Are you leading a secret life?

[Black Tulip]

I'm still for Venice, though I suppose I might be willing to try Amsterdam...assuming we were going there in the summer. It's too frigging cold for me here already; I don't wanna go off someplace where it's even colder!

Or we could just do it twice, once in Venice and once in Amsterdam! *grin*

Cold? Did you say cold? Don't get me started. It's not even snowing or freezing here. Just fucking rain and fog.

Grrrrr.

 

[MzKitty]

Private

I consider "Lit" my private website. I know that my husband has
"other" interests and explores them on-line. That is his business
and should remain so, I feel the same attitude should be extended to me.

The only person who does know, is my very good and private friend who I have met through Lit...what a priviledge to have met such a wonderful and understanding friend.

 

[SlickTony]

My husband knows, although I don't think he's read anything beyond my first story.

One of my sisters and my daughter knows, but I don't think they've actually read me, although they both think it's cool.

My son, of course, does not know, and would be appalled if he did; however, he's not that much of a fiction reader.

My mother does not know, and she, too would be appalled if she did--she hates that kind of thing and prefers the fade-to-black (or, in print, row of asterisks) after the kiss scene. I have a bunch of extended family that does not need to know, although if I became famous it wouldn't matter.

Nobody in my town knows except for a/n LSCW I was seeing for a while. There is a woman in my SS class who also writes, and who probably would not be too shocked if she did know.

I felt it best to keep it a secret from anyone in my previous job--it was with an agency that works with children. In my present job, it does not come up--nobody knows that much about me.

A great deal of my social life consists of my church, and needless to say, they have no idea.

Now, as to the venue for a writers' workshop--why, oh why, always the northeast and northwest? Look at all the southern writers we have, including Anne Rice aka Anne Rampling aka A.N. Roquelare. Please consider New Orleans.

 

[JRaven]

New Orleans

I'd prefer New Orleans. It just snowed yesterday, I helped my boyfriend move, and I'm still COLD!

As for who knows...
My mother knows. In fact, she encouraged me to write more. She isn't too computer savvy and doesn't come to this site.
My husband knows. He reads everything. I know if my writing is good if he just whips it out as he reads.
The couple my husband and I swing with know. (My boyfriend, his girlfriend)
Other than that, nobody knows. I've thought about sharing my next story with a guy at work. But that's only because he's featured in it.
Jenny

 

[Colleen Thomas]

My mom & dad know as do my brothers and many of my friends. I use my real name and am proud of my stories. I don't find writing erotica anything to be ashamed of.

-Colly

 

[Lovepotion69]

A few of my friends know. The more open-minded ones, that is.
My parents don't know, and I rather not have them know.

I found it easier to tell my friends I write erotica than about my pic thread. I have only told one person about that, and he now loves to browse the pic threads.

 

[DirtyJJ]

Re: New Orleans

As for who knows...
My mother knows. In fact, she encouraged me to write more. She isn't too computer savvy and doesn't come to this site.
My husband knows. He reads everything. I know if my writing is good if he just whips it out as he reads.
The couple my husband and I swing with know. (My boyfriend, his girlfriend)
Other than that, nobody knows. I've thought about sharing my next story with a guy at work. But that's only because he's featured in it.
Jenny

What you said about your husband whipping it out is hilarious.
And the swinging you mentioned is very intriguing....

I am also considering sharing my stories with the "star" of my stories... but haven't gotten up the guts yet.

Colly... I agree with you completely that writing erotica is nothing to be ashamed of. I am definitely not ashamed of what I write... but I lack your confidence to not care what anyone else thinks of it. I admire that you are so open and straightforward about it.

JJ

 

[Bitchslapper]

My family would have an absolute cow if they knew. They would probably think that I am sick and twisted and going to hell.

"I do not believe in an afterlife, but whatever the tortures of Hell, I think the boredom of Heaven would be much worse."
-Robert A. Heinlein

See you there.

 

[Gary Chambers]

My mom & dad know as do my brothers and many of my friends. I use my real name and am proud of my stories. I don't find writing erotica anything to be ashamed of.

-Colly

Okay Colleen, you have made up my mind. I don't care if my reader counts and votes reset to zero; I don't care if I have to resubmit everything; I don't care if my AH nick gets a 'virgin' notation again. Tonight I'm getting rid of that stupid robot pseudonym I acquired when I signed on here. I'm going to sign on in my real name like a sane and normal person instead of some hypocritical, puritanical, paranoid shrinking violet. Power to you Colleen, Lauren Hyde, and to Tatelou for using your real names, plus anyone else I've forgotten. God knows why I've waited this long to join you.

 

[Guest]

I've done it!

I have no idea where everything is right now. I can't get my Lit email working and I think I currently have two identies, which will get confusing unless I figure out how to sort this mess out, but at least I am me again.

 

[sweetnpetite]

My priest friends do not, though I told one Franciscan monk.

Perdita

How'd that go? I'm morbidly and nosily curious

Sweet

 

[whispering_surrender]

Re: I've done it!

I have no idea where everything is right now. I can't get my Lit email working and I think I currently have two identies, which will get confusing unless I figure out how to sort this mess out, but at least I am me again.

Congratulations, welcome back, and good luck. I don't know if it's possible, but you might want to put a note with them when you resubmit your stories to see if authorship can just be transferred over to your new name and hold the read and votes given previously. Just an idea...*smile*

Whisper

 

[Angel Undercover]

RE:does anyone know ???

LOL good question. Yes and no. My husband knows, our (male) room mate knows....because somehow it got brought up in a convo once and he asked to read something of mine so I printed it off Lit and gave it to him to read..... some of hubbies friends know..... and a handfull of my friends know.... mostly because I work with kids and I dont want any parents freaking out about my inner pervie.

As for family .... my brother knows because Ive told him and a few of his friends about the site ... but they dont know my screen name ect. .......my kid sister knows ...... but my mother and father dont . They raised me in a "sex is a private thing" type of environment. Dont think they could handle knowing what a freak that made me

On the good side ... hubby has read some of my work and mmmmm well showed me his support of what I do He ,along with some of my fans thinks I should attempt at writing a book. We shall see.

 

[Guest]

How'd that go? I'm morbidly and nosily curious

Sweet, I'll repeat myself just for you. He's a drama and lit. prof., so very open-minded, in fact more than most would think. He appreciates my writing as writing. I spent my last vacation in Venice with him and a mutual friend (she taught Shakespeare to us both, at different times). Catholics have as much a span of Left and Right wings as anyone else and he's way past Left.

best, Perdita

 

[Guest]

Thanks Whisper, and yes you were right. There is a way to make the switch taking all the votes, reader counts etc. with you. My change is in the works. I just have to live with the confusion a short time longer. For anyone contemplating the same move, Literotica discourages name changes, but it is possible if adequately justified. It's impossible to accomplish it yourself, however. You have to go through a particular process with the Literotica techies.

And Perdita, it doesn't surprise me that you would find some Catholic monks and priests open minded about your craft. Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran priests have to be scholarly individuals, and could probably point out some hallowed chapter and verse that is quite erotic. I think the Christian clerics more likely to create a fuss are the ones who spend three months at Bible Camp to earn their dog collars.

 

[Black Tulip]

Re: I've done it!

I, but at least I am me again.

Good for you. Brave man Gary.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: I've done it!

Good for you. Brave man Gary.

Thanks Tulip, and thanks for the rose. If I had a cybersuit I'd wear it on my lapel. Have a kiss.

For the record though, I don't consider it brave. The way I see it, I'm not a sex criminal and I like to treat myself and others well, so I'm not ashamed of anything I do in the sexual arena. If I have to write erotica under a robot name to hide my identity, then maybe I shouldn't be writing erotica at all. I tried to use my real name when I first started at Literotica, but for some reason it didn't work. The robot name has been bothering me ever since, and when I read what Coly had to say I just decided that's it, I'm going to correct this problem now.

 

[Guest]

There's a difference between believing you're doing something wrong in writing erotica, and thinking everyone should know. America, at least, remains a very sexually repressed country, and some very nice people aren't at all comfortable with open expression of sexuality.

Really, i think a little discretion is simply a good way to not trouble people with things they aren't ready to handle. And to keep them listening to you so you can work on them indirectly.

Confrontation is not necessarily a very effective way to get pepole to open up. Sexuality, even written, remains something very intimate. Most people don't get aroused unless they're comfortable. I think that you need to make people comfortable with the idea of open sexuality first.

 

[Guest]

There's a difference between believing you're doing something wrong in writing erotica, and thinking everyone should know. America, at least, remains a very sexually repressed country, and some very nice people aren't at all comfortable with open expression of sexuality.

Really, i think a little discretion is simply a good way to not trouble people with things they aren't ready to handle. And to keep them listening to you so you can work on them indirectly.

Yes, T.M., I know and hereby retract any suggestion that everyone should use thier own name. There are good reasons why some people simply cannot. One lady explained, for example, that she works with kids and her employer might fire her if he found out she wrote erotica. For me it's different. I started writing for a living in about 1970, and have written for all kinds of publications under my own name, including so called porn rags. My reason for signing on Literotica was to make use of six stories that have been collecting dust for too long, and perhaps later to help promote a novel I'm working on. The latter purpose would not be served by my writing under a robot name.

As for the sexually repressed society, I agree with that too. There's a joke I like to annoy people with around Thanksgiving. I say this year I'm not having turkey unless it's in jail, because I intend to celebrate by going to W. Virginia, digging up a Puritan's bones, and hanging him from a lampost on a busy street. After all, they were only extreme religious terrorists escaping from Europe. The idea that they were fighting for religious freedom is nonsense, because they certainly didn't think twice about pressing their wacky views on others. As a result there is a streak of puritanism running just beneath the surface of North American society from the North Pole to the Rio Grande, and it may even colour the nature of Catholicism in Mexico.

 

[Black Tulip]

puritans

I know it's selfish but I wish they had all boarded back then. As it is, so many stayed behind that even the Netherlands have a Bible belt.

And a fairly common view is: life is not for fun and sex is only for procreation.