Erotica vs. Porn

Is there a difference?

If you read my first posting, you've no doubt figured out that I was excommunicated from my church because some nimwit who didn't know how to use the internet accidentally discovered that I write erotic fiction and post it on the internet, and decided to tell everyone she knew, including the Pastor. I was condemned for being a blatant and unrepentant sinner, knowingly leading others astray by my sinful hobby.

In the months since then, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and investigating to see if I can figure out whether there is or isn't a difference between porn and erotica. What do you think?

I know what my former Pastor believes - there is no difference. Apparently if you're Lutheran, you are not allowed to have a sex life beyond missionary position lights out sex on Saturday nights with your husband or wife. I'm not a very good Lutheran, apparently.

I know what my friends and fellow writers believe - there is a difference. Erotica has a plot, with character development. It has some redeeming literary quality beyond just being a stroke story. It explores some facet of relationships, life, or humanness. It is geared more toward women, and often includes some hint of romance. Erotica relies on symbolism and subtext and imagery to add other dimensions to the story. Porn is about making objects of women (primarily) and is targeted to getting the viewer/reader off as quickly as possible. It's "insert tab A into slot B", a money shot, and cheesy music.

I've been writing erotica since I was in high school. I'm 32 now, so we're talking close to 20 years (I started high school when I was 13). And I have to tell ya, I really like writing it. And I know a lot of people who really like reading it. I get more fan mail than I know what to do with sometimes, a lot of it from couples who have thanked me for putting some spice back in their sex life. They're reading it together, or she's reading it to him, or vice versa, to get in the mood. So does that make me a sex therapist as well? But I digress...

In my opinion, erotica is as much about the imagination and the largest sex organ - the mind - as it is about the sex. It's about drawing the reader into a story, giving them a peek into someone else's bedroom where they can either play the role of the voyeur or imagine themselves acting out a secret fantasy. I try to create stories about real people having real sex. There are no impossibly perfect buxom blonds with wasp waists in my stories. There are no body building hunks fixing the cable in their speedos. It's the couple next door, or the college students down the hall.

I've had complaints from a few readers who wanted the porn - who wanted the sex up front in the first scene, and the orgasm within two pages. Sorry, guys - if that's what you want, then don't read my stuff. I write what I like to read. Porn is easy to come by (pun intended), but it's not what I write. Well - that's not to say that I haven't started off a story in bed, but there's certainly more to it than that, and there's generally a better sex scene later in the story as a reward for those who keep reading!

A lot of readers want the build-up. They want the anticipation. They want to be seduced. Erotica does that. Porn just bends 'em over, fucks 'em hard, and leaves 'em unsatisfied.

That's what I think. What about you?