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--- Writing Porn For Fun and Profit! ---
========================================== ****************************************** This e-book has EVERYTHING the aspiring porn writer needs to know! Click on http://www.KatyTerrega.com/dirtyjob.html for chapter headings and excerpts. Or order here - http://www.KatyTerrega.com/orderebook.html ********************************************** ========================================= Yeehaw! It's official (in my world anyway); spring has sprung! Not only was the first crocus up as of this morning, but my daughter also saw the first fly. She claims that this is definitive proof of spring, since "flies can't live in the winter." Sound reasoning as far as I'm concerned... On a spring note, the Short Story Contest, Spring 2001, will commence with the next issue - on April 2nd. Good luck in advance to all of you! You may note that we're still with Yahoo. Sigh. And they're still not responding to my repeated requests to change the heading of the group. Thanks to your input, I've narrowed down the choices to ListBot and Liszt, if any of you have had any experience with either of them, please let me know. In this edition of the newsletter we've got an article on earning money by sharing your sexual fantasies by Michael Bracken. There are three market listings, all with deadlines in the next two weeks. And Shanna Germain and Edo van Belkom have some good news in 'Goings On.' I also answer a question about rewrites in 'Q and A.' Enjoy this newsletter and keep in touch! Katy =========================================== Okay, so it's not quite spring yet...it will be (technically, anyway) by the time the next issue comes out! So, turn up the heat on those fantasies...the next short story contest starts on April 2nd, 2001! While you're waiting check out the Winner's Page and the Contest Rules.
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=========================================== ("How to Earn Money Sharing Your Sexual Fantasies" originally appeared in Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, July, 1993. It has been modified for this appearance. Copyright 1993, 2001 by Michael Bracken.) Each of us has sexual fantasies--or even real-life experiences--that we think about from time to time. Publishers all over the country are looking for people like us to share our fantasies and are willing to pay for the right to publish them anonymously. They want letters and stories as short as two double-spaced typewritten pages and as long as 15 pages which convey one or more erotic sexual experiences told in a colloquial manner. That is, the publishers are seeking the kind of stories that everyday people might tell if they were given the opportunity. (Erotic fiction--traditional short stories with erotic themes and content--are not the same as sexual fantasies and are not the subject of this essay.) Where do these stories come from? Your imagination, your fantasies, and your daydreams. Have you ever imagined what a sexual encounter between two women might be like, or what it might be like to engage in sex in a public place? Have you ever imagined a sexual encounter with someone older and more experienced, or younger and less experienced? The answers to these questions, and the many more you might be asking yourself right now, are the basis for your stories and letters. STORY STRUCTURE One thing to remember about the stories and letters you prepare: this is fiction--your fantasies--prepared as if they were fact. You must convince the reader that the events you describe actually happened. Therefore, each of these stories is written in the first-person. Although these stories vary in many other ways, they each share a common, three-part structure: 1) The setup. This is where each of the people in the story are introduced to the reader. 2) The climax. This is where the characters engage in sexual activity which leads one or more of them to a satisfying orgasm. This is usually the longest and most detailed portion of the story. 3) The conclusion. This is a short summation of the story's events, or a teaser which leads the reader to believe there's even more that the narrator hasn't told. SET-UP Your characters--the people who populate the fantasies you are about to describe--should have a logical reason for being together. They may be married to one another or may simply be dating. They may be neighbors or co-workers. They may both shop at the same store, eat at the same restaurant, or take their kids to the same day care center. As long as your characters have a good reason for being together, publishers will be satisfied with the story's set-up. Publishers rarely accept letters and stories about two people who do not know each other, who meet and engage in sexual activity, and then who never see each other again. To help you understand how the set-up works, three examples follow. From a letter I sold to Letters, about the first time a woman made love and the man who introduced her to the experience, told from the man's point of view: "For everybody, there's a first time and, even though we've been seeing each other for almost three years now, I remember Joan's first time. We'd just returned to her apartment after a movie." From another letter I sold to Letters, about a man and woman who have a sexual encounter after-hours at a fitness center, told from the man's point of view: "I was pumping iron at the club late one night last week when I learned what a weight bench is really good for. I hadn't realized how late it was until Annette, the evening aerobics instructor, stuck her head in the room to tell me she was locking up for the evening." From a story I sold to Gent about a bar owner who has sex with one of her customers, told from the man's point of view: "Some women have nipplets--tiny little tits that are nothing more than dimples. Some women have breasticles--gargantuan breasts that hang low and swing free like a pair of unfettered testicles as they move. "Mary Sue Mayberry, the well-endowed owner of the Rusty Nail Bar, had breasticles." In the first example, the couple has been dating for three years, even though the encounter described took place early in their relationship. In each of the other examples, the couple knew each other because they met where one of them works and the other is a regular customer. CLIMAX The most important thing about writing the body of your story is your need to remain realistic throughout. Remember, not every woman is as well-endowed as Dolly Parton and not every man is hung like Long Dong Silver. Editors regularly express a desire for realistic characters, so let the people in your stories have a few grey hairs or be carrying a few extra pounds. What's most important is that your characters are all consenting adults and that they enjoy what they're doing. It is not possible to provide concrete examples of the climax without offending some readers. Therefore, let me say that this is the section of your story or letter where you describe in graphic detail exactly what your characters do to or with one another during their sexual encounter. Before writing this type of scene, you should do two things: First, study the magazine for which you wish to write for to determine how explicit to make your description. Some magazines prefer a romantic, euphemistic description similar to those found in romance novels, while others prefer clinical details filled with street-language words describing anatomical parts. Second, plan the scene carefully. Nothing other than illiteracy gets a story rejected faster than two people doing something which is anatomically impossible, or forgetting where a body part is and suddenly having it appear somewhere else. If you are, or have ever been, sexually active, you can practice writing your fantasy scenes by writing descriptions of what you and your partner did during a real sexual encounter. Once you accomplish that, you are ready to describe your fantasy encounter. CONCLUSION The conclusion may be as short as a single sentence, or as long as two or three paragraphs, provided it acts as an anti-climax--the literary equivalent of a cigarette after sex--and serves to wrap up the action and possibly hinting at more to come in the future. Following are four examples of successful conclusions. "Joan and I have done a lot of things since then, but I still remember that first time," is how I concluded the story of a woman's first sexual encounter, as described by her boyfriend. A story I sold to Screw about a woman who has sex with her auto mechanic, told from the woman's point of view, ends with: "Ten minutes later, Bobby had fixed my car and I was heading home. I'm still the type who likes to get to know a man first, and now that I know a mechanic, I know where I'll go the next time I need a tune-up!" I ended a story I sold to Screw about a sexual encounter following a fight between a husband and wife, told from the wife's point of view: "Don and I haven't had many arguments since that night, but I'll tell you one thing: Our sex life sure has improved." I concluded a letter I sold to Uncensored Letters, about a couple who has sex on their high school class's ten-year reunion, told from the woman's point-of-view: "...when Ronny finally left early in the morning, I hoped he wouldn't wait until our next reunion before we did it again." In each example, the reader is left with the impression that the sexual encounter just described is one the narrator enjoyed and may even wish to repeat. STORY PRESENTATION Traditional publishers expect you to present these stories in a professional manner. That is, each story must be typewritten--never handwritten--on 8-1/2" x 11" white paper, double-spaced and on one side of the page only. Your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number should be placed at the top of the first page of your manuscript. (Some publishers also request your social security number. This should also be placed at the top of the first page of your manuscript.) Stories should be submitted separately, one per envelope, until you have reached a regular working relationship with an editor. At that time your editor may agree to consider batches of submissions. Enclosed with each submission should be an envelope which you have addressed to yourself and upon which you have placed sufficient postage for your manuscript to be returned by the publisher. Upon acceptance, some publishers will request that you email your story or provide it on disk. Many electronic publishers and some traditional publishers will accept submissions via email. Consult the publisher's guidelines to determine if they want your submission included in the body of your email or as an attachment. RESULTS OF SUBMISSION Upon receiving your submission, the editor will normally do one of three things: 1) Accept your story for publication as it is. 2) Request revision of your story if the editor thinks it's not suitable for publication, but could be with alteration. 3) Reject your submission without comment. If your story is accepted for publication--either as you originally submitted it, or after you've made requested revisions--most publishers will pay you for the right to use your submission in their publication. Payment will arrive anywhere from one week to one year after acceptance, depending upon the publisher and the publisher's payment schedule. If your submission has been rejected, you may submit it to another publication. There is no magic number of submissions. While much of my work is accepted by the first editor I send it to, I have stories that didn't sell until the tenth submission, and a few that have never been accepted. IF I CAN, YOU CAN I have been selling my sexual fantasies to magazines since 1984, so I know it can be a profitable source of extra income. I wish you the very best of luck as you begin to earn money sharing your sexual fantasies. ----- Michael Bracken is the author of BAD GIRLS, DEADLY CAMPAIGN, EVEN ROSES BLEED, IN THE TOWN OF DREAMS UNBORN AND MEMORIES DYING, JUST IN TIME FOR LOVE, PSI COPS, TEQUILA SUNRISE, the forthcoming ALL WHITE GIRLS and CANVAS BLEEDING, and more than 700 shorter works. In addition to numerous science fiction, fantasy, horror, and crime fiction short stories, he has sold erotica to Baby Face, Bust Out!, Chesapeake Swinging Moderns, Chic, Chic Letters, Dixieland Swinger, Family Affairs, Family Taboos, Fling, Florida Swinging Moderns, Florida Sunshine Swinger, Gent, Gent Special, Gentleman's Companion, Get Kinky, Hustler Fantasies, Hustler Presents Sex, Juggs, Letters, Mantalk, Max, Naughty Neighbors, Nugget, Options, Oui, Outrageous Letters, Pillowtalk, Playgirl, Private Letters, Score, Screw, Swingers Update, Swinging Times, Stroke, T&A, Taboo Letters, Turn-On Letters, Uncensored Letters, and Voluptuous. Michael is one of seven writers featured in Edo van Belkom's forthcoming book, WRITING EROTICA (Self-Counsel Press). =========================================== Paying: Hurry! The Deadline For These Three Listings Is Fast Approaching... BEST BISEXUAL WOMEN'S EROTICA: PMB #121, 322 Cortland Ave. - San Francisco, CA 94110. bestbiwomens@yahoo.com. Website: http://www.venusorvixen.com/Sheets/bestbiwomens.html. CONTACT: Cara Bruce, Editor. An anthology to be published in the late fall of 2001, probably around October or November. Obtain guidelines at http://www.venusorvixen.com/Sheets/bestbiwomens.html or e-mail bestbiwomens@yahoo.com. Send complete manuscript with bio and SASE, either via snail mail or e-mail. If submitting by e-mail please submit the story in the body of an e-mail AND as an RTF attachment. Obtain catalogue at Cleis Press - http://www.cleispress.com. CURRENT NEEDS: Erotic fiction for and about bisexual women. PAYMENT - $75 to $100 a story. WORD COUNT: 1000 to 5000 words. REPRINT: Yes, but the author must retain reprint rights and must include where the story originally appeared. HINTS: Common mistakes writers make include not following the guidelines or word count restrictions or sending poetry. Please follow the guidelines and be as creative as possible. BEST LESBIAN EROTICA, 2002: Tristan Taormino, P.O. Box 4108, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. E:mail: tristan@puckerup.com. Website: http://www.puckerup.com/best_lesbian/ble2002.htm. CONTACT: Tristan Taormino, Series Editor. A best-selling annual lesbian erotica anthology that celebrates sexy, literate lesbian writing. Published by Cleis Press. 100% freelance written. Works with new writers. Responds in September. Purchases one time world rights. Pays on publication. Publishes manuscripts in December. Obtain guidelines via mail, online or email. Purchase sample copy through bookstore. To submit - Include a cover page with: Author's Name, Title of Submission(s), Address, Phone/Fax, and Email Address; All submissions must be typed & double-spaced; number the pages; You may submit a maximum of 3 different pieces of work; Submit 2 hard copies of each submission; No email submissions will be accepted, but you can email queries to tristan@puckerup.com; All submissions must include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) or an email address for response. No manuscripts will be returned. CURRENT NEEDS: Submit short stories, novel excerpts, other prose. Poetry will be considered, but poetry submissions are not encouraged. Both unpublished & previously published material will be considered, provided it was or will be published between 9/1/00 & 12/31/2001 for BLE 2002, and same schedule for future editions. PAYMENT: $85-100 flat fee. WORD COUNT: Each submission should be a maximum of 5,000 words. REPRINTS: Yes. DEADLINE: April 1, 2001. Transgender characters and interests are encouraged, but please don't send us a TG story and call it a bi story. Above all, please keep in mind what, if anything, is unique about bisexual people and their sexuality? From flirtation to fucking, from mild to wild, we want to learn something about these people and what moves them. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us sigh, make us hot and sticky. Ethnicities other than white are encouraged. To get a good idea of what we like, check out Best Bisexual Erotica or issues 7 and 14 of Black Sheets magazine, which Black Books also publishes. If you can't find either on your own, copies are available from the address above; enclose $19 for BBE and $6 and a signed age statement for each issue of Black Sheets. BEST WOMEN'S EROTICA: Cleis Press - CONTACT: Marcy Sheiner, Editor, at 4096 Piedmont Avenue #136, Oakland, CA 94611-5221. Second edition of a book series (published yearly) compiling the best of women's erotica. 100% freelance written. Works with new writers. Responds in 2 months. Buys First North American Serial Rights. Pays on acceptance. Submit typed and double spaced manuscript in hard copy, along with SASE and contact info to above address. No email submissions. CURRENT NEEDS: Erotic stories by women.. PAYMENT: $100 per story. REPRINTS: Yes Deadline: March 31st, 2001
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=========================================== Ellen Tevault says... I have struggled with depression and have not written in years. Last year I set a goal to get published again, and I have submitted about 20 stories and have had several published. I mailed out my first story since the early 90's July 19, 2000 and have sworn not to stop writing again. ~
Are you happy with your writing career? Struggling, frustrated, inspired? Please send your thoughts, other writers are interested in knowing how you feel! ===========================================
Congrats to Shanna Germain and Edo Van Belkom! ~ Shanna Germain has a great essay in www.goodvibes.com (the magazine) called The Good Girl's Guide to Writing Sex. You can find it here! ~ Evan Hollander (Edo van Belkom) has a short story in the April 2001 issue of LEG SEX called "Taking the Bait"... He also has a new chapbook out called REALITY CHICKS: More Erotic Gems of Evan Hollander. This title features six erotic SF/fantasy stories (most previously published in GENT), and the introduction "Why I am Evan Hollander by Edo van Belkom." The book sells for $4 Cdn. and is published by The Shallow End of Infinity. http://www.megacityone.com/infinity. Or write to The Oortworks Corporation, 650 Dupont St. #513, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1Z3. ~ I've got my revamped website up and running here - www.KatyTerrega.com. Take a look and let me know what you think! --- Tell me what's going on! Have you made a sale? Do you have a piece being published? Let me know and I'll print it here for all to see! --- Check out my column at http://www.AbsoluteWrite.com on - what else?! - writing porn. This week I...well...I forgot. No kidding! Deadline came and went with nary a thought from me. But last weeks "Putting Out" is still there and I promise I'll get the next one - on leads and how to make them creative, maybe? - out next Monday. =============================================== =========================================== Can flash fiction be expanded to a full length story and not be considered a reprint? Absolutely! In order for a story to be considered a rewrite and not a reprint, it has to be substantially different from the original. Since flash fiction is so short, around 100 words, pretty much anything you do to it is going to be a rewrite. Even if you quote it verbatim in the new piece, you're still only talking a hundred words out of thousands. What you're doing is more like a complete overhaul - even if the basic 'plot' is the same - than a slight revision. I, personally, would probably not even mention it to the new editor. Since only such a small percentage of the story (word wise) will have been published, they shouldn't care at all. (Editors, let me know if you feel differently about this!)
--- Send me your questions! I'll answer the most common ones here, and if I don't know the answer, I'll do my best to find a pro who does. =========================================== I'd love articles on specific markets. There are so many sub-genres of porn and it's hard to know the subtleties of each. If you've got a specialty, from BDSM to Watersports to Leg Sex to Amputeeism, feel free to share your knowledge. You can either suggest a topic (query) or send something whole. I'll get back to you within a week as to whether or not I'll be able to use it. Right now I'm paying with a copy of the updated It's A Dirty Job...(plus credits) but as SOON as this site is self-supporting I'll be able to offer some cash. ============CLASSIFIEDS==================== ========================================== Writing Porn For Fun and Profit! Katy Terrega |
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