Do you ever start writing and just feel silly?

[davion2308]

I have 49 stories published so far. A fair number have the fun red "H" next to them and I get comments, all that. I know people read my writing, or at least inadvertently click on a story so I'm somehow in front of them. And I know people enjoy what I've written based on most comments and emails.

I feel like I have a dozen stories or so kind of floating around and they all feel silly now. Like, no matter what I'm doing, it's ridiculous and not worth the effort and just 'blah.' It's confusing because I feel like I've gotten better the last two years and I've taken time to write and develop and really bring characters to life with what I've submitted.

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this? I feel like I should take a break because it all just seems so silly to me right now.

 

[StillStunned]

I'm still at the point where I'm excited every time I sit down to write. I'm excited whenever I come up with a new idea. I'm excited when I submit a story, and when it gets published.

I just love writing.

 

[sister jenny]

Every.
Single.
Time.

 

[MrPixel]

I feel some of my earlier works are silly in comparison to more recent efforts. But not enough to take 'em down because these early standalone stories are the ones that draw readers and followers, and "favorites". I don't check my author front page all that often, but when I do I'm amazed that people are still finding and liking stuff I wrote three years ago.

 

[EricaLynch]

Every.
Single.
Time.

Saaaaame

 

[RainyDayPen]

I feel silly when it's like my hot idea / fantasy would be silly in real life. Like let's say I want to write a boss dominating her lower level office employee. It's just hot like in a porn-way, but I can already see the comments like "this is so unrealistic. people would contact HR. this is illegal."

Like every time I struggle with that especially since my stories are femdom themed. Hardly any femdom makes SENSE in the real world unless you want to hear the SAME story a million times "husband and wife mutually agree upon kinky relationship."

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Feel silly for writing?

"Nope. I got nothing." -Courier, Skyrim

 

[Euphony]

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this?

Only the most egotistical of us would say we don't. There are plenty of books to help with this fundamental writer problem: Bird by Bird, Artist Way, War of Art, Big Magic may click with you or their Goodreads page's "also read" might lead you to someone who fits you best.

I feel like I should take a break because it all just seems so silly to me right now.

Sorry you feel that. It's tough having the life force feeling sucked out of your work.

Motivations and outcomes to enjoying the process mindset shifting is a bigger kettle of fish than we can address here. (also, very individual)

Will say though, it's OK to be silly. Creativity is play and play is silly.

Lucky for us, writing play is something us "adulting" lot still allow ourselves its foolishness.

I do dumb stuff ALL THE TIME to keep writing's creative spark alive.

Mad Libs, Weird Al song parodies, fictional letters to long dead authors, adult takes on classic children's' literature (think Go the FUCK to Sleep), D & D campaigns, obscure fanfic, any stupid thing that keeps me in writing.

Whatever curiosity clicks with you DO IT.

"Only purposeful writing" is actually terrible long term for your creativity and progress.

P L A Y is the way.

https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-importance-of-play-for-adults

 

[MillieDynamite]

Always.

 

[AchtungNight]

Oh, yes. I do feel silly and messed up quite often about what I write. In fact, I write fanfics and regarding those stories… Alicia Witt is right. It is silly to write stories about famous people being swingers and hooking up with each other and lucky fans. Unless you do it well and enjoy yourself IMHO, but even then you still get a little messed up now and then regarding your hobbies.

 

[Fatdog25]

Yes.

Then I run with it. Sometimes, it turns into something usable, you think of a twist that makes the story work.

Other times, it turns into multiple part fuckfest that nobody will likely read. But at least it's out of my system.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Right after I have submitted a story and now have to try and dive into another. I was so into the last one and now I have to try to immerse myself in this half-thought-out mess. What am I doing?

 

[Zootonius]

I have 49 stories published so far. A fair number have the fun red "H" next to them and I get comments, all that. I know people read my writing, or at least inadvertently click on a story so I'm somehow in front of them. And I know people enjoy what I've written based on most comments and emails.

I feel like I have a dozen stories or so kind of floating around and they all feel silly now. Like, no matter what I'm doing, it's ridiculous and not worth the effort and just 'blah.' It's confusing because I feel like I've gotten better the last two years and I've taken time to write and develop and really bring characters to life with what I've submitted.

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this? I feel like I should take a break because it all just seems so silly to me right now.

You captured my feelings feelings the last few month. Started a few stories and felt, 'Why? Ain't good enough.' Then I remembered I'm just writing smut for fun.

 

[TxRad]

Yeah, I was feeling Silly and then she slapped me. Cured the problem.

 

[oneagainst]

Silly? More like cliched. There are a finite number of formulations and if you write enough you end up revisiting them and that can feel a little ridiculous, I've found. I'm at the point where I find myself using a lot of the same story tags over and over and then seeing a bunch of people doing the same.

It forces you to innovate - to stop feeling like you're treading the same ground. So, that's a good thing.

That said, what feels silly on one reading could be awesome the next time you read it through - sometimes you're just not in the mood for the story you've written.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

After four and a half years of posting stories on this site, I find that I’m spending less time on it.

I’ve generally been motivated by trying to express egalitarian sex-positivity, almost always with sky-high concepts. Running out of ideas may mean that I no longer feel a great need to participate in the fiction-based discussion of sex and sexuality. I’m wondering if maybe my work here is done. (Not necessarily successful, but done.)

I have some partly written stories, which I still feel somewhat motivated to finish and share. But when (not if) that ends, I’ll have no problem with walking away.

 

[samhasstories]

If I think about it too much maybe I feel silly. Like, with all the works, all the stories, all the books that already exist, who do I think I am that the world needs another story from me? But then, I'm not really writing because I think the world needs what I'm going to write. I'm writing because I need (or, at least, want) what I'm going to write. So I just stop thinking and get back to writing.

 

[SimonDoom]

Oh, absolutely. But it's at most a temporary setback, because I like silly. I enjoy silly. I don't think there's an inherent conflict between silliness and art.

Sometimes when I'm writing a mom-son incest story, and I'm trying to capture how hot Mom is getting for her son, I'll think, "I can't believe I'm writing this. This is the most goddamn fucking ridiculous thing ever." But I go back to it, because I enjoy it! Sure, it's silly. It's not great art. But almost nothing at this site is what I would call great art. There's nothing wrong with just having fun. That's why I come here--to have fun.

 

[KeithD]

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this?

Not as yet.

 

[Altissimus]

...silly...

'Silly' isn't the word I'd use. I don't feel silly writing my stuff. I don't think erotica is silly just because it's erotica; I think emotionless tab-A-into-slot-1/2/3 strokers can be repetitive and silly, but if you write stories, then just because they have sex in them doesn't make them silly, IMO, it makes them fun. Assuming the sex fits there. Assuming it adds something. Assuming it's emotive, and evocative, and stuff.

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this?

This, on the other hand, totally. I'm standing in front of one at the moment, looking up at it, aware that I can't actually see the top of it or know how thick it is, and although I have a bag full of climbing ropes, cams, carabiners and crampons on my boots, it just seems like... too much effort. I put out 100k words in two weeks, won a contest, and saw half my stories get bombed. That was all in the past month and I haven't written a word since.

I think I'll wait a bit longer before I try; until I have an idea that will boost me right to the top of this wall as though it wasn't there. Yep, I'm gonna go get a coffee instead; maybe read something for once. That insta-boost will be around eventually. Probably.

 

[StillStunned]

I think I'll wait a bit longer before I try; until I have an idea that will boost me right to the top of this wall as though it wasn't there. Yep, I'm gonna go get a coffee instead; maybe read something for once. That insta-boost will be around eventually. Probably.

For me, reading always gets me through any kind of fatigue. As soon as I read someone else's story, I want to write my own.

 

[Altissimus]

For me, reading always gets me through any kind of fatigue. As soon as I read someone else's story, I want to write my own.

...or reach for a red pen, at least.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

After four and a half years of posting stories on this site, I find that I’m spending less time on it.

I’ve generally been motivated by trying to express egalitarian sex-positivity, almost always with sky-high concepts. Running out of ideas may mean that I no longer feel a great need to participate in the fiction-based discussion of sex and sexuality. I’m wondering if maybe my work here is done. (Not necessarily successful, but done.)

I have some partly written stories, which I still feel somewhat motivated to finish and share. But when (not if) that ends, I’ll have no problem with walking away.

I took a break in '19 to write fanfiction. After about ten years of pretty much exclusively writing here, even if it wasn't consistant, got tedious. I needed to do something else, even for a little while.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

'Silly' isn't the word I'd use. I don't feel silly writing my stuff. I don't think erotica is silly just because it's erotica; I think emotionless tab-A-into-slot-1/2/3 strokers can be repetitive and silly, but if you write stories, then just because they have sex in them doesn't make them silly, IMO, it makes them fun. Assuming the sex fits there. Assuming it adds something. Assuming it's emotive, and evocative, and stuff.

This, on the other hand, totally. I'm standing in front of one at the moment, looking up at it, aware that I can't actually see the top of it or know how thick it is, and although I have a bag full of climbing ropes, cams, carabiners and crampons on my boots, it just seems like... too much effort. I put out 100k words in two weeks, won a contest, and saw half my stories get bombed. That was all in the past month and I haven't written a word since.

I think I'll wait a bit longer before I try; until I have an idea that will boost me right to the top of this wall as though it wasn't there. Yep, I'm gonna go get a coffee instead; maybe read something for once. That insta-boost will be around eventually. Probably.

They say to just write. But if I can't find the substance, I just can't write anything.

 

[Duleigh]

Does anyone else ever hit a wall like this?

Yep, right after I publish a story I really put my heart into.
Then I sit down and write... the stories come, they always do.