Literotica Authors 12: IsabellaEmily

Once I find an author I really like I tend to read almost everything they write regardless of category, unless the description really makes me think I won't like it. I prefer 'incest' to 'mind control' as far as categories go, but I'd much prefer to read a well written story in the mind control category than to struggle through something poorly written in the incest category.

Outside of your erotica, do you do other types of pleasure writing?

I dabble in poetry, just because I love to rhyme. But I'm fairly awful at it. I have one poem published here, and it's a humorous poem as opposed to serious, and the rating and comments it has received are much because of the message than the quality of the poetry I suspect.

I write lots of horror and scary stories, and someday I may find a place to share those, but I'm in no rush to. Maybe someday I'll write one that turns out so good that I'll be anxious to share it, but that hasn't happened yet.

Any specific advice you would give to authors new to writing erotic literature on Lit?

Do not give up. Keep writing. No matter how great or bad you are, practice will make you better. I've been writing for years and getting paid for it, so as far as putting words together I had more than a running start before I hit "submit" on my first story here. I'm not extraordinarily talented, I'm extraordinarily practiced. Don't be intimidated by how good others are.

Be optimistic about your opportunity to create and write and submit and learn and grow and write more! Seek advice and be willing to take it. Learn to tell the difference between helpful criticism about spelling, grammar, plot pacing and those who just enjoy complaining because they don't like the category you wrote in or the names of your characters. Some people just enjoy complaining.

Discipline yourself. Set aside some consistent time to write. Whether it's an hour each week or four hours a day, getting into a routine will help you. Proofread, proofread, proofread. And then read through it again. I use a software that reads the story back to me out loud, and that helps me catch so many little goofs. Change the font size into something large and into a font that you never use and reread your story that way. The glaring difference will help you spot errors that will blend in when you see them in the font/size you're used to using.

And most important, write for your own pleasure. If you enjoyed writing the story, that makes finding out that somebody out there liked it even more rewarding. And if you publish and no one likes it, then at least you know that you enjoyed the process.

If you spend energy trying to catch trends or please certain readers you'll end up chasing something that you'll never catch. Engage with the message boards here. There are a lot of wise people sharing advice within those comments. And socialize online with others who share your kinks and preferences.

Spend time in the chat rooms here. Join a site like Fetlife and interact in the groups there, to learn why others like certain kinks and how they practice them. If something isn't working, take one of those silly online surveys and fill it out how you think your character would answer the questions.

Don't be afraid to save something that isn't working and leave it alone for a while. Don't be afraid to start something new and begin with a scenario outside of your usual comfort zone and see where it takes you.

And lastly, make sure you're familiar with the Literotica rules before hitting "submit." You might discover you need to make changes or clarify something, and the hour you spend doing so will save you literal days of turnaround on it being rejected before you fix it and resubmit it.

When I started I was not great at clearly spelling out the ages of my characters. I knew they were over eighteen, but that wasn't always clear to those reading and I had a few things kicked back until I got better at clearly identifying those things.

Anything else about you or your writing that you would like our readers to know?

Fun trivia for my readers, I first discovered Literotica thanks to the real-life Merri, from my stories The Nurse and The Nanny, and Merri Thanksgiving. I really did work for her, and I really did live with her for about three years while I was in college. She loved erotica and we would often email each other links to our favorite Literotica stories, which is something she and I are still doing in 2022.

She provides feedback on many of my stories and was a huge sexual influence on me during my college years. She's responsible for lots of my sexual openness and willingness to try new things, and since she's the one who introduced me to Literotica all those years ago, all my readers owe her a debt of gratitude.

I honestly do read every single comment and message that I get here on Literotica about my writing, and I am incredibly thankful for those who take the time to read the things I write!

Thank you IsabellaEmily for taking the time for this in-depth interview!