Some feelings, like lust, are universal, as the recent offerings of erotic speculative fiction show. Regardless of species, race, or planet of origin, attraction, lust, and consummation play themselves out in the pages of well-crafted prose.

Most of the time.

Like mainstream erotica, speculative fiction, which encompasses both fantasy and science fiction, contains plots that to the seasoned reader will seem clichéd. A variety of time-worn attempts at seduction, such as the alien needing human DNA obtained only by sexual encounters, the vampire who only fucks and feeds (don't they have hobbies?), the alien seducing humans as an experiment, exist to stumble the beginning writer.

Even keeping in mind plots to avoid, the sf landscape still leaves the author much room to cultivate new tales. The sf genre prides itself on looking at our world from a fresh standpoint. Within the bounds of human sexuality, speculative fiction holds many opportunities for looking at this world (among others) and its views.

The "rules" for crafting good erotica are the same, regardless of the genre.

The author needs to know the characters. What motivates them? What drives them? What arouses them?

The setting should be fully realized. Erotica is driven by the senses. The sensual content should be real and necessary to the plot. Two aliens need just as much reason to become intimate as two humans do.

Erotic speculative fiction demands another task from the author -- world building. Stories set in modern, or even historical, times come with a pre-built set of rules and regulations. When writing about a setting, whether it's a star system several light-years away or a universe in which vampires and werewolves are real, the author creates the world from the ground up. In order for the reader to suspend disbelief, the world has to be real. Not everything has to be created, especially in a short piece of fiction, but the reader needs enough information to make him or her slip into this pretend world.

There are many places that offer the aspiring writer a foothold into this unique world. Fan fiction, stories set in popular TV or Movies, is a nonpaying, but fun way to exercise these talents. A quick web search under the television or movie (fan fiction exists for most popular shows, including those not science fiction) and the words "fan fiction" will bring up a plethora of websites. A sub-genre of fan fiction, slash, is devoted specifically to sexual pairings, and is named because of the slash used to determine gender (i.e. m/f f/f m/m). Many authors never go beyond crafting well-written slash.

However, those wishing to venture into the paying markets will find a wide opportunity, if they are bold enough. Most publication guidelines don't specifically state that speculative fiction (or other genre fiction) is welcome. Authors need to query their favorite publications to see if they buy speculative fiction. Most editors don't mind, as long as the story fits the other parameters of their magazine, and the author might gain a sale with a story that differs from the norm.

At the heart of the matter, a good erotic speculative fiction story will tell a tale, a good one that hopefully arouses the reader and makes the reader think. Crafting erotic speculative fiction needn't be difficult if the author applies the same thought and care that would be given to any other genre.