Do you view AH as a literary forum?

[StillStunned]

don't kink shame!

Who said anything about shame?

 

[ElectricBlue]

I agree that lots of threads are about specific elements of writing. More are about the experience of writing. Yet more about public reactions to our stories.

I’m going to figure out the book club thing. But it’s not straightforward. In the meantime? I might post some reviews of works I have enjoyed.

Note: I’m NOT going to post ax jobs for things I disliked. Going to stay positive.

Em

Maybe do stuff over in the Feedback Forum?

It always been slow to get traction there, but on occasion a thread will take off and get interesting. It has to be spontaneous though, you can't force it. There's also the @AwkwardMD and @Omenainen review thread which is intelligent and (even if you don't always agree) gets you thinking.

As for the few nay-sayers here who don't think the AH is a literary focused joint, they're clearly not reading the same threads as me. I've learned as much here as anyone - some of my early stuff is pretty woeful, but I've left it there as a reminder.

Sure, some of the threads derail a little too quickly and can get facile, but if you scan past that, there's a stack of good advice, easily as good as any podcast or writer-expert book person out there.

Also, you get the personalities, which I don't think you'd find in your local library.

 

[EmilyMiller]

There's also the @AwkwardMD and @Omenainen review thread which is intelligent and (even if you don't always agree) gets you thinking.

I’m on their [naughty] list.

Em

 

[lc69hunter]

“There is no such thing as luck; there is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.” - Robert Heinlein

There, we are a literary group

 

[Kelliezgirl]

“There is no such thing as luck; there is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.” - Robert Heinlein

There, we are a literary group

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

 

[EmilyMiller]

My Gift To Mike - by Victoria14xs - A Review

Em

 

[Britva415]

But is it ALSO somewhere to discuss literature (including non-erotic) and its impact on our work?

Sure, why not

 

[KachinaDoll]

Do you view AH as a literary forum?

Sometimes, though I wish they'd move all the 'post office' and 'word chains' to a separate games category. Too much crap to wade through before finding an interesting new topic. Yes, I'm know some people enjoy them but it's mostly a dozen people clogging up the system because they've changed one letter in a word.

I'll duck behind the wall now.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Do you view AH as a literary forum?

Sometimes, though I wish they'd move all the 'post office' and 'word chains' to a separate games category. Too much crap to wade through before finding an interesting new topic. Yes, I'm know some people enjoy them but it's mostly a dozen people clogging up the system because they've changed one letter in a word.

I'll duck behind the wall now.

You know, I have never clicked on any of them. Not once.

Em

 

[StillStunned]

You know, I have never clicked on any of them. Not once.

Em

Nor me.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I've seen this place devolve into literary discussions. I love it when it does.

"I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey match broke out".

 

[MrPixel]

You know, I have never clicked on any of them. Not once.

Nor me.

Well, then... Bless me Father, for I have sinned.

I played a couple of the games in the first months I was on the forum, under the illusion that increasing one's post count bought some manner of benefit, like a magic avatar or a get out of jail free card, or maybe a bonus points sweep. Once I got past the idea there was going to be no executive washroom key earned with posts, I haven't messed with the games.

 

[ElectricBlue]

You know, I have never clicked on any of them. Not once.

Em

Yeah, they're easy to ignore. They're part of the furniture. It's a bit like stepping around that little side table by the couch, the one that sticks out a bit too much, but you can't be bothered to move.

 

[TxRad]

Can you put threads on ignore?

 

[StillStunned]

Before we all start piling on the word game threads, I'd just like to say that I'm sure the players there consider all the other threads to be unwanted clutter too. It's a matter of perspective. Like EB says, after a while your eyes just pass over them.

 

[XerXesXu]

Can you put threads on ignore?

Yes. Put the OP on ignore. What's needed is a hide thread capability.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Strange question maybe. It’s part of a sex site. Devoted to people writing smut. It’s a social gathering place for the same.

But is it ALSO somewhere to discuss literature (including non-erotic) and its impact on our work?

Em

It could be.... But it isn't.
Unfortunately

 

[BobbyBrandt]

In the few months I've been hanging around here, I've participated in long discussions about first person present tense, our achievements as writers on Lit, best ways to open our stories, writing styles and story contests and challenges. I've started threads about practical English and about writing in the second person.

If you haven't seen any discussions about writing, you've not been looking very closely.

Threads related to literary techniques, elements, devices, or skill pop up occasionally and are often immediately dismissed by members here as being "irrelevant" or "inconsequential" to stories on this site.

Literature is defined as “books or writings published on a particular subject". Considering the name selected for this site, that subject is most often erotica. In other words, the literary expression of erotica.

Why spend the time considering the merits of character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, or the narrative point-of-view if all readers supposedly want is sticky fingers?

If you write solely for the readers here, there is no point. If you write for yourself and want to feel proud of what your efforts produce, then maybe it matters to you, and you'll want to discuss it.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

You guys got me going researching “fart”, looking for a polite or technical verb form. I found several articles about “flatulence”, but, still, no mention of the action form of the occurrence of flatulence.

After 20 minutes of surfing, I took a shot at word building, and hypothesized: flatulate. Turned out my guess was right; it was found in formal references.

So, I must correct my original response of “no” to Emily’s query, and conclude that AH is indeed literary in that our community efforts have indeed transmuted the commoner's “fart" into a suitable word to use in polite company. Stench notwithstanding.

I actually did significant research on the subject recently for the middle-grade chapter book that I just published.

Did you know that if you inhale helium from a balloon, not only do your vocal chords tighten up, giving you a squeaky voice, but it also makes your farts odorless?

 

[HordHolm]

Did you know that if you inhale helium from a balloon, not only do your vocal chords tighten up, giving you a squeaky voice, but it also makes your farts odorless?

Helium for my dear family it is, then.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Threads related to literary techniques, elements, devices, or skill pop up occasionally and are often immediately dismissed by members here as being "irrelevant" or "inconsequential" to stories on this site.

Huh? I'd have thought such threads start far more often than only "occasionally", and I wouldn't have thought there were all that many people who label such threads irrelevant or inconsequential. To the vast bulk of Lit writers, maybe, but not the little community we've got here. I've never thought the AH was representative of anything except the several dozen who hang out here - but we're only talking about "us", not that lot over there ----->

Sure, there's a handful of posters whose default is to dismiss any such discussion as pretentious or self-deluding, but since they've got nothing constructive to say, who cares what they think?

I reckon most of the folk here are interested in improving their skill sets, and are both willing and able to contribute.

 

[StillStunned]

Threads related to literary techniques, elements, devices, or skill pop up occasionally and are often immediately dismissed by members here as being "irrelevant" or "inconsequential" to stories on this site.

Literature is defined as “books or writings published on a particular subject". Considering the name selected for this site, that subject is most often erotica. In other words, the literary expression of erotica.

Why spend the time considering the merits of character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, or the narrative point-of-view if all readers supposedly want is sticky fingers?

If you write solely for the readers here, there is no point. If you write for yourself and want to feel proud of what your efforts produce, then maybe it matters to you, and you'll want to discuss it.

There are quite a few authors here who look down on anything that doesn't have three Lit pages of background and character development. Who imply that their stories have more merit than strokers simply because their characters are whiny conflicted and show growth.

They rarely seem to engage in discussions about styles and quality, however, beyond stating that longer is better.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Huh? I'd have thought such threads start far more often than only "occasionally", and I wouldn't have thought there were all that many people who label such threads irrelevant or inconsequential. To the vast bulk of Lit writers, maybe, but not the little community we've got here. I've never thought the AH was representative of anything except the several dozen who hang out here - but we're only talking about "us", not that lot over there ----->

Sure, there's a handful of posters whose default is to dismiss any such discussion as pretentious or self-deluding, but since they've got nothing constructive to say, who cares what they think?

I reckon most of the folk here are interested in improving their skill sets, and are both willing and able to contribute.

A bigger issue than the folks who dismiss things as pretentious is the frequency with which the productive threads where an interesting topic is being discussed get completely derailed by inside jokes and banter.
Wading through 7 or 8 off topic posts to get back to the point is much more annoying than scrolling past the games threads.

 

[MissRoberta]

In my opinion, AH is a literary forum even though some of the threads aren't. As a newbie, I found that reading many threads helped improve my writing process by a lot, so I think that's what matters in the end. There is a lot of helpful content on writing and creating here.

And on the topic of writing long and complex erotica or quick jerk-off stories, both are valid. One doesn't diminish the other. I've been a reader for many years, and some days I wanted short, simple stories, while other days I liked reading the 9-page stuff you find here. Both are enjoyable, and I have favorites in both categories. It's not meaningless to write a long, complex story, and it's not bad either to write a one-page, solely sex-related story.

 

[LizVegas79]

As someone who has sometimes toyed with the idea of trying to write a story of my own, I find this discussion and thread sooooooo helpful and encouraging.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

Happy Happy 2024!