Telling the story behind your stories

[8letters]

I found this post by an author of a 12 part incest series interesting. He tried to the story behind each of the chapters and some reflections on the comments he/she got on each story. I have thought about doing some similar for my stories, but I don't have an idea where to put it. It would work best as a blog, but there isn't a blogging capability in Literotica and the chances of a reader finding a separate blog would be very slim.

Do any of you write about the story behind your stories? If so, where?

 

[PennLady]

I have, a little, on my blog (link in my sig), although I'm a terribly inconsistent blogger. You could write something on your profile and have a sort of mini-blog, there, I guess.

Also, some authors have started their own threads in the Authors Hangout to discuss or announce their stories. No reason you couldn't do that, as far as I know.

 

[StrangeLife]

The problem is, that if you want to get in touch with your readers the Authors Hangout is poorly suited, since the discussions tend to gravitate towards the craft of writing. In fact, only a tiny fraction of Lit-users ever reads any of the forums.

Currently the only real way of contacting your readers is through the comments section after the story - or in the story itself (which breaks the fourth wall and thus can ruin the reading experience).

I suppose it would be feasible for an author to tell more about the story in a long comment...

 

[HeyAll]

I've thought about doing something similar.

I would have put it in my author's profile, or in the comments section. I thought about writing insight on the story, or how it was made. Kind of like the aftershow to an hbo program where the writer discusses what you just saw.

I decided against doing it. But it's still an interesting concept and I would be interested in more authors doing it.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I have gone into the background of some stories in various parts of the forum when relevant to an on-going conversation. I have also discussed stories in depth with some of my readers whom have initiated contact with me through the private feedback function. One reader recently went through every single one of my stories and wrote to give me a detailed thrashing on each one. I've shared the background and inspiration for every story with her in the course of our discussions.

But to publish background information for the general public, no, I don't do that. I suppose if I did it would be through an offsite blog with a link provided in my author profile.

 

[Hypoxia]

I recently began writing AUTHOR'S COMMENTS for my stories that I think rate such. As soon as the piece is approved, I post that comment, which gives some bit of background or meta-info, maybe about alternatives not taken and/or future possibilities. I have been thanked for such a few times.

I will VERY occasionally slip some meta-info into a story midstream, breaking the fourth wall with an Author's Note. Yes, that impedes the story flow. It's supposed to, usually to spotlight something for satirical or serious purpose. But don't over-do it.

 

[StrangeLife]

I recently began writing AUTHOR'S COMMENTS for my stories that I think rate such. As soon as the piece is approved, I post that comment, which gives some bit of background or meta-info, maybe about alternatives not taken and/or future possibilities. I have been thanked for such a few times.

I think this might be the best way of doing it. The reader has just finished the story and it is still fresh in his mind, yet the comments are "outside the text" and as such doesn't interfere with the flow or the fantasy.

And there is the option of engaging in a dialog afterwards through comments. Nobody says that you can't use the comments section as a discussion thread...

 

[sr71plt]

I have occasionally given the story behind the story (for instance that my two-part story "The Photograph" came from a photo that's always haunted me of Hemingway with a possessive arm around my young father's shoulders. My father was his guide for elk hunting trips up into the Rockies. I've always been suspicious of that Hemingway guy). A good many of my stories do, indeed, have a backstory, including the one of mine that posted today, "Delivery."

 

[PayDay]

I found this post by an author of a 12 part incest series interesting. He tried to the story behind each of the chapters and some reflections on the comments he/she got on each story. I have thought about doing some similar for my stories, but I don't have an idea where to put it. It would work best as a blog, but there isn't a blogging capability in Literotica and the chances of a reader finding a separate blog would be very slim.

Do any of you write about the story behind your stories? If so, where?

Everyone lies on the Internet.
When telling a story, effect trumps truth.
Rule #1: Everyone is lying to you.
"Based on a true story"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeneutics

So, who needs to do that?

 

[lovecraft68]

I think the author in the link referenced is taking their story a little to seriously.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have occasionally given the story behind the story (for instance that my two-part story "The Photograph" came from a photo that's always haunted me of Hemingway with a possessive arm around my young father's shoulders. My father was his guide for elk hunting trips up into the Rockies. I've always been suspicious of that Hemingway guy). A good many of my stories do, indeed, have a backstory, including the one of mine that posted today, "Delivery."

 

[sr71plt]

Well, yes, those who have never had a life will never want to think that others have. If you look around, of course, you realize that a lot of folks haven't been stuck in a warehouse in a small state and lived a minimal life of failure, violence, and hate all their lives.

 

[lovecraft68]

 

[PayDay]

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/nicepost.gif

Nicely done.

 

[8letters]

Boys - if you're going to fight, please do it in one of your own threads.

 

[8letters]

I've decided to create a blog.

For my next story, I am going to begin it with an italicized section that provides some guidance to the reader, have the story, then have an italicized author's notes section at the end where I thank my editor and beta-readers. I can't put an external link there, but I can say I have a blog and provide instructions on how to google it. When I get my next story back from my editor, I'll try that format for it.

Blog is here.

 

[sr71plt]

Pity we can't have a thread going on that right here on the AH. But apparently that isn't going to be allowed.

 

[lovecraft68]

I've decided to create a blog.

For my next story, I am going to begin it with an italicized section that provides some guidance to the reader, have the story, then have an italicized author's notes section at the end where I thank my editor and beta-readers. I can't put an external link there, but I can say I have a blog and provide instructions on how to google it. When I get my next story back from my editor, I'll try that format for it.

Blog is here.

You can put the link to your blog on your homepage here, that's allowed.

 

[8letters]

You can put the link to your blog on your homepage here, that's allowed.

Thanks for the idea. Done.

I think the author in the link referenced is taking their story a little to seriously.

My guess - he decided to write a huge series for his first go at erotic writing, didn't do as well as he hoped and now he is struggling on how to improve it well after that horse has left the barn. I almost did the same thing in terms of making my first publication a huge series.

 

[lovecraft68]

Thanks for the idea. Done.


My guess - he decided to write a huge series for his first go at erotic writing, didn't do as well as he hoped and now he is struggling on how to improve it well after that horse has left the barn. I almost did the same thing in terms of making my first publication a huge series.

I did two "practice stories" then went into a fifty chapter series that did not have a lot of appeal but did have a small loyal following. I can't see trying to convince others they should read it. As you said the horse left the barn. I would rather move forward than backwards

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I think the great Robert Pante said, there is not another mind in the world that has space for your mind...

Stories ought to have some kind of emotional truth. If they consisted simply of straightforward facts, it's people's egos and their 'minds' that would simply not allow them to believe even obvious facts.

PayDay, today is a time in history where your opinion must be challenged by sensible people - not on the grounds that you aren't entitled to have it or preach it; but that by the general public accepting what you say because it has the simplistic 'general appearance' of conservative, rational, sound and risk-less scepticism - in fact you are mischievously allowing criminals to take advantage of the gratuitous doubts cast on truth that truthsayers particularly employ the internet to expose, and which wouldn't otherwise see the light of day, to the detriment of everyone.

It is not true that people lie here, or in their stories, or via the internet generally.

Not all people are liars and nor do they need to be. There are a multitude of good reasons why people post stories here, or comment here. Many people in the human race are truthful.

Authors, writers - a lot of them - possess simply amazing rl facts or factual narratives about someone or some people or something/things, and it is this very thing that motivates them to write at all. The 'writing' is the means of underscoring the significance to THEM, and that THEY understand inside because of their direct personal knowledge or experience of a thing or a person or people - and that they want to express and communicate to others. Not the facts alone, but the MEANING to themselves and which is really the important thing they want to convey (that meaning or sense of meaning) to others.

People who are trying to 'write just an imaginary story' and somehow believe there are techniques and tricks which render compelling meaning to such fabrications - are going to find the task a little bit harder than they are assuming that it really is.

Some highly meaningful facts, demand stories to be written about them.

And I am presuming that is what the OP is talking about discussing as a writer.

The story behind a factual story, can only be - not more or greater or better facts - but the emotional content. And the psychological angle. And the potential social implications of the particular facts or details of the 'story.'

 

[lovecraft68]

I think the great Robert Pante said, there is not another mind in the world that has space for your mind...

Stories ought to have some kind of emotional truth. If they consisted simply of straightforward facts, it's people's egos and their 'minds' that would simply not allow them to believe even obvious facts.

PayDay, today is a time in history where your opinion must be challenged by sensible people - not on the grounds that you aren't entitled to have it or preach it; but that by the general public accepting what you say because it has the simplistic 'general appearance' of conservative, rational, sound and risk-less scepticism - in fact you are mischievously allowing criminals to take advantage of the gratuitous doubts cast on truth that truthsayers particularly employ the internet to expose, and which wouldn't otherwise see the light of day, to the detriment of everyone.

It is not true that people lie here, or in their stories, or via the internet generally.

Not all people are liars and nor do they need to be. There are a multitude of good reasons why people post stories here, or comment here. Many people in the human race are truthful.

Authors, writers - a lot of them - possess simply amazing rl facts or factual narratives about someone or some people or something/things, and it is this very thing that motivates them to write at all. The 'writing' is the means of underscoring the significance to THEM, and that THEY understand inside because of their direct personal knowledge or experience of a thing or a person or people - and that they want to express and communicate to others. Not the facts alone, but the MEANING to themselves and which is really the important thing they want to convey (that meaning or sense of meaning) to others.

People who are trying to 'write just an imaginary story' and somehow believe there are techniques and tricks which render compelling meaning to such fabrications - are going to find the task a little bit harder than they are assuming that it really is.

Some highly meaningful facts, demand stories to be written about them.

And I am presuming that is what the OP is talking about discussing as a writer.

The story behind a factual story, can only be - not more or greater or better facts - but the emotional content. And the psychological angle. And the potential social implications of the particular facts or details of the 'story.'

I like your post and it has merit for perhaps mainstream fiction writing, but here? I'm not so sure.

There are some "serious" series and stories here that have depth and emotion and can make you think...

But this is an erotic story site and I don't believe for an instant there is anything behind "Jenny's gang bang adventure" other than the simple concept of writing a dirty story about a girl who likes to be gang banged.

The "mom's hot, why not" incest story has no drive or deeper meaning than the writer likes incest fantasy as does the reader. Putting simple fantasy down on paper does not take all of what you are speaking of.

I also believe every story within us is already written and waiting for its time. If we start something and its a struggle we are fighting against out natural creative flow.

That's why I don't have a huge amount of stories here. I will not write just for the sake of writing. I don't care how many stories I have or if its been months since I posted something. I do not cave to readership always asking for sequels or "you should do this"

I follow the muse and if it treads some water it does and I allow it. Better a few decent stories than a bucket full of crap to fill a story file.

 

[sr71plt]

People do tend to write from nuggets of real life experience/acquired attitudes. If you read across the spectrum of what an author writes, yes, you might find a lot of imagination and expansion of their experience, but it's usually based in their experiences and the values/attitudes they have acquired. You might also find little imagination or breadth of horizons in what they write, which can show their world and experiences are limited. They haven't written much beyond that because they don't comprehend much beyond that. They have no context beyond their own current horizon. They could, of course, write of a world way beyond us and their own small world, but you'll probably find their stories in sci-fi and fantasy because that's what they've been reading. You won't usually find them writing about other countries and a RL situations that happen to exist beyond their noses and neighborhoods.

You can usually tell the breadth of a writers RL experiences by reading a large collection of their stories. It will be more expansions and embellishments of their real life context, though, not out and out lies. It will, fundamentally, be their life context.

And, quite often, hearing what is behind a story can be fascinating. It's largely why people go to author talks. (Of course insular, unimaginative people don't go to author talks either, I guess.)

 

[lovecraft68]

People do tend to write from nuggets of real life experience/acquired attitudes. If you read across the spectrum of what an author writes, yes, you might find a lot of imagination and expansion of their experience, but it's usually based in their experiences and the values/attitudes they have acquired. You might also find little imagination or breadth of horizons in what they write, which can show their world and experiences are limited. They haven't written much beyond that because they don't comprehend much beyond that. They have no context beyond their own current horizon. They could, of course, write of a world way beyond us and their own small world, but you'll probably find their stories in sci-fi and fantasy because that's what they've been reading. You won't usually find them writing about other countries and a RL situations that happen to exist beyond their noses and neighborhoods.

You can usually tell the breadth of a writers RL experiences by reading a large collection of their stories. It will be more expansions and embellishments of their real life context, though, not out and out lies. It will, fundamentally, be their life context.

And, quite often, hearing what is behind a story can be fascinating. It's largely why people go to author talks. (Of course insular, unimaginative people don't go to author talks either, I guess.)

 

[sr71plt]

Too bad (for you) that your images aren't loading in my view, LC (so all that hate for nothing), but, on the thread topic, I would assume that your writing reflects pretty much what I've posted. I don't read your writing, but I would expect its settings to be dreary or commonplace and all be located within ten miles of your row house, that it would be riddled with violence and hate, that it would reflect a lower middle class mentality, and that it would be about dreary dysfunctional families enduring dreary, angry relationships. There might be some sci-fi too, I imagine, since you never grew beyond the comic book stage of literary interest (a la your failed business). In other words reflecting the insular limitation of your horizons and experience. Which would mean that you do write from what your actual experience is, fundamental truths of your life--and proving PayDay's post wrong.