tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post7249009427130078794..comments2023-05-30T08:29:42.770-04:00Comments on The Erotica Readers & Writers Association Blog: Stories We Tell OurselvesCroco Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417265522875605547noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-58094149606983809752013-05-18T04:00:59.585-04:002013-05-18T04:00:59.585-04:00Exactly.
More than thirty years ago I married a ...Exactly. <br /><br />More than thirty years ago I married a man whom I love, but who is not my Master. Since then I've written dozens of stories in which the protagonist (very similar to me) took a different path, where she chose a stable and long-standing D/s relationship with her Dom (similar in at least some ways to him). At this point, I have so many memories of those tales, I almost feel as though I've played out that alternative life, on a different plane of existence.<br />Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-37674265113166110582013-05-18T03:58:15.409-04:002013-05-18T03:58:15.409-04:00I think that raw honesty was what this editor was ...I think that raw honesty was what this editor was seeking. So far, I at least haven't found much of it.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-52673229666581527252013-05-18T03:57:32.838-04:002013-05-18T03:57:32.838-04:00I've rarely read any autobiographical work by ...I've rarely read any autobiographical work by erotica authors that struck me as "true". The one exception is Marilyn Jaye Lewis' anthology ENTANGLED LIVES<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Entangled-Lives-Memoirs-Erotica-Writers/dp/1555839983/<br /><br />The book authors are incredibly honest and unvarnished in the tales they tell, which don't necessarily show them in the best light and certainly, unlike the stories in the anthology I am reviewing, don't all end with sexual satisfaction.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-32200851921865009412013-05-17T03:13:57.829-04:002013-05-17T03:13:57.829-04:00I'm a bit disturbed to note that in some cases...<i>I'm a bit disturbed to note that in some cases, the stories I've told you are now the stories I remember.</i><br /><br />This is so very true. I've written some of my exploits so many times I'm sure the reality was much tamer (mostly)Rachel Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13048590167153841615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-80105959827138935572013-05-16T17:07:16.657-04:002013-05-16T17:07:16.657-04:00Great post! I think everyone is converting "t...Great post! I think everyone is converting "truth" or "reality" into stories pretty much all the time as we try to make sense of experience. Making sense or meaning involves applying form, motif, significance, all the things we must do to write a good story. I'd also hazard to say that in "real" sex especially there are two parallel narratives--the physical facts of what's happening with the bodies of the lovers and the mental engagement they bring which draws upon memories, fantasies, and all sorts of unrealistic images and desires. Sometimes it is that story we tell with erotica, and it's no less "true." I have to say, though, that it is a bit disappointing that the "true" stories sounded just like regular old erotic fiction. There's something especially brave about speaking honestly about sex, and that's doubtless what the readers are seeking.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13615190390845433428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-29872440543949663152013-05-16T17:00:35.422-04:002013-05-16T17:00:35.422-04:00Lisabet, you've posted on a fascinating subjec...Lisabet, you've posted on a fascinating subject. I was invited to contribute to an antho of "true" lesbian sex stories (not sure if this is the one you're reviewing - it's recently-published). I had 2 previously-pub'd stories handy, but the editor said she wanted original stories. Sorry, I said -- I won't write any more stories like that because it's too unfair to the other people involved, who prob. don't remember things the same way & might not like their (naked) portraits in print. (My spouse & I have an agreement about that.) And as you point out, there is no clear line between unreliable memory & invention. I've had interesting discussions with students about what should & should not be included in autobiography or memoirs -- everyone who thinks about this seems to reach the conclusion that much editing & composing goes into even the most "truthful" writing.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-17026444339622945522013-05-15T22:45:07.413-04:002013-05-15T22:45:07.413-04:00Hi, RG,
Over in Writers, we've been having a ...Hi, RG,<br /><br />Over in Writers, we've been having a discussion about amnesia. Someone received a comment from an editor saying that amnesia didn't really exist, that it was just a literary device and should be removed. The author then went on to explain that she herself had experienced amnesia...<br /><br />It may not be possible to distinguish fantasy from reality - or memory. <br /><br />In a true account, though, one expects gaps, illogical or extraneous details, and most certainly endings that aren't 100% satisfactory to everyone concerned. In fiction, we are encouraged to smooth the rough edges, eliminate elements not connected with the core narrative, and tie things up, in some sense, so as not to leave the reader with a sense of incompleteness. <br /><br />When I think about how many love affairs I had that simply petered out... not good story material. But I could turn them into acceptable fiction, with a bit of tweaking.<br />Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-18102059664862058682013-05-15T22:38:44.007-04:002013-05-15T22:38:44.007-04:00Oh darn, darn, darn! No, Garce, you're not wro...Oh darn, darn, darn! No, Garce, you're not wrong. This post wasn't supposed to go live until the 21st! That's what I get for trying to stay on top of my commitments for the future!<br /><br />However, now that the cat is out of the bag, I can't really force it back. I suppose readers will just have to deal with it ;^)Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-70256128242750717962013-05-15T16:23:22.633-04:002013-05-15T16:23:22.633-04:00Did I post on the wrong day again?Did I post on the wrong day again?Garceushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160407485298015371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396437919069310850.post-11672650333278059422013-05-15T10:12:48.759-04:002013-05-15T10:12:48.759-04:00This is a great post, Lisabet. I think the level o...This is a great post, Lisabet. I think the level of realism necessary to a good story is very contextual. And it is going to depend very heavily on your readers and how willing they are to suspend disbelief. Most of us, I think, tend to compress time a lot in stories, and within reason, no one seems much bothered by this.<br /><br />Also, how much fantasy one can get away with depends on how well the writer has lured the reader into the storyworld. So a bit of total fantasy at the beginning of a story might not wash, but once a convincing 'world' has been built and the event/action/reaction seems right within the context, then you can take people practically anywhere.<br /><br />I tend to stand in the realism camp where it applies to human behavior, because for me, eroticism is an entirely human thing. If I don't buy the way the characters are acting, there's no way the story is going to pull me in, or arouse me.Remittance Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07902713020074243375noreply@blogger.com