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

This particular book featured a lot of how to feel out where you want to go without getting too technical. It's more on the upbeat side of the writing for the genre. She covers a few different things to try that weren't found in other books, so it's worth the read.

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.

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.

Clear, helpful, easy and fun to read, this practical book makes me want to pick up a pen and write a dirty story. Susie also gives us valuable information about the pitfalls that await the novice writer in the publishing world. Buy it!

True to the Susie Bright tradition of self-revelation in the service of high erotic ideals, this book DELIVERS. I'm so glad she wrote this tell-all, how-to, sex-positive, personal-is-political guide to reading, writing, and living. Her expertise as the founder of "Herotica" and "Best American Erotica" collections is certainly brought to bear in these pages. I've been a student in one of her writer's workshops, and I found the my creative fires rekindled by her fresh approach once again. Her hilarious skewering of the publishing industry made me want to tilt against the windmills for own satisfaction.

I have always been an avid Susie Bright fan, not only because she has been a sane and intelligent voice in discussions about and debates over public morals and private pleasures, but also because she is a good writer. Period. More to the point, she knows "good" erotica when she sees it and, better yet, in this e-book is able to ask what makes erotica "good" or "bad" in the first place. One of the more interesting conclusions Bright reaches is that "good" erotica is often difficult to recognize and write because of the belief that "good" shouldn't or can't be applied to the genre.This book is very much a how-to book. There are exercises to try out and examples to follow. In many ways, this is a great book for writers of *any* genre, not just erotica, although how to write (and read) erotica is certainly the focus.This is classic Susie Bright--intelligent, witty, funny, thought-provoking, engaging--and, given it's release as an e-book, will probabaly (hopefully!) acquire a cult following.