Hi I’m pretty new here, but i love writing and i have a lot of fantasies. I write with me in the fantasies, as in my current story, Carina’s Corruption (this was a fantasy i’ve had for a long time, just never got to writing it out). My question is, do readers like that? I include photos or at least edited photos of myself in the cover, or my profile pic, so people can get an idea of the girl that’s supposed to be in these stories. Do readers prefer something else? Should i add more photos of myself, based on the chapter (they will be edited or cropped)?
First off, always be careful what you post online, anonymity and safety is always important. Though, from the way you describe it, it sounds like the readers are 'watching from the chair', so to speak. Technically, their opinions matter, but really this is between you and your perverted mind. That being said, readers like liberty and leeway in the way they enjoy a story, so maybe sticking mostly to descriptions (describing you, of course) instead of posting nudes for free online would be good. As long as you capitalize your I's, everything should be fine.
The vast majority of hobbyist erotic writers draw from their own sexual preferences and fantasies, so in that sense what you're doing is totally normal, and possibly even essential. Personally, transporting myself 1:1 into one of my stories is something I'd never do. As GG also touched on, I value my privacy (I'm probably a little overly paranoid about it, honestly ), but it's also just not very interesting to me. I enjoy writing characters who aren't me. There's nothing inherently wrong with using yourself as a protagonist, though! In fact, leaning into this will probably attract readers, because people like feeling they have a personal connection to the creators whose work they enjoy. To use one really banal example of using this dynamic, replying to comments is something most of us (should!) do, and for the same reason: if people like you, they're more likely to like your work, too. And the more of yourself you expose in this way, the more of a connection your readers will feel to you. But with that comes a note of caution. The line between erotic writing and sex work is blurry at the best of times. After all, we sell (or give away for free) sexual satisfaction. But the more of yourself you put into your work, the thinner that line becomes. For example, if I, a guy, write a lesbian sex story, and someone says it's hot (or that it sucks), then that really doesn't say anything about me other than that I've done a good (or a bad) job. But if you use yourself as a character in a story, and a random strangers says your character is hot, or that they're dumb (or any of a thousand other awful things), or describes in detail what kind of sex acts they'd like to engage in with your character (ranging from incredibly hot or utterly repulsive to you), then they're implicitly saying something about you as a person. For the sake of your own mental health, you have to make sure that's something you're at least comfortable with. And if you decide that, yes, you are comfortable with it, then I say: more power to ye! P.S. You should include some tags to help readers figure out if the story will appeal to them.
CHYOA is not a suitable site for true stories. Also, from my experience, many readers are strongly opposed to real persons being depicted in stories. Publishing images of yourself is a rather bad idea. Even if it's edited and cropped, one might still be able to identify yourself due to minor details. And that person likely won't be some random guy at the other side of the globe, but rather someone around you, like a neighbor or a coworker. That's not an unlikely fictional possibility. There has already been a case of blackmail due to personal images. There is also an issue if an image doesn't actually depict you but "your ex-girlfriend". In that case, the user who uploads that image might be criminally liable.
Writing stories about yourself, depicting your own personal fantasies, using photos of yourself in any manner. These all contribute to a personal and rather intimate relationship you might develop with your audience. Some people won't like it. Some people will like it. Some people will really REALLY like it, though that might not be good. This is kinda reminiscent of a model taking spicy photos, or even making adult videos, though landing somewhere in between. And just like with those there are concerns, but if it helps you create better art you and your audience enjoy then all the power to you. As everyone has mentioned, safety is a huge concern here. Be very sure you know what you're getting into. It would be smart to research models who post pictures of themselves for an audience. See what strategies they use to keep their anonymity and learn about what other issues are likely to pop up. Maybe try to speak with one. It would give a great idea of what to expect.
Thanks for all the advice! I do enjoy writing about me specifically in my fantasies, and i want my audience to know that’s it’s me, i feel like that creates an intimate bond like mentioned here but also that’s just very hot to me! But i do realize, combining that with my personal pics may not be the best idea, in case anyone gets a little too obsessed. If you think otherwise, or have ideas of using my photos but still keeping my anonymity, drop me a message, i’d love to discuss it. I really do appreciate all the advice!
