We all love a good story, and even more so when it is written well. Like most authors, I have outlined far more stories than I may ever have a chance to complete. The story subjects vary, but reliably follow my whims.

Welcome to the story page of KYSA BRASWELL. Although much that passes for erotica is the pretentious garbed in the unintelligible, many writers are just sexually frustrated people — just ask anyone who knew Rousseau, Joyce, Wilde, or Heller. Why, even Garrison Keillor admits that sexuality fuels his writing. If you're like one of those guys, then you already have your first and best reason to write an erotic story! Erotic fiction is a favorable genre in which to hone your writing skills. Everyone has at least one good story in their head. With that in mind, I've created a cheat sheet of erotic words, writing tips, and online resources for writers on the EROTIC FICTION RESOURCES page. It's great fun, and if you like, you're welcome to publish your stories online at various outlets.

The process of how a story is written is routine, as is my failure to complete one. Most were written over a weekend, while some have taken as many as six months to complete. When I'm unable to flesh out a story, it dies. More than a few stories have perished in the midst of drafting them, in which what was eventually written did not match my original purpose. However, when it all comes together and a story is written, the process is ingrained. (1) When the idea of a story first comes to me, it's mulled over from a few days to a couple of weeks. (2) In the meantime, notes are taken on acts, characters, and specific scenes to be included. (3) The story is then outlined, and depending on the quality of the outline, some stories virtually write themselves, while others seem as difficult as giving birth. (4) The first draft is developed from the outline and notes. (5) Afterward, the story is set aside for a few days. (6) Thereupon I switch roles from writer to reader, where the story is edited and revised for clarity, emphasis, diction, consistency, and grammar. Of course, revising is an altogether more intricate activity than drafting. For the sake of trivia, I write using Microsoft Word along with a robust text editor program called Textpad.

While it is true that in ancient Europe, and well into the 18th century (obvious examples come from France), deliberate lewdness was not inconsistent with flashes of comedy, or vigorous satire, or even the verve of a fine poet in a wanton mood, it is also true that in modern times the term "erotica" connotes mediocrity, commercialism, and certain strict rules of narration. Obscenity must be mated with banality because every kind of aesthetic enjoyment has to be entirely replaced by simple sexual stimulation which demands the traditional word for direct action upon the reader. Old rigid rules must be followed, then, by the writer in order to have his reader feel the same security of satisfaction as, for example, fans of detective stories feel — stories where, if you do no watch out, the real murderer may turn out to be, to the fan's disgust, artistic originality (who for instance would want a detective story without a single dialogue in it?). Thus, in erotica, action almost always has to be limited to the copulation of clichés, or rather a vocabulary of formulas. Style, structure, imagery should never distract the reader from his tepid lust. The story must consist of an alternation of sexual scenes. The passages in between must be reduced to sutures of sense, logical bridges of the simplest design, brief expositions and explanations, which the reader will probably skip but must know they exist in order not to feel cheated (a mentality stemming from the routine of "true" fairy tales in childhood). Moreover, the sexual scenes in the erotic story must follow a crescendo line, with new variations, new combinations, new characters, and a steady swell in the number of participants (in a de Sade play they call the gardener in), and therefore the end of the story must of course be more replete with lewd lore than the first chapters.

No writer should be expected to bother about the exact demarcation between the sensuous and the sensual; this is preposterous. There are those who would pronounce erotica meaningless because it does not teach them anything. I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction and, despite such an assertion, my own stories have no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss, that is a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, wonder, ecstasy) is the norm. There are not many such works, and they are best found among the Great Books, where I have always spent an inordinate amount of time in this life.

Perusing the table of contents, you may have noticed some stories with my name used as the central character. That is intentional, and authors are free to use my name and persona as a character in their own stories as they choose. Sam Hammer is one such author who has enjoyed doing so, and it's flattering. Despite most of the fiction that you will read within, I am a single white female who has never been married and do not have any children. If you're inclined to flame me for the content or subject matter of these stories, just remember that all erotica is fantasy. If it were reality, then we'd take photographs! The compilation has grown over the years into an impressive body of work.

Enjoy reading them and if you have specific suggestions for story revisions, please forward them to me. All authors appreciate the critical reader who does not hesitate to share corrective feedback to their work. The stories herein are protected under copyright registration, which means you may read, share, post, print, and distribute freely, but just don't reprint in another medium (e.g., a bound book) or sell them. They were written for the express purpose of being available to adult readers without cost.

 

kysa@kysabraswell.com