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From: Gilglim <gilglim@spagmumps.net>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.d
Subject: {ASSD} Gilglim's Six Points to Remember for ASSM Authors
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:23:33 -0500
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===================
Gilglim's Six Points to Remember for ASSM Authors
or "How to make a great ASSM post"
As a reader and author in ASSM I've noticed several rules of
thumb that (if followed) could improve the enjoyment of
reader and author alike. My guide is not intended as a rule
book of 'right and wrong', but rather a guide as to what
'Gilglim believes makes a good post'.
I have made an effort to keep these suggestions general
enough to apply to all genres. However, given the name
Alt.Sex.Stories, two of the points are focused on writing
about sex. While many of the stories posted to this group
are romantic, I don't have the foggiest notion how to write
romantic stories.
1. Don't criticize your own work...
ESPECIALLY at the top of a post.
Encourage people to read your work. Do not fall into the
common trap of writing:
"This story isn't very good, but here it goes..."
You post stories because you want people to read them. Don't
be shy, promote the story. Start the post with comments
that describe the genre and encourage the reader to continue
reading. You can add your concern about the quality of your
writing as a footnote.
For established writers this isn't as important, but for new
writers this is important. The more people that read your
story the more feedback that you will get... and feedback is
exactly what you need and want.
[KatieMcN gave me this advice after my first post and I
really appreciated it.]
Here's a good promo at the top of a fictitious post:
"Twelve Gun Salute By: JohnDoe
Jane's the only female teacher at this all-boys
Military Academy. (m+F, Reluc, group, slut)
On her first day she's got everyone 'standing
at attention'. By the end of her first week
she's showing the boys how to clean their guns.
You don't want to miss this one..."
You can also kill too birds with one stone, by
promoting your story in your disclaimer.
Here's an example from one of my stories:
"Disclaimer: Do not read this story if you are
under the age of 21. Do not read this story if
it is illegal to read sexually explicit stories
in your Country, Province, Municipality, etc.
Most of all, do not read this story if you are
offended by incredibly sexy wives that compete
in wet T-shirt contests and get groped and more
by a bunch of horny kids on Spring-Break."
2. Use Story Codes.
People want to read stories in the genres that they like.
Help your target audience find you by using story codes that
accurately and fully describe your story. Post it on the
subject line and at the top of the body of your post. Story
codes are like sign posts. They ward-off those that do not
want to go down your path and beckon those that do.
Read one of the story code faqs so that you understand the
codes that others are using and your codes will make sense
to other readers. If your story fills an unusual niche...
don't be afraid to coin your own story code.
3. Proportionate writing. Don't forget the sex.
In most erotic writing, there are three things that happen.
Characters are introduced (character development), a
situation is set (plot and conflict), sexual acts
take place. All of these things are important, but if any
of them are too far out of proportion the story can suffer.
I believe that the most common mistake for novice writers is
to spend too much time on the 'characters and situation'.
Don't be shy about the sex. Sex is the only one of these
three that appears in the name of the newsgroup.
Here is an example:
"It was April when I started at the company...
[2 pages later] We met in passing in the
employee's cafeteria...[2 pages later] The
smell of autumn was in the air when we finally
found ourselves in each others arms.
He penetrated me. It was delightful.
The end."
Some of you will protest. "All Gilglim cares about is the
sex! But it is the build-up that really matters." Quite
right, the build up is important. Here is the result when
it is ignored.
"My boyfriend came over and stripped me naked.
He devoured me...[2 pages later] I pumped on
him like a bitch in heat...[2 pages later] We
screwed like rabid marsupials...[2 pages later]
His spoog covered me from head to foot.
I said thanks. I can't wait till our next date.
The end."
Don't forget the Character Development.
Don't forget the Plot. (setting, build-up, conflict, etc.)
Don't forget the Sex.
Keep it in balance.
4. Triggers
After giving erotica more 'thought-than-I-ought', I've come
to the conclusion that sexual triggers are an integral part
of the enjoyment of reading erotica. In other words, we
read the stories that 'push our buttons'. That is the
reason for the story codes, they tell us in a general sense
what buttons are going to be pushed in a post/story.
It is important to grasp that simply telling a story about
people who cross paths and engage in a set of sexual acts
isn't enough. You have to push people's buttons and you do
this with (what I call) 'Triggers'.
Triggers are often quite subtle and unexpected. The 'way'
that you describe the trigger moment is as important as the
act itself.
To illustrate 'triggers' let us imagine a group lesbian
humil story (five 30-something teachers in the teachers'
lounge over lunch). No sex has taken place in the story
yet. The build-up includes a scene where our heroine has to
prove that she's wearing panties.
***
Miss Peters and Mrs. Nelson snickered at the
other end of the table as Ms. Felps addressed
me forcefully. "Bobby Liton's mother just called
to complain to me that you aren't wearing any
panties in class and the whole class can see
for themselves that you are a natural red-head
when you sit on the edge of your desk. Is this
true, Miss Tandy?"
"That is absolutely false," I said.
"Show us!" demanded Ms. Felps.
"I will not!" I protested.
"Grab her knees", directed Ms. Felps. Jenny on
my left and Susan on my right grabbed my legs at
the knee and pried them apart. Miss Peters got
up without prompting and swiftly stood behind me,
holding my arms back. Ms. Felps commented on
on how short my skirt was and how it didn't meet
the knee-length dress code requirement.
The other teachers all craned their heads in
to see as Ms. Felps yanked my skirt up. I looked
down at my crotch and was horrified to see that
my cheap polyester white panties were nearly
translucent in this florescent lighting. My
red pubic hair was plainly visible.
"These hardly count as panties, Miss Tandy."
Ms. Felps said as she reached into her pocket
producing a black marker. She quietly removed
the cap and scrawled 'Needs Improvement' on
my panties. Not across the top, but right on
the crotch where the felt tip grazed my clitoris
several times.
The room was silent as Ms. Felps said, "Correct
your mistakes." and marched out of the lounge.
Mrs. Nelson broke the silence by saying, "Let's
see if she 'works and plays well with others'."
Pulling the crotch of my panties aside she
inserted a finger....
***
For those who are turned-on by such a story as this, there
are probably a few triggers in here. The way the teachers
all lean-in to get a better look. (voyeurism) They way the
fellow teachers grab her arms and knees and force them
apart. (bondage) The authoritative way Ms. Felps speaks to
her. (domination)
Triggers are very subjective. However, you can often
recognize phrases that will act as triggers for other
people, even if they don't do anything for you. For
example, I don't get turned-on by mean spirited behavior,
but I recognize that for some readers the
'snickering' at her plight could be a trigger.
Word choice is important.
"I rubbed her pussy and stuck my finger in." (No trigger
for me)
"I slid my finger along her damp crevice. She gasped as it
slipped in."
(more than one trigger for me)
There are two things that you can do to improve the quality
and quantity of 'triggers' in your stories.
First, recognize the triggers in stories that you have read.
The sentence that you read over and over again in your
favorite story is probably a trigger. :-) When you are
reading a story and suddenly find yourself quite aroused,
immediately ask yourself what sentence, word or
turn-of-phrase did that to you.
Second, when readers send you fan mail ask them what
sentence, moment or turn-of-phrase did they like the most.
What turned them on. Many are quite happy to send you a
list of their favorite parts. Some readers who have done
this for me have told me that preparing this list was as
much of a turn-on as reading it in the first place.
Especially for your first 5 or 6 stories, you would do well
to focusing on including triggers that work for you. One
nice side effect is that it makes writing your stories a
pleasant experience. ;-)
5. Take time to Edit before Posting
There are three things that you can do to quickly clean up a
post before you set it before your readers. First, if you
have time for nothing else, at least use your 'Spell
Checker'. Second, take a few minutes to clean up any
formatting problems that may have arisen. Third, have
someone proof read your story. They will often catch
embarrassing mistakes.
6. Write it and Post it
Nothing will ruin a story faster than not writing it. When
you have an idea that appeals to you... start writing. Get
it down without worrying about the 'technical quality'. You
don't have to finish it in a single sitting, but at least
get the gist down.
Once you have the story finished... Post It to
alt.sex.stories.moderated. Don't agonize over 'it isn't good
enough yet'. You will *always* look back and say 'If I
wrote that now, I'd do it a lot differently'. If you feel
that strongly later, write a new version.
This last point is the most important. You can disregard
everything else and still be a successful author in ASSM if
you follow this last rule.
I look forward to reading your stories and constructive
comments toward improving this guide.
Sincerely,
-Gilgim
I have prepared these points for two reasons:
1. To help out new writers who may not have grasped these
concepts
2. To stimulate more discussion about writing erotica in
ASSD, and perhaps add more "points to remember for ASSM authors"
Concerning the first reason, these points are geared towards
the novice writer who has either never posted to ASSM or has
only posted two or three stories. This guide encourages
writing of 'Short Story Erotica', by which I mean a story in
a single post that is intended to push the reader's sexual
buttons. For those who are interested in more esoteric
stories (e.g.. a period piece that explores the sexual
attitudes towards pederasty amongst the pre-Columbian Inuit
in 5 parts) this is not your guide.
Concerning the second reason, my hope is to stimulate more
discussion about what makes a good post of 'Short Story
Erotica' to ASSM. The kind of story that is both pleasant
to read and also makes the reader hot-and-bothered, not
limited to 'stroke' but not excluding it either. At its
first posting, several readers replied that these are just
'your idea of a good post'. They were quite right, so I've
added my name to the title to make sure that the reader is
aware that these are simply my rules of thumb and certainly
not prerequisites to posting anything you please to ASSM.
That said, I have added a few new points that were
contributed by other writers that replied to my post.
[Note: Please don't write me, telling me that I am a
totalitarian pig trying to enforce my rules on everybody
else. I offer these points to help others and stimulate
conversation. I have no desire to enforce them. Keep what
you find useful and discard the rest. If you disagree with
a point, I encourage you to post your reasons and perhaps an
alternative rule-of-thumb that fixes my mistakes.]