Quote Originally Posted by Laila View Post
For me the ambitions are less lofty - I just dream about being a writer. And for now I want to write erotica. But it will completely drag me out of the closet should my greatest dream of being published should ever come true. Hell, even in non-erotica there are usually D/s themes involved.

Sure you might say, write under a psydonym - but how could I not tell my mother that my greatest dream has come true?
I had to think hard when I had my first book published, because, while not erotic per se, it has some pretty explicit sex and a bisexual hero. I decided in the end to face it square on, put my own name on the cover and present it to my father with pride. He took it in the spirit that was intended.
Part of me thinks that maybe I could write it so that it is accessible to vanilla people and not just weird and perverted, but its still scary.
That would be a VERY good thing to do, for all of our sakes. There are a few good non-fiction books presenting BDSM to vanillas, but what we really, badly need are readable novels where BDSMers are not monsters or indequates, just people. I'm trying to write one myself, but I failed once because I couldn't decide if I was writing for the erotica or the mainstream market, and now I know how to make it better, I can't find time.

The model that I'm trying to follow is Dick Francis' racing thrillers. You don't need to like horses or racing to enjoy them, but they'll make you appreciate why people like those things. I want to do the same for people who may not understand BDSM, but will come as they read to appreciate why we do what we do.

(Unfortunately Francis is also a model for why we need such books, because he's totally bigotted about BDSM himself. If any character is into spanking, or carries a whip in hir luggage, it's certain sie will turn out to be a viciously perverted villain at the end.)

Good luck.