Can Erotica Be Literate?

There are many genres of writing and many subcategories within each genre.

Even a genre like “mystery” has several categories. I love all kinds of mystery stories, and some more than others. If written well and if a story has enough of a plot, I can enjoy a good “cozy” as much as a “thriller” or “suspense.” In other words, I am captured as much by the technique and uniqueness of the story as I am the genre.

Those of us who read and write in the erotica genre know that there are as many subcategories of that as of anything else. We can find everything from “sweet and romantic” to “kinky as hell.” Erotica is nothing new and we find it as far back as Ancient Greece and Rome. Sex will always sell because both women and men enjoy being titillated.

So here are a few of my questions about the genre of erotica:

• Why do so many people write erotica today with no story or plot?
•  Why do writers think they can get away with poor grammar and bad spelling?
•  Is it just the sex act they are trying to portray?
• Why is some of it even just bad sex?

In my own jaded way of thinking, I want the erotica I read to also give me more than simply “insert A into B and wiggle.” Is it just because I’m a female? Don’t men enjoy good literature as much as women?

Tie her up, give him a blowjob (yes, that’s all one word, not two), play at BDSM, do whatever you want to each other (at least anything that is Safe, Sane, and Consensual), but please, please give me a good story to go with it. Use spell check and grammar check, use a Thesaurus to find new and intriguing words, read good books on characterization and plotting, and be as creative as you can be. There may be nothing new in this world of sexuality, but it can still be fun, fascinating, and literate.

I will be publishing a few of my own stories soon, and I hope you will call me on it if you think I’ve written something that is nothing more than a technique for masturbation. I’ll let you know when my imagination is ready to be made public.

I blow you a kiss ~ ~

Fanny Jane Lucette

Do You Read Erotica?

Until three years ago, I posted on this blog regularly, then decided I needed to take a break. As I promised on January 1 of this year, I plan to continue posting to this blog – at least until I need another break.

Every November, there is an event called “NaNoWriMo,” which means “National Novel Writing Month.” The idea is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. At the end of that time, you “copy and paste” your entire novel into their word counting machine. The website assures us that no one reads the novel and that it is destroyed after counting the words.

This past November, I managed to write 50,243 words on a novel. At this point, I need to do a fleshing out of what I wrote, hoping to make it into a novel worth reading.

What I wrote ended up being more erotic than I planned at the outset. I don’t mean that it is pornographic in the sense that it has graphic details of the sex act, but it does contain some of the kinkier sides of relationships.

Evidently there isn’t anything wrong with writing (or reading) kinky novels, as we can see from the recent roaring success of the Fifty Shades of Gray series by E. L. James. Yes, I read all three, and liked the fact that it contained what many consider “kinky” within a romantic relationship.

Nearly thirty years earlier, Anne Rice (writing as A.N. Roquelaure) had written the Beauty series based on the fairy tale of “The Sleeping Beauty.” This trilogy was definitely kinky, and many of us wrapped it in brown paper to read it. Anne wrote other books (under the name “Anne Rampling”) that were considered “edgy” or forbidden, and yes, I enjoyed those as well.

Some of us were not new to kink, but to see it in print by a well-known author was certainly different. There was a chat group online in the late 70s that explored kinky issues such as BdSm, D/s and more. I met someone in that room that is still a dear friend today.

Several of the women in the Human Sexuality class I teach were discussing Fifty Shades and one had brought her copy. They were embarrassed that I happened to see it. I told them I had read the series and they were surprised, although they have no idea this is a blog I write.

So why am I embarrassed about writing a novel that includes Swinging and Domestic Discipline, and anything else I could throw in? Why has this become so popular, and yet be thought so naughty? How many of my readers think it is time we came out of the closet, so to speak, about our interest in reading or writing literature that contains a bit (or a lot) of kink?

I welcome your comments!

Fanny

Do You Need A Valentine?

Are you looking for a Valentine? Here are a few clues for those who are fresh out of ideas!

I have a strong suspicion that most of my readers have never looked at the ads on the bottom of this page. If you are feeling lonely - and randy - I challenge you to look at OnlineBootyCall this weekend.

They advertise themselves as “a dating site for singles who enjoy being single.” In other words, some just want to find a date, get laid, and avoid all the “promises” stuff that guys and gals try to load onto us. Who knows? There might just be a like-minded soul living near you.

I especially like the 10 Booty Call Commandments. For example, the 7th commandment says “If someone cometh over whilst thou art here, thou art my cousin from out of town.” Clever, eh? Of course, no one has ever thought of that one before! (wink wink)

They have contests for real $$ and you can sign up for free! How in the world can they do it? Just click on the notice below, sign up and check it out! Be sure to let me know who (or what) you find out there!

There was a time when this sort of prowl would have appealed to me. If you noticed the feather in my hat and the high collar, you’ll know that I come from an era when that sort of thing was forbidden. Oh, we still had our bit of fun, but we weren’t legally allowed to advertise it.

I’m glad times have changed, and I have actually discovered that there are still some folks out there who like old gals like me (giggle).

If you think you might find your soul mate online (which is a crap shoot), you might try one of the other groups listed below through one of the free FriendFinders sites. You can find your choice of others with the same sexual orientation, and even someone with the same fetishes.

Or you might try the wee SexyAds site on the left. They have some great people on there and it’s also free. Or maybe you and your SO are looking for a third or fourth or more to add to your playtime together. You can find it all right there on any of these sites. All of these are fun places to investigate.

Now, if you already have a honey, head on over to Adam & Eve. It’s probably too late to get something shipped to you, but you can always stick a gift card in his or her dresser drawer. Or just stick in their drawers.

But if you are like me and plan to spend your Valentine’s Day weekend at home alone, you should really pick up a good sexy book to give you ideas for the next time your sweetie visits – or all by yourself in an even wilder fantasy. My special friend and I have tried out a lot of what we read.

Check out the book that heads this post, which claims to be "a guide to infinite sexual possibilities." There are others on the list to the left from Amazon - all so very educational!

The best gift of all would be a gift card from Amazon, then s/he can get whatever they want!


I’m off to pacify myself with dark chocolate!

I blow you a Valentine's Day kiss ~ ~ ~ ~
Fanny