Quote by wxt55uk

Thank you for taking the time to answer WW.

Not expecting an answer, just throwing this idea out there for thought...

Rather than the admin approaching and searching for new moderators, why not do the reverse?

Have keen LS members (not just authors) answer a well-worded LS forum advert. Doing it this way may unearth new talent. After all, you don't have to be a fantastic writer to be a good, well-balanced, thick-skinned moderator. 🙄😊

I agree with you. Being a decent writer doesn’t automatically make someone a good editor or story moderator. I actually hate the editing part. By the third read-through, my patience is gone and I don’t even notice the mistakes anymore, so I usually ask people for help. A good editor or moderator needs strong language skills and a solid backbone, the ability to not take things personally. People aren’t happy when their work gets rejected, and some of them aren’t exactly kind about it.

Quote by PA_Mike

Oh, how this makes me want to submit this as a story on Lush!!! LMAO 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

I'm with Mike 😂😂😂 my first thought was: what if I wanna be spanked 😂😂

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Winner!!! Kistinspencil :worship:

The judge loved the ritual feel of this one and all the spooky details of lying under the willow, moon, wolf’s howl, fiery fingers. Congratulations, Kis! 😊

Congratulations! Well deserved!

Quote by kistinspencil

"Lay beneath a willow, forest deep," her mother said. "It's your time."
The Hallow's moon guided her. There she slept.
At a wolf's howl, she awoke to fiery fingers caressing her naked body.
Veiled women surrounded her, circling, chanting, teasing and taunting her flesh.
One after another they feasted upon her open sex until her body arched in climax, then all was darkness.

She'd need wear white vestments no more.

Oh, wow! Loved it!

A great idea. Too bad it's past my bedtime 😂 not even joking, I get up for work at 4am, so I'm sound asleep by that time during the work week.

Quote by wxt55uk

I know that feeling well, but I would suggest that it is worth persevering on your own (until you are really stuck) as you will improve and with time get to that point where you sneak over the acceptance standard, and when that happens you get a surge of confidence and a thrust of energy to write your next story.

Here is my experience...

I started from a low standard, trust me, I have been rejected many times by the moderators, as I fall down one grammar hole, climbed out and fall down the next. I found it surprising to learn, (most of the time) the moderators were right! But I have listened and learned and lately (perhaps even more surprisingly), I have managed to get my stories over that acceptance line in one hit.

Here are the things I have learned to do so far, (I have now adapted from another post I made here), but I hope it might help others here who want to make the acceptance standard.

1). Listen to what the moderator says when you are rejected. It is the golden rule. I don't want to sound preachy, but if they send you a link to read, try to read it. I am guilty of not doing that.

2). Write, read, check, correct and check, correct, check, correct and so on. I spend on average 7x longer checking and correcting than I do ever actually writing. Yes, it is frustrating and yes it can take some of the joy out of writing but you will get better at it and that number should slowly reduce. I hope so!

3). Use the free tools available on the web. Among others, there are, Grammarly and ProWriting Aid (free versions), and I use both. Though I need to add 10% of the time they fight each other so it comes down to a judgement call. Of the two, I find ProWriting better for grammar, it likes commas, full stops, ellipsis (my favourite downfall) and punctuation in general. So if that is the area you are getting rejected for, use that software. My general rule is, to put in all the extra punctuation the software demands. While Grammarly, certainly doesn't demand so many commas, full-stops etc but it picks up missing words better. So it is best to use the two.

4). Once finished, read your story aloud. Does it flow right? I struggle with this, having the newfound superpower of not necessarily reading the words that are actually on the page! I have now started using the free Immersive Reader, which either comes with Word or is available in Microsoft Notebook online. It helps me with the words I naturally miss when reading. I also suggest once you are happy with it, put it to one side and read it again, fresh, maybe the next day, and ask the question, is it as good today as it was yesterday?

There is one more, it is the same one as I opened with, listen to what the moderators say... They are (in general) very helpful and have often pointed me in the right direction.

Well written and very helpful! Thank you!

True stories, or at least stories based on my experiences, come naturally to me and are easy to write, but I also believe that this makes me a lazy writer. So, in an effort to push myself, I began a series that readers requested as a fictional continuation of my partially true story, hoping to improve my writing and demonstrate my creativity by ticking off as many different Lush categories as I could with these series, and that drives the plot. However, my true stories are far more popular.

Quote by kistinspencil

In all likelihood, yes.

I agree with kistinpencil

No, not at all. I know he has moved on and loves me, so it is the same as if talking about the weather 😂 women who flirt with him (often in front of me) on the other hand can evoke some mixed feelings (fear that he would like them more than me and leave me, pride that other women find him attractive and interesting, arousal as I imagine them joining us in bed).

Plenty of times I was infatuated with emotionally unavailable men, I thought it was love at the time. Now that I know what love really is, no, I have not been in love, just infatuated with my idealistic fantasy of them.

Black

I do my cardio everyday, 3times per week I do other excercizes to strengthen my muscles, I go on daily walks (min.2h).

I have a dog, so a walk before and after work is a must, then I also exercise (cardio) in the afternoon (evening, depends on my other responsibilities) and one to two walks with the dog before bedtime. I usuay spent at least two hours outside with the dog every day, more on weekends or when I don't have to go to work.

Complicated.

My boyfriend is aware that I write erotica and post it on Lush, and while he rarely reads it, he is otherwise very supportive of my writing. His reasoning is that since most of my stories are about us, why should I read it when I can live it 😊

Quote by AmuseBouche

I write for myself like many here I suspect and I have enjoyed erotic fiction since my late teens. English is a language I have been exposed to nearly all my life and I worked for an English company for nearly twenty years. My second husband is English and we have erotic fiction in common. So with all this opportunity... Why not?

Now, I love it and I am hooked. Is it a bizarre therapy and keeps my relentless libido in check (it fails). Or, does it appeal to my exhibitionist side (probably). Or, is it something bottled up that has to be set free (yes).

All I know that as a creative outlet, it is one I wished I discovered years ago.

I write for the same reasons. Writing has always been my passion, a way for me to process my thoughts, emotions and, at times, an escape from stress.

Afternoon/early in the evening

People frequently tell me that I appear to be 5 to 10 years younger than my actual age.

Quote by Dancing_Doll
Complicated

A perfect anwser 😊 applies to me too

YSVL Libre is my current scent.

Quote by colin123
As an author I base most of my stories on true events, dressed up a little for story purposes but based on real events. Who else writes like this ? or do most authors write mostly fiction.

I do the same. Even when writing fantasy I draw from experiences that made me feel the same emotions I am trying to describe in a scene so every story contains at least a small piece of me.

Quote by Ivanka
Yes, once with a long-time friend that became very awkward und affected our friendship afterward.

A few times dating that had me just shaking my head with regret afterward.
Sometimes they became love-sick, over possessive, or completely changed as a person from when you first met them.

I also regret having sex with my then best friend, it has almost ruined our friendship for the same reason you describe in the last sentence.

Quote by Kee
The following is excerpted from: https://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/i-i-i/

First-person narrative engages people in a way they don’t experience with second and third person. Readers see the world from your narrator’s perspective, including intimate thoughts and feelings. However, it’s easy to overplay constructions such as I did this and I thought that and I wanted something else.

Many people claim the I, I, I approach is permissible because I is an invisible word like said.

Don’t believe them.

Prose or poetry with an overabundance of the same words or structures will seem off. Readers might not be able to tell you what’s wrong, but they know they’re unsettled by something.

Consider the following two story snippets.

1. I answered the irresistible beckoning of the backyard. I watched brightly colored birds there frolicking in the breeze as they fluttered toward the creek. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the sun. I smelled the fragrance of the clover underneath my feet, a fragrance so sweet I could almost taste it. I heard fledgling robins twittering in a nearby tree.

I thought to myself, This is the life. I knew I never wanted to leave this place.

I decided to phone the real estate agent and tell her to take the FOR SALE sign off my lawn. She acted as though she had expected my call.

I told her in a firm voice that my mind was made up, and yes, I understood she would still receive her full commission.

I realized I didn’t care about the money.

2. The backyard beckoned with its irresistible sights and sounds. Frolicking in the breeze, brightly colored birds fluttered toward the creek. The sun warmed my closed eyelids, and my nostrils were flooded by the sweet fragrance of clover underneath my feet, a fragrance so sweet it almost sugared the taste buds. In a nearby tree, fledgling robins twittered.

This is the life. Who in their right mind would ever leave this place?

The real estate agent acted as though she had expected my call when asked to take the FOR SALE sign off the lawn.

My voice was firm. “Yes, my mind is made up. … Understood. … You’ll still receive your full commission.”

Hah! Who cares about the money?

Thank you, very helpful!

I haven't provided an update because, after my initial excitement over a new sensation, the next few times I used it, I was disappointed. The heating function does not work, or at least I do not notice any difference. Furthermore, the base keeps getting in the way of vaginal penetration as you get more frisky and move around. Plus, I have to insert it sideways so that the base doesn't obstruct the vaginal penetration but then the thrusts are toward my ovary, which can hurt around the ovulation period 😂

Quote by RowanThorn

What happens in an erotic story that makes you walk away? I'm not looking for kinks or topics that you just don't find appealing. I'm more interested in a story that you would otherwise enjoy and something happens that just hits the brakes for you.

My personal example would be bad pillow talk. I've been really into some stories and things get hot and heavy. Then a character rolls off something entirely inane, flow breaking, or out of character. I read a story that was sweet and sexy, then during the act (as a character was losing her virginity) she starts saying things like, "Use me like your dirty whore. Beat me and punish me! Choke me and spit on me!"

I was like, 'damn girl, you just had your first kiss 2 days ago.' When I get pulled from the moment so abruptly I just don't want to go on.

So what about you guys? What sort of things should writers avoid?

I am also turned off by similar scenarios.

I once dated a man who had a penis significantly larger (and thicker) than average. I felt like he ripped me every time, no matter how wet I was or how much lube we used, and it was just too much for me to handle. I'm petite and tight... To top it off, he was circumcised, so it took him a while to cum... My cervix felt like it was being pounded into oblivion and I couldn't take the pain anymore... As a result, almost every encounter ended with me simply giving him a BJ because I couldn't handle sex with him for more than a few minutes. I cum easily, so orgasm was not an issue, but the pain became excruciating after I climaxed. As a result, we had to call it quits because it was becoming unbearable for me... Later I learned that a (new) friend of mine slept with him in the past and had a similar experience... if she had sex with him, her vagina got ripped which meant no sex until you heal... and then repeat... not fun at all. He was a great guy though and hope he found the right woman for him

Lingerie, multiple pieces.

Quote by Frank
Dirty sex talk, climatic moaning, as well as the orgasmic screaming.
Fucking love it!

I agree, although at times when I just wanna have a quickie and he wants to talk dirty, take it slow, edging me, I can get frustrated and it can ruin my mood.

Vibrating handheld neck and back massager 🙃

Quote by SexFairy

I don't write...I have other talents, but writing is not one of them, but I buy a lot of books, including erotic ones and I often wondered if erotic writers can make a living from this. I mean an erotic book costs from 1 to 5 Euros...at least the ones I looked for. True, that I only buy e-books, but still...

Yeah, I think only with a good promotion (you pay for it or if you are lucky enough to get a publisher who does that for you) you can make a living out of it.