#i am needing all of this advice for myself to cope with demon jimin right now

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(1/2) trying to think how best to word this (and I am sorry if you've already answered an ask similar to this!) but I was wondering if you ever deal with feeling uncomfortable writing smut? I ask bc I am a struggling writer myself, and one who frankly very much enjoys explicit fic & would prefer to also write fic with explicit content, but I still feel my face burn and I get all squirmy (and not in the good way haha) when i try to write it. I am a huge advocate of sex positivity!

(2/2) I feel there should be ZERO shame around it! and yet somehow whatever internalized oppressive ideas I’ve been programmed with bubble up and bite me in the ass when I try to write. You write some of the best smut I’ve ever read (seriously) so I just was curious if this is something you ever face & if so, how you move past it! I'm not religious & wasn't raised in a conservative household (like my parents legit kept porn stashed away all over the house) so I am not sure why i get like this!

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One can be sex positive and still get embarrassed about writing about sex in explicit detail! I certainly do. I don’t think it means you are internally repressed or anything. While I agree that sex shouldn’t be shameful, I think a bit of taboo is part of what makes things sexy. If we felt the same way about sex that we did about mundane things like going to the grocery store or something, well then it wouldn’t be very sexy, you know?

Whenever I write something particularly raunchy, I usually have to stop and get up and walk around and giggle or scream or punch the air or whatever to get out my internal squirminess about the thing I have created. Usually that’s a sign that things are going well, haha. Here are some suggestions for powering through:

1. Write it down fast - When the idea first pops into your head, try to get in on paper as quickly as possible. Don’t worry about making it pretty or anything, just try to get whatever dialogue or blocking or sequence of activities that has occurred to you down as quickly as possible. It’s much easier to go back and edit than it is to put on the page the first time. 

2. Get yourself in a sexy mindspace - Biologically speaking, arousal actually decreases our disgust/shame impulses. So if you can get yourself “in the mood” just a little bit before writing, that may help you overcome the mental block.

3. Dissociate a bit - Similar idea to number two, but if you can somehow turn off the more judgmental part of your brain, it will help. This could mean having a drink or two or trying to write right after you wake up or late at night when you’re a bit loopy. 

4. Pretend that you’re just writing for you - It is impossible to write smut with an audience in mind. Pretend that whatever you are writing is just for you. Make it a bit weird or a bit silly so you aren’t taking it so seriously. 

5. Practice - My first attempts at smut were sooooo painful to write and not very sexy. It took practice to become comfortable with the language and style and to get a bit desensitized to it all. And then my smut has just gotten raunchier and raunchier, haha!

I hope that helps! My writing ask masterlist has some other posts with advice about the technicalities of smut writing if you’re interested.