Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As a male, I purchased this book because I wanted to learn how to write very good erotica instead of porn. I was very disappointed in that the material in how to write erotica was limited.

Subjects like publishing your story, finding an editor, and the history of erotica were covered well. However, I felt that these topics were better suited for another book instead of one that's supposed to teach you how to write.

A positive aspect was the writing exercises that the author proposed. They were fun to work with and gave me more insight into writing "proper" erotica.

I feel that this book is good for those people who just want to know what is involved in writing erotica. However, if you want an instructional, in-depth book on how to actually write erotica, you should look elsewhere.

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.

The first 100 pages or so are about the history of erotica and the evolution of a sexual revolution from the female perspective. the next 65 pages are supposed to be about writing erotica, but it is mostly filler. There are maybe five pages with anything useful on them. The last 100 or so pages is by far the most usefull, but has nothing to do with writing dirty stories. It is about the realities of the publishing world. I bought this hoping to improve my writing, but found nothing that anyone with a brain would not already know. I also thought it was quite funny that the author confesses to being a socialist, and then devotes the last third of the book to how to succeed in the marketplace. Maybe it is just me, but that's funny. I actually regret that the author will get a royalty payment for my purchase.

While I've only recently read four books on this subject, this is the one I found most helpful. It was obviously written by an articulate, motivational expert teacher of the subject. Usually, I'm happy to come away from a book of non-fiction with a useful idea or two. Not so with this guidebook. In this one I picked up very helpful tips in every chapter and often in every paragraph of each chapter. In 1974, the "Boston Phoenix" dubbed the author of this book the "goddess of American erotica." She's not lost her much deserved title since that time. She encourages the reader "to look at the Contents pages and skip around the chapters according to your interests...Discover how writing affects your own sex life, or get cracking on your publishing strategy. Consider this the erotic artist's Scout Manual."
Because each short chapter can stand alone, and are only a few pages long, it's very possible to read the book on the subway, while having lunch, while riding the exercise bike at the gym (that's where I read it), or even while waiting for the bus without missing the events, or your stop, going on around you as you read. But do read it all. The material is distilled, pithy and to the point. The information reverberates with the ring of truth. And true to her claims the volume is very practical, is also an "inspirational book," "a book of Agitation and Propaganda" and "a Sex Book."
For readers such as I, who have written some erotica in secret, even if only in diary form, this book will help us all come out of the closet. The chapter "What's Going to Happen to Your Sex Life" is one of my favorites both for correctness and for inspiration. It's not at all politically correct and says things in no uncertain terms. There is no beating around the bush in this guide.
"This `tuning in' to the sexual world is, in itself, erotic. You fantasies will become infected with your vivid realizations. Your lover(s) will see a change in you. If your're satisfied with your present love life, it will be enhanced, if you're sick of it, your unhappiness will be a lot harder to hide."
"For some erotic writers, storytelling is the dress rehearsal for scenes they are hungry to enact in real life. For other authors, the fantasy on paper is as good as it gets: they don't want to take it further. Real life, in their case would be anticlimactic."
Ditto for the readers of erotica. They are searching for something and our prudish society has made it very difficult to discover and experience that longing via the written word.
Obviously I liked the advice in this self-help book. If you are a potential writer of erotica, this tome will build a fire under you, help you shed your own inhibitions and maybe even eventually bring your own special fantasies to life for each of us to share and enjoy. This book is a "glory hole" of rich ore. And it's a lot easier to get than panning for
Gold in the icy cold creeks of California or Alaska. This book is a treasure map. It will help the reader discover and understand themselves much better. That enlightenment will greatly improve your life. Well done, Goddess.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of an author friend, and was pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of information contained within. Susie Bright has been a famous (infamous?) writer of erotica since the 1970's, when "dirty stories" were not considered literature worthy of review or criticism, other than general condemnation and derision. She includes a fascinating history of the genre with liberal autobiographical information, and then proceeds to provide a brilliant tutorial on the process of writing, the importance of being genuine, and the elements necessary to successfully publish. She provides passages of various erotic sub-genres with analyses of why they are successful in creating a particular mood or response.
Her dissertation on how to find, recognize, and retain a sympathetic "personal" editor, and how to navigate the relationship with the publisher's editor, would be worth the price alone. But wait, there's more! You also get a complete breakdown of what success means for the writer of erotica - and really, for any writer. Are you writing for the purpose of expressing yourself? For the enjoyment of a partner or a small group of friends? For the control of self-publishing? For the thrill and fame of producing a blockbuster?
Tips are provided on the pros and cons of small vs. large publishers, and for the math-challenged there is advice on contractual percentages that will help ensure long-term financial success (assuming the work is written for sale).
Susie writes in a friendly, balanced tone that feels like a comfortable chat with a friend who cares about your success as a writer. She even describes ways to avoid illness and exhaustion during a book tour!
I recommend this book to anyone who writes, wants to write, likes to read, or is involved in any aspect of publishing. Susie Bright goes far beyond the title of this book and provides comprehensive information and advice from the moment you pick up your pen or laptop to the moment you're called for a TV interview.