Where did you find the courage to submit your first story?

[MrPixel]

My first one was a thinly veiled autobiographical telling of our "relationship" with a now long-gone swinger venue. Was I nervous? Yes, a little, but the story and motivation to publish was fairly exhibitionist. I got my comeuppance in mildly critical comments about the writing (abrupt tense changes, mostly) which I then attributed to choppy writing sessions over several weeks before having the courage to publish.

Reward to this first-time LitE contributor was a relatively high score - over 4 stars - so there was evident interest in chronicles of our having naughty fun. It morphed into fantasy fiction, and here we are, 77 stories later...

So take the jump. You'll get used to the water quickly.

 

[TheLobster]

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Please, please, please tell me where you found it.

Like others have said, it is like losing your virginity. You’re unsure. Going off instincts. Rhythms might be off.

But from what you’ve mentioned, you’ve taken a writing class, even gotten feedback. You’re already ahead of the curve if you ask me. To me, posting on Lit to thousands is much less personal than sharing it with fellow aspiring writers in a class, who can be more critical (but perhaps less mean )

Pop that cherry and join the club .
I look forward to reading your Yay Sports story!

 

[vanmyers86]

I used to be a journalist. Hard-boiled editors (that's the only kind we had when I started out) toughened me up right quick, as did reader feedback and having to submit corrections when I got something wrong. Brutal, all of it.
But, as it turned out, my love of writing was stronger than my fear of criticism.

 

[StillStunned]

I used to be a journalist. Hard-boiled editors (that's the only kind we had when I started out) toughened me up right quick, as did reader feedback and having to submit corrections when I got something wrong. Brutal, all of it.
But, as it turned out, my love of writing was stronger than my fear of criticism.

I'm a professional copyeditor and proofreader. For the first part of my career, when I was working in-house, my colleagues and I always checked each other's work. It didn't take me long to get over the notion that they were sneering at me, but instead helping me to make the best possible product.

Because language and writing come from within, it can feel like personal criticism is anyone points out your mistakes. My advice is not to ask a professional opinion of anyone who makes it personal.

Here on Lit? Almost all feedback is welcome, and an opportunity to learn and improve. But it's also important to remember that each time it's just one person's opinion, and your own opinion is at least as valuable.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I wrote it in a group chat I used to belong to. One of the people in that chat suggested I post it here. The rest is history.

 

[StillStunned]

The rest is history.

Strange how different writers classify their stories. I'd describe mine as biology, with a bit of psychology on the side.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Strange how different writers classify their stories. I'd describe mine as biology, with a bit of psychology on the side.

Ok, mister literal; historical fiction.

 

[ElvieG]

The first thing I ever posted online was a slightly altered version of a letter I wrote to my husband when he was seafaring. I'd written four pages of filth while ever so slightly drunk, sealed it in an envelope and posted it. By the next day, I'd forgotten exactly what I'd written, but he was impressed and suggested I post it somewhere online.

I posted it on a Yahoo message board, where it was surprisingly popular, considering that it was full of grammatical errors and lacked anything resembling a story. A few months later, when Yahoo quit Europe, I started posting on Lit. There was no courage required because I was getting a lot of positive reviews, and it hadn't yet occurred to me that this was due to the depravity of the content rather than the quality of my writing.

 

[Djmac1031]

Yet the thought of actually submitting it fills me with dread and doubt.

Are you publishing your full true name, your home address, cell phone number and email, along with your story?

No?

Then dont worry about it. Publish the damn thing.

If people love it, great.

If they troll it, ignore them.

if they offer constructive criticism, accept it.

But you cant do any of that without publishing.

Just do it. No one knows YOU. Fuck it. Go for it.

 

[SimonDoom]

A number of things in life should fill you with dread and doubt: the erosion of civil liberties. The existence of intolerance. Starvation of millions due to resource depletion. Ongoing wars and genocides. The rising cost of living and the way it prices people out of the housing market, with dangerous consequences to the development of generational wealth. The falling global birthrate, calling into question assumptions about all sorts of government programs.

This? This is a story on a sex site.

Even putting it on a more personal level, there are so many things I've done in my life that gave me more cause to be nervous than anonymously publishing a story online.

To live life well, you have to take some risks. You have to put yourself out there and expose yourself to the criticism of others. You learn and grow this way.

Picking up the phone to ask a girl out on a date for the first time was a lot harder than pushing the submit button for my first Literotica story. But I did it, and then it wasn't as hard the second time.

You have to adopt the habit of not letting fear dominate your life choices. Just do it, and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that people will think you suck. Some people probably will think you suck, regardless. Many readers think I suck. That's the way it is.

Imagine the worst case scenario when you submit a story, and then ask, Is it really so bad? It really isn't.

We all experience fear and nervousness in our lives. There's no shame in that. The question is what you do about it. It's a choice. Make it simple.

I'm reminded of the scene in Lawrence of Arabia when a colleague watches Lawrence put out a burning match with his fingers, tries it himself, winces in pain, and asks "What's the trick?" And Lawrence says, "The trick is in not minding that it hurts."

 

[yowser]

Strange how different writers classify their stories. I'd describe mine as biology, with a bit of psychology on the side.

I would wager that most stories here are 'Self Help.'

 

[ChasBozwell30]

I've been writing other stuff (horror, science fiction, etc) for a few years (published a bunch), but I'd never tried erotica before. I felt a bit weird giving in to my fantasies, or airing them for all to see, but when I tried it, I found it was wonderfully liberating. The more I wrote, the more I could explore this other part of me, this other writer. In the end I started to write more and more freely, exploring new fantasies and ideas, tapping into this dark and exciting other world of fiction...

It's been a wonderful release. It's a a very vulnerable thing, sharing your ideas and your desires, but very rewarding as well. Even if you don't get it perfect, you learn from everything you write, and any feedback always gives you something to work with in the future. Be bold x

 

[Erozetta]

Are you publishing your full true name, your home address, cell phone number and email, along with your story?

No?

Then dont worry about it. Publish the damn thing.

somehow, I managed to end up divulging all but personal email here. I'm fucking great at anonymity!

 

[TheLobster]

I would wager that most stories here are 'Self Help.'

Nah, it’s all physics.

Specifically, it’s classical mechanics, i.e., friction, followed by rhythmic oscillations and, in some frames of reference, fluid dynamics.

 

[MrPixel]

Feedback loops, too.

 

[iwatchus]

Nah, it’s all physics.

But physics is just applied math and math is really just applied philosophy. -- full disclosure, I was a physics/philosophy double major undergrad.

 

[Wineandcheese]

I had some performance anxiety about publishing my first story, so I secured the services of one the volunteer Lit editors. Anonymity is a great stress reliever, but I still wanted to write the best story I could. He got me past all the stupid mistakes, like wrong punctuation and mixed tenses. I'm not a writer by trade, so I welcomed the help.

 

[Bassytian]

I had been wanting to write for years, but never made myself do it. It was about this time last year when I received an injury at work that required surgery to repair. I had to be out for seven weeks, but I didn't want to sit around the house doing nothing, so I started writing. It's extraordinarily ironic that my first submission was published on the day of the surgery. Literotica readers were reading my work for the first time while a surgeon was using a robot to cut me open!

As far as courage goes, I just made myself do it. I was afraid my stories would bomb but they haven't! Writing has become a major part of my life now, and I have no intention of stopping!

 

[Nynah]

I started reading here on Lit mostly for a very specific and niche kink and while I love a lot of the stories I found about it, none of them went far enough in the ways I wanted them to so I decided to write my own take. In a way I knew I already had sort of an existing fanbase because of the previously existing stories so it made submitting here a little bit easier.

Still terrifying all around but I'm glad I did it.

 

[crookedletter]

I think finding the courage for me goes back to the first time I shared something I'd written with another person. That wasn't erotica and it wasn't posted online. Still, it felt intensely vulnerable and scary. I used to live in fear of people reading things I'd written. I, in fact, regrettably trashed a number of old notebooks because I was so averse to the idea that someone might happen upon them and read what was in them. I'm sure what I lost in those notebooks was nothing terribly original or exciting, but still I wish I hadn't done it.

But then as I got older and joined writing classes and workshops and actually found a partner who honestly wants to read what I write, it became an almost necessary part of the process. Whether or not things I write get published, they need readers, be it friends or family or the loveable hornballs of literotica.

I doubt that moment of anxiety right before I send or submit or share something, regardless of who I'm sending it to, will ever go away. But I actually kind of enjoy that feeling.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I assume that hundreds of authors here probably see some parallels to their own journey, and yet found what it takes to press "Preview & Publish" instead of deleting your account and hiding.

Please, please, please tell me where you found it.

I applied copious quantities of "fuck it" and pressed submit, bolstered by knowledge that no one knows my secret identity and though I tried to write something hot and worth reading, it was just a first story posted as an experiment. I fully expecting crickets, tumbleweeds and 1-bombs.

Imagine my delight when minutes after going live the first comment was "Oh my god. I love the story. Great job. Sequel?" Eight years later, the story is still one of my highest-rated.

So, you're not standing on a stage naked in front of 300 paying customers (note to self: might make a good story). No one knows who you are or cares. Readers care only about the impact and quality of your story. It's liberating. Try to write good stuff about stuff you want to write about and if it bombs, you're gonna get fired. Learn and improve. Or not... even the most egregious shit I've published has been favorited and praised. Some of my best stuff has been vilified. So it goes. Relax. Get your erotica freak on and write what you want for who you want.

 

[Areala-chan]

I wanted to write some sexy stuff, so I found and place that allowed me to publish sexy stuff, published two pieces of sexy stuff, took an eleven year break, then came back when I wanted to write more sexy stuff.

 

[YDB95]

I just read a bunch of other already-published stories here to convince myself if they could do it, I could do it.

Also...

I wanted to try my hand at something erotic because I have a longtime kink that's very strong, but most of what I've encountered while exploring that kink was defined by men and I wanted my perspective to also be included in the conversation.

My first story was similar to that, except that the problem wasn't being "defined by men" (perhaps that IS a problem, but since I am a man, I wasn't the one to fix it) but rather that I really did not like the stories I could find that focused on the same thing. So if there was an audience for perspectives like mine, I wanted my story to be out there for people to find.

I won't lie to you, though, I was still pretty darned nervous as I hit that submit button for the first time. But a few nights later, I woke up because the bed was shaking. I managed to get back to sleep, and in the morning, my wife told me why it was shaking: she'd read my story and masturbated. I was never shy about posting a story again!

 

[BryanRichardson]

There's no way my story is unique. Writing as a hobby since I could hold a pencil. Took an online writing class during COVID. Shared a few speculative fiction pieces with the other members of my writing class and learned how to hear their feedback.

Well, see, there is the difference right there. You think of yourself as a writer, and I don’t think of myself that way. I created a pseudonym, wrote something, and submitted it. If it hadn’t done something for me, or if nobody at all liked it, I could have never written anything ever again and gone on with my life.

But you let me read the story you are talking about and people will love it. Not everybody, but lots of people will love it.

Write what you want, and submit it. You will be great.