New author wanting tips

[smart_and_sexytxgirl]

Hey guys, I'm new to lit, but I want to post some stories, and I'd like some general tips from you. I'll try to post an example of my work if thats ok, so you could give me tips?
Thanks!

 

[litfan10]

Hey guys, I'm new to lit, but I want to post some stories, and I'd like some general tips from you. I'll try to post an example of my work if thats ok, so you could give me tips?
Thanks!

Hey smart and sexy!

Welcome to Lit.

Look through these threads as there are some with great tips already. I'll look through later tonight and come back with links for you which I'll post on this thread. Feel free to PM me one of your stories, and I'll be glad to look it over for you for the weekend!

Again welcome and have a fun ride!

 

[smart_and_sexytxgirl]

Hey smart and sexy!

Welcome to Lit.

Look through these threads as there are some with great tips already. I'll look through later tonight and come back with links for you which I'll post on this thread. Feel free to PM me one of your stories, and I'll be glad to look it over for you for the weekend!

Again welcome and have a fun ride!

Thanks! It's just kinda hard to wade through it all when you are new to the site! I appreciate your help.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Hey guys, I'm new to lit, but I want to post some stories, and I'd like some general tips from you. I'll try to post an example of my work if thats ok, so you could give me tips?
Thanks!

Hi, Smart and Sexy, and welcome to Literotica and the AH in particuar. The first thing to remember is that you are required to submit nude photos of yourself, front and rear views.

After that, there are many hints onder the title "Readers' Resources" which you can reach when you sign on. There are a lot of tips there, maybe too many to digest. Here is one I provided: http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=257132

If you want to write smut for the fun of it, such as I do, this will help. If you want to turn out fine literature of an erotic nature, somebody else can help you more than I can.

 

[litfan10]

Okay. Here are two threads that had some good advice in them but sadly both also have some of the typical crap you can find here since there are definitely some factions going on here (sorry about that!)

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=733587

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=735007

If you wade through the two carefully there is some great advice from some very knowledgeable and high quality writers.

Now, specifically what kind of advice are you looking for right now? Any burning questions off the bat? Fire away!

 

[litfan10]

Hi, Smart and Sexy, and welcome to Literotica and the AH in particuar. The first thing to remember is that you are required to submit nude photos of yourself, front and rear views.

Boxy - I just gotta ask - has this worked for you yet????

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
Hi, Smart and Sexy, and welcome to Literotica and the AH in particuar. The first thing to remember is that you are required to submit nude photos of yourself, front and rear views.

Boxy - I just gotta ask - has this worked for you yet????

Of course not. I don't ever expect it to work.

 

[smart_and_sexytxgirl]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
Hi, Smart and Sexy, and welcome to Literotica and the AH in particuar. The first thing to remember is that you are required to submit nude photos of yourself, front and rear views.




Of course not. I don't ever expect it to work.

haha. Danggggg....and i was going to submit those pictures ;-) lol

 

[smart_and_sexytxgirl]

Okay. Here are two threads that had some good advice in them but sadly both also have some of the typical crap you can find here since there are definitely some factions going on here (sorry about that!)

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=733587

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=735007

If you wade through the two carefully there is some great advice from some very knowledgeable and high quality writers.

Now, specifically what kind of advice are you looking for right now? Any burning questions off the bat? Fire away!

I don't think I have any burning questions right now....I will look at those threads and get back to you! Thanks!

 

[Bebeslut]

Try and create characters with real individuality and then think of things those characters might do.

Of course, since this is a porn site, those things will be porn-y. But don't fall into the trap of just thinking "I'll write an anal sex story" or "I'll write an incest story." Don't write those unless your characters would do those. And wrap some plot around the sex.

The characters are the main thing, not the sex.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
Hi, Smart and Sexy, and welcome to Literotica and the AH in particuar. The first thing to remember is that you are required to submit nude photos of yourself, front and rear views.

Of course not. I don't ever expect it to work.

haha. Danggggg....and i was going to submit those pictures ;-) lol

Well, nobody will object if you do.

 

[GinaTina]

Don't Mary-Sue it up - it's aggravating at best.

Try to create realistic characters, and then try to get inside their heads...

Ask yourself repeatedly, "is this how someone would actually react? Is this something that someone would actually say?" If it sounds cheesy to you, then it probably will to your audience.

Try not to lie to your readers - they will call you on it. Research anything you're unsure of.

Go back over your paragraphs multiple times and look at every single word; try and find every mistake you can - spelling and punctuation wise. Re-write anything that seems awkward. Do this as many times as it takes. Put in the extra effort, it'll show.

Short stories need convincing dialog just as much as an ongoing tale.

Don't repeat yourself, i.e. : "She blinked her eyes trying to see in the dust storm. Dust was flying around and got into her eyes anyhow. She blinked her now watering eyes even more."

Use a variety of different adjectives, nouns and adverbs to give the sentences more interest: "She squinted, trying to prevent the dust from hindering her vision. Swirling wind made it impossible and the woman found herself blinking back tears regardless; attempting to rid her eyes of the stinging bits of earth."

Writing is fun, but also a huge pain in the ass. :d Good luck to you.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Try and create characters with real individuality and then think of things those characters might do.

Of course, since this is a porn site, those things will be porn-y. But don't fall into the trap of just thinking "I'll write an anal sex story" or "I'll write an incest story." Don't write those unless your characters would do those. And wrap some plot around the sex.

The characters are the main thing, not the sex.

That's a matter of opinion. There's nothing wrong with carefully constructed plots and clearly delineated characters, if that's what you want to do, but there's also nothing wrong with graphic descriptions of hot sex with a minimum of plot and conflict and character development. Personally, I prefer the latter, but once in a while I will write the former.

ETA: Nobody has mentioned it yet, but this forum is also a source of help. One poster mentioned research, and that includes asking other writers here for information to make your story more realistic. I mean, if you're writing about some people who meet during the Pearl Harbor attack, don't mention President Truman.

 

[Weird Harold]

Hey guys, I'm new to lit, but I want to post some stories, and I'd like some general tips from you. I'll try to post an example of my work if thats ok, so you could give me tips?
Thanks!

Step One: Sit down and start typing; let the words flow through your fingers onto the screen without edits or corrections. Worry about spelling and grammar only to the extent required for you to understand what you typed when it comes to the next steps.

Step two: Go through your first draft and delete the two-thirds that is total crap. Edit the remainder into an intelligble story.

Step three: Find an anal retentive English Major with a grudge against you and convince them to read and comment on your masterpiece. (Step three A: don a rhinceros hide coat to absorb criticism, as required.)

The above advice is only partially tongue-in-cheek.

Use the editing and reviewing tools in your word-processer. Don't take every fault as gospel, but consider carefully what the fault is trying to tell you and whether it is in fact a fault. There is, however, no substitute for a human eye other than the author's for spotting typos and misused words.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

This morning I played on a newspaper board I haunt, and one of the official threads featured an article composed by a real newspaper writer. The article was filled with grammatical blunders, of course, and the gang tore it to shreads. THERE, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I.

 

[4glory6]

Go to the "How To" story section on Lit. There are quite a few essays there giving advice on writing erotica. Check out the stories of those who wrote the essays and pay particular attention to the advice of those whose stories you think are particularly well written.

 

[Mrtouf]

My advice would be to read some stories in your target category and check out the ratings and comments, so you can get an idea of what the readers like and don't like. It'll save you from second-guessing what would work better when you're writing.

 

[_Lynn_]

Try and create characters with real individuality and then think of things those characters might do.

Of course, since this is a porn site, those things will be porn-y. But don't fall into the trap of just thinking "I'll write an anal sex story" or "I'll write an incest story." Don't write those unless your characters would do those. And wrap some plot around the sex.

The characters are the main thing, not the sex.

Even though this is a porn site, not everything needs sex in it to be a good story or for readers to enjoy it.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Here's a few tips from Susie Bright, who wrote the book on writing smut. My favorite:

There's only one shortcut: eliminate every adverb in your second draft.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Here's a few tips from Susie Bright, who wrote the book on writing smut. My favorite:

Quote:
There's only one shortcut: eliminate every adverb in your second draft.

Nonsense. You need some adverbs, although you want to avoid using too many of them as part of dialogue tags.

The Aqualube was working perfectly and, as I slowly drove my cock in and out of her ass, there was no friction, just an incredible feeling of tightness.

I gentlycupped her succulent breasts in either of my hands as I licked her adorable nipples.

Of course, you don't absolutely need to have adverbs and adjectives to write smut. You can say: "We got into bed and fucked." but nobody would want to read such a simple, unadorned declaration. To show the readers what is happening, you need modifiers.

 

[_Lynn_]

Nonsense. You need some adverbs, although you want to avoid using too many of them as part of dialogue tags.

The Aqualube was working perfectly and, as I slowly drove my cock in and out of her ass, there was no friction, just an incredible feeling of tightness.

I gentlycupped her succulent breasts in either of my hands as I licked her adorable nipples.

Of course, you don't absolutely need to have adverbs and adjectives to write smut. You can say: "We got into bed and fucked." but nobody would want to read such a simple, unadorned declaration. To show the readers what is happening, you need modifiers.

Or you can rearrange the words to write the sentences without the adverbs and still have more than the getting into bed and fucking. Eliminating them all is easy once you get the hang of it.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Nonsense. You need some adverbs, although you want to avoid using too many of them as part of dialogue tags.

The Aqualube was working perfectly and, as I slowly drove my cock in and out of her ass, there was no friction, just an incredible feeling of tightness.

I gentlycupped her succulent breasts in either of my hands as I licked her adorable nipples.

Of course, you don't absolutely need to have adverbs and adjectives to write smut. You can say: "We got into bed and fucked." but nobody would want to read such a simple, unadorned declaration. To show the readers what is happening, you need modifiers.

Here, no adverbs:
The Aqualube was working, and as I eased my cock in and out of her ass, there was no friction - just an incredible feeling of tightness.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Or you can rearrange the words to write the sentences without the adverbs and still have more than the getting into bed and fucking. Eliminating them all is easy once you get the hang of it.

If I chose to do so, I could write smutty stories with no adjectives or adverbs.
I remember reading about a novel somebody wrote without using the letter "e." I could probably do that too, if I wanted, but I see no reason to do either. What I want to do is to try to paint a picture for the reader, and the best and easiest way to do that is to use modifiers.

ETA: Out of curiosity, I went to your index page and looked at the first two paragraphs of the first story. It was an excellent story, I thought, and I gave it a "5" during the Valentine's Day contest almost two years ago. Anyhow:

Billy knelt on the damp grass and looked at the words in front of her. February 14, 2008, the date on the slab of marble at the head of her husband's grave. He'd died on Valentine's Day, that special time for red roses, chocolates, romance and lovers. Lou had been gone a year to the day and Billy still struggled to accept the fact that she would never see him again. He'd been her whole life and it wasn't fair that he'd left her alone.

Forty was far too young to die. She screamed out the words each time she visited the cemetery. It didn't bring Lou back though. Billy looked at the spot on her left hand where she thought she'd always see the diamond Lou gave her when he proposed. The matching wedding band now laid along side it in her jewelry box. Her bare skin only had a trace of an indentation, and even that little reminder would soon disappear, she knew.

I found nine adverbs, which I have bolded, including "alongside" which should be one word, and should have been preceded by "lay."

 

[_Lynn_]

If I chose to do so, I could write smutty stories with no adjectives or adverbs.
I remember reading about a novel somebody wrote without using the letter "e." I could probably do that too, if I wanted, but I see no reason to do either. What I want to do is to try to paint a picture for the reader, and the best and easiest way to do that is to use modifiers.

ETA: Out of curiosity, I went to your index page and looked at the first two paragraphs of the first story. It was an excellent story, I thought, and I gave it a "5" during the Valentine's Day contest almost two years ago. Anyhow:

Billy knelt on the damp grass and looked at the words in front of her. February 14, 2008, the date on the slab of marble at the head of her husband's grave. He'd died on Valentine's Day, that special time for red roses, chocolates, romance and lovers. Lou had been gone a year to the day and Billy still struggled to accept the fact that she would never see him again. He'd been her whole life and it wasn't fair that he'd left her alone.

Forty was far too young to die. She screamed out the words each time she visited the cemetery. It didn't bring Lou back though. Billy looked at the spot on her left hand where she thought she'd always see the diamond Lou gave her when he proposed. The matching wedding band now laid along side it in her jewelry box. Her bare skin only had a trace of an indentation, and even that little reminder would soon disappear, she knew.

I found nine adverbs, which I have bolded, including "alongside" which should be one word, and should have been preceded by "lay."

And if you read any of my older pieces you'll find more errors. The first time I ever wrote any story at all was four years ago next month. Without any classes or training, I've felt my way along, improving as I go.

 

[Boxlicker101]

And if you read any of my older pieces you'll find more errors. The first time I ever wrote any story at all was four years ago next month. Without any classes or training, I've felt my way along, improving as I go.

Okay, here are the first four paragraphs of your most recent story other than non-erotic ones. I excluded those because the discussion is about writing smut.

Dozens of lights twinkled from their perches. A fresh pine scent filled the air. Gaily wrapped presents crowded together to find a spot under the tree. People scurried through the stores to find those last elusive gifts. It was three days before Christmas, and Abby wished it was over.

The packages were empty, fake, like the tree with its air freshener stuffed in the center. A single card sat on the coffee table; a reminder of how few people remembered her. Abby hated the holidays.

She pulled the plug, pitching the room into darkness. Across the road, her neighbor’s Santa display illuminated their entire yard. Each hour the elves at his side gave out a squawky rendition of Christmas songs. Tuning them out didn’t work, and she sighed as a deep sadness filled her.

Life wasn’t supposed to be so hard, she thought for the millionth time. Where had she gone wrong to end up so alone? She remembered childhood dreams of a house filled with family and friends celebrating the holidays together. Laughter rang out from each room. Her husband stood at her side, beaming at her with love.

In these four short paragraphs, you used seven adverbs, besides some adverbial phrases which are in red. I'm not complaining about using adverbs; I'm all for the idea. I'm just pointing out that, despite your advice to the contrary, you use numerous adverbs too.