Discussion | Blogging
Who Do you Think I am — online?
Using my online persona to the best advantage
It’s easy to project a persona online that is slightly different from the real you. I think that most of us are guilty of curating how we are perceived, on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, creating dating profiles, even when we present ourselves via LinkedIn or on a CV. On most occasions we don’t think of it as lying or manufacturing something fake, rather we are playing up facets of ourselves that suit the situation or purpose of our interaction.
When I began blogging it was a means to an end, I thought to create a shop window for my erotic fiction. After I opened a profile on Blogger, I thought up a name to use, Posy Churchgate, then designed my pages with the intent of projecting what this new version of myself was ‘about’. As with the packaging for any product on the market, my site was shaping my image.
Whilst I didn’t intend to dress up like an alluring vixen every time I sat at my laptop to write, I took time to imagine my ‘look’. I channeled the actress Fenella Fielding (I knew her from Carry on Screaming). She tended to play femme fatales who oozed latent sexual energy and she spoke in a distinctive, husky drawl. Inspired by Fenella, I began to address my readers as my “Dark Darlings” — like Lady Gaga who has Little Monsters. The avi of my legs in over the knee socks still remains.
In my blog posts, I would introduce each new story with a preamble where I talked to my readers, striving to make a connection. Initially I struck a tone that was slightly seductive, as if I was drawing visitors into my XXX confidence. An honest erotica writer will admit their work bares parts of their soul; thoughts and responses which they don’t usually share, except with bedfellows. It’s impossible to avoid some preferences and past experiences leaking into our fiction, but that’s what gives it authenticity.
I had plans to tell stories that got readers hot and bothered, that put them right in the moment with my characters. I hoped my original fiction would keep them coming back for more, not only my spicy short stories, but for discussions on sex-related topics. I wanted comments, not just if readers enjoyed the stories, which of course is a wonderful boost to the ego and encouragement to write more, but feedback on what they wanted to read. I was shooting in the dark when I began writing scenes with sex, my only rule of thumb was what worked for me. So I wrote the kind of stories I seek out to read, those I got off on. Gradually I found an audience of others who appreciated the same kind of one-handed-read.
I always had dreams of being a writer — sometimes imagining myself as a book author, other times a magazine journalist. In my youth, I kept diaries/journals on and off, having a strong urge to log what I’ve done, combined with my thoughts and feelings. In 2022 I began to keep a bullet journal, which I also enjoy illustrating.
Once I understood what blogging was, it’s hardly surprising I was drawn to try my hand at it.
I began as a reader and found some favourites, people posting a new outfit a day or recommending books to read. The main difference between a diary and blogging is: with a diary you DO NOT expect anyone to read it, but with a blog your aspiration is that LOTS of people will read, share and become followers; even subscribers to read more!
My sex blogging journey got old quickly, I wasn’t keen to share pictures, even without showing my face. Reviewing sex toys felt too personal and the pay was more toys. This by May More 💜 Tales shows how wrong I was, but I’m not sorry I stepped away from that type of post. It was also expensive/time-consuming to maintain my site when all I wanted to do was write. That’s when I discovered Medium. I was initially invited to write pieces on sex topics, rather than erotic fiction. These posts get overlooked now because the publication that hosted them has folded. But let's dig deep into this writer’s archive!
So now you know what led to me sharing content on Medium. My style has evolved since those early blog posts, which were packed with exclamation marks and an over-chummy delivery. Bloggers don’t have an editor, they are self-published, but even so my writing has been shaped and improved by feedback and comments from readers.
As a writer, it’s always necessary to read. My sources are not just books and novellas but what others are sharing on Medium. People’s posts constantly inspire me. A shout-out to a few members of this community who air topics and have ideas that deserve support:
Smillew Rahcuef— madcap and original, his marketing and fresh ideas leave me in awe
Zane Dickens the Instigator — his 2023 prompts on Microcosm have included tips on how to become a better writer
Bradan Writes Stories— his seedling challenge has provided an excellent opportunity to keep expanding a story, from which novice writers and the more experienced can benefit
Amy Sea — whose breast stories continue to empower those of us with breasts to laugh, cry, shrug off, or celebrate the wins and fails that our boobs have brought us
Raine Lore — her fiction always makes me think “damn that’s good” and whose comedic style makes me giggle
Arpad Nagy— his stories sometimes make me cry, but unfailingly evoke my admiration
Posy Churchgate is based in the UK & writes |Fiction : Romantic, Erotic, Fantasy, YA |Non-fiction : sexuality, relationships |Editor for Tantalizing Tales, she supports new talent. More content can be found on FrolicMe.com & Tickle.life | Use this link for Medium membership to support her directly, and gives you access to Medium’s great content. Use this link to receive Posy’s latest stories directly to your inbox.
Please keep scrolling to get a Full Read