Expanding My Horizons at Smut Manchester

I went to Smut Manchester last Saturday.  This was a fairly nerve wracking undertaking for me as it involved going out in the real world and meet real people while maintaining my guise as Etta Stark (Etta Stark does look remarkably like my real name self, which helps of course. Although she may be slightly taller).

Until now, Etta Stark has been a mostly online presence, a mishmash of electronic signals much like Mr Smith from the Sarah Jane Adventures or Max Headroom.

Except I have better hair.

No more. Now I have gone forth into the world (or at least the bit of the world that is the Manchester Conference Centre) and had actual conversations with people over actual cups of tea (and actual glasses of Pinot Grigio) about writing erotic fiction as though it were a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do. Which of course it is. I feel quite invigorated.

Smut Manchester itself was great - and eye-opening. My mind has been expanded in all sorts of new and interesting directions. There are some great writeups of all the exciting activities that went on. Check out blog posts by Anna Sky and Charlie J Forrest to find out more about the day's events including sex toys, cinquains, writing collaboratively and rope-tying. Many, many thanks to the tireless Victoria Blisse who organised the whole event.

Alongside the other activities, there were readings from a whole bunch of writers including Ashe Barker, KD Grace, Liv Honeywell and Bella Settarra. Most of whom were new to me. My Kindle 'to read' list became considerably longer this week, I can tell you.

I was scheduled to read my Flash Fiction Story, "The Final Straw" in the afternoon. I am not used to reading out loud in public. I think the last time was probably the poem I read at my sister's wedding fifteen years ago. And that (as far as I recall) didn't even have any sex or spanking in it. The idea of reading my somewhat smutty story was fairly terrifying.

However, by the time I came to do it (it was the last event of the day in fact - clearly everything else had just been a mere prelude), I'd heard at least a dozen readings from fabulous writers covering every conceivable subject ranging from the mildly suggestive to the absolutely filthy which made me feel a good deal more confident about my ability to say the word 'cock' out loud in mixed company. And I did it. Without fainting or freaking out or anything. So yay me. Jaye Peaches also read her lovely Flash Fiction story, Big Wheel Date Night which you should go and read. It's considerably less smutty than mine,

I had a wonderful weekend and am immensely glad that I forced myself to do it. And there was a bit of force involved. A definite moment before I had to leave to catch the train on Friday evening where I had to shout down the persuasive inner voice making the case for calling the whole thing off and staying home instead. But you know, that whole going outside of your comfort zone thing? There's a lot to be said for it.