Writing in Different Genres

Today we have an interesting and informative post from Barbara Scott-Emmett on the benefits of writing in different genres. Over to you, Barbara ...

Because I write both mainstream fiction and erotica, and have also ventured into the thriller genre, I am often asked how I cope with writing across different genres. In truth, I find it fairly easy to switch from one type of work to another.

At present I am working on a novel which could perhaps be described as literary or general fiction,  an erotic novella, and some erotic short stories for a new collection. I find that jumping from one to another gives my creativity a boost.

If I'm in a, what I call inspirational, writing phase (brand new stuff, hot off the pen) I can usually only produce between 500 to 1500 words in any one session. Once those words are written, that's it until the next day. And if I'm in an editing phase with my main work, I can only edit for maybe two hours before I start to get stale and have to put it aside.

But when one aspect of the Muse has had enough, I can usually tempt a different side of her out. I can turn to editing something else or even to dashing off the first draft of a new story. In this way, I can get more work done than if I was working on only one project.

Also, the different types of writing I do seem to feed off each other. If my main novel is becoming tired and uninspired, I use the techniques of erotica to spice it up a bit, to make the language more voluptuous, richer, more expressive. Similarly, when the erotica starts to become formulaic and repetitive (after all, there are only so many ways the sex act can be described!), I bring in my other writing skills - to increase the tension, to add a bit of non-erotic background, or to develop a character more. I do sometimes find myself using the same words and phrases I've just used in my mainstream novel but as long as I'm aware of that, it's okay. After all, I can't be accused of plagiarising myself, can I?

Writing erotica can also be a very useful antidote to any form of writers' block. I can rattle off an erotic short story fairly quickly (the bare bones anyway) and this helps get the writing muscles moving so I can tackle something else. Writing erotica seems to use different juices from other writing. (Oh dear, why is it that everything sounds like a double entendre when erotica is up for discussion!)

Writing erotica has also made me unselfconscious about including scenes of a sexual nature in other works. As I describe my work as being a combination of sex and spirituality, that's an important consideration. Although I don't believe in adding sex for the sake of it, it is sometimes necessary to focus on that aspect of life and to explore it and its hidden meaning.

Freud thought everything we did was related to sexual impulses; Jung thought sexual impulses were related to spirituality. (Potted generalised versions there, of course.) I am more of a Jungian in my attitude and I like to look at what is behind human desire and what that desire may really be about. This often involves looking at the darker sides of sex, which I tend to do in my mainstream work. For me, therefore, erotica is an exploration of the lighter side of sex - the fun, uncomplicated side.

When I attempted a thriller (Don't Look Down) I used a different technique again. I tried to make it very fast paced and to have some kind of hook or cliff hanger at the end of each chapter. I don't know how successful I was at that but it was certainly a good exercise in trying to make each chapter interesting in its own right.

I used this same technique on the first draft of my current work in progress (The Spiritual Hunt or Poetic Justice) and it helped me get the first part written fairly quickly. I then had to go back over it and slow it down and flesh it out as it turned out not to be a thriller after all. Nevertheless, using the techniques of a different type of writing was a useful exercise as it made me focus on getting the reader to turn the page.

So, for me, writing in different genres has many advantages - when I'm not coming up with the goods in one area, I can turn my hand to another, thereby increasing my output.

Well, that's the theory anyway.

......

Barbara Scott Emmett writes mainstream novels, short stories, poetry and plays under her own name and erotica as Barbie Scott.

All her books can be found at Amazon and Pentalpha Publishing Edinburgh or on her BLOG or WEBSITE

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For the Love of it

If you've ever been inclined to pen a romance, then this post by Sue Moorcroft is essential reading.

For the Love of it

I think I write romantic fiction for many of the reasons I read it – I like the sensation of falling in love. And doing it on paper is much better for my marriage than doing it for real.

Also, romantic fiction is comforting. That’s why, during a recession, the sales of romantic fiction go up. If we feel bad, we want something that’ll make us feel good.

Do I have tips for writing saleable romantic fiction?

Yes - always be in love with your hero. If you don’t love him, how do you expect anyone else to? Your heroine needs to find him irresistible. Although many romantic novels are written chiefly or entirely from the heroine’s point of view, the hero is incredibly important. He might be damaged/naughty but he’ll generally have a broad streak of decency and, directly or indirectly, save the heroine from whatever hell you’re putting her through.

Because you are, right? Books about women living a happy and fulfilled life for whom falling in love is just the cherry on her sickly-sweet cake, tend to be low on interest/drama/emotion and all the things that make good romantic fiction compelling. If your heroine has to fight to find happiness, it will be all the sweeter. Your reader will feel exultant. Reader satisfaction is high on the list of things your romantic novel needs.

So your ending will either be happy-ever-after or hopeful. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because you ‘know the ending’ when you begin that what comes between isn’t important. In fact, forget that you know the ending at all. (You probably don’t, not really.) OK, heroine and hero will end up together on some level – but there are endless ways in which that can happen. And why. And when.

And there’s the little matter of getting them there. You need a plot that will get draw the reader along without hesitation, deviation or repetition. Readers want damned good storytelling to go with the emotional punch. Maybe you’d like to give your heroine a quest – and your hero gets in her way? Or throw her a catastrophe and make him part of it? Don’t be afraid to make the stakes high and the penalties severe. Kick off your plot by putting hero and heroine on other sides of a fence – a fence both of them cares about.

Here’s one to get you started: Cathryn adores her dog, Jones. Jones has eaten a sandwich belonging to diamond smugglers – and the sandwich was where the diamonds were hidden. Marcus, a detective, and has been on the trail of those diamonds with single-minded purpose for months. Will he get them? Or, his attention diverted by the diamond smugglers trying to ‘get’ Cathryn, will she slip away?

OK, over to you. Just write the book.

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels, short stories, articles and serials for magazines, as well as writing-related 'how to' such as LOVE WRITING – How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction (Accent Press). Sue is a creative writing tutor, a past winner of the Katie Fforde Bursary Award, a long-serving committee member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the editor of LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT (Mira Books), a short story anthology.

She blogs here: http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/

Sue’s website: http://www.suemoorcroft.com/

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Writing Erotica for Women

Today we are lucky enough to get some tips from a top writer of erotic fiction for women, Barbie Scott.

Writing Erotica for Women

by Barbie Scott

It may seem obvious but erotica needs to be erotic. It must be sensual, exciting, arousing. Be brave – write about what arouses you. After all, if something turns you on, it will turn others on as well.

Never forget that an erotic story is still a story. There must be characterisation and plot. There should be tension, build-up and denouement. Of course there’ll be sex – but there must be more than this. The depiction of cardboard cut-outs banging away is not erotica.

Erotica must entertain. It must be sexy and fun– but take note that’s ‘fun’ not ‘funny’.  Amuse on the journey towards the act by all means but when your characters get down and dirty, focus on the serious business of sex. Make your reader smile, but not burst out laughing.

Let your reader enjoy the sexual exploits of a daring female protagonist. Your heroine should be sure of herself and know what she wants. She’ll be in full control of her desires and the satisfaction of them – even if she voluntarily relinquishes that control to her lover.

Write from a woman’s point of view. Though a male point of view is sometimes acceptable in women’s erotica, the focus should always be on the female – her desires and the satisfaction of them are foremost.

Read your target publications to find out what’s been done before and do something different. Some erotic scenarios have been overworked to the point of exhaustion – sex with the stranger who turns out not to be a stranger, sex with a ghost, art and theatre settings, the milkman, the postman, the meter-reader … the list goes on.  Be fresh and lively and avoid the obvious.

Check your target publication to see what level of erotic language is acceptable. Most are happy with the use of four-letter words but some prefer a less direct approach. Avoid the overuse of Latin terminology. Erotica should sizzle but it doesn’t require repeated descriptions of bodily parts.

Bear in mind that the greatest female erogenous zone is the mind. Most women prefer to read about what is going on in the characters’ heads, or their emotional states, or their heightened physical arousal, rather than about the hydraulics of the act itself. So set the scene, let your words conjure up an image, an idea, a possibility. The depiction of the brute act of sex is far less erotic than the anticipation of it.

Be outrageous. Be transgressive. At one time erotica gave off a whiff of the taboo. Now – after Sex and the City and such like – it’s out and proud. Threesomes, group sex, gay experimentation, transvestism, transsexualism, S&M, bondage – these are now the stuff of soap opera and Sunday supplements. So let your imagination fly!

There are still some absolute no-nos, however. Scenarios involving children, animals, blood-letting, and serious harm or death, should be avoided. So make sure all your characters are consenting adult humans and are there because they want to be there. Consider featuring condoms and lubrication to promote safe sex.

So keep it upbeat, entertain and above all have fun writing it!

Condensed from Writing Short Erotica: Words with JAM Feb 2010

Barbara Scott-Emmett writes women’s erotica under the name of Barbie Scott.

Her work has appeared in For Women, Scarlet Magazine and Black Lace Wicked Women anthologies.

A collection of short pieces, The Stiletto Heel and Other Stories, is now available for Kindle.

Follow Barbie on Twitter: @TheStilettoHeel

Blog: http://barbiescotterotica.blogspot.com

The Writer’s ABC Checklist