The Write Stuff
by Ashley Lister

Five Steps to Success

One of the great pleasures of being a book reviewer is receiving unexpected books through the post. It’s a little like having unexpected Christmas or Birthday presents appearing when you weren’t expecting them. Many of my days have been brightened by the arrival of the latest Rachel Kramer Bussel or Alison Tyler collection landing on my doorstep. There have been occasions where my week has been made perfect because I received a pre-publication copy of a new Portia Da Costa title, or the latest book from Madelynne Ellis or Saskia Walker.

But there have also been some pretty severe disappointments. I have received some books that were so poorly written they were a little like car accidents: you stare on with pity, and can’t draw your gaze away from the horrors that have happened there.

The authors that I mentioned in the first paragraph are clearly mistresses of their craft and don’t produce car wrecks. They produce text that is consistently eloquent without being too wordy; they write stories that make sense and invariably excite the reader; they produce quality, accessible erotic fiction.

The unnamed paper-wasters in the second paragraph produce laughable examples of how not to write a story. I wish I was cruel enough to name names or provide examples. I even feel guilty saying that the main culprits are usually self-published authors.

This is not me saying that all self-published authors are unable to write coherently. I wouldn’t say that because it’s not true. I’ve read many self-published titles that are as good or better than the titles produced by the most respected of established publishing houses. I’m only saying that the worst of examples of badly written fiction that I’ve seen are usually from self-published authors.

Which is why I think it’s so important for aspiring authors to consider the following five steps. Regardless of whether fiction is being submitted to a publishing house, or being written for self-publication, every author needs to do five simple things to produce the best fiction they are capable of writing.

1) Understand grammar & spelling
There are a million or more books on grammar. There are doubtless double that amount of websites dedicated to the subject. Some of them go into unnecessary detail on the difference between passive and active verbs or abstract and concrete nouns or explaining transitive, intransitive and ditransitive. Knowing grammar to such depth isn’t necessary for a writer. But being aware of its correct usage is vital.

The same points can be made for spelling. Without trying to be too simplistic: if spelling is not correct it’s wrong. Spellcheckers are a marvellous aid to correct spelling but they are not inflammable. As that previous sentence proves, the infallibility of a spellchecker relies on the conscientious efforts of a diligent reader. Nothing compares to a sound knowledge of vocabulary and its correct usage.

2) Read
The most efficient way to learn how to write good fiction is by reading good fiction. Again, there are countless books telling potential authors how to write well. But the most effective way of learning what needs to be done, and how professionals do it, is by reading the works of those who know what they’re doing. If you want to write efficiently in any genre, read the masters of that genre and make notes on how they make their stories distinctive. If you want to write the scariest horror fiction, read Stephen King or Richard Laymon. If you want to write the most thrilling thrillers, follow the examples set by John Grisham, Lee Child or Harlan Coben. If you want to write effective erotic fiction, read any of the authors I’ve listed at the top of this page.

3) Write
My doctor once told me her son wanted to be a writer. She asked me for advice. It was quite a strange experience—and not just because she was giving me a rectal examination during the conversation. I asked if her son had written anything already. She laughed and said he was a medical student and didn’t have the time to write—but he had some great ideas for stories. I waited until she had removed her fingers and then explained that having great ideas is only part of the equation. To become a writer those great ideas have to make the magical transition onto the page. Consequently my advice here is the same as I gave to my doctor: warm up your fingers every day with some writing.

4) Read your own writing
In one of my creative writing classes a student complained that she didn’t enjoy reading her own writing. I had to bite my tongue for fear of saying, “That’s just how the rest of us feel.”

It can be a chore reading your own writing: but it’s a necessary chore.

There’s a saying about monkeys and typewriters and an infinite number of them eventually producing the works of Shakespeare. While this is a mathematical probability it is rarely mentioned that the monkeys would also produce a lot of unpublishable gibberish. Of course, they could go down the self-publishing route with the unpublishable gibberish, but it would be a more effective and timely process if they read through their first draft and began the process of self-editing.

Read what you’ve written. Correct what you’ve written. And improve what you’ve written.

One of my favourite techniques is to read what I’ve written aloud. This is a shortcut to editing that is surprisingly effective. Reading aloud helps identify clumsy phrasing and unnecessary repetition. There are other ways of editing your own work but they all start with the process of reading your own words.

5) Get others to read your writing
This is where erotic fiction triumphs over every other genre. Thriller writers can ask friends and loved ones to read a story, and they will be told whether or not the story was thrilling. Horror writers will ask trusted readers to appraise a story, and they will learn if their work is scary. But erotica authors can hand a manuscript to a confidante and the feedback is much more satisfying. I’ve had readers blush when I asked them about a story. I’ve had other readers tell me that their wrists are still aching. One reader curiously said he couldn’t face eating celery again. But all the feedback is invaluable because it shows whether or not the story has worked for its intended audience. In this step, erotic fiction writers can learn exactly how their stories affected their reader and use that knowledge to improve their current work and make their next story better.

Ashley Lister
January 2008

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"The Write Stuff" © 2008 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms.His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica. Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto. He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Email: Ashley Lister
Website: www.ashleylister.co.uk

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