![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ariadnemEverything you're going to read is © Tina Engler, 2002
1. During “forced seductions”, redeeming the hero is crucial—nobody wants to read about a rapist. Make sure that the heroine clearly wants the situation to occur by the time there is penetration.
2. Strong heroines are a must. Women are much more interested in watching an independent female give a hero a run for his money and then submit than in reading about a weak creature who is a pathetic empty vessel waiting to be filled.
3. This is a take-off on point 2: “brave resistance” = money for author; “petulant heroine” = negative reviews. There is a fine line between brave resistance, giving the alpha male a run for his money, etc., and having the heroine be cruel, vicious, petulant, and unwilling to give the hero a break. Said heroines are trying to the nerves, induce gritting of the teeth, etc.
4. Monogamy = good, faithlessness = bad. This rule is for protagonists only. The beauty of erotic romance is your secondary characters can get away with anything, so if a particularly kinky idea occurs to you, have the secondary characters indulge in it. But for protagonist…be careful! The hero and heroine cannot have sexual penetration with anyone else once they have met. If you allow that to happen, you will receive angry emails from women all over the world.
That said, you CAN get away with sexual touching in sci-fi so long as it’s done properly. In the Trek Mi Q’an series, for instance, there is something called a “Consummation Feast” where the heroine is brought to orgasm by the hands and mouths of 5 or more warriors before she’s given to her mate for penetration. In the Oath series, there is the “linking” ritual which requires a male close to the hero to rub all over the heroine’s naked body while she’s orgasming. (You gotta love sci-fi!)
5. Don’t always write perfect heroines. I can’t stress this enough. The occasional “babe” is okay, but they should be more of the exception to the rule than the rule itself. Write chubby heroines, passingly pretty heroines, average heroines, etc. , but not too many drop-dead gorgeous heroines. Remember that your readers include every race, every culture, every body type, etc. Never refer to body fat in a bad way, for instance. Call it “pleasingly fleshly” or something of that nature.
6. Heroes are always tall, masculinely handsome (never pretty), muscular, and well-endowed. It doesn’t matter who his heroine is…the hero is always yummy. Best selling heroes are also slightly obsessive—women readers love territorial males who stake claims right off the bat and focus their energies on one woman.
7. Vamps, futuristic/sci-fi, and MaleDom bondage sell the best.
8. Always have a plot.
9. Use condoms wisely and if it fits the storyline, not just to be “pc”—remember this is fantasy.
10. Don’t worry excessively about grammar usage to the point where you are stifling creativity in the name of technicality. Do remember, however, to stay away from culturally specific words (bloke, porridge, flat, etc.) unless it’s necessary to the plot (i.e. historical).
September
1. During “forced seductions”, redeeming the hero is crucial—nobody wants to read about a rapist. Make sure that the heroine clearly wants the situation to occur by the time there is penetration.
2. Strong heroines are a must. Women are much more interested in watching an independent female give a hero a run for his money and then submit than in reading about a weak creature who is a pathetic empty vessel waiting to be filled.
3. This is a take-off on point 2: “brave resistance” = money for author; “petulant heroine” = negative reviews. There is a fine line between brave resistance, giving the alpha male a run for his money, etc., and having the heroine be cruel, vicious, petulant, and unwilling to give the hero a break. Said heroines are trying to the nerves, induce gritting of the teeth, etc.
4. Monogamy = good, faithlessness = bad. This rule is for protagonists only. The beauty of erotic romance is your secondary characters can get away with anything, so if a particularly kinky idea occurs to you, have the secondary characters indulge in it. But for protagonist…be careful! The hero and heroine cannot have sexual penetration with anyone else once they have met. If you allow that to happen, you will receive angry emails from women all over the world.
That said, you CAN get away with sexual touching in sci-fi so long as it’s done properly. In the Trek Mi Q’an series, for instance, there is something called a “Consummation Feast” where the heroine is brought to orgasm by the hands and mouths of 5 or more warriors before she’s given to her mate for penetration. In the Oath series, there is the “linking” ritual which requires a male close to the hero to rub all over the heroine’s naked body while she’s orgasming. (You gotta love sci-fi!)
5. Don’t always write perfect heroines. I can’t stress this enough. The occasional “babe” is okay, but they should be more of the exception to the rule than the rule itself. Write chubby heroines, passingly pretty heroines, average heroines, etc. , but not too many drop-dead gorgeous heroines. Remember that your readers include every race, every culture, every body type, etc. Never refer to body fat in a bad way, for instance. Call it “pleasingly fleshly” or something of that nature.
6. Heroes are always tall, masculinely handsome (never pretty), muscular, and well-endowed. It doesn’t matter who his heroine is…the hero is always yummy. Best selling heroes are also slightly obsessive—women readers love territorial males who stake claims right off the bat and focus their energies on one woman.
7. Vamps, futuristic/sci-fi, and MaleDom bondage sell the best.
8. Always have a plot.
9. Use condoms wisely and if it fits the storyline, not just to be “pc”—remember this is fantasy.
10. Don’t worry excessively about grammar usage to the point where you are stifling creativity in the name of technicality. Do remember, however, to stay away from culturally specific words (bloke, porridge, flat, etc.) unless it’s necessary to the plot (i.e. historical).
September
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-11-14 12:11 pm (UTC)