The Sunday Sun, May 20,2001
...it really is the definitive guide for being successful in this genre.

Book Description
- Explore the most intriguing of all literary genres - Put your fertile imagination to work - Have fun -- and get paid for it!

From the Back Cover
Erotica appeals to the primal instincts and senses of human beings. Millions buy it. Whole publishing companies are devoted to it. But writing erotica takes special skill: a writer must balance the graphic and the subtle, know how many details are too many, and understand the pacing of an erotic story, from sensuous build-up to satisfying climax. Writing Erotica is packed with information for novice and professional writers alike. It examines the difference between erotica and pornography; how to get ideas for erotic stories; the differences in erotica for men, couples, and women; and how to give readers what they want. Along the way, it also provides practical advice on starting and finishing your manuscript and selling your work in the competitive erotica marketplace. Other topics covered include: - Making use of your own fantasies - Turning ideas into stories - Creating atmosphere and characters - Getting the sex right - Learning the language of erotica - Using point of view effectively Writing Erotica also features interviews with masters of the genre.

About the Author
Edo van Belkom has published numerous short stories in magazines and in anthologies, including Best American Erotica 1999, Hot Blood 4 and Hot Blood 6, and Demon Sex. His pseudonymously published collection of erotic science fiction stories, Virtual Girls: The Erotic Gems of Evan Hollander, appeared in 1995. His collection of erotic horror stories, Six-Inch Spikes, appeared in spring 2001.

Excerpted from Writing Erotica by Edo Van Belkom, Edo Van Belkom. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1 WHAT IS EROTICA? Erotica versus Pornography Erotica. Pornography. Pornography. Erotica. What’s the difference? Opinions on this are numerous and varied. Some might consider anything to do with sex and sexuality to be pornography, while others might say that erotica is material that has literary merit and pornography is simply debasing and degrading. Here are the dictionary definitions of the two terms: Erotica: literature or art dealing with sexual love. Pornography: obscene writings, drawings, or photographs, or the like, esp. those having little or no artistic merit. — The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd edition The roots from which each of these words was derived do nothing to dispell the idea that erotica is artistic and pornography is not. Erotica comes from "Eros," the Greek god of erotic love, while pornography comes from words that were used to describe the writings of prostitutes. But in the 21st century, the line between pornography and erotica has become somewhat blurred, and one can conclude that both erotica and pornography are now produced with pretty much the same goal in mind — that of sexually stimulating the reader. The deciding factor in whether material is deemed pornography or erotica is usually the manner in which this goal is achieved, and there’s something to be said for that. I have had stories published first in men’s magazines, where they would certainly be considered porn, and later reprinted in small-press anthologies, where they would be considered erotica. Indeed, one of the best lines I’ve ever heard on this subject is this: The difference between pornography and erotica is the annual income of the reader. However, I sincerely doubt that anyone has picked up this book with the intention of creating literature that is without artistic value or merit or which is degrading to either men or women; therefore, I will consider all that follows to be talk about erotica and leave the word pornography behind. Who Writes This Stuff, Anyway? Sometimes people have difficulty separating the writer from his or her work. Horror writer James Herbert summed it up best in an interview with Stan Wiater when he said, "People expect us to look like Christopher Lee and wear a black cape, don’t they?" People expect that horror writers look like vampires or ghouls who live in foul castles and write their tomes by candlelight in the small hours of the morning. People imagine that military-thriller writers live in bomb-shelters, play with weapon systems in their spare time, and take the kids to school in a fully armed Hummer. And they’d like to think that erotica writers are dirty old men who drool over the keyboard, or are sexually liberated women who spend their days in bed, trying out new positions before they write about them in their next novel or short story. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While there are some erotica writers who indulge in the activities they write about (things such as s/m or dominance and submission), most erotica is simply an extension of a writer’s own fantasies and imagination. Furthermore, it’s a popular misconception that writers mostly just put a thin veil over events in their lives -- or the lives of people they know -- and proceed to pass it off as fiction. Readers who believe this see the disclaimer beginning most works of fiction -- "This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental" -- as nothing more than a legal loophole to prevent the author from being sued by those about whose lives he or she has written. Some novels are indeed based on real occurrences and the characters in them based upon the people involved in the actual events, but most often, works of fiction are just that: fiction. Novels and short stories are born into this world because a writer sat down and wrote about what he or she had first imagined. This is especially true for works of erotica. Instead of being dirty old men and sex-craving young vixens, writers of erotica are apt to be middle-aged housewives or professional freelance writers who write a variety of things to earn a living. And, though some authors such as Erica Jong or Susie Bright have been able to establish very successful careers writing nothing but erotic fiction or nonfiction about sex and erotica (as well as doing things associated with the writing, such as lectures and seminars), the majority of erotica writers are also busy working in other genres. I myself write erotica, but I also writer horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. I edit and review books, teach writing classes, give talks on writing, and write magazine and book-length nonfiction. If you saw me on the street, you’d think I was an insurance salesman before you’d guess that I write erotica. In his article "Lust in My Art," which appeared in the October 1992 issue of Hot Talk, Daltrey St. James put it this way: "Portrait of a dc-area porn author: a happily married agnostic libertarian nondrinking nonsmoker who’s never even tried illegal drugs. . . . If you saw me on the street, you’d think I was just another boringly conventional wasp breadwinner." There’s no prerequisite to being a writer of erotica other than having a fantasy or two about a sexual encounter. That pretty much encompasses the entire human race, so if you’ve been putting off writing erotica because you felt unqualified to do it, push those thoughts aside and get on with it.