Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

By Amanda Lynn

I will profess that I am by no means an expert on the do’s and don’ts of writing fiction, whether erotic or otherwise. Most of what I know about producing a written document comes from 33 years as an administrative clerk in the Canadian Forces. My desire to write fiction dates back to my grade 8 and 9 English classes where creative writing was a large part of the curriculum. Of course, the stories I wrote then were all very PG. I dabbled with writing until I graduated high school, and then life got in the way and writing took a back seat.

Now that I’m retired, I finally decided to pick up the pen once again thanks to an author who goes by the name ‘No One’. I’d read some stories by this author over at Nifty, and was introduced to Juicy Secrets when a story of his was posted here. By then we’d exchanged a few emails, and he was urging me to try writing again. With that encouragement, and finding a sub-genre that I really enjoyed at JS, I took the plunge.

I pumped out my first effort, “The Holly and the Ivy,” within a week or so and submitted it. To my surprise, Cheryl, Naughty Mommy, and JetBoy approved it, and with only minor editing the story was published. Still, when I read each chapter as it was released, I was not entirely happy with what I had written. I thought I could do better, and decided I needed to learn more about the art of writing.

Thus I began my research, some of which I’m going to share with you here. The amount of information available on the web is astounding, to say the least. Much of what I will reference comes from blogs and web pages of published authors of erotica.

Are you ready? Let’s get started…

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Unless you are still in grade school and reading this (which you probably shouldn’t be because you’re a bit too young to be on this site), you may already have a pretty good grasp of spelling and grammar. Still, the English language is full of rules, some of which apply only some of the time and can even contradict other rules.

When I traveled on the school bus way back when, we would stop at the entrance to a subdivision. Someone had posted a sign at the side of the road that simply read:

SLOW
CHILDREN
PLAYING

No punctuation. So, was this sign a warning not to drive fast because there were children playing? Or a statement that the children playing were mentally challenged?

Remember, everyone, punctuation saves lives! { Let’s eat kids! } or { Let’s eat, kids! } Of course, if those kids are horny young girls, then I suppose either one would be okay. But I think you know what I’m getting at.

Listed below are two very informative books that were suggested to me by JetBoy when I asked for advice at the beginning of my research. Both books can be found at your friendly neighborhood bookstore or your local public library.

Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

A dictionary and a thesaurus are also super handy to have around. Most word processing programs have both of these features built into them. These work well, but are limited. I purchased a program called Grammarly (a freeware version is available) to augment Microsoft Word that offers a more in-depth grammar, punctuation, and spelling checker. And, of course, there’s always Google. I’m sure if I’d had access to this tech back in high school my assignments would have had much less red ink on them.

Another good read, one that was recommended to me by Naughty Mommy, is Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. The first half of the book is autobiographical and interesting. The rest deals with the mechanics of writing. I especially enjoyed when Mr. King described the writer’s toolbox, comparing tools we need to write well with a craftsman’s toolbox.

Shall we take a look inside Mr. King’s toolbox? I’m sure he won’t mind.

On the top level we find a couple of common but very important tools, vocabulary and grammar.

Your vocabulary starts developing when you are a small child. ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’ are typical first words for most people. Mine was ‘shoe’, and I am sure this thrilled my parents to no end. So, vocabulary is your most common tool, and it will evolve as you continue to read. I have found that just listening to people talk also helps, be it at the supermarket, in a restaurant, or at the airport. Listen to the slang or jargon they use.

Some Do’s and Don’ts from Stephen King

• DO NOT make a conscious effort to improve your vocabulary
• DO NOT attempt to dress up your vocabulary
• DO use a simple word in place of a complex, obscure one
• DO use the first word that comes to mind

Next, a few words about grammar. For a sentence to be complete, it must contain a verb and a noun. Everyone knows that, right? But here’s something else. Verbs can be either active or passive. With an active verb, the subject of the sentence is doing something.

Example: Marcy licked Lisa’s pussy.

Whereas with a passive verb, the action is being done to the subject.

Example: Lisa’s pussy was licked by Marcy.

The use of passive verbs should be avoided if at all possible.

Now let’s talk about the poor adverb. Stephen King has said “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” I understand the establishment’s negative view of the adverb, and I respect their opinion. However, I like adverbs and will continue to use them, sparingly, but still I will use them. I believe they do have something to contribute to a story.

What are adverbs, then…?

Adverbs — words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and usually end in ‘ly’ — are considered by most professional writers to be a sign of lazy prose. With a strong and appropriate verb, you will not need an adverb.

Adverbs are often used along with dialogue tags to show how something was said. With good descriptive dialogue, an adverb isn’t necessary. By using the adverb, this is also considered a form of ‘telling.’ We will discuss ‘telling’ and ‘showing’ a bit later.

Okay, digging down to the second level of our toolbox, we find what Stephen King calls the Elements of Style.

Paragraphs:

The paragraph is the next level of organization after the sentence. The structure consists of a topic sentence followed by support and description. They provide dialogue, description, and direction.

Description:

Draws the reader into the story by using the senses, and begins the visualization of the subject of the description. The description should be neither too thin, nor overwhelming. Include all the senses and do not spend too much time describing a character.

Dialogue:

Gives the characters their voice and helps define them. You can show things about the character through dialogue without explicitly saying it. Be true to the character by keeping the dialogue appropriate for that person. For example, 8-year-old Sally probably won’t use words like ‘prognosis,’ or ‘philanthropist.’ Come to think of it, I don’t use words like philanthropist. Don’t be afraid to use swear words, if it is appropriate for your character or the situation they are in.

Theme:

The theme is a recurring message presented in the story. It can be expressed through characters, symbols, and the story itself.

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So, those are the basics. But now I want to share with you a few of the somewhat more advanced things I’ve learned about during my research.

1. Point of View: Who sees what

Point of View (POV) informs the reader who is telling us the story, or the scene. Are we outside the story and it is being narrated to us by a storyteller? Or are we seeing things through the eyes of one or more characters?

Some variations…

OMNISCIENT POV: Told by a narrator who is not a character. Can look into the minds of any character, even during the same scene. Can see the past and the future and can tell us things the characters know nothing about.

THIRD PERSON, ONE POV: The story is told by one person and is therefore limited as to what information you can include. If the POV character is not present at a scene, you can’t describe it, unless through dialogue with another character. The POV character can only experience things she/he can see, smell, taste, hear, feel, know. For example, if the POV character is embarrassed, you could write ‘She felt the heat rise in her face,’ but you couldn’t say ‘Her face turned bright red,’ because the narrator/writer inhabits the character and is working from inside.

FIRST PERSON POV: Very similar to Third Person, One POV but more intimate. Everything that is written must be done through the perception of the POV character. This is by far the most limiting of the POV types.

THIRD PERSON, MULTIPLE POVs: The story is told by multiple characters, but only one at a time. The POV character can be switched at the beginning of a new scene.

HEAD HOPPING: With Third Person, Multiple POVs, changing the POV character must only be done at the beginning of a new scene. Changing within a scene is called Head Hopping and can become very confusing to the reader.

2. Dialogue Tags: Who says what

Dialogue Tags are the one- or two-word statements after a piece of dialogue that tell the reader who is speaking. The most common is ‘said’. ‘Asked’ and sometimes ‘answered’ are also acceptable. Anything else can draw attention to itself and, in fact, is telling the reader how the dialogue is spoken rather than showing them (as discussed in #4 below).

It’s important to remember proper punctuation. The dialogue tag is part of the sentence of dialogue, so a comma is inserted between the end of the dialogue and the tag. For example: “Your panties are wet,” she said. Of course, you would use a question mark in place of the comma if the sentence of dialogue is a question.

Facial expression or actions should not be used in as a dialogue tag. One cannot smile a line of dialogue.

Incorrect: “Welcome home,” she smiled.

Correct: “Welcome home.” She smiled.

Avoid using adverbs in tags. This is another form of telling. Instead, let the dialogue do all the work, or use body language.

Incorrect: “What is wrong with you?” she asked angrily.

Correct: “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked.

Dialogue tags should be inserted as soon as possible if there is a long stretch of dialogue to be spoken. Don’t make the reader wait to find out who is talking.

Action tags can also identify who is speaking. Unlike dialogue tags, they can provide more information such as:

• Breaking up long passages of dialogue.
• Creating an image of setting or actions in the readers’ mind.
• Giving information about the character’s emotions, especially if this contradicts her words. For example: “I’m fine.” Janet rubbed her hand over her swelling ankle.
• Helping to pace the conversation by creating pauses in the dialogue.

Alternate between dialogue tags, action tags, and untagged dialogue. If it is evident to the reader who is speaking, then we don’t need tags. If more than two characters are talking, then the need for tags will increase. Be creative with your action tags, don’t bore the reader with repetitive actions.

3. Technical Vocabulary: The vagina monologue, or the pussy speaks

It goes without saying that using clinical words during a steamy sex scene would probably kill the mood. I have a reasonable vocabulary when it comes to synonyms for the various parts of the female (and male) anatomy. After all, I’ve spent many years in the company of soldiers.

I did some digging to see what words are most accepted when writing serious erotica — not just porn — and found a blog article by Bryn Donovan that I thought was a good start.

http://www.bryndonovan.com/2015/04/22/synonyms-for-parts-of-the-body/

This next blog article doesn’t talk about body parts so much, but actions, feelings and naughty words in general as it pertains to writing the sexier parts of our genre. This one was written by Quinn Anderson, a published author of heterosexual and homosexual erotica. I’ve used it several times when I found myself stuck for a word that would work in a scene.

 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9661958/1/The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Writing-Smut-Fic

 4. The Golden Rule

The golden rule of writing fiction is: “Show, don’t tell.” What does this mean?

With telling you are giving the reader your perception and outcome. On the other hand, showing gives the reader enough of the details for them to draw their own opinions and conclusions.

Showing involves the reader in the story and keeps them interested. Telling is best saved for the lecture hall. The best way to ‘show’ the reader is to use the senses. Show them things they can taste, smell, hear, and so on. Use strong verbs and concrete nouns that will create a picture in the reader’s mind. Be specific in your detail.

For example, ‘She slogged to the bedroom’ expresses more to us than ‘She walked to the bedroom.’

Don’t give the reader your opinion of a character: ‘Janice was talented.’ Show Janice in a scene that will let the reader come to that conclusion on their own.

So how do we know if we are ‘telling?’ Here a few indicators you can look for that might suggest telling: 

• Using adjectives, especially in combination with linking verbs, e.g., she was, looked, felt, appeared, seemed. This is especially true for abstract adjectives, e.g., beautiful, interesting, etc.

TELLING: Carol seemed to be turned on.

SHOWING: Carol crossed her legs, squeezing her thighs together, and licked her lips as she watched the young girl undress.

• Using adverbs, especially in dialogue tags.

TELLING: “You are such a bitch,” she said angrily.

SHOWING: “You are such a bitch.” She slapped Amber’s face.

• Using emotion words. Instead of naming emotions, use actions, visceral reactions, and body language to show us how the character is feeling.

TELLING: “I have never kissed a girl before,” April said, feeling embarrassed.

SHOWING: “I have never kissed a girl before.” April lowered her gaze to the floor as she felt the heat rise in her face.

• Using dialogue tags other than ‘said’ to tell readers how a line of dialogue should be read. Instead, let the dialogue speak for itself.

TELLING: “Fuck me, Sally,” she exclaimed.

SHOWING: “Fuck me, Sally!”

• Using ‘filters’. You’re telling readers what your character sees, hears, feels, etc., instead of letting readers experience it directly.

TELLING: Rita heard Amy suck in a breath when she touched her nipple.

SHOWING: Amy sucked in a breath as Rita touched her nipple.

There are times, however, when telling can be useful, such as in covering a period of time when nothing of importance happens. At the beginning of Chapter 8 of “A Girl Named Charlie,” for instance, a year has gone by since the end of the previous chapter. I use a couple of paragraphs to briefly inform the reader what went on during the interim.

 

Final Thoughts

There is so much more information out there when it comes to writing fiction, be it erotica or conventional, naughty or nice. I have touched on just a few things things that I feel are the bare minimum a would-be author needs to write an entertaining story well.

Maybe the most important tip is simply to read, read, and read some more.

You may also want to set a daily writing goal for yourself, even if it’s only twenty minutes a day. A fun website I found offers a large assortment of “generators” that can give you a random plot, setting, dialogue, and much more. It will provide you a starting point to scribble out whatever you want for your daily exercise.

 

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REFERENCES: 

Stephen King’s Toolbox – https://memoirofthecraft.wikispaces.com/The+Writing+Toolbox

Adverbs – http://jenniferellis.ca/overusing-adverbs/

Telling and Showing and POV – http://jae-fiction.com/

 

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:

Creative Writing 101 by Ali Hale

https://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/

All Write – Fiction Advice by AJ Humpage

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.ca/

Fiction Writer’s Mentor by Tracy Culleton

http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/

By DirtyMindedMom

Note from JetBoy: Our dear site sister Rachael, who has graciously permitted us to re-post several of her amazing stories (which you can find under her DirtyMindedMom moniker in our Story Archives) recently began postng a new series of incredibly useful suggestions for the novice erotic author. Upon encountering these while paying a visit to Rachael’s site, I immediately wanted them for Juicy Secrets. Cheryl and Naughty Mommy strongly agreed, and that’s when we got the idea of setting up our Writing Advice page, featuring Rachael’s tips and much more. Make all her helpful hints yours, and perhaps one day YOU can turn out a story as spine-meltingly hot as Rachael’s “Family Practice.”

This article is very much a work in progress, and we will be adding more segments from Rachael in the months to come. Thanks by the bushel basket to her for letting us post these here (and for allowing me to “lesbianize” all the sex parts for the benefit of our particular audience). We love you, Rachael!

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Porn Writing One Oh-Oh-OH! One

I hear from a lot of people who want to write dirty stories, but don’t think that they can. This is just plain silly. Anyone can write erotic stories – ANYONE! It’s been said that if you can talk, you can write. That’s never been more true than when it comes to writing hot porno stories.

I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a How-To manual for would-be erotic writers for a while now, but it’s something that could end up being a big project and so I’ve put it off. Well, it finally hit me that I don’t have to sit down and do it all in one shot. I remembered that I have this blog thingie and I can simply write it as a series of posts. Duh.

I don’t want to get too technical or fancy about it, but my plan is to offer a collection of quick tips and tricks to help people understand some of the fundamentals of writing in general and the elements you need to consider when you’re writing about naked people doing filthy things with their genitals.

There’s no set plan for this endeavor, so who knows how it will play out. I’m just going to jump in and see where it takes us. I’ve gotten a great deal of pleasure from writing, and, if I can help other people get the same thrill out of it that I have, I’ll be very happy.

Here goes…

Rachael’s Slippery Tip #1: Write About What Turns You On

When you’re starting out, this is critical. Attempting to write a story based on what’s popular, or what you think will turn other people on, is a recipe for disaster. I was obsessed with studying writing when I was in college, and for years after. I read every book about writing that I could get my hands on. I was full of theory, but when I sat down to write, I worried too much about what my readers wanted and ended up not having anything worthwhile to say. It wasn’t until I started writing porn for my own pleasure that I was able to become completely immersed in the process, and finish a story that I was willing to share with the world. The only reason I was able to get there is because I was writing about something that I cared about and that turned me on (and I mean really turned me on!).

If it makes you horny, it will make other people horny. That I can guarantee. If you force yourself to write about something that you’re not into, it will show – especially when you’re just starting out. If your goal is to get people wet and/or hard with your words, don’t waste time chasing after what you think people want. You know your own kinks better than anyone, so write about those. Do what you love, and the orgasms will naturally follow. (I think that’s how the saying goes, right?)

A question I get from wannabe authors is: What should I write about? You already have the answer. Think about what story categories you’re drawn to, or what porn videos do you most often turn to. If you find yourself standing naked out in the middle of a field, what are you going to fantasize about while you masturbate (because if you’re out in a field by yourself naked, you’re obviously going to masturbate!). Once you figure out what turns you on the most, you’re ready to take the next step.

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Rachael’s Slippery Tip #2: Start Small

Writing porn is a shitload of fun! But, if you want to do it well, it can also be a lot of work. One problem I’ve seen many first time writers run into is that they’ve envisioned a sweeping erotic epic with a large cast of horny characters coupling and tripling up in an endless array of combinations — but when it comes to translating their opus into a real story, they peter out a few pages into it. For your first couple of stories it’s important not to bite off more than you can chew (or, more appropriately for our purposes, don’t eat more than you can swallow).

When you’re starting out, think in terms of setting up a simple situation that leads to one good sex scene. Daughter walks in on mom masturbating with a dildo and offers to do it for her. Teenage girl wants to learn how to make out and gets her best friend’s little sister to practice with her. Mom sneaks into daughter’s bedroom to filch the girl’s unwashed panties, but the daughter catches her mother sniffing them and offers to let Mom smell her pussy instead.

Nothing fancy, nothing too complicated, just a straightforward cause-and-effect situation. Keep the main action strictly between two characters. There could be a third character lurking around to add some tension, but the sex scene needs to revolve around just two people (or any combination of two humans, aliens, elves, dogs, and/or vampires). Along the same lines, don’t try to have your amorous couple perform the entire Karma Sutra. Limit yourself to one or two sex acts and focus on really bringing those to life. Mom fingers her daughter. Woman goes down on the little girl next door. Thirtysomething housewife ties up her younger sister and fucks her with a dildo. Don’t try to do too much all at once.

Shoot for three to five pages, but no more than about seven. Pages can vary depending on how much dialogue there is, so it might be helpful to think in terms of word count. Around 3,000 words is a reasonable target for your first few stories. Once you get the feel for the amount of time and effort it takes to write a simple story, you’ll be better equipped to know when to begin expanding your titillating tales to include multiple sex scenes, more characters, and deeper plots.

Start small, score a few quick successes by actually finishing some stories, then build from there.

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Rachael’s Slippery Tip #3: Building to a Great Climax

A good story is like a good one-night stand.

First there’s the attraction, then some foreplay, and it all leads to a fantastic climax (or two, or five). If any of these parts are missing, then it’s just doesn’t work quite as well. It’s the same with a story, whether it’s a three-page quickie or a multi-chapter epic. You don’t need to be a literary expert in story structure, but you do need to understand the minimum requirements if you want to seduce your reader into coming back to your place for the night.

A lot of writing guides explain that stories should have a beginning, middle, and end. I’ve always found this to be a pretty useless way to explain how to shape a story. What’s important is the function of each of these parts. The beginning contains an introduction to your characters, a premise, and a promise. The middle serves to develop the characters, complicate the premise, and build tension. The end is where you deliver the big pay-off, release the tension, and fulfill the promise.

The introduction is the place for setting up everything the reader needs to know. It all starts with an interesting character that compels the reader to want to get to know them better. A mother of two in a sexless marriage who notices her older daughter developing into a desirable young woman. A shy teenage girl who doesn’t know to deal with her blossoming body and wants to explore her sexuality with someone she has trusted all her life. A horny niece who lusts after her aunt, but is crippled with guilt because her aunt and her mom are identical twins. Describing characters in this way easily leads to your basic premise. Mom seduces daughter; teen girl flirts with big sister; niece has sex with aunt as a surrogate for her own mother.

Your premise is the spine of your story. This means that every scene, event, and line of dialogue should somehow serve this main idea. Staying true to your premise will keep you on track while writing, and prevent you from veering off into areas that confuse or distract the reader.

Finally, the premise contains an inherent promise. “Mom seduces daughter,” makes a promise that mother and daughter are going to fuck. “Teen girl flirts with big sister,” promises that at some point the older girl will give in and take her younger sibling to bed. “Niece has sex with her mom’s twin sister,” promises the readers that she will realize that the desire for her aunt is a misplaced lust for her mother and that they will consummate this taboo relationship, possibly with the aunt joining in to make it a threesome. Your set-up can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a few pages, provided each of these elements is included.

The middle is generally the meatiest part of a story. This is a good place for you to tell us more about the character in terms of background, attitudes, problems, goals, or whatever is important to this story as far as motivation goes. If our premise is mom seduces teen daughter, there should be more to it than just her needing sex. What is there in her past or in her mind that allows her to cross that line and commit a forbidden act? Does she have pleasant memories of sex with girls from when she was a teen? Has she always been secretly aroused by incest fantasies? Does a friend of hers confess to fucking her own son and plant the idea in her head? Did her daughter do something to change Mom’s view of her from an innocent girl to a sexually appealing woman?

This is also where you need to build tension. Notice that I used the word ‘need’! If Mom wants to fuck, daughter wants to fuck, so then they fuck… that’s all well and good, but you’re skipping the literary foreplay. Perhaps Mom makes a move, then pulls back. Or maybe she tries something, and her daughter rejects her (for the moment). Perhaps the sparks fly, but before they can get very far they are interrupted. Without building some tension here in the middle, the climax will nearly always be less satisfying.

Then comes the big finish. This is where the promise of the premise gets paid off. Mom fucks daughter. Big sister goes down on her younger sibling. Niece works her hand into Mom’s cunt while Aunty licks her ass. This is where all porn stories end up – generally, no real surprises for the reader. They know what’s going to happen as soon as they pick up on your promise, but they want to see how the characters get there. If you’ve done a good job of building tension, by the time they get to the expected end they’re so excited that, even though they knew full well what was coming, they’re uncontrollably worked up and masturbating like crazy as the final sex scene plays out in all its graphic glory! Once you deliver on the promise and have drained everyone’s fluids, that’s your signal to end the story, and end it quickly. By then, your reader is a puddle of post-orgasmic fluids at this point, so put a clever bow on your mini-masterpiece in the form of a few poignant lines and walk away.

So there you go – all you ever need to know about story structure. That wasn’t so difficult, was it? Set-up, development, pay-off. If you can think in these terms, your stories will be better than half the stuff out there by default – I promise.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, your place or mine…?

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Rachael’s Slippery Tip #4: Create an Outline

To do an outline or not is a point of contention among amateur writers. To me, this is a silly argument because everyone who writes a story does an outline – even if they don’t realize it. My view is that even if you don’t think about your story and create some kind of formal outline but just start writing your story, this simply makes your first rough draft your outline – a very, very detailed outline.

Creating an outline for a porn story is super easy (at least it is if you do it like I do). It starts when you have that moment of insight – an idea for a dirty story that you just have to write. Don’t run straight to the computer – let the story live in your head for a little while. Play some of the scenes out in your mind like you’re watching a movie. Edit the scenes until they flow. Get to know your characters by watching them interact in your imagination. Jot down any traits, plot twists, or lines of dialogue that get you excited.

When you reach the point where you have to get the story out of your head and down on paper, so to speak, gather any notes you’ve made and do your outline. At the very least, all you need to do is write a brief sentence or two for each scene in your story. This will allow you to create a basic structure for your story that will keep you on track and insure that you know where you going before you begin your journey. Having an idea for how your story is going to end is as important — if not more so — than knowing where it starts.

Okay, so my idea is to write a story about a single mother who confesses to her daughter that she’s a lesbian — and a sex addict. Here’s my quickie outline:

Sex Addicted Mom (working title)

1. Mom talks to Daughter, confesses that she’s gay, goes on to admit that she’s a sex addict, and her therapist told her she should open up about it.
2. Daughter thinks about Mom’s confession, gets horny and masturbates to fantasy of her, even though she’s always thought of herself as straight.
3. Daughter offers support; Mom asks her to get rid of all her sex toys.
4. Daughter secretly keeps toys; uses them to get herself off to even more graphic mom/daughter fantasies.
5. Mom tells Daughter she hasn’t had an orgasm in two days and it’s making her crazy; Daughter gets turned on thinking about it.
6. Daughter now plays with toys regularly; accepts that she’s sexually attracted to Mom and makes plans to seduce her.
7. Daughter offers foot massage; Mom accepts and talks about her sex problems; Daughter makes her move; Mom gives in and they kiss passionately, then do oral on each other.
8. Mom and Daughter go to bedroom and fuck every which way.
9. Final twist – Daughter finds out that Mom never went to a therapist at all; she was playing a game of incestuous seduction the whole time.

There, that doesn’t look too hard, now does it? These are just the bare bones, and provide enough of a framework to get you going. You can jump into the writing process with a good idea of where the story is going and how you’re going to get there. Like I said, this is the minimum. If you wanted to add a little more detail about some of the “beats” in the scene, along with some more information about character emotions, motivations, or actions, you can do that as you go.

This is what my expanded outline for this story might look like:

Mom’s Addiction

SET-UP

Scene 1: Distressed Mom sits Daughter down for awkward conversation – her therapist suggested she be open with those closest to her and admit two things: first, that she’s gay, second, that she’s suffering from a serious case of sex addiction. She admits that she’s a chronic masturbator and watches lesbian porn almost every night. Daughter is shocked, embarrassed, and a bit angry, though she really doesn’t know why.

Scene 2: Later that night, Daughter lies in bed, unable to stop thinking about her mother’s admission. Begins thinking about her mother’s sexuality, is shocked to find herself getting turned on. She ends up fantasizing about her mother masturbating to porn and fingers herself until she comes.

DEVELOPMENT

Scene 3: Next day, Daughter apologizes to Mom for not being supportive. She asks if there is anything she can do to help. Mom talks more about her sex addiction, then reluctantly asks Daughter to throw away some things for her since she bring herself to do so. Daughter agrees, and Mom turns over a large collection of sex toys.

Scene 4: That night, Daughter goes through the box of toys, finding herself growing more and more aroused. Finally, unable to resist, she gets herself off with a vibrator while sucking a dildo to sample the taste of Mom’s cunt. Afterwards, she feels guilty and disgusted with herself.

Scene 5: Mom is upset, Daughter encourages her to talk. Mom hasn’t had an orgasm in two days and it’s driving her crazy, she’s dying for sex and willing to do anything or anyone. Daughter tries to give advice, but the lust she feels for her mother makes it difficult.

Scene 6: Daughter gives into her urges and plays with Mom’s toys again. Accepts that she is sexually attracted to her mother, and decides to take advantage of Mom’s sex addiction to seduce her.

CLIMAX

Scene 7: Mom is really stressed, Daughter offers foot massage to relax her. Mom talks about how hard it is not to masturbate and how she misses her toys. Conversation and massage become more intimate until Daughter makes her move and kisses her mother. Mom resists, but only briefly, then she gives in, returning the kiss. They undress, then take turns going down on each other.

Scene 8: In Mom’s bedroom, they undress and explore lesbian lovemaking for the rest of the day and most of the night. Mom tells Daughter that she’d be able to give up masturbation and porn for good if they could fuck like that a few times each week. Daughter happily agrees.

Scene 9: Plot twist – Daughter somehow discovers that her mom never went to a therapist, and made the whole thing up. It turns out that Daughter wasn’t the one who seduced Mom, but the other way around!

Again, not all that much work, but now I have a very good idea of what’s going to happen in each scene, what the purpose of the scene is (both on its own, and as part of the big picture), and a sense of how these characters transition from mother and daughter to lovers. If something doesn’t work, I’ll most likely be able to spot it at this stage, where it will be much easier to fix than after I’ve written 3,000 words and realize there’s a problem and have to start over.

A big complaint by anti-outliners is that if they plan things out they lose the creative spontaneity of discovering the story as they write it. This is crapola! There’s a great deal of creativity that goes into making a good outline, which is just as exciting as writing. Also, there’s no rule that says you have to adhere strictly to the outline. If you’re in the middle of a scene and a great idea pops into your head, you’re free to pursue it. Filling in the details of an outlined scene is where the action really is, and there’s nothing in an outline that impinges on the thrill of creating a story.

There’s a lot more to say on this topic, but this is enough for our purposes. Think about your story, make an outline, write your story. These steps are critical to completing the creative phase of conjuring your erotic tale while minimizing frustration and maximizing fun.

If you still don’t want to make an outline, try doing one while naked and imagining me leaning over your shoulder helping you along as I rub my stiff nipples against your bare back. If that doesn’t work, then you’re a lost cause!

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Rachael’s Slippery Tip #5: Keep Your Tense Consistent

This seemingly simple little rule trips up a lot of writers (including me sometimes). Your story will most likely either be told in past tense or present tense – “She fingered her pussy” vs. “She fingers her pussy.” A problem I often see is that the writer unintentionally shifts between the two tenses. There are certain cases where different tenses can be deployed, but almost all of the time you need to stick to one or the other. Where I see this shift happen most often is when the story goes from general narration to the action of a sex scene. This is a natural tendency, so watch for it when proofreading your own work.

Past tense is the most common and most ‘invisible’ tense. To keep things easy for yourself in the beginning, this should be your default tense to write in. You’ll most likely find that you don’t really have to think much about it since this is how most of us naturally tell stories to our family and friends. You’ll say “So, I went to the flower shop and bought a dozen roses, and the girl behind the counter flashed her boobs at me,” more often than, “So, I go to the flower shop and buy a dozen roses, and the girl behind the counter flashes her boobs at me.”

Present tense is useful is when we want to give more immediacy to a story (especially when it’s being told from a first-person point of view). “I open the door and see my naked mom shove a zucchini up her snatch” instead of “She opened the door and saw her mom shove a zucchini up her snatch.” Both work fine, but using present tense has the benefit of being able to put the reader right in the moment, experiencing events along with the characters. Whereas with past tense, the narrator is recounting events that already occurred.

The key is to consciously pick a tense before you start writing, and stick to it. When I decide to write a story in present tense I often find myself slipping into past. Once I’m done writing a story in the past tense, I’ll often find myself slipping into it when I’m writing my next story in present tense. It’s a common problem, but one that’s easily fixed if you remind yourself to be aware of it when you’re proofreading your story.

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Rachael’s Slippery Tip #6: Use Dialogue Effectively

Dialogue is when the people in your story talk. It’s one of the most dynamic and engaging ways to tell your story, but it’s often underused in porn. Dialogue can be very effective for revealing character, for filling in background, for moving the plot forward, and for rescuing your story from being a series of big blocks of dense text on the page. It’s a very handy storytelling tool. The difficult part is making it sound natural.

Accomplishing this is more of an art than a science. Paradoxically, the quickest way to make your characters sound NOT normal is to try to mimic the way people actually talk. Real people are all over the place and if you wrote down what they said word for word they would sound like blithering idiots. Story dialogue is a stylized version of speech that rarely exists in the real world, but feels like it does.

One of the most common problems I see is failing to use contractions. We almost always use I’ll, you’re, and they’d rather than I will, you are, and they would. There are certain idiomatic phrases where it sounds awkward to use contractions, but otherwise it comes across as formal and stilted. This is why robots and aliens don’t often use contractions – it makes them sound weirdly different when they talk.

It’s sometimes good to give certain characters verbal ‘tags’, but be careful not to overdo them. Don’t have Judy start every line with “So,” or “Well.” Use these sparingly and readers will pick up on it. Same goes for accents. Don’t try to faithfully represent a character’s accent phonetically (“I pahked my cah in Havahd Yahd”). This is difficult to read and quickly gets annoying. Again, just a few little hints of an accent here and there will do the trick nicely.

Keep in mind that dialogue is usually a rapid back and forth exchange. People rarely make long speeches when they’re having a conversation with someone. Even if they do, it’s usually a good idea for the other character to inject a comment just to break things up.

Each line should move things forward. If you can remove the line and it doesn’t ‘break’ the forward momentum of the scene, then you probably don’t need it. This is often the case with ‘chit-chat’. Yes, it may be realistic, but for the purposes of a story it must be distilled down to its minimal essence.

Another important aspect of dialogue to consider is the idea of subtext. People are often indirect about what they say: there are the words, and then there’s what’s behind the words.

“Sorry I’m late, babe,” Kate said.

Jill forced a smile. “Not to worry, hon. As a matter of fact, our friends have become quite jealous of all the free time your late nights at work give me.”

Here we see that instead of being angry and lashing out, Jill is saying the opposite of what she feels in a sweet, passive-aggressive way, and she is planting seeds of doubt in her lover’s mind. What’s she doing with all that “free” time? Meeting strangers online for role-play fantasies? Licking her neighbor’s pussy? Hitting the lesbian bars, experimenting with bondage? The best dialogue forces the reader to pay attention in order to interpret what’s really being said.

Beyond the challenge of creating compelling dialogue, there is also the grammatical mechanics of how to present it on the page. There are just a few simple rules, but it’s probably the area that most new writers have the most difficulty with. I’ll cover some of the biggest technical aspects of dialogue in my next installment.

To be continued…