January 10, 2025

Writing the Queer Experience: Mx Sinclair Sexsmith on Kink Storytelling, Erotica, and D/s Relationships

1 hour 18 minutes

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Season 5, Ep 555: Writing the Queer Experience: Mx Sinclair Sexsmith on Kink Storytelling, Erotica, and D/s Relationships.
Meet the author!
SINCLAIR SEXSMITH (they/them) is a queer butch writer focusing on sexualities, genders, kink, and relationships. Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and they are the editor of 5 editions of Best Lesbian Erotica. Find more of their work at sugarbutch.net.

Books: Best Lesbian Erotica (affiliate links, podcast may receive commissions on sales through this link. Thank you!) https://amzn.to/3PurEo0
"Your Year in Kink" Workbook https://amzn.to/3WdrOUH
"The Harder She Comes: Butch Femme Erotica" https://amzn.to/424GWYb
Links: https://theoreads.com/
https://dsplayground.com/
http://writingspicy.com/

Quotes from Sinclair Sexsmith:
"I can't stop writing. Like, I need to write to understand myself and understand the world."
"I think writer's block is a myth."
"I love the inner world stuff and I think writing is one of the best places to express that."
"I want to encourage more queers and trans folks, and like kinky folks, to write down their stories."

In this episode, Ruan and Sinclair discuss their shared passion for writing, the challenges of titling works, and the complexities of self-publishing in the erotica genre. They explore the nuances of writing about sex and intimacy, the importance of queer representation in literature, and the creative process behind crafting compelling narratives.

Sinclair shares their thoughts on the intersection of writing and sex work, the drive to create authentic queer stories and queer fiction, the writing process, publishing, and the transformative power of literature. They also discuss the upcoming platform Theo Reads, which promises to be a haven for erotica and romance writers and readers alike.

Timeline:
02:41 Do you like writing, teaching or creating
08:14 I feel pretty strongly that writing about sex is non sex work
10:09 There's still a lack of representation of queer sex in mainstream erotica
16:38 How are you with titles?
18:53 Pretty much everything I write has D/s
28:48 What are other are your favorite kinks to write
29:57 So when you're writing, do you start with your idea or do you
40:22 What is too personal to share, what is too vulnerable to share
43:39 Like separating the writing and publishing process is important
49:12 reading out loud is probably his number one editing tool
53:48 all about like your courses
56:54 This workbook is about reflecting on someone's kink life
01:01:42 What are you working on ri