Literotica Authors 04: HeyAll

I am conducting a series of interviews with authors on Literotica. This is the fourth in the series, my first with a male author, HeyAll . I have reached out to a variety of authors, some of who have been on the site for a while, others who are newer, but all write stories that I admire. I hope you enjoy the series, please feel free to send me your feedback, including suggestions of some of your favorite authors you would like to see interviewed. These are the words of the authors themselves; I have only conducted a light edit for formatting, typos, and consistency.

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Is there anything about you and your background, beyond what is in your Literotica profile, that you would like your readers to know about you?

Nothing much. I'm a normal, everyday person. I didn't take any special writing classes, I'm not a genius, and I didn't read any instructional books on how to write stories. There's a saying which I think is true; that if you want to know how to write, read and write a lot.

Outside of that, I recently finished law school. In fact, the majority of my stories were written while I was in law school. I spent more time writing erotica than studying, and I even used to work on stories during exam days. My grades could have been better so I stopped doing that and studied more for exams.

I consider writing erotica a main hobby, along with watching TV shows, movies, listening to music, and running.

Do you remember when you first discovered that you liked reading erotic literature? How did this come about?

I think I was about 18 or 19. I've been trying to remember how I first started reading, but I don't recall. What I like about erotica is that it pushes your "buttons" in ways that other things can't. If done right, it can be a powerful and enjoyable thing.

When did you first begin writing your own erotic literature? What prompted you to write your own?

After reading a bunch, I had a few ideas of my own. So I started to write. My first time writing erotica was awkward, sitting there writing about sex. But the more I did it, the easier it became.

This was after reading Literotica. Back then, I don't think that stories had the amount of views posted on the bottom, there were no category Hubs, and I don't recall seeing a Top List for views. So I had no frame of reference as to how many readers there were.

I submitted my first story in 2012 and I think I was surprised by how many views/votes it got. And that motivated me to write more. As of right now, I have about 150 stories. Some are better than others. I always try to write something entertaining and I'm thrilled that people are interested.

The way I see it, there are many pleasures in writing; which range from coming up with ideas, actually writing it, that feeling of completing something, and then seeing it posted for people to hopefully enjoy.

If people didn't read, I wouldn't bother writing.

Your stories cut across many different categories, from (alphabetically) Anal to Toys & Masturbation. Your bio shows a schedule of forthcoming stories, but how do you decide in what category to write the story each time? What are your inspirations for your stories?

I try to write different genres because it reaches different readers. For instance, someone who reads Incest may not read BDSM. Someone who reads Lesbian may not read Group Sex. And so forth... So the more I branch out the more readers I'll find. But I write the categories that interest me. Every so often I'll get a comment that someone read a different category because I wrote it, which is always very flattering.

Nowadays, I only write in the Incest, Lesbian, BDSM, Anal, and Group Sex categories because those are the categories where I have the most success. And those are the topics that interest me. I also try to spread them out the best I can, meaning I try not to write in the same genre back-to-back.

As for inspiration, it all depends. The good news when it comes to writing erotica is that the ending is already clear -- they have sex and everyone leaves happy. But the fun part is in the buildup.

I usually start by thinking of a topic, whatever I feel like writing about. For instance, if I feel like writing a lesbian teacher/student story, the fun is thinking about how it comes about. I'll keep thinking throughout the day about different scenarios until finally something clicks, something that's at least believable within the realm of erotica.

So I try to figure out different things first; What's the vibe of the story (fun, sexy, sensual)? What kind of personalities do they have (shy, outgoing, strong, etc.)? What brings them together and how?

Using that example, I recently wrote a story where the teacher is approached by a student for help regarding an art project. I already knew the ending would feature secret vibrator stuff while they take pictures of each other (sounds tacky, but it turned out great in my opinion). So I worked around that premise and constantly thought about how they got to that point.

I've always said that I think of writing erotica like watching a movie or a TV show. It goes scene by scene, and I try to imagine how they'd react, how they'd talk.

If I'm inspired to write a teacher/student story, I try to imagine what their conversation is like and how awkward it would be at times, and think of what plot devices could be used to bring them together.

Often times the inspiration is just situations I think are hot. I just keep thinking until I have a hot scenario which I think would make a great story.

Sometimes I'll look at the BDSM pictures on the Lit forum, and those would get me thinking. Then I do the usual thing of adding a scenario to it, explaining how it all came out.

Once and awhile I'll get inspiration from a movie. For instance, "Lea's Family" is loosely based on the 2009 movie "The Uninvited."

"Your Heart's Desire" is loosely based on a college literature class I had. That's where those influences in the story came from, and Anne was a classmate of mine, though the story really has nothing to do with her.

"A Girl Who Squirts" was based on a time I was going to talk with a girl on the phone, but she had to leave because her roommate came back early. Then I thought, "hmm ... it sucks we can't talk, but there's an interesting situation there of a roommate coming home early." That's how the beginning of that story came out.

"House of Red Lace Bondage" was based on a BDSM picture I saw on the forum, where a young woman was strapped to a wooden table in the kitchen of a normal looking home.

"Hotel Fuck Toy" was based on a set of BDSM pictures on the same forum where a girl was in various positions in a hotel.

"Lessons Mom Taught" was based on a fantasy a woman told me.

A few stories were based on requests that I liked. The vast majority were made up. Most stories are written for the seasonal contests, so I think of ideas based around that.

Essentially, anything in ordinary life can be turned into a sex plot; it's just a matter of how good it can be and how much people want to read it.

None of your stories published on Lit are multiple chapters, though you have some stories that have similar titles and follow a theme (such as your Red Lipstick and Pressed Together stories). How do you decide between standalone stories versus those that are linked?

I never write chaptered stories because it can be redundant. To me, the fun is in the build-up. After that, it gets repetitive. It's like watching a porn movie where the same people are having sex in every scene.

Obviously there are ways to keep a story ongoing for many, many, many pages and still keep it exciting. Other authors do that regularly. But that's not me. I like to focus on new things and new scenarios.

As for similar themed stories like "Pressed Together," or "Held Together," it's fun taking the same premise and exploring it in different ways. That's why those stories are similarly titled. Plus readers like those types of Incest stories, where people are led to do things out of "necessity" in awkward situations. I also know that those sorts of titles get a lot of views, so I stick with the formula that works.

For "Red Lipstick," it was a fun premise which started in "High Heels, Red Lipstick." I loved the name and what it was about, and I thought that particular premise could be used to introduce different characters to other characters they wouldn't ordinarily meet, and do things they wouldn't ordinarily do, which is one of the great things about reading erotica (if that makes sense at all). It worked and those stories are fairly popular.

There were other stories I've made that I thought could have been continued, like "Girls of..." or "Lustful Hearts," but they weren't as popular, so I left them alone, sadly. On the flipside, my lesbian teacher/student stories have always done well, so I always continue with that theme because people like it.

Basically, the readers decide, depending on how many votes/favorites a story gets, if a story theme is worthy enough to keep being explored. But no outright sequels though.

What is your typical writing style - do you work in shorter bursts, writing a section of a story and then putting it aside and returning to it? Or do you sit down and write a story from beginning to end?

I describe my writing style as being purposefully basic, where I try to keep everything simple, yet make it sound nice, but not sound mechanical at all. In other words, I assume that readers are reading at a casual pace. So I want the sentences to be clear, concise, and to the point, so that if you read it casually you can instantly imagine the story in your head. I'm a reader too, and there's nothing worse than reading something and having to stop to figure out what it means.

I've had comments over the years where people have said they like how descriptive my stories are. But I never thought of my stories as being descriptive, especially compared to other authors.

My focus has always been telling the readers the important information, then letting them fill in the details themselves, in their own minds.

As far as writing a story goes, I always try to write as fast as possible. Mainly because it keeps the story consistent in terms of what's happening. For instance, continuity errors can easily happen. A character could be wearing panties in one scene, and not be wearing it in another. It's easy to forget these details if you take time away from a story. It also keeps the flow consistent as well.

Like the saying goes, "Lightning in a bottle."

I never map out a story point-by-point. I think of the main ideas first then start writing. Then I let it flow from there. Let the characters talk and things will pop up.

Sometimes it works out great. Sometimes I get stuck. Sometimes new ideas come while I'm writing. Sometimes I think of it throughout the day. Running helps with thinking, especially afterwards when I'm totally exhausted and everything feels clear, so there's a tip for anyone.

You are quite prolific, with 150 stories published as of today, and most are multiple pages. How do you find the time to write among the other things in your life?

For the time being, I'm not that busy, though that will change at the end of this year. Even during law school I had lots of time to write. So I work on stories throughout the day, here and there. Sometimes I'll only be able to think of a few sentences at a time. If I have a clear vision for a story I can write a lot in one sitting.

Usually it takes about a week to make one, more or less, if everything flows smoothly. The story "Bus Ride with Sister," took one day to write, edit, and submit, and it turned out to be popular.

Sometimes stories can start well, then take weeks to finish for whatever reason. I have a couple good stories in progress that were written a long time ago but have yet to be finished for lack of ideas.

Most readers read erotica in order to be aroused, and many (hopefully!) are also looking for a good plot. How do you balance the need for plot in your stories with the "hotness" factor necessary to get attention on Literotica?

The way I see it, a "plot" enhances the sex. What I mean is, the sex is so much more erotic if you get to know the characters a bit first. Tease it out.

Going back to what I mentioned earlier about a lesbian teacher/student story, if a teacher and student suddenly have sex for the first time, for no apparent reason, then the hotness is limited. Sure, it can be an arousing story if it's well-written and has some sexy aspects to it. There's certainly a market for those types of shorter stories.

But if you establish characters, like the teacher being prim and proper, and the student being more carefree, then you're pushing more buttons. Now add in the struggle they face, like the teacher telling the student that they're going too far, while the teacher also shows visible signs of arousal -- it gets hotter.

The "plot" comes in as a way to move the characters forward. For instance, the student needs help with something and the professor can provide that expertise. That's a common one I like using because it's realistic.

It's also a balancing act. You don't want too much of a straight plot, otherwise it can bore the reader. You want the plot to be parallel with the build-up. Like maybe the student needs help with artwork for a gallery, but that artwork is nude. Or the student is working on a paper and there's some focus on sexuality. In those scenarios, the plot naturally creates a sexual tension in which one, or both, of the characters face that internal debate which readers like to read.

I'm also mindful about not having unnecessary details about the plot. After I write a story, and it's around 2-3 Lit pages, I usually go back and find myself cutting sentences in the early part of the story, because it doesn't help make the story more erotic. In my personal opinion, when I read a story that's over 3 pages, I see a lot of things that could be trimmed out, which would make the story even better. But that's my own viewpoint, and of course there are many exceptions.

It's a sex story, after all.

When you're not busy writing your own stories, what are your favorite kinds of stories to read on Literotica, and why?

I read the genres that I write.

Outside of Literotica, I enjoy reading crime thrillers.

Many readers wonder about the sex lives of the authors they like reading. We all know that most stories on Literotica are fantasy, but is there a window into your own sexual being that you'd like to share with our readers?

I'm boring in real life. Mostly, anyway. I'm not that outgoing and I like staying home to relax.

I guess I'm a modest person. But I've never been uptight seeing sex. I've always been curious about what people like sexually and what gets them off. So I suppose I incorporate that into my stories, where people explore their sexuality, push their boundaries, in a way that's safe.

Personally, I'm not that adventurous myself, at all. I guess I'm more voyeuristic. I like watching and observing.

Outside of your erotica, do you do other types of writing, either for work or pleasure?

Nothing, unless you count school homework, which included writing practice essays to prepare for exams. Ughh! Very, very extremely helpful though!

What's the key to a good sex scene?

In my opinion, there are four critical things for a good sex scene:

1) Descriptions. This is the most obvious. What's happening? I like to describe it outright using simple language. Nothing fancy. Just say what's going on. I also try to avoid analogies because it can look pretty ridiculous.

So I'll just say, "She took the cock in her mouth."

2) Emotions. This is also straightforward. How does the character feel? This can either be answered by explanation or physical action.

So now it becomes, "She took the cock inside her mouth. The sexual act caused her mind to race and her heart to pound faster."

3) Context. What I mean by this is, erotica is special because it plays upon taboo. A husband and wife having sex is boring, because they've done it a million times before. But if it's boss/employee or teacher/student, now you have something that's interesting. Remind readers of that. Show the readers where the "line" is and straddle it.

The final product might look like, "She took the cock inside her mouth. The sexual act caused her mind to race and her heart to pound faster. As she sucked, all she could think about was how her reputation would be ruined if anyone ever found out. She had only been working here for three weeks and already she was sucking off the boss."

4) Dialogue. People love reading the dialogue during a sex scene, I find. I also think it's hot myself. Maybe there's a bit of teasing, explanation, orders, domination, while the sexy stuff is happening. And of course, the cries and begging before orgasm are always stimulating.

That's basically how I write my sex scenes, based on years of writing and reading. Those are the elements that have always worked for me.

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

Thank you for reading.

Thanks HeyAll!