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slyc_willie

slyc_willie

Captain Crash
Joined
Sep 4, 2006
Posts
17,732
I'm sure we've all done it in some way or another, or at least thought of it: you have a story you really like, but it feels like you didn't do enough with it. Maybe it was a story for a contest, and you ran out of time. Maybe you just wanted to get the damn thing done and out of your head.

But then you think about it, and new ideas blossom. You realize you could have handled X better than you did, or maybe the characters needed some more backstory.

A while back (a year ago or so), I wrote a six-pager for FAWC 5, called The True Oracle. I really liked the story as it rolled out and the implied history of the world I had created. But I had been on a time crunch in order to finish it before the end of the challenge, and while I liked the resulting story, felt it wasn't complete.

So after the story was pulled, I put it on the back burner and let it simmer for a while. I jotted a bit here and there, ruminating on the characters and on the critiques other writers here gave me as part of the FAWC process. For months it just lay there, growing stagnant in the brackish pond of my "Slyc Stories" folder on my computer.

Then the idea finally hit. I finally figured out what, exactly, was missing and how to fix it. Eureka! With the most recent session of university done, I started clipping and editing, then writing. I ended up adding about ten thousand more words to the story.

About an hour ago, I submitted it as a two-parter. :D

If it wasn't so damn early in the day, I'd have myself a beer. ;)

Doesn't it feel good when you've got a story you like, but can't seem to do justice, only to have it reignite later? It's sort of like breaking up with someone you really adored, then getting back together again for some really good make-up sex.
 
I'm in the middle of that now.

I have this idea for a pretty dark mother/son story, the back story is a alcoholic abusive father and his abusing of the wife throws her into the son's arms(in typical porn absurdity)

anyway I have a lot of ideas, but was struggling a little on some of the characters and it hit me...I already did this. MY story Mama's Boy is a sort of cliff notes version of the idea now blossoming so I think I am going to do this as a rewrite and add all the new ideas around the 4 page story already written.
 
I've done this a few times, but I don't always re-submit the story. For the ones that I haven't updated, I have let them sit because it still feels like there's still something missing. There are some that I want to re-do, but to do that makes me feel like I'm cheating my other 'in process' stories of the time and effort they deserve. I'm not saying that I'm a great writer, but giving my best effort to a remake seems like I'm holding back some of my creative brain cycles from other tales that deserve the best I can give them.
 
I'm in the middle of a rewrite of one that will be included in an anthology this summer. The Muse and my own procrastinating nature are giving me fits too.

Plus, this one is extra difficult because it was originally written as a one-off stroker and I am having to finesse it on the rewrite to still be a one-off, but also leave it open enough for the chaptered series I will eventually do with it.

Fun! Fun! Type! Type!
 
Is this a total rewrite or just an expansion of what you still have up?

I had a six part series. Rushed the ending and got a lot of shit for it. Almost immediately it hit me how I SHOULD have ended it. Still makes me ill. But what can I do? Cant unring a bell. Have thought about a post-script but seems so lame. Its a thorn in my side.

Lesson learned...dont rush it!!!


slyc_willie said:
I'm sure we've all done it in some way or another, or at least thought of it: you have a story you really like, but it feels like you didn't do enough with it. Maybe it was a story for a contest, and you ran out of time. Maybe you just wanted to get the damn thing done and out of your head.

But then you think about it, and new ideas blossom. You realize you could have handled X better than you did, or maybe the characters needed some more backstory.

A while back (a year ago or so), I wrote a six-pager for FAWC 5, called The True Oracle. I really liked the story as it rolled out and the implied history of the world I had created. But I had been on a time crunch in order to finish it before the end of the challenge, and while I liked the resulting story, felt it wasn't complete.

So after the story was pulled, I put it on the back burner and let it simmer for a while. I jotted a bit here and there, ruminating on the characters and on the critiques other writers here gave me as part of the FAWC process. For months it just lay there, growing stagnant in the brackish pond of my "Slyc Stories" folder on my computer.

Then the idea finally hit. I finally figured out what, exactly, was missing and how to fix it. Eureka! With the most recent session of university done, I started clipping and editing, then writing. I ended up adding about ten thousand more words to the story.

About an hour ago, I submitted it as a two-parter. :D

If it wasn't so damn early in the day, I'd have myself a beer. ;)

Doesn't it feel good when you've got a story you like, but can't seem to do justice, only to have it reignite later? It's sort of like breaking up with someone you really adored, then getting back together again for some really good make-up sex.
Click to expand...
 
Carnal_Flower said:
Is this a total rewrite or just an expansion of what you still have up?

I had a six part series. Rushed the ending and got a lot of shit for it. Almost immediately it hit me how I SHOULD have ended it. Still makes me ill. But what can I do? Cant unring a bell. Have thought about a post-script but seems so lame. Its a thorn in my side.

Lesson learned...dont rush it!!!
Click to expand...

I didn't have much choice but to rush it, considering it was for a writing challenge that had a deadline.

The original, six-page story was only posted for about a week before it was taken down. I doubt it's absence from the story lists was even noticed, considering the story initially went into Chain Stories (one of the least-read categories). I thought even then that there was more I should have done with it, but at the time I wasn't quite sure what.
 
I've expanded most of my FAWC stories, I think. A few for posting under my name on Lit., but more expanded/recast and floated in the market. I do have one expansion that I managed to put on Lit. while leaving the original (Silas' Choice). It was like pulling teeth to do that and I can't remember why I bothered. I pull almost nothing back for either expansion or rework, but I just did pull "The Video List" back because it became one chapter in a marketplace book and now I want to post the whole book to Literotica.
 
lovecraft68 said:
I'm in the middle of that now.

I have this idea for a pretty dark mother/son story, the back story is a alcoholic abusive father and his abusing of the wife throws her into the son's arms(in typical porn absurdity)

anyway I have a lot of ideas, but was struggling a little on some of the characters and it hit me...I already did this. MY story Mama's Boy is a sort of cliff notes version of the idea now blossoming so I think I am going to do this as a rewrite and add all the new ideas around the 4 page story already written.
Click to expand...

I started one a while back that I realized was extremely similar to one I already posted, and once I realized that, I let the second story go.

CeasarBoobage said:
I've done this a few times, but I don't always re-submit the story. For the ones that I haven't updated, I have let them sit because it still feels like there's still something missing. There are some that I want to re-do, but to do that makes me feel like I'm cheating my other 'in process' stories of the time and effort they deserve. I'm not saying that I'm a great writer, but giving my best effort to a remake seems like I'm holding back some of my creative brain cycles from other tales that deserve the best I can give them.
Click to expand...

I never have just one story in progress. I'll go for days or weeks concentrating on one, but will invariably get back to the two or three others that I consider to currently be in progress.

JKendallDane said:
I'm in the middle of a rewrite of one that will be included in an anthology this summer. The Muse and my own procrastinating nature are giving me fits too.

Plus, this one is extra difficult because it was originally written as a one-off stroker and I am having to finesse it on the rewrite to still be a one-off, but also leave it open enough for the chaptered series I will eventually do with it.

Fun! Fun! Type! Type!
Click to expand...

I have a couple of one-offs for which I occasionally receive requests for more. The thought occurs to me now and then to do it, but until inspiration actually hits, the stories will stay as they are.
 
slyc_willie said:
I started one a while back that I realized was extremely similar to one I already posted, and once I realized that, I let the second story go.
Click to expand...

Once I get into the flow of the new one, I think I'm going to delete the story up here and incorporate it into the much longer piece(probably a few chapters) and I'll put a note in the front of it telling people that they may recognize the characters.
 
My latest is 55 WORD pages at the moment, almost 4 LIT pages at 11K words. A record for me, but I'm not done. The goal is 100 WORD pages or +- 30K words.

My green E story tool 5 years to write because the end sucked. When the real end came it was simple, right, and congruent with the fantasy of the story. Someone once said, START AT THE END. Good advice.
 
I just reposted a story I had on Lit years ago. It's four Lit pages and it got a quick edit job, but I'm cleaning up and expanding a couple I really liked, but when I went back and read them I felt like I could do better.
 
I've been doing this for a few months.

Got an idea, it was a few pages, got another idea, it was a few pages.

Then there were all these ideas that were tell and not show, so show all those ideas.

I'm coming up at 200 pages, this is going to be an ongoing submission in chapters.

Half of my editing was big marks with

+++++

SHOW NOT TELL?

+++++

As I went on to write down a new idea.

So it became a workshop. I really only wanted the ending, but I had to get there meaningfully.

It's been a great practice, I'd recommend it. I tend to be very dense (that is not out of context, personality or writing style) and I breathed some space into something.
 
JAMESBJOHNSON said:
My latest is 55 WORD pages at the moment, almost 4 LIT pages at 11K words. A record for me, but I'm not done. The goal is 100 WORD pages or +- 30K words.

My green E story tool 5 years to write because the end sucked. When the real end came it was simple, right, and congruent with the fantasy of the story. Someone once said, START AT THE END. Good advice.
Click to expand...

I've never seen you write anything beyond a page and a half, Jim. It'll be interesting to read once it's posted.

Recidiva said:
I've been doing this for a few months.

Got an idea, it was a few pages, got another idea, it was a few pages.

Then there were all these ideas that were tell and not show, so show all those ideas.

I'm coming up at 200 pages, this is going to be an ongoing submission in chapters.

Half of my editing was big marks with

+++++

SHOW NOT TELL?

+++++

As I went on to write down a new idea.

So it became a workshop. I really only wanted the ending, but I had to get there meaningfully.

It's been a great practice, I'd recommend it. I tend to be very dense (that is not out of context, personality or writing style) and I breathed some space into something.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's just me, but that sounds a little confusing. I organize everything in my head, so if I can't keep track of it that way, it's not going to be kept track of (that was awkward, I know, but you get the point). But there's no set way for every author to do their thing, so if it works for you, have at it. ;)
 
lowphat said:
. . . but when I went back and read them I felt like I could do better.
Click to expand...

I have this happening to me a lot when I glance through stories I already have posted. Some of them need serious editing; others now sound pretty juvenile to me (though the worst offenders in that area have already been pulled). But I think most will stay as they are, until and unless I get the inspiration to change them.
 
slyc_willie said:
I've never seen you write anything beyond a page and a half, Jim. It'll be interesting to read once it's posted.
Click to expand...

Don't hold your breath for that. He's like Elfin, in that he talks about writing something that never shows up. Also, don't bother to look for that Green E he brags about. He doesn't have one. Glad to know that he reveals that he thinks they mean something. :rolleyes:
 
sr71plt said:
Don't hold your breath for that. He's like Elfin, in that he talks about writing something that never shows up. Also, don't bother to look for that Green E he brags about. He doesn't have one. Glad to know that he reveals that he thinks they mean something. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I don't harbor any illusions. However, I honestly would like to see Jim come up with something longer than his typical noir vignettes.
 
slyc_willie said:
I've never seen you write anything beyond a page and a half, Jim. It'll be interesting to read once it's posted.



Maybe it's just me, but that sounds a little confusing. I organize everything in my head, so if I can't keep track of it that way, it's not going to be kept track of (that was awkward, I know, but you get the point). But there's no set way for every author to do their thing, so if it works for you, have at it. ;)
Click to expand...

I invite you to read John O'Hara's short stories, some are less than 1000 words. Don Westlake wrote whole chapters of 500 words. Your fetish for word count is no imposition on me.
 
slyc_willie said:
Maybe it's just me, but that sounds a little confusing. I organize everything in my head, so if I can't keep track of it that way, it's not going to be kept track of (that was awkward, I know, but you get the point). But there's no set way for every author to do their thing, so if it works for you, have at it. ;)
Click to expand...

My head is not that organized.

It's dark inside my head and I can't visualize or memorize that way. I don't see pictures, and in fact I've learned from Lit that I have to put some visuals into my work because I usually ignore what people look like for what people sound like, that sorta thing.

I mostly think in dialogue or music or emotions, and then I put them in order.

Realistically I rarely know how something is going to end, and then I might change that five times or delete it or ignore an ending entirely.

If I can outline it...I probably don't need to write it, because I don't know what exactly is going to happen until I start writing.

I identify people by their lips and voices, too. So actors in costume I know who they are right away because the only thing I've ever been looking at is lips and words anyway.
 
sr71plt said:
Don't hold your breath for that. He's like Elfin, in that he talks about writing something that never shows up. Also, don't bother to look for that Green E he brags about. He doesn't have one. Glad to know that he reveals that he thinks they mean something. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I don't know a green E means shit, the story hasn't profited from it. I mean, Maya Angelou got a Nobel for shit.

I have a roster of Blackbird pilots and crew members. Its reputed to be complete. Youre not deceased, and you weren't a child pilot. So I'm looking for you. I don't think I'll find you on the roster but you never know.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
slyc_willie said:
I don't harbor any illusions. However, I honestly would like to see Jim come up with something longer than his typical noir vignettes.
Click to expand...

Yep, because he did prove that he is a good writer in general. What he writes isn't erotic, but there is room in the file for that. In this context, it's just that what he says isn't connected to reality.
 
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JAMESBJOHNSON said:
I don't know a green E means shit, the story hasn't profited from it. I mean, Maya Angelou got a Nobel for shit.

I have a roster of Blackbird pilots and crew members. Its reputed to be complete. Youre not deceased, and you weren't a child pilot. So I'm looking for you. I don't think I'll find you on the roster but you never know.
Click to expand...

Been there done that he is not listed

I am sure its because he was extra top secret.

I love that we are not supposed to believe you have a green e story but we are supposed to believe all his tall tales
 
lovecraft68 said:
Been there done that he is not listed

I am sure its because he was extra top secret.

I love that we are not supposed to believe you have a green e story but we are supposed to believe all his tall tales
Click to expand...

You know I have one, and what Pilot thinks doesn't matter. As far as I can tell a green E is meh to most readers.
 
Recidiva said:
He has one. You guys are STILL arguing about this?
Click to expand...

There's no argument to have on it. Anyone here can easily check his story list. There's no Green E . (duh) The stupid ones are the ones who give the bald-faced lie that anyone here can easily check out for themselves. He only keeps mentioning it because if he can slip the perception he has one through a forum reader who doesn't bother to check, it gives him cheap writing cache that he hasn't earned. But that's JBJ for you. The only stats that a poster named JBJ can claim here are the verifiable stats in that account name. You Internet game people are really, really silly in this regard. Yes you, JBJ, and Hatecraft, and now Reci (who has some serious believability problems of her own).

So, yes, Reci, each time JBJ posts that lie, I or someone else will call him on it. If you don't like that, talk to that faker JBJ.

As far as sr71 pilot rosters, absolutely right that the CIA pilots in the program won't be listed. But that doesn't have a damn thing to do with JBJ's claim here about writing awards that can so easily be called the lie that it is. Throwing up flak in the air on the issue isn't going to make any of you silly gamesters more believable.

Hatecraft can so easily bounce the Green E issue around because he doesn't have any either. :rolleyes: You can bet that if he ever does get a Green E, he'll trumpet it all over the board just like he trumpets every time he fixes a hangnail. He poo pooed the contests, especially when he was caught cheating in one--until he managed to manipulate a win.
 
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sr71plt said:
There's no argument to have on it. Anyone here can easily check his story list. There's no Green E . (duh) The stupid ones are the ones who give the bald-faced lie that anyone here can easily check out for themselves. He only keeps mentioning it because if he can slip the perception he has one through a forum reader who doesn't bother to check, it gives him cheap writing cache that he hasn't earned. But that's JBJ for you. The only stats that a poster named JBJ can claim here are the verifiable stats in that account name. You Internet game people are really, really silly in this regard. Yes you, JBJ, and Hatecraft, and now Reci (who has some serious believability problems of her own).

So, yes, Reci, each time JBJ posts that lie, I or someone else will call him on it. If you don't like that, talk to that faker JBJ.

As far as sr71 pilot rosters, absolutely right that the CIA pilots in the program won't be listed. But that doesn't have a damn thing to do with JBJ's claim here about writing awards that can so easily be called the lie that it is. Throwing up flak in the air on the issue isn't going to make any of you silly gamesters more believable. Hatecraft can so easily bounce the Green E issue around because he doesn't have any either. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Nah, we straightened this out a while back.

He has another author account and I'm sworn to secrecy and shit, because he'd get trolled. He would. Hell, I get trolled. It's not an unreasonable precaution.

If he's been trolled on that account since he probably blamed me but I SWEAR...it wasn't. Because I don't care that much and he could be assured I'm not that petty, and that I would put forth no effort to insult him behind his back because I do it to his face.

So he sent me a link and he sent something to me (we had a password and everything) and he altered the author's settings because he could, because he owned it.

Anyway, nobody cares, so there's that. I just find it funny to stumble into the same argument a year later over it.
 
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