Static Characters & Dialogue

[Kantarii]

I used to read a good many stories on this site before I started writing my own stories and posting them. One of the reasons that helped shape my writing was running across other people's stories with static characters and dialogue. In other words, the characters in their stories just talked like in a soap opera. It's like their characters can't walk and talk at the same time? I find it hard to read such stories as they lack a simple element of believability. In life, I'm not going to stop what I'm doing just to have a basic conversation with another person.Kant

 

[SusanJillParker]

I used to read a good many stories on this site before I started writing my own stories and posting them. One of the reasons that helped shape my writing was running across other people's stories with static characters and dialogue. In other words, the characters in their stories just talked like in a soap opera. It's like their characters can't walk and talk at the same time? I find it hard to read such stories as they lack a simple element of believability. In life, I'm not going to stop what I'm doing just to have a basic conversation with another person.Kant

Too many who write here don't develop their characters. Some don't describe their characters or even name them.

Just by adding description, real sounding dialogue, tension, and imagery makes characters come to life to become three dimensional instead of lying flat on the page.

I routinely write in nearly all categories because I take the time to develop my characters. Just because I've never had anal sex or experienced lesbian sex, gay sex, BDSM, cross dressing, and/or have fetishes doesn't mean that I can't write about them.

Nonetheless, even though we can only write what we know but when we develop our characters, as if we are there watching, we can write more.

When my characters move up from the page and stand behind my chair to whisper in my ear what next to write is when I know that I've developed my characters.

At that point, I just hand them the keyboard and have them write their own story.

 

[hylas_]

Good point about dialogue, Kantarii. However, I believe the term "static character" referes specifically to characters that don't change throughout the story, and doesn't really have to do with their ability to multitask.

In my stories, the Dominant is usually a static character, and the submissive a dynamic one. It's part of the fantasy that the Dominant is pretty much "perfect" from the start, so there's no need for that character to grow.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Too many who write here don't develop their characters. Some don't describe their characters or even name them.

Unnamed doesn't mean undeveloped. Quite a few famous novels have unnamed protagonists. And there are sometimes good reasons for going light on description.

 

[oggbashan]

One of my European friends, writing in English, used to have a recurring flaw.

All his characters "turned to speak". The poor people were spinning like tops. It took four or five stories before he stopped turning his characters and went back to edit out some of the turning.

At least he found out what he was doing. I too have flaws which some readers find. The most obvious one is changing the characters' names. I know I do it and I check and recheck but still some get through.

 

[Green_Knight]

Unnamed doesn't mean undeveloped. Quite a few famous novels have unnamed protagonists. And there are sometimes good reasons for going light on description.

By deliberately not naming or describing the protagonist, an author may encourage the reader to equate with that position, which is fine as long as the reader remains sympathetic to or understanding of the protagonist's views and actions.

 

[Hypoxia]

Strokers and parodies won't require much character flexibility or believability.

Avoid 'serious' storytelling and you can get away with almost anything.

Especially by joining ridiculous speech with improbable anatomy.

"I am Zeus's gift to women!" his donkey-dick shouted.

 

[Kantarii]

Strokers and parodies won't require much character flexibility or believability.

Avoid 'serious' storytelling and you can get away with almost anything.

Especially by joining ridiculous speech with improbable anatomy.

"I am Zeus's gift to women!" his donkey-dick shouted.

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

 

[oggbashan]

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

There are readers for complex stories. There are readers for almost anything posted on Literotica except some of my poetry.

 

[SecondCircle]

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

It is. Plenty of readers enjoy it, there's an audience for everything. Just try to not to say it out loud here.

I personally don't like as you say "static" dialogue, where nothing seems to be happening except talking, neither in the world around the characters, to the characters themselves, or in our characters minds. When this happens, it reminds me of an audio recording, where I can only listen to what is being said. As opposed to actually witnessing the whole scene.

I like to relate to immersion into a good story as being there. If our characters are walking through the park, then I (the reader) am either walking just behind or I'm peeking around trees. The whole scene is there. I can see the setting. I can feel the sun. I can hear the giddiness in his voice. I can see the way she fidgets. I notice the expressions on their face. It all makes the scene come to life for me. As opposed to a wall of spoken dialogue.

I think there's more to dialogue than just the information conveyed in the spoken words. There can be little actions and atmosphere all around the ones speaking. I try to include things like this in my own writing. Although, I always try new ways to flesh out the scene. Too much of me slips in, which means characters often are smoking or "blowing a plume of smoke" during a conversation. Two nasty habits tied together I suppose.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

Not true. You can write "outside the norm" and get a small following of readers and some worthwhile feedback. Maybe even tens of thousands of reads, over time, and solid high scores - if those things are a measure of positive reader reaction for you.

I don't know if you can publish depth and feeling and still expect a hundred thousand readers and mass adulation though. It's mostly "turn the crank" stroke here, from what I see, with a half life of three minutes or so. But there are gems and gold to be found from time to time, where the writing is good enough that you actually care for the characters, and it still reads well a year later.

Sounds to me like you're giving up, Kant. Don't. The bastards have won if you give up.

Non Illigitimi Carborundum

 

[Kimikimidoll]

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

Let me know if you find some place nice.

 

[Voboy]

I'm starting to feel like this site really isn't worth posting a story that has depth and background within the actual storyline. Kant

Remember, too, that readers are not monolithic. They may prefer different things at different times. I need what I read to be well-written whether printed or on Lit, but there are times when I just need to cleanse the palate. So to speak.

Write what you wish; unless it's absolute swill, it'll find its readership.

 

[Kimikimidoll]

Remember, too, that readers are not monolithic. They may prefer different things at different times. I need what I read to be well-written whether printed or on Lit, but there are times when I just need to cleanse the palate. So to speak.

Write what you wish; unless it's absolute swill, it'll find its readership.

Lit being what it is (an erotica site), I doubt anyone comes here to read some story to 'cleanse the palate'.. yeah, maybe they come across an interesting-looking story while searching for a tag-combo of 'pegging' '18-year-old' 'gangbang' but no, i disagree, their initial search would always be for stroke material.

 

[Kimikimidoll]

I might be the one exception, but I do like reading reasonable stories; I even look for them. And, in my unworthy opinion, there are quite a few around.

No, they definitely are around. I'm just saying I understand Kant's comment about feeling that this isn't the place to post an in-depth story. Sex only adds so much to a character... what they do, say, think and react outside the sexual acts can add dimension, but as a good writer you'll have to show that instead of just saying it to make your readers feel it. But then it means the writer has to write 3 pages of non sexual scenes, and the reader will have to endure those 3 pages... most readers (and new readers) give up- people who have read your stories before will know what they're up for, so only they will carry on, leaving you with a small readership, and out of that, only a few will vote/like/comment.. which is sightly discouraging as a writer.. get my drift?

 

[sr71plt]

I think it's possible to write in-depth stories (with the depth coming in more than characterization--in theme, setting, plot) here that also include a lot of graphic sex--and that there are appreciative readers here for it. If you're chasing ratings and looking to stand out with the general readership with highly complex stories, though, I don't think you're going to achieve that at Literotica.

 

[Handley_Page]

I might be the one exception, but I do like reading reasonable stories; I even look for them. And, in my unworthy opinion, there are quite a few around.

I quite agree and also look for a decent story, although I find 40000 words a bit hard to bite on.

 

[Voboy]

Lit being what it is (an erotica site), I doubt anyone comes here to read some story to 'cleanse the palate'.. yeah, maybe they come across an interesting-looking story while searching for a tag-combo of 'pegging' '18-year-old' 'gangbang' but no, i disagree, their initial search would always be for stroke material.

You misunderstood my context: the "palate-cleanser" IS the "tag-combo of 'pegging' '18-year-old' 'gangbang'."

And your doubt does not trump my experiences. Sure it's an erotica site, but there is, as others have pointed out frequently, plenty of well-written prose here, in which a relatively small amount of "stroke material" effectively serves the needs of a longer, more complicated story. I'm sorry if you have yet to discover any of that yet; it's most certainly out there, and many of us would rather search for that than for, say, a 1,000-word bukkake shower scene.

 

[Kimikimidoll]

You misunderstood my context: the "palate-cleanser" IS the "tag-combo of 'pegging' '18-year-old' 'gangbang'."

And your doubt does not trump my experiences. Sure it's an erotica site, but there is, as others have pointed out frequently, plenty of well-written prose here, in which a relatively small amount of "stroke material" effectively serves the needs of a longer, more complicated story. I'm sorry if you have yet to discover any of that yet; it's most certainly out there, and many of us would rather search for that than for, say, a 1,000-word bukkake shower scene.

Alright. It's just a doubt I had while watching the view counts on my 80k story here (divided in bite sized chapters, don't worry) vs watching the views and comments on the 1k bukkake shorts, but hey, what do I know.

 

[Kantarii]

No, they definitely are around. I'm just saying I understand Kant's comment about feeling that this isn't the place to post an in-depth story. Sex only adds so much to a character... what they do, say, think and react outside the sexual acts can add dimension, but as a good writer you'll have to show that instead of just saying it to make your readers feel it. But then it means the writer has to write 3 pages of non sexual scenes, and the reader will have to endure those 3 pages... most readers (and new readers) give up- people who have read your stories before will know what they're up for, so only they will carry on, leaving you with a small readership, and out of that, only a few will vote/like/comment.. which is sightly discouraging as a writer.. get my drift?

I'm glad you understand what I was hitting at with my comment. It's discouraging. I get some great comments on my current storyline "A Slut's Triangle", but people email me and say I should either focus on the sex scenes or change the way I have developed my character Ashleigh. Thank you for seeing my point of view on what I was trying to say

 

[Kantarii]

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to my thread. There are a lot of insightful comments and valid points addressed here. No, I'm not giving up on writing and posting stories. The next storyline I write will most like draw a different audience of readers. Kant