Should You Take That Writing Gig? Five Red Flags Your Potential Employer Might Wave

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September 15, 2021

pexels-elina-krima-3343253 — Photo by Elina Krima from Pexels

Part of the freelance writer life, at least mine, un-agented as I am and writing across lots of formats and genres (it’s not all just chocolate sauce dripping on robots’ nipples with me), is to consistently look for writing jobs. There seems to be a bunch of them out there. But don’t be fooled; quite frankly, a lot are right shite. Too many supposedly “legitimate” employers are looking to rip a writer off and still many more, have no clear idea what they want and what a fair price is for the scribbling we do.

How then does one cut the fat from the meat, sanely vet these jobs, keep from falling into the trap of spending time, energy, and sometimes even money on a job that is not going to pan out?

Here are five red flags to be on the lookout for when searching through those writing jobs.

1.) You see the same ad over and over.

While Craig’s List is the lowest common denominator for most things, and I think I find maybe 1 job out 20 there that I send resumes out for, it is a place I do check on occasion. But if I see the same ad for freelance writing needed from the same poster frequently (or every day as I do this one ad) there might a reason why this position isn’t ever filled. No, it’s not because the employer has a ton of work! Beware.

2.) They ask for specific samples.

This is not an absolute red flag, but I have come across enough would-be employers out there asking for ‘samples’ from writers they are considering. What always prompts my suspicion here is that it would be all too easy to cull a bunch of samples for writers hungry for work (which most of us writers always are) amass a bunch of free pieces, then never have to pay anybody.

3.) The payment is unspecified or “contingent upon.”

Sorry, but there are tons more net businesses and those ‘going-to-be-the-next-big-thing’ ideas than are those that are genuinely successful. Waiting for your pay contingent upon how much or well a site sells views, downloads, etc. or not ever given a set price per work (or however else the employer wants to set up your pay scale) are sure signs this might not be the employer you want to deal with.

4.) They take forever getting back to you.

In this day and age, as I have mentioned before, there is no reason not to get back to someone in a timely manner… that is, if getting back to them in a timely manner matters to you. If it does not matter to your possible employer than it shouldn’t matter so much that you work for them.

5.) Even if they do get back to you in a timely matter, you don’t know what the hell they are talking about.

This is no small point and something I have encountered more than once. From my experience, there is usually nothing malicious here, and the employer isn’t trying to be obtuse, it’s just that I come to a communication loggerhead with them. Even if two people want to work together and a good amount of the preliminary is worked out, there are just those times that even the most reasoned and well-intentioned employer and employee can’t seem to understand what the other wants. As I say, I have been in this pickle a few times, my writing just doesn’t hit the mark they were hoping for, even after I have been paid, or I just can’t seem to hit on the vision the employer wants, despite how much we come to talk about the work.

In Conclusion:

Granted the above are only five points you need to watch out for when looking for a job. The money might be great, the potential employee the nicest person you have ever spoken to, but for the reasons above and many more, there are times you’d be well cautioned to take a job. Yes, I know you want to work, I know the writing jobs are few and far between. But not all jobs are for all people or are even worth pursuing at all.

Hooray For The Erotic Anthology

By

Ralph Greco

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September 1, 2021

In the book publishing game, authors are usually advised a few months prior to their book being published, so as to gear up the old P.R. machine. I was just told about an erotic anthology I’ve placed a story in, coming out in November, from the good folks at SinCyr Publishing. (Here are some pre-sale links Here and Here, if you are so interested; sorry for the cheap plug) I have been published by this company before and I can say that both their eBooks and print versions are of the best quality… .and their authors top-notch.

Even a little old author named Ralph Greco, Jr. is pretty good. I look forward to reading his short story and all the others, written by authors Kristan X, Elizabeth Coldwell, Sprocket J. Rydyr, Jordan Monroe, Eve Ray, Louise Kane, Elliot Sawyer, Dilo Keith, Colton Aalto, Zak Jane Keir, Allison Armstrong, gathered together for the new book called Scandalous.

I’ll pepper social media and my other contacts until the November 30^th release date (and after) as best I can. Luckily with an anthology, you have all the other authors who are onboard pushing in their own way so that one usually sees a pretty wide-ranging coverage of the title.

This is just one of the reasons we erotica writers love anthologies.

Another reason is that you get to rub shoulders (mostly only digitally though) with authors you might never get to meet. Sometimes this leads to introductions being made, friendships forming, and maybe even some work coming your way from your new author buddy when they come across a lead they want to share.

Authors are also good for placing that weird little story you might not have yet found a home for. I have often found a specific theme of antho submission call sparks my memory with a “Hey; I have that story about spiders and leather that would be just perfect for this…Spider and Leather-themes antho.”

Another good thing about anthologies is they can introduce you to a publisher who might be putting out more books in the future. I felt warm and fuzzy sending a new story to SinCyr because they had treated me so well before, the introduction had already been made, they were aware of my quality of work. Not that it was a slam dunk that they’d use another story of mine for Scandalous or any new book they were publishing. But I did have somewhat of a track record with them, all because I had submitted and been picked for one of their past anthologies. And sometimes, a publisher is more open to accepting a one-off story from a writer or a bunch of them submitted over a few years before they will consider a stand-alone single-author collection or a novel…if even the publisher is looking for these.

Really, I am all for anthologies. Readers like to gobble them up because they can get a bunch of stories from a wide range of authors and don’t have to commit to just one naughty scribe. And often, those readers will seek out one or two writers they especially liked from the antho, and those authors could make another sale with other books they have written or their work appears in.

It’s a win-win across the board here! So, let’s say hooray with erotica anthologies, even when they are Scandalous.

Self-Publishing & Erotica: The Cold Hard Facts-Part 3

By

Ralph Greco

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August 15, 2021

pexels-cristian-jako-4512823 — Photo by Cristian Jako from Pexels

Ok, so here it is. Sorry, it took me three columns to get here, but the stuff I laid out in part 1 and part 2, I thought necessary. If you are still with me and want to furrow forward into self-publishing, here are some specific facts I can offer.

1.) There are lots of book producers out there; choose wisely.

For those of us looking to get a book out there, especially first-timers, there are plenty of companies—what I call ‘book producers’ (you can call them a ‘vanity press’)—who will help you through various stages of preparing your book or can push you through the entire process. Some of these companies are honorable; others not so much.

There are always lots of folks out there looking to take advantage of you. I’m sorry, but it’s true. If you go this route, do your research, read reviews, talk to other self-published authors if you can, and learn which of these companies are worth giving your money to.

Remember, you can also reach out to a copywriter, layout person, cover artist yourself.

2.) Amazon will help…to a certain degree.

In some cases, Amazon has become the only game in town, something I warned about way back in one of my earlier columns, and they can be incredibly sketchy for erotica writers. Amazon can/will and forever determine what they want on their portal, and when it comes to erotica, they tend to move the goalposts at whim, determining just what subjects, even what words, they will allow. Subjects like age-play, certainly anything to do with people pretending to be family members (this includes characters calling each other “mommy” or “naughty baby boy” in a story), get in trouble all the time with Amazon. Sex mixed with horror and anything hinting at ‘water sports’ also tends to throw up the old Amazon-y red flags.

The good stuff about Amazon (beyond their reach and that everyone who is anyone will ask you first and foremost “So, is your book up on Amazon?”) is that you can order an ‘Author’s Copy’ (see here) from Amazon for only a minimal amount of money. Doing this, you can get a print copy of your book in your hot little hands, gaze at every inch of it and determine if the book is to your liking. If not, you can easily go back into Amazon and change whatever you like, even order another copy later (yes, just one) and have another look-see. This cuts down on the expense (and believe me, way back, I incurred this expense, so I know it can be expensive) of ordering a box of your book (even now, book printers have a minimum amount that they need to print to complete an order) and realizing the print version didn’t come out the way you wanted it to! Then having to go back and change templates and order a bunch all over again, hoping for the best.

3.) Diversify.

You can list your book across multiple retailers. If you want to grab an ISBN #, you can do so via the Library of Congress and pretty much reach out and sell at any retailer that will have you. You are under no contract when you self-publish.

4.) Erotica is indeed different so treat it differently by self-publishing

As I have been writing here, erotica is different. Considered by many, even other professional writers, as the red-haired stepchild of fiction genres, it’s hard to get mainstream attention for a naughty book without that attention being pejorative. So doing this yourself, at least for your first few forays at publishing, and maybe ever onward, is a good way forward. But don’t worry, there are plenty of places to contact and network. There’s the SEX POSITIVE BOOKS BLOG on Twitter@BooksSex, the UK-based eroticaforall.co.uk, GoodReads.com, and the ERWA, to name just a few places that will get you up and running.

5.) The Profit Is Yours.

When you are under no contract, when you set up your little self-publishing concern on Amazon or wherever, print a box of books for that lecture you are giving, even sell your tomes out of the back of your car, the profit from sales are 100% yours. By selling eBooks, you’ll keep your overhead even lower as you do not have to incur the expense of printing books.

You might indeed find or get contacted by a publisher you do want to publish through. God knows, there are many advantages to doing so. But keep an open mind about self-publishing. Do your research every step of the way and find the avenue that works best for your book, knowing that, these days, you can do a lot of the work you pay others for (either directly or from a split of your royalties) yourself and enjoy a better percentage of the profits.

5 Ideas For The Erotica Writer’s Writing Routine

By

Ralph Greco

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August 3, 2021

post-it-3847384_640 — Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

And Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Masturbation: 5 Ideas For The Erotica Writer’s Writing Routine

I can’t tell you when/where and how to write any more than you could tell me. How you come to set your writing time/place/habits, has to work best for you. Everybody’s output is different, as is everybody’s writing style. But what I might be able to impart here (well, I am going to impart it, the ‘might’ part comes in when or if you chose to apply what I advise) are five ideas that I feel work for all of our writing routines (not just for those of us writing smut), no matter the when/where/how or what we write.

1.) Have a delineated space to write in. This one is not so easy to come by or create, especially if you are just starting to scribble, are a part-timer, live in a kinetic household. It might be tough to squirrel away a specific space all your own, apart from the family or a romantic partner, someplace quiet where you can dream or secluded enough that you can blast the Iron Maiden at all hours for your inspiration. Steven King tells of when he was first starting, how he found the smallest back laundry-room space in his small living quarters to write Carrie. Then again, what the hell does he know, he’s not successful or anything…

I am all for getting out with the laptop, balancing it on your knees as you sit on the beach or some far-off mountain deck. But generally speaking, I think it’s a good idea, if you can manage it, to have a place that, when you walk into it—be it backroom, shed, cramped attic alcove—is the place where the writing gets done. Also, and let’s admit this, (we’re all adults here) if you happen to be penning erotica and what you write, well, gets you all hot and bothered and you feel you have to… do I have to spell the rest of this out for you? When a moment takes you that you’ll want/need a little privacy, then you damn well are going to be happy you have a little privacy.

2.) Find the right tools. If you enjoy clacking away on a manual typewriter, then get yourself one. I don’t happen to use one, so I can’t tell you what the availability of these machines is presently, but if this is what you write on, then write on it. The point is, be it a #2 pencil and yellow lined paper (Woody Allen lays on his bed, scribbling out the first drafts of his movies with a pen and yellow lined paper pads) or the old Intel processor HP laptop, chose your weapon and go forth.

Don’t be resistant to changing your tools, though, and for the fact of the matter, a routine as well. When I first began working on a laptop, I recall telling my buddy who was walking me through the process, that the idea of ‘cutting and pasting’ was something I was sure I’d never get used to. These days, I couldn’t write any other way than in a word processing program.

3.) Set a schedule. Again, not as easily done as considered, especially if writing is not (yet) your full-time gig. I know as many writers who need the discipline (no, not the discipline of tethers sprayed across your backside… Jesus, get your mind out of the gutter!) of a set time to sit down and ply their wares, and plenty more who function best just sitting down, and closing the basement door when the mood strikes.

As my great friend, great writer, and contributor to this website, M. Christian will tell you, he and I think of ourselves as ‘hacks,’ in the very best sense of that word. We don’t sit around waiting for the muse to whisper in our ear, and only then get to writing. We tend to go to our writing space each morning and get on with the getting on; answering emails, attending to open assignments, looking for jobs, etc. But we are professional writers, and we have set the time and space for this pursuit. However, even pros can have a whole bunch of different ways of setting a schedule if they set one at all.

4.) Schedule time not to write. This one is especially hard for me, as I find myself pretty much writing all the time. It’s what I like to do, as much as I can do it. I recall Isaac Asimov mentioning how his wife was always on him to take vacations, but he would repeatedly tell her, he had no need for them; writing was all the vacation he ever needed.

That’s the way it is for me. I get to travel to a whole bunch of different places, meet a whole bunch of cool people, and indulge my perfectly muscled (and superbly hung) body in a multitude of ways (not unlike my real-life… NOT), so it is hard for me to take time away from writing. But I would advise it. You need to fill the old coffers; you need to experience life, you need to smell fresh air, hang with friends, enjoy the touch of someone other than yourself. I’ll say it often, but it needs to be repeated, writing is not all there is to writing.

5.) Work on consistent organization. Lots of writers see the word ‘organization’ and go screaming off into the night. I understand. You should see my desk, talk about a mess! But I have a manner of organization set, a method to my madness, a way of keeping track, as much on my desktop as in my mind (both cluttered spaces that are always in danger of losing their ever-dwindling power) that works for me. Depending on how much output you put out, it might be a good idea to get things in order, best as you can, or at least be working to this goal as you work. I generally don’t like anything mucking-up my writing, and knowing that I have to still throw those bunch of stories in my “Three-breasted Amazon,” folder, or having some phone calls on my mind that I am trying to avoid returning, will lead me to distraction.

I hope some of, or maybe even all of the above will help you… if you need the help. I am sure you have habits you adhere to that get you through your day (I’d love to hear about those), and yes, being writers of smut, we might be a little more quirky than other writers. Although I dare say, all writers probably have odd little habits that get them through the day. As I will always advise: it is less how/when/where and why you write than that you do write.

So, get writing!

Self-Publishing & Erotica: The Cold Hard Facts-Part 2

By

Ralph Greco

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July 30, 2021

pexels-lisa-4194403 — Photo by Lisa from Pexels

Sorry to leave you hanging in the last column, spurting through a ruined handjob, left with aching clit or blue-balls. But there is lots to say about this subject, and I needed to get through part one, regale you of the prickly potential of print and the wonderfulness that is eBooks, especially for us erotic writers.

Now onto self-publishing…

As with most things I find in our dizzying digital age, there are good and bad aspects to self-publishing. The good is, you can potentially get your book out there for not so much money, little effort, while controlling pretty much every aspect of its publication. You can also set it up to see 100% of the profit from your book’s sales.

The bad?

I’m sure, to some degree, you already have this figured.

For one, you have no distribution network set-up, or if you do, it will most probably be woefully weaker than an actual publishers’. Not that you can’t create a healthy and profitable distribution network over time, you can even begin a cottage industry all on your own, but it will take a lot of time and a lot of work… unless you get exceedingly lucky.

And if you don’t think luck figures into the publishing game, as it does in lots of aspects of our lives, then you have probably not lived all that long.

And be warned, if you do indeed take this route, as most self-published books need to, promoting your book all on your own, working hard to Twitter and Twitter news about it, catch every opportunity to spread the news of its existence far and wide, you must realize (again, this is something you are probably aware of already, just not something you want to admit) that there are plenty of other writers just like you, pushing their books.

You are just one of many.

Competition is fierce, while the facility to self-promote is better than ever before.

Do I write this to discourage you? No. It’s just one of the cold hard negatives of self-publishing.

Another negative is that you will not make a ton of money or maybe any real money at all with self-publishing unless, again, you are exceedingly lucky. The good here, though, is that, because you self-publish (and hopefully do so smartly; and I’ll hit on how best to do this in a bit), your overhead is low. You don’t have to sell a lot of books to put yourself into profit. As I mentioned last time, there are tons of books by well-known authors returned to their publishers all the time. The cost for these books returned/not sold can come out of the author’s profits, advance, reputation (all 3) with his or her publisher. Printed books produced by a company and not sold and indeed returned, or put on a clearance rack, always creates ramifications.

You won’t have this problem with self-publishing.

There’s more cautions you might need to consider along the way: companies that advertise packages where they take your book through copywriting, formatting, publishing, and distribution (they are not a publisher per se but a book ‘wrangler’ ) who might rip you off in any of those areas of work they do for you; the complete waste of time and resources that could plague you as you crawl deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of social media self-promotion; surfing through the soul-crushing criteria listed at each place/site you try and put your book up on (especially true for erotica authors) that might, in fact, get your book thrown off that list/site or call for revisions you can’t see clear to make.

But mostly you come to level the playing field when you self-publish, and as I mentioned before, the best way of doing so presently, is in eBook form.

And I will tell you all about it… in part 3. 😉

The Question Of The Non-De Plume For The Erotic Writer

By

Ralph Greco

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July 15, 2021

We writers of smut often get a very bad rap. First of all, we scribble sex stories. Secondly, it’s often assumed we jerk or Jill-off while scribbling those stories (tough to do with one hand, I assure you). Thirdly, we are often criticized for exercising the stuff we write about on our unsuspecting dates and partners. And lastly, I hear the prevailing wisdom uttered all the time that since we write naughty words, we can’t write anything else.

None of the above is true in my case, and I’m sure it is not for you either.

But professionally as well as personally, writers of erotica often face stigma. The question then becomes, should a sex writer engage a nom de plume to hide his or her identity?

As with everything else, there are arguments to be made pro and con on this score.

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

Lots of writers chose pseudonyms when they genre hop. Ann Rice is famous for writing her spank free-for-all “Beauty” series as A. N. Roquelaure, her mainstream erotica as Anne Rambling, and her supernatural stuff under Anne Rice, although she outed herself years ago about these identities in her book Belinda, a story about a children’s book writer/illustrator coming to terms with his work taking on a more erotic bent (her best book in my opinion and worth the read).

I’ve never used anything but my real name on every piece of writing I create, having penned reviews for sex torture toys (see here) managed a couple pieces for Cesar Milan (see one here) and write children’s books, to name some of the stuff I am into. Then again, I’m not in the league where I’ve yet encountered even a smidgen of Ann Rice-ian type popularity; the landscape changes when things get to that level for sure.

I understand that some people might balk at hiring you to write children’s Halloween costume descriptions (something I did for my first job writing for a client remotely where I had to punch a clock; remind me, I’ll tell you that story someday and how I doubled my pay) if you write smut.

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

My answer to the people who run skittish around any of us who write porn scenes, scribble adult toy product descriptions, worry over hiring us for something ‘normal,’ is that as adults, we all have adult thoughts, concerns, and indulgences we indulge in, real or fantasized.

And as the responsible adult I am (really, I am, I help old ladies across the street; I say please and thank and wipe my mouth on things other than my sleeve; I am law-abiding and have never incited a riot in a third world country…at least, none that I’ll admit to) I know that there is lots of stuff out there (some of which I create) that is not suitable for children.

This is all very much like when you are getting down and dangerous with a lover, and you utter a “No mommy,” or a “Yes, daddy, I need a spanking.” (Yeah yeah, I know, not you, you’d never go in for anything like this).

The point is, you are a reasoned and reasonable adult person, you fully well understand when you or your lover dresses-up as a schoolgirl to bare a bottom in a short plaid skirt, that the activity/pose/patter has nothing to do with a desire for underage girls (just as a hetero man enjoying a ripe and randy pegging from his girlfriend from time to time doesn’t mean he has homosexual tendencies…and really, what if he does?)

As adults, we understand that there can be a grand difference between our fantasies, our writings if even these are writings that might make us money, and reality.

I just wish everyone would realize that.

Image by Pera Detlic from Pixabay

I once met a woman in one of my writing smut classes who told me she penned sexy Christian fiction. Who knew there was such a thing? But then again, where else do other Christians come from if at least some of them aren’t having sex, right? Although one may assume one might want to cloak one’s identity Romulan-like when penning that kind of stuff, on the contrary, this lady said that since the niche was recognized and enjoyed, albeit by a small section of the faithful population she ran with, she let it be known who she was and how she could be found.

So, like I have been advising all along here, you need to go forth the way you best see fit when considering, or not, using a pseudonym, as you do when approaching any other aspect of your writing life.

Self-Publishing & Erotica: The Cold Hard Facts-Part 1

By

Ralph Greco

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July 15, 2021

pexels-khaled-reese-702139 — Photo by Khaled Reese from Pexels

Nobody wants your book.

Let’s face it. You write smut, stuff where people, puppies or even big globs of electrically infused jelly-like masses are doing nasty things to other electrically infused jelly-like masses. Do you truly think there is an audience ‘out there’ waiting for your scribbling, let alone enough of an audience out there that some publisher will come along and agree to put out a book of your very odd, extremely niche content?

You’re not even that well-known of a writer. In fact, nobody knows you at all.

Come on, kiddo, believe what I say… nobody wants your book.

The above scenario describes me back in 2009 or so. I was writing only part-time then. Still, I was making some headway with my scribbling, specifically my naughty scribbling, and had managed, with a good friend I was partners with, to get to an industry convention of creators/owners/and web workers in the adult industry. My partner and I had come to learn, network, and ply our wares to site owners with the web copywriting/marketing we did. And at this convention, I met a wonderful lady who was the owner of the preeminent eBook house publishing erotica. She (Jean Marie Stine of Renaissance eBooks) would be the first publisher to publish me in book form and would remain my go-to house/publisher and very dear friend to this day.

I wasn’t well-known, I was a newbie in the business, and I wrote smut. Go figure… I found somebody to publish me. Yeah, forget my opener here, I was just trying to get your attention.

Then, as now, there are places out there to get your erotic book published. I’d dare say there are more eBook publishers available for this than print, but don’t get discouraged; this is true for all genres of writing. But print, that’s another story.

When I walked into my local Barnes and Nobles (and don’t even get me started on how those stores presently carry the stench of going-out-of-business among their shelves loaded now with fewer books and more games, calendars, and Funko figurines) and I saw that rows upon rows of Howard Stern’s last book, Howard Comes Again, were on sale post the holidays, for a whopping 30% off (in addition to my member discount) I took a pause.

Consider though, if my local store was any indication, and a bunch o’hardcovers by a well-known media-star, a book that charted on the best-seller’s list when it was published and earned a bunch of publicity, would very soon going to have to be boxed-up and returned, publishers have to be skittish indeed to sign somebody’s book.

Sure, the industry was shocked into submission (no, not the bend-you-over-my-lap-give-you-ten-high-hard-swats-across-your-ripe-bare-firm-booty kind of submission) over Fifty Shades of Grey. But the E.L. James series began as a web-based publication and was pretty much an anomaly.

The fact of the matter is, most erotica writers I know being published presently publish through eBook publishers, some audiobook, some print-on-demand, and some a combination of all of the above (I take the combination route). It’s just more economical for smaller houses and niche publishers to publish digitally. It’s even more economical for houses of all writing genres to publish electronically, but major, even smaller press do produce print copies of books; they are still out there; you see them all the time. And while I am thrilled to see, hold, smell, read a printed copy, a good amount of what you come across in your local store or at that airport candy store is going to be returned to the publisher or placed in the discount rack.

Then there is self-publishing, certainly a legitimate way to get your book out among the masses, and that which I will tell you about in part two of this two-part column. Sorry, I had to start somewhere and figured I’d just suck you in with the above.

Until next time.

Shooting Up The Old Mental Enema To Relieve You Of Writer’s Block

By

Ralph Greco

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July 1, 2021

This is one of the areas of writing (and there are a few, believe me) where I am not very learned. Simply, I never suffer from the all-too-common, writer’s block, so I have never personally needed to combat it.

Sure, I suffer from the lazies, sometimes I will do all I can to avoid sitting down to write. Still, for the most part, I have so many projects needing completion, that fluttering from one to the other to another keeps my mental muscle exercised enough that I don’t get stuck or blocked.

Image by luxstorm from Pixabay

I’m not saying I get much work done this way, in fact, I probably get less work done on one specific thing than if I just concentrated on one piece of writing and didn’t start another until I finished the first. But I get bored quickly, especially of my own writing and this is the way I have always known to work.

As I always say with this or any endeavor…you do you, I do me; we all have our approaches.

Even though I don’t suffer from writer’s block, I know it is ‘out there. There are plenty of writers do face it from time to time, some lots more than others. What I can an offer, and what I have noticed that works for others, that, in theory, should get your juices flowing, is to push yourself back from your desk, get away from what you are trying to slog through, take a break from the writing for a time.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Getting your mind off the work and your ass out of your chair (and disconnecting from social media, screens, online, etc.) is the first and best solution. Besides, we writers need to refuel, get out and about, sniff some new stuff into our brains, marinate, give forth and take in… just like anybody else does. No matter how much you want to write, how it might be your bread and butter, you need a break, as does anyone else.

Isaac Asimov was famous for declaring that he was on vacation all the time when writing. He felt that the writing he did—being taken away to different worlds, delving deep into iconic creations and characters—was all the break he ever needed. I know most writers want to be writing, even when they aren’t, but all Asimovian considerations aside (and really, there was only ever one Isaac Asimov), the first real way to break through your block is to break away from writing.

You could also try to plow through by assigning yourself writing of a wholly different nature than you are presently into or have ever managed. If you are stuck trying to write yourself through some bodice-ripper, open up a new document instead and try to pen an article on fly fishing or start a new blog post on another topic.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

What usually gets us hitting the wall here (beyond burn-out) is that we have been attempting to do the same kind of thing for too long (again, another reason why I don’t do this). If you can’t or don’t want to step away from the laptop or desk, ok, keep writing, but try writing something different, or even wholly opposite to what’s got you stuck.

Lastly (and you are going to have to take a break here to do this): read. When people come up to ask me how to start writing (a subject I tackled in my first column here), one of the things I tell them is: if you want to start writing, well, you damn well better start reading. For me, reading is the very best vacation, as powerful and vital to me as any actual trip I have taken. It cleans out my cobwebs, sets me traveling, and feeds me the words and techniques of other scribes; what could be better?

So try this.

Image by chloestrong from Pixabay

Try everything above, actually. I think one, two, or maybe all three will get you through the log jam.

I hope something does.

I have heard that Aaron Sorkin, writer of such successful stuff as T.V.’s “The West Wing,” and movies like A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, and Moneyball, takes multiple showers during the day to keep his writing muscles warmed.

I am sure you have heard of plenty of writers who go for the old walk ’round the block or take in a round of handball with a bud.

Some, yes, smoke, and imbibe, but I don’t do either, and I’m not sure if this kind of distraction will do much more than blot you for a while (it worked wonders for old Dylan Thomas, until it up and grabbed him). But who am I to say what will work for you once you find the solution to writer’s block.

I just hope whatever enema you chose it keeps you unblocked often.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Featured Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

“Write for yourself, edit for your audience.”

By

Ralph Greco

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June 15, 2021

pexels-thomas-svensson-5519653 — Photo by Thomas Svensson from Pexels

“Write for yourself, edit for your audience.”

I read the above quote this week, and thought, ‘Yeah, I guess some of this is true.’ The first part is something I have always wholeheartedly believed: Write for yourself. The second half, though: edit for your audience, is where things get a little trickier.

I have a buddy, a professional actor who is fond of saying about plays (but it applies to all forms of artistic expression posted and considered for an audience), the ‘thing could always be better shorter’ (definitely, not what she said!) In this regard, then, the editing for your audience concept is perfectly understandable, but only if and when you are considering presenting what you do to an audience.

This is no small point. There is plenty we create and do that we know when we create and do it, we have no intention of anyone ever seeing/reading/hearing it. And even when you do know an audience might be at the receiving end, especially with something you present live, like a play, you need to consider the very real phenomena of the audience hive mind. I am always amazed when seeing a one-act play of mine performed over multiple nights how the laughs or tears come in different places with each performance, how an audience’s reactions—and how they often react together—differ from show to show.

So, editing, something I am always championing writers to do, while a good idea, can leave you chasing your tail if you are trying to edit to fit the likes of every audience member or even just one kind of audience.

This is also true if you are editing to catch one kind of readership, a sure fool’s errand, as in, how do you know who is going to come to, read and enjoy your opus and why would you want to alienate one group over another by making your writing too exclusive? Let the genre and form find its readership all on its own.

Sure, there are rules to follow here. Let’s use my previously mentioned playwriting as an example. When I submit my one-acts, the only kind of theatre writing I presently do, there are often time restrictions set by the producers or the theatre putting on a show. If my play does not come under a specific number of pages/time (the formula roughly is that for every page of a play, a minute of time is expended), I need to edit it to meet the time requirement or pick another play to submit. And many a publication will set a specific word count range they will only consider for the pieces they might run. And of course, if you are submitting to Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, I’d advise making sure the story is kinda science-fiction-y.

I get all of this. It makes perfect sense.

But this kind of editing, for a specific time constraint or magazine word count or even niche, is not the same thing as editing generally because you are trying to imagine an audience ‘out there.’ I believe that the quote I began this diatribe with means that a writer should write for him or herself first (they are the initial ‘audience’) then edit for broader readership, understanding, a more general palatable (possibly better commercial) acceptance.

But this last consideration is where things can get really dangerous.

I know you have heard the stories of the ubiquitous movie preview where producers, actors, director all sit on pins and needles waiting to collect, review and consider an audiences’ review cards. How often have you heard the story of how a movie might not have played well in one theater but manages a gangbuster preview in another? Making changes considering a committee, mass of people—the audience—means you will edit to try and catch the interest of all, working towards the middle-ground common denominator.

Do you want this really?

I can assure you, if you are trying to surf the latest wave, trying to interest the masses in what you feel the masses are currently into, or looking to tickle every single person in the same way, you won’t ever be able to accomplish a mass appreciation, and you certainly won’t be writing for yourself anymore.

Sex Writing: Where to Publish Your Smut

By

Ralph Greco

-

June 15, 2021

I went to see Kurt Vonnegut lecture sometime in the mid-’80s. Being one of my all-time favorite authors, you can bet how rabid I was to be among the sold-out crowd in that college auditorium on a weekday night, digesting every word the master said. One of the points Mr. V was adamant about was how when he was first starting to write and publish, a fledgling author could find a whole host of places to send stories, essays, and poetry. These places would pay for these pieces, and they were almost all professional magazines, well respected in their fields. Some were indeed fiction mags, while others would run one or two stories an issue, alongside with the rest of their usual non-fiction fare. Dearly departed Mr. Vonnegut didn’t have to tell us all, although he did, that this free range-like publication opportunity does not so much exist anymore.

I’m sorry to say, things have gotten worse in the ensuing years. And what’s even more harrowing is that following along with the mainstream fiction marketplace dying, there are less and fewer places to place erotic fiction these days, in print or online, small press or major market, and those places that do take erotica tend to have strict guidelines of their needs. I’m not trying to discourage you, as there are indeed publishers still out there, and if you get slightly creative, you might be able to sneak some dirty stuff into places you might not have ever imagined. But as dear old departed Kurt Vonnegut warned and has come to pass, the field has shrunk for us all who scribble and dream, no matter what it is we scribble and dream about.

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So, where does one go to try publish a naughty slice of their life? a hastily written dirty haiku? a salacious fictionalized memoir?

I find the Erotica Readers & Writers Association (ERWA) the first and best resource for us smut writers presently. Here you will find current calls for anthologies (a great way to get published), the latest eBook or actual book publisher of naughty stuff, and a whole host of other invaluable resources and opportunities for writers. I have a small group of publishers who I send my works to regularly (some on this list). And maybe in time, you will build relationships here and there with a small press, magazine, an eBook publisher, or even some audiobook spot that will take your latest sight unseen. Lots of smaller publishers do indeed take unsolicited submissions. I’d suggest a little more research online to see who does, and to checkout what is trending.

Hell, I still look around plenty, even with my connections, as much in the hope to spread myself around as to keep up on who is out there and what they are looking for.

Plenty of ‘mainstream,’ magazines (The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Zoetrope: All-Story, director Francis Ford Coppola’s literary arts publication) takes erotica—although they stay away from niche or fetish—as do lots of online journals. There is the online storehouse of Literotica where many an erotica writer goes, newbie or those long-in-the-game to get something up, just to be seen (they do not pay here). And if you sign-up for a newsletter like Duotrope, you will get email updates where you might be able to send stuff (this online newsletter handles all kinds of writing).

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You can also try your hand at self-publishing erotica on Amazon and Kindle. Tread carefully here, though. I have put up a few self-published books on the portal and have seen a mix of results. They are also always on the lookout to kick a book off their listing for any one of a wide range (and seemingly always changing) criteria.

Besides searching far and wide for markets (try punching “erotica” + “write for us” OR “ghostwriting erotica” in Google for places that are seeking erotic writers), look in unusual spots (Freelancer.com), or pimp your work out on Fiverr and Guru.com. You can make moments happen by being even pushy at times (something I certainly am not and have suffered for not being). It’s a ‘got to be in it to win it’ kind of pursuit, as much about sitting down and scribbling as doing the deep dive into the market place that brings one publishing credits.

Good luck.

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