Pleasure Points: A Tale of a Smut Writer

I joined Wattpad in 2012 after the demise of Inkpop (gone, but surely not forgotten). I wanted an outlet where I could showcase my written stories and engage with other writers like me hoping one day to get published. One of the first stories I published on Wattpad garnered 4,000 in over three years. Seeing the traction that story brought, I decided to make a series. Unfortunately, no one was interested.

Just before I uploaded my first one shot, Fifty Shades of Grey was released in theatres. Everyone was going bonkers over the books. I read the first chapter and was disinterested I didn’t really see the appeal.

I’ve read tons of smut from raunchy, tasteful stories I found on Kindle Books to the mild romance of Mills and Boons. There was no doubt that smut had its appeal. I wrote a few snippets here and there in my story to help encapsulate the fiery romance between my lead characters. What propelled me to writing smut and dedicating much of my writing to sex were the readers that were more engaged with my smut than my regular romance.

It was not until 2016 that I saw a skyrocket in the amount of reads on my smut. I jumped from 10,000 to 50,000 to 150,000 so fast I could not fathom the success. Indeed, sex does sell. In fact, I was offered an opportunity to monetize my stories, but at the price of losing my visibility on the Wattpad platform. I would have to forsake the people who brought me this success if I’d want my work to make money.

My dream of one day getting published or earning revenue from my writing went plummeting down a cliff. I didn’t want to write about sex, but it was an easy win for me. Smut doesn’t have to be great, I’ve realized, you just need to know how to evoke sexual urges in people with simple dirty talk.

I tried to write other stories, but somehow I always got sucked into wanting to sate my readers with something that draws them to my profile in the first place. Majority of my readers are women and all they want me for is sex. What a load of irony in that statement!

Smut doesn’t have to be great, I’ve realized, you just need to know how to evoke sexual urges in people with simple dirty talk.

Recently, I have come to love writing articles, because it allows me to be personal. When I engage in creative writing, I assume a persona as the character I am writing about. Although my beliefs influence the story, I try to distinguish myself (the author) from the character. As a celibate person, writing about sex puts me in a position of not knowing. I know about the scientific notions of sex, but the actually partaking and feeling I cannot relate, which does no translate well.

As of late, I have made some efforts to engage with my readership and ask them about the things they would like to see. I have not gotten any responses. Previously, people would comment on a chapter they liked by asking/ demanding for another update. Perhaps, my silent readers may be embarrassed. When I read smut/steamy romances I tend to be secretive for fear of judgment.

This year, I made a vow to myself to be more creative and to think outside of what I already know. Writing smut was not my initial intention when joining Wattpad, but it has been a part of my accomplishments of getting and retaining readers.

I have always thought of deleting my steamy stories and write more multi-dimensional stories, however, it seems that my readers really just want one thing.

In the meantime, stay allurin’!