How to Write Erotica: 50 Authors Share Their Best Advice…& A Giveaway!

Seriously.  How cool is that?  When Brock Wilder contacted me about being part of this book, I said “Yes! Absolutely!  But… you know I don’t write erotica.”  In a traditional sense I don’t, however, I do write steamy erotic scenes in what many consider the non-traditional genre of MM romance.  And let me tell you, writing good sex isn’t easy.

I’m a reader first and foremost.  I’ve read so many romance novels ranging from the kind where the pinnacle is a kiss between the MCs and sex isn’t really even inferred, to the extreme opposite side of so much sex in such excessive detail it’s difficult to keep track of which body parts belong to whom.  In the MM world where the MCs have the same…um… equipment, it can be a particular challenge to follow along with who is doing what to whom.  I hate skimming sex scenes, but I’ve had to when they get too damn long and complicated.  Longer scenes don’t equate to quality.  Am I right?

As an author, I can appreciate the difficulty of creating the perfect amount of sexual tension with compelling characters a reader wants to root for, even (or especially) in bed.  Too little information isn’t satisfying to a reader and too much takes away from the story.  Balance is key.  You want variety and yet something easy to follow along.  You want to be a classy voyeur 🙂 rather than a medical student wondering how the hell two bodies could possibly contort per the author’s specifications.  Again…am I right?

Erotica is by definition any artistic work that deals substantively with sexually arousing subject matter.  It can be a dark journey into forbidden lust or a play on a time-honored theme… think naughty Jane Eyre.  In my opinion, whether a literary work is sexually charged or not, the quality of the piece is important.  I’ve read plenty of erotica and honestly, some is fucking art!  No lie.  Others… not so much.  I realize it’s subjective, however, I stand by the belief there is no substitute for quality.

My advice to those aspiring to write erotica or like myself, erotically charged scenes within a larger piece, is to create scenes ripe with sensuality rather than pure sex.  Don’t kill your story for the sake of another sex scene.  Sex is fabulous… don’t make it boring by overdoing, overwording or heaven help us, by not giving enough detail.  In other words…balance.

You can find my words of wisdom as well as those of 49 other talented authors in How to Write Erotica: 50 Authors Share Their Best Advice available at Amazon now!

Or… for a chance to win a copy of this awesome book, please comment below. Tell me what you like about erotica or what type of scenes you find the most riveting in romance novels.  All commenters will be eligible to purchase this book at a discounted price to.  Win, win!  Great way to start the weekend! 🙂

Happy Reading

xo Lane