Do you have a writing death wish like me?

[MrHereWriting]

I do that too. And just recently. And more than one story. But I find this is nowadays mostly blowing off steam while writing stuff I’m more invested in.

And what I’m invested in seems to fit poorly into the categories, or to be tweaks on them. I’m gonna end up in Novels and Novellas at this rate.

Emily

Perhaps some of your stories belong on different websites, where they'll be more appreciated. It takes courage to post your story to the right audience because then, if you fail, it's unexpected.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What's not to like. Plenty of incest in the ring cycle.

As Anna Russell put it, "Sigmund runs off with Hunding's wife, Siglinda, which is immoral. And she's his sister, which is illegal!"

Too bombastic

Emily

 

[EmilyMiller]

Ok, I gotta laugh at that.

Like you, I write a story. I don't write to a market. Stories pop into my head, and that is what the story is.

I think this site in particular has its own quirks regarding particular story-types - presumably groups of people who like to hang out and make sure that they "own" their particular haunt, and enforce their will and opinions on anyone who ventures therein. And - hey - that's the online world for you. In fact - that's just humanity for you, really.

It sounds like you're embracing your own particular approach not just to writing, but accepting that publishing those stories here could result in less than desirable results. And good on you for taking that stance. You're a writer, sharing your words with the world. Not everyone can do that.

Hey thanks!

Kindred spirit, right?

Emily

 

[Zootonius]

Too bombastic

Emily

As Mark Twain put it,

Wagner's music isn't as bad as it sounds.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Probably I have, if you see the kerfuffle I started in the Story Feedback section recently.

A kerfuffle? In that wretched hive of scum and villainy? Surely not!

I am shocked!

Emily

 

[EmilyMiller]

As Mark Twain put it,

Wagner's music isn't as bad as it sounds.

And again - Bugs Bunny ruined it for me.

Emily

 

[gunhilltrain]

A kerfuffle? In that wretched hive of scum and villainy? Surely not!

I am shocked!

Emily

It's still better than Story Ideas. I've got to see what's in there today.

 

[TheRedChamber]

As Mark Twain put it,

Wagner's music isn't as bad as it sounds.

Oh, Wagner's music is great. It's his plots that are repugnant.

And again - Bugs Bunny ruined it for me.

Emily

I think you mean improved.

 

[Zootonius]

Oh, Wagner's music is great. It's his plots that are repugnant.

The Liebestod had been described as an orgasm set to music.

 

[lovecraft68]

The How To essays here are meant to help people navigate the site of specific categories.

Long time ago I did one in I/T celverly titled "Write incest like a motherfucker" Yes, my parents are proud.

But like most essays it talks about what the corwd there likes and doesn't and how to play into the likes and avoid the pitfalls.

After a while, and another author here talking about it like it's he bible and writing to its exact formula, I realized people can take this helpful hints and turn it into "I have to write this way"

So I published a taboo story that shits pisses and trounces on everything in the How to. I told my own advice to fuck all the way off and took the reader down a path of addiction, grief and an emotional hell with a sex scene that was more sacrifice than an act of lust.

Results were...a surprisingly good score and more surprising a lot of thoughtful feedback and people who understood the story.

Message to me was I couldn't kill myself if I tried.

After that whenever I feel the need for the story version of self-harm I post in Loving wives.

 

[orangecurious]

I seem to have embarked on writing marathon stories [ after the 27 page epic that did get some reasonable votes and comments,, I am now finishing another that may be just as long... and have less sex in it!

when will I learn?

I keep getting sidetracked by plot and characters, not the rumpy pumpy

 

[EmilyMiller]

I seem to have embarked on writing marathon stories [ after the 27 page epic that did get some reasonable votes and comments,, I am now finishing another that may be just as long... and have less sex in it!

when will I learn?

I keep getting sidetracked by plot and characters, not the rumpy pumpy

Tell me about it! I used to have plot between the sex scenes, now I have sex scenes between the plot.

Emily

 

[RetroFan]

Why do I think I have a death wish?

Speaking reverse chronologically (and skipping over a few crowd-pleasers) I have recently written:

1. A Lesbian Sex story with - so far (I have only published two chapters to date) - no lesbian sex
2. An Incest & Taboo story with a robustly negative view of father / daughter incest and an, at best, twisted view of sisterly sibcest
3. Twenty 750 word stories - that format is so universally unpopular it’s kinda scary
4. A Loving Wives story about a married sex worker
5. A Non-con / Reluctance story in which the only real coercion the FMC faces is her own abysmal self-esteem

Thing is, none of the above were intentionally provocative. They were just stories I wanted to tell.

Now I know some authors spend time figuring out their market and then giving it just what it wants. There is an undeniable skill to that. It takes talent and discipline to pull off. But… I seem to be drawn to the opposite - telling stories that are likely to find, at best, a narrow audience. And often to draw a hostile reaction.

Now I don’t want to over-stress this. A counter example is my Eden Baker stories which are very attuned to an E/V audience - mostly due to @Djmac1031’s input. And my Angel and Demons stories don’t run counter to a SciFi / Fantasy vibe. But, I find more and more of my work is niche, not because it features lesbian piss-drinking (which it does - thanks mostly to @EStaccato), but because I’m writing stories in which the sex is something secondary to the plot. And I find I’m worrying about the plot and the pre-sex human interactions much more.

Am I just contrarian, or do you do the same?

Emily

Hi Emily - what I think with your experience is that some readers, often in IT, don't like things to be different and react negatively towards any new or rarely seen story ideas.

I've had similar experiences, with the most recent instance being an April Fools Story called 'The Tale of the Two Close Twins'. The story is narrated by a non-involved third party, a male friend of the twin brother and sister, who begins to wonder if the twins are too close for their own good, and becomes obsessed with this rather like 'Rear Window'. You don't see many stories narrated by non-involved third parties, which is one of the main reasons I wrote it. The other was exploring another theme; in real life we have all met people who just appear a little too close to a relative. A son for whom being a mama's boy seems the least of the problems. A father and daughter who seem more like an older man with a younger girlfriend. A brother and sister way too close for comfort. But one cannot say anything to anyone, as such an allegation without proof is very serious indeed and can never be taken back.

Similar things have happened in the past, like once I wrote a story involving a half-brother and sister with a significant age gap (40 vs. 18). One doesn't see many half-sibling stories, and while there is obviously an age gap in mother/son/father/daughter stories, it is much rarer to find a sibling story with a big age gap, and if there is usually it is the sister that is older. Much older brothers with younger full/half/step sisters only come up once in a blue moon. I also wanted to write a story about urban exploring, so the main theme of the story is that the brother and sister explore an eerie abandoned theme park at night when the car breaks down. Despite very few stories like this, the readers didn't like the different story themes at all.

If ever I find an interesting story theme for whichever category, I just go with it. Some readers do appreciate different themes and ideas, and at least you know you tried to write something out of the ordinary, even if readers don't appreciate it.

 

[THBGato]

A Lesbian Sex story with - so far (I have only published two chapters to date) - no lesbian sex

I really don't think that matters in the Lesbian Sex category. Take a look at some of the Hall of Fame stories - loads of them don't have any sex until parts 2 or 3. It seems that readers of that tag are more than willing to wait: I think it's all about the connection and the romance.

 

[StillStunned]

A Lesbian Sex story with - so far (I have only published two chapters to date) - no lesbian sex

Is LBD still a thing?

 

[Duleigh]

Speaking reverse chronologically (and skipping over a few crowd-pleasers) I have recently written:

1. A Lesbian Sex story with - so far (I have only published two chapters to date) - no lesbian sex
2. An Incest & Taboo story with a robustly negative view of father / daughter incest and an, at best, twisted view of sisterly sibcest
3. Twenty 750 word stories - that format is so universally unpopular it’s kinda scary
4. A Loving Wives story about a married sex worker
5. A Non-con / Reluctance story in which the only real coercion the FMC faces is her own abysmal self-esteem

Thing is, none of the above were intentionally provocative. They were just stories I wanted to tell.

From an author's view point, none of those are appealing to me. Congratulations on your courage! I've done everything on your list except the loving wives story. I feel unclean enough.

 

[DrPope]

Yeah but #4 was a fucking GUN of a story !!!!!

Best so far this year on LW mainly because it was so fucking close to the actual truth.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Is LBD still a thing?

Lewy Body Dementia?

Emily

 

[StillStunned]

Lewy Body Dementia?

Emily

Lesbian Bed Death. I seem to remember it being quite a thing ten or fifteen years ago.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Lesbian Bed Death. I seem to remember it being quite a thing ten or fifteen years ago.

Read the story, it’s not LBD (which I read as little black dress).

Emily

 

[EmilyMiller]

Yeah but #4 was a fucking GUN of a story !!!!!

Best so far this year on LW mainly because it was so fucking close to the actual truth.

I wasn’t sure who that was directed at.

Emily

 

[StillStunned]

Read the story, it’s not LBD (which I read as little black dress).

Emily

I'll add it to the list.

 

[Regguy69]

Why do I think I have a death wish?

Speaking reverse chronologically (and skipping over a few crowd-pleasers) I have recently written:

1. A Lesbian Sex story with - so far (I have only published two chapters to date) - no lesbian sex
2. An Incest & Taboo story with a robustly negative view of father / daughter incest and an, at best, twisted view of sisterly sibcest
3. Twenty 750 word stories - that format is so universally unpopular it’s kinda scary
4. A Loving Wives story about a married sex worker
5. A Non-con / Reluctance story in which the only real coercion the FMC faces is her own abysmal self-esteem

Thing is, none of the above were intentionally provocative. They were just stories I wanted to tell.

Now I know some authors spend time figuring out their market and then giving it just what it wants. There is an undeniable skill to that. It takes talent and discipline to pull off. But… I seem to be drawn to the opposite - telling stories that are likely to find, at best, a narrow audience. And often to draw a hostile reaction.

Now I don’t want to over-stress this. A counter example is my Eden Baker stories which are very attuned to an E/V audience - mostly due to @Djmac1031’s input. And my Angel and Demons stories don’t run counter to a SciFi / Fantasy vibe. But, I find more and more of my work is niche, not because it features lesbian piss-drinking (which it does - thanks mostly to @EStaccato), but because I’m writing stories in which the sex is something secondary to the plot. And I find I’m worrying about the plot and the pre-sex human interactions much more.

Am I just contrarian, or do you do the same?

Emily

You should not shy away from writing a story that speaks to you for fear it may offend some regular readers. I have only written in 3 categories, but I think I may try some others. It will really be a challenge to my imagination as I have no first-hand knowledge of many of the LIT categories.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You should not shy away from writing a story that speaks to you for fear it may offend some regular readers.

I don’t, clearly .

Just not sure how great an approach it is.

I have only written in 3 categories, but I think I may try some others. It will really be a challenge to my imagination as I have no first-hand knowledge of many of the LIT categories.

I’ve written in something like 18 or 19. Yeah it can be a challenge. But imagination is your friend.

Emily

 

[DrPope]

I wasn’t sure who that was directed at.

Emily

That would be you ....