There Is Just no possible way that I can over-emphasize the value of a good and trusted editor. I have used an editor for pretty much everything that I have ever written, starting when I was in college. A good editor can provide you with so much feedback, can offer you so much valuable help, can see and help you correct so many mistakes that you'll be amazed at the difference it makes in your writing.
I Began Writing erotic stories for publication on a different site. When I wrote, I found my present editor at that site, which has a volunteer editor program. That was a very good thing for me, since he was already familiar with editing erotic stories, so I knew that the content was unlikely to bother him. He proved to be an excellent editor, in that he absolutely knows what he's talking about when he critiques something I've written, and he is also completely unflinching when he edits one of my stories.
I Eventually Left that site, because I could not write what I truly wished to write about, which is young girls having sex with adults. That particular site has a very strict rule that nothing can be posted there that even mentions a person under the age of eighteen. I felt limited. I spoke to my editor, rather fearfully, because of what I wanted to write, and he laughed. He continues to edit for me, with no problem about my subject matter.
To Use An editor effectively, you first have to understand some things. If your editor takes your story, and returns it to you with five hundred corrections, it's not meant as a personal criticism. It's meant to show you where you've made mistakes, where you may want to rethink what you've written, etc.
I Can Hear some people out there right now. "I don't need an editor. They're just fuck stories, after all." Well, I guess in some ways that's correct. I prefer to look at what's posted here at ASSTR as "erotic writing." If you think that an editor would be of no use to you, remember that even Stephen King uses an editor. Keeping it within the realm of the erotic, even Anais Nin, one of the greatest erotic writers of the twentieth century, used an editor.
I Just Can't stress enough how important a good editor can be to you. I can almost guarantee that if you take the time to seek out a competent editor, you'll be extremely happy with the improvements to your writing, and to your finished stories.
Topics of Discussion