Have you ever thought about writing your own erotica novel? If so, then congratulations! You’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re going to give you a comprehensive guide on how to write erotic fiction and put your newfound talent to good use.
The Basics
Before you start writing, it’s important to set some ground rules. Like any other type of storytelling, erotica writing is grounded in the basics. In other words, you need to know how to write a sentence and how to use punctuation correctly. If you can’t write an effective sentence or put a punctuation mark in the right place, then what’s the point in even writing at all? Once you know how to write an erotica novel, the rest is fairly easy.
The Differences Between Erotica and Pornography
As the name would suggest, pornography is completely different from erotica. While the main difference between the two is the audience, erotica is aimed at a more refined audience. For instance, while pornography might attract a large audience because it’s “sexy,” erotica might tap into the voyeuristic side of the viewer’s psyche. In other words, you’re more likely to catch the interest of a sophisticated reader who enjoys a good imagination and a sense of humor when it comes to erotica.
Where Can I Publish My Erotica Novel?
While there are no restrictions when it comes to the format of your work (as long as you adhere to the basics of writing and storytelling, you can write in any way that you choose), there are certain restraints when it comes to where you can publish your work. Basically, you have limited options when it comes to mainstream publishing. You’ll either need to self-publish or find an independent publisher.
The Upsides Of Self-Publishing
If you decide to self-publish, then you’re in control of the whole process from start to finish. Not only is it a good idea to explore this option rather than publishing solely with a traditional publisher, but you can also design the book cover and use your own printer to get the copies done. Self-publishing also gives you complete control over the type of content that you put out, meaning that you can tailor the book to be more appealing to a certain audience.
Risks Of Self-Publishing
The downside to self-publishing is that, without the backing of a traditional publisher, you’re on your own when it comes to marketing and distributing the book. The good news is that, with a little bit of effort, you can definitely make this process less risky. For instance, you can write a short description of the book and post it on social media to gain some initial traction. Also, as a writer, you can learn a lot from putting yourself in the position of a potential reader. In other words, if you can get people excited about the book, you’ll be able to gain some credibility as an author.
The Downsides Of Independent Publishing
If you decide to go the independent publishing route, then you’re not really in control of the whole process. You’ll need to find a literary agent who can negotiate your contract and help you market the book. Also, you won’t have as much control over the design of the book or even how it’s laid out. While this might be valuable to a certain degree, ultimately, you’ll need to learn to live with these constraints rather than fight them. In other words, you’re better off accepting that you don’t have total control and moving forward.
Step One: Identify A Niche
One of the first things that you’ll need to do before you start writing is to identify a niche. To put it simply, a niche is a “small market or segment” within the larger reading public. In other words, you want to pick a topic that is relevant and interesting to a small group of people. Typically, you’ll want to choose a niche that is somewhat related to your existing knowledge or experiences. For example, if you’re a nutritionist, you might want to write a health-related book. Or, if you’ve traveled a lot, you could write about your travels and what you’ve learned about new cultures.
Step Two: Find Your Motivation
Now, you don’t want to rush into this process. It’s important to find your motivation and make sure that it’s something that you truly want to do. Why are you writing this book? Is it just for fun or to make money? It’s important to keep in mind the motivation behind your choice. Is it a combination of the two? Perhaps you’re writing for work and want to see it published so that you can gain some credibility. Whatever your reason is, be sure to keep it in mind as you move forward.
Step Three: Brainstorm Ideas
Once you have your motivation in mind, you can move on to the fun part: brainstorming ideas. This is the stage where your existing knowledge and skills will come in handy. As you think of new ideas, you can use any of the following to help you make your book stand out:
- Strange bedfellows—incorporate elements of both fantasy and reality to present a unique story that will keep your reader’s interest.
- Seduction—the art of convincing someone to do something sexual; use this as a vehicle to explore how society pressures people to act sexually, even when they don’t want to.
- Erotic suspense—create a sense of anxiety in the reader that will keep them turning pages; use this to your advantage by crafting a story with multiple twists and turns that leave the reader guessing at the end.
- Breaking stereotypes—show people who don’t usually get a chance to shine—such as aliens, robots, or animals—in a way that will make the reader empathize with them.
- Strong women—females who show no shame in expressing their emotions; explore how women are often seen as weaker than men and use this to your advantage by incorporating violence against women into a sensual story that will keep your readers interested.
- Social issues—write about taboo topics such as politics, religion, or sex; get creative and find a way to make it entertaining and informative.
- Love stories—these are the most popular type of book among readers; use this to your advantage by writing a steamy love story that will make your readers fall in love with your novel.
- Horror stories—a great way to instill fear and loathing among your readers; you can even use real-life tragedies to inspire fear and horror in your work.
- Tragedy—use this as a background to your story; incorporate it into your writing to show how serious life can be when a tragedy strikes.
- The ups and downs of being an African American in America—this is an area that needs to be explored; incorporate your own experiences into an entertaining and informative account of what it’s like to be a black American in today’s society.
Don’t worry if your list seems endless. This is normal. Writing is a process that never ends, so you’re bound to come up with more ideas that you can add to the list. Feel free to write down any ideas that come to mind, no matter how crazy they might seem. The goal is to have a long list of potential topics that you can work with and develop into a full-fledged novel. With a little bit of effort, you can definitely make this process less risky.
Step Four: Plan The Outline
Now that you have your motivation and ideas organized, you can move on to the next step: outlining. As you think of individual scenes, you can use these to create an outline of the book. It’s important to do this step carefully. If you rush through it, you’ll likely end up with a messy, disorganized outline that will make it difficult to follow.