What Is Literotica?

Literotica is a portmanteau of "literature" and "erotica," and refers to creatively-written erotica. It is also a free erotic fiction website based in the United States that allows a user to register as an author and then submit stories. This website has over millions of users registered. Amateur authors contribute to this site by submitting stories, poems, audio stories, essays, or illustrated stories in different categories available on the website. As per the data for 2008, over 300k erotic stories were posted by various contributors.

Literotica was amongst the first adult websites that opened up to storytellers and creators. It quickly went on to replace the Usenet erotic story sections. It is mainly aimed at amateur storytellers and readers who prefer an image-free environment where one's imagination can run wild, although this website does have a couple of limitations when it comes to storytelling—stories pertaining to pedophilia and bestiality are prohibited.

Various types of stories may be submitted, such as short stories, chain stories, or one-off stories. One may also submit an entire novel chapter-by-chapter. There are stories which are categorized into diverse themes. There are also various categories for those who want to submit stories with pictures or audio.

Services by Literotica 

Literotica provides various services, such as message boards, chat sessions, and other communication channels. The website publishes a collection of stories under the “Best of” banner. It makes income through ad sales, adult video on demand, an online adult store, and various links to webcams.

There are a series of chat rooms available on the website. In the past, this was done via DigiChat’s Java client software, but, due to constant cyberattacks, the chat rooms have moved over to a Flash-based client. Registration for chat sessions is free of charge, and users are allowed to create their own rooms, which can be public or private and password-protected. All the chat rooms are properly moderated, and if certain banned themes are discussed in one, the participating users are forthwith banned from the system.

The message board of Literotica is known to account for almost six percent of its web traffic. There are over thirty forums in which users can participate, and consist of both English and non-English language boards. Inside Literotica’s message board are multiple forums, and users can choose any number to frequent. There are various topics, such as Poetry Feedback & Discussion, Author’s Hangout, Amateur Pictures, and Sexual Roleplaying. The message board has a “How-To” forum, as well as a section that allows writers to seek advice. There are also sections for LGBT and BDSM. The members of the message board are known as Litizens, or Litsters. They meet sometimes, and such meetings are called Litogethers.

Porn vs. Literotica 

Below are some good reasons why one can stop watching porn and, instead, start reading erotica on Literotica to pump up one's libido and imagination:

• When one starts reading erotica, it lets you imagine and experience the moment for yourself. The best part is one can choose how hot the love interest is in the story. You can let your imagination run freely and go wild. But when it comes to porn, there is no mystery—you get what is presented in front of you.

• Literotica is something you can read in public. Whether you prefer to read it on your phone or an e-reader device, it's up to you. So, no more waiting aimlessly for a friend or impatiently in a queue. You can use that time for reading instead. One can enjoy a steamy, wildly hot moment in virtually any place the heart desires, whether it's day or night, breakfast or at the bar.

• Porn is usually not discussed openly after watching it. However, when it comes to reading erotica, you can discuss it with like-minded people. The site allows you to chat with other fellow visitors. One can also exchange stories and make contact with authors. This way, you can receive feedback on your writing skills as well.

• Porn involves more men than women—it shows what turns men on, and it's usually the men who are in control of the situation. Women are shown more as objects of display and at the receiving end of the fantasy. On the other hand, erotica focuses more on women. It understands the women in the stories. Erotica is known to indulge more in the sexual fantasies of females than those of males. It's about those fantasies that don’t just show women as sex toys. Instead, they position women in a more realistic light. Erotica is a close-up look at each female subject and what she feels, thinks, touches, and sees, not merely how she looks. This makes a lot of sense; by reading such stories, women tend to connect as well as respond on a very emotional level, and men also respond virtually straightforward. Erotica isn’t just about sex and more sex. It doesn’t just turn men on, but also helps them become better lovers by knowing women from a more informed perspective on what they really like.

• Stories are known to delve deeper into our minds. One can relate to each character in the story. Unlike porn, erotica stimulates the mind as well as the body. Stories make you think even after you have finished reading them, and they stay on your mind for a longer period.

• Erotica is known to open a door to the imagination. Every story is different and realistic. The story can take place in a bar or restaurant, or a hiking trip—anywhere the writer has imagined. When it comes to porn, the sets and locations are generally basic and, in many cases, cheap or low-budget.

• Those who do not want to visually engage with other people's anatomy or close-up looks at genitals can shift to erotica. Erotica allows you to skip those up-front views of genitalia and focus on feelings and sensations instead.

Literotica is filled with free stories, with dozens of them being added on a daily basis to the website. It has made a decent attempt since its inception to take care of the human desire and fantasies in which we all love to stay. This site provides an individual options to follow any writer online, and the stories on this site are ranked based on their hotness, and there are also keywords being tagged.

Literotica is known to be a favorite preference among the female population for pornographic material. Literotica has a sister website called CHYOA. CHYOA is an abbreviation for Choose Your Own Adventure book. Literotica allows users to post their own stories, and the only difference in both these websites is that, once the story is created, any other user of the site can also add threads, thus leading to expansion of the story, but in a different direction.

In CHYOA, there are total of 18 sections where one can post stories. These sections include Gay Male, Erotic Couplings, Fan Fiction, and Sci-Fi Fantasy. There are also sections that are non-English and non-erotic for other users to post freely.

Literotica has also published two books which contain a collection of stories from the website itself. The first book was published in the year November, 2001 and is named Literotica: The Very Best of Literotica.com, and the second book was published on January, 2009 and is named Literotica 2: The Very Best of Literotica.com.