A perfectly painted story

[BelleCanzuto]

I had a very nice and ego boosting PM conversation a few weeks ago (thank you steelyblue73) in which someone who'd read and enjoyed a few of my stories asked for my recommendation as to which one to read next.

And they framed the question in a way I found interesting and thought provoking.
He wrote: "Do you have a favorite that perfectly painted the story in your head as you intended?"

I said no, that the act of writing altered it from the fantasy version, that making it have a plot that held together, and believable action by the characters, and decent grammar inevitably blurred some of the edges.

But I've thought about that framing a lot since then.
So, I'm asking, fellow writers: do you have a story that, as written, perfectly captures the idea in your head when it started?
If you do, which is it (link, please, if you will)?
And how'd you get that to happen?

 

[NotWise]

So, I'm asking, fellow writers: do you have a story that, as written, perfectly captures the idea in your head when it started?
If you do, which is it (link, please, if you will)?
And how'd you get that to happen?

If you conceive of a story and write it out without a lot of pausing and self reflection, then you might get something very close to your original idea.

I didn't do that with The Third Ring. I thought about the story for about two years before I wrote it, and it came out at least as well as I ever thought it could.

The story wasn't based on a fantasy that I needed to express, and that could be significant.

 

[SyleusSnow]

Hmm. Interesting question.

Stories, like painting (or any other form of art) never measure up to how we first envision them. Sometimes I get a whole story mapped out in my head (usually just when falling asleep) but what winds up written down later is so poorly expressed it might as well have been written by a baboon. In feces. On a rock.

To date, the closest I've come to capturing what I intended is probably For Her Too. Just today a reader said she loved the joy and love in that story, which more than anything was what I was trying to "paint."

 

[PennameWombat]

What timing. Follow up a mention of Beethoven and his glorious Fifth with my, um, lame ass mutterings.

I just posted in another thread about my stories that changed significantly in the writing t=1538166. So the other side.

If I have to name one story that is absolutely the closest not only to my ‘big picture’ vision but even many of the finer details... it would be Chlorine Dreams. Many of my stories fit with the big picture I had in mind but this one down to almost every emotion and event I aimed for are there. Ironically then, it’s also the only story I’ve ever had initially rejected. A mother at the kiddy pool with her kids flirted with the male MC. Underage... I kept the flirting but had her kids with her mother and she was at the adult’s pool.

But even that doesn’t cover the ‘perfectly painted’ point. I can’t claim any of my stories are that! Only how well my original story conformed to my vision, and thus how ‘solid’ was my original vision.

 

[HeyAll]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of the answer. But I'm sure there are some.

Right now I really like the philosophy of coming up with the premise, some plot, and feeling of what the story should be, and letting it go from there.

With a lot of my newer stories, I write not knowing where it will go. But I have a clear idea of what I want it to be in terms of the tone and so forth.

The result is that the stories are more unique and creative, which is where the fun is.

 

[MColton84]

Exactly as intended?

My stories tend to differ greatly from the original idea. That being said, I do have one story that is faithful to the original vision. It's mostly autobiographical, with key details altered to make it Lit appropriate. The rest of my stories have been more fantasy than reality which I believe is where the differences begin to form.


https://www.literotica.com/beta/s/broken-toys-2

 

[AlexBailey]

My stories tend to differ greatly from the original idea. That being said, I do have one story that is faithful to the original vision. It's mostly autobiographical, with key details altered to make it Lit appropriate. The rest of my stories have been more fantasy than reality which I believe is where the differences begin to form.


https://www.literotica.com/beta/s/broken-toys-2

'Broken Toys' is an awesome story on every level. Very well done, Matt!

I recommend it to everyone.

 

[MColton84]

'Broken Toys' is an awesome story on every level. Very well done, Matt!

I recommend it to everyone.

Thank you Alex. That means the world to me.

 

[YDB95]

Based on the feedback it got from readers, I think Beware the Quiet One is the champ in terms of my getting across exactly the point I wanted to. It's among my personal favourites too, I guess for that reason.