so I could waste time worrying, or just start writing. So I did. And it was a huge learning curve for me. I actually drafted out a plan before I started, which I’d never done before.
Eventually, I finished it. My first novella. I read it, re-read it, tweaked it. Then I hit send and promptly panicked again in case the editor hated it. Thankfully, she didn’t. Other than a couple of minor changes, it was good to go. Woohoo! Then it was a waiting game until the release date… which was this month.
Yes, April brought the release of my first ever novella, as part of Xcite Books’ The Secret Library range of books. My novella is called Off the Shelf, and appears in the book entitled Silk Stockings. Here’s the blurb:
 At 35, travel writer Annalise is fed up with insensitive comments about being left on the shelf. It’s not as if she doesn’t want a man, but her busy career doesn’t leave her much time for relationships. Sexy liaisons with passing acquaintances give Annalise physical satisfaction, but she needs more than that. She wants a man who will satisfy her mind as well as her body. But where will she find someone like that? It seems Annalise may be in luck when a new member of staff starts working in the bookshop at the airport she regularly travels through. Damien appears to tick all the boxes; he’s gorgeous, funny and intelligent, and he shares Annalise’s love of books and travel.
The trouble is, Damien’s shy and Annalise is terrified of rejection. Can they overcome their fears and admit their feelings, or are they doomed to remain on the shelf?
You can check out an excerpt and the buy links here: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/the-secret-library-silk-stockings/
So, I eventually broke out of my short story comfort zone. Granted, my longest piece of writing since the novella has been twelve thousand words, but I broke out once, so I can do it again, right? ;)
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Call for Submissions | ||||||
| Published: 25 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
Coming Together: In Vein Do you love the undead? I’m seeking the crème de la crème of vampire-themed erotica and erotic romance for this charity anthology, to be published in December 2012 by Coming Together. It’s true that vampire erotica has been done to death, but I’m sure you can think “out of the coffin” and give me tales that are new and different. Originality, exceptional writing, and eroticism that goes beyond the physical will be my top criteria in selecting stories to include. I love diversity, so I encourage you to submit not only M/F but also M/M, F/F, transgender, any variety of ménage whatever your dirty little mind can dream up. Your vampires don’t have to follow Stoker’s rules. If you can make me believe in a sun-worshipping, garlic-chomping vampire, go for it! Classically, vampire fiction is considered to belong to the paranormal genre but you’re free to mix in other genres: BDSM, historical, science fiction, steampunk, humor, whatever inspires you. All proceeds from this anthology will go to support Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). Thus contributors will not receive any payment other than a copy of the anthology in ebook form and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference. MSF is an international humanitarian organization that provides independent, impartial medical assistance in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize. Oh, and if you want to see the outrageous cover Alessia Brio has designed for In Vein, just go to: Interested in contributing? Details at:  |
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Writhing Monsters | ||||||
| Published: 28 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
By Lisabet Sarai
I consider myself an equal-opportunity pornographer. I’m convinced that almost anything can be erotic, in the right context. During my decade as a published author, I’ve written stories from almost every gender perspective and sexual orientation. Obviously, there are certain stimuli and situations that push my personal buttons, but in my lifelong quest to comprehend and capture the essence of desire, I’m willing to consider the strangest of fetishes as possible inspirations. In my commissioned work for Custom Erotica Source, in particular (which I discussed a few months ago), I’ve been asked to eroticize scenarios that would not have originally struck me as sexually-charged. My own reactions as well as those of my clients suggest that I succeeded, at least to some extent.
In the last few days, though, I’ve stepped into new sexual territory, for me at least. I just penned my first tentacle porn story, in response to Nobilis Reed’s call for his charitable anthology Coming Together: Arm in Arm in Arm.
What’s tentacle porn? Just ask Wikipedia. Tentacle erotica originated in Japan, more than two centuries ago. The genre imagines the experiences of a human (usually a woman) sexually penetrated by a tentacled creature such as an octopus, squid, worm or extraterrestrial. Sometimes, though not always, tentacle porn stories include a non-consensual or horror element. Tentacle-sex was imported from Japan into American B-grade monster movies. In these lurid films, the victim often died, not from being rent asunder by the invading appendages of the horrific creature perpetrating the tentacle-fuck, but from the violence of her orgasm in response to the obscene pleasure.
My tentacle story, Fleshpot, has a male protagonist and takes place in modern times, though there are suggestions that his tentacled partner is of ancient and mysterious origin. True to the genre, the main character is both aroused and horrified by the tentacles that ensnare him and insinuate themselves into his various orifices. A jaded sex addict, he’s seeking new experiences in the exotic Orient. He gets more than he bargained for.
Why am I sharing all this with you? Well, for one thing, I’m pretty happy with my story. It’s atmospheric, dark and sexy, a little bit shocking (maybe more than a little, for some readers), and very perverse. I don’t know if Nobilis will accept it, but I love the notion of dedicating my dirtiest dreams to charity.
I also feel a special thrill because tentacle porn is so far beyond the pale of “acceptable” erotica. With elements of both non-consensuality and bestiality, it happily breaks the rules of most publishers. In fact, Nobilis produced an earlier collection of tentacle erotica, entitled Tentacle Dreams. Alas, this book was published by the recently closed Republica Press, one of the few book mongers brave enough (along with Freaky Fountain, also unfortunately closed) to take on erotica that deliberately violates taboos. I hope he finds another publisher, because I’d dearly love to read the anthology.
So writing this story, although great fun, was also a political act. I refuse to allow anyone else to tell me what I should find arousing. And although I hadn’t previously considered tentacle sex to be among my personal kinks, I’ve decided I wouldn’t necessarily kick an octopus out of bed.
I love Alessia Brio’s courage in being willing to bring this volume into the world. Not that I’m surprised. She has as little patience with censorship as I do – maybe less. The Coming Together Tabooty series, which was born out of frustration with Amazon’s ill-founded attack on incest and pseudo-incest titles, includes seriously sexy stories nobody else will publish, and – surprise, surprise – sales are brisk. And every time someone gets off on one of our taboo tales, a bit of cash goes to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, an organization that fights for the right of consenting adults to have whatever kind of sex they want.
So authors – if you want to strike a blow for sexual freedom while contributing to ocean conservation – if you’re curious as to whether you might find tentacles sexy – if you want to explore just how much you can make your characters squirm – you might consider writing a story for Nobilis’ collection.
I said that this tale was my first tentacle porn attempt, but I realized while reading Wikipedia that my H.P. Lovecraft parody “The Shadow over Desmoines” also features writhing appendages invading unsuspecting orifices. Indeed, Lovecraft is strongly associated with western tentacle erotica, though I doubt he was familiar with the Japanese origins of the genre. If you feel the urge to indulge in some tentacled eroticism, over the top but still, I think, arousing, check the story out.
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All About Pleasure: Beyond the “Wet Test” | ||||||
| Published: 31 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
The topic of how erotica is reviewed has actually been on my mind for a while, but I was inspired to write about it here at the ERWA blog after reading Lisabet Sarai’s post at her author blog on dealing with negative reviews, “You Are Not Your Book.” Lisabet makes some excellent points based on her experience as both an author and reviewer, and negative reviews are definitely a challenge for any writer.
However, over the years, I’ve noticed another aspect of the popular approach to reviewing erotica—the primacy of the “wet test,” or using personal arousal to evaluate the quality of a story. Go to any Amazon page for an erotic anthology, and you’ll see that a good portion of the reviewers makes a point to list their favorite stories. A few will also finger the stories they don’t like (pun intended). It’s almost as if someone passed out a template on “how to review erotica anthologies,” with a final exhortation: “Don’t forget to mention at least three stories that got you tingly/hard!”
For a while, I took enthusiastic recommendations to heart as the opinion of the erotic-reading public and would be sure to read the stories that were deemed the standouts for both market research and my own education in good writing. However, I quickly discovered that I did not always agree with the reviewer, that in fact my favorite stories would be completely different titles. (Although, in some cases, I did agree and was guided to some perennial favorites!)
So, you might ask, what’s the problem? People have different tastes in the kind of writing they like and the scenarios and dynamics that arouse them. One could see this standard pattern as a way for the reviewer to reassure the potential buyer that the book “works” as erotica, which is clearly the main reason one buys a book of sexually explicit stories. And yet, unless this buyer shares the reviewer’s particular hot buttons, the book might not “work” at all. Again, there’s nothing really wrong with this kind of review. I did a check of reviews for Best American Short Stories and found that those reviewers also feel compelled to list their favorite and least favorite stories as a way to validate their critical acumen. Maybe this is simply an inevitable way to evaluate a selection of stories by different authors.
And yet, part of me wishes that erotica would be viewed through many different lenses, not merely whether it arouses a reader. This might take a lot more analysis, or it might just involve viewing erotica as an experience which touches the reader emotionally, intellectually, and artistically as well as sexually. Erotica can inspire us to unzip and relieve our red-hot carnal lust on the spot. Or it can simmer in our imaginations for a while and invigorate our next lovemaking in a very unexpected way a few days later. An erotic story can also surprise us, make us sad or even angry, make us see love and sex in a new way, disturb us, show us a new side of our own desire. Certain stories can be sensual and erotic without having much sex in them at all. One of my favorite erotic stories–“Seduction” by Anonymous in Mitzi Szereto’s Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers–did not result in my yanking down my pants and diddling myself to a frenzy. But it did enthrall me with its formal daring, sharp humor, and brilliant insight into the sex appeal of Warren Beatty and the nature of celebrity in general. “Seduction” was a total turn-on for the social critic in me, and yet, like the narrator, I also found myself being drawn into Beatty’s magic web almost against my will.
But perhaps another reader might disagree with my opinion.
I’m not pretending that I have any right to instruct other people how to react to a book, but I think we’d all benefit if reviewers considered giving us a little more than just the titles they liked and the heat level of their response. With the advent of online booksellers, we all get to be critics, and I’m the last person to bemoan the breakdown of the literary industrial complex. However, it would be helpful to other readers and writers if reviewers gave more context for their opinions. Tell us why a story turns you on or intrigues you or disturbs you or lingers on after you put the book down. Treat erotica as a crafted tale as well as a masturbation aid. This would involve a little more time, but there are some great benefits to the reviewer as well. I’ve found that when I’ve delved deeper into why I like a story and why it turns me on, I’ve learned a lot about the workings of my imagination–to the benefit of my sex life and the quality of my writing.
Perhaps it is a far-fetched fantasy to think erotica could be considered and reviewed as literature in a sex-negative society, where anything that touches on sexuality is considered cheapened and base. But, hey, I have an imagination–and in that magical realm we all know anything is possible.
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Cycle Back, Move Forward | ||||||
| Published: 34 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
By: Craig J. Sorensen Easter Sunday 2012, and I rested. I’ve been working a lot lately and we’re still elbow deep in getting ready to move cross-country. But, little by little, I have found my way back into writing. In the last few weeks I worked on a short story for a submissions call. It was just a matter of sitting down to the story and finishing it. I could have done it Easter Sunday. The story was close to completion. I rested, and remembered Easter morning eight years ago. It was a beautiful morning. A glowing sunrise ignited the budding trees in orange. Eight years ago, I had committed myself to writing regularly by working on a story I had started to develop in my youth, and worked on over the years. I had committed to finish this novel by the end of 2004, and by Easter I was going strong. I wrote a scene that day that I still remember: Both the scene and the writing of it. Later that year, I finished the book, not erotica per se, though like most of the stories I write, there was erotic content. When it was done, I didn’t know where to go with it. It didn’t really fit the markets, and I was a total unknown as an author. Momentum carried, I continued to write with an eye to getting published, and a natural taste for exploring things erotic emerged. A quick acceptance of a twisted short story, and I found a home here, in erotica. One thing led to another: Numerous short stories published and challenges taken, meanwhile I continued to write longer works. Turns out, when it comes to getting published, I’ve had greater fortune with short works than novels. To be fair, I haven’t submitted much of my novel length work. There are a number of publishers out there, but so many of them want romance. I like romantic elements, but my longer stories don’t qualify as romance. There are indeed publishers who accept erotica without romance, but often with a different rider: fantasy, horror, cuckold, etc. I don’t fit there either. On the other hand, some publishers put out three titles a week. Click on the list of authors, and there are hundreds. I’m not a number. Still, when I look at it truthfully, my home is novels. I commit to the long novels. I love the act of intertwining multiple characters, love the devotion to editing the work, finding problems and fixing them. Improving, growing. I’ve been married thirty-one years, and my last day job lasted twenty-six. Getting my short stories published over the last few years has brought me great joy. There is a more immediate satisfaction, and maybe there is a safety net in sharing the table of contents with talented authors and editors like Ashley Lister, Donna George Storey, Jean Roberta, Kathleen Bradean, Kristina Wright, Lisabet Sarai, Lucy Felthouse, M. Christian, Remittance Girl and others. I’m sure I will continue to write short stories from time to time, but what I accepted on Easter morning is that I am a novelist at heart, even if it is hard for me to find a publisher that I feel excited about, and who feels strongly about what I write. Between that Easter 2004 and Easter 2012, I have learned so much about writing. In the end, that book I finished back then wasn’t ready for publication, and so I’m glad I’ve taken the path that I did. I still feel passionate about the story and the characters from that book, so, for now, I’m going back to it, while I continue to look for a home for an erotic novel I finished in 2011, another novel I had worked on for years. Two books that don’t seem to fit the current markets. Seems that is one thing I do consistently. Somewhere down the road, I will find homes for my books, and I hope I’ll find a readership. Until then, I write. For now, I’ll write them long.  |
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Call for Submissions | ||||||
| Published: 35 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
Pay for Play Homoerotic writer R. Talent is proud to announce that he has just gotten the green light to edit his first anthology project that centers on the theme of men that pay other men for sexual favors. Be creative. This is all that is being asked. This editor truly strives to create a beautifully erotic collection of short stories where just about anybody and everybody feel free to fall into their unexplored fantasies for just the right price—by whatever means you chose to pay for play. Guideline and submission details at:  |
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Call for Submissions | ||||||
| Published: 36 days ago [ submited by Adrienne ] | |||||||
xoxo: Sweet and Sexy Erotic Romance For xoxo: Sweet and Sexy Erotic Romance, I’m looking for stories 1200-1500 words that are sweet, sexy and short. I will consider up to three stories per author. The collection will be primarily heterosexual with a female audience in mind. Bisexual or lesbian encounters are welcome. Sweet and sexy doesn’t mean your stories can’t be kinky, too. I’m looking for a variety of flavors from vanilla to rainbow swirl! The usual taboos apply: no incest, nonconsensual sex, bestiality or underage characters. Guidelines and submission details at:  |
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The Voices of Others: Genders, Sexualities and Beyond | ||||||
| Published: 36 days ago [ submited by ] | |||||||
There are some very divergent schools of thought when it comes to the subject of writing in a gender or a sexual orientation other than your own. Let me paint out the arguments: 1) Don’t do it. Follow the old advice: “write what you know”. 2) Heck, you’re a writer. You can write whatever you feel like. 3) Don’t appropriate the voices of others. Let them speak for themselves. 4) If you are going to do this, do it with respect and a lot of research. I’m going to discount the first one. If we only ever ‘wrote what we knew’, there’d never be any sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, horror, etc. I don’t know about you, but my life is pretty staid and it that’s all I wrote about, it would bore people to death. The second argument has value from an anti-censorship perspective, but doesn’t address issues of quality in writing or social justice. Of course you can write whatever you want: it just may not be any good. The third argument is a complicated one and deserves some explanation. With the rise of critical theory in the late 70s, smart people started asking whether it wasn’t just another form of oppression to appropriate the voices of social and cultural minorities for intellectual gratification. Feminists argued that men had put words into women’s mouths for far to long already, and should stop it. They pointed to canonical texts: Dickens, Shakespeare, Chaucer, etc. in which women and their motivations were represented in very flawed manners because these people weren’t women – they had no real understanding of what it meant to be a woman or experience the world through a woman’s eyes. Similarly, the Post-Colonialists pointed to writers like Kipling – white Englishmen – who put words into the mouths of other members of cultures and races while having little or no understanding of what it means to live under colonial rule. Intellectuals like Edward Said argued that the West had sexualized and fetishized ‘The Orient’, using non-European characters as stereotyped puppets with which to play out their own unrealistic fantasies of a life unfettered by Christian guilt. Many Queer scholars felt similarly: for far too long, straight writers had stereotyped, misrepresented and even defamed gay, lesbian or bisexual characters to perpetuate mainstream prejudices against homosexuality. Or simply used them as a vehicle with which to dishonestly explore their own repressed same-sex leanings. This third argument has some real meat. Women, gays and lesbians, and people of other races and religions HAVE been horribly misrepresented in a lot of fiction in the past. I would argue that it’s still happening, especially in film and television. But at the core of this argument against ‘appropriating’ voices is the belief that we, as humans, do not have the flexibility of mind to adequately imagine what it must be like to be the opposite sex, the other sexual orientation, or wear another’s skin. It says: we cannot walk in each other’s shoes enough to write the voices of ‘others’ convincingly and fairly. This is why, ultimately, I come down on the side of argument number four. As a writer, I have to believe that, with enough intimate knowledge, research and respect, I CAN know what it is like to see through the eyes of another, to feel through their skin.. because, if I can’t, then all the fiction I write that is not autobiographical is illegitimate. I cannot write with the voice of, say, an African American gay man without considerable effort. I can’t rely on gut instincts or assumptions about what it might be like to grow up as black and gay. I have to enter this territory with an initial acknowledgement that I lack fundamental experience of what that life is like. But I can find out. I can ask. I can research and explore and learn and use that learning to write something approaching legitimacy. My argument stems from the fact that it is not safe to assume I know what any other straight, white female’s life is like, either. Some of our experiences might have commonalities, but there will be a tremendous amount of divergence between the lives of ANY two people. And so, my advice is really very simple: never write ‘types’. Never start your story with, for instance, a character that is ‘a lesbian woman in her early 30s’. Base your characters on individuals you have known and known well. Look at their personalities as a whole – not just their ‘Queerness’, their ‘Islamicness’ or their ‘Maleness’. People are more than just their gender or race or sexuality. In fact, it may be that the part of them that makes them different from you plays a surprisingly small part in the way they define themselves. This is the basic advice that is given for character development for any kind of fiction, but when it comes to writing the other, we often forget it. We rely on generalizations, classifications, and information chunking when we venture into the unfamiliar. It’s a basic human instinct to do it and, on a daily basis, it makes life navigable. But when you write in the voice of the ‘other’, more is expected of you. The ‘other’ should never really be the ‘other’; they should be an individual first, with a name, a body and a fully fleshed identity, before their ‘otherness’ even begins to play a part in your understanding of the character.  |
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Confessions Of A Literary Streetwalker: Self Or Not? | ||||||
| Published: 40 days ago [ submited by M.Christian ] | |||||||
Before I begin, a bit of disclosure: While the following hasbeen written in an attempt to be professionally and personally non-biased I aman Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books.
Now, with that out of the way…
So, should you stay with the traditional model of workingwith a publisher or go the self-publishing route?
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking – a lot — aboutthis. The arguments for steppingout on your own are certainly alluring, to put it mildly: being able to keepevery dime you make – instead of being paid a royalty – and having total andcomplete control of your work being the big two.
But after putting on my thinking cap – ponder, ponder, ponder — I’ve come to a few conclusions that aregoing to keep me and my work with publishers for quite some time.
As always, take what I’m going to say there with a heftydose of sodium chloride: what works forme … well, works for me and maybe not you.
Being on both sidesof the publishing fence – as a writer, editor, and now publisher (even as aAssociate Publisher) — has given me a pretty unique view of the world of notjust writing books, working to get them out into the world, but also a pretty goodglimpse at the clockwork mechanisms than run the whole shebang.
For example, there’s been a long tradition of writers if notactively hating then loudly grumbling about their publishers. You name it and writers will bitchabout it: the covers, the publicity (or lack of), royalties … adinfinitum. Okay, I have to admitmore than a few grouches have been mine but with (and I really hate to saythis) age has come a change in my perspective. No, I don’t think publishers should begiven carte blanch to do with as theyplease and, absolutely, I think that writers should always have the freedom tospeak up if things are not to their liking, but that also doesn’t mean thatpublisher’s are hand-wringing villains cackling at taking advantage of poor,unfortunate authors.
It took finding a good publisher to change my mind … thatand seeing the business from the other side. While there are a lot of things that separate a goodpublisher from a poor one the most important one is that a good – and maybeeven great – publisher understands the business.
Case in point: authors love to bitch about their covers –but a publisher that takes the time to look at what is selling, what isn’tselling, what distributors will and won’t accept, and creates a coveraccordingly is actually doing the author a service. Yes, the cover may not be an accurate scene from the book,but it – if it works — should tease and tantalize enough to get people to buyit. By the way, since this issupposed to be about publisher versus self-publishing keep in mind that youwould not know what sells and what doesn’t – by the way, the amazon bestsellers list is not a good indication – and so will be operating pretty much inthe dark.
Authors often work from ego – and there is nothing wrongwith that – but far too often what they want, and what will actually sell, arepolar opposites. They want to seetheir work like books they admire … but they also may be completely ignorantof the fact that while those books look nice they simply don’t leap off theshelves.
Being in the trenches of publishing, looking at the numbersmyself, is very sobering. Justtake social networking. For peoplein self-publishing it’s the end-all, be-all — you can’t succeed, they say,without it. But while exposure isimportant, many of your FaceBook friends will not buy your book. The people who will buy your book arelooking for erotica they will enjoy – and if your cover, your marketing, your whatever,doesn’t speak their language then they simply won’t cough up the bucks. It’s a sobering though that manybestselling erotica books are written by authors who don’t play the socialnetworking game … at all.
Yes, when you self publish you have complete and totalcontrol – but that also means you have no access to a publisher’s experience:you will have to do everything from scratch, from learning how to get your bookon amazon, iTunes, etc. to dealing with cover art specs and ebookformatting. Sure, when youself-publish you keep every dime – but you could very well spend it and more intime doing what a publisher does.
And marketing … I totally agree that publishers should domore of it, but publishers have never been good at that, even before the ebookrevolution. But even a littlepublicity from a publisher can work wonders: many authors are discovered notvia advertising or marketing but because their book was put out by a publisher whosecatalog had a best seller in it.
If you self-publish then you are a single voice yelling asloud as you can – and these days there are a lot of single voices yelling asloud as they can – and against this din a lot of readers, and reviewers, areturning a bit deaf. It may be hardto hear but being with a publisher still carries a lot of weight when it comesto getting noticed.
Sure, if you’re a huge author then going theself-publishing route may make a lot of sense, but think of it this way: hugeor not, with a publisher your mailing list, fans, and miscellaneous contacts willnot be the only way people will hear about you and your book – and the cost ofgetting more would probably be the same as the bucks a publisher would take.
In the end, though, the decision is yours. If I could leave you with anything,though, is that while there are many publishers out there worthy of scorn thereactually are many that not only know what they are doing – though experienceand observation – and who can do a lot for you. Often their advice may be hard to take, but if you trustthem they can be a great help – and perhaps the difference between writing abook that doesn’t sell … and one that does.
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