“Poll: Which one of these erotica stories would you most want to read?”
I am emerging from my sabbatical from social media and serious online activity to post about this great article and fun poll on the blog of Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year, Vol. 6 editor Sinclair Sexsmith. In an effort to teach about what makes great erotic writing, Sexsmith picked first sentences from 10 stories published in three anthologies they have edited, Best Lesbian Erotica volumes 4, 5 and 6; and Say Please: Lesbian BDSM Erotica. They asked readers to pick which set of sentences makes them want to read the rest of the story it came from the most.
One of those sets of sentences is from my story, “Magic Is Coming.” I’m not going to ask you to vote for the first sentences of my story because the intent of my first lines were to quickly establish the central conflict in the story. The other first sentences in the poll were definitely intended to pull the reader immediately into an sexy moment or scene, so they automatically are going to attract more potential readers. Both because of this, and to be fair, I didn’t vote for my own story!
However, Sexsmith said about all the sets of first sentences, “…These are all examples of first lines that shine — none of them are examples of what not to do.” Therefore, I feel honored to be included in their poll as a great writing example out of all the stories in all the anthologies Sexsmith has edited.
Also included in this poll is the first lines of a story by Xan West, the late, great erotica and romance writer and my pen pal and comrade in arms in the struggle to write and live by one’s own truth. They would have been thrilled for me getting published in BLE 6; it hurts me that they are not here to see my success.
Postscript: Today is my maternal grandmother’s birthday, whom I never had the fortune of meeting. However, through my mother’s stories, the late, great Tommie Alma Wilborn Mitchell means everything to me. This is also known as Groundhog Day, which means nothing but disappointment to me and the rest of us who live in the hinterland of Minnesota.
