What do you appreciate in this site? Why is this community valuable?

[mildlyaroused]

I’ve never (consistently) been a super active or long-term member of this community, but I’ve just logged into my account for the first time in God knows how long, and I want to express how much I appreciate this space everyone has created.

Maybe some of you will remember my brief contribution. I’m glad to see some familiar names from an (admittedly short) period of my life - and I’m curious to know what exactly keeps other authors coming back to erotica, and to this site specifically?

It was really sweet seeing some of the same long-term posts/threads pop up when I first opened back up the forums. The New Milestones thead, the Comments That Made Your Day, the iconic game threads created by @SamScribble, even the endless threads about those treacherous AIs - it’s just so comforting to see this familiar community still thriving.

As much as erotica might be thought of as cheap, disposable, or shallow, I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been in this kind of community can quite understand just how wholesome and beautiful it all is!! I’m an experienced writer myself, but during that period in which I was active here, I always found useful tips, discussions and encouragement in this community that felt, compared to many other spaces, uncommonly candid and human. In an online world which is continually becoming more toxic, polarised and charged, this feels rare. I truly think that, after my first ever story here, I would never have posted a second time had it not been for you authors’ engagement.

As it stands, I’m not sure when or if I will ever post a story here again. Commitments to my professional writing and personal life have swept me away, so the small amount of erotica I’ve written since neglecting this site has not been anything close to publication-worthy. And yet I came back to the forums, because I think this space is worthy of appreciation and engagement.

As a caveat, I remember and recall many widely-discussed issues in this community. Those include management issues (which, me being so removed for many months, I don't feel I have the authority to speak on), and the rise of AI, which is still happening in our shitty society, to the point where I genuinely fear for the future of both my career and the legitimacy of human art - but these issues do not, in my mind, detract from the importance and beauty of the human beings who discuss, fight, and write on this site (or in any art-driven community). We can appreciate ourselves while acknowledging fears and flaws.

So I’m curious - what keeps you guys coming back? What keeps those familiar names I’m seeing engaged with the community? Or more generally - despite the occasional troll or argument, of which I’ve witnessed (and participated in) many times - just what do you like about this community we have? What keeps you coming back, beyond the raw numbers that fuel our collective egos? For me, it’s the human side of the site; it’s people connecting without pretence, with anonymity (which grants candidness), with authenticity and a love for both writing and intimacy as human experiences.

 

[Bazzle]

Its useful to fill the gaps when I should be writing, reading about others writing.

Seeing what people are writing, when I should be working, I mean writing.

Importantly- learn. The skill of writing. There is a treasure trove of information here.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

It hits a perfect sweet spot of sharp intellect, idiocy, assholery, supportiveness, and, most importantly, drama.

 

[cw5523729]

, beyond the raw numbers that fuel our collective egos?

Wait, there's a reason beyond ego?

Oh, in that case, uh, all you cool people then. I guess. Hi, guys and gals!

 

[iwatchus]

I would say it's been the support at times when I was really low, the availability of someone to vent to (since I started DM'ing people), and the writing tips, both publicly on the forum and in private conversations. Some of it is direct advice and teaching, like the Terms for Writing thread and some of it is pointers to other resources (thanks @TheRedLantern for pointing me to the Sanderson lectures). Almost every advance I have made as a writer comes from that (and just trying to write a lot).

More than anything else though, is the friends I have made here. I do not make friends easily, to say the least. But I have two people I consider close friends and maybe as many as a half dozen casual friends, all of whom I value.

 

[Off_base]

I'm a newbie to AH, but I come to learn and trade witty banter/opinions with smart, like-minded people.

 

[cw5523729]

I'm a newbie to AH, but I come to learn and trade witty banter/opinions with smart, like-minded people.

I just come for the puns

 

[Erozetta]

I pretty much assume I keep coming around because I'm a masochist.


Most of the friends I made here no longer come around the AH.

 

[cw5523729]

I pretty much assume I keep coming around because I'm a masochist.

Do you publish stories in Loving Wives? That'll tell us for sure.

 

[Erozetta]

Do you publish stories in Loving Wives? That'll tell us for sure.

Two 750 word stories so far.

But a story now published elsewhere and highly praised was basically flamed hard in Loving Wives a few years ago. It's amusing to me because I submitted it elsewhere expecting the same response.

Nope. Multiple people have greatly enjoyed it for some reason.

 

[Off_base]

That happuns a lot, by the way
Oh, look.
It's happuning again.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

Lit has been a part of my life for close to two decades now. I discovered it in college, when cheap internet was new in my part of the world and us in the boys' hostel immediately began using it for porn (do you guys remember the days when porn came on cds? Yeah, I speak of ancient times).

Then, a chat buddy and I published a story here under her name. I used a different name back then, and Lit for me was still primarily chatting, roleplay and reading stories. I would contribute to some discussions from time to time (this was early 2010s), but that was about it.

I took some time off and came on again after a while as a lurker, mostly because Lit was familiar and comfortable. I made some friends, lost them, made some new friends, and during Covid, began role playing a lot on here. I wrote a few stories but I never really thought about publishing anything here, until I found my way back again to this place again last year, and in a moment of madness, published a poem on the Poetry subreddit.

I was going through a lot in life, and writing is one of the ways I coped, and I started spending more and more time here, sharing my experiences, listening to others, some roleplays, some catfishing, and some very interesting conversations.

And through those conversations, I made a couple of friends who encouraged me to put my writing up on the site. I now have 3 poems and 3 stories up (one of which has the coveted H), and I find myself engaging more on the creative side of things, namely AH and Poetry.

So Lit has always been comfortable and familiar, but it's transformed for me as I have grown. From a place for purely role-playing and reading stories, I'm now actually posting my own and helping others with theirs.

And that feels so good. I'm contributing, I'm sharing, and I'm learning, both about myself and about people.

And that's why I keep coming back here.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

 

[cw5523729]

Lit has been a part of my life for close to two decades now. I discovered it in college, when cheap internet was new in my part of the world and us in the boys' hostel immediately began using it for porn (do you guys remember the days when porn came on cds? Yeah, I speak of ancient times).

Pfft! I had pixelated porn on floppy discs, whippersnapper!

 

[calmlikeabomb]

Pfft! I had pixelated porn on floppy discs, whippersnapper!

All hail the ancient one! All hail thine wisdom and experience!

 

[cw5523729]

All hail the ancient one! All hail thine wisdom and experience!

View attachment 2582564

eta: we didn't actually have animated GIFs in my day.


Or color.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

View attachment 2582564

eta: we didn't actually have animated GIFs in my day.


Or color.

Mmmm... Pixels...

 

[cw5523729]

Mmmm... Pixels...

Come to think of it, I don't think we had that many pixels either

 

[SimonDoom]

Today is my 9-year anniversary of publishing here, so it's a good opportunity to reflect on that.

Number 1 is that it's an easy-to-use forum for publishing stories and getting them read by many people. Until December 10, 2016 I had never published a work of creative writing in my entire adult life, and I was 52 at the time. I had no idea how it would go. I've been pleasantly surprised and fulfilled by how fun it is.

I've been enjoying this place as a reader since not long after the beginning of the millennium. I think. It's been so long I don't recall exactly when I started reading stories here. But I'm confident it was not after 2003. The quantity and variety of stories here is excellent. Quality varies, of course, but with so many to choose from it's not difficult to find stories I continue to enjoy. Part of what I like is how easy this place is to use as a reader. You don't have to sign up for anything or jump through any hoops. I didn't become a member of the site until I'd been reading stories here for over ten years. That's probably why I continue to look at things from the point of view of a reader.

For all the grousing we all do about what gets said in the Author's Hangout, it's one of the more intelligent and interesting online forums I've ever been a part of. I've spent much more time here than on any other online forum. It's interesting to realize the dramatic variety of backgrounds that we dirty smut writers have.

 

[StillStunned]

Pfft! I had pixelated porn on floppy discs, whippersnapper!

Strip poker on the old IBM, with Suzy and Melissa...

 

[MrPixel]

Pfft! I had pixelated porn on floppy discs, whippersnapper!

Floppy. You used the word "floppy". Totally derailed the thread from this point on.

 

[Omenainen]

For me, it’s the human side of the site; it’s people connecting without pretence, with anonymity (which grants candidness), with authenticity and a love for both writing and intimacy as human experiences.

Beautifully put. Yes, that. I think writing erotica gets us on some level of intimacy and honesty that’s difficult to cultivate in other contexts. Though, to be fair, I haven’t been in any other writer communities and not really online communities of any kind, at least this consistently.

I’ve made a few good relationships on here and as a whole, I think of this as my virtual tribe, even though I think people here are pretentious twats (my new favorite insult).

I just come for the puns

If you came for the bums, I’d recommend Anal. It’s been a good category for me.

 

[Writer61]

Do you guys remember the days when porn came on cds?

CDs? That was progress. I remember when magazines were the only source.

My first view of computer porn was when my boss asked for help opening a file that her husband had sent her. The green/black graphics were so hard to parse that it took us several seconds to figure out what was going on. Cue embarrassment all around.

I expect that he got a severe bollocking that evening.

 

[Writer61]

As for the OP's question, my initial reason for being here was to ask for advice and guidance about publishing here. I have stayed for the banter and educated discussion.

 

[cw5523729]

I expect that he got a severe bollocking that evening.

Is that a bad thing or a good thing?

 

[cw5523729]

Strip poker on the old IBM, with Suzy and Melissa...

I HAD THAT GAME!!!