New writer

[Double_Chocolate69]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I have a lot of ideas but I struggle with format, structure, and beats. I write mostly incest. Can anyone help me out? I've read a ton of books in my niche already.

 

[MillieDynamite]

It is a well-worn path, so try to be as creative and fresh as you possibly can. Try to include a few unexpected twists. Though in incest, every road has been trodden and re-trod.

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

Thank

It is a well-worn path, so try to be as creative and fresh as you possibly can. Try to include a few unexpected twists. Though in incest, every road has been trodden and re-trod.

thank you

 

[MillieDynamite]

I think it is better for me to do my own research and writing. I ask what people think about something, but I don't usually ask for input about how to write it or improve my work. I have an editor/publisher; sometimes, I take his advice, and sometimes, I don't. In the end, it's your story, and believe me, you'll get tons of advice about what you should've or shouldn't've done.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

One common bit of advice is this. It’s subject to all kinds of individual exceptions and is of course a broad generalization, but men tend to seek the action, whereas women tend to seek the emotional element. Sure, men do enjoy love and women do enjoy sex, but an emotion-laden story with no hot sex probably isn’t going to attract male readers and a Tab-A-into-Slot-B stroker with no emotions probably won’t be so well received by women.

As to the process and such, I’ve never felt the need for formalizing it, the way you would see in a creative writing class. On the other hand, a lot of people swear by it, so I may be the exception.

Two things just for me. I personally try to develop characters and avoid cup and penis sizes like the plague.

 

[MillieDynamite]

If I had a heart, which I'm often told I don't, and if men were my thing, which they aren't, @TranishedPenny, you'd be the man after my heart. Well, that is assuming you're a man.

One common bit of advice is this. It’s subject to all kinds of individual exceptions and is of course a broad generalization, but men tend to seek the action, whereas women tend to seek the emotional element. Sure, men do enjoy love and women do enjoy sex, but an emotion-laden story with no hot sex probably isn’t going to attract male readers and a Tab-A-into-Slot-B stroker with no emotions probably won’t be so well received by women.

As to the process and such, I’ve never felt the need for formalizing it, the way you would see in a creative writing class. On the other hand, a lot of people swear by it, so I may be the exception.

Two things just for me. I personally try to develop characters and avoid cup and penis sizes like the plague.

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

One common bit of advice is this. It’s subject to all kinds of individual exceptions and is of course a broad generalization, but men tend to seek the action, whereas women tend to seek the emotional element. Sure, men do enjoy love and women do enjoy sex, but an emotion-laden story with no hot sex probably isn’t going to attract male readers and a Tab-A-into-Slot-B stroker with no emotions probably won’t be so well received by women.

As to the process and such, I’ve never felt the need for formalizing it, the way you would see in a creative writing class. On the other hand, a lot of people swear by it, so I may be the exception.

Two things just for me. I personally try to develop characters and avoid cup and penis sizes like the plague.

Thank you

 

[SimonDoom]

It's not the wrong place at all. It's the right place, although you may have to put up with some of the ridiculousness that goes on here. Welcome.

My number one piece of advice is to read a lot and to be an attentive reader. Figure out what you like. I'm something of an extreme example of this advice because I started reading stories at Literotica as early as 2002 or so and didn't write and publish a story until the end of 2016. By the time I started writing I had read hundreds of stories and had a crystal-clear idea of the kind of thing I wanted to write. There's no substitute for reading. All the advice in the world won't help you if the stuff people tell you doesn't really tickle your erotic fancy.

Everybody writes stories differently, so one person's advice may not help you. Here are pointers I think about:

1. First, I start with a concept. An erotic concept. One or more people experiencing something that will create an erotic reading experience. I build the story from there.
2. I try to keep the story focused. I like the idea of an erotic story having an erotic focus as opposed to "how many crazy erotic things can I make Mary Sue do in the course of the story." Although that could be an effective and focused story if done right.
3. Start modest. Start with a short story, not a novel. Start with a story about people in a setting with which you are familiar so it's easy to write.
4. Write what you like. What kinds of erotic stories do you like reading? Write with yourself as your ideal reader.
5. Literotica stories tend to do best in terms of reception if they are over 5000 words. I'm not sure why this is, but it is so.
6. Do your homework on this site. Figure out the categories. Read TxTallTales story Love Your Readers:Categories.
7. Mind your punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Many stories do well with fairly mediocre mechanics, but you improve your chances if you make your story fairly "clean." Speaking for myself, I cannot stand sloppy grammar and spelling and punctuation. I can put up with imperfection. I cannot put up with rampant disregard of the basics. Many stories here show a total lack of familiarity with how to write dialogue. Some people don't care. I can't stand it.

Have fun, don't take it too seriously. Be prepared to get wet when you jump in the deep end. We all go through the same thing.

 

[StillStunned]

It is a well-worn path, so try to be as creative and fresh as you possibly can. Try to include a few unexpected twists. Though in incest, every road has been trodden and re-trod.

While Millie's advice is generally good, for a brand new writer I'd suggest "write the story". Don't bend over backwards to make it creative or different. Readers respond better to a simple tale well told than to a contrived tale that feels forced.

But the first thing is to get a story down. Write it, publish it, see what feedback you get. And in Incest/Taboo you're likely to get plenty of views and votes, and probably quite a few comments too.

Also, forget everything you've learned about fiction writing. Save the Cat and story beats and Freytag's Pyramid and three acts or five acts or whatever. Erotica is different, particularly short-form erotica. If I were you, I'd keep it short. A brief introduction to set the scene, the build-up to the sex, then the actual sex, then a few lines to end. Keep your sentences flowing so your story moves forward all the time, make your characters believable on the surface, and that's it.

Write first, worry about writing theory later.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

One thing I learned is not to stress over including all the many details to make everything feel realistic or plausible. For example, what Character X did between the hours of 4-8 within the story probably isn’t important if it isn’t advancing the plot or revealing character in some way. Similarly, not every single action has to be described in order for the reader to get the point. There’s maybe a fine line in there somewhere.

I’d like to think most readers are willing to go along with the ride if you present a focused narrative with a distinct point of view.

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

It's not the wrong place at all. It's the right place, although you may have to put up with some of the ridiculousness that goes on here. Welcome.

My number one piece of advice is to read a lot and to be an attentive reader. Figure out what you like. I'm something of an extreme example of this advice because I started reading stories at Literotica as early as 2002 or so and didn't write and publish a story until the end of 2016. By the time I started writing I had read hundreds of stories and had a crystal-clear idea of the kind of thing I wanted to write. There's no substitute for reading. All the advice in the world won't help you if the stuff people tell you doesn't really tickle your erotic fancy.

Everybody writes stories differently, so one person's advice may not help you. Here are pointers I think about:

1. First, I start with a concept. An erotic concept. One or more people experiencing something that will create an erotic reading experience. I build the story from there.
2. I try to keep the story focused. I like the idea of an erotic story having an erotic focus as opposed to "how many crazy erotic things can I make Mary Sue do in the course of the story." Although that could be an effective and focused story if done right.
3. Start modest. Start with a short story, not a novel. Start with a story about people in a setting with which you are familiar so it's easy to write.
4. Write what you like. What kinds of erotic stories do you like reading? Write with yourself as your ideal reader.
5. Literotica stories tend to do best in terms of reception if they are over 5000 words. I'm not sure why this is, but it is so.
6. Do your homework on this site. Figure out the categories. Read TxTallTales story Love Your Readers:Categories.
7. Mind your punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Many stories do well with fairly mediocre mechanics, but you improve your chances if you make your story fairly "clean." Speaking for myself, I cannot stand sloppy grammar and spelling and punctuation. I can put up with imperfection. I cannot put up with rampant disregard of the basics. Many stories here show a total lack of familiarity with how to write dialogue. Some people don't care. I can't stand it.

Have fun, don't take it too seriously. Be prepared to get wet when you jump in the deep end. We all go through the same thing.

Thank you so much

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

While Millie's advice is generally good, for a brand new writer I'd suggest "write the story". Don't bend over backwards to make it creative or different. Readers respond better to a simple tale well told than to a contrived tale that feels forced.

But the first thing is to get a story down. Write it, publish it, see what feedback you get. And in Incest/Taboo you're likely to get plenty of views and votes, and probably quite a few comments too.

Also, forget everything you've learned about fiction writing. Save the Cat and story beats and Freytag's Pyramid and three acts or five acts or whatever. Erotica is different, particularly short-form erotica. If I were you, I'd keep it short. A brief introduction to set the scene, the build-up to the sex, then the actual sex, then a few lines to end. Keep your sentences flowing so your story moves forward all the time, make your characters believable on the surface, and that's it.

Write first, worry about writing theory later.

Thank you

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Write something. Say, write a conversation between two of your characters.

Put it aside for a day or a week. Read it.

Write something else, maybe describe the action that follows the conversation. ("Janet closed her eyes as her son's fingers rubbed up and down her back. She felt her entire body softening as the massage eased the tension.")

Eventually, maybe you'll have a whole story.

-Rocco

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

Write something. Say, write a conversation between two of your characters.

Put it aside for a day or a week. Read it.

Write something else, maybe describe the action that follows the conversation. ("Janet closed her eyes as her son's fingers rubbed up and down her back. She felt her entire body softening as the massage eased the tension.")

Eventually, maybe you'll have a whole story.

-Rocco

Thank you

 

[StillStunned]

If you need something to get you started, try this Writing Exercise: City Life. A prompt, and a bunch of snippets that people here wrote in response. At the bottom of the page are links to more Writing Exercises.

Everyone has a different take, and the snippets are limited to around 250-350 words, so they're quick to write and quick to read. No need to get invested, although several people have turned their snippets into complete stories as well.

 

[WittyUserName]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I have a lot of ideas but I struggle with format, structure, and beats. I write mostly incest. Can anyone help me out? I've read a ton of books in my niche already.

Definitely some great advice here! The beset advice I ever read was to write what you would enjoy reading. There will be an audience for it. You can't please everyone, so don't waste your time trying.

Other than that? Basic things; proofread and pay attention to grammar and spelling. It's easier to write in past tense, so I'd stick with that to start if I were you.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I'd also say maybe if you're struggling with structure and format, check over in the editor's forum or the Find an Editor tab in your dashboard once you've got something down on physical/digital paper.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Write first, worry about writing theory later.

Have to agree. Just write. When I started this little experiment five years ago, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I just wrote and, over time, I got better and better. You will, too.

 

[Double_Chocolate69]

Have to agree. Just write. When I started this little experiment five years ago, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I just wrote and, over time, I got better and better. You will, too.

Thank you

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

You;ve read a lot in your genre. That’s great.

Emulation is your friend. In terms of formatting, it’s your best friend. Look at how your favorite author does things. Adopt that kind of formatting, because it will feel natural to you. How do they explain things? How is their dialogue laid out?

The more your read, the better your writing will be, at least in my experience, and we all pick up ways of doing things as we read. When all else fails and you’re stuck with how to do something, look at how somebody whose writing you enjoy did it.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

One of the hardest things, especially for new writers is getting the words from your mind through your arms, hands, fingers, and keyboard and finally onto your screen.

Even with experienced writers, when that blockage of thought to action occurs, change things up. There are many options for recording your words and having them converted to text. There is the free version of MS Word 365 that has the "Dictate" feature.


There are also several note-taking apps and similar for both iOS and Android devices.

Launch one of these, then close your eyes and tell your story. The speech converted to text can then be edited as need to correct anything required for formatting, grammar, etc.

 

[MillieDynamite]

And I've been spending my hard-earned cash on a 365-Office suit for all these years.

One of the hardest things, especially for new writers is getting the words from your mind through your arms, hands, fingers, and keyboard and finally onto your screen.

Even with experienced writers, when that blockage of thought to action occurs, change things up. There are many options for recording your words and having them converted to text. There is the free version of MS Word 365 that has the "Dictate" feature.
View attachment 2502702

There are also several note-taking apps and similar for both iOS and Android devices.

Launch one of these, then close your eyes and tell your story. The speech converted to text can then be edited as need to correct anything required for formatting, grammar, etc.

 

[Audiflex]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I have a lot of ideas but I struggle with format, structure, and beats. I write mostly incest. Can anyone help me out? I've read a ton of books in my niche already.

Hey, no worries this is a tricky topic, but it’s great that you’re looking to improve your craft. For structure and beats, try studying story frameworks like the three act structure or the hero’s journey, even if your stories are shorter or more niche. Focus on clear goals, conflicts, and resolutions for your characters, even in taboo genres. Reading widely in your niche is a good start, but also consider analysing how those stories build tension and pacing. If you’re comfortable, joining writing groups or forums (even anonymous ones) for feedback can help too. Just remember to keep it respectful and consensual in tone, even when exploring darker themes. Good luck!

 

[StillStunned]

And I've been spending my hard-earned cash on a 365-Office suit for all these years.

I assume MS have updated their terms of service, but back when I started freelancing they said that, if you used a Family or Student version of Office for business gain, they were entitled to claw back the entire income that you'd generated using that version.

Of course back then you could buy Office for Small Businesses for something like 400 euros, with no limitations on its use.

 

[Audiflex]

One common bit of advice is this. It’s subject to all kinds of individual exceptions and is of course a broad generalization, but men tend to seek the action, whereas women tend to seek the emotional element. Sure, men do enjoy love and women do enjoy sex, but an emotion-laden story with no hot sex probably isn’t going to attract male readers and a Tab-A-into-Slot-B stroker with no emotions probably won’t be so well received by women.

As to the process and such, I’ve never felt the need for formalizing it, the way you would see in a creative writing class. On the other hand, a lot of people swear by it, so I may be the exception.

Two things just for me. I personally try to develop characters and avoid cup and penis sizes like the plague.

That’s a solid observation about the general preferences, though, like you said, there are always exceptions. Balancing action and emotion can definitely help appeal to a broader audience, regardless of gender. And yeah, avoiding clichés like cup and penis sizes is a great move, focusing on character depth and personality makes the story way more engaging. As for formalizing the process, it really depends on the writer some thrive with structure, others (like you) do better winging it. Whatever works for your creative flow is the right way to go! Keep doing what feels natural.