Product Description

Here, erotica author Susie Bright shows readers how to heat up sex scenes in everything from traditional novels and romances to science fiction and horror. She guides aspiring writers in reading erotica to discover the elements and styles that work. Then she walks them through the writing process: how to get hot ideas, devise steamy plots, use language like a pro and bring the story to a memorable climax. Each chapter features writing exercises and suggestions for non-writing activities that will galvanize the imagination and raze any hurdle. Drawing on her own experiences, Bright explains how to find an agent, work with an editor, choose a publishing company and sell the work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #263584 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'What a fabulous book! Well written (naturally), provocative (of course) and eminently sensible...' Linda Jaivin, author of EAT ME and SPACE GIRLS ARE EASY

Synopsis
Here, erotica author Susie Bright shows readers how to heat up sex scenes in everything from traditional novels and romances to science fiction and horror. She guides aspiring writers in reading erotica to discover the elements and styles that work. Then she walks them through the writing process: how to get hot ideas, devise steamy plots, use language like a pro and bring the story to a memorable climax. Each chapter features writing exercises and suggestions for non-writing activities that will galvanize the imagination and raze any hurdle. Drawing on her own experiences, Bright explains how to find an agent, work with an editor, choose a publishing company and sell the work.

About the Author
Susie Bright called 'the avatar of American erotica' by THE NEW YORK TIMES, is the author of sixteen bestselling books on sexuality and erotica. Her web site, www.susiebright.com, features news about her latest performances, books, lectures and workshops.

Customer Reviews

invaluable
Whether you're an amateur writer of sex or someone who has been in the business for years, this is one book, I feel, you should never be without. Susie Bright reveals her 'tricks of the trade' to enable you to gain the expertise to succeed at the craft of writing erotica.

What this book teaches is that no matter who you are, where you come from or even how skilled you are or aren't in bed, you alone have the ability to write a truly, erotic story and one that has the potential to blow your readers socks off.

Although gaining experience in the craft of writing is an advantage, this book is also invaluable in what it teaches by the author's good use of personal experience, writing exercises and guides to the steps that inevitably follow after the final draft of your first work.

So, if you don't get any other book on the subject of writing erotica, be sure that you make it this one.

Didn't do it for me
The first thing to note is that the usefulness of "How to Write" books is fairly subjective - different writers will respond to different approaches.

Personally, I don't like exercises, and this book is full of them. One of the exercises suggests videoing yourself "in action" so that you can describe things more realistically. A good idea on the face of it, perhaps, but how many people will actually do it? And if they don't, the exercise is valueless.

The same thing applies to the other exercises. If you're the sort of person who will write down names of famous people on scraps of paper to pair them off as story fodder, then this might be for you.

On finishing, I found I had no more insight into the process than when I started. It's well written and quite interesting, though. It just didn't do its job.

Instead of getting this, I'd suggest beginning erotica writers take a look at Edo van Belkom's "Writing Erotica". That's not perfect either, but there's a lot more nuts-and-bolts there. Or get some "proper" writing books (Sol Stein and Orson Scott Card are my favourite "craft" writers), read some steamy stories, and figure it out yourself.