New author needs advice

[Avatar of the Moon]

Hello I am new to literotica, and am looking to sumit a few stories soon.And I would like a bit of advice on how to structure,write,chericter stuff something go from a good storie to "HOT". Please be kind and help me out a bit! 26yo female......Cadie

 

[rgraham666]

I can't say my advice is good, but I always try to get character and emotion into my stories.

You need character because people, at least my readers, latch on to characters and see the story through the character's eyes. Character makes the reader 'buy into' the story.

You need emotion because sex really is about emotion. Anyone can put 'Tab A into slot B' as we say around here, but you need to let the reader know how it feels, what makes it such a special occurrence.

There's a lot of good articles on writing in the How To section of Literotica.

Also, make use of your spell checker.

And get an editor and a couple of proofers for your works. You will be surprised how many mistakes you make that you didn't see.

You're welcome.

 

[Liar]

Um...ah...yeah. Got nothing more to add. If you're sensitive about what reasders say about your stuff, stay away from the Loving Wives category. Those people are nuts.

Other than that...welcome to Lit.

 

[gauchecritic]

Hey Cadie, if you want to write hot forget everything that rgraham said he only knows how to write good, interesting stories.

For hot you need tantalising lead in, unbelievable vital statistics and never more than two Lit. pages. Mom/son incest closely followed by father/daughter incest will get you the most reads. Make the woman pregnant in either scenario and have one succumbing to and loving being forced into it. Instant hot.

 

[Weird Harold]

Hello I am new to literotica, and am looking to sumit a few stories soon.And I would like a bit of advice on how to structure,write,chericter stuff something go from a good storie to "HOT". Please be kind and help me out a bit! 26yo female......Cadie

rgraham666 covered a lot of points that are all good advice.

I would add one warning to his advice: Use your spell checker, but do NOT trust it. All a spell check can do is ensure that what you typed consists of properly spelled words, but it cannot tell you if they're the RIGHT words.

The first step in writing a "HOT" story is coming up with a story people will want to read.

The second step is to write it down -- let the story flow from your fingers without worrying about spelling, grammar, or other technical details beyond the minimum required for you to comprehend what you wrote later when you go back to edit it.

The third step is go back and edit what you wrote into something comprehensible by correcting all of the spelling and grammar errors.

The fourth step is to go back and edit again -- preferably after letting the story sit for a week or more -- and fix the weak points; places where the story gets off track, doesn't make sense, needs dialogue insted of narration or more description (or less description,) etc.

The fifth step is to get someone else to read it and comment -- preferably someone who isn't afraid to offend you by pointing out where the story sucks. Getting more than one person to read and critique your story is better than relying on just one person, but there is no substittute for a second set of eyes looking for problems.

Things you should avoid:

Second person POV and/or un-named characters -- contrary to the belief of many novice authors, it is actually easier for readers to relate to characters with names from a third person POV because reading is essentially voyeuristic activity.

"Reward Poster" descriptions -- don't describe your characters all at once or use statistics to describe them. Spread your descriptions out over the entire story and only describe what is directly relevant to the story; "Tall Dark and Handsome" is almost always a better description than "Six foot eight inches, 350 pounds, and Black," especially as a first impression.

NEOMs -- the "Never-Ending Orgasmic Moan" and other attempts to spell out drawn out sounds is one of the bad cliches of porn that almost never does what the author intended it to do. Rather than portray passion, it tends to evoke laughter.

Avoid Ellipses -- an Ellipsis is three characters, usually periods or asterisks depending on context, that are a singular punctuation mark indicating "something left out or unfinished." When an Ellipsis falls at the end of a sentence, it is accompanied by a period and becomes four consecutive periods. Any more than four periods in a row is incorrect.

Repeated punctuation marks -- one exclamation point or question mark is all that is required. Multiple exclamation points or question marks does NOT add emphasis or act as multiplier. The one exception to this point is an ellipsis formed of exclamation points or question marks to indicate wordless surprise or puzzlement, but it is an exception with very limited application -- see comments above about avoiding Ellipses.

Long Compound Sentences -- When you finsh your first draft, search for the word "AND" and replace (with a period) any occurance where it connects two sentences . If the "connective and" is absolutely necessary, you can replace it later when editing.

Passive Voice -- The form "he was bitten by the dog" is passive voice and should be replaced with "the dog bit him," which is active voice. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab explains, "... Overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can make your prose seem flat and uninteresting." I've found that what MSWord's readbility statistics report as "2% passive voice sentences" is roughly the point where I notice the "flat and uninteresting" prediction being fulfilled.

I've probably overlooked a good many things you should avoid and all of the things I listed have their proper places and uses. There are several articles in the How To section of Lit and linked through the writer's resources page that cover a multitude of common errors novice writers make.

 

[rgraham666]

Hey Cadie, if you want to write hot forget everything that rgraham said he only knows how to write good, interesting stories.

Thanks gauche. That sure made my day!

 

[Halo_n_horns]

In conjunction with the advice that you're getting here, you'll also find some great advice over here:

https://forum.literotica.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

 

[lil_elvis]

Good advice.

God, I feel like a hack.

Thanks guys.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

rgraham666 covered a lot of points that are all good advice.

I would add one warning to his advice: Use your spell checker, but do NOT trust it. All a spell check can do is ensure that what you typed consists of properly spelled words, but it cannot tell you if they're the RIGHT words.

The first step in writing a "HOT" story is coming up with a story people will want to read.

The second step is to write it down -- let the story flow from your fingers without worrying about spelling, grammar, or other technical details beyond the minimum required for you to comprehend what you wrote later when you go back to edit it.

The third step is go back and edit what you wrote into something comprehensible by correcting all of the spelling and grammar errors.

The fourth step is to go back and edit again -- preferably after letting the story sit for a week or more -- and fix the weak points; places where the story gets off track, doesn't make sense, needs dialogue insted of narration or more description (or less description,) etc.

The fifth step is to get someone else to read it and comment -- preferably someone who isn't afraid to offend you by pointing out where the story sucks. Getting more than one person to read and critique your story is better than relying on just one person, but there is no substittute for a second set of eyes looking for problems.

Things you should avoid:

Second person POV and/or un-named characters -- contrary to the belief of many novice authors, it is actually easier for readers to relate to characters with names from a third person POV because reading is essentially voyeuristic activity.

"Reward Poster" descriptions -- don't describe your characters all at once or use statistics to describe them. Spread your descriptions out over the entire story and only describe what is directly relevant to the story; "Tall Dark and Handsome" is almost always a better description than "Six foot eight inches, 350 pounds, and Black," especially as a first impression.

NEOMs -- the "Never-Ending Orgasmic Moan" and other attempts to spell out drawn out sounds is one of the bad cliches of porn that almost never does what the author intended it to do. Rather than portray passion, it tends to evoke laughter.

Avoid Ellipses -- an Ellipsis is three characters, usually periods or asterisks depending on context, that are a singular punctuation mark indicating "something left out or unfinished." When an Ellipsis falls at the end of a sentence, it is accompanied by a period and becomes four consecutive periods. Any more than four periods in a row is incorrect.

Repeated punctuation marks -- one exclamation point or question mark is all that is required. Multiple exclamation points or question marks does NOT add emphasis or act as multiplier. The one exception to this point is an ellipsis formed of exclamation points or question marks to indicate wordless surprise or puzzlement, but it is an exception with very limited application -- see comments above about avoiding Ellipses.

Long Compound Sentences -- When you finsh your first draft, search for the word "AND" and replace (with a period) any occurance where it connects two sentences . If the "connective and" is absolutely necessary, you can replace it later when editing.

Passive Voice -- The form "he was bitten by the dog" is passive voice and should be replaced with "the dog bit him," which is active voice. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab explains, "... Overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can make your prose seem flat and uninteresting." I've found that what MSWord's readbility statistics report as "2% passive voice sentences" is roughly the point where I notice the "flat and uninteresting" prediction being fulfilled.

I've probably overlooked a good many things you should avoid and all of the things I listed have their proper places and uses. There are several articles in the How To section of Lit and linked through the writer's resources page that cover a multitude of common errors novice writers make.

What he said (is Weird Harold ever wrong?!) except one thing. These tips, along with the ones rgraham gave, are excellent tips on writing well. Problem is, writing well may not get you the "H" you mentioned. The H just means you were voted on well, and in certain circumstances, poor writers are highly voted simply because they haven't let any actual story or characters get in the way of the non-spell-checked, poorly written, unrealistic porn.

So, they either helped you greatly by giving you tips on how to become a great author, or they got in the way of your ability to write well-rated, shitty stroke.

It's a paradox of unbelievable proportions. I'm perplexed...



Q_C

 

[rgraham666]

I must be doing something right.

All my stories, save one, have an H.

Ain't surprised at the one that doesn't. It's kinda dark and sick.

 

[English Lady]

Hello and welcome Avatar! my personal advice is write from the heart! Then, even if you don't get an H you're satisfied with your work...and I think that is very, very important really.

 

[Liar]

I must be doing something right.

All my stories, save one, have an H.

Ain't surprised at the one that doesn't. It's kinda dark and sick.

Yes, I believe there are two ways to get the desired H. Either by making a well written, well told story, or by catering to the wank factor by focusing on a specific kink that triggers the monkey brain reaction in the reader.

Or, in the best erotic stories, a combination of the two.

#L

 

[impressive]

Yes, I believe there are two ways to get the desired H. Either by making a well written, well told story, or by catering to the wank factor by focusing on a specific kink that triggers the monkey brain reaction in the reader.

Those two things account for, perhaps, half of the H occurrences. There are equally as many for which neither applies (IMO) ... and another big batch which are well-written and well-told, but lack the H.

It's a crap shoot.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Yes, I believe there are two ways to get the desired H. Either by making a well written, well told story, or by catering to the wank factor by focusing on a specific kink that triggers the monkey brain reaction in the reader.

Or, in the best erotic stories, a combination of the two.

#L

Actually, there is now a third way. There's now the RFHVO, or Readers For Hot Votes Organization. I'm the President. We'll be voting all 5's in exchange for blow jobs starting the 23rd...

The line starts at my ankles. Everyone, please stand on your knees, for easy access.

Q_C

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I must be doing something right.

All my stories, save one, have an H.

Ain't surprised at the one that doesn't. It's kinda dark and sick.

Very impressive, rob. Of my 6, I think I only have 2 H's.

Q_C

 

[woodnymph_O]

haven't been writing as much as i should but..

i always write with someone in mind to enjoy my story. Who are you writing this story for? a real life sex partner, imaginary steve home at his comp at 1am ,The shy girl in the college dorm? That to me is the secret everything else just flows
Nymphy