The Burning Pen: Sex Writers on Sex Writing

In this groundbreaking work, contemporary writers of erotica reflect on how their work originates, how their sexuality shapes their words, and, more important, how their words have affected their sexuality. Patrick Califia-Rice, Fack Fritscher, Cecilia Tan, Thomas Roche, Carol Queen, Felice Picano, Shar Rednour, Laura Antoniou, and Simon Sheppard are just a scattering of the names brought together by noted erotica writer M. Christian to deliver an eye-opening, thought-provoking examination of the craft of writing about sex, which includes each writer's favorite erotic story as an illustration of this group's diverse approach to sexuality and language.

M. Christian is the author of Dirty Words , Eros Ex Machina, Midsummer Night's Dreams, and Guilty Pleasures, and the editor (with Simon Sheppard) of Rough Stuff.

Writers, at least the good ones can really be thought of as "word magicians" in how they can turn a phrase, how they develop their characters and their stories, making them not only entertaining but hot as well. The stories collected here (each author's personal favorite (s)he has written), as well as each author's essay are informative and highly entertaining.


Too narrowly focused   January 31, 2002
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

As the title says "Sex writers talk about sex writing." And they do, quite candidly. It addresses the "why" and offers some examples of the work of some established, published erotica writers. (This is not a nuts-and-bolts how-to, if that's what you're looking for.)

Having said all that, I'm disappointed. As a straight woman who writes gay male and straight erotica, I found the book too narrowly focused. Looking over the selection of writers and their personal stories, you'd think that most sex writers were either lesbigay and/or fetishist. There are very few straight writers represented here at all and almost no writers of 'vanilla' straight sex (which, while it may not be as colorful as S/M or B/D, it's still sex).

If it's "Sex writers on sex writing," I'd have liked to see a broader representation of them than this book provides.


Utterly Confusing   January 8, 2002
 5 out of 16 found this review helpful

This is a writer guide? I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. As a freelance writer and associate instructor at a nearby college, trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
This is a jumbled and poorly planned book. Maybe even poorly laid out, but it's kind of hard to tell when the editor of the story doesn't make his purpose of writing the book very clear.
If someone handed me the book, without letting me see the title and without telling me what it was about, I'd read it and say that it is a mostly a collection of whiney writers telling about their problems, with a few good erotic stories.
If I were to rename this book I think I would go with something like, "Erotica Writers of America Come out of the Closet"
Overpriced, Overhyped by the first couple reviewers, and certainly not a place to look for writing instruction or ideas.


Everything You Always Wanted To Know About WHY   December 10, 2001
 4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I found this an interestingly informative and humourous book. It reminded me that while writers may be able to do something I can't, or at least not very well, and seem to belong up their on their ivory pedestals, they're still human like me. So, before I loved the writing, now I can love them as well.

Good book.


Fantastic read   November 22, 2001
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

If you've ever read erotica and wondered about the men and women who write it, this is the book for you. Even if you just want to write, this is a great book. The essays are insightful and wonderful and the stories are incredibly hot and fun.