Learning from published romances and erotica: any suggestions?

[Feotakahari]

I haven't read many romance stories, and almost all the erotica I've read is free stuff on the Internet. Reading science fiction and fantasy has made me much better at writing science fiction and fantasy, so it seems logical that I ought to read more published, professional-quality romances and erotica in order to improve my writing of such. What stories should I study to improve my work?

(So far, I have literally just one book, The Battle Sylph. I'll take anything you recommend.)

 

[Handley_Page]

I'd recommend the work of Alex de Koch.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I haven't read many romance stories, and almost all the erotica I've read is free stuff on the Internet. Reading science fiction and fantasy has made me much better at writing science fiction and fantasy, so it seems logical that I ought to read more published, professional-quality romances and erotica in order to improve my writing of such. What stories should I study to improve my work?

(So far, I have literally just one book, The Battle Sylph. I'll take anything you recommend.)

Depending on tastes, Clive Barker is good for the intersection of magic and sexuality. I wouldn't call it "erotica" per se, but he doesn't shy away from explicit sex. (Or didn't; at the moment he seems to be concentrating on children's fantasy.) "The Hellbound Heart" is a good place to start.

Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel" series is fantasy where sexuality is central to the plot; I quite liked the first book but started to get really irritated with the way it went after that.

 

[emap]

I wouldn't recommend reading romance novels, they are a little odd. I enjoy them on occasion but they seem to be slanted toward making it like the world is against little her then a knight in shining armor shows up and makes the world back off. Usually after bodice ripping sex that is fairly well hinted at.

Well the lesbian ones I've found at least don't do that. Course those are also more detailed sex scenes and usually not really all that romantic. Really what you should do is read the stories in here and take away the things that spoke to you. Otherwise you are spending money for the books, or well being all illegal and getting torrents of the books.

Totally give you a link to the best site for ebooks except it was attacked and not back up yet.

 

[PennLady]

Many romance novels have heroines with the deck stacked against them, and the white knight comes up, but not all of them.

I cite her a lot, but I've read a lot of Nora Roberts novels and this is generally not her M.O. I'd suggest any of her books not for the sex but for the romance and how she develops the stories and characters. I recently read "Chasing Fire," about two fire jumpers and there was none of that "world against her" theme.

 

[Stella_Omega]

(I posted this in another thread yesterday, but it's even more appropriate here; )
In a discussion on one of the other forums, a woman shared her list of better authors. Much of it is sci-fi-fantasy, but not all. Her criteria is; "good world building, series, true love, happy ending with good smut."
I assume that a lot of these are e-published.

-Sophie Oaks,
Lorelei James,
Kresley Cole,
Christine Feehan,
Eve Langlais,
Laurann Dohner,
Kaitlyn O'Connor,
Jaid Black (Trek Mi Q'an Series),
Gena Showalter (Alien Huntress Series),
Aubrey Ross (Sensual Captivity Series),
Sandra Hill,
Anne Marsh,
Christine d'Abo (Eternal Bonds Series),
Lynsay Sands (Argeneau Series),
Leah Brooke,
Tracy St.John,
Cherise Sinclair,
Evangeline Anderson,
Allyson James aka Jennifer Ashley,
N.J. Walters, Aline Hunter aka J.A.Saare,
Dixie Lynn Dwyer,
Jenny Penn,
Selena Blake,
Marly Matthews (Taken series),
Anita Clenney,
Karen Marie Moning,
Sky Purington,
Melinda Barron,
Lisa Alder,
Abby Blake,
Lisa Renee Jones (Zodius Series),
Nikita Black aka Nina Bruhns,
Loribelle Hunt,
Angela Castle (Warriors of Kelon series),
Laura Jo Phillips,
Marissa Chenery (Ra's Chosen series),
Donna Grant (Dark Sword series),
Jory Strong,
Cara Covington,
Robin L. Rotham,
Tara Nina (Cursed MacKinnon series),
Louise Wise,
Debbie Mazzuca,
Cyna Kade,
Cathryn Cade,
Cheryl Brooks,
Kaliana Cole,
Lila Dubois,
Michelle M. Pillow,
Tina Folsum,
Elise Logan,
Lexi Blake.
Lora Leigh, (via acearomantic)

 

[Feotakahari]

That's certainly extensive. Thanks!

 

[acearomantic]

that list is missing Lora Leigh, who has really good plots, but is very open in her story plots. like she does a lot of threesomes, and stuff. she sorta has a furry world, but calling it furry is exaggerating the breeds. But they do love their sex. Um yeah, lots of sex, lots of plot. Best thing though would be to find her bound hearts series (easily found legally or not) they are shorter then her paper books (also availible in Ebook format), and include as much or more sex.

 

[PayDay]

Writing is writing. The subject matter matters very little. Your personal style will take over unless you go out of your way to prevent it.

 

[acearomantic]

Writing is writing. The subject matter matters very little. Your personal style will take over unless you go out of your way to prevent it.

but you can learn thing from other people's writing, like how to bridge paragraphs, or scenes. how to describe something, how not to. If I'm struggling to describe something, I turn to other people or other books. And I often do, in spite of having a very good imagination. 'Cause my imagination doesn't play out in words, it plays out in visually. It's like my ability to draw, I can imagine beautiful images all day long, but when I attempt to put them to paper, well they don't turn out right. at least with writing I can easily improve myself.

 

[Stella_Omega]

that list is missing Lora Leigh,

I'll add it to the list thank you!

Got any others?

 

[PayDay]

but you can learn thing from other people's writing, like how to bridge paragraphs, or scenes. how to describe something, how not to. If I'm struggling to describe something, I turn to other people or other books. And I often do, in spite of having a very good imagination. 'Cause my imagination doesn't play out in words, it plays out in visually. It's like my ability to draw, I can imagine beautiful images all day long, but when I attempt to put them to paper, well they don't turn out right. at least with writing I can easily improve myself.

Kevin Smith told the world how to write erotica in less than one sentence:

Insert, preferably moist, thrust, repeat.

 

[acearomantic]

I would also recommend Sherrilyn Kenyon and Shelly Laurenston. Shelly Laurenston's Dragon Kin Series is very funny, and if what I've heard about her other series is accurate it's just as well written. And Kenyon's books are all well written, and most of her books are full of sex (I actually prefer her one series that doesn't have sex in it, yet, most of all.)