All About Pleasure: Beyond the “Wet Test”

We read erotica to get off, right?  That's why people always preface comments about my writing with, "I don't usually read this kind of stuff, but...."  Admitting you do read a lot of erotica is tantamount to a public proclamation you indulge in--gasp--self-pleasuring activities.  And I don't mean eating fine chocolate.

This month at the ERWA blog in "Beyond the 'Wet Test,'" I talk about the ways that assumption is often reflected in casual reviews of erotica anthologies.  And it's not that there's anything wrong with listing the stories you "like" best in an anthology.  It's just that sometimes it seems that's the chief means by which erotica is judged, so that it serves as a kind of code for what personally turns someone on.

You may disagree.  Read the post and let me know!

Now We Really Need Courage to Write Erotica

One of my projects for 2012 is to contribute a monthly post to The Erotica Readers and Writers Association blog, along with many other erotica writers whose work I greatly admire.  This morning when I went to Facebook to link to my current post, they refused the URL as inappropriate or "spammy."  This has never happened before, and I don't see it as a good sign.  We live in a society where our House of Representatives believes it's okay to ask a panel of old men to decide on women's health issues and their right to access birth control without allowing a single woman to be part of the dialogue.  Is Facebook's sudden blocking of ERWA a similar effort to allow the most reactionary, fearful opinion prevail over freedom of speech and thought?

I hope I'm being paranoid.

Unfortunately, history shows that the forces of reaction can roll back progress, as impossible as that might seem.  Remember that Jim Crow kept southern blacks in virtual slavery for over a century after the Emancipation Proclamation.  There are obviously many people out there who would like to outlaw contraception and anything that celebrates the enjoyment of sexuality.  As my blog post argues, writing erotica is an important way to assert the truth about the human experience rather than buckle under to what makes a small minority of fear-mongers comfortable.  Apparently Facebook is part of that minority.

The problem is, once you start censoring for the "common good," where do you stop?  I find violence very objectionable, and in fact some PG-13 movies offend me with their portrayal of terrible violence without realistic consequences.  Does that mean Facebook should censor all violent material? 

Ironically, my ERWA blog post about changing the world is even more salient than I thought when I wrote it last week.

Sexy Writing Partnerships

Writing and sex have a lot in common, and I explore another way this is all too true in my latest ERWA column, Sexy Writing Partnerships: Mastering the Art of Reading, Responding, and Roasting Brussels Sprouts.  Originally I'd meant to put in a paragraph or two at the end of an earlier column about writing groups, but my memories of the good and the bad of writing feedback were so overwhelming, I decided to devote an entire essay to the topic.  And that was just the beginning--is there anything to get a writer going all night over a bottle of red wine than sharing stories of mean critiques?  Well, if you have the wine, I've got the tales, but I've also learned a lot about the kind of critic I want to be, a work in process of course.  If you have any suggestions for further tips on how to give and accept feedback on a very sensitive issue for a writer, let me know!

And I noticed fresh Brussels sprouts on the stalk are already available at my local uber vegetable market.  Gonna get roastin'....

A Fertile Book and the Urge to Improve

The month of love is just a day away, but love comes early at the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. The new columns have just been posted, and there are some exciting changes this month.

First, ERWA welcomes Vincent Diamond to the columnist roster. His new column, Serious About Smut, is full of practical advice about setting realistic goals about writing and publishing, and even though I might be considered a "veteran" by some, his advice was very helpful to me.

Next, although my "Shameless Self-Promotion" journey has ended, I'm continuing to "Cook Up a Storey," but at a new address. I'm now in the Authors' Resources section, which will allow me to discuss the experience of writing my second novel--just so my columns are in sync with my current focus. This month, however, in I Can Do Better: Fruitful Competition, Intelligent Vegetables, and the Erotica Revolution, I ease into the second novel discussion by talking about the foundations of our smut writing urge, how we might "elevate" the genre, and how to connect with readers. I also let off a little steam about society's dismissal of erotica and the way reviewers evaluate anthologies at Amazon. As I enter my third year as an ERWA columnist, I think I'm relaxing more deeply into the Japanese way of "following the pen." And since I just got a great massage at the spa a few hours ago, I feel especially relaxed right now.

Last but certainly not least, I've also posted a review of the delightfully amusing and inspiring book by Cecil Goran, Dictionary of Semenyms: 1, 383 synonyms for semen with examples of usage from erotic literature. This book is really an excellent resource for erotica writers and wordsmiths of all sorts, so head on over to ERWA and read the review. I guarantee, you will never see (hear, taste or smell) semen in the same way again!

Happy February to you all....

A Publicist Who Does the Job Right?

As part of my column on book promotion for first-time authors on the ERWA Authors Resources page, “Shameless Self Promotion,” I’ll be posting some interviews with writers who’ve graciously agreed to share their experience over coffee and cookies. So pull up a chair at the ERWA blog kitchen table and come chat with debut novelist Kirsten Menger-Anderson. Kirsten recently published an amazingly thought-provoking and elegant novel-in-stories entitled Doctor Olaf van Schuler’s Brain (Algonquin of Chapel Hill), which follows the lives of twelve generations of New York City physicians who are trying to better the human condition, each in his or her own misguided way. Of particular interest to shameless self-promoters is the fact that Kirsten’s publisher treated her with respect and made a significant effort to publicize the book. Don't believe me? Check out her interview!

Share Your Thoughts on Book Promotion

There's nothing I like more than chatting about the writing life and I'm going to have a chance to do that lots this coming year in my ten-part series on book promotion for beginners at the “Authors Insider Tips” feature at the Erotic Readers and Writers Association beginning in February. I’m envisioning the column as an informal “chat” about my own experiences promoting my first novel, but, just as my experience involved learning invaluable lessons from friends, I’d also like to include suggestions and ideas from other writers. Naturally I’ll credit you and link to your blog or website and provide a link to a book of your choice.

I have a preliminary list of questions below, and feel free to answer one, a few or all. I know it's a huge list and kind of hard to take in all at once, but maybe if you just let the ideas simmer, something will come up! Even one story or recommendation will be a great contribution to the cause of writerly solidarity. If you have anything else to add or suggest, please mention that as well—we all benefit from sharing. Please send your ideas and the links you’d like to use to donna@donnageorgestorey.com

I’ll let you know beforehand if I’m using your suggestion and will send a draft of the column for your review. Feel free to share your answers here as well—it might lead to a helpful discussion!

Thanks so much in advance for your help! Here it is:


ERWA Column Book Promotion Survey


What have you found to be the most effective ways to promote your novel (or story collection or anthologies)? The most enjoyable?

The least effective ways or biggest challenges?

What has been the most surprising thing about the experience of book promotion?

Did it change your view of your writing and the writing process?

What advice would you give to a person just starting out as a published author who would like to promote their novel/stories? Is there anything you would definitely do differently if you had the chance to do it over?

If you’ve used a publicist or other professional consultant to promote your work what have been the benefits? The downside?

Comment on the effectiveness of any or all of the following promotional tools. Illuminating anecdotes are welcome!

Setting up a website—did you do it yourself or hire a professional?

Blogging

Mailing lists/author newsletters

Reference/advice books—do you have specific recommendations for good or disappointing ones?

Blog tours

Getting your book reviewed—the challenges and successes

Contests

Book fairs

Radio interviews

Approaching local bookstores directly

Writing articles related to your book for print or online media

Bookstore readings

Book parties

Book trailers

Interviews in local or national media

Promoting at writing workshops or through other businesses

Swag--such as postcards, bookmarks, pens, flyers, T shirts, magnets, etc. Which has been the most useful?

Any other strategies you’d like to suggest?

John Lennon Ate Here

I'm a bit late with my announcement, but I wanted to let you know that my May column is up at the Erotic Readers and Writers Association--John Lennon Ate Here: Fabulous Feasts, Fertile Fantasies, and "Following the Pen." I was always a "John girl" (aren't all writers?) and, although I'm not a celebrity hound about it, I was pleased to discover I was having lunch at a restaurant in the countryside near Kyoto where John and Yoko had dined in 1977. Of course, I also talk about sex and the traditional Japanese style of essay writing. Best of all, there are lots of mouth-watering pictures of Japanese food of the sort John himself enjoyed....

The Creamiest Chocolate Body Paint for Valentine's Day

My February column is up at the Erotic Readers and Writers Association--The Smut-Writer’s Holiday: In Praise of Sexier Valentines, Custom-made Customs, and the Creamiest Chocolate Body Paint in the World. As you might guess, this month I discuss Valentine’s Day customs here and in Japan, plus I share my fabulous chocolate sauce recipe that is thick and smooth and perfect for painting on body parts when lukewarm or pouring on ice cream or cake when it’s hot and slippery. I also review the wonderful anthology Best Lesbian Erotica 2008, which has some seductively strong stories by strong, sexy women writers and not a single mango-sucking scene! I like mangos a lot, especially with sticky Thai rice and coconut milk, but read my review and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Happy February, everyone!

The Naughty Martha Stewart?

I’ve been so frigging busy baking cookies and gingerbread chalets and sending off packages and stirring up Russian ceremonial porridge, I haven’t had time to mention a very cool development in my writing life.

I’m officially a columnist and book reviewer over at the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. As I’ve mentioned, ERWA has been the most valuable resource for me in my erotica writing career. Most of my published stories are due to their fantastic call for submissions bulletins. I’ve gotten countless tips from the long-running columns of Ashley Lister, Shanna Germain (check out her sexy new pic!) and Ann Regentin among others. Brenna Lyons has a very helpful column on e-publishing which I plan to follow very closely as my promotional efforts for Amorous Woman gear up in the coming year.

My first column went up in December and focused on the transformative power of gingerbread and X-rated sugar cookies, Naughty Cookies and Sugar Walls: A Year's End Indulgence in Architecture, Seduction, and Sensual Healing. In it I discuss the genesis of this edible hotel pictured here, made by my hands alone. Except my kids decorated the roof. But there’s stuff about sex and writing in the column, too.

This month’s entry has just gone live: Tie Me Up, Please: Resolutions, Blindfolds, and the Eroticism of Oatmeal. I talk about New Year’s resolutions for writers, lovers and eaters. If you’re any one or all of these, check it out! And then there's my debut book review of Lisabet Sarai's erotic romance about a Ph.D. candidate with a wild side (no, it's not about me!), Incognito.

I think my goal here is to become the “Naughty Martha Stewart.” Can my own line of holiday-themed sex toys be far behind?