How Do You Get Comfortable Sharing Your Writing?

[AwkwardMD]

How do you write with no hands?

Facerolling, obviously.

EDIT: sorry, not trying to derail a serious conversation.

 

[madelinemasoch]

Get in trouble from whom?

Surely you're anonymous here? If you fear anyone in your real life drawing a connection to who you are, create the most innocuous alt, deliberately place him, her or they in some place you've never been to, give them a completely fictional history, deliberately point in the opposite direction. Don't thread here in the AH. Who will ever know?

In erotica, isn't risky/risque part of the point?

Would you mind a DM conversation about this?

 

[AG31]

Hi, @madelinemasoch,

I've looked forward to your posts for quite a while, and this time I decided to dig in and figure out why. Three things stood out.

1 - You are interested in understanding youself in regards to the realm of erotica.
I, too, muse a lot about what's going on with me and erotica. I've gotten a lot of insights via AH (Thanks to AH), but still have open questions. I'm glad to touch base with someone else who's on a similar search.

2 - Closely related, everything you post and write has the air of authenticity, a quality I value a lot.

2 - You think a lot about your relatively narrow appeal to readers. See

Your voice is unfailingly your own. It might not be to everyone's taste, and I think in some of the work you took down, and from earlier posts, you got frustrated by that.

When I started writing erotica, about four years ago, I fully expected to find a lot of like minded people. It took me a while to settle on the fact that they simply aren't there.... anyway, the ones who are inclined to write about their opinions. I'm still puzzled by this, but, hey, it's interesting. Here's where we differ. For me, the recognition of my narrow niche brings me the satisfaction of clarity. For you, it still seems to be a source of distress. I wish that could change.

Annie

 

[EmilyMiller]

My wife knew. She always encouraged me to write, no matter what is was, despite some of the subject matters I wrote about in my stories. She was my muse. She's also the inspiration behind my 750 word story.

With her recent passing a couple of weeks ago, I've opened up to some friends about my writing because I really needed to share that particular story. I didn't post the link to it, but I posted that story text on Facebook. It's non-erotic so there is absolutely no issues in doing so. To date, those who did have the link, they haven't said anything good or bad. But now they know I wrote erotica and I'm ok with it. For now, unfortunately, my desire for writing has diminished a bit, even though I've had a few ideas that I've saved down to get back to. But when I get back to it, I certainly won't change what I write, even with friends knowing and possibly reading. This is who I am and I know my friends are accepting of it.

Please accept my heartfelt commiserations .

 

[madelinemasoch]

Hi, @madelinemasoch,

I've looked forward to your posts for quite a while, and this time I decided to dig in and figure out why. Three things stood out.

1 - You are interested in understanding youself in regards to the realm of erotica.
I, too, muse a lot about what's going on with me and erotica. I've gotten a lot of insights via AH (Thanks to AH), but still have open questions. I'm glad to touch base with someone else who's on a similar search.

2 - Closely related, everything you post and write has the air of authenticity, a quality I value a lot.

2 - You think a lot about your relatively narrow appeal to readers. See


When I started writing erotica, about four years ago, I fully expected to find a lot of like minded people. It took me a while to settle on the fact that they simply aren't there.... anyway, the ones who are inclined to write about their opinions. I'm still puzzled by this, but, hey, it's interesting. Here's where we differ. For me, the recognition of my narrow niche brings me the satisfaction of clarity. For you, it still seems to be a source of distress. I wish that could change.

Annie

I appreciate this reply.

To be honest, I think that a few of my ideas since pulling my stories have the potential for a broader appeal, but this is not in terms of kinks, rather in terms of characterization and storyline. But we’ll see if I can get any of that stuff good and ready, and if I can lift myself back up to publishing here.

A lot of the things I’m working with are fragments, puzzle pieces that don’t fit together.

 

[DeMont]

Writing from the heart feels the most risky/risque to me, even when my intuition tells me it's right. There is a lot of emotion I could express in the form of stories and sometimes that emotion is buried, repressed. I've felt very stultified for a long time, and I'm afraid of somehow getting in trouble for sharing my feelings and my perspective.

@madelinemasoch,
My dear colleague, I would venture to suggest that this is exactly why many of us are here. Why many of us write, and publish here. There is - quite simply - nowhere else we can comfortably "let it all hang out", so to speak.

We are all "anonymous", our thoughts, feelings and beliefs can be given voice and released to provide not only entertainment for the readership but to relieve us of the burden of having to carry them alone. There is a certain feeling of "shedding a weight" if we can put our "repressions" and "oppression" into a fictitious setting, even it that "fiction" reflects what's going on in our lives.

There are so many stories in so many categories here that whatever you have to write about, whatever you wish to write about, will find a home and will be accepted for exactly what it is, a story. You can even turn comments off if you don't wish to have anybody say anything about your story.

There is nobody here that you can get in trouble with, write what you will, as you will and when you will. Pour out your heart and soul into the story, use Lit as your private confessional if you will, just give yourself a chance and let go the "stultifying presence".
Deepest respects,
D.

 

[DeMont]

My wife knew. She always encouraged me to write, no matter what is was, despite some of the subject matters I wrote about in my stories. She was my muse. She's also the inspiration behind my 750 word story.

With her recent passing a couple of weeks ago, I've opened up to some friends about my writing because I really needed to share that particular story. I didn't post the link to it, but I posted that story text on Facebook. It's non-erotic so there is absolutely no issues in doing so. To date, those who did have the link, they haven't said anything good or bad. But now they know I wrote erotica and I'm ok with it. For now, unfortunately, my desire for writing has diminished a bit, even though I've had a few ideas that I've saved down to get back to. But when I get back to it, I certainly won't change what I write, even with friends knowing and possibly reading. This is who I am and I know my friends are accepting of it.

My dear colleague,
Please accept my deepest condolences on your loss.
Deeply respectful,
D.

 

[AchtungNight]

In my case, I wrote all my stories from the beginning intending to publish and did not publish any product which I was not satisfied and proud to create. I also do not seek anonymity in creating them- I use an alternate name out of Internet tradition and it’s easy to find me if one desires. I won’t deny writing my stories, I gladly mention I have written them on occasions where it is relevant (example I recently told ultra conservative family members the fact that I have enjoyed and proudly created such stories is part of why I can not share their political views). It is true that I have based some characters around real people and I am sure a number of these might have issues with this but said people have never contacted me and until they do and we discuss the matter, the stories stand. I don’t plan to deny that either. I mention in disclaimer every time I publish that my stories are fictional and written only for entertainment purposes. This site is the one that taught me the legal justification for publishing celebrity fanfics- google Falwell vs Flynt if you want to know it. There are mainstream writers who have published similar stories to mine- mystery writer Max Allan Collins has written over 20 novels featuring a detective who enjoyed affairs with female celebrities including Sally Rand, Amelia Earhart, and Marilyn Monroe. I am a fan of these novels. Not every writer here is as brave as me, you don’t have to be. But I hope my example will be considered and cause inspiration.

That’s all I have to say about that.