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GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING EROTICA
In addition to (and not instead of) the twenty foregoing submission guidelines,
authors of erotica should also adhere to the following key points: 1 Erotic stories should contain at least one, and preferably two
or more, climaxes, which should
always be described in vivid but not overly clinical (or crude) detail. Erotica should stimulate the mind as well
as the body. Stories should be
protracted to generate the appropriate amount of suspense, but not so
needlessly drawn out or detailed that they run the risk of overwhelming or,
even worse, boring the reader. Likewise they shouldn’t end abruptly. Most will include at least a moment of
sensuous afterglow. Careful pacing is
therefore paramount. In general we
prefer the adults-only variety of erotic fiction to bittersweet romance. The latter may qualify as Chick Lit, so if a romance has the
right sort of edge it may be submitted under that general category, which in
recent years, along with Dick Lit,
has been largely absorbed into mainstream literature. 2 Erotic narrative should bring a sense of sexual satisfaction to all the main
characters, including the reader. Sex
acts should always be fundamentally consensual,
even if persuasion of one form or another is involved. The details should be provocative but
never disgusting, titillating but never trite. Interpretations are highly subjective in
this regard: a description that turns one reader on may easily gross another
one out. We ask our authors to err on
the side of caution and avoid the following taboo topics: · bestiality - Exceptions may occasionally be made for shape-shifting aliens
or supernatural creatures like werewolves, who are typically more human than
animal anyway. People who dress as
animals, such as furry fans in the yiff
subculture, are fair game as long as the identification with non-human
animals is not strong. · incest - Exceptions
may occasionally be made for consenting adults who are not blood relatives, such
as in-laws, as long as the sex is in no way predatory or non-consensual. · mayhem - Detailed
descriptions of physical dismemberment and any form of torture that may cause
bodily harm, serious injury, or mental trauma must be avoided, as must most
depictions of overt cruelty.
Consensual, safe, and sane roughness is allowed – even if it isn’t
apparent that the encounters are consensual until the end of the story. · mental incapacity - No person who is mentally
or psychological incapable of giving consent (or enjoying physical intimacy)
should participate in any type of sexual activity. Exceptions may be made in cases of
temporary insanity or irresistible urges, but as a general rule anyone who
can’t understand and appreciate what a sexual situation is shouldn’t take
part in one. · necrophilia - Exceptions
may occasionally be made for preternatural creatures like vampires and
zombies, who are usually more alive in fiction than dead. · pedophilia - No
person under the age of eighteen should be depicted in any even remotely
sexual situation. · rape - Though
narratives may occasionally include rape, the brutality of the act should
never be eroticized. Sexual activity
may in some contexts start out as seemingly non-consensual (or non-con)
or dubiously consensual (or dub-con) if necessary, perhaps as a
way of overcoming inhibitions, but clear and honest consent should be given
eventually and some sense of satisfaction experienced by all
participants. Weird Beard Press
doesn’t want to expand the rape
culture that casts its ugly shadow over human sexuality today. · scatology - The
eroticization of fecal matter and related bodily functions must be
avoided. Descriptions of menstruation (“colloquially, “period
porn”) and urolagnia
(colloquially, “piss play”) may be allowed in some instances. 3 The
art of seduction
plays a key part in most erotic narrative and naturally takes a variety of
forms. It can be used to convince
characters to experiment with sexual acts and practices they might never have
considered trying otherwise. It
should, however, always stop short of genuine sexual coercion, although
stories about the economic aspects of sexual congress such as prostitution
and sex work are allowed as long as the limitations outlined above are
observed. |
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4 Erotic narrative should be fundamentally sex-positive yet also
ethical, at least according to the author’s system of values,
demonstrating both respect and empathy for the characters involved,
regardless of their sexual appetites.
It can for example explore the pros and cons of marital infidelity as
long as it reaches a conclusion that is satisfying to the reader without
sounding heavy-handed or preachy. It
should never openly derogate any group, such as women, fetishists, or sex
workers. Any disapproval of a given
lifestyle should be handled subtly. Most erotic
narrative expresses covert criticism of sexual repression, suggesting that we
would all be happier if we could only express our sexual tastes more freely
and openly. Weird Beard Press
expects its authors of erotica to take an additional step and include
understated commentary on the nature of human sexuality itself, which should
be viewed as a blessing as long as it’s treated in an ethical manner. Our editors may question the tone of your
narrative if we find it needlessly demeaning or hypercritical of healthy
human behavior. That doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t occasionally send your characters on extended guilt trips if you so
choose. Just don’t forget to let them
return from their journey sadder but wiser (and thus more humane) souls. 5 Authors should never be afraid to tackle the risks of sexual activity, including
but not limited to addiction, anxiety, arrest, coldness, cruelty, envy,
exposure (including being “outed” as GLBTQIA+ or a fetishist), frustration,
guilt, incompatibility (specifically outside the bedroom), infidelity,
insatiability, jealousy, promiscuity, shame, unwanted pregnancy, sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs), and vanity as obstacles along the path to sexual
fulfillment to be overcome during the course of the narrative. Many would argue that these topics have no
place in erotic narrative because they work against arousal, but since they
normally result from sexual contact and raise issues that most of us deal with
at one time or another in our lives, whether directly or indirectly, they
shouldn’t be avoided. They don’t have
to be acknowledged in a story even when risks are taken, but there’s no
reason they should be ignored either.
Remember that literature puts topics customarily avoided in “polite
society” on the table for discussion. 6 The editors reserve the right to reject at their sole
discretion any subject matter they deem objectionable
to their reader base. Although erotica
is intended primarily to arouse -- which it should never fail to do – the
best examples also explore the circumstances of the human condition,
elucidating the ever inventive ways people bond with each other in pairs,
groups, or communities in the face of ambition, fear, desire, inequality,
injustice, and, and various kinds of passion.
It should provide subtle psychological insights into sexual motivation
without belaboring the point, typically by raising (and sometimes answering)
the question, “Why do people do this?” |
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6. BDSM 6.1 bondage and discipline
involve restraint and/or punishment, along with the threat (or is it a
promise?) of either 6.2 dominance and submission
represent an occasionally fluid dichotomy between various types of masters
and mistresses and their servants, these days referred to as alphas, betas, and so on down to omegas or
deep submissives 6.3 femdom
features women in sexually dominant roles 6.4 humiliation and degradation
involve exposure to ridicule and verbal abuse 6.4 latex and rubber
here refer to the use of these materials in erotic play, typically in the
form of sex toys and BDSM accessories such as gags, restraints, and whips 6.5 leather
here refers to the use of animal hides in bondage and discipline 6.6 pain and shame
(including torturotica)
lie at the core of BDSM, though not every type of scene involves them, and
describe eroticized suffering and embarrassment not specifically connected
with roleplaying 6.7 roleplaying
begins with the basic dominant and submissive roles covered in Section 6.2 above, but then expands
into more specialized portrayals of teachers
and their pupils, doctors and their patients, athletes and
their coaches, bosses and their employees,
and so on; the “traditional” roles may of course be reversed 6.8 sadomasochism
combines the foregoing categories in its emphasis on the exchange of
psychological and physical pain, which, apart from consensual body
modification such as piercing and scarification, should never result in
lasting harm or injury 6.9 the omegaverse
draws on a hierarchy of dominant alphas,
subsidiary betas, and submissive omegas – all ethological terms
originally used to describe the social structures of various animal species,
particularly wolves, a natural analogue to mythical werewolves; behaviors
include a breeding season featuring both estrus
or heat cycles among females and rutting
among males (who have a knotted penis that’s locked inside the vagina during
breeding), pheromonal attraction, territoriality,
scent marking, pack formation, the hunt, and predation 6.10 male impregnation
(or mpreg)
is a plot device found in a lot of erotic fantasy, where it can take a number
of imaginative forms: men can be forced to carry a (typically alien) baby to
term, or the implanted embryo may take over his mind or consume his body 7. EXHIBITIONISM AND
VOYEURISM 7.1 exhibitionism
includes nudity and sexual activity intended to attract attention, typically
in public or semi-public places 7.2 voyeurism involves
watching persons who are engaged in acts that are normally considered
private, such as undressing, bathing, or taking part in sexual activity; in
erotica it should never become truly predatory 7.3 porn addiction is
demonstrated by an obsessive consumption of pornography in virtually any
form, including strip shows and other live media 7.4 sexual mania,
traditionally satyriasis for men and nymphomania for women(though both terms
are widely considered judgmental and are practically obsolete now), involves
an inordinate desire for sexual stimulation and/or release, often to the
extent that it interferes with everyday activities 8. ABUSE OF AUTHORITY 8.1 educational scenarios
involve intimate instruction, with or without disciplinary action, often for
gain on the part of the student 8.2 medical porn
involves doctors and/or nurses performing intimate physical exams and often
providing specialized treatment, which traditionally included administering enemas 8.3 police porn
involves typically abusive detention, false accusations, forceful arrests,
strip searches, body cavity probes, and so on 8.4 workplace harassment
provides realistic but still fictional accounts (as opposed to fantasy
scenarios) of sexual dynamics in all types of workplace 8.5 miscellaneous
examples include any interactions in which one or more persons may take
sexual advantage of others, such as taxi drivers requesting sexual favors
from their passengers under threat of leaving them stranded 9. BODY PART FETISHES
(as indicated, regardless of size or other distinctive characteristics) 9.1 beards 9.2 breasts 9.3 buttocks 9.4 ears 9.5 feet and toes 9.6 foreskins 9.7 hair 9.8 legs 9.9 nipples 9.10 penises 9.11 scrotums 10. BODY TYPE FETISHES
(the subcategory names are mostly self-explanatory) 10.1 amputees 10.2 body modifications
(piercings, tattoos, scars, and branding or scarification) 10.3 body odors 10.4 body shaving, trimming, and waxing 10.5 dwarfs 10.6 hairy men 10.7 hairy women 10.8 obesity (a
body mass index or BMI over 30 kg/m2) 10.9 overweight (a
BMI from 20 to 30 kg/m2) 10.10 thinness (a
BMI under 18 30 kg/m2) |
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11. GROUP SEX 11.1 threesomes (regardless
of the genders involved) 11.2 mate-swapping
(again regardless of the genders involved) 11.3 orgies
(regardless of orientation) 11.4 polyamory
(regardless of orientation) 12. INTERGENERATIONAL
ATTRACTION 12.1 typical
narratives involve older, usually wealthier and more socially prominent
persons playing the dominant role with younger partners 12.2 atypical
narratives involve younger people, often as trophy partners, calling the
shots with their older partners, or at least thinking they are This subgenre
has become increasingly popular in recent years, incorporating the DILF (“daddy-[type] I’d
like to fuck”), MILF
(“mother-[type] I’d like to fuck”), schoolgirl, and teen character types. In
spite of the names, these terms don’t normally imply incest. DILFs
and MILFs
are more often neighbors, teachers, or a parent’s friends or associates who
take a keen interest in the younger generation. MILFs
are sometimes described as cougars,
whose somewhat predatory nature now enjoys some degree of social
approval. Though always at least
eighteen, schoolgirls
and teens,
even if they’re still attending high school, are eager to break into
adulthood and take on mature sexual roles, often with instructors, coaches,
principals, bosses, bosses’ spouses, job recruiters, property owners,
doctors, tax collectors, and the like.
Many have already tired of their presumed “equals” who offer them no lasting
advantage. With the youngest
baby boomers now in their late 50s, Weird Beard Press is now interested in GILF grandparent-[type] I’d like to fuck)
erotica featuring sexpots over 60 who use products like Viagra and Replens to
their best advantage as needed to secure a satisfying sex life. How do sexagenarians get it on these days,
wooing lovers twenty or even forty years their junior without putting their
own physical and mental health at risk?
How do they introduce them to their friends and family? What benefits do the younger generation
derive from these May-December – OK, March-December – OK, March-December – romances? 13. CLOTHING FETISHES 13.1 cross-dressing
involves wearing clothing most often associated with the opposite sex or
gender to express gender conformity – thus the cross-dresser, once known as a
transvestite, expresses gender nonconformity, which may not be visible if
limited to underclothing 13.2 diapers
are typically worn as part of an infantilism
fetish, that is, being dressed like a baby, seated in a playpen or high
chair, and often disciplined and fed (sometimes nursed) by a nanny 13.3 leatherwear
consists of fetishistic clothing (principally jackets, boots, chaps, and
other accessories) associated with (but not exclusive to) the gay and BDSM
subcultures 13.4 sleepwear
includes bedtime wear including chemises (otherwise known as teddies), negligées, nightgowns,
nightshirts, pajamas, peignoirs, and robes – mostly when worn in public or
when they’re likely to embarrass the wearer 13.5 sportswear runs
the gamut from athletic supporters (or jockstraps) to crop tops, gym shorts, keikogi, leotards, muscle shirts (or
tank tops), sports bras, sweatpants, sweat suits, and yoga pants 13.6 underwear
fetishes involve all types of underclothing and swimwear (bikinis, bras,
boxer shorts, briefs, garters, slips, socks, stockings, and so forth) 13.7 uniform
fetishes figure in “professional” roleplaying involving military personnel,
prison inmates, professional athletes, and maids, among others 13.8 wet clothing
outlines erotic physical attributes without exposing them directly 13.9 clothing
fetishes can also focus on specific fabrics, such as angora, chainmail, cotton,
denim, jersey, lace, latex, mesh, muslin, net, nylon, organza, rubber,
sackcloth, satin, silk, velvet, velour, wool, among others As a general
rule we don’t publish fur
erotica, unless the furs involved are produced synthetically. 14. RITUAL FETISHES 14.1 clergy exploitation features
ministers, priests, nuns, and other church officials and/or conspicuously
religious persons with sexual secrets 14.2
cult
exploitation incorporates sexual
practices and their regulation into worship or other religious or
quasi-religious practices |
15. ETHNIC AND INTERETHNIC
EROTICA 15.1 typical
features all forms of sexual activity between (or among) persons with
obviously different skin colors, most often Blacks with Whites (as in Talia Hibbert’s erotic romance Get a Life, Chloe
Brown), though increasingly between (or among) any of the
“traditional” racial groupings, such as East Asians (as in Koko Brown’s Player’s Ultimatum), Latinx (as in A.M. Kusi’s Glass Secrets),
Middle Eastern (as in Dyanne Davis’s Let’s Get It On),
Native Americans (as in Madeline Baker’s Lakota Love Song),
Pacific Islanders (as in Maida Malby’s Boracay Vows), and South Asians (as in Sajni Patel’s First Love, Take Two) 15.2 atypical
explores more complex relationships between (or among) members of specific
ethnic, cultural, national, political, and sometimes religious groupings,
such as a French Black Jew of Ethiopian descent secretly working for Mossad,
pursuing apparent happiness in a broader, diverse, but still often
ethnocentric network of societies, such as with a sexually indeterminate
Burmese freedom fighter, in which irrational preconceptions won’t go away and
moldy prejudices linger in out-of-the-way places 15.3 preternatural pairs
humans with otherworldly entities like angels, cryptids, demons, gods,
demigods, superheroes, supervillains, superpowers, incubi and succubae,
revenants (like discarnate spirits or ghosts, mummies, vampires, and
zombies), werewolves, and the various types of alien, including but not
limited to humanoids. Aliens in
particular have a reputation for abducting human beings, subjecting them to
medical exams and (especially) body cavity probes, sometimes to the point of
conducting experiments, sexual and otherwise, on them – including breeding,
chip implantation, gene splicing, organ transplants, and so forth. Preternatural creatures may inhabit or
possess the bodies of others, living, dead, or undead. The benefits they derive from sexual
encounters with humans are always open to speculation but should always offer
insight into one or more aspects of human experience. Some works will describe sexual activity
within alien species, like Jack Vance’s Dirdir, whose males have
twelve different types of genitals and whose females have fourteen – one per
individual. 16. MISCELLANEOUS
PARAPHILIAS 16.1 food fetishes cover
eating while having sex, with food as the primary lure, and sex play with
food, from masturbating with cucumbers to sharing a watermelon among
friends-with-benefits to weaponizing jalapeños: the
more tasteful – pun intended – the narrative, the broader the appeal 16.2 prostitution,
or whorotica,
details how people “drift” into various types of prostitution, or one-on-one
sex work, and become dependent on it as long as their personal resources hold
out, the subgenre (which also includes pimping and the increasingly rare whorehousing,
or operating an escort service or a massage-and-more parlor) leaving plenty
of room for (subtle) social commentary comparing sex work to more socially
acceptable livelihoods; the subgenre includes turning gay for pay or straight for
pay 16.3 confinement
showcases sexual acts and (above all) relationships that occur behind locked
doors, such as in jails, prisons, hospitals, and nursing homes (apart from Abuse of Authority
scenarios covered in Section
8 above). It focuses
primarily on same-sex bonding that flourishes behind bars, which may or may
not be abandoned once the period of confinement ends, and includes
relationships between kidnappers and their victims. Certain types of arranged marriage
fall under this general category as well, as do scenarios in which is a
spouse is denied contact with his or (typically) her biological family and
support system. 16.4 virtual describes
sexual activity that takes place by means of communications media, beginning
with basic phone sex and continuing
through various types of cybersex
(including sexting and camming) to virtual sex shared with other system users or fantasy characters
by means of a virtual reality headset. Today’s technology gives users access to
virtual worlds or metaverses
like Red Light Center (RLC) and other “virtual world communities” that offer
a variety of interactive scenarios.
Where will it take us tomorrow?
16.5 robotics
explores human interaction with various types of artificial intelligence (or
AI), from talking love dolls to fully functional androids offering all the
amenities and almost indistinguishable from the genuine article: some are superhuman in both their
attributes and appetites, but what does it mean to be more (or less) than
human? |
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