Happy International Lesbian Day! What's your favourite lesbian story or scene on Lit?

[FrancesScott]

your recent and well-deserved visit to the top ten

You left out ‘fleeting.’

Actually my score tanking seemed to be contemporaneous with this thread, after I’d been happily in the top ten for a week without offending anyone. Perhaps a coincidence. Definitely another mystery about the place.

What you’re saying - and others don’t - is what the person giving me advice had said. I’ll have to think about it some more.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

View attachment 2570241

Now that I feel called out for not shouting out another author I’d be remiss for not mentioning @Candy_Kane54 and, in particular, her story “Your Silver Nights and Golden Days” for its moving premise of a military officer navigating her, well, life, in a time when being gay in the military was strictly forbidden.

 

[plainplane]

I have a question for people on this thread. Does me writing stories other than lesbian ones put any would be readers off? I had someone suggest to me that the path to success is to pick a category and write that exclusively, which is the total opposite of my current approach.

I'm not a writer, so I can't see analytics (or don't know where to find them).

I look for good writers, and tend to binge read them. For those, I will read virtually anything, but I will try everything they offer.

Obviously, I do have my preferences, but I've read and enjoyed stories in every category. A few I still can't believe I actually liked. I won't go searching randomly in 11 of the 33 categories offered on Lit. But I've enjoyed stories from all of them. Yes, I even ran one through a translator.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'll join in the chorus of people saying that the only reader who matters is you. Write what you like.

However, I will say two things:

1. As was pointed out on this thread many readers won't cross category boundaries. (I'm one: there are some categories I just won't read. I've loved your lesbian stories, but I probably won't read your others.) The thread I linked to suggests I'm not alone. So it depends what you want. The top list of Lesbian Sex is dominated by writers who pretty much exclusively write lesbian content (yes @onehitwanda used to write IT and Romance but she hasn't published in those for years). So, if your recent and well-deserved visit to the top ten has left you wanting a permanent, troll-proof slot, then specialising seems to be the way to go. I don't know why that is, but it's definitely the trend (seems to be in other categories too).

2. Shit... now I can't remember what the second thing was!

But the most important thing is to write what you like. You don't owe anyone anything.

I kinda feel that sometimes from the other side of the fence. I fully appreciate this is going to sound whiny. But whether it’s my forum profile, or the range of categories I write in, or being bisexual, or just a facet of being a less good writer than I aspire to be, but it does feel a little as if there is a barrier when it comes to lesbian sex stories. It’s maybe not quite ‘gold star syndrome’ but the most popular lesbian writers do seem to write only in lesbian.

You could argue that some of my lesbian stories are kinda male gaze. Instead I’d say they are playful lesbian fantasies. But I’ve written very grounded, woman centric lesbian stories too. I do think that some readers are looking for a hard focus on the type of stories they want to read and thus gravitate to authors who most frequently meet their expectations.

I get it, after writing arguably my best women loving women story - Twelve Months - my next substantive story was about Indiana Jones’s kid sister and a Lara Croftesque figure. While they were lesbian partners, I guess the Minotaur sex might have been a bridge too far for some.

To put it more succinctly, @Devinter once told me that he never knew what to expect when he opened one of my stories. He intended it as a compliment, and I took it as one, but there is a definite downside to that.

 

[lovecraft68]

@PacoFear Macallen Promises. It's in sci fi but is a hybrid story that also explores a taboo lesbian theme.

One of the rare trifecta stories, a Green E, an H and a W

https://www.literotica.com/s/macallan-promises

 

[Justplainjeff]

Happy International Lesbian Day, sapphics everywhere! Woohoo!
Let's celebrate! What's your favourite lesbian story (or perhaps a favourite sapphic scene) here on Lit? Tell us what it is and why?

I'll start with the story that made me want to try writing lesbian erotica, Walking With Sam by @onehitwanda. I've read a lot of good lesbian stories on Lit, but I keep coming back to this one. It has a beautiful romance that builds to a climax, a well thought out structure from start to finish, rich language and emotions that never fail to make my cry, and tense up and laugh at the appropriate places, however often I read it. It's a beautiful representation of women loving women, and I wish there was more literature like it out there.

So that's me. Who's going next?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

J C McNeily's 6 part classic: Beautiful. Even us old guys loved all 6 parts.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I have a question for people on this thread. Does me writing stories other than lesbian ones put any would be readers off? I had someone suggest to me that the path to success is to pick a category and write that exclusively, which is the total opposite of my current approach.

Basically what @THBGato said. Posting stories in other categories is probably not going to affect your Lesbian stories much one way or another. You'll get a small number of viewers coming over to check out what else you've written but a lot who'll only follow you within a category. There aren't many readers who'll avoid your Lesbian stories just because you're posting in others, or vice versa.

Maybe a bit if you were posting in something controversial like NC/R, and LW drama has been known to breach containment, but aside from those categories you're probably safe.

It can be frustrating for authors writing stories that would fit equally well in multiple categories - I think a lot of my readers from Lesbian Sex would enjoy Riddle of the Copper Coin and maybe Corpus Loss Function, either of which could easily have gone in that category, but without a nudge they may not go check them out. But that's on the category system here, not the readers.

 

[THBGato]

I think a lot of my readers from Lesbian Sex would enjoy Riddle of the Copper Coin and maybe Corpus Loss Function, either of which could easily have gone in that category, but without a nudge they may not go check them out. But that's on the category system here, not the readers.

Yeah but without a nudge from you, I wouldn't have read them (and goddess are they good!) and I'm a voracious reader who actively seeks out romantic lesbian content.

The new-ish tag display system, which allows you to see tags before clicking, has helped a bit. At the moment, I'm reading a lot of Sci Fi centred on lesbians that I've found through tags.

 

[Nightaelf]

Thank you @AwkwardMD @StillStunned @MelissaBaby @onehitwanda and @Nightaelf for your responses. I feel like I misstep here all the time. So many unwritten rules. I appreciate your candor and will keep doing what I’m doing.

Hey Frances, no problem, you’re very welcome. But I think it’s a shame that you feel like you’re constantly making missteps. Because honestly, who decides what a misstep even is? Unwritten rules are unwritten for a reason. No one here gets to decide what’s right or wrong. It’s up to each person individually how they want to handle things.

Maybe you’re holding on too tightly to those so-called unwritten rules instead of focusing on what you really want. And I’d hate for that to make you feel uncomfortable in your writing or make you doubt yourself, because there’s absolutely no reason for that. You’re a very good writer, and I really enjoy reading your stories.

People tend to cling too much to what they personally want or expect. And yes, this topic happens to be about lesbian stories, of course it is, it’s Happy Lesbian Day, so it’s not that strange that it’s lesbian-themed. But you, as a writer, are completely free to do whatever you like, in any category you want. And everyone is free to read whatever category they prefer.

In my own case, I often include male characters in my stories too, there isn’t really a bisexual or pansexual category. And you know what? Don’t stress too much about what others think, because people will always have opinions about something.

@THBGato even was the first one who praised me for my male character in my story Between Needles and Need, saying she actually rooted for him.

So really, don’t take it all too heavily or too seriously. Just write good stories that people want to read.

 

[FrancesScott]

Hey Frances, no problem, you’re very welcome. But I think it’s a shame that you feel like you’re constantly making missteps. Because honestly, who decides what a misstep even is? Unwritten rules are unwritten for a reason. No one here gets to decide what’s right or wrong. It’s up to each person individually how they want to handle things.

Maybe you’re holding on too tightly to those so-called unwritten rules instead of focusing on what you really want. And I’d hate for that to make you feel uncomfortable in your writing or make you doubt yourself, because there’s absolutely no reason for that. You’re a very good writer, and I really enjoy reading your stories.

People tend to cling too much to what they personally want or expect. And yes, this topic happens to be about lesbian stories, of course it is, it’s Happy Lesbian Day, so it’s not that strange that it’s lesbian-themed. But you, as a writer, are completely free to do whatever you like, in any category you want. And everyone is free to read whatever category they prefer.

In my own case, I often include male characters in my stories too, there isn’t really a bisexual or pansexual category. And you know what? Don’t stress too much about what others think, because people will always have opinions about something.

@THBGato even was the first one who praised me for my male character in my story Between Needles and Need, saying she actually rooted for him.

So really, don’t take it all too heavily or too seriously. Just write good stories that people want to read.

Thank you!

 

[THBGato]

@THBGato even was the first one who praised me for my male character in my story Between Needles and Need, saying she actually rooted for him.

I find allies very moving. Like Connie's friends in Nanny Sarah or Beth in Chasing Cars. Or even my own character Keith.

 

[Euphony]

Oh no you didn't!

JcMcNeily lives rent-free in my head. If I had to pick something of hers, it would be Unrequited, which broke me.

@redgarters, for Wake me up inside and The woman in the spare room, both of which broke me.

@SugarStorm, for Hearts like ours, which broke me and means I will put her on a list if she doesn't fix me again.

@Bramblethorn, the ULA's honourary Lesbian, for A Stringed Instrument, which is beautiful and broke me.

@Jackie.Hikaru for Honey, which I still haven't forgiven her for, and Star Crossed, which broke me.

@FrancesScott for The Soldier's Widow, which, I'm sure you'll all be surprised to hear, broke me.

There are others that have faded into the mists. I'll probably remember them at 3am.

She's making her list.
Checking it twice...

 

[Euphony]

which broke me.

Not needling, genuinely curious the fuller context of "just broke me?"

Assuming emotionally challenging which is usually good but are all sort of melancholic or non-redemptive (sort of true life needing an ending, not necessarily a happy one) or is there a mix of some at least somewhat redemptive arcs in those as well? (spoiler free as best you can but no shade if it's hard)

We are rolling into the holiday season which can be a reflective, emotionally tough time and sometimes you can handle the bitter notes up front if there's at least a smooth if somewhat tannic finish.

Being broken can be cathartic but the bus backing up over the shards that are what remain of you can be rough to recalibrate from so you can go back to daily obligations.

And the warning backing beeps are final insult to catastrophic injury.

 

[onehitwanda]

Not needling, genuinely curious the fuller context of "just broke me?"

Assuming emotionally challenging which is usually good but are all sort of melancholic or non-redemptive (sort of true life needing an ending, not necessarily a happy one) or is there a mix of some at least somewhat redemptive arcs in those as well? (spoiler free as best you can but no shade if it's hard)

by broke me I generally mean Coco-approximate levels of ugly cry.

Each of those stories referenced has a moment where I had to stop reading and just be quiet and small for a bit. Honey, even though it's so very brief, made me remember every pet who's ever loved me and has since padded over the rainbow bridge. Mitzi, Lulu, Suzie, Felicity, Socks, Max, Tally (my best boy)... the list goes on, and I'm crying writing it, and the paw prints on my soul ache just that little bit this side of horrid. (@Jackie.Hikaru I still haven't forgiven you you cow ).

The others do similar things.

It's a blend of bitterness, funereal wine, and if not an experience of the precise scenario, then something close enough. It's the hollowness in my chest, the ache when I breathe, the burning pain when I have to swallow. Each of these stories (and others I've forgotten the names of) hurt me. And the salving of the hurt, afterwards - often glorious, sometimes just grey and the knowledge that that's just how life is.

I don't want to spoil plots, but you should read them all.

 

[FrancesScott]

“which broke me”

@Euphony and @onehitwanda I hope that The Soldier’s Widow is more about human resilience and - as @MelissaBaby might put it - second chances. I wanted it to be a positive story, albeit one with a backdrop of tragedy.

We can sometimes only really cherish the light when we have been intimate with darkness.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Thank you @AwkwardMD @StillStunned @MelissaBaby @onehitwanda and @Nightaelf for your responses. I feel like I misstep here all the time. So many unwritten rules. I appreciate your candor and will keep doing what I’m doing.

There are "unwritten rules" if you want to be popular, with lots of followers - aka a mostly single category writer. If you want to be yourself as a writer, ignore them.

As an aside, I've got stories in roughly half of the Lit categories (the last time I counted), and don't consider myself a category writer. As a consequence, I'm not a popular writer in the sense of a ton of followers.

But, buried away in my comments trails are favourable comments from many of the folk mentioned here, which is a quiet achievement, I reckon. They might even remember writing them .

 

[ElectricBlue]

We can sometimes only really cherish the light when we have been intimate with darkness.

I've never had the depths of darkness in my life, but am close to someone who has. This must be one of the truest statement there is.

It's one of the reasons I wrote this short piece, which has the highest ratio of votes to views in my body of work (1:10, rather than the usual 1:100). Non erotic, 900 words.

The White Swan

 

[FrancesScott]

There are "unwritten rules" if you want to be popular, with lots of followers - aka a mostly single category writer. If you want to be yourself as a writer, ignore them.

As an aside, I've got stories in roughly half of the Lit categories (the last time I counted), and don't consider myself a category writer. As a consequence, I'm not a popular writer in the sense of a ton of followers.

But, buried away in my comments trails are favourable comments from many of the folk mentioned here, which is a quiet achievement, I reckon. They might even remember writing them .

I’ve been part of online writing communities before, I’m just finding there are a lot of idiosyncracies here, some of which are not obvious save for experimenting and being accepting of the mistakes you make in the process.

 

[FrancesScott]

I've never had the depths of darkness in my life, but am close to someone who has. This must be one of the truest statement there is.

It's one of the reasons I wrote this short piece, which has the highest ratio of votes to views in my body of work (1:10, rather than the usual 1:100). Non erotic, 900 words.

The White Swan

I will try to find the time to read it.

 

[Euphony]

by broke me I generally mean Coco-approximate levels of ugly cry.

Each of those stories referenced has a moment where I had to stop reading and just be quiet and small for a bit. Honey, even though it's so very brief, made me remember every pet who's ever loved me and has since padded over the rainbow bridge. Mitzi, Lulu, Suzie, Felicity, Socks, Max, Tally (my best boy)... the list goes on, and I'm crying writing it, and the paw prints on my soul ache just that little bit this side of horrid. (@Jackie.Hikaru I still haven't forgiven you you cow ).

The others do similar things.

It's a blend of bitterness, funereal wine, and if not an experience of the precise scenario, then something close enough. It's the hollowness in my chest, the ache when I breathe, the burning pain when I have to swallow. Each of these stories (and others I've forgotten the names of) hurt me. And the salving of the hurt, afterwards - often glorious, sometimes just grey and the knowledge that that's just how life is.

I don't want to spoil plots, but you should read them all.

Can an AH post win the monthly award?

They all seem very much in the emotionally challenging but ultimately safe wheelhouse. Will crib your list.

Had a really tough experience not too long ago. Author played on those type sympathies to devastate completely through this amplification when killing off the long suffering key love interest with zero resolution or silver lining.

Death is a part of life of course (and admittedly I skew more of a softie than many here) but brutalizing your character to prove your will alone takes all isn't particularly deft or clever to me.

I can shrug particularly blundering attempts ok and learn some of the strings that can be better manipulated for bittersweet attempts.

Just don't want to make a diet of it, especially more fraught time of year.

 

[Areala-chan]

We can sometimes only really cherish the light when we have been intimate with darkness.

This is what I was struggling to relate in the "where are the happy lesbians" thread that got locked. Thank you. <3

 

[Bramblethorn]

Death is a part of life of course (and admittedly I skew more of a softie than many here) but brutalizing your character to prove your will alone takes all isn't particularly deft or clever to me.

Yep. I think there's a huge difference between writing that engages with the darkness of the world, and writing which fetishises bleakness. I'm fond of the former but I aim to avoid the latter. Some exceptions, occasionally it's done well, but mostly writers who think trauma porn = artistic legitimacy are not actually any better than the ones writing happy fluff, and if I have to choose between the two I'll take the fluff.

I often write about unhappy topics - death, illness, breakups - but my aim there is to comfort readers who have to deal with those things IRL, not to make anybody feel wretched.

 

[FrancesScott]

This is what I was struggling to relate in the "where are the happy lesbians" thread that got locked. Thank you. <3

You are very welcome.

 

[Euphony]

writing which fetishises bleakness.

Perfect short, sweet summation of those experiences.

Reminds me of people who miss the point of BDSM and lean on the visceral parts way too hard (and to the detriment of their partner)

Woo woo maybe but there is an trust between writer and reader and utter destruction of the people you want me to care for skews broken agreement to me.