Interest in You v. Your Writing

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012
Well I just very recently (like 2 weeks ago) started writing. And it was actually at the suggestion of you, Shylass (if you're reading this). And I'm actually still trying to figure myself out as writer I feel like this is one big experiment. And so far my stories have been based on a real-life experience. I would say it's about 95% truth as some things said may have been a bit embellished. But it's my wit, personality, and sexuality poured into these stories.

But I will say that there is a large amount of anxiety involved when I submit a story. While I think most people feel this, it goes a bit further for me because as of now I put so much of myself in these stories. And in my mind, if my story is rejected, then I too am rejected.

And I always find that once a story is posted, my inbox is flooded with friend invites, usually along with a message "Loved the story! Would love to get to know you!" or something along those lines. I will admit that I found this a bit strange. I come here to Lush to have fun, but I am in no way an attention whore. And I try to compare this to real life (well life outside of Lush). I'm a researcher, so I do lots of writing based on my findings, which often gets posted on bulletins around campus or online. If I were to get a message from someone saying "Love your writing! Let's be friends, I wanna get to know you!" I'd be creeped out. But if they were to say "Love your research, let's get together, compare notes, etc...." this wouldn't creep me out in the least.

I think it's all about the context in which the message is sent. It could range from flattering to annoying. Sometimes it's just a horny girl/guy who reads a story or poem who thinks you have a great imagination or at the very least think you're very horny, either of which could possibly lead them to a great cyber fuck session with you. And then there are those who truly want to get to know the person behind these stories. Perhaps your stories embody their deepest fantasies, and these fantasies are projected onto you, the author.

And, if given the chance, who WOULDN'T want to befriend or at the very least have a conversation with their favorite author? Or an author they really liked??

Thank you for sharing that. I AM glad you started writing, I've really enjoyed what you've produced so far (I saw you have a new one up, but haven't read it yet).

I was mortified the first time I had a story rejected - a simple rulebreak that was easily dealt with if I wasn't so angsty about it! Nerves and fear are my biggest issue. I only started actually really talking about sex when I joined Lush, so it's a very, very big deal for me. And I only shared little bits and pieces of writing and scripts with people before, never such an amount of work with such a detailed, specific subject. So I do understand a little how you feel.

I think, and I would hope the mods would agree, that with your standard of writing, the only way one of your stories wouldn't get published would be for a rule break (which can be easily done, and easily fixed). I have definitely grown in confidence since I joined in January, and I know you will too. I am still very much at a loss with how to respond to people who contact me. There are the lovely people who make it easy for me, but also people who freak the fudge out of me too.

The people I like best are the ones who tell me when something I wrote resonated in them, or Bestest of all, when I make them smile or laugh.

I don't know how to respond to people who tell me they got cum all over the place because they read my stuff, or who ask me what I'm wearing. I'm very stupidly matter of fact sometimes, and totally grossed out at other times. It's all a big learning curve for me too.

One thing I was thinking earlier was that with the rise of what I call "Celebrity Culture", where we can read about every single detail of random people as they go about their business, we are more likely to want to know more about people who in, say, the Bronte's time, we would never have a chance to know on a more detailed level. I think I would rather have a sense of mystique about somebody I admired, personally. I love to talk to the writers on here, because I learn so much from them all, and that is what I value the most (that, and learning about how make a man cum good and hard).

Again, thank you all for sharing.

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012




I totally understand where you're coming from. And it's hard to get an honest opinion on something you write when all it does is make someone horny. Or better yet, when it gets pushed down by more recent story posts and forgotten about. But I've learned to take the pervs with a grain of salt. Just because they get horny and cum all over the place doesn't mean the story in and of itself wasn't an enjoyment and well-written.

However, when your writing makes someone horny and orgasmic, they expect YOU to do/be the same. Just make sure you have your ground rules in place, such as requirements for your friendships/associations etc.

Quote by Shylass
I've bolded the important bit so you can skip all the crap if you wish.

How much of the Real You is in your writing? Are you happy to share "Yourself" with what some might call a fan, or just people interested in your writing? Do you reply to messages with revelations of yourself? How do you respond to people wanting to know more about You? Are you happy to write your whole self and pure character into your stories, or do you usually pull things that are not really of "You" into your work, as I do?

I realise these are lots of questions, but I would be grateful and interested to know how you feel about this subject, if you wish to share. I'm nosy, you see.


I thought about putting a post in the Ask the Readers thread, but I'm scared of what the answers might be.

Quote by Sensei

I would suspect that there may be a gender difference at work. I would posit that females here get a far, far different experience than males in terms of the level and character of inquiries.

Quote by 1ball
It would be easy to test that by creating a second profile with the opposite gender and writing a few stories. I wonder if any authors here have already done that. Plenty of women in mainstream lit and SF have written as men, thinking it would increase their chances of getting published. I think that was way more common when I was a lot younger.

• I will not create more than one profile for any reason whatsoever. I understand that if I do, all my accounts may be deleted from the site without notice.

Quote by magnificent1rascal


It would be a real shame to lose all the hard work that goes into writing stories because the account(s) got deleted.

Yes, this was actually done recently, and their (very good) work was deleted. I do think avatars with boobies or girls' bums in them get more hits automatically, so maybe you might want to try that path if you are wanting to self-promote (nothing wrong with that). Friends can do a lot too, mentioning something they have read to another friend, etc. For myself, I'm not interested in the sex of a writer, only what they can add to my escapism, enjoyment, and/or learning. Selfish, perhaps, but that's why I read.

Once people start to discover you and like your work, they will come back for more. And maybe you, as opposed to your work.

Again, thank you all for sharing. I'm finding this really interesting.

Quote by CumGirl
For me, great writing is about the person behind the words, rather than simply just the narrative tale unfolding before me. One of my constant criticisms of much erotica is that it consists of cliched storytelling and two dimensional characters. When I read great fiction, whether classic or contemporary, I find the author revealed through their work ... you simply cannot read Austen, Chandler, Hardy, Faulkner, (et al) and the thousands of brilliant contemporary authors without coming to understand some of what are the issues that rattle around inside their brain. For me, writing erotica involves similar contemplative thought and through all of my writing (both poetic and prose) I am always looking to communicate some aspects of my character and some of the issues that infiltrate my musings.

Quote by Shylass


Yes, this was actually done recently, and their (very good) work was deleted.

I do think avatars with boobies or girls' bums in them get more hits automatically, so maybe you might want to try that path if you are wanting to self-promote (nothing wrong with that).

Quote by redlips
I am not a talented writer like most here are and have only posted a few items but would like to respond from my uneducated perspective. Writing for me is relaxing and satisfying. When I was a child my grandmother played a game with me where she would tell me to write down what I was feeling:what I liked about her cookies, what the clouds looked like to me, etc. Now when I read what someone else has written, especially the Love Poems, I empathize with that author. As an example, and please forgive me if this is not proper to do because I don't have permission, but Mazza wrote a poem titled "Used" and it made my eyes fill with tears. I laughed at Shylass' "Cinderella". etc. Isn't this what good writers do, they make us feel emotions? No, I don't think Shylass has a glass dildo in her bum, but her writing made me feel emotion, and in so doing made me want to know more about her. I wanted to hug Mazza because what she wrote made me feel her loneliness. So yes, what you write does make the reader interested in knowing more about you, and it isn't just to cum on your avatar, it is because you as a writer have made us feel emotions.

Jeez, see why I'm not a good writer, I ramble all over the place But hey, thank you writers for making me WANT to know you because you have touched me and made me feel something. Keep writing, I promise I won't stalk you. Well............maybe not promise.0Kc3QObz0TgxQIrD

I think you need to delete that bolded part of your post. Because I don't think it's true. You are on my list of Read This Writer.

Quote by Shylass


Yes, this was actually done recently, and their (very good) work was deleted. I do think avatars with boobies or girls' bums in them get more hits automatically, so maybe you might want to try that path if you are wanting to self-promote (nothing wrong with that). Friends can do a lot too, mentioning something they have read to another friend, etc. For myself, I'm not interested in the sex of a writer, only what they can add to my escapism, enjoyment, and/or learning. Selfish, perhaps, but that's why I read.

Once people start to discover you and like your work, they will come back for more. And maybe you, as opposed to your work.

Again, thank you all for sharing. I'm finding this really interesting.

Quote by cocokisses


Oh no they don't, I'd have to disagree there (bolded). I think the more social you are, the more friends you have, you will receive more hits. In particular, I think that what you've written in the past will bring others to your work, thereby giving your stories more hits. If Jaymal (and his is a likeness, not boobies) changed his avatar, it wouldn't matter because many of us would see the name and flock to the story OR we've been following him because we just have to know when he posts a new story.

I do agree with the remainder of your post. Thanks for this interesting thread.

My observation was based on general things and initial hits from the front page, as more than one male friend has told me about the difference when they change their avatar to include various body parts of the opposite sex. I certainly didn't mean to lump everybody into that category. My favourite authors on here so far are all actually male, and I didn't choose to read based on their pictures, but word of mouth. But others have told me that if they like a person's avatar, they will read. I don't know if I've read any of Jaymal's work yet, but others have told me he is an exceptional writer. Frank_Lee is another with a large following, and he doesn't have the girly bits avatar either. Talent attracts, I'm not denying it. But for some, what makes them pay more attention is nipples. Not all, I concede.

But I do think it has a lot to do with a large amount of readers - those of us who post in the forums and follow people very closely tend to be those who are serious about the skilled writing they present, and as such, simply to take one cross-section of readers excludes how others choose to read stories, which may be completely different. One lad told me he didn't bother to read my stuff at first because he was bored by my double daisies (before I changed to my crazydiamond button). He didn't find what he was wanting, but he enjoyed it in a small way when he did read a couple. But this is another thread, really, I was just responding to another post. We'll have to disagree about this particular point, sorry.

Thanks for sharing, everyone.

Clum, I'd reply to your question, but I fell asleep before I got to it, sorry.

Quote by Shylass
Clum, I'd reply to your question, but I fell asleep before I got to it, sorry.

Quote by redlips
I am not a talented writer like most here are and have only posted a few items but would like to respond from my uneducated perspective. Writing for me is relaxing and satisfying. When I was a child my grandmother played a game with me where she would tell me to write down what I was feeling:what I liked about her cookies, what the clouds looked like to me, etc. Now when I read what someone else has written, especially the Love Poems, I empathize with that author. As an example, and please forgive me if this is not proper to do because I don't have permission, but Mazza wrote a poem titled "Used" and it made my eyes fill with tears. I laughed at Shylass' "Cinderella". etc. Isn't this what good writers do, they make us feel emotions? No, I don't think Shylass has a glass dildo in her bum, but her writing made me feel emotion, and in so doing made me want to know more about her. I wanted to hug Mazza because what she wrote made me feel her loneliness. So yes, what you write does make the reader interested in knowing more about you, and it isn't just to cum on your avatar, it is because you as a writer have made us feel emotions.

Jeez, see why I'm not a good writer, I ramble all over the place But hey, thank you writers for making me WANT to know you because you have touched me and made me feel something. Keep writing, I promise I won't stalk you. Well............maybe not promise.JoCYzwimwNrQXCBE

Quote by LauraLee_sugah
when i write them i feel every moment that i write about.

Quote by CharlotteRusse1
My characters lead a much more exciting life than I do.

However, there are pieces of my personality in them. In order to make a story feel alive to a reader, I think the characters have to be accessible to the writer. The writer needs to be able to put herself in the place of the characters, whether it be through personal experience or the intuition that comes from observation.