Site Name: Inside Dark Pixie
URL: insidedarkpixie.blogspot.com/
Author(s): Dark Pixie (Blogger Profile)
Review Date: 26 August 2007

The elements that make a site readable are various and often difficult to define. Some sites offer themselves up for classification as one genre, only to surprise you when you delve deeper. Often blogs with the most uncomplicated of presentations offer up the greatest treats. That sort of site can be the most characterful and rewarding to read.

Pixie’s profile states “I am a good girl with bad girl desires!!! Can you treat me like a lady in public and fuck me like whore [sic] behind closed doors? I am on a journey of self-discovery learning more about my slutty needs and my interest in D/s …”. Much of the blog is about Pixie’s fantasies and how they differ from her current reality.

The posts are written with real feeling and obviously from the heart. There seems to be an underlying sadness in the writings, mingled with a certain pragmatism as in this extract from a post in January “In the D/s realm, it is not like you can just find anyone to submit to. you need to think about trust….about safety……hell, about emotions. i am not sure that i could just give myself over to just anyone without having an emotional relationship of sorts. i am not looking for a quickie D/s thing. I am not even sure there is such a thing as that.”

I like the insight this blog appears to give into Pixie’s desires, feelings and explorations of herself. Yes there are explicit writings, but that’s not what the blog relies on. It would have been so easy for Pixie to claim to be in the D/s relationship she says she desires, to fill the post with intricate and perfect scenes of submission. She has chosen not to do that and in doing so created a better blog.

Pixie has a liking for poetry to express her feelings, but I find her poetry less revealing about her feelings than her other writings. We don’t see Pixie, in the flesh so to speak, on this blog. I find this refreshing too. There’s a growing trend in the blog world that seems to equate opening yourself up to readers to posting pictures of yourself rather than the blogger expressing themselves through their writing.

If I have one criticism it’s that the word “slut” recurs to the point where it begins to grate. I don’t think this is a direct result of Pixie’s writing. She uses the word to describe the part of her personality expressed on the blog. The problem is that I read the word too often on a certain group of commercial adult sites.

Maybe one day Pixie will fulfil her dream of a D/s relationship. At that point she may stop writing as the blog’s current purpose would, I feel, have been fulfilled. Or maybe she’ll carry on and keep giving us a charming insight into her submissive personality.

Appearance: The template seems to be based on the Blogger “Minima Black” with a few images dotted along the sidebar. Black, pink and green is not a colour combination that I would ever imagine working on a site. However it doesn’t distract from the content and can best be described as lively. The black, pink and green give the site the feel of a 1980’s pop-culture TV show, that’s not a criticism, it’s an observation of one way in which the site differs from many of the run-of-the-mill offerings out there.

Extras: None.

Site Name: The Naked truth
URL: thenakedrhetoricaltruth.blogspot.com
Author(s): Z, Blogger Profile
Review Date: 10 June 2007

It’s disappointing when one reads a revealing post, that provides a great blogger introduction and for that post to be either ignored, or avoided. Of course this is untrue; a post may have zero comments, but this doesn’t mean it is unread, or ignored and even so, I felt quite bereft because Z’s second post, in The Naked Truth, provides a decent summary of her evolution up to the present moment and introduces the reader to her style and approach. 

So I accept the naked truth, although some posts tend to mimic a style that is common in the sexual precincts of the blogosphere, in the second person narrative. This form of writing can be tedious after a while and I don’t mean this in regard to this blog in particular, but across the board, where the reader is supposed to be an interactive element of the story or post. These forms of sexual post always end in a climax, which is fine, but it can be repetitive; if this is your cup of tea, then what are you waiting for? Even though this blog has been around for a few decent months, I consider it a new blog, as the writer has a considerable number of monthly posts. Although Z uses second person narrative for some entries, she hasn’t entered the postcode of hyper exaggeration within these entries. The eroticism tends to enter a state of higher refinement when Z describes sexual situations that are removed from second person fictional narrative, and these make for great erotic reading, and aside from this, they provide a reader with an insight in the multidimensional nature of feminine sexuality. 

The personal, opinion based posts are interesting. Z relays her opinion on some subjects, such as female orgasms and uses interesting analogies to relay her points. The Eating Shrimp post is a must read; I don’t think any one has paralleled the feminine orgasm with a shrimp before. It makes it unique, and therefore interesting. Other personal posts, namely her thoughts, have a higher sexual frisson than the seemingly fictional or second person posts: 

“My skin burns without a tongue or breath to cool it; inside my skin. my muscles seem as though they will slide to the floor without hands holding them in place. I go from one room to another, and want to feel a hand on my arm, to be pushed up against a wall, to have an open mouth against mine, hands pulling at my clothes. I don’t want to be made love to, I don’t want to be caressed and seduced; right now, all I want is to have my dress pulled up and to be fucked nearly senseless, hard and fast.” – At Work

 I like this blog because of its simplicity. It isn’t a sex blog that is motivated by money making, or advertising. Z is writing because she likes to write. This is one of the freshest blogs, so take a detour and have a little read.

 Visuals: A Blogger Blog, with a Minima template. I’d like to see a tighter organization of the lower sidebar, as the buttons tend to be out of synch. Z uses a zoom cloud tag generator, which enables the reader to click on frequently used tags, but this is unnecessary with the former Blogger Beta, that enables category creation.

 Extras: Z participates in a group blog, Smart Girls Who Do it.
 

Site Name: Secret Desire
URL: mydesire.wordpress.com
Author(s): Mina, About Mina
Review Date: 13 March 2007

I have been keeping an eye on this blog for a little while now. Never one for lengthy blog introductions, it’s interesting to note that Mina’s first post contains a six worded introduction. While this blog is erotic in nature, describing a mixture of sadism and masochism, one can’t categorize Mina as belonging in either camp. She swings both ways, and it makes for a hot variation. One moment she incorporates knife play, that brings to mind gothic vampirism:

“I reach for my blade and carve you. You were not expecting this. Small beads of blood trickle from within. Mmmm it looks so delicious. My anger fuels more cuts, but my passion arouses me. Each cut is met with my tongue. I generously lick and suck your wounds. I can’t control myself.”

Moving forward, Mina enters submission, and while I’m sure of the positive response the descriptions are tried and tested with the usual proclamations associated with sadomasochism, “I want to be your slut. Humiliate me, love me, hurt me, seduce me, take care of me. My one purpose is to please you.”

Mina does explore sadomasochism with an eagerness that I can only compare to innocence; there is a sense of the naïve in her writings. They sometimes lack a certain edge or sword like edge that is associated with sadomasochism. Her writings contain a romantic ambience; longing, desire, and anticipation manifest in regular cycles.

The only minor complaint that I do have is that I have little idea as to whom she is referring to; the man in question doesn’t have a picturesque or three dimensional personality, and there’s a tendency for this to occur when a person writes in second person. Varying the tempo and perspective can, I feel, add a little more intensity and sculpt the personalities a little more, which would add more eroticism. It’s not for the lack of eroticism, but a continual second person perspective can reduce the erotic luster when the actions overtake the people within the sexual scenes.

The header of the blog states “The meaning of passion. The violence of desire. The senselessness of frustration,” but the passionate element can lack in places. Apart from this, there’s a lot of potential for this blog to grow.

Visuals: The blog is hosted on Word Press, using the Chaotic Soul template that enables a user to personalize the banner to suit their own blog personality. It’s a nice looking template, unfortunately this template resembles a couple of sex blogs that are currently in operation and could do with a little more customization. The side bar features post categorization, and is relatively easy to use.

Extras: None.

Site Name: Mistress 160’s Abode
URL: mistress160.blogspot.com
Author(s): Mistress 160, Blogger Profile
Review Date: 01 March 2007

One seldom finds a blog that offers educational guides for people wanting to explore their kinky side, namely BDSM. Many BDSM blogs are filled with real and/or imagined scenes that detail encounters or explore relationships. Few offer pictorial vistas of the bloggers behind the scene, and some that do offer imagery are often too extreme for the novice.

Mistress 160’s Abode offers education, sensuality, testimonials (from subs) and a wide array of resources that’s suitable for everyone interested in BDSM (from connoisseur to novice). Dispersed among her informative articles are posts detailing her personal scenes, such as “Playing with My New Pet”. The interactions are described with clarity. Mistress 160 does not overuse the term ‘slut’, a word that I’ve grown tired of reading in many blogs (especially when it appears more than three times per paragraph, or almost all dialogues), and focuses on the journey as well as the activities enjoyed within the unfolding scene:

“Now this was as far as pet and I had planned. I had thought these events would have been enough for a new sub’s first public humiliation exercise. However pet had other ideas: “I was a little upset with myself for removing the vibrator, so I once again placed the vibrator in my ass and set off in the car, this time to pass a little test I made for myself… as it was approaching dinner time I decided to take myself for a treat through the drive in section of a fast food joint. The test was to order, pay for and collect my meal with the vibrator in and turned on. When I collected my food I wonder if the staff noticed my bracelet? After deciding to go shopping I was just parking in the large shopping complex when I looked at the clock – time to turn the vibrator on. My ass cheeks gripped tightly as I made my way through the complex. Unsure of how long it would stay in place I tried to find a bathroom where I could remove it, but alas it took me about 10minutes of brisk walking before I found a bathroom and the queue was almost out the door … there I am standing with my hand holding a bag behind me (in case of an incident similar to that morning) with a “Slut” bracelet shining in the light of the restroom, surrounded by women”.

What I enjoy about this blog is that the author isn’t afraid to use humor and this provides a fresher approach than the usual variety of ‘dark’, ‘serious’ and ‘cold’ BDSM accounts that can be, where each scene is described with steel edged seriousness.

On the subject of information, Mistress 160 has an array of BDSM for Beginners post that discuss just about everything, from meeting like minded people to accessory selection. The resources that Mistress 160 uses are extensive, and kudos to her. Many BDSM blogs, especially those that act as mini stages, usually focus on a Sub documenting her tasks, tortures and training, and few offer any guidance. Mistress 160 has gone to great lengths to provide resources, and isn’t shy in referring readers to other websites with sound reputations.

One of my favorite posts in this blog is Mistress 160’s Favorite Toys. This post isn’t so much about her own personal favorites, it discusses storage and other practical elements; BDSM accessories not only require a larger investment, but one also needs to consider everyday life, and how these accessories can be easily shifted from A to B. One tricky part, that is mentioned, is air travel and airport security.

In addition to the above, she has also provided book reviews for many BDSM related book titles (and their links) that are available through Amazon.

If I was to direct any novice to a BDSM blog, I’d direct them to Mistress 160. Her blog, unlike others, isn’t about exhibitionism, scenes (in minute detail) and sex, she balances it all with educational resources and actually offers the reader more than simple titillation.

Visuals: Standard Blogger Minima template in black. The header fonts are in red, so provides a good contrast. The author has categorized posts, making them easy to locate. The advertising on this site relates to the content (Amazon book listings for BDSM related literature). Not too little, not too much: A good blend.

Extras: Mistress 160 participates on the following BDSM related websites: http://www.mydungeonspace.com/, http://www.erotichumiliation.com/, and http://www.orgasmdenial.com/. She helps moderate http://www.freaks4fetish.com/ and moderates a Yahoo education/support group for female subs titled FemSubStartingPlace among others. You’ll have to visit this blog to appreciate all the resources that Mistress 160 provides.

Site Name: My Sexual Misadventures
URL: mysexualmisadventures.blogspot.com
Author(s): Chris, Blogger Profile
Review Date: 06 February 2007

There are blogs that sizzle, thrill and take bold steps to be out, loud and proud about the variety of sexual pastimes out there, so once in a while it’s lovely to come across a blog indeed is a diary of sorts without the artificial additives and pornographic sweeteners.

My Sexual Misadventures has been traveling under the radar for quite some time, and if you take one look at the front page you’ll see why. It’s an understated blog, without animations. It doesn’t feature bucket loads of links to the usual sites or blogs, so it’s easy to miss but if you miss it, you’ll miss an interesting page.

Chris, a twenty something female, is the author of this blog and in it you’ll find the type of writing that’s fresh without self pity. Her second post, about the loss of her virginity, is a candid one that may not boast the typical pornographic elements but it’s an insightful presentation of defloration - a realistic portrayal. 2004 flows in along the lines of the first male in Chris’s life, and each description includes the environment, together with the sexual acts. The acts aren’t over exaggerated, or porn-ified to the point of being ridiculous or repetitive.

In 2005, the reader is introduced to ‘guy number two,’ and it can only get better in that this writer explores her relationships with more than one person, and it’s quite different from the usual set of blogs that really write about their own personal fantasies, and/or activities with one person all the time not that this is tedious, it’s not but it is intriguing to read about a realistic sexual exploration that involves more than one person. When the writer also includes the quirks, and describes each scene in a realistic manner, it makes it all the more interesting. A blog doesn’t have to be pornographic to be interesting from a sexual perspective.

“We finally did have sex though — four times that night. And the sex was good; it almost seemed worth all his bullshit. I was on top a good majority of the time, which I had missed so much. He said what I wanted to hear. He gave me a ridiculous amount of head; I almost came in the morning when he did, the closest I had come to a real orgasm. He came hard. We had sex in the morning, so I had sex sober for the first time ever. It was good, except for that he liked to spank or smack my hips or ass at random times, and I ended up with a huge handprint on my side. Not into that. And four times is truly too many; I wanted to die the next day.”

There’s sensuality in simplicity; Chris describes a caress as it would unfold. The sex within this blog is the type of action that naturally unfolds between people who are influenced by a larger set of circumstances than the need to ‘cum’ or thrill someone to bits. There’s an even balance of good sex, as there is mediocre sex (from Chris’s point of view); this blog comes close to illustrating the real elements of an adult’s sex life. Sex is never a smooth running stream, it fluctuates from time to time and this blog, up to now, has been one of those silent running streams. My Sexual Misadventures is written with intelligence and a clarity that branches out to include the unexpected nature of modern day dating and relationships.

“I will always, ALWAYS have sex when I’m sad, an echo of using sex as a self-destructive behavior for so long. But it is also a comfort to me. While I may not convince myself to be interested in touching myself, sex holds enough appeal to tempt me even in depression. It distracts me from myself; the physical contact is consoling, and if I’m lucky, the chemicals and hormones it produces tip my cycles back.”

I enjoyed reading this blog because it didn’t have anything to prove, and doesn’t set out to be over the top. The author documents her sexuality, and isn’t afraid to delve into the downside from time to time. For those out there who are yet to read/visit their first sex blog, I’d suggest they add  My Sexual Misadventures to their reading list.

Visuals: Standard Blogger Minima template in black. The blog platform is the newer version of blogger. The site is easy to navigate with drop down archives. The only thing I’d suggest for this blog is for the writer to add categories, to enable easier navigation for new visitors.

Extras: Chris runs a traditional diary type setup, so there are no extras - that is, up to now, with (I’m presuming to be) an unexpected review.

Site Name: House Of Raven
URL: http://www.house-of-raven.com/
Author(s): Raven
Review Date: 27 Dec 2006

I have to say that I approached this review of “House of Raven” with some scepticism for a number of reasons.

Firstly the age of the blog, Raven’s only been around for a month and that fact alone almost prevented me from performing the review. Blogs take time to find themselves and reviewing a blog with so little history risks being inaccurate. In a few weeks time the author may decide on a different emphasis in theme or style. Even worse, like so many bloggers the author may just stop blogging.

Next there was the predominance of images. I’m not against images in blogs, they often enhance the reader’s experience, emphasising or counter-pointing the textual narrative. But there are too many “blogs” out there that consist of images and little else. Blogging can take many forms, but simply posting a series of pictures is not one that I can regard as valid.

Finally there was the possibility that this was a commercial site or a front for the author’s commercial interests. Raven is a Web designer and this started all sorts of alarm bells ringing.

That I’ve written this review speaks for itself, for the moment at least I do regard this as a blog and hope that the site continues in its current form. Why? It’s different from so many blogs out there.

My reservations about the age of the blog are lessened by the strength of Raven’s personality. He has a sense of purpose that carries the blog forward. This is no literary tour de force, but its no nonsense, BDSM positive theme is consistent and compelling. Raven writes in such a way that I read the blog (short as it is) in one sitting and smiled when I read the last post. The blog is what it is, and seeks to be no more, it’s at ease with itself, just as the author is at ease with his own sexuality and relationship with Mistress Sky, his wife.

The images on the blog are explicit, graphic and relevant to the text. Raven and his wife, Sky, both appear in most of the shots with other female partners. These images are an integral part of the blog, not just added to compensate for the deficiencies in other areas. There are no deficiencies in other areas that I can see. Why? If Raven had set out to write steamy erotica and then scattered these images across the pages then I might have been tempted to criticise, but because that’s not what the blog is about they simply fit.

Raven is obviously a predominantly visual blogger and that’s why, so far at least, this blog works for me. But his words tie the whole together. One quote that I must cite is, “Ok somebody e-mailed me and called me some names…well arsehole for your information the lady that I was shagging without a condom is my wife and if you take a good look at any pics where I am having sex with other girls I ALWAYS have a condom on…I suggest that instead of throwing nasty wicked insults at people you dont know you go get a life….”

Finally the sidebar is short and this is what persuaded me to write this short review. No links to Ravens’ web design site, no irritating banner ads, just a few links to a few sites, the majority non-commercial.

Raven’s had an interesting life judging by the little snippets of his sexual history that have already been revealed. Check out his profile for edited highlights of a very unusual professional resumé! So in short I hope that in 2007 raven continues to post to this site in the same distinctly different way and proves that you can walk your own path in the blogosphere.

Visuals: Basic WordPress template (Black Letter I think), images consistently presented and integral to the site. Sidebar uncluttered and free of advertising.

Extras: None that I can see, perhaps Raven would care to correct me if I missed anything.

Site Name: Easily Aroused
URL: http://www.easilyaroused.co.uk/
Author(s): Easily Aroused (EA)
Review Date: 01 Nov 2006

There is only one bone I have to pick with Easily Aroused and it concerns him keeping many of us waiting, if not hungering for more. Easily Aroused (I’ll refer to him as EA) may not post daily, and he may not post twice or three times weekly, but when he does post you can be certain that you’re getting one hot ride.

EA’s writings are unlike the usual ‘reader as participant’ entries, where the readers has to constantly read graphic anatomical descriptions of sex. EA takes everything into account in order to set up the story. He’ll have a location, and although his characters may not have names, their description is so vivid that you can picture appearance, movement and most importantly, the varying intensity of the sexual journey.

It can be a case of one sentence evoking a stirring image:

“You collapse forward onto the bed, and I follow, still mated to your forbidden flesh.” - The Lure of Darkness (a weekly pick of Sugasm # 50)

One must-read series in this blog is Confluence of Hedonists. This series charts the erotic journey of a man and his wife, Laura. EA manages the story like a conductor of a symphony. It’s not too much too soon, it’s not awkward and more importantly, it isn’t purely designed for the reader to gain a quick release. It’s not ‘wank fiction’. There is anticipation, foreplay, the sexual crescendo, and the semi-climactic (I say semi, because each part doesn’t have a finite end).

In EA’s shorter posts, like Risqué Abstracts, EA takes one moment of your time and fuses it with the erotic. They operate much like micro-fiction, and it is much like an alternative ‘quickie’ or quality quickie.

This blog features categories to other things such as HNT, where the reader can glimpse EA in a series of enticing poses.

There is a wide selection of blogs that frequently adopt the second person view, or what’s known as the ‘reader as participant’, some blogs adopt this style for each entry, and very few can perfectly execute this style. EA is one of the few, and when he adopts this style, he puts his own individual stamp on it. Few can successfully pull this style off without – at some point in time – entering into the Halls of Ennui. EA is successful at it, because his sole focus isn’t on the genital elements, each second person story or posting considers the entire person, and isn’t restricted to the readers sexual urge. EA’s writing doesn’t assume that his reader is already aroused, thus each ‘reader as participant’ post isn’t a rushed or haphazardly worded ‘fuck’ or encounter. Each participant is almost animate, due to the included dialogue. Thus, the reader isn’t merely the participant who has to be on the receiving end of a blogger ‘telling’ them about how aroused they are, in specific step by step tedious detail, the reader is spoken to by way of dialogue at intervals. All five senses are accounted for.

There are no cringe worthy moments in this blog as EA takes great care in constructing his stories. It’s not purely a matter of grammar, he carefully selects words that add to the ambience of each story. The readership is primarily female, and this is logical considering the writer is male, but this doesn’t detract from the quality of the writing. In the course of browsing various blogs, one can ascertain the blog whore from the writer, and EA is the writer whose writing stands alone. One rarely glimpses EA tripping from one blog to the next in order to gain readership for his blog. The Feedburner subscriptions are in the 90’s, and this says a lot.

EA has also discussed erotic films in his blog, and each review is well presented so I’m hoping he will continue adding more films in the future. Scenes of Erotica sees EA discuss some of the most erotic and/or controversial films of the more recent era such as Crash, Bound, Romance and Emmanuelle.

This blog did experience technical difficulties for a short period of time and, fortunately returned. It is one of the standout ’strictly’ male erotic blogs (solely written by a male blogger) that are out there, and I highly recommend it. If you’re male, you should read this blog to see one of the more quiet male erotic bloggers at work, if you’re female you’re in for an erotic treat.

Visuals: The blog is hosted on Wordpress, features a simple but sensual banner. On the sidebar you’ll find that everything is categorized, there’s no mess and no sparkly animated bits and pieces to distract you. There is also a tag board that enables one to search based on tags.

Extras: This blog is a 2005 Best of Blogs winner, many posts have been featured on Fleshbot, and is a regular participant of Sugasm. EA’s posts may also be found on Blogstormz as well as ABH, and he’s recently become a contributor on Scenes.

Site Name: Selkie’s Salacious Scrawls
URL: http://selkie-scrawl.blogspot.com/
Author(s): Selkie (Blogger Profile)
Review Date: 31 Oct 2006

The first entry of many blogs acts as an introduction, where the writer gives an overall summary of what they’re about or what their blog will be about. Most times, the writers just get to the point and sum up their blogs in their header. Selkie, of Selkie’s Salacious Scrawls, sums up her blog with one simple sentence:

“Erotic thoughts and writings from Selkie’s pen. Warning: Adult Content”

Don’t let the sentence fool you into thinking that these ‘scrawls’ or writings, by Selkie, are run of the mill thoughts, or diary entries that detail every aspect of her life, because they’re something else entirely. Selkie’s stories do contain elements of D/s (Domination and Submission) but each story is executed with such skill so as to avoid the usual clichés associated with this genre.

The Drive In, the first entry in this blog, gives the reader a good idea of the content that will follow and introduces Selkie’s skill as a writer. The success of any writer isn’t measured by awards, or monies, it’s measured by the skill of the writer to capture the reader from the first sentence or paragraph; the lead-in, is the hook that will bait the fish, namely the reader, and serves to maintain the reader’s curiosity. Any writer, whether published or not, should acquaint themselves with the importance of the introduction as it often determines whether a reader will continue reading or not. Each reader should be considered as a new reader, each time, and Selkie isn’t sloppy in this regard:

“D. sat, comfortably ensconced in a wingback chair to the right of the fireplace. At his feet, a rather lovely slave leaned against his legs, running her long slender fingers softly along the inside of his leg up to his thigh.” - The Debutante

Selkie’s characters are three dimensional, and this (I’m presuming) is drawn from the writer’s own experiences in life. Her descriptions are vivid, and real. When blended with the erotic elements of sexual arousal, they color the story with a certain realism that a reader can identify with: 

“Although Aoife’s breasts weren’t bad for 42, she had miserably failed the infamous pencil test she had once passed with flying colours. Four pregnancies and breastfeeding for the better part of 7 years had stretched and softened their shape, although admittedly Finn had never complained.

Finn slit his eyes as he reached over and pushed his fingers underneath the heavy weight. He had told her repeatedly but wasn’t sure if she believed him, that he actually preferred these mature, lovely breasts. They were softer, more pliable, their warm mass comforting and unbelievably erotic.” - The Drive In

Selkie skillfully alters the points of view within one piece so the reader can gauge each character’s perspective. Throughout The Drive In, the reader gets to know Aoife and Finn and this acts to reinforce the relationship dynamic. Thus, this first entry, goes beyond a simple introduction, it also illustrates Selkie’s ability to draw on everyday details to flesh out her characters; each person within the story isn’t just a body in need of a fuck, they’re real people with real concerns.

The sexual descriptions, together with descriptive prose, are salacious, stylishly salient and erotic in their construction. Selkie may make it look simple, but it requires time to select words to animate a sex scene between people, and then blend these elements to achieve a fluid description lacking hitches and bumps. The erotic rhythm in each story is near flawless:

“He watched fascinated as her arousal grew.

Alternatively flicking and burrowing, his fingers worked gently in her cunt, thrusting into her vagina, softly touching her clitoris then moving back to push even further up her hole. His finger was buried to the knuckle now and when he pulled it out it glistened with her juice, lessening the friction and allowing him to more easily push it in and out.” No Holes Barred.

In between the excerpts I’ve quoted lie more stories that the reader will have to read to appreciate.

Selkie’s Salacious Scrawls is all this and more: erotic, sultry, sensual and passionate.

Finally, Selkie raises an important question in her profile introduction:

So, does anyone actually READ my work? or am I writing into an abyss??

It would be a travesty for this writer’s work to sink into the Blogging ‘slush pile’ because the high quality ( alongside the writer’s effort and skill) doesn’t merit this. You’ll need a cold shower after experiencing Selkie’s stories, and if you don’t, as far as I’m concered, you’re dead. I’m thankful that there are avenues enabling erotic writers to display their work (blog directory pages such as ABH, Sugasm and Blogstormz) free of charge, and this alone encapsulates Freedom of Expression/Speech.

Visuals: The layout is a standard Blogger layout, and I’m prepared to forgive the lack of added fanfare by way of animations, linkage, advertising, because the writing in this blog stands alone leaving little room for distractions.

Extras: Selkie’s stories An Evening Interlude and Dreaming currently appear on Literotica.com.

 

Site Name: Dirty Little Mind
URL: http://dirtylittlemind.blogspot.com/
Author(s): Dirty Little Girl (Blogger Profile)
Review Date: 21 Oct 2006

I read the introduction to Dirty Little Girl’s blog:

“Please sit back, relax and enjoy reading my sexy fantasies.”

I was in for a carousel of hot sex, and sweltering, albeit laborious descriptions, everything from how the webcam is positioned, to a repetitive amount of ‘I want x, y, z.’

The writing style of this blog is simple, and there’s little room for creative experimentation as far as descriptive writing goes, and descriptive writing isn’t so much about minute details, it’s more about painting an intricate canvas. Dirty Little Mind is more a physical, than erotic, exploration of sex. Each piece revolves around sexual arousal, and it culminates in gratification. In between, we have the usual physical explorations: fingers dipping into pussies, hard cocks, shafts, cumming, cum and it’s all focused on reaching that immediate goal.

Many posts are written in second person, where the reader is addressed as though they’re partaking in the action - a variation of cyber-sex blogging (just a classification term I use for my own review purposes) - and this works well for those seeking an immediate solve but it may not work for readers who need a fleshed out story that actually describes three dimensional people, and their inner/outer world. In the case of Dirty Little Mind, men are the target audience.

It’s difficult to assign the term ‘story’ or ‘stories’ to each post (the novella on the side bar does not fall within the category of a novella), as they often don’t describe the immediate environment, nor do they animate the people (the only emotions explored are sexual/physical). The people within each post, who fuck like rabbits, don’t appear to have anything else happening other than the need to get their rocks off. How do they arrive at that panting point is anyone’s guess really. They’re portrayed as having one thing on their mind, and one thing only. Some posts just go at it from the first sentence, and there are no other elements that really animate the characters within, many posts don’t include names, so this is why I find it difficult to classify them as stories.

“I can’t seem to control myself around you. I need you, here, now. I always need you but this is more urgent. I really need you NOW. Don’t hesitate. Fuck me. Use me. Control me.”, this is the opening of ‘Fuck Me’, and there’s hardly any foreplay.” Many posts begin like this, they don’t mess about and they get into it before you can slip on a virtual condom.

I felt like I was sitting in a continual sexual carousel, wondering whether it would stop to take a break, weave into another part, hurl an insight, something that sheds light on the psyche of the people within each hot sexual interlude, but it, along with the absence of dialogue, isn’t there.

What I found difficult as I reviewed this blog was viewing the high proportion of comments, so I had to weigh up the pros and cons or, in my own terms: Do I want to be blasted? Should I review it based on its popularity or its content? Popularity can mean many things, in the blog community it can mean a high proportion of external networking rather than literary content. I opted to remain faithful to the wider classification of erotica, based on wider works that surpass the microcosm of the Blogosphere.

My point here, is that the content is written in the same style, exploring the same things, month after month. As a reader, I hardly know anything about each character outside of the physical sexual responses, and this is not to say that I need to know anything personal, but anything (even fabricated, hell I don’t care)can provide some perspective, other than repetitious sexual sequences that show little variation from one post to the next. This, in my view, diminishes the erotic element. If you read a couple of posts or stories, and tried to recall one six months later, you’d be hard pressed to remember specific events because the stories are centered on bodily reactions during sex, and there’s no other glue (characterization, place, situations).

I can appreciate, and understand why this blog was featured on Playboy Radio via Dirtyspoke, and this relates to the sexual content, however there is potential for the writer to expand her range, and make her ‘stories’ more memorable because the sexual salacity is scorching hot and arousal is one of the key elements of erotica but there has to be more in order for it to erotic. This blog is more pornographic than erotic, and this works fine too.

If you’re seeking a rapid conclusion, a hard and fast fuck ,then this blog is for you. However, if you’re one of those people who wants the literary equivalent of foreplay, some character explorations (motivations, personalities, etc) prior, during and after the hot fuck, then you’d be better off picking up any edition of Best American Erotica (1993 to 2006, and still going).

Visuals: The template is a blogger template with custom banner, and each link is neatly arranged, so navigation is headache free.

Extras: There are two interviews, one at Sexty9ways and the other at Chilli Vanilla, and there’s the feature on Playboy Radio.

Site Name: Gracie’s Playground
URL: http://xxgraciexx.blogspot.com/
Author(s): Gracie (Blogger Profile)
Review Date: 14 Oct 2006

Gracie’s Playground isn’t the type of playground that brings to mind pretty dresses, rhythmic swings or any of the usual conventional trappings. This page will sear your fantasies, and I’m quite surprised that it took the wider community of bloggers months - based on the lack of comments for much of 2005 - to sink their teeth into Gracie’s Playground. All I can say is that I’m glad Gracie pressed on, and going by her own description of herself, few things would detract her:

“I am passionate about the arts. so…let me take a picture of you. enjoy my rants, rambles, stories, poetry and fuck you if i have offended you. i don’t cater to the masses. call me a whore, slut, skank and i will gladly smile. you can not offend me. so move on and go to the fucking hallmark website.”

This is not a blog for the faint hearted, nor is it a blog that caters to those who prefer neat (complete with pretty bow), choreographed sex. If this blog was a ‘fuck’, it would be the ‘fuck your brains out’ type of fuck, but it’s more than just a fuck and the people at Playboy Radio have noted this, highlighting Gracie’s individual take on sex within her relationship.

Gracie pulls no punches. She doesn’t aimlessly wander about, and she isn’t sexually apprehensive. This can be noted from the blog’s beginnings in September 2005 where Gracie introduces us to a steamy encounter with her husband and later on there are more encounters that involve scarves, dildos, vibrators, bondage and intense coitus that will leave you wanting more. ‘We are like two pervs in a pod,’ she says, and although I wouldn’t use the word perverted in a derogatory sense, this blog explores the deviations from conventional sex.

The writing is straightforward, pulls no punches and enables the reader to form the imagery described.

The highlight of this blog, in regard to publicity and something that brought a smile to my face is her awed reaction on news that her blog would be featured on Playboy Radio. Up until then September 2006, Gracie’s Playground was pretty much a dark horse and didn’t - surprisingly-receive that much Blogger fanfare or attention. Although Gracie bluntly details her sexuality and drive, this post also shows a humble spirit who isn’t caught up in the hoopla of it all, neither is she concerned about other’s perceptions of her; one hardly sees her using her persona to gain brownie points from other people/blogs or sites. The honesty of this post is reflective of her writing style:

“what i write about on my blog is very truthful and not fantasy unless
it is a thought i am having. i love art and i love to write. however,
i make no claims to being great in grammar. i don’t write for anyone
but myself. some of my readers will send me emails saying at times
what i write is not their cup of tea. i understand and can respect
their opinions. but, this blog is just a way for me to open a window
into my bedroom and sexuality. it is not going to be for everyone. it
is my form of exhibitionism with some taste. i am not going to post
pictures of myself just to get hits on my blog.” - response to Jenna from DirtySpoke

I wouldn’t go as far as to critique Gracie’s grammar, because she doesn’t come across as a literary snob and makes it clear that she writes for herself (there is no pretense), mind you her voice is distinct, and gets to the point in ways that, even, published writers can have difficulty with. Few people (including published authors) can actually grasp that honesty from within, pull it out and write about it in the manner that Gracie does. It is usually streamlined, choreographed and can lose the original edge after rewrites, editing and proofreading. Although anonymity is supposed to ‘liberate’ expression, and maintain privacy, there are bloggers who still withhold the rawness of their sexualities, preferring to drape it with fineries to soften it, or mould it into something that doesn’t ‘offend the masses.’ Gracie has no time for this, it shows, and it would take pages of quotes for me to illustrate this to you so you’ll have to visit this page for yourself, and dive into the entries.

Gracie explores domination, submission, fantasy and her daily life but not to the degree of it overtaking her central theme: edgy sex. If intense sexual exploration (often involving D/s) isn’t your cup of tea personally, there is plenty to erotically appreciate. If this blog doesn’t raise your pulse in the slightest manner, then we’ll need to get out the paddles and yell, ‘Clear!’

Coming Soon: A review of Gracie’s other page, Deviant Dreams

Visuals: The blog features a custom designed template, and is busy in terms of links and stylish, edgy erotic photography, and although busy, it doesn’t detract or daunt the reader. Once inside, each section is easily navigated. Gracie neatly splits up her sections with titles, so there’s no mess or visual/perceptual conflict.

Extras: Gracie’s Playground has been featured on DirtySpoke/Playboy Radio, Sexoteric, Fleshbot (Extreme Edition & two other standard roundups), Claiming My Inner Bitch and DH Blog Spicy.