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You're saying you're Erica Jong?
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dr_mabeuse
seduce the mind
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- Oct 10, 2002
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Writing good arousing porn is discipline to itself, and not all authors can do it. In fact, there's some award they give out these days for the most awkwardly written erotic scene in a mainstream novel, and it's kind of surprising how bad some of this writing is.
Since I've been writing porn, I've started keeping my eyes open for erotic scenes in mainstream books, and I've yet to see anything I admired. Most good, literary writers aren't really interesting in sexually arousing their readers. They're more interested in the human meaning of sex, and that's the way they approach it.
I'm pretty sure than if Faulkner were writing porn, it would still come out like Faulkner. He'd rate about a 2 on Lit, a little higher if he concentrated on mother-son incest, a lot less if he were working in the Loving Wives category.
---dr.M.
Since I've been writing porn, I've started keeping my eyes open for erotic scenes in mainstream books, and I've yet to see anything I admired. Most good, literary writers aren't really interesting in sexually arousing their readers. They're more interested in the human meaning of sex, and that's the way they approach it.
I'm pretty sure than if Faulkner were writing porn, it would still come out like Faulkner. He'd rate about a 2 on Lit, a little higher if he concentrated on mother-son incest, a lot less if he were working in the Loving Wives category.
---dr.M.
BlackShanglan
Silver-Tongued Papist
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- Jul 7, 2004
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Sub Joe said:
Just so long as you don't interrupt me back here with Mercutio ... damn that man is entertaining.
Shanglan
BlackShanglan
Silver-Tongued Papist
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On a more serious level ...
The two works of my own that I thought I leaned most "literary" on got a mixed reception. One is my worst-rated story, although not utterly panned - although that may also be due to the lack of an actual "sex scene" per se. The other started low and has greatly surprised me by building recently to quite a respectable rating and touching first or second place in its category. That second one is also set in a different time period and attempts to present itself, in terms of voice and vocabularly, in a style reasonably suited to that period.
I suppose that that's really just a roundabout way of saying "there is no accounting for some people's tastes." But for what it's worth - with the exception of one piece for which I rather suspect troll bombs, I think my stories' ratings generally reflect their quality, despite the fact that I don't concentrate on the porn end of things. In fact, the ones that are most sex scene intensive are actually some of the lowest rated, as they rightly should be - not for the sex, but because they were early efforts and were just not written as well. On the whole I am encouraged, however; if there are people out there willing to wade through a Victorian ship captain's letters to his wife, then obviously there are people out there interesting in something other than the most simple and straightforward porn. That, I think in my more optimistic moments, is why this is called "Literotica" - for those interested in literature and erotica, as well as stroke.
Shanglan
The two works of my own that I thought I leaned most "literary" on got a mixed reception. One is my worst-rated story, although not utterly panned - although that may also be due to the lack of an actual "sex scene" per se. The other started low and has greatly surprised me by building recently to quite a respectable rating and touching first or second place in its category. That second one is also set in a different time period and attempts to present itself, in terms of voice and vocabularly, in a style reasonably suited to that period.
I suppose that that's really just a roundabout way of saying "there is no accounting for some people's tastes." But for what it's worth - with the exception of one piece for which I rather suspect troll bombs, I think my stories' ratings generally reflect their quality, despite the fact that I don't concentrate on the porn end of things. In fact, the ones that are most sex scene intensive are actually some of the lowest rated, as they rightly should be - not for the sex, but because they were early efforts and were just not written as well. On the whole I am encouraged, however; if there are people out there willing to wade through a Victorian ship captain's letters to his wife, then obviously there are people out there interesting in something other than the most simple and straightforward porn. That, I think in my more optimistic moments, is why this is called "Literotica" - for those interested in literature and erotica, as well as stroke.
Shanglan
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gauchecritic
When there are grey skies
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- Jul 25, 2002
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I'm not sure that genre is a good way to look at writing.
As Weird Harold would say (or was it Zoot) writing is writing.
I agree, writing isn't about any particular subject or thing it's simply writing. You need to write what or how you think gets your ideas across not for it to suit historical romance or action sequences.
If you write well (whoever decides what well is) then it doesn't really matter what you write about.
I'd say the best advice is to find your 'voice'. If you don't like your voice then train it differently until you do.
As Weird Harold would say (or was it Zoot) writing is writing.
I agree, writing isn't about any particular subject or thing it's simply writing. You need to write what or how you think gets your ideas across not for it to suit historical romance or action sequences.
If you write well (whoever decides what well is) then it doesn't really matter what you write about.
I'd say the best advice is to find your 'voice'. If you don't like your voice then train it differently until you do.
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dr_mabeuse
seduce the mind
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No, it wasn't me.
I think Hmmnmm's asking about the possibility of soaking up a good writer's style by osmosis and then incorporating it into one's work. For instance, if you immerse yourself in Faulkner, could you come out writing porn like Faulkner?
I don't know about that. It's not that hard to write bad imitations or parodies of an author's style, especially if they have a very distinct voice. They've been doing it with Hemingway for years, and we just had a thread here where people gave their impressions of great authors writing porn. Also, Og has been writing some pretty good Jonathan Swift parodies for a while now. But ultimately you're not going to have that author's inventiveness or originality.
On the other hand, you can learn a hell of a lot by trying to write like a particular author. If nothing else it makes you a better reader, as you have to learn to recognize how they achieve the affects they do.
--Zoot
I think Hmmnmm's asking about the possibility of soaking up a good writer's style by osmosis and then incorporating it into one's work. For instance, if you immerse yourself in Faulkner, could you come out writing porn like Faulkner?
I don't know about that. It's not that hard to write bad imitations or parodies of an author's style, especially if they have a very distinct voice. They've been doing it with Hemingway for years, and we just had a thread here where people gave their impressions of great authors writing porn. Also, Og has been writing some pretty good Jonathan Swift parodies for a while now. But ultimately you're not going to have that author's inventiveness or originality.
On the other hand, you can learn a hell of a lot by trying to write like a particular author. If nothing else it makes you a better reader, as you have to learn to recognize how they achieve the affects they do.
--Zoot
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elbiscayne
Really Experienced
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i keep seeing an animal with its paw caught in a trap. it whines and worries and snarls and pulls and licks and thrashes and gnaws until it chews its paw off and crawls under a bush to die.
it would have died anyway, but at least its free.
my point is that you're human. reach down and open the trap.
the time you've spent writing (in a remarkably distinct way) in this thread could have produced the story you wanted to write.
sorry if i sound insensitive, i used to read 'dear abby'
elbiscayne
it would have died anyway, but at least its free.
my point is that you're human. reach down and open the trap.
the time you've spent writing (in a remarkably distinct way) in this thread could have produced the story you wanted to write.
sorry if i sound insensitive, i used to read 'dear abby'
elbiscayne
BlackShanglan
Silver-Tongued Papist
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elbiscayne said:
Yes ... such a tragedy the way she died, gnawing off her own foot ...
Shanglan
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Actually a lot of my free time these days is pretty much divided - I do have a story in the works, which sort of developed on its own, started as a short piece and now it has potential to turn into something of a real booklength story - Someone mentioned 'romantica' and that may be a good place to think of for a loose category. Yet while the basic outline of the work is in place, as some specific scenes, I sketch the scense, then fill them in, but they just aren't Right. Others have potential (I hope) as they are. So the other half of the time, yes, I do come here. I've been bowled over at the readiness people here have demonstrated to share what they know, their ideas, their suggestions. And yes, there is a danger of trying to do what everyone else says you should do (re: the trap) rather than taking what they say and sifting through it, determining what is their opinion, whether I will look closer at it - ignore or adopt it, or whether they have a word that I could benefit from.
Such as - the tendency to overwrite. Since the last couple days I've tried to observe such a very good suggestion. And it has paid off.
Places that frustrated me because i had an idea but it just didn't come out in written words like I saw/see it, it's usually because of that, so I snip away here and there and man, I see what I wanted to see there.
Ah, too much here!
Ha!
Such as - the tendency to overwrite. Since the last couple days I've tried to observe such a very good suggestion. And it has paid off.
Places that frustrated me because i had an idea but it just didn't come out in written words like I saw/see it, it's usually because of that, so I snip away here and there and man, I see what I wanted to see there.
Ah, too much here!
Ha!
TheEarl
Occasional visitor
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elbiscayne said:
Elbiscayne: I'd say this kind of thread is exactly the way Hmmm should spend his time. At the moment, we as authors know a little bit more than him about the craft of erotica and he's learning something from us to become a better writer.
Sure, he could've written a story in the time he spent writing and replying to this thread (although it'd have to have been quite a short one), but now he'll go away and write a better story. Surely that's worth striving for?
The Earl
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