Themes
• No extreme fetish (ie, bestiality, coprophilia, necrophilia, blood-play, breath-play or any sex act that involves non-consent)

• No rape fantasies or stories containing sexual harassment or underage sex

• Power play (eg female submission) and any play that involves fear, pain or restraint is OK as long as you make it clear from the outset that all parties are consenting and that the receiver knows s/he can stop play at any time. Mentioning safe words is a good idea!

• Cliterature is 50 percent vanilla stories – that is, non-kinky sex between heterosexuals. We love fresh vanilla and making such sex new and exciting is a great challenge we encourage you to take on. Ideas for writing good vanilla stories include choosing a heroine with a strong personality to drive the action along, trying unusual settings (not cliché ones), giving the heroine a dilemma and using the sex to help her work it out, using props, toys or equipment and focusing on the relationship between the two people (ie, what makes it special or unusual? What problems are they having? How is their relationship different at the end of the story from how it was at the beginning?)

Sex scenes
• Don’t mention precise penis size unless it’s utterly relevant

• Always feature lube in anal sex scenes

• Always feature condoms in penetrative sex scenes, unless the characters are very clearly in a long-term, monogamous relationship. We aim to promote a safer sex message through eroticised condom use, so try to make the act of using one sexy. Use evocative language that invites the reader to be aroused: the crisp, enticing tear of the condom packet, the naughty, slick feel of the rubber. Don’t gloss over it – enjoy it.

Style
• Your writing should be arousing, not just sensual. Women should be able to masturbate to your story. If you’re having problems, try writing about what you’re into sexually. If it’s turning you on, it’ll probably turn other people on too!

• Use original language when describing sex. Avoid the clichés and find new ways to talk about what sex feels like. Explosions, pistons, the earth moving – these metaphors are so old they no longer have meaning. What does it feel like to you?

• Writing is sexy when the reader understands why the characters are so turned on. So, are they passionately in love? Are they trying something new? Or indulging in a kink that really works for them? The reader will only feel the excitement if you explain why the act’s so sexy. Eg, if you’re writing about a woman who loves latex, the majority of readers won’t have latex fetishes, but describe the slipperiness of the fabric, the feeling of heat and restraint she gets from being trapped inside it and you’ll press readers’ buttons

Characters
• Good characters equal good stories. Two randoms inserting tab A into slot B is a lot less interesting than two real people having sex for particular reasons and finding that they’re different afterwards

Plotline
• Stories should have satisfying endings. You could achieve this through a clever payoff line, the resolution of a personal dilemma or through a twist. Please avoid the clichés though! The top three are: it was her husband/partner all along; she was being watched the whole time; whoops! Turns out she’s a lesbian!

Last but not least…
• Check your story’s spelling and grammar. If your piece is littered with glaring errors it will be binned