Writing Erotica Requires a Sensitive Skill

Writing erotica requires a sensitive skill, but most consider this form of writing to be merely words steeped with pornographic undertones. Erotic stories seem to have this negative image due to the frank nature of the subject matter and the type of readers it is rumored to attract. Erotica writers are often viewed as nymphomaniacs who lead promiscuous lifestyles, but quite often the writer of erotica is simply a poet capable of relaying the beauty of lovemaking in a pleasing and hopefully stirring manor.

Sexuality in literature has been around for hundreds of years; even when it was considered taboo to own, write, or read it. But beyond the early courtly erotic poetry of the medieval ages, there has always been a need in society for erotic stories.

The works of the illustrated Kamasutram Sanskrit (Kama Sutra) and the “Koka Shastra” are considered instructional accounts of sensuality and sexuality, but along with their beautiful illustrative imagery, both timeless books are some of the most beloved of historical erotica. In addition, Japan’s “Genji Monogatari” and China’s “Hong Lou Meng” also contain stimulating erotic tones. But writing erotica has also been known to cause trouble for its authors, as evidenced in the case of Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer”.

One belief that literary erotica is no more than porn or even soft-core is a bias based in religious morality. Pornography is a product with the goal of stimulus, focused sexual acts. There is usually little character interaction other than the actual intercourse, and the plot is often lacking. With erotic stories, the sexual act is enveloped in plot and character. It is rarely clogged by ugly terminology, though choice in description is marked by artistic preference.

There are many online websites that will publish erotic stories. Some of them compensate writers well, and others tend to only supply the venue. Here is a partial listing of some popular erotic stories venues: