I guess all sorts come by this blog; some to read and explore, others a quick dip and I assume a few find themselves here by mistake. I don’t know. I only see stats. However, I expect there are few out there who are interested in writing, perhaps writing erotica, maybe kinky things.
Here are a few helpful books if you are interested in finding out more about what’s involved. I wish they’d been about when I first started, as they’re useful and I’ve applied them in retrospect. Some aspects of writing I do well, others not so well, but writing is a learning curve and it is endless. There is no perfect endpoint or final achievement and I’ve always taken whatever help I can get to push me along my curve.
Cara Bristol had a wonderful list of naughty words on her blog and she sensibly decided to publish this useful thesaurus as Naughty Words for Nice Writers. The various lists cover off the old, new, lewd and biological. You can guess what kind of lists I’m talking about. There is also one for all spanking terms, various descriptions of the bottom and other sexy things plus general advice about writing sex scenes.
After I had written a few BDSM erotica books, I came across Charley Ferrer’s BDSM for Writers. Perhaps too late for me, but I took a look and was pleased to find I mirrored many of the author’s viewpoints.The book is a good guide for a writer who has little experience of BDSM but wants to understand all the labels, lifestyles, fetishism and behaviours that go behind the broad definition. Of course there is no one type of BDSM, but a multitude of ideas. This book gives you one person’s perspective, which is a good starting point if you fancy delving into writing kink. There are checklists, scenarios and help with terminology – like what is a Top/bottom, hard limits, equipment etc. It won’t tell you how to eroticise BDSM or how to create storylines or plots – that’s down to the writer. It’s purely a guide on how to portray BDSM sensibly and safely.
Writing your first book is a wonderful adventure, getting it published is a different one altogether. However, as you’re writing, you need to avoid the worst pitfalls and mistakes a novice might make, quite unintentionally. We all do them, learn and move on. Faith’s book – Avoid Writer’s Hell: Publishing Flame Repellants – is useful not just for erotic writers, but all kinds. The x-rated version I’ve linked below includes advice on writing sex, unlike the vanilla version of the book. If you’re wondering what an editor might pick up on when reviewing your submitted book, this will give you an insight and help to avoid the common errors of a new author. Easy to read and based on Faith’s own experiences, it is an excellent addition to your library.
How to Write – Erotic Ficion and Sex Scenes by Ashley Lister – this is a fantastic book for those starting out and even if you’re not planning to write erotica, some of the general writing advice provided is relevant. Since Ashley, who I’ve had the pleasure to meet in person and hear some of his delightful erotic poetry, comes from an academic background, and in keeping with this, the book suggests useful little exercises to try out. I have to admit a few of them I’ve done already, such as switching POV from first to third, or back again, then around again, and so on. The book is nicely laid out, is concise and gives good examples and interesting quotes. He covers how to write about the senses, figurative language, plot development and preparing for publication, amongst other titbits. The sex element is just one part of this book and there is lots of other good advice wrapped around it.
Hi Jaye, these look like fantastic resources for both experienced and new authors. I had seen Cara’s book on her blog.
Hugs
Roz
Hi Jaye, great titles, I like the title of the first one a lot, sounds naughty. 🙂 And even though I am not an author I like doing exercises like changing the point of view, so Ashley Lister’s book sounds great too.
hugs
Nina