Why Do YOU Write on Literotica and What Do YOU get out of it?

[Carmina24]

Why do I write on Literotica?
Because the ideas don’t ask—they demand.
They simmer in my head, pulse beneath my skin, until the only way to breathe freely is to set them loose on the page.

What do I get from it?
Release—the exhale I didn’t know I was holding.
Triumph—that moment when the words land just right.
Completion—not perfection, but wholeness.
The story existed in fragments before.
Now, it stands.
And so do I.

 

[OddLove]

My original motivation was that I just like to make characters with tons of issues, then I keep making their life better and better until they're on top of the world.

One of the things that keeps me addicted to writing is the little bursts of intense joy I get when I accidently write something good, whether it be funny, intense, dramatic, satisfying etc

 

[MK_Whimsy]

My aim in writing here has mainly been to explore a bunch of unusual ideas that have been simmering in the back of my mind and crudely shove them out into the ether. I'd like to think this can be momentarily cathartic for me, as well as maybe make me a better writer.

 

[lucy_anne21]

I write because I love it. I find the process relaxing, and I hope that anyone who reads my articles enjoys them as well. It is difficult to fit the time into my schedule, with work, and studying, but I manage somehow.

I’m a member of a writing club at university, so I’m trying to improve my efforts by learning from the other members, although of course I don’t share the essay’s with them, that I submit to lit.

However, the sense of achievement I feel when I complete an article and propose it pleases me immensely.

Lucy.

 

[LittleGreene]

I write for myself firstly. I’d written stories for a few years on and off, had sent them to my husband when he was away with work. It was his suggestion I post a couple here.
But ultimately I find the act of writing scenarios very arousing.

 

[onehitwanda]

Why do I write on Literotica? Simple...



In all seriousness, though:

I cut my teeth on star-wars lesbian slash fanfiction featuring Revan and Bastilla Shan from "Knights of the Old Republic". I'm not proud, but people seemed to enjoy my writing. I'd discovered Lit somewhere along the way, and enjoyed the works of Pacofear (who for the longest time I used to think of as Pacobear, because my mind is weird that way). "Words on Skin" unlocked something in me; I looked at a lot of top-list stuff in I/T (my kink at the time) and was... I don't know, unfulfilled? There wasn't enough story to many of them for me. So I challenged myself, I guess - the old, proud "I bet I could do better."

Somehow, it seems, I could. I wrote "Alexis" in a few evenings after work; the entire genesis of it was an image of a blonde girl backlit by sunlight, and... well. Here we are. I was young, and the story has numerous flaws, but people loved it. That was the start. I learned a few things, got better... or at least, better at flying by the seat of my pants. I love wordplay, I'm awfully pungnacious. I love dandling a sentence on my knee and getting the exact phrasing that conjures the scene that I wanted to...

Time's rushed on, though.

I'm very different to the thirty-three year old girl who wrote that. I'm older, slower, got more scars. As one of my idols, Margaret Ogden, put it - "The animal is tired" and the world is greyer and has more shadows around the edges of things. I worry; I worry about the people I love, about their children who I adore who are growing up in this world that feels so intent on tearing itself apart. Galadriel's warning that "Your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife." has never felt more apt.

Writing is catharsis; I write here as an outlet. I write about young girls, and their heartaches. And as I write I remember the stupid young girl I was and all the time I wasted chasing things and people who I thought would fix me. I'd be the first to admit that I love being popular for something (at last, right? Fuck each and every one of you, VGHS class of 96) and the slow trickle of comments on past stories is sometimes needed far more than I wish it were. Would I write if nobody was there to see? Perhaps, but the stories would be very different. Writing gets scenes out of my mind - good ones, and bad ones. If my writing makes people feel, and wipe their eyes, and go and hug someone they love... well, that's a good thing, and the world could do with more of that.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I cut my teeth on star-wars lesbian slash fanfiction featuring Revan and Bastilla Shan from "Knights of the Old Republic".

Finally, something that suits my tastes. But where did you publish it?

 

[onehitwanda]

Finally, something that suits my tastes. But where did you publish it?

KotorFanMedia, which died many years ago. Not even the Internet Wayback Machine has it any more. It's for the best.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

My original motivation was that I just like to make characters with tons of issues, then I keep making their life better and better until they're on top of the world.

One of the things that keeps me addicted to writing is the little bursts of intense joy I get when I accidently write something good, whether it be funny, intense, dramatic, satisfying etc

My husband asked me why I write on Lit. Because it's fun! Most of the people on here are wonderful folks. Even getting hit on, I've never had anyone persist after I tell them that's not why I'm here. And I can't tell these stories anywhere else, certainly can't sell them! They've been filling my head for my entire life, and I jumped at the chance when I found a place they could be posted and appreciated. (well, jumped at the chance after I over-analyzed it for a couple of years.)

Have you ever had a day where you know that at the end of the day, there is a special dessert waiting for you? Something you don't get anywhere near as often as you'd like? That is the feeling I get when I know a story is waiting to be written. And sitting down and working on it is like enjoying that special dessert.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

Why do I write on Literotica? Simple...

View attachment 2554550

In all seriousness, though:

I cut my teeth on star-wars lesbian slash fanfiction featuring Revan and Bastilla Shan from "Knights of the Old Republic". I'm not proud, but people seemed to enjoy my writing. I'd discovered Lit somewhere along the way, and enjoyed the works of Pacofear (who for the longest time I used to think of as Pacobear, because my mind is weird that way). "Words on Skin" unlocked something in me; I looked at a lot of top-list stuff in I/T (my kink at the time) and was... I don't know, unfulfilled? There wasn't enough story to many of them for me. So I challenged myself, I guess - the old, proud "I bet I could do better."

Somehow, it seems, I could. I wrote "Alexis" in a few evenings after work; the entire genesis of it was an image of a blonde girl backlit by sunlight, and... well. Here we are. I was young, and the story has numerous flaws, but people loved it. That was the start. I learned a few things, got better... or at least, better at flying by the seat of my pants. I love wordplay, I'm awfully pungnacious. I love dandling a sentence on my knee and getting the exact phrasing that conjures the scene that I wanted to...

Time's rushed on, though.

I'm very different to the thirty-three year old girl who wrote that. I'm older, slower, got more scars. As one of my idols, Margaret Ogden, put it - "The animal is tired" and the world is greyer and has more shadows around the edges of things. I worry; I worry about the people I love, about their children who I adore who are growing up in this world that feels so intent on tearing itself apart. Galadriel's warning that "Your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife." has never felt more apt.

Writing is catharsis; I write here as an outlet. I write about young girls, and their heartaches. And as I write I remember the stupid young girl I was and all the time I wasted chasing things and people who I thought would fix me. I'd be the first to admit that I love being popular for something (at last, right? Fuck each and every one of you, VGHS class of 96) and the slow trickle of comments on past stories is sometimes needed far more than I wish it were. Would I write if nobody was there to see? Perhaps, but the stories would be very different. Writing gets scenes out of my mind - good ones, and bad ones. If my writing makes people feel, and wipe their eyes, and go and hug someone they love... well, that's a good thing, and the world could do with more of that.

You wrote: " I love wordplay, I'm awfully pungnacious."

I ... think I see what you did, there ...

 

[Nynah]

I cut my teeth on star-wars lesbian slash fanfiction featuring Revan and Bastilla Shan from "Knights of the Old Republic".

Okay but... inquiring minds want to know... did you bother with KotOR II and if so, which 'ship are you sailing there?

 

[onehitwanda]

Okay but... inquiring minds want to know... did you bother with KotOR II and if so, which 'ship are you sailing there?

Kotor II and I have a... complicated... relationship. I don't agree with most of the premise behind it, and Kreia pissed me off. I never finished it, whereas I replayed Kotor over and over and over because I was so in love with Jennifer Hale's voice.

 

[caleb35]

I write on Literotica because I've been coming here almost daily for the better part of two decades. I write here because I don't know of a better online erotica forum where I can post my works. As for what I get out of it, I get a chance to stretch myself creatively; a chance to reawaken those old dormant writing skills; a chance to explore my imagination and fantasies; a chance to share my works where other people can experience them. I get out of it the chance to call myself a writer in even some small part.

 

[experimental_ficiton]

I write on Literotica because I wanted to put my writing out there, and I also wanted to push myself to keep creating and writing, even if it's just a hobby. I used to be afraid to do anything with my writing because what if someone found out? Now I'm older and I don't care anymore. I was the same way with my art too, always trying to be safe, but that got me nowhere. The world is burning, and I'm too old to care if people judge me for being horny anymore.

 

[Melody_Lightdraft2]

I've been asked about this - and about my reaction to stories with low view counts and is it worth writing when you only get a few k views, and I did put some thinking into this. I'd be interested to hear what yu all think about this one too?

For myself - some of my stories have low views for the effort I put in - my last 3 Jeong Park chapters have about 10k views each - but they score 6.5 / 4.7 / 4.7 - the readers of Jeong that are following the story love them, but I think it's down to dedicated fans now - which I don't mind at all because I'm pretty sure at this stage those are dedicated readers - and 10k ain't bad. My absolutely lowest view is a short sci-fi story that was written for an invitation-only event and again, I dn't worry about it - it was fun to write and the story was something that I wanted to write.

Well over half my stories have less than 50k views but again, a lot of them were semi-experimental and me trying out new things or a different genre so again, I don't worry about it- I treat Literotica as a learning curve and somewhere to try things out and if it doesn't work, I try and figure out why and use it as a learning experience.

It's funny because it was a lot of my earlier stories that get the 60k-100k views. The ones between 100-200k views are a bit of a mixed bag.

I only have 4 stories with more than 200k views each - and those and a couple of the 100k+ ones are the ones I am focusing on redoing to self-publish - that combo of views and ratings is how I prioritize if I am going to do anyhing else with them. The rest are just fun and to learn from. LOL

All of that said, I joined Literoticas and started posting stories here as a "learn to write and see if readers like my stories" exercise. Getting a novel published by a mainstream publisher is a diabolically hard exercise and you have to get thru the filters to even be seriously considered - and erotica is almost impossible to do that with. What Literotica was for me was a trial run - do readers like my stories? Turned out they did, but it also turned out my early writing was pretty crappy to start with - you're much better in your head than you turn out to be on the display or on paper to start woth LOL - which is why you see so many crap Kindle ebooks that are self-published. Ego overrides skills - and a lot of kindle writers just churn out crap and I didn't want to go there so instead of adding to the crap I used Literotica to develop and hone my writing - and got it to where a small erotica publisher approached me (back in 2018) and a fairly well-known published sci-fi author asked me to co-write a novel with him back a couple of years ago (I still have to write that one). So as an approach, it worked for me.

So my approach is, disregard the views and the ratings and just write for myself and to develop my writing skills - too many writers on Lit don't focus on that part of it because it doesn't interest them and it's not their priority and nothing at all wrng with that- they are writing to get the stories and fantasies in their heads out and read, without worrying about improving because they have n real interest in being published or whatever - we all have our own reasons for writing and for publishing them here on Lit

Whereas MY aim longer term is to self publish and publish and go commercial and maybe even make a livimg out of it if I can. I'd love to do that - so I have an objective, the focus, and a plan to get there - and I see Literotica as my training ground, with Laurel and Manu providing me with millions of readers to try my stuff out on and it doesn't cost me a thing except my time. From that POV, I dont worry about views - I write to learn and to entertain readers and I experiment all the time with stories, genre, subject, and I try to learn from each story I write.

To start with the big thing I had to tackle was dialog and characterization - and then hooks - those hooks are a big thing - you have 50 words to hook a reader, and then you need to keep reeling them in and jerking the hook tighter with each chapter. My aim is to make a story un put downable. When I get a comment saying I stayed up until 5am because I couldn't put it down, THAT is a winner for me. Now I'm into plot and plotting which has always been a toughie for me. My stories are very linear and not at all complex. I probably won't change that too much but understanding plot and story structure and things like that really helps - when I starrted it was sort of instinctive because I read so much and I guess I just absorbed it, but it helps to know all the theoretical underpinnings - and now I have 2 shelves in one ff my bookcases on writing. All sorts of subjects, and they're quite useful. I have 3 or 4 books on revisions LOL. Synrax. Structyure (even grammar and speling LOL). Dialog. Characterization. Plotting,

So when I started on Lit, I already had a goal and 10 years later I am waaaay closer to being there - and the only thing slowing me down is my own innate ability to procrastinate LOL. Literotica's been everything I wanted and just writing here has helped me so much along my path, as has the encouragement and help of a lot of people here on the AH as well as my readers.

So what do you want to achieve and where do you want to go and how is Literotica going to help you get there.

Myself, I love the huge #'s of readers - any story will find an audience here, and they're readers who WANT to read erotica - so unlike Amazon, for example, a lot of audience filtering has already been done for us. So even what we might think of as a paltryt 6k or 7k views translates into thousands of readers who took the time to read our story. I think the stats say the average book only sells about 1200 copies, so putting aside that Lit is free, 6-7k views is ALREADY thousands of readers ahead of where the average book is on Amazon.

Readers generally translated into followers, and what I've found myself is that for the few things I have published, a lot of Literotica readers have followed across to Amazon and THAT translates into sales. Hasn't made my fortune and I'm not retiring on it but it's paying fr the coffee. LOL

So what's your take? What are YOU using Literotica for?

I think it stems from that fact that while five years of Creative Writing classes helped me develop, Erotic Fantasy was not the sort of thing you could read out or submit in a Zoom class. It got to the stage where I would submit stories to my tutor to vet before they were released for the class to read, and yes it was a case of knowing how far I could push the line. She only commented once that one story was porn, but it's how we learn.
I did however have a male tutor that did provide private feedback which was helpful with the intimate moment between a Centaur colt, and more experienced Centauride filly. His take was, "a sensitive subject handled with care, and understanding."
Like you, I find Literotica a sounding board for story ideas.

 

[SebastianHolt]

I've been asked about this - and about my reaction to stories with low view counts and is it worth writing when you only get a few k views, and I did put some thinking into this. I'd be interested to hear what yu all think about this one too?

For myself - some of my stories have low views for the effort I put in - my last 3 Jeong Park chapters have about 10k views each - but they score 6.5 / 4.7 / 4.7 - the readers of Jeong that are following the story love them, but I think it's down to dedicated fans now - which I don't mind at all because I'm pretty sure at this stage those are dedicated readers - and 10k ain't bad. My absolutely lowest view is a short sci-fi story that was written for an invitation-only event and again, I dn't worry about it - it was fun to write and the story was something that I wanted to write.

Well over half my stories have less than 50k views but again, a lot of them were semi-experimental and me trying out new things or a different genre so again, I don't worry about it- I treat Literotica as a learning curve and somewhere to try things out and if it doesn't work, I try and figure out why and use it as a learning experience.

It's funny because it was a lot of my earlier stories that get the 60k-100k views. The ones between 100-200k views are a bit of a mixed bag.

I only have 4 stories with more than 200k views each - and those and a couple of the 100k+ ones are the ones I am focusing on redoing to self-publish - that combo of views and ratings is how I prioritize if I am going to do anyhing else with them. The rest are just fun and to learn from. LOL

All of that said, I joined Literoticas and started posting stories here as a "learn to write and see if readers like my stories" exercise. Getting a novel published by a mainstream publisher is a diabolically hard exercise and you have to get thru the filters to even be seriously considered - and erotica is almost impossible to do that with. What Literotica was for me was a trial run - do readers like my stories? Turned out they did, but it also turned out my early writing was pretty crappy to start with - you're much better in your head than you turn out to be on the display or on paper to start woth LOL - which is why you see so many crap Kindle ebooks that are self-published. Ego overrides skills - and a lot of kindle writers just churn out crap and I didn't want to go there so instead of adding to the crap I used Literotica to develop and hone my writing - and got it to where a small erotica publisher approached me (back in 2018) and a fairly well-known published sci-fi author asked me to co-write a novel with him back a couple of years ago (I still have to write that one). So as an approach, it worked for me.

So my approach is, disregard the views and the ratings and just write for myself and to develop my writing skills - too many writers on Lit don't focus on that part of it because it doesn't interest them and it's not their priority and nothing at all wrng with that- they are writing to get the stories and fantasies in their heads out and read, without worrying about improving because they have n real interest in being published or whatever - we all have our own reasons for writing and for publishing them here on Lit

Whereas MY aim longer term is to self publish and publish and go commercial and maybe even make a livimg out of it if I can. I'd love to do that - so I have an objective, the focus, and a plan to get there - and I see Literotica as my training ground, with Laurel and Manu providing me with millions of readers to try my stuff out on and it doesn't cost me a thing except my time. From that POV, I dont worry about views - I write to learn and to entertain readers and I experiment all the time with stories, genre, subject, and I try to learn from each story I write.

To start with the big thing I had to tackle was dialog and characterization - and then hooks - those hooks are a big thing - you have 50 words to hook a reader, and then you need to keep reeling them in and jerking the hook tighter with each chapter. My aim is to make a story un put downable. When I get a comment saying I stayed up until 5am because I couldn't put it down, THAT is a winner for me. Now I'm into plot and plotting which has always been a toughie for me. My stories are very linear and not at all complex. I probably won't change that too much but understanding plot and story structure and things like that really helps - when I starrted it was sort of instinctive because I read so much and I guess I just absorbed it, but it helps to know all the theoretical underpinnings - and now I have 2 shelves in one ff my bookcases on writing. All sorts of subjects, and they're quite useful. I have 3 or 4 books on revisions LOL. Synrax. Structyure (even grammar and speling LOL). Dialog. Characterization. Plotting,

So when I started on Lit, I already had a goal and 10 years later I am waaaay closer to being there - and the only thing slowing me down is my own innate ability to procrastinate LOL. Literotica's been everything I wanted and just writing here has helped me so much along my path, as has the encouragement and help of a lot of people here on the AH as well as my readers.

So what do you want to achieve and where do you want to go and how is Literotica going to help you get there.

Myself, I love the huge #'s of readers - any story will find an audience here, and they're readers who WANT to read erotica - so unlike Amazon, for example, a lot of audience filtering has already been done for us. So even what we might think of as a paltryt 6k or 7k views translates into thousands of readers who took the time to read our story. I think the stats say the average book only sells about 1200 copies, so putting aside that Lit is free, 6-7k views is ALREADY thousands of readers ahead of where the average book is on Amazon.

Readers generally translated into followers, and what I've found myself is that for the few things I have published, a lot of Literotica readers have followed across to Amazon and THAT translates into sales. Hasn't made my fortune and I'm not retiring on it but it's paying fr the coffee. LOL

So what's your take? What are YOU using Literotica for?

for me, there is something powerful about putting some words together that turn the reader on. I love hearing feedback where one of my readers likes to read my stuff on a kindle (and in public like on train or a plane). something kinky, where the reader gets turned on and needs to release that pressing orgasm but isn't able to. did that make sense?

 

[NewMountain80]

Before I began publishing stories, I had been a reader on this site for years. While working on a Space Opera, I wrote a steamy sex scene between two of the main characters, using my knowledge of science fiction and stories on this site as inspiration. In doing that, I felt a thrill of creative energy that was unlike anything I had experienced while writing before. I had an idea, sprung from memory and private fantasies, wrote it down, and published it here. (Explorations 1.0) That was several years ago. Work, other interests, and mental health caused this outlet to be unused until recently. I have published eight stories in the last couple months, with another one that should be dropping tomorrow.

Writing these stories gives me an opportunity to take real thoughts and experiences from my mind, carefully examine them, chew slowly, and digest. I use what I've learned about myself, as basis for the themes of my stories and the motivations of my characters.

Each story I write springs ideas for a dozen more. I have filled several notebooks with ideas and notes, and will continue to publish here as quickly as I can get my thoughts translated and typed.

I rekindled this venture not really caring how my stories were received. I was doing this for me, after all. A few of my upcoming stories touch on some pretty dark parts of my mind. They are stories that I don't expect will do well, or be well received. But you never know, maybe reading them will cause people to think and confront some of their own dark thoughts.

I've discovered that publishing here has some side effects. I find myself eager to have my stories read by as many people as possible, and avidly track the view count and ratings. This feeling has led to a shift in my writing style. Its not just "how can I tell the story I want to tell" it's "how can I tell this story in a way that people enjoy?" On that topic, one of the most surprising things I've found is that the thought of thousands of people reading stories I wrote, with many using them to pleasure themselves, is pretty hot.

 

[TheLobster]

I've discovered that publishing here has some side effects. I find myself eager to have my stories read by as many people as possible, and avidly track the view count and ratings.

I recommend adding to your forum signature a link to your stories' page. It lets people here find them much easier.

 

[Sienna62]

I get a thrill. A well-earned thrill. I work in a highly creative field with equally creative people. Our work is as far afield from erotica as you could imagine, so I draw great pleasure from writing erotica that would shock my colleagues. Not that they are very uptight, just that I'm the last person they would suspect was writing about pegging my man, going down on my neighbor's wife, or having sex with my 70-year-old father-in-law. I liken it to wearing something incredibly risque under my proper attire to attend a funeral or a christening. I know it's there and that excites the hell out of me.

So when I push the button to submit another story, I usually celebrate by putting on something trashy under my preppy New England attire and go out for drinks and whatever.

I’m younger but this is an optimistic statement for many older generation
“ sex with my 70-year-old father-in-law “

 

[bi_cathy]

Geez, no pressure (starts banging away at my keyboard)

What she said @THBGato . I'm trying to embrace my slowness (and inability to reply to emails in any timely manner) like a badge of honor. Or dishonor, I still don't know. My stories will be done when they decide to be done; who am I to force them?

 

[SmilingLez]

I'm probably more right brain than most. I write to challenge myself. Nothing gives me more warm fuzzies than to give a thought "life".

 

[Rockofmarriages]

I write becuase I have stories in my head and getting them down creates room for more. I publish to chase that little red box and crave positive comments. An addiction?

 

[Nightaelf]

I’ve been writing for a long time. I started in 2011, after the collapse of my marriage, as a way to let off steam and clear my head. For work I also wrote a lot, but that was business writing: articles, web content, magazine pieces. There was little of myself in that. I needed a counterbalance, something that truly belonged to me.

Because I’ve always loved reading erotic stories, it felt like a relief to start writing them myself. Such a sharp contrast to the dry, factual texts I was used to. At first I published on a Dutch site and received a lot of feedback. That made me more aware of what readers wanted, but I soon realized I didn’t want to write only for others. I wanted to bring characters to life, let stories breathe, and improve myself as a writer. An erotic story that’s only about sex bores me. I’m drawn to the story that holds sex within it, the slow burn that builds tension.

English came later. So far, I still write in Dutch first and translate afterwards. During the pandemic I took a writing course on Zoom and an advanced English class to refresh my skills. When work got busy again, that all slipped away. Only now, while being on long-term sick leave, I’ve truly picked up writing again. It helps me keep my mind off being sick all the time.

I also write poetry, something I’ve done since I was fifteen. For years I kept it to myself, but since falling ill I’ve started sharing it. Lately I write mostly in English, not by translating but by writing directly in the language. That’s a very different process: finding words that not only fit but carry the right rhythm. It feels like a new challenge, a different kind of freedom.

What I still struggle with is mixing up British and American English now and then. Readers haven’t complained about it so far, so I guess it’s not a big deal.

I hope I can keep going for as long as my body allows. At the same time I hope that one day I won’t need writing just to feel less sick. Right now it’s sometimes an escape, a welcome one that gives me so much, but at times I fear it edges into obsession. That’s why I make myself take writing-free days, to rest.

Still, I’m proud of what I’ve created. Some stories do really well, I have loyal readers, and I’m nearly 50,000 words into a story that crosses several categories. That makes it exciting: where will I post it in the end? I don’t want to be boxed into one category. That’s why I always put a disclaimer at the top, so readers know what to expect and can decide for themselves. So far, it’s never been an issue.

I don’t shy away from challenges. Sometimes I weave social themes into my stories, though I do it carefully because I don’t want to spark arguments. For me, writing is about creating characters and stories that hold attention, that are more than just sex. As long as it gives me joy, and as long as it helps me lose and find myself at the same time, I’ll keep writing.

 

[TheGreatOz]

The sheer joy of creation. Bringing a germ of an idea out into the world and making it take shape.

The simple pleasure of crafting words, making dialogue flow, and thinking to myself yes, that works.

And a tad of titillation.

 

[UnexpectedLuggage]

I write because I like to write. I write on Lit because it's a fun way for me to get some of my fantasies down on paper, and why not share with people who might enjoy them?

I don't really worry about view count. Yeah, it's nice when a story does what I'd consider well, but it ain't why I'm here. I'm here to get these ideas out my head, but have them achieved should I want to go back and re-live them. If they make other people happy/get them off, great.