For the Literotica authors you admire best, what is it about their work that causes your admiration?

[Erozetta]

The reason I didn't name names is the same reason I struggle with interacting on social media. I never know when it's okay to call attention to others and when I shouldn't. Unless someone explicitly tells me they are okay with being named or praised publicly, I struggle to do that because it's a thing that I don't like for myself. It makes me uncomfortable to put a spotlight on people who may or may not want that spotlight on them.

I second guessed myself for listing a story and author in the other thread. It made me extremely uncomfortable and I almost deleted my post, but he heart reacted to the post, so I was more comfortable giving details of why I chose that story. Most of the authors I would spotlight aren't all that active here currently and I would feel very uncomfortable drawing attention to them without knowing they are 100% okay with it.

I don't give detailed reviews of authors unless I've read the majority of their works and there are only two authors here I can say that about. Both are friends. I've spoken to each of them on the phone level of friendship. So it also feels awkward to name them knowing I'd only be doing so because I have a deeper knowledge of who they are and how they write due to how often we talk.

It's definitely a "me" issue.

 

[FrancesScott]

I had no idea this ostensibly simple question cut so deep. Lots of layers to this place.

 

[XerXesXu]

I had no idea this ostensibly simple question cut so deep. Lots of layers to this place.

That's why AH is a great place to people watch.

 

[Nynah]

Most of the authors I would spotlight aren't all that active here currently and I would feel very uncomfortable drawing attention to them without knowing they are 100% okay with it.

I totally get where you're coming from. I too have debilitating anxiety and live in constant fear of fucking things up. But I think it's helpful to realize a couple of things, at least with regards to here.

1. There are plenty of users who just use Lit as a place to publish/read stories and have no use for a forum, so even if you mentioned them here, I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time (if they're any good anyway) and being that they don't use the forum, it's not really that big a deal.
2. The audience for any potential mentions is relatively small. AH is a pretty active forum, but in reality it's at most thirty or so people regularly chatting. I suppose there may be people out there who just read threads here and don't participate, but I'd wager that if you're hanging around here you've got something to say at least once in a while.

As a corollary to the second point, there are more than a few authors here who are purely in it for themselves and don't read, favorite or comment on anyone else's work so those are already a few less eyes on any potential recommendations as well.

To keep on topic, I have the following suggestions:

• thanagar's work in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy space is exquisite for their unique blend of Canadiana mixed with fun science fiction conventions and tropes. The characters are sympathetic and believable and the dialogue is punchy and serves the narrative well. I heartily recommend "Slingshot" because it's just a damn good speculative fiction piece with sex as window dressing to the romance and cool timey-wimey stuff.
• WatchingCloud does E/V so well. In a genre that doesn't need a ton of work to get characters to disrobe, they manage to craft stories that are quite plausible with only the mildest suspension of disbelief required. Add to that realistic depictions of how people actually talk and interact with some very fun scenarios that serve as vehicles for naked shenanigans and it's no wonder they've won multiple Lit contests. My recommendation of theirs is actually not one of the contest winners but a fun and touching story called "The Naked Gardener" that is indeed about a sexy nude plant tender, but also manages to be a cute love story with some surprising disability representation as well.

 

[SimonDoom]

I wish I read more Literotica stories these days, because I think there are many good writers turning out interesting stories now, and I cannot do them justice. I'll offer a short synopsis of my appreciation of a few of those I've read and enjoyed over the last 20+ years:

I started reading stories here around, I don't know, maybe 2002, when this Site was still fairly new. I didn't publish anything until 2016. So I had a long time to read and form my preferences before I began writing anything.

@Al_Steiner was one of the more popular and prolific erotic authors of the early 2000s. He was best known for longer, novel-length stories, most of which are not here because they don't satisfy the content regulations, but he still has some stories here. His strength was as a storyteller. His story Miss Darling is one of my favorites -- a story about a male teacher who falls for, and tries to seduce, a colleague, only she's a virgin and she's determined to remain that way until marriage. The way he navigates the seduction is clever and very, very erotic. He's always pushing the boundaries, in a satisfying way.

I've always had a thing for stories about female exhibitionism, and one of the Lit authors I enjoyed way back when, and who influenced my own writing, was Wonderstorm. He hasn't written anything here in years, but he wrote stories based on fun, if somewhat outlandish, premises that resulted in his characters getting naked. A good example is The Bullpen, based upon a weird but clever sci fi ish concept.

My fondness for over-the-top incest stories might trace back to Spacer_X's bonkers, incredibly long incest epic tale Six Times A Day. Only a little bit of it remains here, probably because of the content regulations. The story has probably the nuttiest, most ridiculous premise of any incest story ever, but I loved it. It definitely influenced me. "Over the top" doesn't even begin to describe this crazy story. If you want to read it in its entirety you have to go outside the site to find it.

One of the most-favorited authors of all time at Literotica is Paco Fear. He hasn't published anything here in a long time but still ranks high on the all-time lists. His story Words on Skin is one of the most popular and best-constructed brother-sister stories at Literotica. I recommend it if you want to study how to create a well-made, satisfying incest story that artfully incorporates the many elements of a good short story.

Whatever you think of Lovecraft68's frequently and vociferously expressed opinions in this forum, there's a reason he's the second-most followed author at Literotica: he has a gift for telling a story. He understands that the single most important key to a successful story, erotic or otherwise, is establishing characters and the relationship between them in a way that your readers buy into. If you want to write incest stories I strongly recommend reading his essay Write Incest Like A Motherfucker, which is insightful and helpful.

TarnishedPenny is one of my favorite authors. She has a mature, graceful style of writing, but she can get very kinky, too. One of my favorite exhibitionist stories is her tale Up, Down, and Away!, which won the 2019 Nude Day contest. The premise is a fun and inventive concept for getting a woman naked in a vulnerable place.

MelissaBaby started writing here a year or so before I did, and started as one of the younger authors, a lot younger than I, but she's an old soul. Her series My Fall and Rise is semi autobiographical, as I understand it, and it's an interesting window into someone writing erotica as a way of dealing with something they've actually gone through. She has a sense of humor, too, as shown in her funny story White Castle Christmas.

My antipodal friend ElectricBlue66 has a style that's very different from my own. I prefer a certain degree of terseness, and his sentences tend to wander in a languorous manner, like he's hiking along a country path looking for a comma to give him an excuse for another diversion to keep the sentence going. But I admire the way he sticks to his guns and lets his stories go where they take him. His story Rope and Veil is about a man who has a bondage relationship with a woman in a wheelchair. It's a touching and sexy combination of humane and kinky.

I like authors who can make me enjoy erotica that is outside the realm of my own kinks. I'm a middle-aged straight man, and lesbian sex isn't a particular interest of mine. But Onehitwanda is a good enough writer that her stories make me think, "Damn, those lesbians have got it going on!" I admire that.

 

[FrancesScott]

I wish I read more Literotica stories these days, because I think there are many good writers turning out interesting stories now, and I cannot do them justice. I'll offer a short synopsis of my appreciation of a few of those I've read and enjoyed over the last 20+ years:

I started reading stories here around, I don't know, maybe 2002, when this Site was still fairly new. I didn't publish anything until 2016. So I had a long time to read and form my preferences before I began writing anything.

@Al_Steiner was one of the more popular and prolific erotic authors of the early 2000s. He was best known for longer, novel-length stories, most of which are not here because they don't satisfy the content regulations, but he still has some stories here. His strength was as a storyteller. His story Miss Darling is one of my favorites -- a story about a male teacher who falls for, and tries to seduce, a colleague, only she's a virgin and she's determined to remain that way until marriage. The way he navigates the seduction is clever and very, very erotic. He's always pushing the boundaries, in a satisfying way.

I've always had a thing for stories about female exhibitionism, and one of the Lit authors I enjoyed way back when, and who influenced my own writing, was Wonderstorm. He hasn't written anything here in years, but he wrote stories based on fun, if somewhat outlandish, premises that resulted in his characters getting naked. A good example is The Bullpen, based upon a weird but clever sci fi ish concept.

My fondness for over-the-top incest stories might trace back to Spacer_X's bonkers, incredibly long incest epic tale Six Times A Day. Only a little bit of it remains here, probably because of the content regulations. The story has probably the nuttiest, most ridiculous premise of any incest story ever, but I loved it. It definitely influenced me. "Over the top" doesn't even begin to describe this crazy story. If you want to read it in its entirety you have to go outside the site to find it.

One of the most-favorited authors of all time at Literotica is Paco Fear. He hasn't published anything here in a long time but still ranks high on the all-time lists. His story Words on Skin is one of the most popular and best-constructed brother-sister stories at Literotica. I recommend it if you want to study how to create a well-made, satisfying incest story that artfully incorporates the many elements of a good short story.

Whatever you think of Lovecraft68's frequently and vociferously expressed opinions in this forum, there's a reason he's the second-most followed author at Literotica: he has a gift for telling a story. He understands that the single most important key to a successful story, erotic or otherwise, is establishing characters and the relationship between them in a way that your readers buy into. If you want to write incest stories I strongly recommend reading his essay Write Incest Like A Motherfucker, which is insightful and helpful.

TarnishedPenny is one of my favorite authors. She has a mature, graceful style of writing, but she can get very kinky, too. One of my favorite exhibitionist stories is her tale Up, Down, and Away!, which won the 2019 Nude Day contest. The premise is a fun and inventive concept for getting a woman naked in a vulnerable place.

MelissaBaby started writing here a year or so before I did, and started as one of the younger authors, a lot younger than I, but she's an old soul. Her series My Fall and Rise is semi autobiographical, as I understand it, and it's an interesting window into someone writing erotica as a way of dealing with something they've actually gone through. She has a sense of humor, too, as shown in her funny story White Castle Christmas.

My antipodal friend ElectricBlue66 has a style that's very different from my own. I prefer a certain degree of terseness, and his sentences tend to wander in a languorous manner, like he's hiking along a country path looking for a comma to give him an excuse for another diversion to keep the sentence going. But I admire the way he sticks to his guns and lets his stories go where they take him. His story Rope and Veil is about a man who has a bondage relationship with a woman in a wheelchair. It's a touching and sexy combination of humane and kinky.

I like authors who can make me enjoy erotica that is outside the realm of my own kinks. I'm a middle-aged straight man, and lesbian sex isn't a particular interest of mine. But Onehitwanda is a good enough writer that her stories make me think, "Damn, those lesbians have got it going on!" I admire that.

Thank you!

 

[AG31]

I like WendyTrilby. There’s a lot going on with her stories: They are unconventional, fun, and a little outlandish and kinky without being totally implausible.

I also like when she uses the story structure with three loosely related storylines. I want to see that more often, and try it myself.

I'll tag @WendyTrilby in case she (they?) miss this.

 

[Actingup]

I wish I read more Literotica stories these days, because I think there are many good writers turning out interesting stories now, and I cannot do them justice. I'll offer a short synopsis of my appreciation of a few of those I've read and enjoyed over the last 20+ years:

I started reading stories here around, I don't know, maybe 2002, when this Site was still fairly new. I didn't publish anything until 2016. So I had a long time to read and form my preferences before I began writing anything.

@Al_Steiner was one of the more popular and prolific erotic authors of the early 2000s. He was best known for longer, novel-length stories, most of which are not here because they don't satisfy the content regulations, but he still has some stories here. His strength was as a storyteller. His story Miss Darling is one of my favorites -- a story about a male teacher who falls for, and tries to seduce, a colleague, only she's a virgin and she's determined to remain that way until marriage. The way he navigates the seduction is clever and very, very erotic. He's always pushing the boundaries, in a satisfying way.

I've always had a thing for stories about female exhibitionism, and one of the Lit authors I enjoyed way back when, and who influenced my own writing, was Wonderstorm. He hasn't written anything here in years, but he wrote stories based on fun, if somewhat outlandish, premises that resulted in his characters getting naked. A good example is The Bullpen, based upon a weird but clever sci fi ish concept.

My fondness for over-the-top incest stories might trace back to Spacer_X's bonkers, incredibly long incest epic tale Six Times A Day. Only a little bit of it remains here, probably because of the content regulations. The story has probably the nuttiest, most ridiculous premise of any incest story ever, but I loved it. It definitely influenced me. "Over the top" doesn't even begin to describe this crazy story. If you want to read it in its entirety you have to go outside the site to find it.

One of the most-favorited authors of all time at Literotica is Paco Fear. He hasn't published anything here in a long time but still ranks high on the all-time lists. His story Words on Skin is one of the most popular and best-constructed brother-sister stories at Literotica. I recommend it if you want to study how to create a well-made, satisfying incest story that artfully incorporates the many elements of a good short story.

Whatever you think of Lovecraft68's frequently and vociferously expressed opinions in this forum, there's a reason he's the second-most followed author at Literotica: he has a gift for telling a story. He understands that the single most important key to a successful story, erotic or otherwise, is establishing characters and the relationship between them in a way that your readers buy into. If you want to write incest stories I strongly recommend reading his essay Write Incest Like A Motherfucker, which is insightful and helpful.

TarnishedPenny is one of my favorite authors. She has a mature, graceful style of writing, but she can get very kinky, too. One of my favorite exhibitionist stories is her tale Up, Down, and Away!, which won the 2019 Nude Day contest. The premise is a fun and inventive concept for getting a woman naked in a vulnerable place.

MelissaBaby started writing here a year or so before I did, and started as one of the younger authors, a lot younger than I, but she's an old soul. Her series My Fall and Rise is semi autobiographical, as I understand it, and it's an interesting window into someone writing erotica as a way of dealing with something they've actually gone through. She has a sense of humor, too, as shown in her funny story White Castle Christmas.

My antipodal friend ElectricBlue66 has a style that's very different from my own. I prefer a certain degree of terseness, and his sentences tend to wander in a languorous manner, like he's hiking along a country path looking for a comma to give him an excuse for another diversion to keep the sentence going. But I admire the way he sticks to his guns and lets his stories go where they take him. His story Rope and Veil is about a man who has a bondage relationship with a woman in a wheelchair. It's a touching and sexy combination of humane and kinky.

I like authors who can make me enjoy erotica that is outside the realm of my own kinks. I'm a middle-aged straight man, and lesbian sex isn't a particular interest of mine. But Onehitwanda is a good enough writer that her stories make me think, "Damn, those lesbians have got it going on!" I admire that.

Thanks mate - some great recommendations there. I just read Lovecraft’s excellent incest instructional - very timely.

 

[AG31]

Without naming names:

When a story is linked, or an author is mentioned by name, especially in some kind of superlative way, the story or the author can become a troll target.

Some people might think the exposure to new readers is worth the risk of drawing trolls. I suppose the best policy would be to ask permission before giving anyone a public endorsement.

The reason I didn't name names is the same reason I struggle with interacting on social media. I never know when it's okay to call attention to others and when I shouldn't.

I can't imagine that authors wouldn't want their stories to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

@Al_Steiner was one of the more popular and prolific erotic authors of the early 2000s. He was best known for longer, novel-length stories, most of which are not here because they don't satisfy the content regulations, but he still has some stories here. His strength was as a storyteller. His story Miss Darling is one of my favorites -- a story about a male teacher who falls for, and tries to seduce, a colleague, only she's a virgin and she's determined to remain that way until marriage. The way he navigates the seduction is clever and very, very erotic. He's always pushing the boundaries, in a satisfying way.

Al Steiner still publishes on SOL, I think.

 

[AwkwardMD]

(I keep meaning to do reviews of Limentina's ouevre and AwkwardMD's Portland Saga, but as both were published years before I'd even heard of literotica there's no rush I guess.)

really?

 

[Bamagan]

I can't imagine that authors wouldn't want their stories to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible.

I don't. If I wanted to be widely read, by golly, I wouldn't write fetish smut.

 

[NotWise]

I can't imagine that authors wouldn't want their stories to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible.

This is a small crowd, so the upside from promoting a story or an author here is not very big. The down side from 1-bombing troll attacks is larger.

Some years ago, a well-known forum member asked for examples of Romance stories where the protagonists didn't have some dark back story, and I posted a link to my first story in Romance. The next morning that story had six shiny new 1* votes.

My story that was mentioned yesterday in a parallel thread was in a dead heat for my lowest-rated story. It got three new votes in the space of a few hours that broke the tie. It's back to being my uncontested, lowest-rated story. Those weren't real low votes, and I'm not concerned about the effect, but I haven't seen an up side to promoting it on AH.

It's very reasonable to limit how and where you promote a potentially controversial story.

 

[FrancesScott]

This is a small crowd, so the upside from promoting a story or an author here is not very big. The down side from 1-bombing troll attacks is larger.

Some years ago, a well-known forum member asked for examples of Romance stories where the protagonists didn't have some dark back story, and I posted a link to my first story in Romance. The next morning that story had six shiny new 1* votes.

My story that was mentioned yesterday in a parallel thread was in a dead heat for my lowest-rated story. It got three new votes in the space of a few hours that broke the tie. It's back to being my uncontested, lowest-rated story. Those weren't real low votes, and I'm not concerned about the effect, but I haven't seen an up side to promoting it on AH.

It's very reasonable to limit how and where you promote a potentially controversial story.

Is this other authors? What is your theory?

 

[NotWise]

Is this other authors? What is your theory?

I think there are more people reading these forums than there are posting to them. It could be an author or another forum participant, but it could be anyone.

I'm not a big believer in trolls. We're all entitled to opinions. But when someone casts a dissenting vote, I'd love to know why.

 

[onehitwanda]

Onehitwanda is a good enough writer that her stories make me think, "Damn, those lesbians have got it going on!" I admire that.

The ULA's training regime is... very thorough.

I'm not a big believer in trolls.

Maybe not trolls, but there's definitely a cryptid (or set of them) out there who appear to be systematically down-voting the top-rated stories across multiple categories. Some of it can be explained away as judgemental late-comers, but it seems far too... consistent... to be purely based on voting patterns, and I'd buy changes in desires causing changes in voting patterns for one category - but not multiple.

The engineer in me would love to get her grubby paws on a month or two's traffic logs.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is this other authors? What is your theory?

I've never had people down vote stories from anything I've self promoted, or others have promoted for me, not that I could detect anyway. Like everyone, I see one bombs early out the gate, but I don't think my stories really upset anyone's radar. They're only ever the token few early low votes that disappear later in the first sweep. I don't write LW, so the cuck excitement (or whatever it is that goes on there) doesn't come near my stories.

What I do see, or notice more, is new readers with each new story, and folk finding their way through my back catalogue. I'm forever surprised at the number of older stories still getting favorites, and across my portfolio, the view and vote counts are slowly rising, and the scores generally creeping up.

 

[FrancesScott]

The engineer in me would love to get her grubby paws on a month or two's traffic logs.

Does the engineer in you have a name. Is it a female engineer? And you should make her wash her hands first.

 

[NotWise]

The ULA's training regime is... very thorough.


Maybe not trolls, but there's definitely a cryptid (or set of them) out there who appear to be systematically down-voting the top-rated stories across multiple categories. Some of it can be explained away as judgemental late-comers, but it seems far too... consistent... to be purely based on voting patterns, and I'd buy changes in desires causing changes in voting patterns for one category - but not multiple.

The engineer in me would love to get her grubby paws on a month or two's traffic logs.

the Romance top list has been a war zone since last November. I'm just watching all that from here and letting the site go to battle with them.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

I more or less stopped posting about active stories directly after a few of them got bazinga'd after mentioning them.

Somebody even crapped on Liticia of all the nerve!

 

[MelissaBaby]

Is this other authors? What is your theory?

I think that some of it is dedicated fans of particular authors who knock down anyone they think challenges their favorite.