General Information:
     The mind is on of the most erogenous zones in the body, and one of the most frequently overlooked.  Here, at :devasthouwilt: we shall set out to change that.  The intent and purpose at this juncture is to bring together erotic writers (and their readers) from around deviantART and give them a place to find honest critiques, encouragement, and the needed support to improve themselves; regardless of their level of ability.  

Code of Conduct
     For any community to function smoothly ground rules must be laid out.  We must not only maintain deviantART guidelines, but keep our writers sane as well.  I am not one for detailed rules, but there are a few basic principles I want everyone to follow:

     1.Erotic does not mean demeaning.
                    This is the most important thing I want everyone who joins to remember.  There are a great many things that we have the potential to embrace, from sweet vanilla romance to role-playing to bondage and dominance.  I’m not asking you to like everything you read, but please understand – your opinion is just that, your opinion.
     2.DeviantART rules are doubly applicable here.  
                    No harshly vulgar or insulting terms. (racial slurs, unnecessary sexist remarks, derogatory viewpoints of other peoples wants and desires, etc)  This is mostly aimed at our comments; after all, we are writing erotica and some derive pleasure from being subjugated.
     3.Mature comments are always appreciated
                    While we do hope, and perhaps expect you to get turned on by what you read; remember we are trying to help each other improve.  Comments like: “Damn, I want to take you on the kitchen table” will only irritate.  Not just the writer of the piece, but me as well; and I will come after you.  You won’t like it… trust me.
                   UPDATE!  Just so we are clear, this is not a contest.  I'm not judging who is best.  I'm asking that you don't either.  I understand that tastes differ, and that there will sometimes be pieces that stand out above the crowd in your opinion.  I just ask for a modicum of tact and understanding.  We are all bringing something unique to this group, and we all wish to improve, by viewing the members this way, I'm sure we can all be encouraging and give helpful advice.

     Not too complicated, right?  Follow these simple guidelines, and we won’t have any problems.  We all have something unique and special to bring to the table, and I don’t want anyone chased away from it.  If a member is found violating these policies, not just for the fellow writers in this group, but in deviantART as a whole, it can and probably will mean expulsion.  While that may sound excessive, please remember that your code of conduct reflects on this group, as well as your fellow writers here.

Membership
     To join :devasthouwilt: I merely ask you to do two things.  First, acknowledge that you have read this caveat by commenting below.  Something along the lines of “I have read, understood, and will follow the guidelines set out” would be best.  Any questions you have will be answered and explained there as well for the benefit of all who may follow in your footsteps.  Secondly, please note :devasthouwilt: with the subject of “Membership.”  Simple, huh?

UPDATE!
     Due to the nature of this groups material, we will need to limit membership to those deviants over the age of 18.  I know that this will be next to impossible to enforce, as I will only know the age you give on your personal page.  I will not discourage you from commenting, or from devwatching this group, but I'm afraid I must hold off admitting you as members until you become "legal".

UPDATE 7/2005

:faq251:

Here at deviantART, as in any real world art gallery, we have a concern that the images and writing displayed on our website be suitable for public consumption. We may therefore occasionally prohibit the display of certain images or writings due to the presence of what we consider inappropriate content.

As deviantART prohibits the display of explicit or otherwise graphic sexual imagery, we also prohibit this same content from being the subject of written submissions such as poetry, prose, or fan fiction (to name just a few).

Written submissions which place undue emphasis upon genitalia or which graphically describe sexual acts in detail may be classified by the deviantART administration as inappropriate material and subjected to immediate removal without prior warning.

Deviants who are found to repeatedly submit this material despite previous administrative removals may be subjected to a ban of a temporary or permanent nature depending on the exact circumstances and number of prior violations.

I realise this is going to be difficult for us. It all really falls down to writing in good taste; as the FAQ suggests, do not place undue emphasis on genitalia, and although descriptions of sex and sexual acts represent a good portion of our submissions, be careful in your descriptions of it. Do not, for example, write an ode to your boyfriend's anus; similarly, do not write several chapters of step-by-painstaking-step sexual narration. Pad out your erotic adventures with character development, plot development, or something; try to stay away from writing about sex for no specific reason.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you that as your administrator, I do reserve the right to refuse to post work that I do not feel complies with our policies.

In Closing
While the actual projects and realities of this group may change, I hope that these core policies will remain.  There is great potential in this untapped resource, and we hope to be open to all who wish to join.  To those of you interest, I offer you welcome, and encourage you to remember:  Love as thou wilt.