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--- Writing Porn For Fun and Profit! ---
The Bi-Weekly E-Letter
Volume II, Issue 17
May 20, 2002

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This issue may be distributed to friends, discussion lists and writing groups as long as the entire issue is included.
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In This Issue:
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From the Editor
Article: Writing Kinky When You're Not
            By Lady Mary
Kevin's Book Review Corner:
            "Guilt" By Emma Kaufmann
Market Listings
Goings On
Q & A
Looking for Writers

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From The Editor
Katy Terrega
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Knock on wood, but it appears that my email troubles have been taken care of. Hopefully any and all who've tried to contact me in the last several weeks have finally succeeded. If not, feel free to try again.

I've been busy trying to finish up a new internet venture that I hope (fingers crossed, of course) to unveil at the end of this week, as well as working to get my writing ducks in a row for the summer. The kids only have 10 days left until school's out, at which time my writing schedule will go down the proverbial toilet. Oh well, at almost 11 and almost 12, they'll soon want to spend their summers anywhere but with me, so my goal is to enjoy the limited time we have left.

As to business for the week...

Today's issue is chock full of good stuff. We've got a great article by Lady Mary on "Writing Kinky When You're Not," a good book review by Kevin Tipple, plenty of market listings and lots of Goings On. Oh, and I tackle revising and rewriting in Q&A.

As usual, enjoy the newsletter and please keep in touch!

Katy

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--- Writing Kinky When You're Not ---
--- By Lady Mary ---
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As an erotica writer I create stories involving a myriad of sexual orientations and fetishes. All of which I feel comfortable writing. However, when others read my work, especially kinky stories, I am often asked if I am "into" whatever fetish is portrayed in my prose. The answer, surprisingly enough is usually "no."

The conversation usually turns to how I can write such things if I have no interest in them personally. The old adage, "write what you know" seems to imply that those who aren't kinky cannot write believable kinky prose. Thankfully for erotica writers this is not true.

For those wishing to delve into fetish writing without trying it out personally, three tips help me to create believable stories.

First, become mentally comfortable with the fetish, even if you have no desire to act it out. As long as you can picture the scene in your mind without feeling turned-off or disgusted, you can write the fetish. For spanking stories, I picture the spanking in my mind, even becoming a bit turned on by it. This helps me to delve into my character's minds and create more sexual fiction.

During the mental exercise, play a bit of "why?" with your characters. Why does being spanked turn on your character? Why does the other character enjoy spanking so much? What aspects of the scene arouse each character? You may want to make notes, or even discuss the scene with trusted friends or lovers to get others opinions.

Next, read other works written in the same fetish. Request sample publications or stories from prospective markets. Check out the newsgroups online or other free story services. Not only will you have a feel for what different publications want, but you can also see the language used in the stories and the works that have already been published.

In addition to reading fictional works, read nonfiction books and articles dealing with the fetish. S&M writers have a great resource in "Screw the Roses, Send me the Thorns" by Miller & Devon, while "The Compleat Spanker" published by Greenery Press serves the same purpose for those writing about spanking. Nonfiction books not only give you the details of a particular fetish, but they help the author get into the mind of a participant. While nothing compares with actually trying out a particular fetish, such information can help with authenticity.

Finally, use your imagination. For creating erotic fiction nothing works better than the imagination. By applying the knowledge you've learned from talking to people and reading about a particular fetish with a little bit of imagination, the writer can go about creating the best story possible.

These three tips: being comfortable with the fetish, research, and imagination, will go along way towards helping the non-kinky author write kinky prose.

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About the Author: Lady Mary edits http://www.eroticsf.com/, and publishes a monthly newsletter the ESF Write Info for writers of erotica and science fiction. Under several pseudonyms, her fiction has appeared in many magazines. Visit her homepage at http://ladymary.eroticsf.com/ or write to her at ladymary@eroticsf.com.

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--- Kevin's Book Review Corner ---
--- By Kevin Tipple ---
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"Guilt" By Emma Kaufmann
2002 Release
Booklocker.com, Inc.
www.booklocker.com
ISBN # 1-59113-080-8

While written erotica is our primary interest in this column (and how to improve our prose) it does not hurt to examine non-erotic writings as well. If you are looking to write polished stories as opposed to stroke letters (and I am not saying stroke letters are bad—they pay the bills just as well) then character development is extremely important.

Showing the same ability to develop interesting characters as she did in her preceding erotic novel, Lawless Games, Emma Kaufmann is back with a very un-erotic novel. The sex, when it happens, is detailed, as is this set up portion of an erotic scene.

“She pushed him down roughly and ordered him to lick her boots. Immersing himself in the task, licking from heel to toe, inch by inch, nauseated by the gluey smell of the patent leather, he waited for the next command. That was the routine. He would do a set task, such as licking her boots, until he felt his tongue would fall out from the ache of it and there was pain in his shoulders and neck from crouching in such an awkward position. Then, just when he felt he could no longer breathe, the acrid taste making him gag, she would tap him up on the side of the head with her switch to signify he could cease what he was doing and start on another task.”

He does and it all leads to a very erotic scene. But, the erotic scenes in this novel are extremely limited as Emma Kaufmann concentrates on the fact that one never really gets away from his or her past. Guilt is a powerful emotion and each and every character; except for the wonderful Dr. Gerber (more about this slime in a minute) feels tremendous guilt over the actions of themselves and others. This is a group of self-obsessed psychologically unbalanced individuals who constantly cause each other and themselves new pain, but yet can’t stay away from each other.

Sitting above them all, serene in his hands off approach, is Dr. Gerber, a therapist who uses the characters of this work as fodder for case studies and future books promoting his own pet psychologically theories. These people, several of whom he has treated, as well as the others he knows about of the group, do not exist as real people to him. Instead, they exist to be studied and discarded like the morning paper, but with less feeling. His attitude is summed up nicely early in the novel, when he whines to himself;

“’What on earth possessed Clive to trail me all evening, to force his inconsequential little problems on me? Don’t any of them realize that once I deem their therapy complete, that’s the end of the matter?’”

But, life isn’t that simple and for all his knowledge, like many experts regardless of the field, Dr. Gerber does not have a clue. What seems inconsequential to Dr. Gerber might be a sign of a raving psychotic beginning to crack to the reader and certainly to any layman that wandered near. But Clive isn’t the only one with major problems; they all have major problems. However, the biggest problem, other than the obvious slow mental unraveling of Clive, might be Dora’s situation.

Dora is pregnant (this was not planned) and while she would like to confide in her mother, Gilda, and desperately needs to, she can’t. Not only is there a tremendous emotional distance between mother and daughter, Gilda is off in America promoting her latest pop psychology self help book. So with Gilda unreachable on any level, Dora begins to confide in Clive and the other intertwined characters. In so doing, she unwittingly triggers quite a number of painful memories of other events for various characters as well as present day murder, deceit and betrayal.

This novel is an intense and slow moving character study of a group of individuals with deep psychological problems. Definitely not erotic or action oriented, but more in the style reminiscent of a traditional literary style work. While damaged, each character is multi dimensional and complex, which as writers is something we can all learn from to improve our work. While this type of novel may not be your favorite type of work, it is immensely instructive in regards to character development and well worth the read.

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--- Market Listings ---
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Sweet Life 2: More Erotic Fantasies for Couples

Following the success of Sweet Life: Erotic Fantasies for Couples, I'm soliciting submissions for the sequel, Sweet Life 2: More Erotic Fantasies for Couples. The sequel will follow the same theme and formula of the original: explicit fiction that depicts heterosexual couples making their number one sexual fantasies come true for the first time.

Both female and male authors are welcome to submit. All submissions must be geared toward a heterosexual audience, must have a plot, and the sexual element should be graphic and comprise the bulk of the story. The sexual fantasies must be realistic; no impossible scenarios or unsafe sexual practices will be accepted -- for instance, if there's anal sex, there's lube; if there are surprise, public, or group sex scenes, there must be consent. Pick up (or thumb through) a copy of Sweet Life for examples, and to avoid duplication of scenarios.

The scenarios must be first-time fantasy enactments between couples. Examples of desired elements are: sexual experimentation (within couples, with other couples, sex parties), male (receptive) anal penetration with a female partner, trying out sex toys, playing with ordinary household items, role-reversal and gender-swapping, sex with strangers, power/control dynamics, role-playing (nurse, teacher, etc.) being "used," romance, fetish, or surprise seduction scenes.

Length: 5 to 15 pages, payment upon publication. Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2002. Send only to the snail and email addresses below. Submissions are accepted in hard copy or Word email attachments.

For hard copy submissions double-space your manuscript, put your full name (and pseudonym if you use one), address, and the title of the piece on the front page. Number the pages and either enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of the manuscript, or mark your manuscript "DISPOSABLE." For email submissions, send attachments as Word documents only and clearly indicate that there is an attachment in the subject heading -- otherwise it will be deleted. Send the entire story. No queries will be answered, and no story samples or unsolicited reprints will be accepted. Do not send more than three submissions.

Send to:

Violet Blue
Sweet Life 2
1678 Shattuck Ave.
#244
Berkeley CA 94709
email to:
viwhips@yahoo.com

HUSTLER’S TABOO:
(From their writer's guidelines)

All fiction should be short (see length below,) realistic and SEXY. We are looking for hot, erotic stories that deal with some aspect of BDSM/fetish sexuality. Characters and scenarios should be realistic and the interaction between characters strongly sexual. In general keep your writing light and “every day,” though dark and heavy manuscripts might be acceptable, depending on the content and strength of the writing.

Topics should be written about in a manner that is serious, accessible and upbeat. Please remember that our readers are quite serious about their interests. If a particular fetish or topic is not to your liking, write about it as if it were or don’t write bout it.

Topics: Anal play/anal worship, bondage, strap-on play, dominance and submission, spanking, whipping, corporal punishment, tickling, leather, foot worship (kissing, licking, S & M, discipline, slave training, voyeurism, public humiliation, golden showers, male and female dominants, shaving, corset training, uniforms, leather/latex wear, piercing, body modification, and just about any other BDSM or fetish topic you could think of. Please remember in considering a story ideas that our readership is primarily comprised of heterosexual adult males.

Avoid: Animals, children, necrophilia. We avoid overt incest (it can sometimes be implied but this area is tricky.)

Length: 1,500 to 2,800 words.

Payment: $300-$450

Terms: Please QUERY before you start writing anything. All writing is done on spec and payment is on publication, meaning that your invoice will be processed on the day that our issue closes. A check then gets to you about two weeks after that. If your manuscript is accepted I will ask you to write an invoice for me. We purchase First US Rights, Non-Exclusive International Rights and Non-Exclusive Electronic Rights. Final writing should be submitted on disk: Macintosh preferred.

Feel free to call or email me with any questions. Good Luck!

Ira Levine
Executive Editor, Hustler’s Taboo
P (213) 651-5400 Ext. 7360
F (213) 651-2741
Email: Taboo@lfp.com

UP ALL NIGHT: Stacy Bias is soliciting nonfiction lesbian erotica submissions for Up All Night.

TechnoDyke.com founder and publisher, Stacy Bias, is on the prowl in search of sexy real-life stories for the upcoming anthology Up All Night: Real-Life Lesbian Sex Adventures. Do all those juicy details of your latest sexcapade just have to be told? Did that cutie at the bookstore meet more than your eye? Meet a sexy drag king who showed you what it really means to "pack heat"? Drop more than your inhibitions in an impromptu threesome, foursome or moresome? If so, Alyson Publications wants to hear about it! Writers will be paid and receive 2 copies of the anthology upon publication. As you write, please try to answer some or all of the following questions:

1) Who was your partner? How did you know her? How old were each of you?

2) Had you previously felt attracted to her? Had you talked to her about lesbian issues or sex before? Was she a stranger?

3) Where did your encounter take place? What prompted it? Who initiated it?

4) Was this your first lesbian sexual experience? Was it hers?

5) What did you do? Did you enjoy it?

6) Was it like you had expected it to be? What had you expected?

7) Did you see her again? Did the two of you have sex again? Did this develop into a relationship of any sort?

8) What year did this happen? If it happened in the age of AIDS, was safer sex important to you?

9) Did you and your partner talk about each other's feelings? Did you tell anyone else about your experience? Submission Deadline: June 1, 2002

GUIDELINES:

1) Should be maximum of 15 typed, double-spaced manuscript pages. Name, address, phone number, and E-mail address (if applicable) should all appear on first page. NOTE: If accepted, the final manuscript must be submitted on computer disk or sent via E-mail. Yes, we will publish stories pseudonymously if requested.

2) Must be nonfiction but should read like a compelling piece of hot erotic fiction. Keep pacing, plot, character development, and setting details in mind. Each story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end and should build toward a detailed description of the sexual encounter and its aftermath. Dialogue-reconstructed to the best of the author's ability-is strongly encouraged.

3) If your submission has been previously published, make sure you have authority to grant us reprint rights.

4) Include SASE with sufficient postage to return manuscript. If manuscript is disposable, please state so in your cover letter.

Send manuscripts to:
Up All Night
C/O TechnoDyke.Com
PO BOX 13782
Portland, OR 97213-0782
Questions to upallnight@technodyke.com

Non-Paying Market:

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: 513 N. Central Ave. - Fairborn OH 45324. P(937) 878-5184. E-mail: BNI@AOL.COM CONTACT: Richard Freeman, Publisher. Monthly "politically incorrect newsletter on the Sexual Underground". 100% freelance written. Works with new writers. Responds in 1 day for e-mail, 1 week for post office. Publishes manuscripts approximately 3 months after acceptance. No guidelines. For sample copy send $3. Submit complete manuscript.
CURRENT NEEDS: Non fiction writing on classic pornography. Amusing writing on human sexuality. No minimum/maximum word counts.
REPRINTS: Yes
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $36 U.S. - $48 Foreign
PHOTOS/ART: No photos
HINTS: Please do not send fiction or poetry, Batteries Not Included is non-fiction only

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If so, please consider making a
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to help defray the many costs inherent in running a webzine, such as
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--- Goings On ---
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Chloe Welles' story 'Perilous Pleasures' appears in the May issue of Amoret.

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duana r. anderson's short erotic tragedy "The Song of the Soul" has been nominated for the Silver Clitorides Award for the best story of the month of April, 2002, which appeared in the April issue of Ophelia's Muse - http://www.opheliasmuse.com. The 6 most nominated stories become finalists. To nominate duana's story please visit the following link: http://www.asstr.org/~gary/Clitorides/

You may also check out her horror-erotic story "Addiction" in Issue 8 of Suspect Thoughts: www.suspectthoughts.com

New from Amatory-Ink is a collection of short mythical stories, "Mythic Fantasy Anthology" featuring duana's story "The Festival of the Snake" along with other great writers of erotica M. Christian, Morgan Hawk and Lynne den Hartog. Visit Amatory-Ink to check it out: http://www.amatory-ink.co.uk/shop/system/index.html

Coming-Out Soon: "Testimonies: Lesbian Coming-Out Stories" edited by Sarah Holmes and Jennifer Tust will be available at Ayson Books in August 2002, and will feature duana's story "A Deeper Shade of Grey" about the journey of self-discovery. http://store.yahoo.com/alysonbooks/teslescomsto.html

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M. Lyonese sold a fiction piece - Life's Little Surprises - to Hustler Fantasies. It will appear in their 'Our Favorite Fucking Fantasies' slot.

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Kelly Steed, co-author of Stasis, had a Haiku published in the March-April issue of In Buddha’s Temple. She also had her nonfiction story Sister Savior accepted for future consideration for publication in the anthology Chalkdust on the Sleeve of My Soul and for possible online publication on Chalkdust-Online. http://Chalkdust-Online.com

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Congrats! If you sent me your Goings On but don't see it here, just let me know and I'll get it out.

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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! (It helps if you write it in the format above; makes it easier for me to just cut and paste.)

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Check out my column at http://www.absolutewrite.com/ on - what else?! - writing porn. This week, still struggling with that new internet venture, I used a reprint from Porn 101 - "Fetish Writing Can Be Fattening" - in which I expound on the lushness of genre writing. Check it out here - http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/porn_101.htm

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--- Q & A ---
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One reader wrote:

About 8 years ago, I was pretty successful at writing short porn in the form of "letters" or "confessions." While I would like to think that the writing was brilliant and the plots were fresh and unique, we've all read enough of the confession-style letters in magazines like Chic or Hustler to know that most of them are very similar to each other. How much does a writer have to change in one of these previously-published pieces before it is "new" enough to send out to other markets? I'm sure other writers would be interested in knowing what can be recycled and what can't.

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Rewriting vs. revision is a tricky area, in porn writing as well as other genres. Sometimes it's hard to tell just how much rewriting is necessary to ensure that a piece doesn't classify as a reprint.

But often, the very act of rewriting to target a different market is enough to dramatically change a piece, especially given the very specific guidelines in the porn field. For example, in the teen market one magazine wants 800 word "confessions" from a female POV, one wants 1,000 words from either POV and one wants a 1,200 "first experience" from a female POV. It's fairly easy to tweak one piece to fit all of these markets, crafting a "new" story for each of them.

Details that you can change include names, physical characteristics and locations, as well as slants and points of view.

How much you change also depends on the crossover between the markets you're submitting to. If they're similar genres more will have to be changed than if they don't share the same readership.

Other considerations; how long it's been since the piece was published and how "big" the piece. Eight years is quite awhile in the publishing business, perhaps the original market doesn't even exist; if that's the case, not as much would need to be changed. Also, a 3,000 word article for a big market would have to be revised more than a short letter for a small market.

In the end you kind of have to use your own best judgement. Take all of the above into consideration and then go with your gut; if you feel "right" about sending out your revision then you've probably done enough.

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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. (Of course, failing that, I'll ask y'all for help...)

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--- Looking For Writers ---
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Send Me Your Stories And Ideas!

I'm looking for essays/articles that will inspire and/or instruct other porn writers. Success stories, how to break into certain markets, unique views on the genre, etc. Around 800 words is good, although I'm flexible.

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.

Payment varies; From $0-$10 per article (depending on site income for the month) OR a copy of one of the books on the Order Form. I'll also include a lengthy bio and url if you'd like.