The rewards of writing.

[PayDay]

But what are the rewards, for you? Is it purely for the pleasure of the act, or for positive comments, or the fulfilment of completion, or...?

nothing.

I hate writing.

I just do it because persons read it, and apparently I can and should.

 

[Aleiand]

Why not both?

Because what we, or at least I, write is kinda dirty?? *innocent expression, halo popping into view*

 

[DieselJester]

For me, writing is an escape and a release. Money is now a bonus!

 

[TamLin01]

The principle reward of writing is that it makes you a better writer.

 

[sr71plt]

That probably sounds a lot nicer than it actually plays with most of those writing.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

Enquiring minds want to know, oh he of 750+ stories, are you including yourself in the "most of those writing" or not?

For the record, if that's the OP's biggest reward in writing, more power to him. Everyone has their reasons. But personally, I find the biggest "reward" in writing is the luv returned from readers. That's pure creamy reward. Nothing better than that.

That probably sounds a lot nicer than it actually plays with most of those writing.

 

[sr71plt]

Yes, I include myself in "most of those." I write to get the story out. I don't think about each one I write incrementally improving my writing and that's why I write--that that's my reward. (That doesn't mean that I don't think my writing could improve). My rewards come in the joy of the story unfolding as I write it, in any connections it makes with readers, and, if I put it in the marketplace, in the money that comes back at me. I believe pretty much that most others get their rewards in one or more of these areas as well and that very few think in terms of each one written is rewarded by the next one written being better.

Writing a lot does help in making the writing better, but it's no guarantee of anything. Go look at the one on the top of the production list at Literotica and compare his writing over the years. Do you really think he's moving toward a Pulitzer Prize? And yet, I bet he continues to write and publish here because he's somehow being rewarded for doing so.

So, no, I don't think the the reward for writing today's story is that tomorrow's story is going to be better written. I think that sounds nice but is a bit of barf.

 

[oggbashan]

...

So, no, I don't think the the reward for writing today's story is that tomorrow's story is going to be better written. I think that sounds nice but is a bit of barf.

Practice makes perfect, but there is no such thing as the perfect story.

My output is erratic in quality. Some are so-so. Some are good. Some are bad. Until I have finished and posted one, I don't really know how good it is.

I think some of my earlier stories are better than some later ones, but some of my early stories show that I have gradually improved.

 

[lovecraft68]

Why not both?

Jeez, they let anyone on here these days...

What are you doing on this side of town, hot stuff?

 

[sr71plt]

Practice makes perfect,

Reality time. That too sounds nice but is nonsense. Practice can help to make better--or not. You have to do more and have more ability than practice to ever be even adequate. So, at best, "practice makes perfect" is simplistic and no more than a possibility.

And if you're going to competitive as a writer (if you want to be), you've got to get past these pat little sayings that don't play out in reality. Becoming a more fully developed writer requires a whole lot more that writing practice.

Extrapolating from there--not a response really to Ogg's post beyond the one I gave:

As far as this extends to Literotica (the "if you want to be a competitive writer"), it's great if you want to develop your writing expertise, and doing more writing is an element of getting there--but it's just one of several elements--but this isn't required at Literotica. This is not billed as a critique site. It's a sharing site. There's no requirement that folks who submit stories to Literotica are doing so to improve their writing. From looking at stories here, I do believe that most of them are rewarding themselves with arousal in submitting a story here not working toward a Nobel Prize in Literature--or giving two figs that someone else pontificates that they should be. And that's OK. And it's snobbish and time to MYOB to say it isn't OK at Literotica.

 

[oggbashan]

"Practice makes perfect" - I was being ironic.

A poor writer who doesn't recognise their own faults will never improve. We can try to improve, but most of us will never win real acclaim or significant financial rewards for our writing.

Unless we can recognise our flaws we will never improve. None of us will ever be the perfect writer.

 

[CarlBalboa]

Writing to me is like when I tell a story or a joke to my friends or soon to be friends. In that I do gain pleasure from entertaining people. I've never had a problem getting in front of a group of people to talk or do any sort of performance.

Writing has if anything helped me with many relationships in a very healthy way. I don't mean just with stories, but also my feelings. I still to this day have struggles with verbalizing my feelings. Writing letters to my past girlfriends helped me a lot with several of our fights.

 

[sr71plt]

Granted (This is to Ogg's last post). But a stranger on the Internet isn't really a reliable source on what the flaws are in someone's writing, let alone how to fix that (assuming it wasn't just the author's legitimate voice).

That's why, while recognizing that my writing certainly could be "developed" better, if I weren't comfortable with both where it was and the response it was getting already, there's a very limited amount of reliable critique I could get from Literotica on it. I'll go to someone with known credentials for doing well what I'd like to do better. Here, I'm mostly just sharing my stories, most of which have already had their commercial run in the marketplace. I'm mostly after a larger reading base than the buyers.

I don't request critique here and what I get that I think is legitimately pointing to issues that could be been done better pretty much comes too late to care about for that story. Not that a miniscule amount of it (mainly because Literotica critiquers, in general, really aren't that good at it--more the blind trying to impress the other blind) doesn't help improve my future writing.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

I wouldn't state it the same way, but I tend to agree. The next one could just as easily be crap as the one you just wrote.

If people want to come to lit to improve as a writer, go for it. But I do agree that's probably not the main reason or reward for posting here. Whatever works for folks.

Yes, I include myself in "most of those." I write to get the story out. I don't think about each one I write incrementally improving my writing and that's why I write--that that's my reward. (That doesn't mean that I don't think my writing could improve). My rewards come in the joy of the story unfolding as I write it, in any connections it makes with readers, and, if I put it in the marketplace, in the money that comes back at me. I believe pretty much that most others get their rewards in one or more of these areas as well and that very few think in terms of each one written is rewarded by the next one written being better.

Writing a lot does help in making the writing better, but it's no guarantee of anything. Go look at the one on the top of the production list at Literotica and compare his writing over the years. Do you really think he's moving toward a Pulitzer Prize? And yet, I bet he continues to write and publish here because he's somehow being rewarded for doing so.

So, no, I don't think the the reward for writing today's story is that tomorrow's story is going to be better written. I think that sounds nice but is a bit of barf.

 

[Saucyminx]

Because what we, or at least I, write is kinda dirty?? *innocent expression, halo popping into view*

Oh good! So I'm not the only pure, sweet, innocent, backwards, reluctant, and shy person on here to write total filth.

Jeez, they let anyone on here these days...

What are you doing on this side of town, hot stuff?

Hiya cutie. What can I tell you? I showed the doorman my boobs, and he let me in. I throw in my two cents around the AH once in a while.

For me, writing was almost a compulsion, when I was still writing. If I had a story banging around in my head, I couldn't sleep until I had it down on paper so my biggest reward was getting to rest peacefully. If you add in the anticipation of how the story would be recieved, the excitement of looking at scores, and comments, and it was pretty heady stuff.

 

[Bramblethorn]

My answer to this, in fictional form, is part of my latest story

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Do yuh s'pose PILOT would reject Shakespeare if the lad applied to teach English Comp 101 at Pixley-Hooterville College of Cake Decorating and Nail Technology? I'm safe saying Will had no credentials. John Updike was prolly the first, and who remembers him?

 

[PTWaters1]

But what are the rewards, for you? Is it purely for the pleasure of the act, or for positive comments, or the fulfilment of completion, or...?

After I read this, I actually had to sit back and think about it. I've written things off and on since I was a teenager, but I realized my reasons for writing changed.

As a young man, I wrote epic poems to deal with the pain of losing a girlfriend so I could move on. Later, I wrote because I thought people might want to read about the "cool adventures" that played out in my imagination. This turned out to be very subjective and I had better things to do with my time.

At this point in my life, I'm happy, relatively healthy, and retired, so I wasn't quite sure how to answer the question. It took me a few hours of pondering it to realize I was writing to create a legacy.

Considering ones mortality often brings up a number of regrets for things we've never done or dreams never realized. I've never had a grand adventure, done many exciting things, or had mind blowing sex (that one I REALLY regret).

For lack of a better description, I'm a Walter Mitty...with a healthy libido. Like most retired folks, I have the time to do pretty much whatever I can afford to do. In this case, write. So, since my sex drive hasn't died and I have time to write, I just figured I'd put down in writing some of my most exciting fantasies and put them out there in hopes that someone else will be able to enjoy them after I've passed.

Why did I chose erotica rather than something else? It is the one subject that allowed me to put my libido to use in any category I wished. Sci-Fi, fantasy, mystery, romance...erotica can appear anywhere. It also allows me to express my secret fetishes that I've never been able to explore anywhere but in my own imagination.

So, for better or worse, these stories are the written legacy of my lost dreams and unexpressed desires. With any luck, they will paint mindscapes that will be a thrill for at least a few others.

 

[Athalia]

To get wet or to cleanse yourself?

Yes.

I've always felt cleaner after writing something. Haven't you?

But my point, which may not have been made clearly, is that singing in the shower comes from the sheer exuberance of being alive. It's for my own pleasure, not an audience's. It's that spirit I try to bring to writing. I don't always succeed, but I'm happiest with the stories that spring from that source.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

What I get from writing are better ways to express ideas and experience or clarify ideas. Its sharpening your arrows and improving your aim.

 

[Over_Red]

I just love taking my imagination and reconstructing it as good as I can with the written word. There's incredible satisfaction in the act of successfully conveying the images and characters in my head to others.

 

[JKendallDane]

But what are the rewards, for you? Is it purely for the pleasure of the act, or for positive comments, or the fulfilment of completion, or...?

For me, it depends on the type of story I'm writing.

If it's a one-off stroker, the reward is the comments and scoring the story receives from the readers. That's the "erotica" part of the site name.

If it's a contest story, the final placement amongst the other entrants is the prize. I see that as the "Lit" portion of this place.

But what I live and breath and bloody my fingers for is when you get something like this from a reader:

Well, first of all. This needs to be published NOW! But secondly i also want to say how grateful I am that you wrote this wonderful, wonderful story that has already brought me to happy tears multiple times. And ever since my recent breakup with the man who I truly believed would be the one I was going to marry I had given up on love. But your story has cleared the dark clouds of my life and made me believe in love again. So once again THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!

There isn't enough money or red H's or HOF positions or story favs or contest wins or anything else we as authors take pride in, to offset being told you have touched someone's soul or helped change their life with your words.

That makes every single keystroke worth it!

 

[Carnal_Flower]

I've never received anything QUITE like that but I certainly agree with you. Unpretentious luv from a reader is the biggest reward. In fact it's the readers on lit in general I would say are the biggest reward. I find the Comments section among the best reading on lit (all over, not just my own), and I'm not joking. GM is probably my favorite, though Audio runs a close second. Haven't ventured into LW and don't plan to.

But what I live and breath and bloody my fingers for is when you get something like this from a reader:

There isn't enough money or red H's or HOF positions or story favs or contest wins or anything else we as authors take pride in, to offset being told you have touched someone's soul or helped change their life with your words.

That makes every single keystroke worth it!

 

[legerdemer]

There are rewards I get during the writing and rewards I get after having finished and posted.

During the writing, the reward is the feeling that I'm developing, extending a thread into something "complete" and making it work; letting the process take me towards the ending, which is frequently not where I thought I was going. For me, the process can frankly be cathartic: big word that says I'm getting something that may really rankle off my chest, working it out - in general, I think much better when I write things out. If it gets me hot, why, so much the better. In RL, I writing is part of my job - but its all non-fiction (or at least, I really hope so!).

After the writing is done and the story is posted, I can't deny that having readers whose comments I respect pat me on the back because they like my story pleases me the most, particularly if they "got" what I tried to get across. Makes me feel like, hey, maybe I might be a bit of a writer (looks over shoulder). Being given high "grades" is a very nice bonus, and I do get my feathers ruffled a bit if I'm scored low, but ultimately the rewards during the writing make it most worthwhile.

As for leaving a legacy, a part of myself, that's just the whipped cream. I probably have done more of that in my RL writing, but that doesn't come close to reflect the depths of my depravity.

 

[49greg]

For me it's a hobby, and it's fun to get a story posted and see the response.

But for the last five months or so I've hit a wall. I do have inspiration, or at least lots of ideas for stories, but haven't been able to make myself work on them. Between real life getting amazingly busy and my bad wrist acting up I haven't been able to sit down for more than a few minutes at a time to just write. It's also annoying that I can't do handwriting any more either. I used to enjoy it, and have a some really fine fountain pens. Years ago I enjoyed calligraphy as well. No chance of doing that again LOL.

So my relaxation has gradually turned from doing something to not doing anything. Now I watch TV and work on crosswords, badly. They seem to have code phrases for the clues that you have to learn. That and I have never ever been interested in popular culture. Arrrrgggghhhh. At least the dog benefits since I walk him a lot more in my spare time. Which makes me think up more ideas for stories. Double arrrrgggghhhh.