We all joke about writing porn with no plot and smut, but in all reality it's actually truly transgressive, healthy, and important for women to write sexually-expressive fiction for other women.

It's one of the best uses of fanfic and we should all be proud. (thread)

Some scoff at the literary merit of smut, but read this:

"When she closed her eyes she felt he had many hands, which touched her everywhere, and many mouths, which passed so swiftly over her, and with a wolflike sharpness, his teeth sank into her fleshiest parts."

"Naked now, he lay his full length over her. She enjoyed his weight on her, enjoyed being crushed under his body. She wanted him soldered to her, from mouth to feet. Shivers passed through her body."

That's Anais Nin, folks. That's literature.
That's also so damn fine smut.

Women writing sexuality for a primarily female audience and gaze is a rebellion against repression & misogyny, sadly necessary even in 2020 when reproductive rights are being stripped from women by American men.

Don't discount the power & rebellion of owning your own sexuality.

Also, don't underestimate the power of admitting & your own pleasure– either your kinks, what you read, or what you write. As a married mom of 3, I came to greater acceptance of certain parts of myself from reading fanfic and women's experiences.

How else could I?

So yes, erotica, smut, porn with no plot-- all are valid & valuable. Don't dismiss your fic, be proud of what you write! You're providing a voice and service to women that our popular culture typically ignores.
Enjoy it- shame free- and I'll see you on Ao3, smutwitches!