How to Write a Dirty Story : Reading, Writing, and Publishing Erotica

Rating:
Summary: Great book on writing
Review: Great autobiographical work in the tradition of Stephen King's "On Writing" ... don't avoid it if you're not looking to write a dirty story because it's far more on writing as a whole than on writing erotica specifically. That being the negative as well since there's less specific advice on erotica than a review of the industry and process as a whole. Not the best book on writing I've read, but it's definitely on the short list and worth looking into. If you're looking specifically for a "how-to write a dirty story" however, keep looking.

Rating:
Summary: Title is Misleading
Review: I bought this on a whim, I wanted a book that would help me with any romantic scenes in my own writing, something that would help me keep them from seeming canned or forced. I figured a novel about writing erotica could help. This is really not what I expected, the title is misleading. It could have been Dirty Stories: Getting past the writer's block and getting published.

A third of the book is devoted to what you do once you've written your erotic novel. That's great if you already have the novel written and you're ready to get it ready to sell. If you're looking for how to write that dirty story, or that romance scene, you're out of luck.

Another third of the book is getting ready to write. You get the history of erotic novels in the United States, how to find the erotica you like, and reading it aloud to get a sense of it's style and power. It also details how do you deal with your family and friends reading something you're written that's sexually explicit, and what you can do about it. This stuff is helpful, but between it and the publishing guide you're really left with very little about how to write itself.

Once into the actual writing bit, Bright's exercises are helpful, but limited. She sets up the exercises and outlines the goals they should accomplish, and where to get ideas, but aside from saying that stringing together a bunch of sex scenes does not automatically make a plot and a good piece of erotica, she's pretty vague. She doesn't touch too much on characterization, and her chapter on mixing sex with other genres is disappointing as best.

The book focuses solely on erotica, and not even really writing it, but getting ready to do it, and then what to do once it's written. Her publishing section can be considered useful, she doesn't sugarcoat anything, including the amount of work writers have to do, and how no one gets rich overnight in the erotica business. However, it doesn't tie into how to write a dirty story, which is the title, and should be the bulk of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Has she ever written any erotica?
Review: Is it possible for Susie to write a bland page? No! Regardless the topic, this woman is an excellent read...go for it.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring!
Review: One of many things that struck me while reading this book was how affirming Susie finds the process of writing erotica and pointing out how for decades it was considered the "poor stepchild" of writing, that no one wanted to admit that erotica could be well-written. And also too how in school any book that was considered "dirty" could be the subject of much whispering and secrecy among the schoolkids. And how erotica was always an easy target for criticism.

What I liked too was the way Susie writes, it's as if you were sitting down with her over coffee or lunch and she describes how to go about reading erotica and what kinds of "hooks" the author uses to "lure you in," how to go about writing it and what kinds of erotica to look for. She points out you should read quite a bit of it to get an idea of how to write your own. That makes sense, since I've gotten inspired for stories to write based on other erotica I've read.

She also includes writing exercises designed to show that writing erotica is not something to dive into lightly, that it deserves to be written well, no matter whether your audience is yourself and your lover, or the audience of book or 'zine readers.

Having written far too many erotic stories to count, I always wondered if the stuff I wrote was really any good, even if I (and my friends of either gender) thought them to be quite good. I would love to see them stacked up against someone like a Pat Califia or Susie Bright herself, even if they would most likely would pale in comparison.

If you enjoy writing erotica, whether it's just for yourself or for an audience, you really need to grab this book, read it and refer back to it often. With major sections on Thinking about Erotica, Reading it, Writing about it, Editing it, and getting it published, Susie gives a lot of wonderful advice. Heck, it's not a bad book about writing in general.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but I was hoping for more.
Review: The book contained lots of good ideas, but I would have preferred to see a bit more substance than just stories about the author's life. Still, reading about what she went through to get established in the industry was interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but I was hoping for more.
Review: The book contained lots of good ideas, but I would have preferred to see a bit more substance than just stories about the author's life. Still, reading about what she went through to get established in the industry was interesting.

Rating:
Summary: The title says it all.
Review: This book just didn't help me much at all. It promises to help a person learn the specifics of writing erotica, but there was very little in it that isn't really just common sense. (Don't string a bunch of sex scenes together and call it erotica. Put a plot in your story.) The general information for novel writing is basic and can be found in any book on novel writing. (Spell check your manuscript. Come up with interesting characters.)

I have not seen any novels by this author, but if an aspiring erotic author has a choice between this book and an actual erotica novel to learn the 'biz', I'd suggest the novel.

No one on my erotica writer's groups has recommended this book for learning such an enticing, beautiful, fun-filled craft. They recommend: "Writing Erotic Fiction: How to Write a Successful Erotic Novel" by Pamela Rochford instead. That is the book I am looking into getting. I certainly hope it is better than "Dirty Story".

Sorry, Suzie, there have got to be better books out there.

Rating:
Summary: An invaluable resource for erotic writers at all levels
Review: This is a fabulous book for people coming to erotic writing from any skill level or experience level. It is most of all honest, something I've come to expect from Bright's writing, and that is what makes this book so useful. Instead of giving some formulaic "how to write" answer, Bright dives into the many kinds of erotica one an write, and the many reasons one may have for doing so. She also doesn't gloss over her own journey but dishes the dirt on how the publishing industry works and other "dirty little secrets" that are useful to know.

She also has some great exercises to keep you on your toes, such as trying to write in many different erotic genres. It's also strikingly clear just how well-versed in the erotic world Bright is, not just works deemed "erotica" today but their historical predecessors and the whole culture of adult literature.

I really liked that Bright showed how different authors can break convention and still succeed, and she delineates exactly what it is that makes an erotic story pass muster. She also touches on other aspects of the writing life, such as how writing will affect your sex life, reactions to those who are upfront about their writing, and the possible perils of publishing.

Overall, this book deftly combines writing exercises, a literary erotic history, as well as practical insights into specific writing problems or issues that may arise and how to deal with them, all drawing from Bright's experience as a writer and editor. Most of all, it's witty, funny and easy to read, so much so that I didn't feel like I was reading a typical writing book so much as something much lighter. And I finished it with many of my own ideas for future stories and ways of generating new ideas.