Tips to Write Erotica & Get Readers

For me, writing or reading a story is the same.

I want to be drawn into the story... brought along for the ride, metaphorically speaking. This is why you will almost never see a one-page story by me (we'll have a conversation on length a little later). No, first I want my readers to get to know my character or characters... I want them to become immersed in their world... I want them to feel like they're right there watching it unfold.

So for me to even bother reading the sex scene, first I need to care about the character(s).

I want to get into the head of the woman being seduced by her daughter's friend.

I want to feel the trepidation of a woman being seduced by a man with a big cock.

I want to feel the confusion and lust of a man crossing the forbidden line and sucking his first cock.

I want to be dying for the protagonist to become sexually awakened and to become the inner slut she didn't even know existed within her... or for a man to cross the line and discover to his amazement that he isn't as straight as he thought he was.

So... if you're going to be a compelling author, you'll set up interesting situations that allow your protagonist to be drawn into a situation that pushes them beyond their moral code... that to their astonishment draws them into their true sexuality.

If you do that... then the sex itself becomes more erotic, and thus more sexually charged.

NINE: THE SEX SCENE

This is the most difficult topic for me to give advice about, since I'm actually not a great sex scene writer. I'm way better at setting up the sex scene (at least I think I am). That said, here are some key elements you can include to make sure the reader gets off when you want them to).

I think of my stories as slow burns...for the most part.

Very rarely do I have a sex scene early on... usually I set up the plot first... create characters the readers can identify with, or at least care about. (Sometimes they hate them, like in Catching Mommy, or my more recent Becoming a Lesbian Slave, but they need to have some sort of visceral reaction to them).

So this advice is based strictly on philosophy:

a. Make sure their bodies are described before or during the sex scene. If your readers can visualize the scene you're describing and what the participants are wearing and what they look like... the more vividly the better... you're doing it right.

b. Get into the heads of the participants. What are they thinking? What are they feeling? How does it feel when the cock is inside her or his mouth? What sensations course through their body? What anticipation are they feeling? What do they feel like while they're climaxing or making someone else climax?

c. Include some dialogue. But not too much. (Do what I say, not what I do, since I often include way too much.)

d. Describe the action in a way that the reader can easily visualize what is happening.

e. Use a variety of sexual positions. (I rely too much on missionary and doggy style.)

f. For women: include lots of foreplay. And really, really get inside their heads.

g. For men: include some nasty talk.

h. For me personally: have the women in nylons!!!

I'm not sure this section was much help... but do make sure the story does have at least one sex scene, and that it isn't anti-climactic (in other words, don't rush it).

TEN: BE THICK-SKINNED

I've been called a lot of names over time, received some hate mail, and been the target of some very harsh criticisms... you will too.

Some people are just assholes who have nothing better to do than criticize. (And I seriously doubt that very many of them have ever written stories anywhere near as good as the ones they're criticizing.)

Some people are offended by your plots, the words you use, or your characters.

Some people will give you valuable food for thought as well.

For example, if you write in the loving wives category about a woman who cheats (and many of the stories in this category are about cheating), you'll get lambasted by some people in ways you can't imagine. Ironically, you'll get a lot of super positive feedback too. Loving wives is the strangest of the categories for readership, so I largely stay away from it.

I greatly appreciate productive, thoughtful feedback... it's made me a better writer... you'll get some of that too.

Feedback over the years has inspired me to try to write better characters, longer stories (although I often get criticized for them being too long), better plot development, more varied word usage (although I still use 'knees' a lot, and I don't see a way around it), and better dialogue (although I'm criticized sometimes for including too much dialogue during sex (which is fair enough, since when I'm having sex, I sure don't talk as much as my characters do), or that it's too corny (which is simply who I am)).

A rock bottom truism is if you try to please everyone, you'll never do it. So write for yourself. Write what turns you on.

And everyone who is offended or who hates it, can just fuck off. TRUST ME: You'll need this philosophy if you're going to survive in the wonderful world of free erotica.

ELEVEN: LENGTH

This is a tricky one.

A single Literotica page is too short. (I'm not talking about a sheet of paper, but a web page on Literotica, which is much longer... a dozen screens or so.)

Four is generally perceived as too long.

So two or three pages seems to be the right length to please the average reader... which equates to around 4,000-5,000 words. (Most of my stories are 7,000 to 10,000 words... although I've written shorter ones, and much, much longer ones.

But with that said, I ignore the length completely. I write until the story is finished, or until I reach the perfect spot for a future sequel.

I hate when the original plot isn't resolved in the first chapter, so for most of my multi-chapter stories, the first chapter is the longest one, and often exceedingly so (there are exceptions to that rule on a few occasions, like Bedding the Babysitter, where the many sequels took on lives of their own).

If the storyline is about a girl being seduced by a MILF, story shouldn't end until the girl has been seduced by the MILF for at least the first time.

Always make sure there is a significant sex scene in the story. This may seem obvious, but I'm surprised by how often a story will set up the sex, and then either skim through it so briefly it's literally anti-climactic, or worse, save it for a second chapter. Sequels get way less reads, so the best bang for your buck is in the first piece.

So for best results, try for around 5000 words. This will likely mean you've fleshed out a good plot, some reasonable character development (although I think my best character development was in my 2022 romantic lesbian story Fate of the Fishbowl which was over 23,000 words in length, and the first sex scene didn't happen until the last few thousand words), and a sex scene.

TWELVE: SEQUELS

If you have read my year-end essays, you know I have a love-hate relationship with sequels. Lately, I've been writing multiple parts at once (but spreading out their release dates), which is a lot easier to do than going back later, re-reading the story and getting reacquainted with the characters. I did all three parts of Mom's Tantric Massage at once, the last six HypnoSissy chapters, and the next couple of Big Fat Cock chapters.

Invariably you'll get people asking for a sequel to every story you write... even stories that you bring to an unmistakable conclusion (for example, the What Mom Knows series or the Catching Mommy series).

I had a friend I used to work with who actually killed off the protagonist or ended the relationship at the end of each of his stories so he wouldn't have to deal with this issue.

I enjoy writing sequels... but they are WAY more challenging to write, and each new one has diminishing returns (usually by a significant number of reads... although sometimes (very occasionally) your scores rise). Take a look at my most popular series, Backseat Mommy.

Backseat Mommy: A Long Hard Ride has 6,458.375 reads

Backseat Mommy: Ass Fucked has 1,627,867 reads (released just four months later)

Backseat Mommy: Gloryhole Slut has 686,154 reads (some readers objected to the son sharing his mom... a complaint that I have found is quite common. Readers often want the son to fuck his mom and make her his slut... but DON'T SHARE... NOT EVEN WITH DAD!!!)

Backseat Mommy: Husband's Asleep has 712,994 reads

Backseat Mommy: Jam-Packed with Cum has 790,534 reads

Backseat Mommy: Lustful 3-Hole Slut has 523,619 reads

Backseat Mommy: Mom's Lap of Luxury has 340,785 reads.

As you can see, although there's a bump in the middle stories... they're still just a small percentage of the first story... that said, the release of each new sequel does result in a slight increase for the original stories and the earlier sequels.

NOTE: a major predicament is how to present your sequels. I USUALLY place them in alphabetical order, as you can see from the story titles listed just above. This does make each story more challenging to name... although it's often fun, too. If you look at my Literotica author's page, you'll find that with very few exceptions, each story in a given series is listed in the order of its release because of my alphabetizing.

The odd reader will leave a picky comment about not being warned a story is a sequel, but this approach will result in more reads for a sequel (don't ask me why, that's just been my experience) than the other option... chapters. On the other hand, by using chapters, you will often see each story getting substantially fewer reads, BUT your scores will often be higher for these sequels, because the people who decide to read ongoing chapters will often have read part one, and are willingly reaching for part two.

So sequels have pros and cons... but if you write regularly, you will be asked to write sequels.

Be ready.

THIRTEEN: BE ACTIVE

I'm not sure how much an impact this will have on people reading your stories, but I believe that doing the following has helped me to gain readers, and sometimes lifelong fans.

1. Respond to emails

I'm not going to lie: this can be time-consuming... but it's well worth it. One, you will receive a lot of positive comments, which are always nice. Two, you will receive thoughtful feedback. Three, you will establish connections with readers who will then follow you on Twitter or whatever social media you're on. Four, some readers may give you useful ideas for sequels or new stories. Lastly, at least for me, I have found some amazing editors this way (almost all my editors have originally emailed me offering their services) and some have become lifelong friends... YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

B. Establish a presence on social media

Pretty simple. By doing this, you can attract more followers, which gets you more reads and a larger fan base.

I use Twitter to announce my newest releases, on occasion to do surveys about questions, and to retweet things that turn me on.

I also hashtag Literotica with every story release to get it out there more.

It has taken some time. I started my Twitter way back in 2011, but only started using it regularly to promote myself a couple years ago, after the demise of Tumblr. But I now have over 9100 followers (really hoping to hit 10,000 one day).

I know the reason I sometimes win, or at least get lots of votes for yearly awards, is because I have a large fan base and Twitter followers who vote for me, and not because I'm the best writer.

I've considered going on Instagram or other social platforms, but they seem aimed at younger people and are above my social media skills.

FOURTEEN: PATIENCE

Growing your readership takes time.

Not days or weeks, or even months... but years.

Understand that your first few stories, maybe your first couple dozen stories may get low read counts, mediocre scores, and very few comments (NOTE: Most stories don't get many comments. For instance Backseat Mommy has 6,413667 reads and only 291 comments (which is a horrible 0.00045% (about 1 in 2,000)). There are rare exceptions such as Becoming a Lesbian Slave chapter three has only 23,668 reads, yet 244 comments (app. 1%). But that's because I asked the readers to help me pick which way the final 4th chapter should go (which, by the way, is the only way I've found to get a reasonable number of comments)... and this was in less than three months. PS: For those following the Becoming a Lesbian Slave series, the final chapter will be out in late 2022 or early 2023... since due to the series' popularity, I want to make sure it's perfect before I release it.

There are so many stories... so many writers even... so no matter how good you are, it will take time for people to start discovering your work. But once they do, they'll return to you, and slowly you'll build a following. I mean yes, I have the most followers on Literotica, but I'm likely one of a small handful of people who have written consistently over the past decade plus. My readership has grown through my variety of categories, usually a release every week (I try to release a new story every Wednesday or Thursday if I can, and I release an average of 50 or so each year), but most importantly, I've been here for a long time.

FIFTEEN: DO THE CONTESTS

There are a few perks to doing the contests.

One, you might win ... and get the prize money that goes with it.

Two, you get to be on the top of the new stories page the day your story is released, which gives you extra exposure and more reads.

Three, for the entire time the contest is going, your story is easier to find, and it gets more reads... since there is a special link to a page of all the contest stories. (Literotica wisely rotates the order of the stories every day... so one day you could be at the top, next day at the bottom, and most days somewhere in the middle).

This is likely the best way to get your stories out there, since new readers can easily find you there, once they're drawn to the well-publicised contests. If they like your contest story, then they might decide to see what else you've written and click on your author page... then hopefully they'll start reading all your work.

I'm always surprised after all these years when I get emails from readers saying this is the first story of mine they've read... and these come most often during contests.

SIXTEEN: CATEGORY EXPLANATION

Anal

The content of this category is pretty self explanatory. Here you will get fewer reads than in the average category, and often middling scores. The all-time highest score (for any author) on anal is 4.82.

That said, while I've only written a few anal stories, they've done well and gotten LOTS of reads.

My first was Blackmailed: Cheerleader Cherry in 2012, which is my 7^th most read story of all time, with over 1.9 million reads. It's even the 133^rd most read story ever on Literotica. That said, it has a 4.50 score (not amazing, but also not bad at all).

In 2015 I won anal story of the year, with the first part of the Kinky Tales series: Kinky Tales: I Pegged my Husband. Another pegging story has also done well, with Exploring Sexuality: A Pegging. I've encountered many surprises in my writing career, and the growing popularity of pegging is one of them.

I have learned that gay anal stories should be posted in gay, not anal! I have also learned that anal category stories should focus (not entirely, but definitely mostly) on anal sex.

BDSM

This category gets very few reads... and comments... but some great high scores. I first entered this category in 2021 with the beginning of my novella The Training of Cecelia, since BDSM isn't really my thing. That said, this story has been quite popular, although parts two and three both have diminished reads (as expected). Interestingly, although it's written from the viewpoint of the main female character, the male Master was nominated for sexiest male of the year.

This category can get quite extreme, so keep that in mind.

CELEBRITIES AND FAN FICTION

This is another category that gets very limited reads. It's a niche category, and there are entire websites outside of Literotica that cater to this group.

That said, celebrity stories have been very good to me... although mine have all been anally based stories up to this point.

I've written stories based on Modern Family, Supergirl, Game of Thrones (kind of), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Willow's Way was an eight-part series that included a few Buffy characters. Willow's Way Chapter 2 won best celebrities story of 2020, and Chapter three was nominated for best celebrities story of 2021. With chapter 8 released in 2022, maybe it too will get nominated, LOL.

What makes Willow's Way more interesting is that 5 of the chapters are in the bottom 7 of my least read stories of all time. But even so, almost all the stories, the last chapter being the exception, have 4.70 plus scores.

So this buttresses my theory that this is a niche category. Few reads, but the reads you do get are from fans of the series.

CHAIN STORIES

This is a category I know nothing about, except that two or more authors collaborate on writing each story.

EROTIC COUPLINGS

A category I seldom use, although perhaps I should do more. But rarely do I write a simple story about a man and a woman meeting and/or sharing a night of passion... in fact I've done just two, and one was a story I had no idea which other category to put it in: Kinky Marriage.

Although both of mine have gotten a fair number of reads, this is another category that is seldom read.

EROTIC HORROR

Another niche category, and one that I'll likely never write in, as I can't even watch a horror film, and I'm very squeamish around blood. Oddly, while I hate horror, I love murder mysteries LOL.

Anyway, if you like bizarre, shocking, scary, and sometimes sexy (the actual description of the category) this one does get quite a few reads, and it has a dedicated fan base.

EXHIBITIONIST & VOYEUR

A category I have never written in, but perhaps I should. While I find the idea of actually being an exhibitionist terrifying, the plot could be fun to write. (After all, I wouldn't have to be the one stripping down and performing for all those people, just some alter ego of mine.)

Although I have never followed the category, it's another niche category that generally speaking doesn't get excessive reads.

FETISH

In truth, almost all my stories could fit in this category because of my obsessive nylon fetish, but this category tends to be more about extreme or unique fetishes.

Titles include: Animal Café, Cuckqueaned by Friends (my attempts were Babysitter Cupcake: A MILF Cuckqueaned and a recent chapter of my BFC series: Big Fat Cock: Educating Mrs. Walker).