To Write While Aroused or Not?

[Mind_Visions]

Hello,


I'm new to the forum and have been writing erotica for myself for many years now. I recently decided that I would like to greatly improve my fiction writing (yes, it needs a lot of work!) and, if I can achieve that, maybe share some stories for others to hopefully enjoy. I'm happy to have found a writing forum that deals specifically with erotica.


I'm curious about how other authors deal with their own arousal while writing a story.


I usually start writing about an idea because it arouses me. That's the motivation - to bring the idea to life on paper which of course is sexually exciting. During this first draft I'm not interested in spelling or proper format. It's all about getting the gist of the idea down on paper and out of my mind (and of course, the titilation that results.)


Sometimes while writing this initial draft the idea is so hot, I will feel the need to "relieve the tension" if you know what I mean. But then I find that my motivation often dissipates quickly and I lose interest, at least for a while. On the other hand, there have been times where the story so captures my imagination (and libido) that even after release I am still interested, though not really aroused. That's when I will focus on the correct, technical aspects of producing a proper story.


Lately, I have been deliberately denying myself gratification, sometimes for days, in order to keep my motivation/excitement going so I can continue working on the story (and keep enjoying the process). It's somewhat uncomfortable but it keeps my interest sustained (when I'm able to do it). I think it might also help me write an actual story rather than just being a feverish brain dump.


It's somewhat of a chicken & egg dilemma. To write a story I need to be aroused but then the quality of the writing suffers. On the other hand, if I wait until I'm not aroused, I'm able to write a better story but then my motivation suffers.


Does anyone else have this issue or is it just me?


And if I'm not the only one who experiences this, how do you approach this pesky conundrum?

 

[Voboy]

That's how you know it's a good story. I don't make any special efforts to excite myself, but it's nice when it happens. More often than not I adjust myself and carry on.

Other times? I stop writing and take a break. "Take a break." Yeah. That's it.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

It depends. Sometimes I'm aroused, sometimes I'm not, however, more often than not, it's the arousal that finds me instead of me seeking it. If that happens, then it means I've connected with the manuscript, even if it's something I'm not into. My latest story is one in which I didn't find myself aroused, mostly because I did it as a way to practice epistolary fiction since it's a series of journal entries. I did it because I had my monthly fixation in writing something like it, so after nearly 10 years journaling, reading My Secret Life, and putting an entry for a challenge that was a microjournal with hourly entries, I took an old idea and wrote the experiment. The last thing I expected was a commenter saying it was the most erotic thing they've read in a long time. Compared to my other works, it's really tame, so it was an unexpected reaction.

Now, to be clear, I have ADHD, and one big challenge with it is getting aroused by words on a screen. I am prone to distraction, even with WYSIWYG word processors that are distraction-free for me (I still swear by Ghostwriter), so I'm always struggling to connect with the story. Nevertheless, even if I'm not aroused, I always make sure to get the job done.

Interestingly enough, it doesn't happen with handwriting. Because handwriting is much easier for me, I can easily find myself aroused by something I'm writing, once again, even if it's something I'm not into.

 

[RejectReality]

Muse the plot cold, write hot, edit cold is the way I usually go.

There's no one solution — even for an individual. Some of my favorite stories I wrote the first draft for in one sitting in a few hours. Some of my favorite stories took literally years from conception to final editing.

 

[Ssbbw4u1974]

I love writing when I'm aroused already. I love writing about my own fantasies, but I have my muses at times that tell me their fantasies, and I'll write a story accordingly.
That arouses me most...

 

[Zootonius]

My analogy is writing erotica is like voyeurism. The writer is the voyeur watching the protagonists. It's thrilling to watch, but if it gets too exiting you will stop watching. It's a balancing act.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Write at night, edit in the morning.

 

[PennyThompson]

Write at night, edit in the morning.

"Eugh what was I thinking, this is not as hot as it felt at 2am."

 

[ElectricBlue]

"Eugh what was I thinking, this is not as hot as it felt at 2am."

I generally have to pay significantly more attention to spelling and punctuation. If the right mood is upon me in the writing, I've taught myself to ignore fucked up auto-correct until morning.

I usually have to correct the tense, for I'm forever slipping into present tense when the sex scenes get really hot, then lapse back into past tense for the after play. I call this the Simon factor, because @SimonDoom is the only fucker who goes on about it.

What I do find, and people comment about it, is that the pace of my best scenes really catches the rise and fall of orgasmic sex, with the sentence structure falling apart and the beat and rhythm of the prose getting hectic. Even the bastard Simon commented on that, for one story. Based on that, I know he's a closet tense shuffler, but just hasn't admitted it yet .

 

[PennyThompson]

He finally gave me some Kinks songs to listen to, so he can't be all bad

 

[ElectricBlue]

He finally gave me some Kinks songs to listen to, so he can't be all bad

I don't tell him this, but he's one of the champs of the AH.

 

[Jorunn]

I have more often cried when writing my stories than gotten aroused. Tears of happy or sad in emotional parts, which I read over several times.

English is not my first language so sex scenes are a bit of an effort, which lessens intensity. I do get aroused at night thinking of stories and thinking of sex scenes, but those thoughts are in my native language. Night is a time when my head clears of distractions, and thoughts flow easier.

 

[HordHolm]

I used to write hot, but now I try my best to write cold instead. But that's just me. If the writing starts to make me hot, then I have the sense that it's working.

 

[Bazzle]

I find my stories continue if I like them.

If I'm not feeling them, then I tend to move on to something else I do like.

 

[XerXesXu]

I usually have to correct the tense, for I'm forever slipping into present tense when the sex scenes get really hot, then lapse back into past tense for the after play. I call this the Simon factor, because @SimonDoom is the only fucker who goes on about it.

The reason you change tense is because that's the natural way to tell a story. As we've discussed before, 'the vivid present' is a well-established and understood change of tense; you hear it all the time. The 'rule' that you shouldn't use it is just another false rule, like not splitting infinitives, made-up by someone lacking a full grasp of the richness of language.

 

[ElectricBlue]

The reason you change tense is because that's the natural way to tell a story. As we've discussed before, 'the vivid present' is a well-established and understood change of tense; you hear it all the time. The 'rule' that you shouldn't use it is just another false rule, like not splitting infinitives, made-up by someone lacking a full grasp of the richness of language.

"Vivid present" - I like that. And I agree - in my case, the gear shift is nearly always spontaneous and I only see it later, the next time I read it through. I'm less inclined to edit it out these days. The text stays raw, which suits erotica.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

"Vivid present" - I like that. And I agree - in my case, the gear shift is nearly always spontaneous and I only see it later, the next time I read it through. I'm less inclined to edit it out these days. The text stays raw, which suits erotica.

I noticed only recently that I do the same thing, but for all strong emotions, not just lust. In a scene I wrote just yesterday, it's relief that puts the story in present tense for a paragraph or three.

-Annie

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't find this to be an issue. I like to write about things that arouse me, but arousal doesn't get in the way of my writing, and I can write whether I'm aroused in the moment or not.

 

[AllenWoody]

I use the Woody Meter*. After writing for a while I step in front of the bathroom mirror and drop trou. If it's Magnificent then I keep writing. If it's Meh then perhaps it's time to do something else for a while.



*Not available in all markets

 

[SimonDoom]

What I do find, and people comment about it, is that the pace of my best scenes really catches the rise and fall of orgasmic sex, with the sentence structure falling apart and the beat and rhythm of the prose getting hectic. Even the bastard Simon commented on that, for one story. Based on that, I know he's a closet tense shuffler, but just hasn't admitted it yet .

I write stories with tense shifting in private. I don't share them. It makes me feel dirty, but there's a time and place for that.

 

[ronde]

I personally find it extremely to concentrate on words and punctuation when I'm aroused and even more difficult to type with just one hand.

 

[Erozetta]

My only issue with writing while aroused is that I start writing at midnight and all of a sudden it's 9 AM and I've forgotten to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom in all that time, and every muscle in my body aside from my arms are tense then they release all at once which creates a sudden rush of blood and a moment of lightheadedness. Hyperfocus can be intense.

 

[Voboy]

My only issue with writing while aroused is that I start writing at midnight and all of a sudden it's 9 AM and I've forgotten to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom in all that time, and every muscle in my body aside from my arms are tense then they release all at once which creates a sudden rush of blood and a moment of lightheadedness. Hyperfocus can be intense.

I can't do that anymore. Round-the-clock writing was something I used to do, but I just don't work like that these days.

Even better than arousing oneself while writing is arousing oneself while reading it back after it's done. Better still? Arousing oneself months or even years later, when revisiting your submissions.

 

[Mind_Visions]

Thank you everyone for your insights, they were very helpful. It was quite interesting to hear all the different perspectives on this topic. It's also nice to know that writing aroused or not seems to be very individual to the writer and that I'm not a complete oddball for the way I do it!

RejectReality's approach appeals to me: "Muse the plot cold, write hot, edit cold is the way I usually go." I think that will work for me and the way I've been writing.

I suppose it also depends on why you are writing the story too. How you approach the writing probably depends on whether you're writing for yourself or for others (i.e. to earn a living).

Thanks again!

 

[Erozetta]

I can't do that anymore. Round-the-clock writing was something I used to do, but I just don't work like that these days.

Even better than arousing oneself while writing is arousing oneself while reading it back after it's done. Better still? Arousing oneself months or even years later, when revisiting your submissions.

Err, that's not around the clock for me, that's just when I'm awake, lol. I work nightshifts and I keep those hours all the time.