Photo by Guy New York
Good Morning!
I hope you’re all having a good day so far.
This morning I’ve been thinking about dirty books and why I’m so drawn to them. I always enjoyed reading smut, ever since I found a Penthouse in my dad’s sock drawer and discovered the Letters section. Once the web came along I found Literotica, along with chat rooms and other places to read and share stories about sex and relationships.
And now that I’ve been writing them for somewhere between five and twenty years (do I count those early letters I wrote in college to friends half way across the country?) I’ve started to distill down my thoughts and reasons for being such an advocate.
Here’s what I’ve come up with this morning in terms of my core beliefs around reading erotica and stories about sex:
- Dirty books are a fun and safe way to explore our turn-ons, kinks, and desires
- We all have the right to get excited by what we’re excited by without shame or guilt
- Books are the perfect place to explore kinks and turn-ons that we find immoral or unsafe in real life
- Sharing stories is a great way to communicate with our partners about what we like and what gets us off
There are times when I think books and stories can and should be used to model good behavior, safer sex, and healthy relationships. But there is certainly room–necessary room I think–to read and write stories about horrible, taboo, illegal, or otherwise immoral things.
And personally, I enjoy writing both.
So there you go. If I have any core beliefs around what I do for a living, I suppose that’s about as close as it gets. And I’m glad that so many of you have affirmed my understanding by sharing your own stories of how reading and writing has expanded your imaginations, your sex lives, and your understanding of yourselves as sexual animals.
I hope you’re having a good day, and thanks again for being so great. Especially this week as I’ve been dealing with the fallout from losing my distributor. You’re all the best, and you keep me inspired to write every day.