Erotic Fiction Resources
(REFERENCE)
by Kysa Braswell
www.kysaonline.com
The intent of this page is to make a variety of writing tips, online resources, and descriptive words expediently available in a list to aid anyone who writes erotic fiction. It does not presume to be exhaustive. If someone asks me how best to write, I tell them simply, "I try to leave out the parts that people skip."
For an abridged version of just the word list, see the Erotic Keyword List . Send your suggestions to kysa@kysaonline.com.
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RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Dictionary : Consider the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.
Thesaurus : Find one in which you like its organization.
Usage Manual : When you are looking for just the right word.
KYSA 'S SHORT GUIDE TO WRITING EROTIC FICTION
Introduction. The process of how a story is written is routine, as is my failure to complete one. Most were written over a weekend, while some have taken as many as six months to complete. When I'm unable to flesh out a story, it dies. More than a few stories have perished in the midst of drafting them, in which what was eventually written did not match my original purpose. However, when it all comes together and a story is written, the process is ingrained. (1) When the idea of a story first comes to me, it's mulled over from a few days to a couple of weeks. (2) In the meantime, notes are taken on acts, characters, and specific scenes to be included. (3) The story is then outlined, and depending on the quality of the the outline, some stories virtually write themselves, while others seem as difficult as giving birth. (4) The first draft is developed from the outline and notes. (5) Afterward, the story is set aside for a few days. (6) Thereupon I switch roles from writer to reader, where the story is edited and revised for clarity, emphasis, diction, consistency, and grammar. Of course, revising is an altogether more intricate activity than drafting. For the sake of trivia, I write using Microsoft Word along with a robust text editor program called Textpad.
While it is true that in ancient Europe, and well into the 18th century (obvious examples come from France), deliberate lewdness was not inconsistent with flashes of comedy, or vigorous satire, or even the verve of a fine poet in a wanton mood, it is also true that in modern times the term "erotica" connotes mediocrity, commercialism, and certain strict rules of narration. Obscenity must be mated with banality because every kind of aesthetic enjoyment has to be entirely replaced by simple sexual stimulation which demands the traditional word for direct action upon the reader. Old rigid rules must be followed, then, by the writer in order to have his reader feel the same security of satisfaction as, for example, fans of detective stories feel stories where, if you do no watch out, the real murderer may turn out to be, to the fan's disgust, artistic originality (who for instance would want a detective story without a single dialogue in it?). Thus, in erotica, action almost always has to be limited to the copulation of clichιs, or rather a vocabulary of formulas. Style, structure, imagery should never distract the reader from his tepid lust. The story must consist of an alternation of sexual scenes. The passages in between must be reduced to sutures of sense, logical bridges of the simplest design, brief expositions and explanations, which the reader will probably skip but must know they exist in order not to feel cheated (a mentality stemming from the routine of "true" fairy tales in childhood). Moreover, the sexual scenes in the erotic story must follow a crescendo line, with new variations, new combinations, new characters, and a steady swell in the number of participants (in a de Sade play they call the gardener in), and therefore the end of the story must of course be more replete with lewd lore than the first chapters.
No writer should be expected to bother about the exact demarcation between the sensuous and the sensual; this is preposterous. There are those who would pronounce erotica meaningless because it does not teach them anything. I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction and, despite such an assertion, my own stories have no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss, that is a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, wonder, ecstasy) is the norm. There are not many such works, and they are best found among the Great Books, where I have always spent an inordinate amount of time in this life.
Purpose. Purpose is the end at which you're aiming, the reason you're writing. It answers the big why? by asking what you want the reader to take away from the story. A great advantage erotica is that it can be read for years without tiring of the story... but only if it is written well. So beyond your specific purpose (to tell a good lesbian story, for instance) your general purpose should always be to persuasively convey your story in the most vivid and memorable way possible. And because specific purposes can be fulfilled only in relation to specific readers, you will want to think carefully about your audience (the reader), who happens to be reading erotic fiction for a reason!
Point of View. Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told either by an invisible, omnipresent narrator outside the story or a character speaking in first or third person. Deciding perspective helps determine how the story will be shaped, and in erotic fiction this is either someone who initiates and provokes action or the person who receives and experiences action.
Show, Don't Tell. Consider the reader's reaction at every turn. Generally, writing is good if readers find it easy to follow; writing is bad if readers find it hard to follow. Don't take the reader's attention for granted: make it your business to captivate his imagination. One trick that I use is to find a photo, from any source, that inspires or matches the character I'm describing. By describing the physical features of that person within the photo, I find I'm both more consistent and more accurate in my descriptive writing.
Composition. First, make the paragraph the unit of composition. Learn to think in paragraphs, not just sentences. It is a convenient unit and as long as it holds a related subset of ideas together, it may be of any length a single, short sentence or a passage of great duration. Second, the best writers write primarily with nouns and verbs; the laborious ones inundate their writing with adjectives and adverbs. Erotica writers abuse adverbs in the worst ways and it's simply painful to read. Finally, as various mechanical devices are overused, their value is diminished, thus losing force as the story is told. Therefore, it is better to achieve one's writing goals through effective diction and sentence structure.
Convey a Sense of Place. Let the reader know where the characters are in a field, office, bedroom, alley, car, and in what kind of place, a dark alley, small corner office, etc. The reader is able to follow the action when he knows where he is. Similar to this is a sense of time. If the progression of time is integral to your story, tell the reader what time or day it is, or how much time has gone by since the last scene: since last week; the next morning; six months later.
Keeping it Real: Realism. Good writing manifests itself not in affectation, but in the exactness of your observations and the justice of your situations. Therefore, do not make incredulous claims or fantastic statements about your characters. Be aware that your characters are not saying something "out of character." Submissive characters should speak submissively, unless it otherwise serves a particular purpose within the story.
Linguistic Simplicity. If the same idea can be expressed in a simple way or a complex way, the simple way is better, and paradoxically, it will typically lead readers to conclude that the writer is smarter. Avoid the common repetitions of overusing ellipses (...), em dashes (), and exclamation points (!). They are comparable to the tiresome person who says like and you know before or after every statement. An ellipsis is the omission of words implied by the grammar but not necessary to complete the sense. The writer using an ellipsis assumes that readers can supply the missing words from the context. A good word is far more direct. The em dash is quite a flexible device, but too many writers use it as a substitution for either commas or colons. Use exclamation points very sparingly because they can distract your readers or suggest that you are exaggerating the importance of what you are saying. In general, try to create emphasis through diction and sentence structure rather than with exclamation points. Use, but don't abuse these three devices. Your phrases should remain supple but not overworked.
Clarity. Clarity means that it says to the reader what the writer intended to say, i.e., your writing communicates precisely how you think or feel or see or hear. Express your topics clearly: readers admire and follow clear writing; they discard and marginalize that which is not. (If you don't believe me, ask any lawyer.)
Concision. Concision is brevity relative to purpose, which is usually accomplished by omitting needless words. Do not overwrite or overstate. As long as it's accurately expressed, the briefest way of phrasing an idea is usually the best because brevity enhances speed, clarity, and impact. Compare it to watching a slow-moving scene in a movie: you got the point and you're ready to move on the next one. To achieve conciseness, eliminate: (1) redundant words; (2) repetitious devices that lose their force, such as ellipses, exclamation marks, adverbial and adjectival modifiers; (3) empty words that are either unnecessary for meaning contribute no real meaning to a sentence. Also, (4) replace wordy phrases, and (5) simplify sentence structure. When all else fails, rewrite the sentence or passage.
Concretion. Concretion is using definite, specific, concrete language; in other words, skip the fluff. In erotic writing, concrete words refer to perceptible things: the curve of her breast, her lithe legs, the scent of her hand against my cheek. Abstraction is not a bad thing, but primarily relates to ideas. Concrete words paint the picture clearly for the reader.
Emphasis. When we speak, we achieve emphasis by raising our voices, putting extra stress on an important word, or drawing out a phrase. Put most simply, effective sentences have two main characteristics: they emphasize ideas clearly, and they do so as concisely as possible (e.g., compare instructions found on any aspirin bottle).
Tame Your Qualifiers. Very, little, pretty, seem, tend, somewhat these words are merely ornamental overusing or misusing them causes the reader to skip over them when they're superfluous or repetitive. One way to avoid this is to establish a character's dimensions and allow the reader to remember them. She wore a 36D-cup bra. Also, do not construct awkward adverbs! Take the adjective or participle, add -ly, and behold! you have an adverb. But you'd probably be better off without it. Never write gushily, huskily, redly, stickily, or anything like it. Similarly, do not write sweatered, pantied, lipsticked, and so on, creating adjectives out of nouns. It's a vile practice that brought us the word "impacted" which formerly described a bowel condition. Instead, write descriptively the snug sweater, or simply rephrase: She wore red lipstick to the party.
Word-Judging. Diction is highly underrated in the erotic fiction genre: sentences are important, but words are fundamental. Avoid awkward repetitions of the same word, and don't strike poses. I once read a story where the author used the word obsequious twenty-three times to describe everything from a woman's hair to the morning sunlight and only three times was the word used accurately! (See notes under Concision above.) A word or phrase is somewhat undesirable if it has any one of the following characteristics, and worse if it has two or more:
(a) sounds newfangled;
(b) defies logic;
(c) threatens to displace an established expression (but hasn't yet done so);
(d) originated in a misunderstanding of a word or its etymology;
(e) blurs a useful distinction.
To a considerable degree these virtues are a matter of diction, that is, of word choice, but they also depend on sentence structure, which in itself contributes to clarity and interest. It does so by aiming for concision, emphasis, rhythm, and variety.
Who is Speaking? Make sure the reader knows who is speaking. Short dialogue can get by without attribution with well-defined characters, or alternate attributions. But for long passages, the reader will get lost and be compelled to reread in order to puzzle the thing together. When appropriate, include an emotionally descriptive attribution, such as he surmised, she felt, he urged over the normal he said/she said repetitions. Understand that white space on a web page full of text is reader-friendly; therefore, insert a blank space (line) between each paragraph and each character's dialogue.
Revise and Rewrite. These are different roles than writing and they're both rigorous processes. Setting the work aside for a period of time is essential. A useful technique is to read the story aloud. By doing so, it will signal errors in grammar, emphasis, and rhythm. If you hate doing it, find an online friend who enjoys revising your stories. I admire these people because the ability to read critically, providing both constructive and corrective feedback to the writer, is a hard-earned talent. In the end, you're still free to accept, emend, or reject their revisions when rewriting. The payoff is always a better story. I've revisited stories years later only to improve them with new ideas for characters and scenes thanks to the ability to make one more revision.
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WRITING RESOURCES ONLINE
Character Names:
http://www.kabalarians.com/gkh/yourbaby.htm
http://us.imdb.com/
Synonyms/Thesauri:
http://www.thesaurus.com/
http://www.bartleby.com/62/ (Roget's II, 3rd ed.)
Dictionaries:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/ (American Heritage, 4th ed.)
http://www.yourdictionary.com/ (Includes multiple languages)
http://www.glossarist.com/default.asp (Glossaries on all subjects)
http://www.onelook.com/browse.shtml (Links to online dictionaries)
Slang, Alternative Dictionaries (use only rarely):
http://www.slangsite.com/
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/
http://www.notam.uio.no/~hcholm/altlang/
Quotations:
http://www.bartleby.com/quotations/
Writing Resources Online:
http://www.powa.org/ (Online Writing Assistant)
http://writetools.com/editor.html (Write Tools Resources)
http://www.urich.edu/~writing/wweb.html (Writer's Web)
http://www.theslot.com/sharp.html (Bill Walsh's Sharp Points)
http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~olson/pms/ (Punctuation Made Simple)
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/5229/p_.htm (The Prig Page)
Research Resources on one page:
http://www.itools.com/research-it/
American Heritage Book of English Usage:
http://www.bartleby.com/64/
Common Errors in English:
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html
Online English Style and Grammar Guides:
http://www.kysaonline.com/life/orwell.htm (George Orwell)
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/files/Authors/j/wwwlynch/Writing/ (Jack Lynch)
http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/engl_126/book126.htm (Dan Kies)
Authoring Tips:
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/authortips/www/method.htm
Proofreaders:
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/proofreaders.html
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COCK huge giant enormous massive steely long heavy thick; fat hefty stiff; erect mammoth colossal immense large oversized engorged gigantic big; wide broad gargantuan swollen bulging rock hard lengthy strapping entrapped smooth velvety sinewy throbbing surging rigid pounding erect punishing raping battering bursting pumping pummeling pulsing pulsating virile potent hammering veined mushroom dripping weighty spongy blunt loaded wet powerful pile-driving thin flaccid wimpy boy-cock small; tiny deflating dwindling limp weak tumescence foreskinned uncut; cut peel; retract circumcised un circumcised Synonyms cock; phallus penis hardon rod; crank prick; dick cockmeat manmeat schlong salami stalk; wood erection organ member loins babymaker balls scrotum ballsac testicles nads; gonads
CUNTdelicate eager velvety satiny silky; silken sucking snapping juicy wet moist slick slippery dripping drenched insatiable tiny little tight virgin tingling hungry blazing aching fertile pink engorged hilt (to the) yawning cavernous huge pouty spasming squeezing clasping clinching wrapped luscious fertile womb delicious gaping elastic loose viscous viscid dewy steamy sodden soaked spongy cushiony puffy bushy hairy hirsute satiny Synonyms pussy vagina slit quim sweetness cherry womb cunny cunt cuntlips crevice gash maw pubes womanhood loins pubis vulva labia maidenhead cervix sheath twat sleeve
BREASTSswollen billowy heavy ripe enormous massive stacked hanging creamy smooth -nippled pinched caressing tickling tender budding trembling wobbling quivering quaking taut velvety firm curved luscious teeny developing sprouting blossoming emergent petite aching sore large milky buxom busty suckle massive heaving knead rub manipulate squeeze massage mash compress pimpled pliant bosomy turgid swaying full hefty Synonyms melons tits titties breasts rack bosom hooters udders teats milkers titflesh orbs areola(e) cleavage bust
ASSsatiny tight taut curved curvaceous plump round ripe bouncing swaying swinging tilted luscious thrashing shuddering soft hot cute tender hilt (to the) narrow hippy fiery churning gorged ravaged raped quivering stretched rimmed impaled blistering glowing shiny arched Synonyms ass butt buttocks cheeks asscheeks crevice hips anus anal passage channel rump tail back posterior
ORGASMdeep shot pour creamed uncontrollable blow; blew heated jerking gushing sweltering rippling waves rising intense spurting wet; juicy drain boiling mounting spasm(ed) escalating receding searing roaring exploding violent torrid spew dump raging rain shower flood hot copious erupt spent spray splatter subside Synonyms cum orgasm load climax sperm; semen seed cum-dump juice baby juice ejaculate
FUCKINGslam ram piston stroke deep-stroke pile-drive drive fuck grind mount batter grind spoon pump plunge spasm rape nail brutal vicious tore; tear pound drill rip sixty-nine hammer impale jam smack spread-eagle shove stab skewer pummel corkscrew spear thrust force prod stuff wedge stick bore penetrate probe maul hook-up get with throw down liaison slice stretch purl impale slam-fuck throb beat pulsate pulse pound
MANNERhearty robust vigorous deliberative forthright thoughtless careless frank pensive straightforward open outspoken energetic juvenile inexperienced sophomoric animated vibrant spirited experienced feisty spry bubbly pert ingratiating carefree insouciant assured poised self-confident sociable gregarious affable winsome sophisticated debonair cheerful simple naοve placid gallant polished worldly gracious well-mannered impolite rude languorous breezy complaisant sullen ardent puzzled frank arrogant demanding impudent pushy studied pretentious provocative penitent contrite morose impassioned protective furtive sneaky secretive fawning timid reluctant reticent wary forbidding callous lewd vulgar coarse brusque excited tense sharp blunt harsh frantic electrified feverish savage intimidating irascible petulant testy touchy huffy greedy voracious ravenous insatiable starving depraved debauched decadent chaste degenerate vicious cruel brutal sadistic appalling wicked vile evil l icentious dreadful melancholy sad helpless yielding acquiescent wimpy amenable pliable brazen accommodating weak passive slow languid sleepy somnolent measured quiet coy(ly) surrendered vague foggy hazy cloudy confused eager excited willing craving yearning relenting yielding concede timid granting shy bold loud silent cautious mocking abrupt kind gentle snockered solitary icy chilly livid bristling
ACTIONSsquirm probe drain hug undulate crane hunch thrash rake clench flicker devour taste twinge tweak squint shudder shiver quiver quake quiver flex shoot torment strip lap taste suck blow gulp hover horrify dismay shock appall studied ram fondle caress tremble convulse cudgel savor sampled offer shrug grin sneer protest signal wave nod gawk gurgle clasp pat tilt melt reared hurry race scowl frown glower smell flail sulk flutter flap stumble hesitate pretzel writhe stagger scissor turn swivel twist rotate encircle thrust pound hammer pummel rip tear pour fill slam sulk evoke provoke stir goad
VOICESfirm resolute distinct crisp authoritative shrill steely dry intimate stuttering subdued whispery susurrous breathy booming sharp grating harsh piercing monotonous lyrical languid sweet seductive commanding soft low resonant sonorous whimpering rich tinny uncertain edgy quavering strong mocking shy muted holler segue wane falter fade tail off
DIALOGUEwhisper mumble order beg cry; cried pause thought wonder glance remember assure retort chide exclaim added consider object mutter urge yell; holler snap howl suggest scold reprove praise rejoin reply doubt believe grouse surmise lament recall exasperate answer explain joke suspect tell; told said claim question quiz understood mimic segue fluster repeat demand stutter held assume respond anticipate lie incense annoy upset infuriate ponder reflect cackle laugh mock stammer waver imply announce wager Modifiers (see Manner )
SOUNDSgasp squeal scream moan howl guzzle nip whimper sigh shudder groan pant murmur weep gawk gulp wail flutter mewl gag chuckle chortle giggle snigger mutter yelp shriek whine weep sob snivel cry blubber bawl howl grunt sip slurp bellow laugh cackle gnash hiss wheeze chime splort whap schwack
EXCLAMATIONSooooooh ooooooo unnnngh aaaaagh aaaargh mmmmm jeezus ohmygod nnnnnnn nnnnnhh nnnggghhh uuuggghhh uuuuhhh mmpphhh hhmmpphh ummmmm noooooo schwack owwww oouch aaiiiiieee eeeee! aanuugghh mmffh gm-mmh hhrrrff g-ahhh eewww mmmmph glmphmmh mmhffmh oh-oh
EXPRESSIONSanimated pointed steadfast intense disapproving askance fleeting sly secretive furtive fiery stern glaring frowning dismissive glowering dirty cold critical indignant astonished blank vacant furious chastened puzzled mystified incredulous sheepish hesitant worried concerned distressed panicked hopeful (less) sulky pouting sullen measured wistful aghast imploring strange trembling quivering shivering shaky shudder blustery frenzied maddening frenetic wild
ATTRACTIONpretty handsome becoming beautiful breathtaking cute ravishing unbecoming stunning unremarkable ugly nondescript plain pleasing undistinguished fair gorgeous homely unsightly repulsive
DRESSapropos seemly modest rumpled impeccable exquisite smart stylish snappy becoming frumpy motley casual common meticulous sloppy flashy garish vulgar disheveled sexy revealing daring ragged scantily clad
BODY/SIZEbuff sleek trim tapered well-developed sinewy solid sturdy muscled athletic defined bedroom curved angular squared petite slender slim spindly thin; gaunt tiny diminutive slight small lissome limber lithe supple agile nimble flat erect smooth velvety silky clean-cut fresh-faced doll-faced chiseled sculptured stout fat thick plump fleshy stocky chunky heavyset brawny bulky dumpy hefty stumpy squat strapping large grotesque monstrous massive gigantic wide giant oversized hulking immense bulging big huge pouty sensuous leggy statuesque svelte bosomy stacked voluptuous shapely waif busty buxom sumptuous luxurious plush stretched bursting engorged bloated puffy bulbous full swollen distended lesser lanky dainty
FEEL/LOOKslippery slick sleek satiny luscious soothing calm quiet(ed) brush graze glistening glazed gleaming shimmering shiny smoldering seething glowing searing teeming cup, cupped grip; grasp clenched enveloping snatched knobbed knotty gnarled jagged glassy studded blunt
TASTEdelicious succulent tasty tender delectable spicy relish delight savor scrumptious watery sweet salty bland neutral
SKINlustrous soft shining glowing flawless olive ruddy wrinkled grainy withered tough leathery freckled mottled swarthy pallid ruddy raw flushed creamy smooth silken taut velvety bumpy bruised livid
HAIRauburn brunette braid bob cowlick crew cut bangs henna pageboy French braid permed pixie ponytail redhead streaked tousled thinning long full shorn bushy shaggy grizzled hairy scruffy
EYESanxious seductive sad doleful mystified steely piercing hard soft penetrating salacious gloomy cold sinister ominous intense fiery steely furtive mysterious cautious sly wary dazed reassuring puzzled wild hesitant concerned enticing sharp wistful pleading squinted squinched soft devilish dreamy Modifiers (see Voices )
POSITIONnearby close abreast proximal immediate adjacent beside alongside bordering neighboring atop jutting dangling underneath beneath protruding recessed encircled enveloped enclosed lengthwise sideways frontal posterior lateral upturned touching bunched clustered accumulated
WALKINGtreading shuffling lumbering loping reeling staggering lurching toddling gliding strolling sauntering ambling hobbling limping prancing clomping marching prowling traipsing creeping
COLOR; LIGHTtransparent opaque tinged tinted prismatic glaring blazing lit gleaming glistening umbral bleak shady gloomy blue; azure pink dingy shadowy tawny dusky red scarlet cherry crimson gray; ashen blond ebony raven bronze amber jade teal Color Modifiers bright brilliant cool dark deep drab dull dusky faded faint garish gaudy glowing light lustrous medium muted pale pure smoky soft strong vibrant vivid warm
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The End
© Kysa Braswell
www.kysaonline.com