http://www.slate.com/id/2256007

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For me, it’s character names. I have a small list of names, mostly from family, that I find I just can’t use in an erotic story for the main characters. For a minor one it might work, but I haven’t tried that yet. But I find I can’t use my kids’ names, my parents’ names, etc. Which makes it interesting when looking for character names.

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I’m the first one to admit that I don’t use a lot of words common in erotic fiction, especially those that describe male and female body parts. Anyone reading my stories looking for words like cock, pussy, prick, snatch, and fuck are going to end up disappointed.

I have nothing against these words per se. Words are words and different authors need different ones for their stories. I’ve read plenty of stories with those words and I’m not offended or turned off or anything else. It’s just not the way I write.

My erotica is romantic in nature, and I find that the usual words as cited above tend to be too crude for what I want. Again — nothing wrong with the words themselves. It may be an odd comparison, but much as some horror writers imply what’s happening off page instead of spelling it out, I hope that by not giving  a microscopic description of a sex scene, the readers can take what they want from it. I gather it works, as many readers have told me my scenes are effective.

“More,” he said again, and this time moved his hands to slide her slacks off. Lani was gasping as he dragged his fingers along her legs, teasing her by slowing down as he moved closer to her center. She wanted for him to touch her, or to be able to touch him, but he had her half-pinned with her body and seemed content to have her there.

“Dom, please,” she whispered, amazed she could even form a word. He teased her a few moments more until she couldn’t stand it and grabbed his wrist to move his hand up. They both groaned as he touched her, she in relief and he at the heat. She released his hand as he slid his fingers into the wetness, stroking and thrusting to drive her to a peak.

“Let me,” he heard her say. He was so lost in the feel and scent of her that he hadn’t heard her the first time. “Please, let me touch you.” Her hands wandered along his sides and over his back and he hissed out a breath.

Dom shook his head, brushing his lips against hers. “Next time,” he promised, pressing his lips to hers, and then to her neck and shoulder. “Go on,” he said, “I’ve got you.” He whispered more to her and was rewarded when she cried out and shook beneath him. His hand moved steadily, keeping her on the edge until she tumbled over. At last he stopped and held her, letting her calm down.

(from Nothing Gets Through)

I’m a romantic at heart, and I suppose that’s where this comes from. I think, to me, it’s the chemistry between characters that helps make a scene erotic. Sure, a scene between two people who just a want quickie with no strings can be well written and arousing, but to me, something will be missing. Since I concentrate more on the emotion and less on the physical in my scenes, I find I don’t need or use a lot of description of body parts. I think that’s consistent for me as well, given how fuzzy and vague my descriptions of people and places tend to be anyway.

So I suppose what I’m doing is not exactly euphemism (which brings to mind phrases like “her soft petals enveloped his hard stalk” — or am I straying into metaphor territory?). I’m not sure if there’s a term. I’m leaving hints, I’m strongly implying — whatever works. Because isn’t the mind the best erogenous zone anyway?

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The following words are written in my preferred style:

1) girlfriend, boyfriend

2) best friend

3) half sister, half brother (yep, I read incest stories)

4) stepmother, stepfather

5) makeup

6) miniskirt

7) knee socks

8.  high heel shoes

9) floodgates (you’d be surprised how often this word appears in erotic stories)

10) telltale

11) collarbone

12) rib cage

13) bull’s eye

14) goosebumps

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Perhaps I’m looking for a bit too much realism, but I find that descriptions like this make a story unintentionally humorous as opposed to arousing or exciting. I read a description of a petite woman with a chest larger than Dolly Parton’s and all I can think is: “Wow, her back must hurt a lot.” Or a guy is ridiculously endowed and I think: “Ouch.”

I admit that in my writing, I shy away from such descriptions in general. Sometimes I feel I’m lucky to specify hair and eye color. I don’t know why, but I have a hard time describing physical features and so I’ve decided to leave it up to the reader. I don’t mind if other writers given more detailed descriptions; it’s nice to have a good visual, after all. It’s just not something I’m good at, so I try to find ways around it.

But women with chests in the DDs or bigger? Men who must need extra large undies to contain themselves? And let’s not even get into the women who want to do nothing but give their men blow jobs and have the end result for lunch. (There doesn’t seem to be a male equivalent of that.)

So I guess I’m wondering how much realisim people like in their erotica/porn. I find it much easier to get involved — and turned on — if the characters are believably built, and (as I read in one story) a GGG chest just isn’t believable. Nor is a foot-long dick, as I’ve read in various places that well, most of it just won’t fit, no matter how acrobatic you are. I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but somehow I find it easier to believe in flying carpets than beach-ball breasts.

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Dear Writers,

I present to you my editing Bible.  It’s called Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print by Renni Browne and Dave King.

I can’t urge you enough to go out and buy this book.  It’s sublime.  If you don’t believe me, please go check out the reader comments on Amazon.com. They’re all stellar.  

This book is great because it is written by two experienced professional editors who know what they’re talking about and they do it in a way that is easy to read and packed with useful examples and checklists. 

“What we’re going to teach you is the craft of editing. The mechanics of scene building, dialogue, point of view, interior monologue, the tricks to striking the most effective balance between narrative summary and immediate scenes; the ways to convey your characters without getting in your readers’ faces; the techniques whose adoption stamp your manuscript as the work of a professional instead of an amateur.”  -Browne & King

I would love nothing more than for every writer who sends me a manuscript to read this book first and edit their own work before sending it my way.  It would certainly make my job as editor at Republica Press much easier and it would allow me to publish more books in a shorter time.  

I love all my dear authors, but I would love you even more if you bought this book and did exactly as the writers advise you to do. It may even help you to get published into one of those old fashioned print books if that is something you desire.  Although I can’t for the life of me understand why.

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The exclamation ‘Publish and Be Damned’ was first attributed to the Duke of Wellington who is said to have exclaimed it when the courtesan Harriette Wilson, his lover, threatened to publish her memoirs and his letters

Publish and Be Damned is a group blog for erotica writers to get together and discuss their work, how they write and what inspires them. We will be posting monthly discussions on a broad range of topics surrounding erotica.

Each of the writers participating in this virtual writer’s group has written and published a wide variety of erotica – from fantasy and paranormal, to sci-fi and romantica. We hope that the broad scope of our experiences will make for lively debate and entertaining reading.

Whether you are a reader or a writer, please feel free to join in the discussion through the comments and let us know what you think.

The first discussion – and a way for each of the writers to introduce themselves – is: The First Bite of the Fruit: What was the first piece of erotic fiction you ever read, and how did you start writing it?

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