Monthly Archives: February 2010

Enter the Dark Side
A Guide to Writing and Marketing Dark Erotica
By Duana R. Anderson

Dark Erotica Defined
‘Dark erotica’ is not easily defined. In fact, everyone has their own idea of what it is. I have seen ‘dark erotica’ described as: sexual horror, erotic horror, gothic erotica, pagan erotica, dark fantasy, romantic horror, gothic romanticism, fetish, BDSM, alternative, underground, urban erotica, paranormal romance, romantic tragedy, science fiction and fantasy, which primarily fall under the huge heading of genre or speculative fiction. There seems to be no limit to what ‘dark erotic’ includes from moody and atmospheric, to sensual and romantic, to raw, edgy, provocative, dark, sinister, bizarre, smutty, sexy, sizzling, urban and utterly pornographic. The only limit is your own imagination.

The keys words here are FEAR and LUST.

FEAR and LUST are at the root of our primal emotions. They originate from the swampy beginnings of our ancestral birth at the core of our reptilian brains. It was these instincts that saved our species from extinction, through procreation and by anticipating unforeseen dangers. They come naturally to us.

Likewise, we are junkies to FEAR and LUST. That’s why we crave a good scare from a horror movie, or long to crawl under the sheets with an erotic novel. We receive the same kind of sensations from a terrifying experience, as we do from sexual arousal. Both are manifested by similar physical responses in our bodies. Both embody an element of danger, which is quite compelling.

It is not unusual then, that FEAR and LUST have an interwoven relationship, each feeding off the other like a pair of sycophants. Our thirst for each is naturally intensified, and ‘dark erotica’ has become the embodiment of both.

Writing Dark Erotica
One thing ‘dark erotica’ is not however, is badly written trash. There seems to be a misconception that all erotica is just sex scenes and all horror is visceral in-your-face splatter gore fiction. Excessive violence and explicit sex does not make a ‘dark erotic’ story. You can have these elements in a story, but they are not what drives the story. ‘Dark erotica’, just like all well written fiction in any genre includes intriguing, well-developed characters, a plot with conflict, a mood, atmosphere, interesting setting, well-written prose, good punctuation, grammar, spelling. ‘Dark erotica’ doesn’t even need to have any “sex” in it at all. It can be sensual, a mood that is seductive or a writer’s style that is evocative.

Don’t be afraid to tease you readers like a stripper, slowly revealing more as you arouse their curiosity. Never forget that the mind is also an erogenous zone as well, and appeal to all the senses. Yes, ‘dark erotica’ can even be intelligent and literate. The same applies to explicit violence and gore. Often, what is not revealed can be more provocative and creepy. As the saying goes: “It is not enough to Conquer, One must know how to Seduce.”–Voltaire. That is not to say that explicit sex scenes and the macabre are not welcome in ‘dark erotica’, but they must be done well.

If you are not sure what ‘dark erotica’ is or how to write it, then read plenty of it. Simply punch ‘dark erotica’ into a search engine (my new favorite is GOOGLE.COM) and start to explore the complexities and styles of this genre. I have listed many online venues in the markets section of this article. Choose quality sites and stories as your guides. Write what turns you on personally. Explore your deepest, darkest fantasies. Hone your skill, develop your own personal voice and style, and let your imagination be your muse.

Market Research
Finding markets is now made easier with the advent of the Internet. To find good markets try ‘publishers of erotica’ in a search engine. Scour the market lists such as Scavengers, Gila Queen, and Spicy Green Iguana. If you prefer pulp, buy books and magazines you enjoy and send away for the guidelines. Buy a “best of” anthology and note the previous publishers on the copyright page, as many of the stories are reprints. Who are your favorite authors? Who is publishing them? Keep a list of these publishers on your hard drive so you can access them when you have a story ready for a specific market.

Most publishers of ‘dark erotica’ are looking for fiction that goes beyond the norm and cross-breeds a variation of genres into a new age mixture. These publishers are interested in experimental fiction that cannot be pigeon-holed and explores new styles and ways of “telling a story.” This is why ‘dark erotica’ has become so popular over the past few years. ‘Dark erotica’ is at the forefront of the evolutionary speculative fiction genre.

There are, however a few things that most publishers no longer want to see. These include vampire fiction, werewolves, bondage dungeons, typical monsters, typical scenarios without any new slants or imagination. That’s not to say that they won’t publish these types of fiction, but they better be a) Great, and b) a new twist on an old theme. With that in mind, it is a good rule of thumb to research specific markets to find out exactly what that publisher wants.

Starting Out
So, if ‘dark erotica’ is such a great up-and-coming genre, how come I can’t find any good paying markets, you might ask. There are paying markets out there. You just have to do you research. I have included a few markets and resources on the web at the end of this article for you to use as a starting place.

When you are first starting in this genre, you may want to try some of the non-paying high quality markets to get your foot in the door. As a writer of ‘dark erotica’ myself I believe authors should be compensated for the outpourings of our soul. On the other hand, many ‘dark erotic’ markets are underground and small press, alternative publications and can’t afford to pay professional rates, paying only in contributor copies or royalties or sometimes only in exposure. This can often be discouraging to writers starting off in the genre. So, why do it?

It certainly is not to get rich, unless any of you are entertaining thoughts of becoming the next Stephen King. But there are advantages to submitting to low or non-paying markets.

One is publishing credits. This is especially important for novice writers. I don’t recommend submitting to any old place, just to see your name in print. Do your homework. Read publication guidelines, look at who they are publishing, find out how well respected they are. Once you get your foot in the door the editor may turn you on to other publications and projects they are working on that do pay. The more widely your work is read, the more you build a name for yourself. This will in turn lead to publications that pay. I have found this to be the case for myself.

And finally. Do it because you love/want/need to. Because you have all these deep dark fantasies burning in your mind that you must exorcize by putting pen to paper (or fingers to key board, which ever the case may be). Isn’t that why we all write anyway? Because we can’t stop ourselves? So go on now. Scare me with your dark verse. Entice me with your steamy words. Enter me with your tales of fear and lust, darkly and deeply.

~

Bio:
duana r. anderson is an author, poet, artist, photographer and filmmaker. Her works explore the genres of dark erotica, horror, dark fantasy and gothic romance. Her short stories, articles and poetry had been most recently featured in Suspect Thoughts, Gothic Net, Amoret Journal, Waning and Waxing, Venus or Vixen, Earwig Flesh Factory, Scarlet Letters and Tears on Black Roses. New works will be appearing soon in the next issues of Parchment Symbols and Dancing Skinless. Visit her cyber lair ‘The Daughter of Darkness’ to find out more about her upcoming illustrated chapbook ‘Blood Feast: Tales of Vampire Seduction’, and to unearth the worms that crawl inside her mind: http://www.necrobabes.org/duana/

From the archives of an abandoned site by Katy Terraga.

Writing and Marketing the Spanking Story
By Danielle Smith

The spanking story has a unique position in the porn market. First, it runs closer to the mainstream than many other subgenres. Memoirs, children’s books, and classical literature (think Dickens) often contain descriptions of corporal punishment that would be right at home in many spanking story collections.

Second, unlike most erotica where the focus is on people having sex, the spanking story may have little or no explicit lovemaking. Therefore the writer is more dependent on characters, plot and dialogue than in the straight sex story, and must be as comfortable describing the impact of palms and paddles on derrieres as other writers are describing the myriad forms of couplings.

The one way that spanking stories parallel straight erotica is in structure. Both good sex and spanking stories have the right balance between build up, action, and resolution. The only difference is that the “action” in a spanking story is some form of corporal punishment, given either erotically for the ultimate pleasure of the bottom or spankee, or as a form of discipline. Thus the driving force at the beginning of the story is not “why are these characters attracted to each other?” but “what is the reason why a character is being spanked?”

This question can be difficult to handle in an era of political correctness where even the threat of a spanking may touch off abuse or sexual harassment claims. While erotica readers may have no trouble believing that two strangers in an elevator might feel sufficient attraction to end up on the floor together during a blackout, few would find it realistic if the man grabbed the woman and turned her over his knee. Because most markets prohibit stories involving characters under the age of eighteen, traditional disciplinary arrangements such as parent/child and teacher/student have limited applicability. Unless the writer relies on other power arrangements such as courts/defendants, employer/employee, shopkeeper/shoplifter, or police/offenders (all of which have been done mostly to death,) coming up with a believable scenario, especially between romantic partners, can be very challenging.

There are several ways for the writer to get around the credibility problem.:

1. In the spirit of bodice rippers, the story can be set in a time when no one has heard of political correctness. Science fiction and fantasy settings a la Anne Rice are also useful.

2. The spankee can be the one to suggest the form of punishment, often by acknowledging that he or she has behaved badly and deserves to be treated as a child.

3. The story can take place within an established relationship in which the spankee has agreed to be disciplined as the circumstances arise.

4. The spankee may be drawn into the action by being aroused or curious at the thought of being spanked.

Once this critical question has been answered, the writer faces the same sort of choices as with other erotica genres. An effective story usually must contain either multiple action scenes, or a tantalizing build-up to a longer scene at the end. Stories can be told from the single viewpoint of either the spanker or spankee, or more rarely by switching between the two (no pun intended!) Longer, more complex stories may bring in additional characters in either role. Unlike regular sex stories where dialogue is usually kept to a minimum, the spanker often lectures the spankee before and during the action or may increase the spankee’s psychological discomfort by describing each phase of the punishment.

The writer’s description of the spanking should include either the way the spankee looks or feels anticipating the spanking and the procedure used to get the spankee in a “bottoms up” position. In the U.S. markets, most spankings are delivered by hand, paddle, hairbrush, belt, ruler or wooden spoon; foreign markets are less fond of paddles, but are more familiar with slippers, tawse, and canes. While many scenes may begin with the implement being applied over clothes, most readers in the genre expect that the target area will be bared before the action concludes. The severity of the punishment varies considerably by story, but generally requires the spankee to experience reddened skin and pain along with some degree of humiliation or embarrassment.

After the action is concluded, the story should have a resolution beyond the fact that the spanking is over. The spanker can take advantage of the fact that the spankee is already partially undressed to go on to more garden variety sexual pursuits. Or a character can consider whether the spanking solved a problem or whether a return engagement is likely. To immensely strengthen a story, add a punchy ending that twists the plot or throws new light on the title.

Many general erotic markets such as Clean Sheets accept spanking/BDSM stories. However, for paying markets exclusively devoted to the subject, all of whom have sample stories available for review, try:

Scarlett Hill: Guidelines at http://scarletthill.com/SSS2000/MF-main.htm. Pays $.01 – $.02 per word dependent on amount of editing required. Stories must be a minimum of 2000 words and fall into M/F, F/M, or F/F categories.

The Spanking Digest: http://www.spankingdigest.com. No guidelines. Pays for first story with 3-month membership, additional stories at $.02 per word. No length restrictions and great subject flexibility.

Paddles: http://www.paddles.net/paddles.html. No written guidelines. Pays $100 Australian, or approximately $50 U.S. for 2000 – 3000 word M/F, F/F, and F/M stories that meet Australian censorship guidelines.

Variations: Guidelines at http://www.variations.com/contact.html#guidelines. Pays $400 for 3000 word first person narratives about couples engaged in spanking.

Amoret: Guidelines at http://amoretonline.com/C047.htm. Pays around $.02 per word for 100-word or less flash stories.

—

Danielle Smith is a former lawyer living in Houston, who finds writing erotica a lot more fun than appellate briefs. She has sold full-length stories to Paddles, the Spanking Digest, CF Publications and Scarlett Hill, as well as flash stories to Amoret. Currently she is working on a BDSM-related novella.

Copied from an abandoned site by Katy Terrega.

The Perils Of Being A Sex Writer
by Chris Bridges
Excerpted from the book “Giggling Into The Pillow”

Yeah, it sounds great. Spend your days, your nights, endlessly researching sex and all its positions, permutations and possibilities until you can’t walk no more. Instantly know the answer to any question anyone could ever ask you about the whole sticky business. Get more poon than Woody Harrelson. Get bulk discounts at Good Vibrations, get a good seat at Spago’s, get head from passing supermodels while their husbands hold their hair out of the way. Is that what you think it’s like?

Well, yes, it is. But you can’t imagine the responsibilities, the pressures, the sheer volume of knowledge you’re expected to retain to earn the honored title “Sex Expert.” If you choose this twisted career path as your own, here’s what you can expect:

First off, there’s the studying. It was easy for Masters and Johnson; they were making it up as they went along. But now there are thousands of sex books written every year — millions if you include the online crap — and you have to know every word. Just because you had a lot of boyfriends in college doesn’t mean you can start publishing right out of the gate; that amateur stuff won’t wash in today’s sex-savvy market.

You’ve got to know that a “Flying Philadelphia Fuck” traditionally involves a rocking chair, and that Havelock Ellis didn’t write “Deathbird Stories.” You have to know instinctively which chakra controls sexuality (hint: the one in the elbow) and which hot lube is more environmentally safe (hint: “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Bear Grease”). You have to keep a constant mental list of the best brothels in Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Seoul, Tijuana and Dubuque. You have to stay on the cutting edge of medicine so you can answer embarrassing questions with confidence, such as “Which Jell-O transmits the AIDS virus the fastest in a bathtub?” You must be able to identify Egyptian erotic sigils by touch and every possible human fluid by taste. To be able to force that much accumulated human knowledge into your brain, I recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, in horse dosages.

Next, you have to be personally experienced yourself. Marrying your high school sweetheart and maintaining a lifetime lover total of maybe two is not going to qualify you for your own radio call-in show, not on FM, baby. You need to experience every aspect of sexuality, regardless of how personally repulsive you may find it, or how anatomically awkward you may have thought it was. Read the great novels of unbridled sexuality — “My Life and Loves” by Frank Harris, “Fanny Hill” by John Cleland, or “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” by D.H. Lawrence. Non-stop chain-fucking, all of them, and that’s your goal. Push your body to its upper limits and then screw right through them. But don’t expert to live a long life. You’ll be healthy, with some surprisingly well-developed muscles in odd places, but the shelf life of a sex writer is not high. Dr. Ruth Westheimer is, in fact, only 33 years old. She knew the risks.

You have to be able to analyze the sex lives of your friends and family, even if they don’t know you’re watching. You must always keep that impartial observer alive in your skull.

“You like that, baby? Huh?”

“Ooohh, god, yes!”

“How about this?”

“Aagh! Oh, Jesus…!”

“Better than before?”

“Oh yeah, lover, yeah, just keep…”

“How much better?”

“…unh… what?”

“On a scale from 1 to 10, how much better?”

“What? Oooh… I don’t know, 6 times better.”

“Really? That’s interesting…” [makes a note]

“What… what are you doing?”

“Nothing, baby. You are between the ages of 18 to 24, right?”

Don’t expect to keep a loving relationship going for very long. Not only does it limit you to an unsatisfactorily small statistical universe, but sex writers are better when they’re anguished and single. No one wants to read about happily married people; they want to read about other tortured single people, just with more hot stories. Only after you’ve assembled many years of wild dating stories can you allow yourself domestic bliss. Would Cynthia Heimel, Anka Radakovich, or Inspector Gadget’s wife from “Sex In the City” be as intriguing if they were all happily married? I say no! Maybe if they were all married to each other…

Then there’s the public pressure. Just like doctors, lawyers, and taxidermists, everyone you run into keeps asking you for free services. “Is my dick too small?” “Are my breasts too big?” “Why won’t my wife/husband/dog let me (fill in blank)?” “Does this feel inflamed?” “What’s Madonna really like?” It’s aggravating having people in your golfing foursome drop their pants and ask you the best ways to check for testicular cancer. You don’t dare let yourself be recognized on public transportation, lest you be inundated with requests for advice on multiple infidelity, anal sex, and necrophilia (or all three) from society’s less fragrant members. It’s so rude how beautiful women will come up to you in restaurants and ask for tips on their deep-throating techniques.

Well, actually, that’s pretty cool, but the rest is still annoying. And the worst part of the whole thing — you have to write about it all. You have to let people read about all the sick, depraved, twisted things you’ve done, with diagrams. If you become popular, you might even get on a national talk show where everyone can see you, even your mom. There is an upside, don’t get me wrong. Your sex life, at least theoretically, improves. You’re expected to surf for porn on the net at work. When you meet a new lover, you can coast on your reputation the first few times. You get on some amazing mailing lists. They let you get on stage at Aerosmith concerts. You get personal phone calls from Janet Reno, often with heavy breathing and minimal security taps.

And you get to write stuff like this.