So you love reading a good erotic story. You love the characters, the stakes, the sex, all of it. If you’re like me, maybe you love the way it puts a steamy romance or an intense, sexually charged storyline directly into your head, for your imagination to run wild with.

But have you ever considered the fact that writing your own erotica could be just as fulfilling, if not more so?

For me, writing erotica started off as a bit of a whim. I was driving cross country towards my home in California, and had to change a flat tire in The Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico. As I wrestled with the lug nuts, I thanked the motorist gods that my car hadn’t had a complete breakdown, and that got me thinking – what if I had been totally stuck? What if I was forced to stay the night at a seedy motel out in the middle of the desert? What if this seedy motel was hiding a sinister secret?

As I finished the rest of my drive, the scenario quickly escalated into a dark fantasy of captivity and enslavement – I couldn’t stop thinking about it. When I finally arrived home, I ignored how exhausted I was and immediately sat down at the keyboard to start typing it all out. Before long, without being totally sure of what I was doing or why I was doing it, I had written Breakdown Motel.

Now, let’s say you have a story or a fantasy urgently kicking around inside your head. Or maybe you’re an avid reader of erotica who’s always wanted to write something of your own, but doesn’t know where to begin. Coming up with a story and bringing your fantasy to life on the page is a truly exhilarating and rewarding process, and it’s one that anyone can experience, no matter how much writing experience you do or do not have. Just follow these three simple tips, tips I wished someone had shared with me when I started writing my first story.

1. Write what turns you on.

I don’t just mean sexually either. Some stories excite me, others don’t. If you try to force your story by writing something that doesn’t excite you… you’re gonna have a bad time. Come up with an idea that really interests you. If you’re stuck, try thinking about the things in life you’re most knowledgeable and passionate about. Often, you can find some way of twisting the familiar and making it into something new and surprising.

2. Start with the sex/romance and work backwards.

This is really helpful if you get stuck trying to figure out what your story is. Imagine the hottest, most interesting sex possible, or the most engaging and surprising romantic connection conceivable – whatever it is that turns you on, specifically (See tip #1!). Then, figure out what sort of circumstances might lead to such a scene. Bingo. That’s your story. With Breakdown Motel, I imagined this motel where captives were broken down into slaves through intense sexual conditioning and behavior modification. Then, I worked backwards, figuring out what kinds of circumstances might lead someone to become trapped at such a place.

3. Force your characters to make big choices.

Good erotica isn’t just about sex, romance, or love – it’s about the way these forces compel characters to grow and change. In Orientation, the first story in Rough Cuts, a collection of shorts I published earlier this year, the chemistry between two unsuspecting college roommates spirals out of control, forcing both of them to acknowledge and accept their true natures, no matter how intense or unexpected they may be. At the end of the day, this is what a story really is – the specific series of events that transform a protagonist. If your characters aren’t forced to make tough choices and to grow, then your story is going to have a hard time really pulling the reader in.

Even if you don’t plan on self-publishing, writing your own erotica can be an amazingly fun way to explore your deepest fantasies and flex your creative muscles. And who knows? Maybe, like I did, you’ll discover a hidden passion. And you won’t even have to change a flat in the middle of the desert in order to do it.

For more of Ty Marton’s works, click here to visit his Author Page.
 

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