How often, if at all, do you read stories that aren’t necessarily for you?

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I am willing to bet, most people have a genre they prefer to read such as exhibitionism, SPH, ENF, BDSM, romance, hardcore porn, or whatever else, and many have comfort zones, turn ons, turn offs, things they just don’t like, etc. but do you ever venture to stories outside of your favored kink/genre?

And if so, how often do you do so? Why? Is it because it comes from an author you enjoy? Genuine curiosity? On the front page? Something you’ve considered exploring but haven’t? Are there any stories that really surprised you because it wasn’t your genre, yet you enjoyed it anyways?

And as a bonus for authors: have you written anything outside of your typical genre? How did you feel about it if you did?
 
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So on CHYOA, I don’t really venture outside my comfort zone, however, occasionally I’ll read submission content. I’m not really big in the BDSM scene, though I have attempted to dabble a little. For the most part, though, I stick to my genre. When I did dabble in BDSM a little, I felt a little disconnected because I just don’t have a grasp in what the scene is like. I have vague ideas and the minimal researching (on google/pornhub). I think what interests me though are the cross genres because sometimes ENF crosses with BDSM in a sense, and so then I at least have one foot in the comfort zone and one foot out.
 
I've had some good experiences with trying out stuff I thought I wouldn't like! Things like futanari, homosexual stuff, crossdressing, and others have all become appealing reading topics to me through the efforts of some really good writers who dedicate themselves to such things. I've definitely broadened my horizons since coming here!

I've stepped outside of my comfort zone writing a time or two. If you told me 5 years ago I'd have written for a futanari story or an incest story I'd have doubted you rather strongly, but here we are. :p

I don't know if I've become a better writer by giving all these things a shot, but at the very least, I've broadened the range of things I'm willing to read quite a bit and met people I wouldn't have otherwise.

I will say that if I try something and really don't like it, I'm not going to try to write it. That sounds like "well, duh," but I think there are some who see it as a challenge and try to write outside their own preferences, whether it's for the sake of readers, to build their own skillset, or just to push themselves. It's respectable, but I'm definitely too much of a leisurely writer for that myself!
 
Interesting question. I kinda break genres/kinks here into three categories. There's the stuff I like/am into, stuff I'm so-so about and stuff I don't like/am not into.

The first group I'm always happy to read and I look for them specifically when I'm in the mood for a sexy story. Usually I'll start with one by an author I like but I'm cool with diving into a story by someone I haven't read before. Back when I was writing, these were the only things I'd write about. I know if something doesn't interest me, I'll do a bad job trying to describe what's going on.

The second group I'll read if it has a hook or character I'm curious about or it's by an author I like. The last I skip because I know those topics don't work for me at all and would prefer not to torture myself :)
 
Kineticat said:
Interesting question. I kinda break genres/kinks here into three categories. There's the stuff I like/am into, stuff I'm so-so about and stuff I don't like/am not into.

The first group I'm always happy to read and I look for them specifically when I'm in the mood for a sexy story. Usually I'll start with one by an author I like but I'm cool with diving into a story by someone I haven't read before. Back when I was writing, these were the only things I'd write about. I know if something doesn't interest me, I'll do a bad job trying to describe what's going on.

The second group I'll read if it has a hook or character I'm curious about or it's by an author I like. The last I skip because I know those topics don't work for me at all and would prefer not to torture myself :)
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I thinkI kind of do the same as Cat even in non-erotic / non CHYOA fiction too. The stuff I know I'm going to like probably takes up about 5% of the market and I'll grab it as soon as its available. I'll avoid about 20% because I know I wont like it. The rest, I'll give a try as time / whims allow.
In the CHYOA sense, I'll write if I feel I can usefully add to something even if its not my usual, but if I'm too far out of my lane it sounds too fake even to me so I wont bother.
 
I'm a picky reader when it comes to sexy stories. I've learned the specific things I like as I've got into erotica more and more and I really struggle to read anything outside that. I often stop reading stories quickly when I realize I won't enjoy the sex scenes because there's a kink I don't like or if the relationship between the characters isn't playing out in the way I enjoy.

Although, like Midbossman, since getting more involved in CHYOA and through interacting with some other writers I have read through some stories on the site that I probably wouldn't have otherwise, though that's usually because they're well-written and have some exciting hook or narrative I can enjoy outside the sex that keeps me interested in them as a story.
 
I've had some good experiences with trying out stuff I thought I wouldn't like
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I’d say I’m the same. ENF was the first genre I stumbled upon when I was younger and I also feel it has the biggest presence in general media (TV, movies, etc) out of the adult genres. For example, there’s the scene in Divergent (novel) where Tris loses her towel in front of others. There’s also the Lucy Hale scene, the Desperate Housewives scene, etc. so I feel it’s the most accessible in terms of you’ll probably be able to find it without having to dig too deep into the adult scene.

The second genre that came with it was the ABDL/diaper/bedwetting/pantswetting scene. At first I had the same thought process as many do; it’s gross and weird. But there are a lot of stories and art that caught my attention. There are still elements that are weird/gross, but there’s also a part that is somewhat relatable in a sense.

Then there’s the everything else which I think is less prominent in the general public media. I don’t know exactly the amount of times BDSM has appeared in big movies or tv shows. I’m sure there’s a few out there, but from what I have researched, I can barely find much outside of pornhub and such. There’s the torture element that I find hard to read/write, but then there’s some submission content that has surprised me.

Then there’s also the furry area. I by all means am not a furry, but I can see why people are given the amount of sexualized furry characters seen in the general media especially those targeted for kids and which you grow up watching these characters that aren’t human and yet have this unexplained attractiveness to them such as Lola Bunny and Roxanne and even recently Judy Hops. Now for the most part I’m not big in the furry scene either, but there’s specific art/comics that catches my interest. I didn’t think I would enjoy it, and yet I do.

I think also there is the type of adult content that is really pushed by the media, whether it be right or wrong, so we end up with this picture of what we think each kink is like without knowing the actual scene behind it. I mean ABDL people are seen as freaks who can’t grow up, BDSM people are seen as masochists who get turned on by torturous methods when in reality all of the above is either exaggerated or wrong.

What I’ve learned through growing outside of my comfort zone is that each kink or genre has its good and bad areas and you just have to figure out which that is for you. There’s going to be content that just isn’t for you, and that’s okay, but there’s also a lot of hidden great content that otherwise you might not ever have looked at. It is interesting to me though about this taboo line of what adult themes are actually portrayed in movies, tv shows, books, etc and what is shoved to the side or ignored or even shunned.
 
If anyone here is a football fan, then you'll know I'm writing this during halftime and have to be quick so that I can go back to watching the game. This question has a pretty easy answer when pertaining to me: no to reading outside my comfort zone, and definitely no to writing outside my comfort zone. I'm not a fan of the more niche fetishes (AB/DL, vore, scat, etc.), and if you read my other posts, you would know I'm a fan of non-incestuous romance and semi-hardcore, consenting sex. I am somewhat okay with lesbian stories (think I've already made my stance on lesbian clear in another post), but guy-on-guy stuff is, well, gay. I know someone's going to accuse me of bigotry, so let me clear the air; I'm not a homophobic right-wing extremist, I am just more traditionally masculine and would rather penetrate than be penetrated. Ironically, as of September 20, 2021, I'm still a virgin who hasn't said more than the occasional neutral greeting to a girl. In my defense, the girls in my neighborhood are all ugly and related to each other three times over. All that aside, I'm not a fan of gay stuff.


I have dabbled in futa, submission, and rape fantasies with varying degrees of comfort. I read more incest than I care to admit, but it's not my favorite. Also, random question, if a dickgirl is fucking a regular girl, is that lesbian? I think it is, but anyone is free to provide their opinions.


When writing, I stick to what I like because it comes easier to me. I'm quite "leisurely," as someone who commented before me said, as a writer. Ironically, I actually consider myself an athlete in real life who regularly challenges himself physically, yet I cannot bring myself to write some rape stories. Guess everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses.
 
Definitely. I mean I pretty much have to thanks to Gina and Marcie Reads lol Luckily the submissions I get are usually pretty high quality, so even if a Kink doesn't appeal to me I can appreciate the plot and storytelling.


I wrote things that made me whince, if that counts. But I would never write a story tha straight up doesn't appeal to me. I can't see this turning out good.
 
As others have said, the stuff I come across can be divided in three groups:

a)generes/kinks I actively like
b)genere and kinks I don't really care about
c)those I actively dislike and avoid as much as possible.

I go for a, and occasionally stumble in b or c. Usually I keep on reading b as long has it doesn't get boring.
Somethimes I do keep on reading a bit c, to see how far would it go or to try to understand the possible appeal, but ultimately don't see the point to insist after a chapter or two.

Also a and b groups have some sort of turnover every now and then, though I don't rember anything ever making it to a group coming from c.
Surely over the years I have come into contact with a lot of different a sometimes rather weird kinks, and got somewhat desensibilized to some of them and got an acquired tast for others, mostly in the visual deparment.

Now, about writing. My original motivation for starting to write was to fill a gap I belived there was. You know what I'm talking about, right?
You read a story, don't like how it progresses and you think that someone should write an alternative to that key chapter, and that someone is you of course.

So, from my angle, I really can't see why I should spend time in writing something that wouldn't be generally appealing to me.
That means that I write(when I do...):
a) because it's obvious;
b) because I want to try and give it a different spin that could actually do something for me;
c) I don't, because I don't see why I should. I feel it would be akward, probably tiring and ultimately pointless.
 
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On writing a story that's not necessarily for you:
We set up one recently based on a different forum thread "1001 nights", which was basically just a challenge to see if we could write a collection of erotic fairy tales. As far as I know this is no-one's kink. Certainly not mine. However, the fun is in the challenge, rather than just writing what I like. We're all out our comfort zone on it. The collaboration/community element to this sort of thing is what makes the writing on it more enjoyable though.
The great readership are so far unimpressed judging by views/likes, but I'm still enjoying my time on it anyway.
 
I used to read all sorts of stories even ones I wasn't interested in. Now though I struggle to find time to read the stuff I know I'll like :(. On a related note sometimes I'd read stories I thought were not very well written but they had a premise I was super interested in exploring or fantasies about.
That said if a story is related to my interests but going in a direction I am not sure I am into I'll still give it a read, helps if its well written, an example I've mentioned before was in The CaptivePrince the petplay branch wasn't something I was sure I would be super into but it has become one of my favorite branches of that story. Similarly midbossman and princecai and a few others wrote on The Fairer Sex which pertains to a genre which I found in the past to be not very well done but I gave it a chance since I liked some of the stuff they wrote before and enjoyed it.
So I guess if an author has written stuff I enjoyed I'm more willing to read stuff they write that goes beyond my interests
 
I don't usually read stories about fetishes I am not into but there are some fetishes that even if I don't like them I could tolerate, so in case a story I am reading has a few chapters about those things I don't usually stop reading one story for that but if the story change to focus on that kink probably I stop. I could read one or two chapters about sharing, gangbang, or femdom but not a full story about those things. Then, of course, like most others have mentioned there are kinks that I don't even tolerate so I totally avoid it, like rape when is too realistic with violence, tears, and blood.

There is another type of story that I usually don't read because I feel it is not necessarily for me and no one has mentioned this. The gender POV. As a male, I feel more identifier with male characters so I don't normally read stories from a female perspective, especially if that perspective is the second person. In this case a few chapters of female POV I could not only tolerate, I even enjoy it, like some stories with male POV that occasionally switch to the POV of one female character, but if the whole story is in female POV I don't usually found that interesting to read.
 
incestdomination said:
There is another type of story that I usually don't read because I feel it is not necessarily for me and no one has mentioned this. The gender POV. As a male, I feel more identifier with male characters so I don't normally read stories from a female perspective, especially if that perspective is the second person. In this case a few chapters of female POV I could not only tolerate, I even enjoy it, like some stories with male POV that occasionally switch to the POV of one female character, but if the whole story is in female POV I don't usually found that interesting to read.
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That's interesting. I write either 3rd person or fempov primarily because that's what is natural for me to write for obvious reasons. I do tend to read fempov stories first but I don't skip the dudepov just because of that. Maybe it's because so much of our entertainment is from a male pov that I'm kinda used to that? Something for me to think on I guess :)
 
Kineticat said:
That's interesting. I write either 3rd person or fempov primarily because that's what is natural for me to write for obvious reasons. I do tend to read fempov stories first but I don't skip the dudepov just because of that. Maybe it's because so much of our entertainment is from a male pov that I'm kinda used to that? Something for me to think on I guess :)
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Yeah it feels like there is way more male pov and I have come to accept it as well but I'd love it if there were more female pov femdom stories
 
Kineticat said:
That's interesting. I write either 3rd person or fempov primarily because that's what is natural for me to write for obvious reasons. I do tend to read fempov stories first but I don't skip the dudepov just because of that. Maybe it's because so much of our entertainment is from a male pov that I'm kinda used to that? Something for me to think on I guess :)
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Wait, what? First I wanna say, down with the patriarchy, of course, but what's all this about male pov being dominat in the entertainment?

If we are strictly speaking of PoV I don't see it to be very common, either male or female.
We can argue about a lot of stuff coming trough the eyes of a man, ok, but that's a little different.

On that point though, I think a good writer should be able to make you feel connected to any kind of character, not just same sex ones.

Also where would you put the limit to identfy oneself? Same sex orientation? Same skin colour? Same age? Same background? Same language?
That's just silly in my opinion.

I generally like to read and sometimes write from a feminine PoV. Deal, I can't assure you it's good, but I like it and I could say pretty much the same about my male PoV stuff.
I don't do it because I "identify" in my character, I do it because generally what interests me in an erotic story is a girl getting fucked. She is the main course, not just a prop.
So, I find it quite effecient to start with the girl and add one or more partners as the story goes on, even other girls if that's the case.

That works best especially if you write a story having a MC that's passive: a woman who gets things done to her, rather than actively doing things.
to others.

I can see the opposite working for a woman reading like you said "dudepov" stuff (which feels a little derogatory by the way, even if playfully so), I don't know.
 
SeriousBrainDamage said:
Wait, what? First I wanna say, down with the patriarchy, of course, but what's all this about male pov being dominat in the entertainment?

If we are strictly speaking of PoV I don't see it to be very common, either male or female.
We can argue about a lot of stuff coming trough the eyes of a man, ok, but that's a little different.

On that point though, I think a good writer should be able to make you feel connected to any kind of character, not just same sex ones.

Also where would you put the limit to identfy oneself? Same sex orientation? Same skin colour? Same age? Same background? Same language?
That's just silly in my opinion.

I generally like to read and sometimes write from a feminine PoV. Deal, I can't assure you it's good, but I like it and I could say pretty much the same about my male PoV stuff.
I don't do it because I "identify" in my character, I do it because generally what interests me in an erotic story is a girl getting fucked. She is the main course, not just a prop.
So, I find it quite effecient to start with the girl and add one or more partners as the story goes on, even other girls if that's the case.

That works best especially if you write a story having a MC that's passive: a woman who gets things done to her, rather than actively doing things.
to others.

I can see the opposite working for a woman reading like you said "dudepov" stuff (which feels a little derogatory by the way, even if playfully so), I don't know.
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On the first point, I do think more of the big budget stuff tends to still have more male main characters than female ones. It's shifted a lot in the least decade though, so I'm hopeful it'll catch up. Keep in mind, this is all colored by what media I consume so my pov here is pretty biased. I may be missing a lot of stuff simply because it isn't my genre/interest. As to what different 'identities' there needs to be entertainment for, things are opening up more so I just kinda hope the market sorts it all out. I can only speak to my own weird quirks. I assume different folks with different viewpoints notice (and are possibly irked) by different things.


As for the 'dudepov'. It felt playful and funny when I wrote it, but I can see how someone might not like it. Apologies all around to anyone offended. I'll do better next time :)
 
If you spent your whole life worrying whether or not you offended some obscure stranger on the internet, you will go insane. I don't know if it's because I binge-drank too much again, but I think that it is better to stand by a post like that at all times, even if someone finds it offensive. What you said was not blatantly hateful, it is quite ambiguous, there's no reason to apologize. After all, this is America, the greatest country on Earth, land of freedom, home of the best democracy, and most importantly, a place where differing opinions are allowed to exist. A civil debate about a grey statement such as that is completely allowed, there's no force compelling you to concede because a random person said they were offended. If someone on the internet says, "I don't like what you said because [insert text here]," then remind them that people come to the United States to be free, not to be oppressed in a different way. Right now, I'm in Miami Beach, and I regularly see Cuban immigrants who fled communist Cuba because the revolutionaries would kill anyone they assumed didn't agree with their beliefs. I hate communism, it results in nothing but destruction and death, I'm a devout capitalist through and through. So, I'll end this with a statement that goes to everyone: the next time someone tries to stifle your beliefs, give them a piece of your mind.
 
Who said this is America? Pretty sure a lot of the folk we're talking to here are not American and dont live there (Yours truly included). I love and respect it, but the greatest country on earth... I'd maybe go with the Netherlands because they're a lot less uptight about most things - and the women are stunning. Or you could argue the Internet is the greatest I suppose. You need to see a few more places first to compare. And, there are balnces to be struck between freedom of speech and allowing people to say hateful things. Your civil rights movement has addressed some of this. France imo has possibly got the balance wrong and allows freedom of speech unfettered fueling terror and violence.
I'm not keen on mixing politics with fun in general and tempted to reply on a few points but I'm pretty sure there are other forums for that sort of stuff. Y - feel free to message me for an offline chat if you want to talk about this kind of thing.
 
Kineticat said:
On the first point, I do think more of the big budget stuff tends to still have more male main characters than female ones. It's shifted a lot in the least decade though, so I'm hopeful it'll catch up. Keep in mind, this is all colored by what media I consume so my pov here is pretty biased. I may be missing a lot of stuff simply because it isn't my genre/interest. As to what different 'identities' there needs to be entertainment for, things are opening up more so I just kinda hope the market sorts it all out. I can only speak to my own weird quirks. I assume different folks with different viewpoints notice (and are possibly irked) by different things.


As for the 'dudepov'. It felt playful and funny when I wrote it, but I can see how someone might not like it. Apologies all around to anyone offended. I'll do better next time :)
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I'm glad you felt like apologizing as I like politeness, but you didn't have to. Mine wasn't a bash, rather a light tap.
No one could really feel offended for that ;)

No need to make this bigger than it is.

On the identities, which are by the way just the last trend on selling ads, while I agree that different medias and niches have different narrative canons, I'm still unconvinced that mainstream medias use first person PoV diffusely, male or female.

Maybe you mean shows and books where the MC is a male? They sure are still the majority.
 
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