What my LitReactor students are saying about my online erotica writing class

Rather than just me telling you about my four-week online erotica writing class at LitReactor, which I'm teaching again February 12th to March 12th, I wanted to share what 3 of the students who took it in the fall had to say. LN Bey and Ashton Peal have both sold stories created in class; more on that at the end. I believe there are 8 of 16 spots left, and the last one sold out, so if you're thinking of taking the class, please check out the week by week details and assignments. If you have any questions about the class, feel free to email me at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "LitReactor" in the subject line. You can take part in the class at any time of the day or night using whatever login name you choose, but I will say you'll get the most out of the class if you have time to devote to doing the weekly assignments, as they are geared to get you writing and submitting your work.

"In addition to my weekly lectures and assignments, you'll get exclusive Q&As and inside information from publishers and editors on what they're looking for and how to submit and details on how authors broke into publishing a short story collection and editing their own anthologies. I'm gathering even more information for this class, and of course if over the four weeks you have questions about specific aspects of erotica writing, editing and publishing, we will go over those. The beauty of having four weeks instead of a few hours is I have time to fully answer questions and investigate things. I learned a lot about the erotica market from teaching that first class, and I thought I already knew plenty, but teaching pushed me to be as detailed as possible to give everyone the best opportunities and insights. Yes, we work on craft, but I also want my class to be practical; I want students to know what the market is like and how they fit into it.



Testimonials from my fall LitReactor students:

I have no doubt that I am a better writer for taking Rachel’s class—not just a better writer of erotica, but a better writer overall. I initially enrolled primarily for information about the erotica publishing industry. And she provided lots of that, including interviews with publishers and more established writers.

But it was the writing experience itself that was the most beneficial. The lessons themselves were informative and very helpful, and perhaps the most useful thing of all was the discipline of having to conceive, write, and revise a story each week based on those lessons. The assignments forced me to focus—and fast, and I am all the better for it.

As with any learning process, the more you put in, the more you get out of it—and reading the other students’ stories, besides being simple fun (there were some great writers in the class!), compelled me to think more deeply about my own storytelling logic as I analyzed and commented on theirs. It was also fun to get to know these writers, many of whom I am staying in touch with.

Not only was it an enjoyable and transformative experience, but I wrote one story which was accepted into an erotica anthology, and two more that I definitely feel are publishable. I have come out of Rachel’s class a more confident, knowledgeable, and disciplined writer than I was before." LN Bey

"Rachel's class was a big confidence booster for those of us writing about often-personal topics. I went in thinking 'maybe I'll publish something someday,' and left knowing where I could start right away." Roz Brinker

"Rachel's class was a supportive, sage and overall fun place to push myself and explore. Moreover, her knowledge of the erotica market is just as valuable as her insight into the craft of writing itself." Ashton Peal

About those story sales:

LN Bey's story "Rain Dog" will be published in 2015 Circlet Press anthology No Safewords II - A Marketplace Fan Fiction Collection edited by Laura Antoniou.

Ashton Peal's story "The Second First Time" was just published in the new Liz McMullen Show anthology Appetites: Tales of Lesbian Lust edited by Ily Goyanes and while he won't be there, they are having a book party for the book this Monday, January 12th from 7-9 pm at classic lesbian bar Henrietta Hudson, 438 Hudson Street in New York. And for the writers reading this, The Liz McMullen Show has a new call up for a lesbian historical romance anthology edited by Sacchi Green and Patty G. Henderson.