"What is an erotic story?

That’s a tricky question. It’s not Lady Chatterley’s Lover or Ulysses or Lolita - to name three controversial works of twentieth century literature. Nor is it a novel by Harold Robbins or Jackie Collins or Jilly Cooper - or any number of contemporary commercial novelists who are perceived as ‘sexy’ writers. Though sexual behaviour is at the heart of these books and erotic sequences part of the reading experience, explicit sex is only one ingredient among many that makes them successful.

For the purposes of this course, an erotic novel or short story is one designed specifically to inspire the reader’s sexual imagination. If it fails in that primary purpose, no matter how successful it may be in other areas, then it fails completely. A good erotic tale should arouse you like a lover - or at least like an efficient striptease artist. If the juice does not flow, you do not pass Go."

"Reading fiction - any popular fiction - brings us face to face with situations that would appall and terrify us in real life. To look through the eyes of Clarice Starling into the face of Hannibal Lecter, to choose like Sophie on the platform at Auschwitz which of your children will die, to run for your life through a marijuana field in Thailand chased by armed guards - how many of us would actually want to experience events like these? But in reading popular novels like Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice and Alex Garland’s The Beach we can of course participate in safety. What’s more, we can look our worst nightmare in the eye and see it off. In novels, we know that virtue will vanquish, truth will out and love conquers all. A satisfying blockbuster read gives us all the reassurance of a religion which promises life after death. And, like a mother with a sick child, the novelist says to us, ‘Despite the many terrible things that I’ve shown you in my story, everything’s going to be all right.’ And we believe her.

What about erotica then, a bastard off-spring born out of literary wedlock, whose respectability many would still dispute? What is the erotic writer’s underlying message?

Erotica, as much if not more than any other genre, offers vicarious thrills. It gives us licence to explore a hedonistic wonderland where the usual social conventions do not apply. In these books, the fabulous flesh of fantasy men and women is displayed solely for our carnal appreciation. To borrow from Henry Miller, this is the Land of Fuck and here we can have whoever we want as often as we like - without even stumping up for dinner. What’s more, we can let our libidos off the leash and go for a walk on the wild side. It is unlikely, if the opportunity arose, that many of us would stroll down the Champs-Elysées in nothing but a pair of high heels, agree to become a body slave to an Italian diva in return for singing lessons or request a public spanking in a lesbian sex club. But these and a myriad other titillating possibilities beckon from the book shelves. And - to credit the examples I’ve cited - readers of Nicole D’s The Sex Diary of Nicole Dupont, Rebecca Ambrose’s Queen of the Night and Penny Birch’s Fit to be Tied only have to turn the pages to share the experience."

"First, a word of warning. Erotic fiction requires the same degree of literacy as any other kind. The tools of the trade are those used by the recognised masters of the novel from Austen to Amis. Like all writers of fiction, you must be able to create an imaginary world by skilful wordplay. Contrary to what many people think, to write a successful erotica you must be able to write.

That sounds obvious but it’s worth considering in connection with genre erotic fiction – especially if you intend to write a full-length novel. An erotic novel of 75 to 80,000 plus words requires more than sex. The author must invent an imaginary world for the reader and fill it with character, incident and atmosphere. In other words, you’ve got to be able to tell a tale on paper. If you cannot write a sentence which conveys the precise meaning you intend, then you are in trouble.

Just because you are writing about sex does not mean you can get away with sloppy prose, illogical plotting and schoolboy howlers. Just because the message is erotic doesn’t mean the medium should be poorly executed. And just because readers are indulging in sexual fantasy doesn’t mean they’ll settle for second best. More to the point – if you are seeking paid-for publication - neither will the editor. This is a professional business and these days sex-book publishers require writers with professional skills."

"As an erotic writer, you are at an advantage over authors whose work requires in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit, keyhole surgery or what Henry VIII ate for breakfast. Unless you have been very unfortunate in life to date, you will have experienced erotic pleasures firsthand and forged sexual relationships - whether short or long-term doesn’t matter. If you want to write a sexy story, the chances are you have swum in the ocean of sexual experience and know what it’s about. And if you’ve only got your toes wet, there are places to further your research and still stay dry - a trip to a book shop and a video store, not to mention the world wide web, will probably give you all the background you need.

We can assume then that you are equipped with the basic knowhow and are keen to forge ahead. Surely now it’s just a question of boy takes girl back to his place and they work their way through the Kama Sutra? Hardly. Unless you are something of a genius in this sphere, confining yourself to two characters in one setting for an entire novel will soon bore you and your readers to tears. What you need is a plot."

"What makes a successful erotic plot?

The answer is: all the elements that make up effective fiction of any kind - plus sex. Here are some examples of erotic plots:

'Avelino, a young Spanish peasant, is stunned to discover a naked woman sunbathing on the beach. They make love and Janice, a visitor to his small village, is captivated by his innocence. He accepts her offer to leave his simple life and go to Barcelona to live with her. But the immorality of the city appals him - Janice proves to be unfaithful and her friends treat him as an available gigolo. And when he discovers his lover is living off the proceeds of brothels which exploit underage girls, he decides to inform the authorities. Before he can do so, hired killers come for him. He flees the city only to be shot at in the mountains and his car plunges over a ravine. He wakes to find his broken bones being tended by a band of gypsies, among them a beautiful young girl who nurses him back to health and becomes his new lover. He doubts that he will ever return to the city'.
With Open Mouth, Marcus Van Heller (1956)"

"An outline is a précis of the plot of your novel. It can be as short as half a page - a mere summation of an idea. It can be a detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdown running to a dozen or more pages.

‘All artists plan their work. Painters make sketches, sculptors make models, composers write drafts, actors rehearse. Authors write outlines.’
Celia Brayfield, Bestseller (1996)

An alternative school of thought decrees that no planning is necessary, that a writer can take an opening situation and let it roll until he hits his target word count. Known in some circles as the Narrative Push method, this form of working claims the advantage of spontaneity. I suspect that this is the same kind of spontaneity that prevents a writer revising his work on the grounds that first thoughts are always the best. In other words, the author is trying to cut corners. You might be able to pull it off in this genre if you’re an experienced operator - especially if your sexy scenes are sufficiently exciting - but I wouldn’t recommend it for the beginner. This is the kind of high-wire act that often leaves the practitioner on the ground and 50,000 words in the bin.

In fact the experienced professionals all plan their work to some degree. I once canvassed the opinions of a dozen or so authors, all with many published titles to their credit, and discovered that every one of them wrote outlines in one form or another. Some restricted themselves to a simple page-length summary, others produced a short plan and then a detailed chapter breakdown. These pages were used to solicit commissions from publishers but there are other good reasons for working in this way. Authors write plot plans to give themselves confidence that the idea will work as a novel. Though short, these summaries are often quite sophisticated. From them an experienced author will be able to judge the shape of the finished book and ensure that the plot will fulfil the publisher’s required word count."

"There are no hard and fast rules about how to capture your inspiration on the page. The standard advice is always to carry pencil and paper, to have them by your bedside to record your dreams, and in your pocket when you’re walking the street, alive to snippets of overheard conversation from passers-by. I remember a writer who transcribed dinner-party bon mots onto cigarette packets while at the table, which is not a habit to be recommended if you want to remain popular - especially if you’re writing erotica.

Notes, of course, need to be kept in order so you can find them when you want to. Together with the cuttings you’ve probably snipped from newspapers and magazines, the old photos from junk shops and jottings from trips to museums (if you follow the author’s advice given above) you might have box loads of material cluttering up your kitchen table or bedroom or whatever passes for your writing area. Frankly, how you handle all this is up to you. Only two things are important:

1. Don’t throw anything away till you’ve finished the book. If you do, you’re bound to regret it.

2. Your finished work must be typed somehow. No publisher will read longhand script. Some may accept electronically transferred material but many will still insist on hard copy."

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