Do you mean "do you ever feel an obligation to be moral or stick to concepts of moral behaviour when writing?". Because that's what I think you're asking.
You're correct that a lot of people cannot separate fantasy erotica from reality and what a person has done, or would like to do. I ran into this with a story I co-wrote with someone on a different story site that involved a husband and wife who were in a D/s lifestyle, with the wife being dominant and the husband being both submissive and a cuckold. He was also locked up in a male chastity device a great deal of the time, and would comply with his wife's wishes, which included him giving a man a BJ. I had people e-mail me and ask if I wanted to see my own husband locked up -- no! -- or see him giving a man a BJ -- no, again! Neither I, nor my co-author, a man, were any of the characters we were writing about, and they were not stand-ins for either of us.
So for me, no, I'm not going to let the moral standards of other people define what I write about. I will write about things I don't do, don't want to do, just as I write about things I've done or do and love doing. But my stories aren't about me, they are about fictional characters. If I'm good with the behaviour and situation of my characters, and am staying within the bounds of what is acceptable both on Lush and what is acceptable for me, than I'm not going to worry if I'm getting huge view counts, but rather seeing if I'm getting an acceptable number of them, acceptable to me, that is.
I am not a fan of , do not read stories, and have no interest in writing on that subject, for example. If I were to force myself to write a story with as its subject, I would feel like I were going against a moral code as a writer, because it would be my own moral code I was betraying. I won't write about abusive situations, either, but will write about situations involving domination and submission, spanking, punishment and so on, because in the context of the story I make it clear that no-one is forced to do what is being done, that it is sane, safe and consensual, to use the terms employed in the BDSM community.
My four part story "Lunch Was Late" has some spanking in it and has had very good comments from people who've read it, which I appreciate, but someone in a private message said they could never imagine spanking a woman. That was a huge impediment to that person in reading my story. Well, I appreciated his honesty, but it just meant that my story wasn't his thing. There are plenty of stories out there so we all find what suits us!
Stories of adultery particularly appeal to me, because they are so far from my own life, and the naughty aspect of them is highly erotic. I have one in mind, and am working the details of it out, but I know that I have to get it just right because it will run the risk of being trashed because of the subject. So I won't let any moral obligations prevent me from writing it, but I'll take a lot of care to get it right.
The answer is: Yes. Always.
You will never be un-important. You are such a good and understanding friend to many erotic fantasy writers, not to mention
being a talented and gifted writer.
Getting back to the essence of our talk late last night (we have to stop meeting like this!) here is our basic conversation (you did say you didn't care what I said).
REGARDING: MORAL OBLIGATIONS
**********************
<Hey Q: I have a question for you...
Do you ever feel a moral obligation when writing your stories?
There is never a story that I do not. That is why there are some subjects I do not touch. Given sufficient growth, perhaps someday I will have even resolved my conflict with those topics--be able to write about them.
My latest "orgy story" you read, was a huge stretch for me. However you will notice that I handled all the characters with love, respecting their differences.
To me, that trumps judgement of their individual life choices. In my brand of morality, the UNDERSTANDING of others is more important than JUDGING their fantasy actions put to paper. Still, each to his own.
When it comes to and some of the things I've read in stories--that involving non-consensual abuse-- it has weighed heavy upon me. Do I speak up and outright condemn the story, or is it more important to understand the mind of the person who wrote the story?
I have talked privately to a dear souls who have written such stories, to try and understand where they are coming from.
What has concerned me the most, is that such stories could lead young women and men into a life of crime --basic evil committed by those without a conscience. That said, I have come to believe that for many, it is play acting-- that in realty, they have never harmed anyone. Perhaps it is like a Stephen King novel, a fantasy only, not something the writer would
personally do in real life.
The human side of me worries that such stories could lead to violence against women and gays, that that nut case males will think it gives them permission to do violent things, that instead of realizing the majority of women and gays hate it, that they love it. No sane person wants to suffer IMO.
Getting back to your question: Yes, I positively do feel a moral obligation and I hope it shows at least a little. I need to go get a beer and get away from the subject for now. Lol. A great question and worthy of your wonderful capacity for introspection.
Hugs to a wonderful author,
Quebec
P.S. There are times I feel like the "gods" wants me to participate as an erotic writer and commentator--to be a missionary of
sorts--to bring comfort to those in pain over sexual conflicts. Sex is so basic--cuts out all the crap--the key--is expressing it appropriately. That said, many things that shocked me 10 months ago, no longer do. Maybe the real reason
I am here, is not so much to help others,
but for me to grow as a human being in understanding and love for all. Life provide the most unlikely teachers. Who'd ever guess I'd find spiritual grow on a sex
site!
Do we have a moral obligation as writers? I'd say yes if we wrote stories that children or young adults read...but we are on an erotica site for ADULTS...most of our stories are fiction based right? (not that I'd kick a vampire out my bed if I they were real though)...We have no moral obligation to anyone but ourselves...if you find it morally reprehensible to write a story about a guy doing a mountain goat then you wouldn't write it...Every writer has gotten criticism...Why? because people like to complain and focus on other people instead of how shit their lives are...I believe you should always write what you want to write if people don't like it they can bugger off...because for everyone who complains or finds your stories morally wrong you have another person who likes it...
Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
Yes...I could tell stories here about how many times people have thought a story of mine was true...my tenth story was about meeting a girl in a chat and deciding to get together with her...at the last minute, I literally had my car keys in my hand, I find out she is married...
I had a guy on another site send me messages for about a week trying to get the name of the girl out of me, even though I repeatedly told him it was fiction...he kept saying things like "I think I met her, just want to see if it's the same girl"...so, yes...
I think this thread differs from another thread in the forum about subjects you would not write about...I believe this is more of an ethical thread...I'll regroup my thoughts and come back to it...
For instance, I don't think there is anything wrong with a gay love story from a moral or ethical point of view...could I write one? No...
Later,
Alan.
Personally I don't consider it, because if all literature was censored by mainstream morality, then we would have lost a tremendous wealth of provocative prose that gives the mind flight to question, analyze, and revisit belief systems... which always means there is potential for growth... One doesn't have to subscribe to the morality of the author in order to appreciate seeing a different point of view (provided it is well presented). This is what makes writing so profound... an ability to share and understand an experience through a different mind-filter... I love it!
And of course, reading any given story is a choice, not forced torture... but censorship based on our 'moral' differences would be a serious (and unfortunate) throw-back to the past...
I don't think so. Isn't one of the main points of erotic stories to allow people to explore fantasies that might not be morally acceptable or that they migt not feel comfortable exploring in real life. I add adultery into a lot of my stories and I get a lot of people complaining about it. I even had a guy complain about the use of drugs and alcohol in my stories. In my opinion, stories should be open to what ever our dirty little minds can come up with. Nobody is forced to read them.
Many of my stories contain elements which are considered depraved, criminal and extremely socially unacceptable.
Those stories will never be posted here for publication.
Am I under some obligation to anyone who chooses to read my fiction or - my - real life accounts, which contain those shady activities?
That's a little like believing that rock and roll or rap music has caused the decay of society, marijuana is a gateway drug to heroin, or playing video games like Quake, incites people to dehumanize other people and desensitize them to gun-play violence.
Violent movies cause some people to flip out?
Not my problem.
The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.
When I start writing I'm doing it for me and if I started to try and think about how my writing might offend everybody; I would never get started in writing anything. I find it bad enough when I'm talking always stopping myself for fear of offending other people's feeling, and quite frankly that's exhausting. So I'm glad I give myself freedom of thoughts when it comes to writing. I'm not saying that if I decided to post a story on here that I thought might offend someone, then I would edit it out and re-write around it.
No I don't.
With any of my stories, there is some aspect of the human mind that I am exploring, some of these explorations happen under great stress and the actions taken are ones that I feel likely that at least some people would follow through on. Of course that means that at times these actions are not noble
or morally correct, but they are within the realms of human weakness. I write the charactors to be who they are. I'll let others decide if they are moral, likeable or just depraved. At least this way
the reader is thinking about the story.
I take a grave responsibility whenever I write. I know that my words touch many people, and I must always be leading them toward a greater spiritual place.
Wait, are we speaking of scholarly texts here? No? Just erotica?
In that case no- I prefer to pen the most devious, wanton sex, butt-sex or otherwise, that a famous Prophet could ever conjure. It helps me to get laid too- WOOT!!!
I do, but not really in a way I like.
My longest series involves a fair amount of sadistic cruelty to the main character. Somehow, I coudn't stand to leave her in that state even though it seems to be what most of my readers desired. In the end, she is rescued from her situation.
I could not morally stomach a different ending, even though part of me wanted it.
I'm still fairly new to Lush, my first stories were quite prim and proper really. But reading some of the other great authors on here, you tend to get the 'Lush' bug, and you start to explore your imagination, and recall past experiences, maybe embelish and tweak them a little. My stories are still not out and out depravity, but you can only strive to get better. I love the Lush community.
Nope. My objective is to make as many people feel good as they possibly can with their imaginations. Morals never even enter my mind. If moral people wanted a moral story, why on a sex site? I knew that people would ultimately think that I was sick for writing about necrophilia, , , and such on other sites, but I realized that i didn't care for what strangers thought of me. Before I had written those stories, I was scared shitless because I was afraid I'd get one of those thumping lunatics that try to get a flame war going. After my first post, though, I realized that there were less of the loonies and that I needed to please my readers. And truthfully, that's what is most important to me. Their morality will either love or hate my work; i don't judge them for it as they usually don't judge me.
Yes almost always... It's like you have to write something a certain way or have something in a particular style just because you think your audience will respond to it the best or something... It always kind of stressful :/
Very interesting. Thanks for all the great comments. Somehow the combined forum sums up our freedoms and has made me consider why I and how I write.
Torture the data long enough and they will confess to anything.
I have just recently joined this site and I'm still fairly new to writing myself, so I know how it feels to have the "pressure" on you to write a good story. I write my stories the way I want them to be written, if you read all the comments and try to give everyone what they want, it isn't your story anymore. The only opinion that should matter is yours. Occasionaly you can ask for advice, no harm done there, but the minute you start looking to satisfy writers by giving them what they ask for, your story loses all its originality. I write my stories according to what I think, not what the readers think, and if they like it in the end, great, if not, that's cool too, but at least it was my story.
Authors worth looking out for...
Aaannn-- can write a story on pretty much anything, fantastic detail
Batzman51939-- well developed "first time" stories and love poems
Conflicted Feelings-- "first time" writer, uses great detail, makes you feel like youre there
Jillicious-- incest writer, combines humor and seriousness to make for a great read anytime
Lolwriter89--seriously, this guy writes the best bro/sis incest stories on this site
Lustone--new up and comer, takes the time to develop feelings from male and female sides
Sydnancy--"straight sex" writer, combines realism with a little fantasy, worth the read
The only moral issue I struggle with is safe sex. It's hard for me to write as though disease doesn't exist, even though friends insist that condoms break the immersion in the fantasy.
Silly of me, I know. I can spend hours dreaming up a scenario and a dialogue and all the things that go into making some truly outlandish sex seem like it actually happened, but I can't then pretend diseases don't exist. It's actually easier when I write the A.N. Roquelaure-esque fantasies my girl favors, which undoubtedly has to do with my own suspension of disbelief.
The readers' morality is an interesting subject, too. I hear a lot of bile when I put any kind of mmf action in a story, regardless of the scene or setup or level of realism. When I first started putting these out for public consumption I expected it would be the gay stories that would get the hate, but it seems to be "slutty" female behavior that enrages the prudes.
All I want is to write stories that others will enjoy. My personal liking to the stories comes second.
I love to write about ...but In real life it is something seriously . Something I feel conflicted about.
Will I ever find my true love? Try, Try again.
Yes I do feel a moral obligation when writing my stories. In some cases, I feel it deeply. But in the end, I find my lust for truth prevails.
Torture the data long enough and they will confess to anything.
I hope I will never write anything I would feel ashamed to admit to. That has to be my guideline, would I have to emigrate to Brazil or something if my family found out what I'd written about? If the answer is yes then I reckon I shouldn't be writing it.
If you're going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchill
Everything an author writes is tempered by their own morality in one way or another. Whether you feel a moral obligation to write something or not is up to you. I have written stories in the past that feature some immoral characters and they things they do, and it is the presentation of the characters in the story that show the reader if the author agrees with them or presents them as someone they do not agree with and are trying to teach a lesson from.
