rhetorical, Ryan...if you would be so kind....

[softball]

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

In the interest of tidyness, if nothing else, I've taken it upon myself to bring a quote of rhetorical's over here to start a new thread.



I once knew an erotica writer who did this. She had a spreadsheet made up of people, physical descriptions, positions, keywords, etc., etc. When it came time for her to sit down and work, she'd assemble a story with rather a "Chinese Menu" approach: one from Column A, two from Column B...if you follow that.

Put simply, rhetorical has given you sound advice, Ryan...IF...you can write that way. I'd advise at least giving it a try before you abandon the idea. If it works for you, you'll end up with solid stories that are keyword rich...and there are definitely worse ways to spend your time.

I, unfortunately, can't write that way. I write my porn the same way I write my novels: people walk into my head and I write down what they say and do. A while back I decided to begin a BBW packet...and into my head the lady walked, her life fully in place. (Actually, the man with the BBW fetish walked in first...the lady was right behind him.) I've been telling stories since I first learned to speak, however, so this sort of thing comes naturally to me.

There's a difference between "art" and "craft." One is pretty much useless without the other. Rhetorical gave you good advice on "craft." That's one way to learn it. Give it a go...and see if "art" follows along.

Personally, I hate writing. But it certainly sells. I have never been interested in the art of it, but I have never considered my writing craft either. I consider the craft as gaining a sign up because of what I write.
Its like photography. There is very little art in porn photography, but a fair bit of craft. Where porn really falls apart is in video. So few can actually do it well.
I wish I was interested in writing because it certainly is a good way to make a living. I have written tons of copy for broadcast but it bores me silly, so I gave it up.
But all of the above, is good advice, MG.

[MorganGrayson]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Personally, I hate writing. But it certainly sells. I have never been interested in the art of it, but I have never considered my writing craft either. I consider the craft as gaining a sign up because of what I write.
Its like photography. There is very little art in porn photography, but a fair bit of craft. Where porn really falls apart is in video. So few can actually do it well.
I wish I was interested in writing because it certainly is a good way to make a living. I have written tons of copy for broadcast but it bores me silly, so I gave it up.
But all of the above, is good advice, MG.

Thank you, rhetorical.

I'm a writer who fell into porn. I love writing. All kinds of writing, even the "hardcore fuck stories" I do. (I can't in good conscience call them "erotica." D.H. Lawrence writes "erotica." I write hardcore fuck stories for the internet.)

I'd much rather be working on a novel. However, earning a living doth call...and this writer mutters grimly and forges ahead with whatever porn project is on the table.

I do agree that a true craft is constructing sentences, i.e. text links or descriptive banner text, that makes a surfer click and go sign up. That takes a great deal of effort and experience to do correctly. It's very easy to do wrong, though, as a cursory glance around at some porn sites will prove.

[softball]

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

Thank you, rhetorical.

I'm a writer who fell into porn. I love writing. All kinds of writing, even the "hardcore fuck stories" I do. (I can't in good conscience call them "erotica." D.H. Lawrence writes "erotica." I write hardcore fuck stories for the internet.)

I'd much rather be working on a novel. However, earning a living doth call...and this writer mutters grimly and forges ahead with whatever porn project is on the table.

I do agree that a true craft is constructing sentences, i.e. text links or descriptive banner text, that makes a surfer click and go sign up. That takes a great deal of effort and experience to do correctly. It's very easy to do wrong, though, as a cursory glance around at some porn sites will prove.

Copywriting is one the most overlooked facets of websites, both porn and straight. I find that because the internet made distribution of product so easy, it was quickly populated by "amateurs", and I mean that in its most disparaging context. Their spelling and general language comprehension skills were/are so rudimentary that at times it is hard to even figure out the pitch. Creativity in marketing is hitting an all time low on the internet. Sometimes I wonder what happened to public education. I am not the most literate of souls but what I see "graduating" from high school today makes me cringe.
The good news is, however, that if you can spell, write, and have a modicum of creativity and intuition, you can stand out in a crowd and make money. So many flog so many dead horses because they just can't get beyond the obvious. I keep reading how there is nothing new to sell in porn. The heady days are over. That is a crock. The days of easy ideas sold with bad copy, bad pictures, by rank amateurs is over. Glitzy design doesn't sell. Good content sells.