I'm here for some help in identifying my recent out-of-body experience. A few weeks ago I was hiking and began thinking of characters for a few short stories. This idea just popped into my head. I am usually focused on personal finance strategy copy and blogging ideas. These characters were a plenty and the story lines were born from stories I hear at the gym from my friends and some of what I have experienced. I know this is typical but the problem is that I woke up the next morning and started writing one of the short stories "7 Days", two women who have a torrid affair for 7 days while in the Hampton's. I have never written erotica before but it flowed out of me like... well, you get the picture. I spent an entire day writing the first day of 7 Days. I now have 23 pages of love, lust, desire and stories of some of the best sex I have ever experienced in my life. Here is my question: how do I know it's good? who do I confide in? Has this happened to anyone?
Welcome, Alex. Your problem is very common. It's very tough to know, especially at first, whether anything you've written is any good at all. Usually, the best way to find out is to have some sort of feedback from a critique group or a writer's group or writing class you might find. But, since what you've written is erotica, that is going to be a little more difficult to find. However, it is still possible. I know that the local writers group I found has critiqued some erotica pieces -- there is no prohibition against it, although some groups do exclude it. Since you just wrote it, I suggest putting it away for a short time and then re-reading it so you can determine whether YOU think it is good. Try seeking out some other writers, both online and in the real world. There are some sites that do allow erotica for critique postings, although I don't think they do here. Have you tried reading some erotic short stories, so you can get a feel for how you might compare? No matter what type of stuff you write, try to immerse yourself in the writing world as much as you can. You'll learn a whole lot, and hopefully you'll find a few folks who can give you some good critique.
Hello Alex, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Chances are, your story isn;t good - yet. It takes experience and hard work to get writing to publishable quality. Fortunately, it's not like landing an airplane. You don't have to get it right on the first try. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Writing Prompts, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the site rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
