Lesson 1: What is Erotica?
Naming Body Parts and Sexual Acts
As indicated in the previous section of this lesson, choosing the correct word generally does not mean using the clinical term. Your character should determine how specific to be in naming body parts or sexual acts. Terminology may be technical like intercourse, coitus, penis, vagina, etc., or may be slang like getting-it-on, getting laid, box, or pussy. So you must know your character well, know what words he or she would choose.
If your character is a naïve young woman, she probably would not use either the clinical nor the “dirty” word for body parts or sexual acts. She probably would use “cute” or “childish” terminology.
On the other hand, if you were depicting a very experienced twenty-something woman, you probably would use slang, “street” terms for body parts and sex acts. Again, your character dictates what words you use to set the scene and convey the image.
You should note, however, that different publishers expect different terminology. While “manhood”, “maleness”, or “hardness” may be accepted by some publishers, others will expect more specific terminology, specifically may only accept material where the point-of-view character is “talking dirty”.
So, it’s up to you, and the market you are targeting with your work, to determine what terminology is acceptable (or expected).
If you are having difficulty coming up with the “right” word or need some help with some creative terminology, you should definitely refer to The Bald-Headed Hermit and the Artichoke: An Erotic Thesaurus, by Allan D. Peterkin and available through Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com)
YOUR TURN
Again, you cannot read enough erotica. You have to see how other writers do it, get a feel for what is acceptable in the market, then develop your own style. If you are interested in writing erotica for women, I recommend that you read Pleasures: Women Writing Erotica by Lonnie Barbach, PhD. If you are interested in writing erotica for gay men, I suggest that you read Provincetown Tales by Caleb Knight or Pleasures of the Flesh: A New Collection of Erotic Tales. All of these books are anthologies of stories by several writers, so will present you with many different writing styles.
Once you have finished reading, write a short paragraph using clinical terminology for both body parts and sex acts. Refer to Peterkins’ thesaurus, then re-write the same paragraph using language that might be considered “talking dirty”.
