Erotica done “write”

A beta reader recently commented that she was surprised to learn I was male because, based on the erotica I have included in Unbound, she assumed I was not. I was told that I “get” what woman are looking for in erotic writing. I took a few minutes to reflect on this and to think back about my intended audience when writing those scenes.

I wasn’t writing for a specific gender, nor was it much of a consideration at the time. I think the key to good erotica is emotion and the only way to have any reader emotionally connect, be they male or female, is to develop a character well and ensure they have depth and meaning. Not all readers will like or care for the character but if they are properly developed, they will connect with them. That connection will help transmit the emotions of the scene and draw the reader in. With erotica, this is extremely important. Without the character connection your words become poorly written porn. Is there really a gender difference in what makes “good erotica”? Perhaps, but I prefer to think that good writing, solid characters, and some well thought out excitement will always cross the gender lines.