A tricky problem. Could use some help.

[Druin]

Hello. As my Subject says, I have (what I perceive to be) a tricky problem. As of right now, I am not an erotic author, and hardly an amatuer author at all. But I have recently found out that my girlfriend finds it incredibly erotic for me to listen to her fantasies and then create a story of that fantasy for her, which leads to one problem. Her fantasy's are generally pornographic in that there isn't really background or story, just the sex, but I want to keep the stories erotic. By this, I am refering to how pornography is devoid of emotion and sensuality (although, I do enjoy it every once and again *ahem*).
As I have said, my goal is to take a pornographic scenario and make it into an erotic story while staying within the bounds of the fantasy. Of course, I have the artistic freedom to add whatever I want, but I want the majority of the writing to be the actual "sex scene" for lack of a better term. What I am looking for from you is pointers on how this may be done (and I have already familiarized myself with the writers resources here at Literotica) and possibly someone to critique a story or two, just to set me off on the right path. I'd also like to add that I find this incredibly enjoyable, and if I feel that I do it well, I may begin writing erotic fiction. Any help or feedback is appreciated.

Thanks so much.

 

[Dirt Man]

If only every first time writer asked this..

I often wonder how much more prepared for the actual art of writing a prospective author would be if they only asked what you just asked before setting down one word to paper. Not that the answer is easy to give, nor limited in the answering of it by any one person. So expect more than just my reply to this.

For one thing, if you want to get into the erotic short story genre that is portrayed here at lit you need to read some of them, and any of the better works that you may be able to find published out in the mainstream of the world. One great author here that I can think of right off the top of my head is Killermuffin. There are many more, but for now I'd just say read all of her posted stories here first. There is no doubt amongst her peers that she is indeed a fantastic author by any standards, or any genre. Plus her approach to writing is very professional, and that's what you need to see before you get started on your own. Another good thing to read is good fiction, IE books, or novels that are well writen for the general pubic, and yes that would include; "Moby Dick." As I said there are many others here equally well written, and you will get to them in due time.

For the second thing, you'll need to learn how to "Show," and not "Tell" once you do start writing your own stories. I say this now so that when you read Killermuffin's work you'll see that she does indeed show and not tell her stories, and this brings the reader right along with you once you get started. Something ever author who publishes, even if just here at literotica must succeed in, is bringing the reader along with them, or why even bother to publish in the first place. Erotica at its finest, or even good porn is as well written as anything you might find on any best seller's list. And this is what every author should strive for.

Thirdly; Always use your spell and grammar checker once you've completed your work. Then reread it once again so that the proper words haven't been substituted with a similar word during the spell, and grammar check.

I'll stop here as that is a lot to keep you busy to start with. I'll only add: "Know your audience," before closing as that too is something every new author must take into consideration before setting one word to paper. You'll notice that when you get to killermuffin's profile page where her stories are located that she has written in more than just one catagory of erotica here at lit. Each story of course caters to that kind of audience, so keep that in mind when you read her stories.

As Always
I Am the
Dirt Man

 

[snooper]

How to find a volunteer editor ...

... and possibly someone to critique a story or two, ...

Click here and pick the one, or ones, which best suit your needs. They are supposed to reply in 72 hours.

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

"There are nine-and-sixty ways
of composing tribal lays
and evry single one of them is RIGHT."
(Joseph Rudyard Kipling)
This isn't *the* way to turn a sexy scene into a sexy
story, it is *one* way to do so.
You start with the sexy scene which involves two, maybe
more characters. So, you take each character and ask
"Why would (s)he act like this? What is the background
for that action?" Of course, you might need the background
for the couple *as a couple*, as well.
So you don't start with Mary meeting John and at the
department store and deciding to boff him on the display
bed; you start your story with a much younger Mary's
unrequited crush on Paul. John looks so much like Paul,
and the bed in the department store looks so like the bed
Paul used to share with Susan when Mary baby-sat for them.
Describe the adolescent's fantasies about that couple in
that bed. Then when the adult Mary sees a duplicate for Paul *and* a duplicate for the bed, her reaction is credible.

 

[TheEarl]

Just my two pence

Find a story first if you can. Don't write the sex and try and bend the story to fit it, you'll end up with something stilted. Try and work out what your story is first and you'll find it a hell of a lot easier. Think about who your characters are and try and link some of the sex in with the backstory.

I completely agree with DirtMan, the only real way to learn is to read lots and lots. Good effort for reading the Writer's Resources already, now go and find stories on Lit. Find the ones in the section which you want to write in and see what makes them tick. There is a hell of a lot of dross on here, but there'll always be someone you can learn from.

Most of my thoughts on these things are in my Writer's Resources articles, but one last thought: Try and get into the heads of your characters. You'll know exactly what they're doing and why they're doing it and if you can put some of that onto the page, then the reader ill warm to them. 3D characters are sexy.

If you need an editor, then I volunteer, although I can't promise I'll be speedy. RL does tend to interfere.

Welcome to Lit.

The Earl

 

[Gary Chambers]

Dirt Man and Uther have given sound advice, and I just have a couple of things to add.

The line between porn and erotica is very subjective and vague. By definition porn is about human sexual prostitution; erotica is about human sexual love. It's admirable to want to reflect the woman you love as a fine and decent person, but the truth is, inside every woman there's a glorious slut. You may see an angel but that angel doesn't need to be glorfied. She already has her wings. It's the slut who needs your compassion and empathy. It's the slut who wants to share carnal fantasies with you and with others. Don't reject or undervalue the slut, because she lives within the angel. They are one in the same; two sides of a coin.

Woody Allen said: "Sex is dirty, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

The other point has to do with axioms like "show don't tell". Yes, it's good advice, but Uther is also right when he says there is no single right way to do this. Those axioms come from folks like the how-to authors at Writer's Digest magazine, all of whom can be a complete pain in the ass at times. Show as much as you can, but if telling works in some places, it can be valid too. The same goes for all the other rules you may hear.

Welcome and good luck.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

The previous posters have all ofered sound advice, I only have a little to add.

From a woman's point of view, the difference in erotica and porn can often come down to emotional attachement to the characters. A basic stroke story can become a lot more if you take the time to let me in on the characters feelings, thoughs, emotions. (Oh my god, that feels wonderful, don't stop! doesn't count)

Taking the time to build the characters a bit will make it a lot more engrossing. Suzy Q and Dirk Handsome fucking like bunnies in the back seat of his toyota can be a hot scene. If I know Suzy is 38, married, a mother of two who grew up in a very traditional small town and always envied the girls who went down to cherry hill and made out in the back of a car with their boyfreinds while Suzy was a "good girl" and never did, it adds a lot to the scene before either character removes a stitch of clothing.

If Dirk is 22, her son's best freind at college, looks a lot like her high school sweetheart it adds more. If she is unsure, nervous, starting each time headlights shine into the rear window then you are building a scene that's hot for reasons beyond the technical excellence of your descriptions of the pyhsical.

So much of what is hot is tied up in a persons mind, their perceptions, experience, secret fantasies. If you can tap into those your stories will be a hit even if you are new and your descriptions of skin on skin contact are a bit tenative or awkward.

-Colly

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I'm not sure if I understand your question. You mean your girlfriend tells you sexual fantasies and you want to know how to turn them into stories?

I'm of the opinion that every sexual act already is a story. It has all the elements of a drama already built in to it: character, setting, development, climax, and resolution. There's conflict, complex psychology, physical action, and revelation of character. So I don't see anything wrong with writing a stand-alone sexual fantasy, and basically, that's what I write.

Sometimes an extrinsic plot will suggest itself to make things interesting, but very often my story is just about a person falling into a remarkable sexual situation and exploring what happens to them during their experience. That's story enough for me.

---dr.M.

 

[shereads]

Yep. Hard Boiled Dick is an excellent example. The meat of the story is...I'm sorry, I meant that the story is a juicy...Oops. What I meant to say is that Dr. Mabeuse's Hard Boiled Dick is a prime example of...

Hell. It's a sexy story with just enough glue to provide a motivation for the whippin' and spankin' and stuff. She may or may not have killed the dick's partner! She's asking for it.

That one leapt to mind as Hard Boiled Dick so often does, because it was the first story I read at Literotica that convinced me that dirty stories could be fun in more ways than one. Which I guess means there's more to it than just the sex.