Eep... writing in the real world!

[pel]

Well, this is my long, rambling question..

Lately, I've found that I've really hit a wall with my writing. I write all the time and produce very little, and finish even less. I love doing it but I'm really ready to push myself and take it further.

So, I decided to be a bit brave, and sign up for a 6 week writing workshop with a wonderful writing organization here in my city. And now I'm. Freaking. Terrified.

See, I write gay, erotic, fiction! I'm a woman, and all I really want to write about is boys getting it on. Not just boys getting it on, but usually boys getting it on in not always the nicest of ways. That's what I love, that's what inspires me, that's what keeps me coming back to the page day after day. But, let's face it.... that's weird.

Hanging out in a wonderful place like AFF makes it easy for us to feel like we're part of a writing community. But when it comes down to it, we're really on the fringe. So what do I do? Do I try my hand at some other genre, (I wouldn't even know where to start, though it might be good for me to branch out, I suppose) or do I just be honest up front about what I write? It's going to be a small group of people, and we're going to get to know each other and our writing very well... I don't know if I could pretend to be a different kind of writer, even if I tried, and it would hardly seem worth it if I did.

So, I just wondered if anyone else had ever been in this situation. As writers both of fanfiction and of adult content, how do we handle that? I'd love to hear from anyone who's ever faced this in a workshop or a class at school.... help!

[JetKL]

Pel,

Just be honest about what you write. I doubt anyone in the class is going to turn toyou and scream "burn in hell you perv". When it finally came out amongst my friends and even some of my professor's that I write erotica to pay tuition there were more than a few turned heads. Most people just think its cool or funny. It started a 'holiday porn' mailing list for me when some people wanted to read what i wrote. I write some hardcore stuff. I'm talking bondage, S&m, threesome, male/male, f/m/m, f/f, f/f/m, even non-con, lots of 'kinky' shit.

In my experience, most people never ask for the details and when they do they don't say anything against it. Just say you write erotic fiction and everything will be fine. Most people know and except that erotic fiction and porn exist. There may always be that first awkward feeling when you say that you write erotica for a living but really no one is that awkward about it.

Getting perspective from people who may not know the ins and outs of AFF standards and general practices will be a really great learning experience. Plus watching people blush is fun. Female or not, what you write isn't strange. For everything you've ever written there will always be something more extreme or more hardcore or more profane. Just a fact of life.

Jet

Edited June 21, 2009 by JetKL

[Melrick]

Whether the people in the group freak really depends on who the members of the group are. You apparently live in the US and I know your country has more than its fair share of ultra religious nuts, so the possibility of people hyperventilating and passing out in horror and indignation at your revelation of writing gay porn wouldn't surprise me, frankly. It's something you'll only find out when you actually go and start talking to them. Besides, you only really need to tell them that you write erotica; exactly what kind of erotica should be totally besides the point.

But for the sake of your writing, learning to write other genres can only benefit your writing. You might learn different techniques, different skills, different ways to tell a story, things that you can then take to your favourite genre and improve it. Diversifying your writing skills will never be a bad thing, especially if, as you say, you want push yourself and take it further. If you have no intention of at least giving other genres a try then you're clearly not pushing yourself. That's perfectly okay, you don't have to write other genres, but you did say that you want to push yourself, and that would be a great way to do just that, not to mention taking it further. You also say that you produce little and finish even less. This could be the ideal tonic to help you actually writing complete stories. It would be so nice if you could develop into a story writer, rather than just another PWP writer.

If revealing to the group that you write gay porn is what's holding you back then the simple answer is don't tell them; just tell them that you want to develop your skill. The benefit that you should (hopefully) get out of it is too good to pass up.