As an author or erotica, I am often asked about the differences between pornography and erotica. I believe that this article really hits on some key differences.
Once I found it, I was hooked. I have discovered that I love both reading and writing erotica. I have to thank Gracie and all the others at Tit-elation.com for accepting and publishing the first erotic story I ever wrote (which were followed by many more and later I became an editor at Tit-elation too). They gave me the confidence I needed when I first started out. I kept writing more and more and soon I had erotic poems and stories all over the web, in a couple anthologies and in Playgirl Magazine.
I am often asked by family and friends why I write “porn”. For one I’m a very sexual person and it seemed a natural course for my writing to take a turn into the area of sex and sexuality but I have to explain to everyone that I believe there is a difference between porn and erotica. I know some view anything sexual as smut or porn while others can relish the differences between them and all the areas in between.
To me porn is usually visual and geared towards men. Its sole purpose is to physically arouse and stimulate. I have nothing against porn, it serves its purpose, but erotica goes much deeper. Erotica appeals more to women and is often written by and for women even though there are both male and female writers and readers.
I love to picture the characters and see them in my mind, watch the stories take shape and unfold. With porn it is all laid out, no imagination involved unless you take the time to imagine yourself in the scene. Erotica often has more depth with characters that are more realistic. It is more than just sex; it can be emotional, complicated, frivolous, fantasy filled, funny, sexy or serious. Erotica can be very diverse, as diverse as the authors who write it.
You can find stories that fit into many categories and many themes. You’ll find stories of love and passion, stories of submission, role playing, historical erotica, supernatural erotica and much more. Erotica comes in every color, size and flavor from mild to wild from vanilla sex to BDSM and much more. You can find paranormal erotica, sci-fi erotica, fantasy erotica and every day real world erotica. There’s something for everyone and it is so much more than just porn.
Article by Roxanne Rhoads for Associated Content
Hazel Mills
SLS Paradigm Shift: Moving Literature to New Dimensions 
For me, erotica leaves room for the reader. A space for you to enter. Porn tries to serve up the whole shooting match. No imagination required. Which of course makes it ideal for most men.
Melody x
No imagination required? Which of course makes it ideal for most men?
Come on now, that’s man bashing, and I take exception to it. I claim, Not Guilty!
I’ve written many erotic stories, have published on web sites with high standards, and emotion and titillation are what makes good stories. As I’ve often said, “Titillation is sexier than sex.”
I wrote a First Time story named Girl Gets a Bath, which I’m soon going to publish in my blog. I submitted this story to Penthouse, and it’s editor said, “Well written, but the sex didn’t start soon enough.” That comment would tend to substantiate your point, but then I submitted it to Scarlet Magazine
http://www.scarletmagazine.co.uk/
Scarlet is a UK publication partly owned by Penthouse, and its editor, a woman, said, “The story had too much talking.”
I thanked her for her consideration and mentioned that both Scarlet and Penthouse thought there should be quick sex and not much emotional development. I said, “I guess that’s what men want.”
Scarlet’s editor wrote me back and somewhat defensively told me that most of Scarlet’s readers were women. Soon after, Scarlet started billing itself as the UK’s Hottest Women’s Magazine.
So I don’t know about these man vs woman stereotypes. for example, one stereotype is that men are horny all the time, and women don’t have as much interest in sex as men. I’m sure you’d agree, that’s a bunch of bull.
Respectfully,
Matt
I loved the comment of Melody X June 10 2010.
As a man I realise I am more feminine than I thought-grin
I love this article about the differences. You explain it so very well and in terms a novice like myself can understand. I too love writing and have a passion for diving deep into the character of a story and imagine if this person was real, how do they think and motivate themselves every morning to do the things they do. Erotica is for me the same as any story, you build your characters, you give them life and realism. As in real life, you just don’t suddenly meet Mr right for that night and bang their brains, there has to be love, care and affection. Thank you for this article, and for sharing your wonderful insights. contact me if you wish…
Erotica has a plot, rounded characters, a storyline and some humorous moments (not essential but nice)
Well i would have to disagree with one point here and that is that men are horny all the time moreso than women. The reason being when you are in your later years say forties women can be as horny as men hence the Milf and Cougar situations popping up everywhere around the globe.
Reblogged this on Real Echos's Blog and commented:
I wholeheartedly agree, some will think the very mention of sex is somehow carnal, when the things that excite as are different
i love this article since i am in the process of writing my first series of books and they are romance ones but eroitc just not sure how to incorporate the erotic part of it into it yet. do i jump right into it at the start or ease it into chapters here and there as i want it to be smoking hot and want them to keep the book going through twelve chapters., any advice here for first timers out?