Erotica By Helen E. H. Madden

For all you writers out there, here's a request. When writing erotica, please don't forget to include the erotic material.

Maybe I'm just being snarky, but I recently read "Sabine" by A.P. The quotes on the back cover stated that this book was supposed to be a really sexy read. In fact, one quote (by Reveal, whoever the heck they are) proclaimed the book to be, "Provacative... deemed so scandalous by its author that she refused to put her name to it. But despite its lusty content, the real shock is the scary secret unearthed toward the end. Spooky!"

Obviously the folks at Reveal don't get out much.

I bought "Sabine" based on the back cover blurbs and the artwork on the front, a chopped head-shot of a nifty fifties-style B-movie babe with fangs. I paid $12 for this book, and I was really hoping to get something damned sexy for that amount. What I got was a tired cliché of vampires who don't know they're vampires with barely any mention of sex. I have no idea what the author - A.P. - found so scandalous about the book that she had to hide her true name. Honestly, the damned thing nearly put me to sleep. So the main characters are lesbians. Big deal. You want hot lesbian erotica? Read anything by TreSart L. Sioux. Tre knows hot to write a hot story, and I guarantee the sex in it will curl your hair. Plus, she's a real horror fiend, so if you visit her website you're bound to find more goodies there. But "Sabine" by A.P.? Sorry, neither erotic nor horrific (except for the price I paid -- that was scary).

So please, if you're going to write erotica, be sure to include what's erotic in the story. Not just two characters doing a lot of misty-eyed angsting from across the room at each other. Give me some heat! Show me the characters in a state of arousal. Seduce me with their desire, and make me want them as badly as they want each other. They don't actually have to do the dirty deed. In fact, sometimes it's better if they're left wanting. Hot and bothered really does work in erotica. But please, please, please, don't just label your two main characters as lesbians and expect me to find that hot. That's just sheer laziness on the part of the writer.

Writing erotica is like making love. You have to seduce the reader, and it takes work. You really have to want to turn your reader on. Otherwise, switch to writing something else. Or else don't bother writing at all. I wish someone had given that advice to A.P. Then I'd still have my $12 to spend on something really sexy.

Labels: Rant, Reading, Writing tips

Sunday, October 14, 2007

When Writing Erotica, Please Don't Forget...