Erotica or Not?

Around about 2010 I was a member of Writers’ Village University. It was my gift of the year to me. And I had fun. I took their Erotica writing class – you should have seen the antics Alikali (Ali) got up to. Really. All sorts of sexy stuff. The other students also wrote sexy stuff. Some of it still haunts my memories to this day.

But now, erotica is a true genre in its own right, not just a niche in romances. Today, if you call your work erotica, there are several more hoops to jump through.

Hoop 1: The sex. The story usually contains BS&M. Safe words have to be used. Consent is required. Safe sex is alluded to, but the writer and the reader don’t want the mood to be broken as they weave it into the story line. Usually a threesome (or so it seems). Maybe a lot of anal sex. Right away you can see how most romances don’t fall into this definition.

Hoop 2: Identifying as an erotic novel can cause your novel to not show up on the lists. So why do people write them? If you can connect with a strong fan base, they will search you out, that is why.

So my work is not erotica by the new standards. Good sex? Yes. Safe words? No. Consent – sort of, sometimes.

Until we meet again,

Anna