T A Foster Author

With the recent debut of the 50 Shades Darker movie, everyone’s talking about BDSM, kinky sex and erotica. Once secretly kept in bedside drawers, erotic stories are now mainstream and no one thinks twice when they hear that you’re reading about the sex they wish they were having.

But what is it about erotica that’s so appealing? Is it the sexy stories? Is it about getting your mind deep in the gutter? Is it about getting off?

Well, the erotica boom is a combination of these three things and more. Here are nine reasons you should pick up an erotic story or two and spend time with some leisurely reading.

It’s Like a Brain Vacation

When you sit down with a good erotica story, it’s easy to get swept away in the details. They’re often filled with vivid descriptions, steamy dialogue and raunchy sex scenes. That makes it easy …

Sex is at the heart of what it means to be human. It’s vitally important to nearly all of us. It’s a driving force in our daily lives (even when we’re celibate), and its mysteries are infinite. So it bewilders me that — as a rule — erotica is seldom taken seriously, either by writers or readers. Intelligent, well-written erotica is a rare, rare thing (and I’ve been looking for it all of my life).

I believe that in order to write well about sex, we have to resist the version of sexuality that’s brandished at us every day by the advertising and fashion industry: most especially the idea that we can only be aroused by superficiality and perfection. How can we make sex — on the page as well as in life — less a performance and more a source of communion? How can we go deeper?

The following …

As an erotica author, I’ve found that many people have preconceived notions about the art of writing erotica and erotic romance. Before I became well versed in writing the genre, I had misconceptions of my own, and that led to much trial and error as I worked to refine my craft and learn how better to please my audience. Following are 10 tips I’ve accrued for those curious about writing erotica:

1. It’s not all about the sex—really. While sex does play a key role in erotica, the sex itself is secondary to the development of the characters and plot. A good erotica writer knows that, no matter how great the sex is, there still needs to be a good, solid story if one wants to hold a reader’s interest.

2. Dynamics sell. Flat characters never go far, but in erotica, you really do have your work cut out …

Erotic fiction has been around for centuries but, in recent years, has enjoyed a surge in popularity. If you have ever toyed with the idea of writing erotica but don’t know where to begin, here are a few tips to help get you started on the road to writing bedroom fiction.

1. Get with the genre

Though both deal heavily with the subject of sex, pornography and erotica are two different animals. Erotica follows the basic rules in writing in that there must be interesting characters and a plot surrounding the sexual elements. Porn, on the other hand, deals strictly with the act itself. If there is a plot or even interesting characters, it’s purely coincidental.

It is important to know the difference therefore immerse yourself in the writing of published erotica authors such as Katy Terretaga and Erica Jong. There are also many websites that offer a library of …