Which of your stories…?

[EmilyMiller]

There have been many threads about stories. Best. Worst. Ones that mean the most to you. And so on. I know, because I’ve started some of them. This question maybe has some things in common with older threads, but I’m trying to tease out some other stuff.

Please include links, so people can easily get to your work:

1. Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
2. Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
3. Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
4. Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
5. Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
6. Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
7. If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
8. Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

I’m not going to answer up-front. I might later, but this is not about advertising my own work. I’m interested in yours.

[UPDATE: Answer as many or as few as you like]

Em

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I find that I can't give an answer to almost all of these questions...

7. https://literotica.com/s/the-young-mage-ch-02
There are some flaws and a few disconnects that make me cringe but overall, I think everyone should be able to enjoy it, assuming one likes fantasy setting. It's practically chapter 12 of my series but I think this one can be read as a standalone story, even if the reader would enjoy it more with all the character and world development from previous chapters.

 

[Djmac1031]

Wow. You don't make it easy on us, do ya?

But I'll try:

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

The White Room. It was the first time I tried something besides "two people meet and do sex stuff."

Although I suppose some might argue it still is pretty much that. But I at least attempted a larger world with it, and was quite happy with the results. Well, mostly.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?

Easy. The Devil And Angel Em. Because I was going for a genre I had no real experience with, either writing, or IRL.

Fortunately, I had a good friend guide me through a lot.

I think it's one of my personal bests.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?

Yes. Too many to mention. That may sound like a cop out, but even now I'm reading others and finding inspiration.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.

I have a folder full of those.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?

Not really. I regret a couple of early stories where I got greedy and wrote a sequel but then never finished, though. Sometimes ya gotta just leave it alone.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?

Again, too many to name. Many of them frequent this forum regularly though.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

The Jenna Arrangement Pt.1.

It's one of my earliest, and a bit raw and amateurish. But it's short and sweet and simple, and if people like that one, they'll probably like my others.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

Again, The Devil And Angel Em.

Started out as a joke between us (it's no secret you collaborated with me anymore, is it?) that actually turned into what I think is a damn good story.

One I wasn't sure I could pull off. And again I had you to bounce ideas off of and contribute things I may never have considered, let alone written.

 

[MrPixel]

I'm sort of with AS. Very little of what is in my list hits your points. I have very mild regrets about a couple of roman à clef tales, but certainly not enough to take them down or think about deleting them. But I can answer a couple:

5. I have two I don't regret but were rejected for sexual violence, one very indirect and IMO poignant. It was taken down on a complaint, and I have a well-respected AH author who was infuriated that it was taken down.

7. https://literotica.com/s/barstow
This is very recent and I feel is a good example of my style. It is light, fun and sexy, but with a dramatic subplot interwoven. It's good by itself, but it spawned a series.

 

[Altissimus]

1) almost a 100k word story over 8 chapters where I chose (for better or for worse) to adopt an 'Austen-esque' style to tell a story about a serving maid in 19th Century England. Some of the comments have been amazing, and it's been great to see readers stick with it.

2) Ogg Memorial entry... I wanted to do something worthy but man it was tough. A non-erotic piece that blended multiple different lives together.

3) Magician, Feist. When I was 7.

6) J. k. Rowling. Not style, per se - more her incredible ability to plan out 7 books where stuff in book one is still being revealed by book 7, and these call-outs and back-references happen all the way through. A staggering foresight and planning ability that I am in awe of.

7) My latest project is one I've enjoyed writing. Like much of my stuff it caters to a particular audience, so viewer discretion recommended - it's a mind-control tale of a girl's gradual corruption from haughty rich-girl to slut.

8) see 1 and 2

Wow, all this self-promotion! I am looking forward to seeing other answers - the 'under-appreciated' thread resulted in flagging some absolute gems.

 

[RejectReality]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

https://www.literotica.com/s/laresas-world-ch-05-clint and then https://www.literotica.com/s/laresas-world-ch-10-james

Joining that chain put me into the company of far more visible writers, and my readership took a substantial rise. The praise Danielle gave me on Clint ( Actually titled "Outlaw's Redemption" but the chain story titling requirements prevented me from using it. James is actually "The Blinding White" ) still makes me grin when I think about it.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?

https://www.literotica.com/s/finding-karen

My first story outside the fantasy genre, which was a hugedeparture. It got me the biggest numbers I'd ever seen and enlightened me to just how much readership was outside my little niche. To be fair, it's mostly fantasy as well. Little House on the Prairie rather than Dragonlance, but still...

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?

It was a combination of fantasy novels and playing D&D that inspired me to write.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.

Many, but none published. Many that were in that category and eventually saw the light of day as well.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?

Nope.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?

I try to achieve the same level of character D&L Eddings do in Polgara and Belgarath for my first person narratives, but I know it will never reach that pinnacle.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

https://www.literotica.com/s/to-catch-a-merchant-princess-ch-01

To Catch a Merchant Princess will always be one of my favorites, and I think is a solid representation of what I'm capable of.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

Already linked to "Ride No More" and "Documentary: Cougar" in other threads. The first because it was something that popped into my head on a miserable, muggy day at work looking at the sky which is the opening of the story. The other because I've watched too many nature documentaries and the intersection between the real animal and the nomenclature piqued my interest.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Meant to add (and will update the initial text now) that you don’t have to answer ALL the questions.

Em

 

[Rob_Royale]

1. Well my first story for certain. A best friends mom loving story. Super well received and it was the confidence boost I needed to keep at it. Mama's Beach House
2. Yes, my non-con story. A husband makes his wife's rape fantasy come true. I've gotten good feedback from men and women, so I'll call it a success. The Ravishment of Melody
3. A short story by Saki called The Interlopers. https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Inte.shtml
4. A direct sequel. Part of the fun for me is getting to the sex parts. A sequel doesn't really have those as much.
5. Nope not yet. Although I did write a first story that didn't get approved and I'm pleased it didn't. It wasn't good. I'd have eventually removed it.
6. Nope. I'm doing okay. With more practice, I'll become better and keep my own style.
7. MILF Cruise - Upgraded. I think it's my most relatable story with two people who feel realistic and has a terrific happy ending.
8. Yes. Finding Scarlett is a transcript of an audio interview with a former 80's porn star who disappeared ala Betty Page. I wanted to try and tell a story using dialog only, as an experiment. It's been well-rated but in that category has only managed 1800 total views in four months.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
I write for recreation, and I know my own limits. I don't have the time or patience to make a serious writer.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
A story I wrote? Probably not.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
This amazing anthology. by Tanith Lee. It's written as a spirit quest, it haunts me. When I read it as a young teen it inspired me to spill the sprawling fantasy world in my head onto paper.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
My Embrace series. I don't think the overarching plot was clear enough, I think it needed a far more ruthless edit than I was prepared to do.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
No. I was annoyed at first when a story I'd published got removed for violating the snuff rules, but it is better for the rewrite.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
That's hard to answer because the style I enjoy reading and writing doesn't seem to be popular any more. I like verbose epic fantasy stories with lots of side plots and toooo many characters.

If you get to nominate just one story that someone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
Most accessible is probably maid of all work or three hours. Neither are my best imo.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?
I posted a link to it earlier today on another thread. I had a conversation with someone who'd been fully paranoid and delusional in intensive care, partly alcohol withdrawal related and it spawned this atrocity
Then there's yes please miss, remarkable for me in that it has absolutely zero supernatural elements.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Meant to add (and will update the initial text now) that you don’t have to answer ALL the questions.

Em

Too late now!

 

[Altissimus]

It was a combination of fantasy novels and playing D&D that inspired me to write.

Do you recall the title? I read a series like this some years back.

 

[Comshaw]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
not an erotic story but the first one I ever wrote I entered in a local writing contest and won first place. That kind of told me I could write a good story. but since then I haven't been even able to place in that contest with any of my entries. Go figure.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
In a word, nope.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
I was and still am a voracious sci-fi reader. Reading those tails of far off worlds and alien species, being so taken with the story that everything else around me disappears I think was what set the spark for me to write.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
I do have a couple that I'm letting simmer on the back burner so to speak allowing my mind to map out how I want to continue with them. I do have a few that I thought had a great storyline, but as I wrote I found myself headed in a direction I did not like. I put those aside and will at some future date look at them again. Maybe I will be able to see where I need to go ith them. If not to the trashcan they go.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
Not yet...

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
Absolutely not! It may sound pretentious or arrogant but I do not ever want to emulate or sound like someone else. I want my work to sound like me. That doesn't mean I won't try to learn from other authors or adopt some of their mechanisms, but I want a reader to know who wrote what they are reading, me.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
This one:
The Ardennes
I got smacked around for having some inaccurate facts about that time in the story, but I think all in all, it's one of my best and one that does what I set out to do.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?
I've written in the Romance, Mature, Erotic Couplings, Loving Wives, Nonconsent/reluctance and Incest/Taboo categories. All of them are different so I'm not sure what I would call a "normal" type of story I write.


Comshaw

 

[Cagivagurl]

I once wrote a letter to the editor which I thought was pretty good...
Cagivagurl

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I had a few #4s.

 

[AlinaX]

This amazing anthology. by Tanith Lee. It's written as a spirit quest, it haunts me. When I read it as a young teen it inspired me to spill the sprawling fantasy world in my head onto paper.

I read her vampire stuff when I was young and still feel haunted by it. I can't remember if I ever read this, but I think I'd like to.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

Rope and Veil (3 chapters). This is the one where I coined my notion of "socially responsible erotica" - ie: erotica with a purpose other than titillation. It's about a woman with paraplegia, and the able bodied man who falls in love with her. Deliberately written to give a voice to folk who are severely under represented in erotica. It was a hell of a risk - what if I didn't get the details right? Fortunately I did, and it was well received by folk with disabilities, as the comments attest.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?

The one above. I don't in fact know anyone who uses a wheelchair, other than some work colleagues. The story received a comment, "Thank you both for sharing," which means at least one reader thought it was autobiographical, which is testament to the writing.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?

Anything by Doctor Mabeuse (who died not long ago). Out in the mainstream, John Banville. He writes sentences to die for.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.

No. When I embarked on my retell of the Arthurian myth: The Dark Chronicles I relied on chutzpah to get me through, and two fabulous beta readers.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?

No.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?

As above, Doctor Mabeuse, not for style, but for depth of insight into the human condition.

If you get to nominate just one story that someone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

Songs of Seduction - Water This story came out of nowhere and is a personal favourite. It's only two pages, and is "outside the norm" for Lit.

The Floating World is most evocative of my slow burn, oh my god I love women, style.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

The Fantastic Hotel I doubt there's any other story like it on Lit, as you might tell from the opening sentence. Even Simon liked it, and we all know he's a hard bastard to please .

 

[Vautour]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

There's a scene in my first story, Just a Friend, which gave me the confidence to go on and finish the draft. A short scene where the female antagonist discusses her wicked plan with her best friend.

My biggest worry was that I was writing something that only I would've enjoyed, but that scene did so much for my confidence in putting myself out there and letting the readers tell me their thoughts.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?

I still remember it as if it were yesterday. A Brief Mistake by Artemis, hosted on another website, remains my single biggest creative influence to this day. A guy goes to a house party with his girlfriend where he meets a mysterious girl claiming to be a witch. The way the author wrote the scene where she cast the magic spell on him and took him home, despite his reluctance, was so hot it was absolutely searing.

I read it on an old Nokia phone, the one with the legendary Snake game on it, with a prehistoric internet connection. After I spent weeks and months looking for similar content, I found myself coming up with different ideas if I was ever going to be brave enough to try and write myself.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?

My favourite author on Lit is TheTalkMan, who's most known for a genre where faithful men are seduced and led astray by ruthless vixens. Reading his work for the first time reminded me so much of what it felt like to stay up all night reading erotic literature on my old Nokia. My stories are all similarly themed, but I'd love to be able to captivate the readers like he does.

What I love about TheTalkMan's work is that he tells longer stories that focus on the internal conflict of the main characters. He's got such a flair for coming up with imaginative ways where the bad girl strives to get what she wants.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

I'd point towards Wives Like Jodi. I'm a huge fan of erotica and the story is an homage to the softcore movies I grew up watching in the late 90s and early 2000s. Those movies were so great, lots of cheesy plots and storylines with stunning fitness models like Lisa Boyle in the lead roles.

While my stories are longer, averaging 50k words for each chapter, there's only a single instalment for this one. There's plenty of seduction, reluctance and teasing, while it's one of the reluctant cuckquean stories that my small audience knows me for.

 

[onehitwanda]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
Triumph - mainly because of the private messages I received from many, many bereaved readers thanking me for expressing their loss in a way they couldn't.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
Occultation - writing a story set in the city that was my home for more than a decade, featuring personas similar to friends I had, and a storyline inspired in part by my own monumental blindness.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
Pacofear's "Words on Skin" made me start writing here.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
All of them feel flawed when I go back and read them later.

If you get to nominate just one story that someone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
Just one? :/ Then I guess it's On the Simplicity of Words, because it still makes me cry when I read it.

 

[darkride]

1. Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
2. Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
3. Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
4. Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
5. Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
6. Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
7. If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
8. Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

1. Not published here; a short story I wrote for my final year at school, and which I had numerous people read, and cry at the ending. Maybe not buckets, but literal tears in their eyes. When I saw that my writing could actually stir that kind of emotion... well, it was a real "ahuh" moment for me - despite years of loving writing, and being told I was good by teachers, actually seeing that my words could engage people in such a way spoke volumes.

2. First thing that came to mind was my first erotica written as a teen... basically just a very procedural piece about a young lady working her way through a mansion with a new adventure in every new room, exploring various things that I had heard about. There were a few shall we say very niche subject matters that I wrote about... and even when I'd re-read it myself to jerk off, I'd usually skip those bits.

4. I had a story idea about the concept of "soul mates". I'd written a few thousand words, started to really find the characters, and then lost it all due to a computer crash. Tried to re-write it so many times but it just never came back...

8. The first erotica piece that I wrote to be published (by which I mean - on an online forum) featured Marge and Homer Simpson. I was just testing the waters, and write a fairly brief piece about them exploring anal sex. "I told you - it's an outtie hole! Outtie!" I have written plenty of fanfics over the past decade (mostly published on FanFiction.net), but hadn't tried an erotic one about cartoon characters... I couldn't work out from the rules here if it would be allowed or not. It was fun to explore something different.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Rather moved by the thoughtful and detailed responses. I realize these must have taken time to think about and write - I’ll do my best to check out some of these stories.

Em

 

[djrip]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

Birthday Getaway was my first one that was more than basically just a sex scene, and the first one I wrote that I felt was pretty alright as a story.

Then my New RA at the Girls' Dorm series has been my longest so far and made me feel like I was really getting the words out.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?

One of the first authors I followed on Lit was Masterandmargarita, and their story Ladies Cocktail Night got me going pretty good back in the day, and inspired me to write myself. Also Imstillfun has been a big inspiration. Also, the College Code of Conduct stories, not on Lit, but they are a very large collection of stories about students at a college where the code of conduct requires all kinds of crazy things that always lead to infractions and college officials have to make the students strip to verify they're following the rules and that kind of thing.

But before erotica there was fantasy and science fiction, which I've tried to write since HS. Inspired by the likes of Robert Jordan, Neil Stephenson, William Gibson, Tolkien, Alfred Bester, etc.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.

Lots, but maybe I'll work up to them eventually. A lot of my ideas start off vague and sprawling, and then shrink down to something more manageable. Which of course means my ambition shrinks down to match my ability over the course of the writing.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

I think I'd make my best impression now with Wrong Twin Rubdown. But it's kind of fun to go back to the beginning. My Sarah Opens Up series was the first thing I wrote here, before I had any idea what I was doing.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?

As Joy_of_Cooking has opined, An Eye for Love is very different from the rest of my work. It was a bit of world building for a scenario of almost all life being undead that was floundering for years, until I thought, this could be sexier. And it became a kind of exploration of love and self sacrifice. It might be my best work technically, but it's my lowest viewed and close to lowest scored because it's on the weird side.

 

[Duleigh]

1. Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
   Mine was Sea Cat and the Dragon Lady, This is the first story I ever published here on Lit and the targeted audience loved it, it was written as a "When we meet up IRL this is what's going to happen for another writer here on lit very long ago. Even though it published 17 years ago today, the views are still pretty low, but when it went up and this writer saw it I was hooked before I realized it. Real life intervened a few times but I'm Back.
   
   
2. Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
   A Krissmas Karole. In the original draft I killed Lanh. I was going to publish it in the 2021 Winter Holiday contest but I missed the contest date. I truly enjoyed the characters and the whole writing process that I started writing the back story and that ended up being the 20+ part story We're a Wonderful Wife and I rolled out the chapters about 4 weeks apart. As I wrote the backstory I got closer and closer to publishing Lanh's death and I could not believe the effect it had on me! I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. The whole story was about overcoming setbacks, and the setbacks for the MMC and FMC were getting bigger and bigger and the rewards for overcoming the getting bigger and bigger but this setback! Eventually one reader texted me and said "enough's enough! Do you hate these two that much???" and I was still winding up to her death, and I just couldn't live with the pain anymore and rewrote the backstory to something I liked. That forced me to re-write the contest story. I think that cost me the contest but I don't care, I'm happy with keeping Lanh alive.
   
   
3. Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
   I actually am inspired by bad. I entered college after I retired and graduated in 2006 and I had some professors that SUCKED!!! Good Gawd they were horrible and I'd think "I can do better than this clown" and I would go and prove it the hard way. (I'd write a term paper that I knew they would hate and then demand that the department chair review it. I always won) Back in the early days of Lit they had a contest, I guess to fill their servers. I read LadyofErotica, MotherandSonTrueConfessions, TallBlondeBustyBlueEyedBimbo, and others and they were all crap, and they were all the same author, Susan Jill Parker not everything she wrote was crap but you could see what was rushed to get in the contest. I tried to get her to be an editor for me but she didn't bite.
   
   
4. Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
   The Photographer Ch. 5 This was part of one of those contests where the writers would write as much as possible in a period of time. I thought the Photographer Ch. 5 was a great, kinky idea but it needed fleshing out. I tried to do it and failed utterly with the Private Photographer.
   
   
5. Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
   The Private Photographer. See item #4 for the reasoning. You can read it now with my condolences, but do it fast, it's going to be yanked by the end of the year.
   
   
6. Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
   Terry Pratchett! Funny, smart, witty, comedy genius and BRAVE. Suffering from Early Onset Alzheimer's and he wrote his last two novels When I grow up, I want to be Terry Pratchett. I have read all 43 of his novels at least 4 times each.
   Andrew Klavan He could be the American Terry Pratchett but he's not funny enough (You can tell him I said that). He needs to bump that up in his writing. He actually is a very witty guy but he writes some wonderfully engaging murder mysteries. We listen to them on long trips and we've sat in the kid's driveway listening to the story waiting for an endpoint before going in to see the kids.
   
   
7. If you get to nominate just one story that someone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
   The Pilot's Consent Switch. I don't know what you mean "Your most accessible" They're all accessable the same way - click the link. I chose this one because it it me. Snarky, irreverent, I'm even in it (Paragraph 3) it has a kind of ending that I like to put on a story and there's so many things that happened to me in real life.
   
   
8. Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?
   Sunday Evening which will be entered in the 2023 Summer Lovin' contest. It started as a 750 word story in the 2023 750 word even that I wanted to expand and tell the whole thing. When I realized that I had a variety of ways to end the story. There was an ending I had in mind but I wasn't sure if I should take it that way. Looking for a fall guy to blame I asked @MediocreAuthor author which direction I could go and she gave me the best advice you can give any author: "Do what feels right."
   
   If you don't like the ending you can reach her at 2damnkinky@Literotica.com
   
   

 

[LexxRuthless]

6) J. k. Rowling. Not style, per se - more her incredible ability to plan out 7 books where stuff in book one is still being revealed by book 7, and these call-outs and back-references happen all the way through. A staggering foresight and planning ability that I am in awe of.

This was exactly how I felt about Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon series. My daughter is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, and a few years ago I felt she was old enough to read and enjoy Eddings. I handed over the first series, telling her, "This is probably the most well-crafted high fantasy series I have ever read. I think you'll really enjoy it."

Three weeks later, her best friend was over for a visit. My daughter gushed about the current Eddings book she was reading. Her friend put her on the spot by asking, "Is it better than Harry Potter?" My daughter looked at me, and I shrugged and held out my hands. "Hey, I won't be offended either way," I said.

She looked thoughtful for a bit and finally replied, "You know, this is better than Harry Potter."

I thought her friend was going to keel over. I was only a little surprised.

 

[YDB95]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?
Definitely the Elizabeth series. Some reviewers say I should have wrapped it up several episodes before I did, but I was just too much in love with the characters - and I feel like I really got to know them, too. I miss them and occasionally think of writing some more episodes, but concerns about watering down the original series always stop me.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?
After the Opera, and I'm still very fond of it although S&M isn't my thing. It was not a big hit, but it was a joy to write and I still like reading it now and then.

Have you ever read a story here (or anywhere) that really inspired you to write or to get better at writing?
Not that I can recall, though I have read some great ones. (Honestly, I started writing my own because I wasn't finding exactly what I wanted here!)

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.
It's one of my biggest hits, but The Blizzard could have really used more editing in retrospect.

Is there any story you have regretted writing, or even had removed from Lit? If so, why?
No. Some turned out better than others, but I don't regret any of them.

Is there any author, Lit or otherwise, whose style you wish you could emulate (not copy, but maybe do some things they do)?
I've got penty of influences, but I have always tried to have my own style (and I've been told it is pretty unique, though I don't see that myself).

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.
A Hairy Ride Down...it's short, and it's a good showcase of my sense of humor and what I find sexy. If you like it, you'll love what you see elsewhere. If you are repulsed by the lead's defining characteristic, you're probably not going to like my other work either.

Is there any story you have written which is totally different to your normal types of stories? If so, how and why did you write it?
Late Summer, Seneca County Incest is not my bag, but this one foray into it was kind of fun.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Was there a story (or maybe a run of a few) which made you think: “hang on, I can actually write a bit”?

Mary and Alvin Ch.06 My first series, My Fall and Rise, did pretty well, but my second one was more ambitious, and I suffered from some pernicious imposter syndrome writing the early chapters. Chapter Six was the first one that I really felt I nailed, and it's the point at which became much more confident in my abilities.

Was there a story which took you out of your comfort zone? If so, why and what was the outcome?

The Last Time I Met Clara This was written for the Mickey Spillane event. While I was writing it, it just got too dark and I had to step away from it for a while. I reined it in a bit and took another shot. It turned out pretty well.

Was there ever a story where you felt you had a great idea, but were unable to bring it to life the way you wanted? Maybe due to inexperience, or lack of time.

For last year's Halloween contest, I had an idea about a story from the point of view of a woman who is murdered in a sleazy no tell motel. Her ghost haunts the room and protects other women who are endangered there. I got so wound around the axle on the details of ghostliness that I couldn't get the story to go anywhere. I might take another shot at it this year.

If you get to nominate just one story that soemone unfamiliar with your work reads, what would it be and why? Note this may not be what you view as your best story. It might be your most accessible for example.

The Adventures of Ranger Ramona I think this is probably my most representative work. It's strong in the areas that are really important to me; complex characters, realistic world building, a touch of humor, and in my opinion, some of the best sex scenes I've written.