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Erotic Writing Women - Call for members
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Erotic Writing Women online writer's group for women who are serious about writing and selling erotica in all its forms -flash fiction, novels, novellas, poetry, anthologies, etc. This is a working group so please try to stay on topic. There will be NO posting of written material or works in progress to the list. Please use the best possible language in your emails. DO post - paying markets, fresh ideas on getting started, helpful resources and tips, topics on mainstreaming erotica, the best use of language, ideas on writing descriptive language, views on character development, experiences with defining your job to others, personal and professional conflicts, the use of pseudonyms etc. DO -let your sense of humor and fun show in your notes. Moderated by freelance writer Angela Dickson. This is a spin-off of the "Writing Women" list. This warm, friendly and diversified group welcomes the insights controversial subjects can bring to our list as long as respect for individuality is maintained. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EroticaWritingWomen

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--- Breaking Into The Smut Trade - The Terrega Method ---
--- By D. L. Tash ---
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(Editor's Disclaimer: I swear I didn't pay him to write this! Well, okay, I paid him,
but it was after the fact; this was all his idea!)

This would be a pretty self-serving article if it was written by Katy Terrega.

But it's not. It's written by me, D.L. Tash, professional smut writer.

Actually, that's "brand new professional smut writer," just breaking into the market. You see, I've only been doing this for three months.

Yet I already have five stories on a paying web site, Watching the Wife, receiving a respectable ten cents per unique download. I'm also working with Ed Lundt, long-time publisher of Breast Expansion (BE) stories. As an editor and all around mentor, he's helping me hammer the kinks out of (or into?) a BE story I'm writing for his company.

And, on the non-paying front, I have nine stories (some with several chapters) on the Stories-On-Line web site. So far, they've had over forty-five thousand downloads and an average score of 9.40 out of a possible ten.

And I owe it all to Katy.

No, I don't know her. We aren't old buddies or in business together. In fact, I'd never heard of Katy Terrega until late March of this year, 2003.

I heard that there was a demand for good writers of erotic stories. Up until that point, I was writing screenplays and short mystery and science fiction stories, with no sales yet.

So I went to Katy Terrega's web site and signed up for her E-mail newsletter. And learned about Stories-On-Line, a non-paying erotic story site on the Internet, from the very first issue I received.

I thought, what the hell? I wrote a short story called "Good Neighbor," using the formula I learned in Katy's book - It's a Dirty Job - and published it under my new nom-de-filth, D.L. Tash.

That was April 8, 2003.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Yes, I've been in the smut trade for a total of only three months. Yet I'm getting one- to two-hour phone calls on a regular basis from a professional editor and publisher, Ed Lundt, taking me through every line of the text I’ve sent him, and offering invaluable feedback on grammar, style, and the quirks of the BE genre. I'm also sending and having published even more paying stories to Watching the Wife, stories for which I am paid ten cents for each unique download. And both of these contacts have come from a single source: The Katy Terrega newsletter.

No, I'm not saying Katy Terrega should be elevated to the position of the High Priestess of Smut, though I kind of like that title for her. It's simple: she knows the market. Hell, she's been working in it for years. And her expertise and experiences are invaluable.

That's the secret of breaking into any writing market: Knowing how it works and understanding each particular facet of that market's unique needs. And Katy helps you learn that.

The other secret I’ve stumbled across is really no secret at all. It's the well-known but seldom recognized truth of all writing: Writers learn to write by writing.

Do you know how many 'Screenwriters' I've known who have never written a screenplay, much less sold one? I'll tell you: it's well over half the people I've met who call themselves screen-writers.

And that's why I'm going to throw my two cents into the "paid/unpaid" argument.

Simple fact: Three months ago, I had no idea if my porn attempts were any good at all. Was it really a viable direction for my dubious talents, or was it merely (yes, I recognize the irony) mental masturbation?

Well, posting free stories answered that question quickly. No, it didn't tell me what I was writing was commercially viable. But it did tell me I was working in the right direction. They were at least readable, enjoyable and very stimulating.

So I'd suggest to any beginning porn writer to definitely try posting to Stories-On-Line, ASSTR, Literotica, or other non-paying web sites. You can find these listed in >SURPRISE!< Katy Terrega's newsletter.

You will quickly find out what "sells" (high scores and high downloads) and what doesn't (low scores or downloads). You will also quickly find niche markets (low downloads, but very high scores and enthusiastic responses) and your audience's personal likes/dislikes.

And you can take chances that you might be afraid to try if you were planning to sell your material. I've included some fetish material I would never have considered trying to find a paying market for. The great thing is some people wrote and complimented me for handling it well, even though they were not into it. And I have a small, but growing and very enthusiastic, following who love this direction in my work.

I would never have known this had I taken the "I only write for money" stance and not experimented.

By writing for free, you're both polishing your writing and doing a very concrete survey of the porn market out there. You're also exploring your own personal comforts and discomforts and maybe learning to take a few chances. So, as far as I'm concerned, a little 'free' writing is a great idea.

Now that Katy and friends have started Sex.Writer.Com, the new porn market web-site, there's another great opportunity out there. Yeah, it costs. Come on, folks, it's like eleven dollars every six months. You can buy two dirty magazines (maybe; those suckers are expensive!) or join this site. Unlike the magazines it doesn't have dirty pictures or stories, but you can live with that, can't you?

Oh, yes, the other little perks. Watching the Wife.Com now gives me free access as a regular contributor. And they have lots of great dirty pictures and stories. And at Stories-On-Line I have an enhanced level of use, since I am a regular author.

And my ex-wife can't complain when I spend hours on the Internet, downloading porno sites. It's no longer just checking out porno: it's research!

Among all the other benefits, I now have a new alter-ego: D.L. Tash. He has his own email address and everything (dltash@charter.net.) D.L. Tash is a pretty nice guy, but he has a very dirty mind and doesn't care who knows it.

D.L. Tash has become a buffer between the "normal" me and the nasty, perverted, fun guy who writes smut for a living. I consider myself a pretty average guy, but D.L. considers himself "perversatile," and brags he never met a fetish he didn't like.

Trying the Terrega Method is easy, cheap and lots of fun. Hey, the newsletter is free! Katy does ask for a five dollar per year donation, but it would be worth that for each issue. I've spent maybe sixty bucks for her e-books and my membership to Sex.Writers.Com and they were well worth the money. That's a pretty minimal investment for a whole new profession.

I'm not making a lot of money, not yet. But the fact is I've learned that there is a thriving market out there, with many offshoots. And, like any profession, getting your foot in the door is the most important, and most difficult, first step.

I've also have had the bonus of enjoying many hours of pleasure writing dirty stories. In fact, I've already had to buy a new keyboard for my computer. My ex-wife is convinced that she knows what clogged up the keys on the old one.

Yeah, a sense of humor really helps. Why call it Erotica, when Smut says it so much better?

I'm still writing screenplays and regular short stories. Of course they just aren't as challenging or fun as the dirty stuff, but I could always become another Anne Rice, who went from writing basically Gothic Porn to best-selling author. By the way, her Sleeping Beauty series is a great read.

Yes, that's just another plus for porno:

"I'm not just salivating over the Story of O, honey," he said defensively. "I'm studying the Great Works of the Masters."

So instead of sitting around and thinking about how much fun it would be to write dirty stories, do it. Do it all the time: don't be ashamed! Do it in public or do it in private. Do it at home. Do it on the bus. Do it with family and friends watching. Do it on the internet. And keep on doing it.

And don't forget to work with somebody who has been doing it for years, and isn't embarrassed to talk about it.

It's the Terrega Method. And it works.

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D.L. Tash writes pornographic, disgusting, vile smut for a living. He loves his work.

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--- Market Listings ---
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Call for Writers

Writers who have previous paid, published high-quality erotic fiction may contact Daun Eierdam at holmes_iv@hotmail.com with submissions for a new erotic fiction website. I am interested especially in material that focuses on lesbians, leather and BDSM - be imaginative. Please send verifiable references along with submissions. Initial submissions should be no longer than 300 words. I also would like submissions from artists.

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In The Buff magazine – writers guidelines
March 2003

In The Buff is a 100 page A5 sized erotic stories magazine, published eight times a year. It comprises mainly of: erotic fiction, readers letters and fantasies. Also there are sex news updates, book, toy and video reviews, agony aunt, horoscope, occasional interviews and reports and other items such as forthcoming events etc. There are no photographs at all and we pride ourselves in being a purely literary publication. We do welcome humour and it can be included, but is certainly not a pre-requisite. New and unpublished writers are encouraged to send in their work. Please bare in mind that if you are a male, write from a male perspective as it is very difficult to convincingly pull-off writing as if you were female. The same applies to women.
Most of our readership is heterosexual but we do cover Bisexuality. Slave and Master, Bondage, Cuckold, wife-watching, group sex, threesomes etc, all very welcome. However, we will not publish any stories that involve rape, blood-letting, bestiality, sex with minors – which also includes memories of childhood experiences, or anything else that is illegal. We are not that keen on menstrual blood or scat. We also avoid stories written in the present tense.

Readers Letters: Between 800 – 1,500 words. They should be written in the first person narrative and written in a style that sounds true – even if they aren't and should contain as little actual speech as possible – ie, rather than writing "I'm going to take a bath," said Mary, instead write 'Mary said she was going to take a bath.' It works better for this section. We would like to receive more readers letters and you have more chance of seeing your work in print if submitted to this category. Payment £10 on publication.

Fiction: Between 3000 and 5000 words. Well written in the 3rd person (ie "he/she") with a good story line and plot. Payment £20 on publication.

For More Information: To give you an idea of the type of stories and readers letters we publish, please visit our website www.inthebuffmag.com where you will see a variety of stories that have been accepted.

Format: Typed and submitted via email as a Word attachment is preferable or pasted into an email. Both to mail@inthebuffmag.com. Submissions can be sent via post to ITB Publishing, PO Box 747, Canterbury CT1 3GX, United Kingdom. Please include your full address, including country, above the title of the piece. We regret that we cannot return your work and therefore request that you keep a copy. If writing is sent into us via email, we will acknowledge receipt, but will not contact you again unless we print your contribution. If your letter or story is printed you will be sent a complimentary copy of In The Buff along with payment.

Note: All letters and fiction addressed to In The Buff magazine will be assumed intended for publication and may be used for this purpose. We also reserve the right to edit your work if necessary.

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Desdmona.com Contest Rules:
(Editor's note: If you win this one, let me know so we can share it with all our readers!)

1. PURPOSE. To promote the art of erotic literature on the Internet.

2. AWARDS.. $200 First prize — $100 Second prize — $50 Third prize. Honorable Mention prizes of $20 may be awarded at the discretion of Desdmona.com and the contest judges. Prize money will be awarded in the form of a bank draft drawn on a US bank in US dollars. Alternative payment methods will be permitted if agreed to by both Desdmona.com and the winning author.

Winning authors agree to have their winning stories published at Desdmona.com for a period of one year. Stories that do not win a prize will not be displayed at Desdmona.com

3. ENTRY FEE.. None.

4. ELIGIBILITY.. Entrants must be at least 18 years old. Employees of Desdmona.com and their families, and contest judges and their families are not eligible to enter this contest.

5. SUBMITTAL.. Stories must be submitted by email. We can accept Microsoft Word documents as attachments, and we can accept plain text. Plain text entries should be single-spaced with a blank line between paragraphs.

Only one story is permitted per email message. Each author may submit up to three stories, but each must be submitted in a separate email.

The subject line of the submission should include the words “2003 POSTCARD CONTEST.” The submission email must include a valid reply address. Upon receipt of the story, Desdmona.com will email the entrant that the story has been received.
IMPORTANT!. All entries must include the ENTRY TEXT which appears at the end of these rules. Pleast copy this ENTRY TEXT and paste it into the body of the entry email. Entries without this text will not be accepted.

The entrant must be the story’s author. The author must own the copyright of the story. The submission should include the author’s name or pseudonym to be used should the entry become a winner.

The story must have a title.

The story may be no longer than 300 words.

Our provider does not permit child pornography; please, no underage sex.

The story must not have been published prior to the contest deadline. The author agrees not to publish the story, or permit the story to be published, before the winners are announced on October 15, 2003. After the announcement of winners, all entrants, including winners, are free to publish their stories in any venue they desire.

Stories must be received by 11:59 PM EST, September 15, 2003. No late entries will be accepted.

6. JUDGING.. A pre-screener will check all stories for adherence to contest requirements. The pre-screener will remove the author’s name and format the story as an HTML document before passing the stories to the judges.

Four judges, Desdmona, Mat Twassel, Selena Jardine, and Neil Anthony, will decide the best stories based on each judge’s estimation of the story’s worth and erotic appeal. The decision of the judges is final.

7. NOTIFICATION.. The prize money will be awarded by Desdmona.com in accordance to the decision of the judges. Contest winners will be notified by email on October 15, 2003 (or as soon as practicable thereafter). All contestants will receive an email announcing the winning stories and authors. In addition, the winning announcement will appear at http://www.Desdmona.com, and the winning stories will be published there.

8. ADDRESS.. Email stories with your name, email address, and the following ENTRY TEXT by September 15, 2003 to contest@desdmona.com.

ENTRY TEXT.. (must be included in contest entry email): I am the original author of this story, and I own its copyright. I am legally entitled to enter this contest. I confirm that this story has not been previously published. I agree to withhold the story from all publication prior to the announcement of the contest’s winners on October 15, 2003. If this story wins a prize, I agree to allow the story to appear on the Desdmona.com contest pages for a period of one year.
END ENTRY TEXT.

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BUTTMAN MAGAZINE: 14141 Covello St - Unit 5C - Van Nuys, CA 91405. P(818) 787-1197. F(818) 787-1378. E-Mail: Ellen@buttmanmagazine.com. Websites: http://www.buttmanmagazine.com - http://www.buttman.com - http://www.evilangel.com

CONTACT: Ellen Thompson, Managing Editor.

Bi-monthly hardcore publication that is positively obsessed with the pleasures of a woman's behind; focusing on anal sex and a fetishist's appreciation of a voluptuous female form/derriere. We look for creative stories that will be sexually explicit and entertaining to those who have such a fetish.. Circulation: 60,000. Writers maintain ownership of their pieces in the magazine but we may run the piece on one of our websites in addition to its appearing in the magazine. Pays on acceptance. Call (between 8:30 and 5:00 PST) for guidelines. Absolutely no stories pertaining to animals, children or scat will be accepted; nor will any copyright infringements --- NO EXCEPTIONS. Submissions of 1200 to 1900 words need to be sent in either electronically (via email as a Word attachment) or as a simple cut & paste in the body of the email itself.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $59.70 for six issues. Magazines can only be shipped to select addresses in the US.

CURRENT NEEDS: Currently only purchases fiction, two pieces per issue.

PAYMENT: $200 to $300 per story.

WORD COUNT: 1,200 to 1,900 words. Will consider fiction up to 2,500 words if it is really good.

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Has this newsletter helped you get your work published or
motivated you to finally put pen to paper?

If so, please consider making a
voluntary subscription payment of $5 per year
to help defray the many costs inherent in running a webzine, such as
advertising, payments to contributors and prizes for the contests.

Order your voluntary subscription Here
And thanks for your support!
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--- What I Didn’t Know – Musings By C.B. Potts ---
--- The Language of Love ---
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At first I thought it was only me. It was not something I talked about, ashamed to admit my ignorance. Who wants to say that they’re not sure how to spell titties, that they’re uncertain exactly how many “m”s there are in cumming? Obviously I was doing it wrong – for each time I completed one of my porn masterpieces, my word processing program diligently highlighted each, shall we say, non-standard bit of language.

Strangely, my trusty Webster’s was no help. Surreptitious peeks in the OED, half ashamed of myself for even pondering this in the hallowed halls of the library, yielded no results. My answer came only when, having enjoyed two too many cups of tea at the Borders Cafe, I stopped to use the mall bathroom.

“Marli is a cocksucker!” was proudly scrawled across a stall. Good for her, I thought, it’s good to be recognized for something in this world. “Brendan is a pussy – Lance blows big dicks hard.” Not much in the way of narrative thread, and I usually prefer a little plot with my action, but something about this bit of bathroom reading stopped me cold. All these words were spelled just the way I would have spelled them – well, maybe not the one where I WANT DIXXX! was painted in crimson nail polish – indicating that this was the common, if not proper usage. Obviously there was something wrong with my computer!

Now, I’m not the most computer savvy person in the world. It took me four months to figure out you don’t need an envelope for e-mail. There was no way I was going to tackle this problem. Only one option was open to me.

I called tech support. “My dictionary’s not working,” I explained to the understanding man at my local Internet Service Provider.

“What?”

After I explained my problem, and the tech stopped laughing, he kindly informed me that this was an issue I needed to address with the software company. “Good luck,” he said, just before hanging up, “You’re going to need it.”

The receptionist at the major software company I contacted was not so understanding.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” she drawled, contempt dripping from every syllable. “You’re calling us to complain about what?”

“I’m not complaining, exactly,” I explained. “I just need to know how to fix this particular problem.”

“Let me transfer you.” I’m not sure, but I’m almost certain I heard snickering before I was put on hold.

“So, we have a problem with some offensive language in our spell-check program, Ma’am?” A voice so oily it left light crude dripping from my ear came over the receiver.

“No, that’s not it. In fact, I need to put some words people often consider offensive into the dictionary.” I paused, taking a few breaths before elaborating on the situation. “It’s slowing my work down considerably. Time is money, you know.”

“Well, Ma’am, while we here at Major Software Company (name altered to prevent lawsuits) do certainly appreciate that time is money, I don’t think we’re going to be able to help you. We pride ourselves on our family friendly products.”

“So, there’s no adult writer lexicon that I can purchase to upgrade my software?” I asked.

“Certainly not!”

“That doesn’t seem family friendly at all. How do you think most families get started in the first place?”

The oily-voiced customer service representative had no answer – or if he did, I didn’t get to hear it before we were strangely disconnected.

I stared at the dead receiver in my hand, pondering whether to call back. Even though Major Software Company had been started by a couple of maverick thinkers, it had long ago become the watchword for conservative corporate behavior. If one sales rep had answered my question this way, there’s more than a good chance that they’ve all been trained to respond in the same fashion.

Aah, well. Back to the keyboard for at least one more “mis-spelled” manuscript. I’d have to endure the squiggly red lines and green brackets for a few more pages. But I had hope. Even though my tech support options had failed me, I still have unshakable faith in the forces of capitalism. Somewhere, somehow, someone knows how to fix this problem – and you’d be amazed what computer geek friends are willing to do in trade for custom volumes written just for them!

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With the computer now fixed, CB Potts is happily working on her next project: What I Didn’t Know, The Collected Columns. Available in October, this will be the first book CB has written on the topic of writing, and will contain 3 new, never-published columns. Watch this space to discover the official release date and how you can pre-order your very own PDF copy!

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--- Readers' Response ---
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Diana Sheridan responds to Felix Lance Falkon's comments in last issue's Readers' Response (see it here)

Please *don't* indent five spaces! Indent one tab stop...pretty please. Otherwise the typesetter or editor has to take out every five-space indentation and, depending on what graphics program the Art Director is using, perhaps insert a tabbed indent or a "tag" that will tell the graphics program to indent automatically. (Some graphics programs can be set to indent automatically at the beginning of each paragraph that follows a hard return.) But *someone* is going to have to manually remove those five spaces--and we have enough work to do already, so please don't make our job harder.

Diana Sheridan, editor, AJA Publishing/Sportomatic Publishing/Bridge St. Publishing

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Have any thoughts on something you've seen in the newsletter? Send 'em to me at katy@katyterrega.com

William K. Wolfrum writes:

Katy,

Just wanted you to know I was the Grand Prize winner ($500!) of Nerve.com's Bad Erotica Contest a couple months back. I found out about the contest due to your newsletter and wanted to send you a thank you. Keep up the good work.

Warmest regards,
William K. Wolfrum
www.williamkwolfrum.com

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Congrats William! That's one of our best Goings On ever, I think!

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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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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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Check out my column at http://www.absolutewrite.com/ on - what else?! - writing porn. This week I wrote an essay called "The Professional Porn Writer" that deals with the importance of professionalism. Check it out here - http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/porn_101.htm

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Check out the new and improved, totally revamped story site at KatyTerrega.com and let me know what you think! Or there's always the (now free) Daily Jack-Off Stories to peruse...

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--- Q & A ---
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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 $5-$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.