Tags
Adrea Kore, Creative Process, erotica, MBOBNE13, On Writing, Peek Hour, Penephilia, Phallic Worship, Published Fiction, sexual fantasies, short story, Voyeurism
Although I’ve been dabbling in this writing caper for over 3 decades, and received my first offer of publication fifteen years ago, my affair with writing erotica began only two years ago.
Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica is a “Best of” anthology of erotica short stories, that have been published in some form within the preceding year. Hand-picked by well-respected editor Maxim Jakubowski (himself an author of many genres of fiction including erotica), this anthology has been going for over 13 years (it started getting numbered after a few releases) and has a considerable standing amongst the erotica-writing commmunity.
Just one year ago, I was (very politely) rejected from this anthology. The piece I submitted wasn’t even a story, more a scene. But the editor must have seen something he liked, because he encouraged me to submit again. After reading the anthology I didn’t get into, and being so impressed with the quality of story-telling, as well as the diversity of sexuality represented, I was determined to get a story in one of them – one day.
Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 13
My complimentary contributor copies for this year’s anthology arrived earlier this week.
And I am proud for my story to be there, nestled between the covers with writing peers, authors I have oodles of respect for, people I’ve interacted with and exchanged story critiques with, via my favourite online erotica writer’s forum. And proud of my ability to not let a rejection fill me with self-doubt or stop me from submitting to the same editor.
It still stuns me when I see one of my stories in print. I’m a green enough published writer for this still to be enormously exciting, and somehow unreal.
I don’t share this to gloat. I share it to encourage fledgling writers. Persistence and practice can actually lead to publication. (I really didn’t mean to execute that much alliteration in one sentence.) Oh – yes – the other factor :
PUTTING-YOURSELF-FORWARD.
(I seem to be on a roll with P-concepts.) Not at all surprising, considering the subject of this story.
Kore Desires 