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This is another post that goes under the FAQs tag.

The issue of the graphic language content in an erotic romance has been discussed many times online. Some authors don't like to use blunt graphic language and consider that an erotic romance does not need the use of such language to be "erotic". As a matter of fact, some authors call bluntly graphic language "vulgar" and avoid it like the plague. I am not going to argue that point. I have read some romances that I definitely found arousing which didn't use any blunt language or limited it to the use of the word c*ck (which as many as you know, has been in use for centuries) a couple of times. On the same vein I've read some books classified as "erotic romance" jammed packed with bluntly graphic sex scenes which did absolutely nothing for me on the arousal department. This is all very subjective... which is why I am not going to be presenting any sort of argument in favor of it or against it.

When JERR was born the original founders had to establish some sort of uniform rules that would help the reviewers do their work. They deemed that language was an important part of what an erotic romance should be and that using mainstream accepted language did not cut it. In other words, the language chosen had to be bold and blunt, otherwise there would be no difference between a standard romance and an erotic romance. As you all know, romance nowadays tends to be very sensual in many instances, even when most romance out there is classified under other categories like historical or paranormal. This made sense five years ago and it makes even more sense now, as spicier romance is more prevalent.

For us, the blunt graphic language content requirement has worked, along with the length requirement and establishing our own "definition" of what erotic romance is. Although it is not a perfect solution, it has provided uniformity, and anyone submitting a book to us for review knows what to expect.


Mireya

For those of you who frequent blogs, groups, etc. this probably is not coming as a big surprise.  Honestly, I can't say I am surprised either given the sheer amount of epublishers that opened up for business over the past two years.  Today I found out about another two epublishers that made the decision to shut down: Aphrodite's Apples and Silk's Vault Publishing.  JERR did review books from both.  Thankfully, these two epublishers don't seem to have created big waves.  I sure hope the authors are not stuck like it happened with the Triskelion Publishing authors or more recently, the Mardi Gras Publishing authors.



Mireya

As I was doing one of my rounds on blogs, etc., I read in one of them about yet another author who doesn’t care about romance, was vocal about it and on top of that, she basically uses the words porn and erotic romance interchangeably, as if they are one and the same. I have to admit I was quite irked by her words. I am not going to post the actual link as, frankly, I am not here to snark about her but rather use this as inspiration to write today’s blog.

So, what’s the subject of this blog? Basically, I want to talk about the importance of wording. Frankly, online, where we don’t have the benefit of tones of voice, body language, or facial expressions, wording is EVERYTHING. Sadly, despite the years and years in which the internet has been available to the masses, a good deal of people still doesn’t get it. They go and voice opinions online without stopping twice to re-read what they have written. They hit that send button … and then end up criticized or attacked over their own words. Well, to this all I have to say is DUH!

After over 10 years of internet exposure (many of us have been online even longer than that) you would think that people, and particularly authors, would have learned about the importance of wording while posting their thoughts and opinions. Now, thankfully, not everyone that has a blog or a website does this, but it boggles the mind how many still do. I often wonder if when they are posting, they even realize that more than just their circle of friends are reading those words posted online, know what I mean? I also wonder if people posting their strong opinions online (for lack of a better expression) are truly aware that those words are public unless they are posted in a private group, blog or forum.

Anyway, bringing this to the context of authors and readers, it often puzzles me. Why? Well, an author’s trade is words. Writing is supposed to be their craft, right? So, then why does it seem so difficult for some of them to choose the right wording to convey opinions? Additionally, some of them forget that the more they say, the more explanations or arguments they give to justify their opinion, the more likely they are to leave themselves open to attack, or increase their risk of saying something that could end up being considered offensive.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge anyone’s right to express their opinion. What puzzles me is why does it seem like some don’t bother to stop and evaluate their own words before posting, and then end up involved in a controversy and wondering why since their intent was not to offend but rather just express an opinionn. Is this naivete, carelessness, lack of awareness, plain laziness? As to not being able to please everyone when saying something, and particularly expressing an opinion, that is true, but the blow can often be softened. Many times it is simply a matter of learning to use wording to your advantage, and with right wording instead of starting a full blown flame war, you can open a dialogue and maybe not reach any sort of agreement, but at least you can learn something from each other or understand each other better, no?

I think that wording is a matter of choice and that sometimes the smallest change in the words we choose to communicate our thoughts can make a huge difference. The right wording can not only improve the flow in our writing but also convey in a more efficient way our true thoughts and feelings about something, reducing the chances of misinterpretation. Spending time in choosing the right wording also shows respect towards whoever may be reading whatever it is we are posting about, it shows we are keeping the readers in mind … ALL readers … of course, that is if we actually care, as there are always those that really don’t give a rat’s ass either way *shrug*

Mireya