How do you do it? (write, that is)

[psiberzerker]

I always start with the characters.  Who they are means more to me than what (Man, woman, child, futa...) they are.  A little glimpse of Why they like each other, beyond "She's hot," really helps, either through introduction, dialog, flashbacks...  

What they do with each other tends to flow organically, once I get a line on who they are, what motivates them, and what they mean to each other.  However, I have to add the caveat that my writing style (Especially alternating narrators) isn't very accessible, and tends to confuse readers.  I can get bogged down with the characterization so much that it loses people who just want a lot of sexual action.

[Tam Saint-Roch]

Start somewhere exciting!

Set-ups can be boring and tedious to write, even if they are necessary and even enjoyable (if the author knows her craft) to read. That has killed my momentum dead on several projects! Leaping straight into the good stuff, though, means that you can start out excited, work your way through fully engaged, and leave off with a good idea of which plot lines or ideas need to be set-up before or after. Fill in the blank spaces afterwards and try to infuse them with tension and meaning.

I feel this works for all kinds of fictional writing, but especially for erotica. Writing while aroused is a new experience for me and the words flow hot and messy when I do. (To be cleaned up afterwards in a mood calmer and chaster. Isn't there some writing advice, something like "write drunk, edit sober"?)

Also! Always prepare for your characters to get away from you. The little shits have minds of their own and sometimes you just have to bargain, persuade, work around, or just give in to them.

[Remington555]

Start somewhere exciting!

Set-ups can be boring and tedious to write, even if they are necessary and even enjoyable (if the author knows her craft) to read. That has killed my momentum dead on several projects! Leaping straight into the good stuff, though, means that you can start out excited, work your way through fully engaged, and leave off with a good idea of which plot lines or ideas need to be set-up before or after. Fill in the blank spaces afterwards and try to infuse them with tension and meaning.

I feel this works for all kinds of fictional writing, but especially for erotica. Writing while aroused is a new experience for me and the words flow hot and messy when I do. (To be cleaned up afterwards in a mood calmer and chaster. Isn't there some writing advice, something like "write drunk, edit sober"?)

Also! Always prepare for your characters to get away from you. The little shits have minds of their own and sometimes you just have to bargain, persuade, work around, or just give in to them.

I usually have a story pretty well written in my head before I ever type a word, but I have also found that I can write the juicy parts first and work forward and backward from there.

Never heard "write drunk, edit sober" before, but it explains the process pretty well. I edit compulsively and will read through a story from the beginning repeatedly, sometimes changing a single word. Only when I've read through 3 times without a single edit do I consider a work finished.

I had to laugh at your last paragraph. I have had that happen so many times. A number of my stories are way different that I imagined them when I started, including the first two I ever posted here (my stories are listed in order on my profile page). I really don't mind that. The characters are real people in my head, and sometimes they have better ideas than I do. 

Remmy

[Kame]

Okay, here's how I do it.  It's a little bit of what everyone else already said, just combined in my own way.

I...

Yeah  it sorta starts like that.  I start, and then I can't think of anything to write.  So I calm myself down.  I sometimes like to start with the title.  That works.... hmm, yeah, almost never.  Okay, so... What the hell am I writing?  Let's start there.  And I get that little piece in my head, that very short summary of the story.  One sentence, if possible.  Never more than a short paragraph.

Then I go to bed, and dream.  I think about it all night.  When I wake up in the morning, I have a story, usually.  The trick is just remembering it.

Then comes the hard part:  actually getting it written.  Sometimes I'll hurry and write a quick outline of what I dreamed.  That helps me keep track of important details and plot flow.  And usually I'll follow it.  Next, very important question here, is deciding who is the best person to tell the story, who will do the narration?  It's not always obvious.  But, my most important writing decision is casting the characters.  I spend... Well, maybe not a long time there, maybe not a huge amount of effort, but in my opinion, it's probably the most important part of my writing process.  Second most important, for the fantasy I dream up is probably the key ingredient to a good story.

Once I decide on my characters, whoever they are, whatever they are, whenever they are, I give them some background.  Names are always a good start.  Families.  Places to live.  Quirks.  Usually they come with their own set of predefined quirks.  Beware if you ride my bus regularly, you and your quirks are probably in one of my stories somewhere.  And sometimes I have to go back to bed and redo the fantasy, once I know who's in it. Sometimes that changes things a little.

Finally, with the story well in mind, I hand it over to my narrating character, along with my fingers for typing, and let them take it from there.  If I'm lucky, the story writes itself.  If not, it usually means I missed a step.

And then, my favorite part:  when you come to the ending, stop writing.

After that, edit.  Proofread.  Edit.  Put it away for awhile so you can come back and see it with fresh eyes.  Edit some more.  Have someone else read it.  Edit.   Take a deep breath, cross your fingers and pray it's not a disaster as you click SEND.

[Hilda]

Ok, the purpose of this post is to compare notes with other authors of erotic fiction on the writing process.
 

The few erotic stories I've written were all reactions to stories I found on alt.sex.stories and various porn sites. I usually can't make it past the first few paragraphs of such stories, but on the rare occasions when I do, I sometimes wonder if I can tweak the narrative, making it more plausible and less nasty (my two biggest gripes with erotic fiction).

My process for writing full-length novels is different. I'm aware of plot and character mapping, but my brain doesn't work that way. An image of a person and a place forms in my mind and if that image lingers long enough, I go with the flow and start typing. The figure begins to move and talk, and I just record what she's doing or saying.

[Colin Piper]

I guess one thing I've learned from rules and other writers and books is that everyone is different. Situations are different too. Sometimes I have the final scene or phrase of dialogue, and work backwards to get to that point. Other times it's an erotic thought that just grows daily in my imagination, with details getting added all the time, even before I write a word. Other times it can be a random trigger like, in this case, a newspaper article I read one morning back in 2005 at breakfast in a Sydney hotel. As soon as I finished breakfast I put all thoughts of work aside and started scribbling ideas on a notepad. This eventually became a story called Fifteen Love, which seems to be one of my most popular.

https://imgur.com/a/GpmBOAN

[Asmodel]

I guess one thing I've learned from rules and other writers and books is that everyone is different. Situations are different too. Sometimes I have the final scene or phrase of dialogue, and work backwards to get to that point. Other times it's an erotic thought that just grows daily in my imagination, with details getting added all the time, even before I write a word. Other times it can be a random trigger like, in this case, a newspaper article I read one morning back in 2005 at breakfast in a Sydney hotel. As soon as I finished breakfast I put all thoughts of work aside and started scribbling ideas on a notepad. This eventually became a story called Fifteen Love, which seems to be one of my most popular.https://imgur.com/a/GpmBOAN

True!
My thought-process regarding creating fiction is also eerily similar.
Though they mostly end up staying in my mind, 
And gradually slowly start to fade…

[Colin Piper]

True!
My thought-process regarding creating fiction is also eerily similar.
Though they mostly end up staying in my mind, 
And gradually slowly start to fade…

Hi Asmodel, cool to be posting in almost real time in a thread that in the past hasn't had replies for years...

Anyway, I know exactly what you mean about great stories that never get written. Discipline is the key for me. Sometimes I force myself to write a number of words, just to keep the process going. It doesn't matter if it's crap, you can fix it later - consistency is the thing. If I really don't feel like writing at all, I may set myself a limit as low as 200 words. The next day it might be more. Thing is, find your own limit, but try to do something each day. I haven't always been able to stick to this rule, but I know it works when I have. And I'm not just talking about erotic writing here - it could be anything if it works for you.

You'll find similar advice in a book called The Artist's Way, but of course I'm always mindful of other people's rules and what works for them - it doesn't mean they will for you.

[Asmodel]

Hi Asmodel, cool to be posting in almost real time in a thread that in the past hasn't had replies for years...

Yeah, 

Anyway, I know exactly what you mean about great stories that never get written.tell me about it. Discipline is the key for me. Sometimes I force myself to write a number of words, just to keep the process going. It doesn't matter if it's crap, you can fix it later - consistency is the thing. Good advice! If I really don't feel like writing at all, I may set myself a limit as low as 200 words. The next day it might be more. Thing is, find your own limit, but try to do something each day. Really good advice! I’ll try to do that. I haven't always been able to stick to this rule, but I know it works when I have. And I'm not just talking about erotic writing here - it could be anything if it works for you.

yeah, most of my thought-up stuff’s pretty much neat.

You'll find similar advice in a book called The Artist's Way, but of course I'm always mindful of other people's rules and what works for them - it doesn't mean they will for you.

that’s true, as well, not everything is everyone’s cup of tea, in the common way.

[Shiela_M]

I'm writing this story, and I'm having the damndest time transitioning from buildup to action. It feels clunky and rushed or way too long winded and a bit boring, and there isnt much flow to it. I've deleted and rewritten it a few times already, but I'll never post it if I dont settle on something soon.

[LtBroccoli]

I'm writing this story, and I'm having the damndest time transitioning from buildup to action. It feels clunky and rushed or way too long winded and a bit boring, and there isnt much flow to it. I've deleted and rewritten it a few times already, but I'll never post it if I dont settle on something soon.

Something that's helped me when I have had that happen is write up a short list of possible transitions then ask "Which movie transition works best?"  Like, if I were watching this as a movie, would I like to see a slow build-up like an old film noir detective story, or the bad guys walking in and shooting up the place like in Die Hard?  If it's going from teasing to sex scene, would a slow burn work best or have them jump each other's bones?  It's almost like picking the emotion that you want to elicit.  Does it flow better if it's quick and sudden or slow and deliberate?

If that doesn't work, just write something until the story tells you where to go.  I've lost count of how many times I've had an idea for how a story should go, just to change it halfway through because the characters or setting or something moved the story a certain way to where it felt natural to change.

[Pornhubby]

Another good plot sequence is to start with a really hot sexual encounter, and then do a flashback to build up context and  character development. In other words, set the hook, and then lay out the story. A lot of authors here make the mistake of just droning on and on and on about absolutely nothing before getting into the “good parts.”

[Rajah Dodger]

I'm writing this story, and I'm having the damndest time transitioning from buildup to action. It feels clunky and rushed or way too long winded and a bit boring, and there isnt much flow to it. I've deleted and rewritten it a few times already, but I'll never post it if I dont settle on something soon.

write the buildup, write the action, write whatever you feel comes after that
then circle back, read it, see what works and see if you can cleanly get from one segment to another.  That may show you where the problems are.
I've done half of the story I'm currently writing.  I'm pretty sure I'll need to revisit the first half because there's not enough erotic energy to necessarily keep the reader going for the next five hundred words.

I'm having the same problem you have in transitioning from buildup to action, in the second half of my story. But while I was driving the car this afternoon, I came up with an idea that makes the transition organic.  And also lets me add some depth to one of the characters, which I think is an issue with the first half anyway.  I may put some words down in that direction later tonight.

[HistBuff]

It usually starts with an idea. The story I'm currently writing (elsewhere) is simply the encounter between a Scottish actress in her early thirties and a very young man who lives in Quebec City. The story uses the "I" narrator from the young man's perspective, and the female main character is introduced with her asking him if she may sit on a park bench with him.

The story is linear and starts out with a lot of context, for one specific reason. It is set 70 years ago, in 1953. I give the reader a general feel of what people are wearing, what cars look like, how long winters are in Quebec City (snow in April), what life is like, how central ice hockey is to Canadians, etc., and more importantly, the presence of authority figures walking down the street -- Catholic priests wearing black gowns and police officers patrolling on foot.

Then comes the encounter. What this woman does with this much younger man was something very inappropriate according to customs. It gets quickly noticed, and the atmosphere takes a film-noiresque turn. The young man guides the older girl to safety by leading her through the quieter bystreets he knows by heart and carefully avoiding the patrolling policemen, who are perfectly capable of arresting and detaining (and abusing) the woman simply for holding hands with that young lad.

He makes it to the taxi spot and she takes him to her hotel room in Château Frontenac.

The result is the portrayal of a situation that would never be remotely possible today, and it really takes the reader to a very different place. What does it do when the two lovebirds finally have sex? In my opinion, it creates a more intense sense of how huge a social transgression this was --- to have a woman in her thirties getting intimate with a "young buck" who is still in his teen years. Telling the story this way makes the sex scene a lot more powerful. The very place I chose for the scene is Château Frontenac; it adds to the glamour theme that this Scottish actress carries with her. She's classy and hot; she's a femme fatale. And raven-haired, rather short with delightfully small feet and a gorgeous body. Very attractive. Our young hero does not complain.

****************************

What does this example tell me about how I write a story?

I have a basic idea, usually an encounter that implies some sort of social transgression.
I have themes.
If it's set in a different time and place, then there's an information and atmosphere aspect.

One way to actually start writing the story is to just start writing according to the film I have in my head, then, upon rereading, I question every sentence and cut anything I don't feel is needed. And I rewrite and improve. The main themes must stand out from the page.

The erotic build-up is all-important in this case. It is usually best to introduce that element sooner than later. In my story, the actress is wearing a greatcoat that covers her attributes, but when the lad quickly stands up and drops his Latin book, she picks it up and as she stoops down, he can't help but notice how gorgeous she must be in the nude. We also quickly learn that he has a foot fetish and he keeps looking at her low-heel shoes.

Then there's the way she breaks the touch barrier, which soon brings the element of danger since she's getting too familiar with an age-inappropriate potential date, and this does not go unnoticed in God-fearing Quebec City back in 1953. Public displays of affection were frowned upon even between dates and even spouses back then. Quebec was just as strictly Catholic as Ireland.

The element of danger adds to the erotic tension.

You need to ask this simple question? What would happen if they got caught? What's at stake?

The young man knows that his parents will learn that a priest has ordered him to stop and he ignored his order; his father is going to beat him up to discipline him. He is not exactly eager to go back home, which makes him proner to accept the woman's offer to take him on a roadtrip to Montreal. Sleeping in motels and fucking her is one perk that comes with the ride.

I tend to have several secondary characters and many sex scenes in a story. For each sex scene, I need to ask myself questions. What does it do for the story? What does it achieve? Is it realistic and believable? There's a gang-fuck scene early in the second chapter that I decided to cut entirely, this for two good reasons... 1) They just had sex and feel like relaxing in front of a wonderful meal; 2) She just ate a full plate of pasta with Bolognese sauce along with two glasses of wine --- she is not going to get shaken by four big boys right after this, unless she wants to throw up! In a multiple-chapter story, she can always get gang-fucked later at a more plausible time. At the end of that big meal, they do what normal people do... They drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and chat. This part is much better suited for character development and era atmosphere (smoking inside a restaurant was normal until around 2000).

When they have sex at the end of the first chapter, it is very intense and urgent as they both feel insanely attracted to each other. They remain mostly clothed in all this excitement. Even though they got intimate, he has yet to see her in the nude and ditto for her. The femme fatale keeps more of her mystery for longer; the young man keeps more of his curiosity (he wonders whether her neat eyebrows are mirrored by an equally neat triangle of blackness down there). This gives the lad another reason to say yes to the roadtrip; this is the only way for him to unveal her mysteries. He had a wonderful taste; he must know her fully!

Each good story has features that make it truly unique.

In this particular case, I hope I do justice to that wonderful actress who left us four years ago.

Elizabeth Sellars (1921-2019)