While I intend this mainly for one new lurker, a friend of an online friend of mine, I imagine there could be others a little leery of going public. To any and all, I’m glad you took the advice to join AW even if you’re only reading at this point.
To my one lurker: I’ve read your work, thanks to my friend’s directing me to it, and while it couldn’t be sold without pissing off--Warner Bros., is it?--the writing’s got plenty going for it. Lots of energy, strongly visual, consistent character behavior, all kinds of good stuff. It’s got a few weaknesses, too, but I imagine you’d rather nobody noted them until and only if you ask. Which is cool. I hate it when strangers come up and comment on my fat thighs.
Back to any lurkers we might have: AbsoluteWrite’s an especially good place for erotica writers, because there aren’t many writing sites which take erotica seriously. AW treats it like any other genre, rather than some second-class endeavor to be sneered at, or banned over.
Those who prefer--which is a lot of newcomers--can merely read boards (lurk). Both members and non-members can read boards which have no password protection, and all anybody will know is that a specific member is at the AW site, and that certain boards have certain numbers of visitors, not who is where. So you have a fair amount of privacy here.
I recommend you read not only the Writing Erotica board but also the general boards about writing fiction of any kind. Just because it's about sex doesn't mean we can get sloppy, right? You’ll pick up all kinds of tips, meet great people, and quickly learn who knows their shit and who’s a beginner. The Novels board (especially Learn Writing with Uncle Jim) and the Grammar and Syntax board are the equivalent of lots of college with a Creative Writing major. Seriously.
Among the regulars at the Writing Erotica board are several who have sold books, ebooks, and/or short stories, and plenty more who will sooner rather than later, along with still more who are only beginning to explore the genre. At every level, people are able and willing to share what they’ve learned on the way, both about writing in the genre and about marketing.
One thread at Writing Erotica is password-protected. There the language and content get fairly raunchy. However, there’s almost never any discussion of writing and marketing there. It’s more a place to play or blow off steam, with lots of flirting, sexual quips, etc. The password was added only recently, when mods agreed a lot of the content was not suitable for all members 13-and-up but only for adults.
Critique for all genres is posted at Share Your Work, each genre on its own board. All are password-protected, so those who post do not use up first publication rights. They’re also protected from search engines picking up their text. There’s lots to be learned from reading work and its critiques in any genre you read. The password for all is “vista”--except for SYW-Erotica, which has a separate password, so no underage users have access. (My kids, young adults now, say I was overprotective, and maybe they’re right--but I like knowing AW does it this way. The idea of a kid reading some of that content is creepy.) When you’re ready to read there, send a private message to the board moderator saying you’re 21 or more.
In the last few months, the level of camaraderie and support among the erotica writers has blossomed. People who stopped in for help with a troublesome romantic chapter of a non-erotica work have stayed, they like it so much. Some are experimenting with erotica for the first time, learning a lot while enjoying the process and the people. Others are just hanging out, laughing and joking.
While some of us at the Erotica board are pretty open about who we are and what we like when it comes to sex, others are not. It’s not like other genres--nobody assumes the mystery author really wants to kill anybody, or in fact already has. Posting writing intended to turn people on reveals something that’s deeply personal, and we’ll all understand if you choose not to do it, now or ever.
I do hope you and any others who only lurk will feel free to step from the shadows and introduce yourselves, telling us only what you’re comfortable with. I’ll go first: I’m Maryn, the oldest one here (I think) but not the most experienced (I know!), long married, two adult kids, and I live between the Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes. I started writing sexy fanfic when the market for mystery short stories got tiny, and found I really liked it. I removed “my guy” and started writing stories nobody could sue me over.
Maryn, quite long-winded as usual