Introduction
Welcome to the world of erotica. Come on in, if you dare. Your mother will never know. Together, we will examine the various types of erotica available today, distinguish between erotica and pornography, and explore the many markets that are out there for beginners and pros alike.
In order to be a successful writer of erotica, there are barriers to overcome, and skills and abilities that are necessary. The first barrier that many writers have to overcome is the embarrassment and difficulty many have with admitting that they write erotica. To write erotica, you must be comfortable with sexual terminology and sexuality—especially your own. It may be awhile before you are comfortable telling your mother, or your best friend, for example. But you should be okay with what you are doing. Otherwise, your story will not be sensual and arousing to your reader, but rather will appear forced and awkward.
Resources that will be of help to you and will be cited in the lessons for this course will include: a thesaurus of erotic terminology, books of erotica by contemporary authors, as well as books that will provide additional tips and techniques for writing erotica and getting published. These resources will help you develop as a writer as well as provide tips for submission to the many markets out there.
Realize that you must have real writing skills, that you cannot submit stories filled with typos and grammatical errors. And, for a story to be truly sensual and erotic, both word choice and characterization are important.
Examples of published writers of erotica are: Nancy Friday, Erica Jong, Caleb Knight, Lonnie Barbach, R.J. Masters, and many, many others. Some of these writers are more well-known than others, but they share a common characteristic: they are all published.
Remember, the markets are out there for talented writers, whether they have been previously published or not. You just have to write well and believe in yourself. This course will help you with the first of these requirements.
The internet has provided many paying opportunities. Also, videos and the print market (books and magazines) are still very much open to new writers. In the last lesson of this course, we will explore some of the markets available to you. What better way to make money than to sit back, relax, and think about sex.
So come on in and let’s get started on the path to becoming a published writer of erotic fiction.
This course offers useful information on writing for various audiences and how to submit a winning manuscript. Hilary Williams
I was quite impressed with the amount of material covered in this Suite101 class. Throughout the course, the student is given a wide range of exercises to complement each topic covered to give them a “hands-on”, so to speak, chance to put what they have learned to use.Katherine Turcotte
Lessons
Click here to see course syllabus
