When British TV maker Jamie Morton at the end of 2015 found out that his father had written an erotic book – titled Belinda Blinked – he decided to discuss it in the podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno. Together with his friends, radio DJ Alice Levine and TV maker James Cooper, they provide detailed commentary on the book. That commentary is mainly hilarious and laughable. And yet it is also very instructive for (starting) writers of erotica.
The podcast
It may be uncomfortable if you find out that your retired father is writing erotic stories, and of course that is in itself a reason for an uncomfortable book review.
The format of the podcast is simple: Morton reads a chapter of the book and his friends comment. This leads to a witty and hilarious analysis of the often banal and toe-curving poorly written book. Belinda’s events are completely unrealistic and the sexual outbursts are also bizarre and incoherent.
The podcast has been listened to over 100 million times and has now been turned into a TV comedy special (HBO) and a theater show. There is also a fourth season in the making, based on the fourth book of the Belinda Blinked series.
Morton’s father, who writes under the pseudonym Rocky Flintstone, also thrives on the interest in the book. He is happy with the success of the podcast and is also quite happy with it. Yet he does not seem to understand why it is all so funny.
What you can learn from it as an erotica author
Of course you can argue that this is porn and that it is therefore not important that the plot is realistic. As an erotica author you could also be kind of insulted. But the makers of the podcast do have a point.
Erotica is a hugely undervalued genre. Many starting authors – such as Rocky Flintstone – think that it is enough to put your sexual fantasies in writing. Unfortunately, that is no guarantee for a good work of erotica.
The analysis of the three makes clear where erotica often goes wrong. In the case of Belinda Blinked, it is the banal and unrealistic description of sexual adventures. But it also goes wrong with the attempts to write flowery and the lack of knowledge of the female anatomy. The trio are going mad over texts such as ‘she opened her legs and that opened the lid of her vagina’ or ‘she let the clit do the talking’.
That is why My Dad Wrote A Porno is a great piece of self-reflection for every erotica author. Don’t think about what you want to write, but instead get into the reader. How can you build the story in such a way that it is interesting and fascinating to read. Can the reader identify himself in the characters? What makes the characters (and the sex) fascinating? Which language fits the plot and the characters and how do you keep the language original and varied?
Consider Morton, Levine and Cooper as your most critical readers. They show how an erotic intended story can quickly turn into a completely ridiculous and incoherent story. That makes this podcast not only extremely entertaining, but also extremely instructive.
My Dad Wrote a Porno from Jamie Morton, Alice Levine en James Cooper. To listen to via Stitcher, iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud en mydadwroteaporno.com
- The hottest videos: Three women and one man - 18 April 2025
- Sex toys for men: what you need to know and how to choose one - 18 April 2025
- The 8 best anal lubricants - 11 April 2025