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debbyherbenick
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Her comments also seem to suggest that there is only one way to write about sex and that is "steamy", whereas sex is highly nuancedd... with at least hundreds of reasons for engaging in it and numerous ways of enjoying it (or not).
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clevernamehere
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
I'm kind of shocked that she thinks men write better sex stories than women do, I think the exact opposite is true.

When I was in high school and college, I used to read a lot of erotica on the internet mostly of the fanfic porn without plot variety. I hadn't read any in a long time but recently went searching for some outside fanfic (it now seems a little creepy to me) and 99.9% completely groses me out. Most of the sites I've found seem to be male dominated and are basically porno movies written down. If I wanted traditional porn type stories, I'd watch porn! Personally I find porn really unerotic, there isn't a real focus on female pleasure and a lot of the time the male lead seems to actively dislike the female lead. I don't need to read stories where the male lead gets a blow job from the little slut who need to be taught a lesson, they don't do it for me.

I don't know how someone who spectilizes in erotica could think men do it better.
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bowleserised
06/15/09

@clevernamehere: I think that the trouble is that some people think that they, and only they, know what is GOOD SEX because they, and only they, can have had such marvellous feelings, and therefore everyone else who says they get their marvellous feelings some other way is wrong.

This is why it's much better to have an editor who's considerably less dogmatic in their opinions, and who commissions an array of stuff. A magazine dedicated to one person's idea of a turn on is going to appeal to one person.
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Maulleigh
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Shirley Conran, who wrote Lace, faked it pretty good. Those were some of my earliest secret readings! I found the book at a garage sale and only read the dirty parts because I didn't understand all the other stuff.
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BlackFrancine
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
A classmate of mine gave a presentation on Memoirs of a Beatnik by Diane Di Prima, a book that has a lot of unromanticized sex in it. Part of her presentation included giving the class some excerpts from erotica and literary sex writing, and having us try to figure out whether they were written by men or women. Some were really raunchy, some were middle of the road, some were beautiful, honest, hot (ie, more literary, but still very sexy). I guessed that about half were written by women, and half written by men. After the class had discussed it, the girl giving the presentation revealed that all of the excerpts were written by women. That was the punchline. If you take the names off the writing, you can't tell.

People have said this crap before--about EVERY kind of women's writing. That's why we have George Eliot and George Sand and H.D. (Hilda Doolittle). Because no one would take them seriously if they knew they had vaginas. For Copstick to pretend that this is anything other than run of the mill discrimination is ridiculous.
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bowleserised
06/15/09

@BlackFrancine: Ridiculous, but entirely in character.
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PennyArcadia
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
"Determined not to let the magazine be "drowned in estrogen," she said she would have almost exclusively male writers as they knew a lot more about sex."

O RLY? How's that then?

She doesn't know, does she? I wonder what she's read, or rather, hasn't read. I must say that most of that supposedly 'straightforward' erotica isn't particularly erotic to me. It's even worse in my language, which uses diminutives and in which erotic writers ALWAYS feel the need to put a diminutive on female bodyparts. NO.
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rmric0.wedding.photographer.and.manny
06/15/09

@PennyArcadia: So now they're just going to drown it in testosterone.
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Ipomoea
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Good lady sex writers?

Kristina Lloyd

Anais Nin

Emma Holly

Susie Bright and everything she edits

Lora Leigh (I don't generally like her men, but the sex is hot)

Bish, don't act like you're the only one who can write about sex because you're the only woman who enjoys it. PLZ.
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SomeAuthorGirl
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Huh. She doesn't want it "drowned in estrogen?" I read that as she doesn't want to be "drowned in sales."
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Aha! Here are the authors who've won the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award. Only 2/16 are women. John Updike got a 'lifetime achievement award' last year.

[en.wikipedia.org]

(yes, I'm aware I over comment in any post about sex. I'm working on it.)
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bowleserised
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
It pisses me off that all of the so-called saviours of the post-Pelling Erotic Review have sought to relaunch it by trying to slag off Rowan.

On whose talents the magazine was pretty much built.

And of course these new ER owners will be quids in when the film of Pelling's time at the Review comes out - again, thanks to her talents.

I could say a lot more, but I think I won't. I think you get the jist of the situation from Copstick's article.
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Oh no. She. Didn'.

If women can't write about sex, then what's with them writing (and jerking it to) 99 percent of online fan fiction? Sure, much of it is embarrassing... so is most writing about sex.

Hey, Kate Copstick, how's this for writing about sex? Go eat a bag of dicks.
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morninggloria
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
I'm mainly bummed out by the word "erotic" since I was in a philosophy class in college called "Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love" wherein the professor once said "erotic" more than fifty times during a single 40 minute class session.
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Ailatan
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
I've just finished reading Fear of Flying and I loved it!

The "all women suck but me" is just a stupid strategy that some women use to get to men, it won't work in the long run, they will never respect you.
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kithkin
06/15/09

@Ailatan Hearts BabyJane: Exactly. You might get a day pass to the men's club but you're never getting a full membership so just cut your losses and find some sisterhood if and where you can.
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sympathyforthebasementcat
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
Ladies, I say we leave this Jezebel pretense, and go to out for some salads and how to snag a man talk. I promise we won't mention the s-e-x word, except in reference to how to please him. Also, we'll have cosmos, not because we wanna get drunk but because they're so fab.

Doesn't it get so tiring being a woman since all of our opinions and actions are just for show?
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
06/15/09

@sympathyforthebasementcat: I'll only alow the s-word to be brought up if you can tell me how to get him to stop wanting it! If only the brute would leave me to crochet and arrange flowers in peace.
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BabyJane
06/15/09

@sympathyforthebasementcat: I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I was busy staring at my cute shoes and I can't do two things at once.
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sympathyforthebasementcat
06/15/09

@HeatherNumber1: Oh dear. Do these big virile men have no decency? Bring me my smelling salts while I think of England.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
HEY! I used to run a sex blog with a feminist bent (we sadly went under after I quit my job, had finals week, moved across the country, registered for more classes, and got stuck in a 2 week power outage in quick succession but I may have finagled a new editor so I could be a columnist instead of a babysitter which would allow us to start up again). I wrote DAMN WELL about sex, missy!

I am also irrationally annoyed by this article.
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Uncommon Whore
06/15/09

@MissSkittles is not your kind of lady: Irrationally annoyed is exactly how I feel. I just want to yell at her, "you don't know me, bitch!"
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Pocahaunted
06/15/09

@MissSkittles is not your kind of lady: how much do you want to bet that Kate Copstick doesn't read any online based sex writing or blogs? It is inconceivable to me that someone could say such things about women sex writers if they've even scratched the surface of sex blogs.
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Pocahaunted
06/15/09

In reply to "Women Can't Write About Sex," Says Female Sex Writer
I salivate rivers at the thought of a great steak (perhaps a mark of a recently converted vegan) and also think that The Erotic Review was the greatest magazine ever when Rowan Pelling was the editor.

Stfu Kate Copstick.

Also, I'm totally going to see Megan read at True Sex Confessions Night. NYC meet-up?
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Majrhoulihan
06/15/09

@Pocahaunted: It's my birthday! I totally want to go.
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bowleserised
06/15/09

@Pocahaunted: The Erotic Review was the greatest magazine ever when Rowan Pelling was the editor.

Yay!
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