Have you ever felt that you were too good for erotica?

[MathGirl]

Bad company

The only time I sort of wonder is when I see a story of the, "I kiked down the dor and cammed in her fase" genre.

When I see one of mine next to that sort of thing, I sometimes have second thoughts about it. This isn't an edited publication, though, and it isn't meant to be.

I just hope people can take each writer on his/her own merits and that we're not tainted by the few clinkers.

MG

 

[Sabledrake]

I have struggled with the question Earl brought up. A lot of people have asked me why I "lower" myself, why I "waste" my talent writing smut. Somehow, the answer "I enjoy it, and judging by the responses I get from my readers, I seem to be good at it," never seems to satisfy them. They act as though I am spitting in my muse's eye when I craft a bit of naughtiness.

Admittedly, I view the erotic stories and fanfiction I write as more of a hobby, a way to relax when not working on the next book. Thus, I'm a little more casual about them in terms of edits and revisions. Not because they are less deserving of it in any way, but because I'm doing this for fun, and not for the stress and aggravation I get when I'm editing for publication.

Sabledrake

 

[jon.hayworth]

Just a final thought about people's attitudes to writing erotica.

I belong to a small arts group, many of the members who are writers, write and self-publish poetry. Last year at the AGM they asked me to be treasurer - not a post I wanted - to put everything on the level I told them most of what I wrote was erotica.

Most lifted their heads and looked down their noses at me. This angered me, so I added words to the effect that I must be doing something right because my stories had nearly 250,000 hits. Those eyes turned green with envy. I also know I have earned more than most (and maybe all) of them from my writing in the past year.

Do I feel I am wasting my talents as a writer? No! Do I want to broaden my horizons and write other work than erotica? Yes! I do not think that these two things are exclusive.

If you feel that erotica is a literary genre as worthy of recognition as any other genre, then not admitting writing it contributes to keeping it down.

Writing Romance used to be low status, some "high" literary critics would no doubt still denigrate the genre, but in common with erotica it entertains large numbers of people, spreading a little joy and happiness. To be able to say I brought joy and happiness to someone's life, (even if only very temporarily) should be something to be proud of.

jon

 

[NorthwestRain]

Should I start selling tickets here?
Oh, you guys have it covered, yeah, cool. No probs.
I'll just go over here and throw my guts up over the display of 'look at me, oh, I'm so great. Oh wow!'
Get over yourselves. You ain't that frickin' good.

 

[Guest]

Should I start selling tickets here?
Oh, you guys have it covered, yeah, cool. No probs.
I'll just go over here and throw my guts up over the display of 'look at me, oh, I'm so great. Oh wow!'
Get over yourselves. You ain't that frickin' good.

Hmmmm - who shit in your punchbowl??

 

[Guest]

Profuse apologies here, but as I just checked out your stories I must add to my previous post with -

and who PISSED in your swimming pool?

 

[Guest]

Profuse apologies here, but as I just checked out your stories I must add to my previous post with -

and who PISSED in your swimming pool?

_______



And now, that we're all fully evacuated . . .

 

[NoJo]

Re: Bad company

The only time I sort of wonder is when I see a story of the, "I kiked down the dor and cammed in her fase" genre.
MG

Can you provide a link to this story, please.

 

[MathGirl]

Linque

Can you provide a link to this story, please.

Link, hell. That's the whole story.

 

[Guest]

_______



And now, that we're all fully evacuated . . .

Flush.

 

[Guest]

Errr, wipe first.

 

[Guest]

Errr, wipe first.

____

But those with golden-shower-dribble fetish, now's your chance.

 

[Guest]

____

But those with golden-shower-dribble fetish, now's your chance.

Now how the hell did this all get started???

Oh, wait, I remember. My bad!

 

[astuffedshirt_perv]

I'm with you, Earl.

But I'm cranky also, so in response to posters whould might have accused you of thinking that writing erotica is something dirty, hole-in-the-cornerish:

Duh, it is dirty. That is what distingusihes it from things that are normal, aka open writing. NO ONE seeks out literotica for good prose. We seek it for dirty stories that we can't typically find in a normal publication.

Fuck stories are easy to write--but how do you set the table? That is where I am trying to hone my skills (insert schmear here). Plus, since I retain copyright, I can reuse my scenes later if needed. More disconcerting is the acute knowledge that to score big (if you care about that stuff), you have to get to the 'porkin' sooner rather than later and must abandon certain aspects of char. dev. Finally, although people may read the our story, we rarely get substantitive feedback. But in the end, porno is fun and easy to write. i am just happy that the occasional "I like your story" feedback means someone likes what I wrote.

What I really find disturbing is that once I write a story, I no longer find the fantasy sexy, I now focus on refining the story. sigh.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Have you ever felt that you were too good for erotica?

Nope. And I've got nine Lit submission as evidence of why not. If I ever did start feeling like that, I'd just look at my latest post, and chant "WWKMSATS" or "What Would KillerMuffin Say About This Story?" It that thought doesn't knock any latent hubris out of your system, nothing will.

Rumple "now a Guru and so proud I could plotz" Foreskin

 

[Pookie]

Originally posted by astuffedshirt_perv
NO ONE seeks out literotica for good prose. We seek it for dirty stories that we can't typically find in a normal publication.

I seek out Literotica (and other sites) for "good erotic prose". You seem to be insinuating that "good prose" and "dirty stories" (I prefer to call them "erotic stories") can't be associated together. I've found some excellent "good prose" right here at Literotica. And so, YES, I do seek out literotica for good prose ... and I won't accept anything less to read. That is the beauty of the "Back button".

Fuck stories are easy to write--

Obviously, you have never written one ... or at least a good one if you believe that. Again, I'm defining "fuck stories" as "erotic stories". Have you written a "good" erotic story??

More disconcerting is the acute knowledge that to score big (if you care about that stuff), you have to get to the 'porkin' sooner rather than later and must abandon certain aspects of char. dev.

I have found that authors who don't abandon character and plot development score very big. It's easy to get jaded here at Literotica because of the large number of novice writers that post vignettes of their fantasies. Take a look around here and at other places and you will find that the most admired and followed authors of erotica spend quite a bit of time doing just what you say they abandon, and score quite well with readers.

Finally, although people may read the our story, we rarely get substantitive feedback. But in the end, porno is fun and easy to write. i am just happy that the occasional "I like your story" feedback means someone likes what I wrote.

You may not get substantive feedback, but I get quite a lot of it. I know other authors that do as well. These are authors that take writing erotica/porn seriously.

Also, if you think erotica/porn is easy to write, then IMO you are not taking it seriously. Don't damn those that do write erotica, just because you don't care to take it seriously. I don't care for a number of genres, but I don't flip them off because of my lack of interest.

In some ways, "good" erotic stories are harder to write than what you refer to as stories you "typically find in a normal publication". Try writing some "good" erotic stories, and you will see what I mean. I don't claim to be a writer of "good" erotic stories, but I'm striving to be one, just as much as someone who is striving to be a good writer of stories that you "typically find in a normal publication".


Pookie

 

[MathGirl]

Obviously, you have never written one ... or at least a good one if you believe that. Again, I'm defining "fuck stories" as "erotic stories". Have you written a "good" erotic story??
Pookie

Personally, I just write medium-grade smut. It saves a whole lot of agonizing and pontificating. I have to keep it simple.
MG

 

[TheEarl]

Personally, I just write medium-grade smut. It saves a whole lot of agonizing and pontificating. I have to keep it simple.
MG

LOL like it MG.

The Earl

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Hmmm... I don't think I've ever written a pure jerk-off story. On the other hand, I haven't bothered putting enough effort into any of my stories to make them Dickens-level Literature either.

I think it would be as hard for me to write a 100% smut-story, as it would be to write a 40-chapter-literary Masterpiece.

Maybe that would be a contest in itself? "Who can write the smuttiest smut?"

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Then again, Nascar would probably beat us all...

 

[SlickTony]

With the exception of my Lot series, all the stories I have put out here have been part of a series that did not start out as erotica.

And if writing erotica, at least good erotica, were that damn easy, my 8th story would be up already.

 

[daisie]

Whenever I produce a scene that I'm really proud of, the same thought always goes through my mind: Am I sure I want to waste this on erotica?

The question is not, are you too good for erotica, but are you too marketable for erotica?

I write for a living, and my career is at the kind of precarious point where I get to choose what I'm known for. It's not good for a serious writing career to be known as a writer of erotica.

My compromise has been to write fantastic sex scenes in my commercial fiction.



D

 

[SlickTony]

My compromise has been to write fantastic sex scenes in my commercial fiction.

Considering the really lame sex scenes one sees in mainstream literature, they ought to at least contract them out to us.

 

[lobito]

believe me, I wish I WAS too good for erotica, but sadly I'm not.