The Agony and the Ecstasy (of posting a story)

[Emilymcplugger]

So, I managed to write a 100,000 word story in just two months last year, over 5 parts. The new story, over 8 parts has taken the last 10 months so, a lot longer to get over the line.

I have to admit there are few things nicer than people adding your story to favourites and voting your story up, but by God, if it isn’t a killer to get the words on the page (metaphorically speaking as we all work on the non-physical page now) to get that tiny fleeting feeling of adoration.

But what do you guys think? What is it that you enjoy/not enjoy about what we do here?

I’d love to get your views.

 

[evleah]

For me, it's escapism. I am working on my PhD so do a lot of writing about an extremely technical topic that I'm sure less than 100 people in the world care about. Writing erotica (even perpetually unfinished erotica) is an escape from that.

 

[AlexBailey]

My stories are a pretty specific genre of lifestyle and kink, so it’s easy to understand why I get fewer views and responses than many other authors.

But having people read and connect with my stories makes my world feel a little bigger and is very cathartic.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

The good part is that we get to put our fantasies, the stories and characters we brought to life in our heads, to paper. It is really a unique satisfaction. It takes so much work though. Such long, endless hours of thinking, writing, rewriting, editing... As I don't write in the popular categories, I am frustrated with the lack of feedback mostly. My stories get high scores, but I crave true feedback from readers. And it is scarce, so scarce. So the motivation is dwindling.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

The good part is that we get to put our fantasies, the stories and characters we brought to life in our heads, to paper. It is really a unique satisfaction. It takes so much work though. Such long, endless hours of thinking, writing, rewriting, editing... As I don't write in the popular categories, I am frustrated with the lack of feedback mostly. My stories get high scores, but I crave true feedback from readers. And it is scarce, so scarce. So the motivation is dwindling.

I know what you mean.

I tend to float above 4 but below 4.5 and in group hardly anyone comments except on prolific authors (such as the person who inspired me SpectorDugan) so it can feel like a lonely path.

But one or two people saving a story sure makes you feel less alone.

 

[NotWise]

I enjoy the challenge. I usually know when I did it right, and it's a joy when readers agree.

Most of the stories I write these days are things I choose as a challenge--could be the topic, a character, a story-telling method, a technique, or just something I've never done before.

 

[Euphony]

Love truly getting to know my characters. To me, they are the axis on which everything rotates.

The great downside, then, is when you strand them in a narratively impossible situation (for a while, sometimes forever) My characters tend to be ones who try to deal until it ("it" being the conflict I ,sadistically, am responsible for drowning them in) is just to much so they open up with honesty, willing to sacrifice anything to feel like they can breathe again.

My 'revisit" drafts/outlines feel like a killing fields to me sometimes. Makes me feel authorially small which kicks into a cycle of more learning, more research, and more self-reflection.

I could stand to dial this mental drama back a bit but it feels like I can see a stark difference in those characters I have true concern and care for versus those perfectible amiable but, honestly, more going through the narrative motions with.

All in all I could use more balance in general but there specifically.

 

[Lovecraft_Lore]

Part of it is a place to vent and brag. Like I know in real life my coworker had sex with our boss. I know that they went into work and had sex in the office when the office was 99% closed for COVID.

I also know a woman I went to high school with got an STD from this dude in the Navy, she spent the next year or so having sex with all his friends just to give them herpes as well as revenge. It was so nasty and gross. I wanted to tell people in real life but how.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

If I didn't enjoy the process of writing, I wouldn't do it. Partly I enjoy being able to write a story my way, consider comments from a beta reader, and then ignoring the ones I disagree with. My day job includes a lot of writing followed by being told to change stuff, followed by me choosing which battles to fight, and how much effort it's worth putting into fighting them.

But knowing that thousands of people have at least clicked on the first page of my stories is a big kick and one reason I write erotica. I whipped up a 750-word piece a few weeks ago and posted it on a site for fanfic (it wasn't at all erotic). It's had 27 views. Compare that to 5000 in a few days in most categories here, or 50,000 in a day if you write incest.

Sometimes my mind is taken over by a story which wants to get written or be edited. Other times I just plug away adding fragments to ideas until a story emerges.

I've just submitted a story so now waiting for that Pending blob to switch to an orange New blob, followed by a night of waiting for it to go live, followed by trying not to care about ratings and comments (but I do, a bit, however much I know half the commenters are idiots and the ratings depend more on ticking readers' boxes than on writing quality).

The comments from people who have looked at a new story of mine, then read some of my back catalogue, then comment, make the publishing worth it. Some of my stories are basically therapy tidied up a bit, so it's nice when they serve a dual function.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

If I didn't enjoy the process of writing, I wouldn't do it. Partly I enjoy being able to write a story my way, consider comments from a beta reader, and then ignoring the ones I disagree with. My day job includes a lot of writing followed by being told to change stuff, followed by me choosing which battles to fight, and how much effort it's worth putting into fighting them.

But knowing that thousands of people have at least clicked on the first page of my stories is a big kick and one reason I write erotica. I whipped up a 750-word piece a few weeks ago and posted it on a site for fanfic (it wasn't at all erotic). It's had 27 views. Compare that to 5000 in a few days in most categories here, or 50,000 in a day if you write incest.

Sometimes my mind is taken over by a story which wants to get written or be edited. Other times I just plug away adding fragments to ideas until a story emerges.

I've just submitted a story so now waiting for that Pending blob to switch to an orange New blob, followed by a night of waiting for it to go live, followed by trying not to care about ratings and comments (but I do, a bit, however much I know half the commenters are idiots and the ratings depend more on ticking readers' boxes than on writing quality).

The comments from people who have looked at a new story of mine, then read some of my back catalogue, then comment, make the publishing worth it. Some of my stories are basically therapy tidied up a bit, so it's nice when they serve a dual function.

The back story bit is very satisfying.

I just started posting HOT AND FUZZY and someone just saved part one of ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE.

THAT is a great feeling.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I only do it for the money and the groupies, which after six years of posting stories here has gone about as well as you might expect.

But yeah, getting appreciative comments is the best. One reader compared my stories to Maupassant and Chekhov, which is utterly ridiculous, but certainly renewed my will to keep writing.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I only do it for the money and the groupies, which after six years of posting stories here has gone about as well as you might expect.

But yeah, getting appreciative comments is the best. One reader compared my stories to Maupassant and Chekhov, which is utterly ridiculous, but certainly renewed my will to keep writing.

Wait a minute. Money and groupies?

Where the Hell are MY groupies???

…and money.

 

[AlexBailey]

Wait a minute. Money and groupies?

Where the Hell are MY groupies???

…and money.

Sounds like a story prompt to me.

 

[Rob_Royale]

@Kumquatqueen Perfectly stated. Nuff said.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

So, I managed to write a 100,000 word story in just two months last year, over 5 parts. The new story, over 8 parts has taken the last 10 months so, a lot longer to get over the line.

I have to admit there are few things nicer than people adding your story to favourites and voting your story up, but by God, if it isn’t a killer to get the words on the page (metaphorically speaking as we all work on the non-physical page now) to get that tiny fleeting feeling of adoration.

But what do you guys think? What is it that you enjoy/not enjoy about what we do here?

I’d love to get your views.

I enjoy being open to inspiration and not discounting some of the odd places that it may pop out of.

I enjoy developing characters, selecting locales, and researching details.

I enjoy finding words to convey my thoughts.

I enjoy discovering new techniques to format and communicate the words that I write

I enjoy deciding how to publish (online, print, formats, etc.)

I enjoy the realization that someone chose to read my creation

I enjoy analyzing statistics that tell a tale (sales, downloads, views, etc.)

And of course, I enjoy feedback from readers.

 

[Djmac1031]

I just finished a sequel to a story I wrote over a year ago.

It's taken me months to finish, yet it will still be, by LE standards, relatively short: four, maybe five LE pages.

The original story got high praise and lovely feedback.

Thar said: it's been well over a year. Much of the original audience may never find the sequel. And we all know sequels tend to get skipped by new readers searching for a story.

So I have no illusions about it becoming the LE equivalent of a "best seller."

I just hope the audience that does find it appreciates it.

Yes, I wrote it for myself, because I wanted to. Not out of some obligation to those who requested a sequel.

But I'd be lying if I said i didn't care at all whether the readers appreciate and enjoy the effort I put into it.

There's nothing wrong about wanting to be told you did a good job. And nothing wrong about feeling pride and happiness when that happens.

 

[SimonDoom]

I enjoy the power to create. To pull an idea for a story from my brain and put it out there where people can read it. It's enormously satisfying. I like knowing my stories give some people pleasure. It's fun in a kinky way to know I've helped people achieve orgasm. That makes me feel like I'm making the world a better place. I like how writing stories enhances my skills at writing, and makes me more attentive as a reader, too.

 

[12oclocktales]

Writers can keep on churnin’ till the butter comes, but at the end of the day is the butter worth it? Is it the same old oleo that a thousand other writers churned out, maybe just with the hope that it will garnish a lot of viewers and stars? I think I’d rather look at a story I just finished and say, you know what? that was worth the effort I put into it TO ME, I like what I did there, that was a little bit different than the run-of-the-mill b.s, that got MY juices flowing, even though it might flop with Lit readers. Fuck ‘em. By tomorrow most readers will have forgotten your story, but hopefully you won’t, because it ACTUALLY MEANT SOMETHING TO YOU.

 

[Duleigh]

So, I managed to write a 100,000 word story in just two months last year, over 5 parts. The new story, over 8 parts has taken the last 10 months so, a lot longer to get over the line.

I have to admit there are few things nicer than people adding your story to favourites and voting your story up, but by God, if it isn’t a killer to get the words on the page (metaphorically speaking as we all work on the non-physical page now) to get that tiny fleeting feeling of adoration.

But what do you guys think? What is it that you enjoy/not enjoy about what we do here?

I’d love to get your views.

In the past year I've posted three quarters of a million words, over 40 stories/chapters, a poem, an essay, and an ancient joke yet every time I click on that button to send laurel a creation of my own making, I pause, my hand trembles on the mouse - shouldn't there be a ceremony? shouldn't there be a wise man or a priest to sanctify the occasion? I actually feel a rush of adrenalin course through me, then *CLICK* I just exposed my psyche, my entire soul to the world. Was it good enough? Should I message Laurel and say "WAIT! Let me go over it one more time!" I lose sleep over it, I fight the impulse to keep opening my works page to see if I got a Go Live date yet. Then that NEW tag comes up, how do I protect my poor, innocent story from those trolls? Finally, it goes live, the comments pour in, or worse, there are NO COMMENTS! How do I live with the shame?

I immediately ensure that I have at least more than 3 stories in the works, that way I'm too busy to look and suffer the embarrassment but I peek... 4.65? WHY ISN'T IT 4.9??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TROLLS?!?

Honey? Are you ok? Should I call the doctor?

"I'm fine dear... just checking my uh... email. Yeah, that's it, I was just checking my email..."

 

[Djmac1031]

Should I message Laurel and say "WAIT! Let me go over it one more time!"

I've lost count of how many times I've delayed a story from posting because I had to "just fix this last thing."

 

[Rob_Royale]

"I'm fine dear... just checking my uh... email. Yeah, that's it, I was just checking my email..."

I'm ashamed to say, I check my email frighteningly often myself.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I just finished a sequel to a story I wrote over a year ago.

It's taken me months to finish, yet it will still be, by LE standards, relatively short: four, maybe five LE pages.

The original story got high praise and lovely feedback.

Thar said: it's been well over a year. Much of the original audience may never find the sequel. And we all know sequels tend to get skipped by new readers searching for a story.

So I have no illusions about it becoming the LE equivalent of a "best seller."

I just hope the audience that does find it appreciates it.

Yes, I wrote it for myself, because I wanted to. Not out of some obligation to those who requested a sequel.

But I'd be lying if I said i didn't care at all whether the readers appreciate and enjoy the effort I put into it.

There's nothing wrong about wanting to be told you did a good job. And nothing wrong about feeling pride and happiness when that happens.

I mentioned this elsewhere. I find four to five Lit pages too much for most stories. I just write what seems to work, and it usually results in one to three Lit pages. A series (or a set of unexpected sequels) well go on longer, but even there the chapters are not that long. I've got a chapter and and also a new story of about 9,000 words, which are the longest I've done so far.

 

[Djmac1031]

find four to five Lit pages too much for most stories

For me it really depends. Four or five Lit pages really aren't THAT long, if it's a good story.

Sometimes though, if it's nothing BUT a bunch of sex scenes strung together? They seem to go on forever lol.

 

[gunhilltrain]

So, I managed to write a 100,000 word story in just two months last year, over 5 parts. The new story, over 8 parts has taken the last 10 months so, a lot longer to get over the line.

I have to admit there are few things nicer than people adding your story to favourites and voting your story up, but by God, if it isn’t a killer to get the words on the page (metaphorically speaking as we all work on the non-physical page now) to get that tiny fleeting feeling of adoration.

But what do you guys think? What is it that you enjoy/not enjoy about what we do here?

I’d love to get your views.

You are referring to that movie about Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? He must have been a dry wit or perhaps a smart-ass, because he allegedly said about his sculpting, "I just remove the stone I don't need." Of course, he knew full-well that the hard part was that he couldn't put any back. We at least can add or subtract words as much as we please.

 

[gunhilltrain]

For me it really depends. Four or five Lit pages really aren't THAT long, if it's a good story.

Sometimes though, if it's nothing BUT a bunch of sex scenes strung together? They seem to go on forever lol.

Well, the later sex scenes can be condensed to a couple of lines or so. "Then they got back to . . . " whatever.