Do you write about what you like? Or what you find interesting? Or something else?

[macymadison]

I am all over the place with what I write, however I can tell when it’s something that I am personally turned on by because of the tone it takes.

 

[SamScribble]

Everything I write is, to some degree, interesting - to me. If it wasn't, I'm not sure that I could be bothered writing it.

 

[RetroFan]

I think any author would struggle if they tried to write a story about a theme they actively disliked.

I am pretty versatile and my works very diverse in subjects, settings, themes and characters. But there is one genre I particularly dislike and that is the Western. I have never liked Westerns and if I tried to write a story set in the American West around the 1880s, I doubt I could write it effectively or finish it.

Ironically, I have included a plot in one story where a woman's very strange husband likes to secretly go to a brothel where he dresses up as a cowboy, and another set in 1930s Hollywood where they are filming a Western, but as for writing an actual Western, no way.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think any author would struggle if they tried to write a story about a theme they actively disliked.

I am pretty versatile and my works very diverse in subjects, settings, themes and characters. But there is one genre I particularly dislike and that is the Western. I have never liked Westerns and if I tried to write a story set in the American West around the 1880s, I doubt I could write it effectively or finish it.

Ironically, I have included a plot in one story where a woman's very strange husband likes to secretly go to a brothel where he dresses up as a cowboy, and another set in 1930s Hollywood where they are filming a Western, but as for writing an actual Western, no way.

I wonder about this. Many authors write books about murder, but I'm sure they don't like murder. Many authors write books about political leaders they despise. Some of those books have been very successful. I guess the question with erotica is whether you can write an effectively EROTIC story if you not only don't get turned on by the subject but get turned off by it. Will you be able as an author to convey the same sense of arousal and stimulation you could if the subject really turned you on? I don't know. I'm not easily turned off or squicked so it's not a big problem for me.

You might surprise yourself. Since you have an aptitude for writing about a wide variety of subjects, you might write an interesting Western, with your own unique spin, if you tried it. It might be a revisionist western. You might get enjoyment as an author skewering the usual Western cliches.

 

[yukonnights]

Much of what I have written in the past year has been either collaborative or in response to reader requests. Often, I will get an e-mail with a brief request like, "Hey, Lexx, could you write a Librarian-themed story?" or "I would love to see you try your hand at a daddy-daughter story. Maybe she's a lifeguard?"

I enjoy including them in the process. I will mull their request and send back a response, including a couple of paragraphs describing how I would approach such a story. If they like it, I keep rolling and send updates as I go. Often their feedback helps me write a story I would never have contemplated writing otherwise.

Everything I write and post on Literotica is done with an eye toward giving the readers of that category a story I think they will enjoy.

Ah, the readers. I didn't elaborate much on them. But I suppose we've all had the few who take more time to make contact. Usually they want me to write such and such a story. I tend to deflect the requests back to them and encourage that they can and should pick up the "pen" and write the story that's in their head. I offer my help in getting started, and hope they too can find a fulfilling creative outlet. It sometimes works, but not as often as I would like.

And how can we not love the comments about 'how lucky you are yukonnights'. I wish my wife could understand like yours does', etc. Really, what better praise could one offer the story than to think it was true life? (even I'm not sure I would be able to keep up if it were real life )

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Evelyn,

This not being a call centre, people here only answer questions when it pleases them. Most of us, I suspect, enjoy this - it makes us think. If you get tiresome, people will stop answering.

No longer being required by a boss or schoolmaster to write about things I find boring and not under contract to earn money with my scribblings, I of course only write about things which I find enjoyable or at least pleasent. No doubt many of them reflect my own quirks and kinks, although I have written some by request to reflect somebody else's fantasies.

Oh, welcome to our circle. Nice to have a fresh face here.

 

[SamScribble]

Evelyn,

... welcome to our circle. Nice to have a fresh face here.

Yes. What TarnishedPenny said. I was forgetting my manners. Put it down to too much food and wine at this time of the year.

 

[NotWise]

I think there are a lot of reason's to write a story. Liking the theme is only one of them.

I often write stories because they pose challenges. The theme was selected as a means to an end. I write some stories for the attention from readers. To that end, about a third of my stories are in I/T, but I have no personal interest in incest.

I can think of maybe four stories that I wrote mostly because I enjoyed the theme. One of them is very successful, and the rest are about as popular as the norm for the rest of my stories.

 

[EvelynEden]

Personally, I write what I would like to read. I also write some others because I know that people like those things.

I write mainly in Loving Wives, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Incest/Taboo. Although, I have dabbled in other categories.

I do use my extensive life experience to write what people would do in certain situations. I have no real experience in any of the categories I write in. I just try to tell a story that I would like to read and hope others will like to read the also. It's worked out okay so far.

That's awesome! Good on you for writing in Loving Wives too, I heard you needed really thick skin there! I want to try that category one day, but its a bit of a big fish to tackle at the moments. I... do not have thick skin

 

[EvelynEden]

About five years ago, I set out to write a story that became an attempted and eventually abandoned novel. It was a fantasy, grimdark Pirates of the Caribbean kind of thing. I was taking a swing for the fences with a story about religion, redemption, memory, and freedom. Unfortunately, the themes became super muddled, and ultimately the story tangled itself into a project that I lost interest in. About a year or so after I stopped working on it, George RR Martin released a preview chapter of his next ASOIAF novel, which was titled "The Forsaken." It was frustrating, as Martin's chapter of cosmic horror on the high seas felt like a very efficient take on many of the same concepts that I had been working on, and served as a nail in the coffin for my interest in finishing the project.

But in writing that, I realized there was a lot I didn't know about. So I researched many things. Piracy, 18th century mercantilism, extinct tribal religions, actions of mostly European explorers making contact with isolated tribes, and boats, boats, boats. Most important? The various wretched slave trades, their lingering after effects and how persons of supposed moral standing justified their acceptance of these practices. I knew a little about it, but taking a deep dive into its horrors was a worthwhile and important endeavor all the same.

Wow! That's quite impressive actually! That's a huge tackle, takes a lot of guts to wrangle a story like that with so many moving pieces. And the information you would of had to learn... good one! Maybe one day you could use that knowledge and create another project that you find tugs at your interests? Who knows, but either way, good luck

 

[EvelynEden]

I write the themes I like, but also I write for readers.

For instance, I enjoy reading incest stories and it's the most popular category. But if there were little readers there, I wouldn't write it as much.

On the flip side, I love writing BDSM stories, but sadly there aren't many readers there anymore, so I write less there.

Ahh, that's really interesting about the BDSM category not holding as many viewers... I wonder why? You've piked my curiosity lol.

 

[EvelynEden]

I am all over the place with what I write, however I can tell when it’s something that I am personally turned on by because of the tone it takes.

Yeah, I totally get you there! Sometimes I can tell when my fingers are flying across the keyboard at an inhuman pace lol

 

[EvelynEden]

Everything I write is, to some degree, interesting - to me. If it wasn't, I'm not sure that I could be bothered writing it.

Totally get that. It can be a real struggle if there's not one thing you enjoy about the piece. A real struggle.

 

[EvelynEden]

I think any author would struggle if they tried to write a story about a theme they actively disliked.

I am pretty versatile and my works very diverse in subjects, settings, themes and characters. But there is one genre I particularly dislike and that is the Western. I have never liked Westerns and if I tried to write a story set in the American West around the 1880s, I doubt I could write it effectively or finish it.

Ironically, I have included a plot in one story where a woman's very strange husband likes to secretly go to a brothel where he dresses up as a cowboy, and another set in 1930s Hollywood where they are filming a Western, but as for writing an actual Western, no way.

Mm, I definitely see what you mean. For me, if I have completely no interest in a subject, then I don't dedicate any time to learning about it, at all. Like sports (sorry) so the prospect of me writing a piece very heavily influenced by sport, it wouldn't be a lot of fun for me, at all. I would have to learn enough about the subject to not get my head bitten off in the comments... and really, who needs that kinda stress? haha

 

[EvelynEden]

Ah, the readers. I didn't elaborate much on them. But I suppose we've all had the few who take more time to make contact. Usually they want me to write such and such a story. I tend to deflect the requests back to them and encourage that they can and should pick up the "pen" and write the story that's in their head. I offer my help in getting started, and hope they too can find a fulfilling creative outlet. It sometimes works, but not as often as I would like.

And how can we not love the comments about 'how lucky you are yukonnights'. I wish my wife could understand like yours does', etc. Really, what better praise could one offer the story than to think it was true life? (even I'm not sure I would be able to keep up if it were real life )

Aww, that's a lovely spin on it! Who knows, maybe you influenced some future writers!

 

[EvelynEden]

Evelyn,

This not being a call centre, people here only answer questions when it pleases them. Most of us, I suspect, enjoy this - it makes us think. If you get tiresome, people will stop answering.

No longer being required by a boss or schoolmaster to write about things I find boring and not under contract to earn money with my scribblings, I of course only write about things which I find enjoyable or at least pleasent. No doubt many of them reflect my own quirks and kinks, although I have written some by request to reflect somebody else's fantasies.

Oh, welcome to our circle. Nice to have a fresh face here.

Aww, thank you so much! What a lovely thing to say You really put my mind at ease

Wow, that's great! I wonder- if you're inclined to answer- what was one of the most interesting, or maybe challenging reader requests?

 

[EvelynEden]

Yes. What TarnishedPenny said. I was forgetting my manners. Put it down to too much food and wine at this time of the year.

Hahah aww thank you! Good to be here

 

[EvelynEden]

I think there are a lot of reason's to write a story. Liking the theme is only one of them.

I often write stories because they pose challenges. The theme was selected as a means to an end. I write some stories for the attention from readers. To that end, about a third of my stories are in I/T, but I have no personal interest in incest.

I can think of maybe four stories that I wrote mostly because I enjoyed the theme. One of them is very successful, and the rest are about as popular as the norm for the rest of my stories.

Ahh, that's very interesting! Yes, I heard that I/T was a popular category. It's not something I am personally interested in, but id love to give it a crack. Thanks for commenting

 

[BelleCanzuto]

My question: Why do you write the particular themes you do?
Is it because it is a theme/category/situation that you yourself like?
Or is there another reason? Maybe you write a certain category because that's what you know, maybe you write it in an effort to understand, maybe even to challenge yourself into writing about something you have no interest in?

Since this is kinda a personal question, I'm just going to answer first and read later.
(This also sort of answers your "why do you write" question, for me)
Erotica, here, is the only fiction I've ever written. I write a lot at work, but that's a whole different ball of wax. I just started writing here in March of 2019, and if someone had asked me in March of 2018 if I thought I could write a story, I'd've laughed my ass off.

The first few stories I wrote (and there aren't that many anyway) were written versions of stories I told myself for, er, fun. So those, and that category, I write because that's what *I* enjoy. It's my kink, as it were. Which is not to say that I get to play around that way in real life, because my life is waaaaayyy more boring that some of the old fogies who rule the roost here.

After those stories got submitted, more ideas kept bubbling up. I've written for a few different categories now, but there are definitely consistent themes in most of my stories. I haven't written a story to try something difficult, or just for the exercise.

So, it's fair to say that so far I'm writing what I enjoy, because that's what I have a feel for. But I've also modified some things to give them a little broader or different appeal. I have a few very dark stories that I'm writing that I'm not sure i'll ever attempt to submit. I'm ok with that.

Maybe after I've been doing this a while, i'll try branching out into other categories that don't have such resonance for me. But I'm still really new at this, and so I'm taking my time.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

EE - PM sent.

 

[gnawdol]

Its about me

Everything I write is at its foundation autobiographical. I usually change the names though. I also write to arouse myself. The way I arouse myself is that I start with a scene or a experience that I had but at some point I take the story in a direction that I wish it had gone but didn’t or I expand on what I experienced. I also like to expand the narrative to include the descriptions of how I felt both emotionally and physically in the sex act and the foreplay leading up to it.

My stories are usually in a setting I like or have been at such as a cottage on a remote beach, romantic getaway, hotel in a city or a cabin in the woods. The protagonist in the story is always me although I have a different name. The object of my affection may be a female coworker or a guy that I have met somewhere or friend or neighbor I fantasize about.

I am bisexual and have had trysts with men and women. They are often the subjects in my stories. I have 3 mostly completed novels that are all approximately 120,000 words. They are sequels.

 

[EvelynEden]

Since this is kinda a personal question, I'm just going to answer first and read later.
(This also sort of answers your "why do you write" question, for me)
Erotica, here, is the only fiction I've ever written. I write a lot at work, but that's a whole different ball of wax. I just started writing here in March of 2019, and if someone had asked me in March of 2018 if I thought I could write a story, I'd've laughed my ass off.

The first few stories I wrote (and there aren't that many anyway) were written versions of stories I told myself for, er, fun. So those, and that category, I write because that's what *I* enjoy. It's my kink, as it were. Which is not to say that I get to play around that way in real life, because my life is waaaaayyy more boring that some of the old fogies who rule the roost here.

After those stories got submitted, more ideas kept bubbling up. I've written for a few different categories now, but there are definitely consistent themes in most of my stories. I haven't written a story to try something difficult, or just for the exercise.

So, it's fair to say that so far I'm writing what I enjoy, because that's what I have a feel for. But I've also modified some things to give them a little broader or different appeal. I have a few very dark stories that I'm writing that I'm not sure i'll ever attempt to submit. I'm ok with that.

Maybe after I've been doing this a while, i'll try branching out into other categories that don't have such resonance for me. But I'm still really new at this, and so I'm taking my time.

I think that's really a fantastic way to go. Writing what you enjoy can be so enthralling, and I don't think there's a huge reason to step away from that until you've come to the point where you are looking for something different. I started on here when I was 18, and my stories then were kinda exploring the dangerous excitement of writing erotica for the first time. I've floated in over the years to check things out and maybe add another story or two, but now I've started to play with a few different things. Not sure how people will take it, but it's all just a bit of fun really isn't it?

 

[EvelynEden]

Everything I write is at its foundation autobiographical. I usually change the names though. I also write to arouse myself. The way I arouse myself is that I start with a scene or a experience that I had but at some point I take the story in a direction that I wish it had gone but didn’t or I expand on what I experienced. I also like to expand the narrative to include the descriptions of how I felt both emotionally and physically in the sex act and the foreplay leading up to it.

My stories are usually in a setting I like or have been at such as a cottage on a remote beach, romantic getaway, hotel in a city or a cabin in the woods. The protagonist in the story is always me although I have a different name. The object of my affection may be a female coworker or a guy that I have met somewhere or friend or neighbor I fantasize about.

I am bisexual and have had trysts with men and women. They are often the subjects in my stories. I have 3 mostly completed novels that are all approximately 120,000 words. They are sequels.

That's pretty amazing really. I never even thought about writing in that way. It must be a really great way to write, sort through things via your stories. Really exciting!!

 

[HeyAll]

Ahh, that's really interesting about the BDSM category not holding as many viewers... I wonder why? You've piked my curiosity lol.

In my opinion, most of the stories in BDSM aren't very good.

Either that or they're too short and/or not enough character development to keep stories interesting. Most stories are quickies about random submission, where the submission has already happened (ie pre-existing relationships, serving a master, etc...)

In all categories, stories with some level of plot and build-up are the most popular. That's what people want out of erotica.

So I guess that's why people stopped going there for the most part. But there are a few popular stories every now and then.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I wonder about this. Many authors write books about murder, but I'm sure they don't like murder. Many authors write books about political leaders they despise. Some of those books have been very successful. I guess the question with erotica is whether you can write an effectively EROTIC story if you not only don't get turned on by the subject but get turned off by it. Will you be able as an author to convey the same sense of arousal and stimulation you could if the subject really turned you on? I don't know. I'm not easily turned off or squicked so it's not a big problem for me.

Unless you're churning out erotica for a living I'm inclined to think there is a slightly different dynamic going on when it comes to writing for arousal.

I think you can usually spot when a writer's heart (insert organ of choice here) is not quite in it with regard to their subject matter - or maybe put it another way - you can usually tell when the subject matter really floats their boat. It's an intangible thing, hard to identify exactly what it is when a writer's mojo is rising, but sometimes you can almost feel the heat in the words used, the intimacies collected, and you know, you just know, "Yep, this person's big on this ol' kink."

When that heat's not there you can spot the formulas, spot the cliches - sure, they "work" but I reckon something goes missing in action. With my writing, for example, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to spot the characters who really move mountains for me - I'm pretty sure the clue is in the way I write the character.

There's a "something" that comes across - and I don't think writers always know what it is. But when it's not there, you know. You can always spot the fake, I reckon.