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📝 Smut: Should you Write It? 📝

The topic of smut is a heavy one. It's all over Wattpad and that leads to new and young writers thinking they have to write it in order to succeed. If you are wondering whether or not you should write it, please use these questions you should ask yourself as a guide:

Do you want to? - You should write for yourself, first and foremost. If you don't want to write smut, no one is forcing you to, I promise.

Are both parties at least 16? - Guess what, in Wattpad's terms of service, it clearly states the minimum age of consent is 16. If you write descriptive smut with one or both characters being younger than that, you can get your story taken down or worse.

Is it sex or is it r*pe? - There is a clear distinction. If you don't understand that consent is necessary, you may not be ready to write smut. You can write r*pe, however, you can't romanticize it or endorse it (also against Wattpad's terms of service). I have read stories where people think it's sex, but it's actually not. Learn about consent and the weight of sex before you write it before you accidentally trigger someone or lead a young reader to believe certain behaviors are okay when they're not.

Is it incest? - Incest is against Wattpad's terms of service. They didn't say whether or not cousins were okay, but I think it'd be safer to... not. Also, I wouldn't read that either, so that'd put off potential readers.

Does it make you uncomfortable? - Sometimes, we think we want to do things, but we aren't quite ready. That's okay. If you want to write smut, but don't feel comfortable in your abilities, try practicing and not posting it. Maybe find a good smut scene written by another author from a different ship or something and transfer it over, editing it to match what you want. Don't publish this, as it's not yours. It's good practice. You should feel proud and comfortable with the content you push out, so only publish smut once you're ready.

What demographic is your story aimed toward? - If you're aiming your book toward a younger audience, smut isn't necessary. If it's for a religious audience where reading things like that isn't okay, maybe don't write smut.

Does it propel the story forward? - Smut doesn't have to have a reason, but it's a lot better when it does.

Are you doing it to be popular? - Guess what, you can do fade to blacks, or no smut at all and still end up with a story with a good amount of popularity! Do things because they align with what you believe and want as a writer, not just because you want reads.

Is writing smut safe for you? - If someone like a guardian were to find your book with smut, would you get in trouble, disowned, beat? Your safety is important! Please remember that!

I hope this guide was helpful!