2022; A look back at your writing

[NotWise]

I only published two stories in 2022, and I started one of those in 2021. I enjoyed the hell out of writing both of them, but then I got distracted. My Mike Hammer story was set aside. My Summer Loving story didn't come close--It's still my work in progress. I had a Halloween idea, but not the time to write it.

As long as I can say I enjoyed the process, I'm still okay with the way things worked out.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I discovered Lit this past August and have since published two stories this past fall (soon to be three). Both are rated at 4.7 and my comments have been great. I'm totally hooked on writing erotica and I've not been having trouble with ideas yet, though I'm trying to avoid the usual tropes. All in all, a very good year on LIt. Looking forward to many more.
Happy new year folks.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I didn't think I'd written that much this year, and certainly had a few months lull recently until two stories exploded out. But ordering stories by date says I've written 19 this year. It's a bit misleading, as the bulk of Entertaining Laura and various other drafts were started long ago.

The Bet is 3 chapters but is simply repackaging the Smoking Hot series minus the gay sex to see if it would appeal to het-only fans. (Answer: yes for the first two chapters, but the third is less convincing without the characterisation that came along with 100k words of man-on-man action).

Undergraduate Experiments is in two parts, both short. I'm pleased with how that came out, and the Educating Laura series, which needs at least two more chapters to get finished. Possibly most pleased with the development of the characters in I Say Ass, You Say Arse... - though they aren't simple stroke pieces for that frequent-voting Anal audience any more, so I may break category into another.

New categories this year include Erotic Horror (nice 4k story about an immortal being who feeds on sexual thoughts), Group Sex and Exhibitionist/Voyeur for parts of Educating Laura, who seemed to like it but not pick up more views, and last week Incest/Taboo because I couldn't resist the idea of so many potential views, so I had a personal challenge to write a I/T story and get a red H. Mission accomplished - 4.59, about 2x more views than any of my other stories, in only 10 days.

Other stories I knew wouldn't quite fit what category readers want, so I knew scores would be lower - Educating Laura: Anal Time, or Strength is a Caged Cock, for example.

I've got a short story nearly ready to go, so that'll be a neat 20 this year, 50 in total. It'll probably go in Non-Erotic, to tick off another category.

I have over a dozen drafts simmering away, so hope to see some publications next year...

 

[HordHolm]

Figured I'd wait until the Winter contest wrapped up to post this. With the end of the year a couple weeks away its a good time to look back on 2022. Did you have any writing goals for the year? If so, did you achieve them? Would you say it was a good year for you in general? Did you reach any site or personal milestones? Those things and anything else you feel worth mentioning for the past year in writing both here, and wherever else you might post(no links to anywhere else of course)

Terrible year for writing - achieved almost nothing. Too much other work to leave me any mental space for it, so I'm left with a 'half-done' file as packed as this time last year. But that's only in this field. In other areas the year has been pretty decent and I've nothing to complain about - the rent is paid, the child is fit and healthy and fed and happy, the work pays well enough and there's enough on the side for personal indulgences, and the wife continues to explore her kinky side. Now, if I can just get a free weekend to power through a couple of stories (kink and non-kink)...

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I started the year as I am ending it - goalless. Totally without goal.

I did publish seven stories (~ 222,000 words) this year, mostly distraction writing during dry spells in the story project that has taken me all year so far. I have challenged myself to venture into new areas, such as I/T, with a current three-story series doing reasonably well. I also made a few bucks writing a short episode for a television show.

 

[lovecraft68]

Terrible year for writing - achieved almost nothing. Too much other work to leave me any mental space for it, so I'm left with a 'half-done' file as packed as this time last year. But that's only in this field. In other areas the year has been pretty decent and I've nothing to complain about - the rent is paid, the child is fit and healthy and fed and happy, the work pays well enough and there's enough on the side for personal indulgences, and the wife continues to explore her kinky side. Now, if I can just get a free weekend to power through a couple of stories (kink and non-kink)...

All these things are far more important than writing. If I had to choose I'd take those things over a pile of lit stories.

 

[HordHolm]

All these things are far more important than writing. If I had to choose I'd take those things over a pile of lit stories.

Totally agree.

 

[Duleigh]

Did you have any writing goals for the year? If so, did you achieve them? Would you say it was a good year for you in general?

My year started in April 2022, so I'll wait for March 2023 to do my recap

 

[CiaoSteve]

I only had two loose expectations for erotica writing for 2022: to hit my usual goal of 500,000 words in at least 12 works (one per month) published to the marketplace and to have at least one entry per week (52) published to Literotica.

13 works, totaling 1,039,951 words of erotica were published to the marketplace in 2022.

68 entries were published to Literotica in 2022 (so far. There will be at least 3 more submitted for 2022 posting).

All I can say is . . . wow!!!!

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

I have never set goals or targets preferring to just let things flow. However this year has been a bit of a challenge. After 58 stories I find it increasingly difficult to describe the nasty bits, preferring the build up and the tensions leading to said nasty bits. This is also a guilty hobby for me, so a partner who now mainly works from home means my writing activities are somewhat restricted and my favourite Word read-aloud option for editing is a definite no-no.

But I will keep cracking on, writing my strange English-centric tales that delve into the deeper recesses of my soul. I will battle against the vagaries of the Literorica system and while I will never win, I'll have a bloody good go at it. I still cannot fathom how one of my stories has 170,000 views and yet an infinitely better one has only 3,000. I dare say I never will.

I might be slowing down but there is plenty more flith to spew out yet.

This is a strange space we all inhabit, but it is fucking addictive and I cannot let it go.

Here's to 2023, assuming we all survive it.

 

[yukonnights]

Lit and writing are simply not important enough for me to worry about setting goals. It's so nice to just have a hobby I can do or ignore — and that's what Lit is to me. Setting output goals sounds like a good way to make me not write anything at all !!!

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

In 2022, as in previous years, I had some story ideas. A few of them survived the writing process and were posted here. Apart from submitting something for the first Pink Orchid (and some of that work was done in late 2021), I had no goals for the year. Any ‘goal’ I have is to discover what I think should be in a story, and writing to serve that purpose. I learned long ago that I seldom hit the bullseye with any readership.

Have I made it clear why I haven’t mentioned story ratings and statistics?

I’m retired. I write sex stories for my own satisfaction. Also, I should admit, most of what I write is intended to fly a few flags: For sex positivity, enthusiastic consent, good health, respect among partners, and enjoyable whoopee for people who aren’t conventionally attractive. This isn’t an attack on other erotic themes, in which many stories posted here are well-regarded. Rather, I see what I write as contributions to a conversation about erotic themes in general.

In real life, I’ve had a good year. That has been a welcome escape from my fantasy life.

 

[Omenainen]

If I set any goals, I’ve forgotten what they were. Just as well. I haven’t had a super productive year, I’ve published five stories so far and one of them a 750 one. I’ll have one more out before the end of the year, but it’s still not a lot. I have a few things going on in my life that kind of come from the same reserve than writing smut, and I’m prioritizing those.

What I’m most pleased about is hosting my first event, and I’m very much looking forward to next year’s one.

 

[TadOverdon]

I finished a book that had been a thorn in my side, a story more complicated than I meant it to be (but not necessarily deeper or more complex). And then, RL became demanding again and I let myself be distracted and haven't finished anything else.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I only had five submissions published this year, down from eight last year and twenty my first year. I have edited sixteen stories submitted for publication this year, up from ten last year.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well, I managed to get 5 stories done this year, a bit fewer than I had planned, and no novels at all finished, which was a bit disappointing. I got bogged down and circled on a couple without making any progress - lots of drafts half-done but not completed, and I didn't get a couple of event stories done that I wanted to. And NO competition entries over 2022, which was also a bit disappointing.

But for 2023 I intend being a lot more focused!!!!

 

[Smuttyandfun]

My goal this past year was to try and get at least one story published every month. I only missed one month, so I'm happy with what I've achieved. I have been trying to write more complicated stories, and it seems to be paying off. And some of my older stories are still doing okay, so I'm happy with that. Next year, I'm just hoping to keep writing.

 

[ofbuttons]

My goal was to get up the courage to post to Literotica - and I'll also meet my accidental goal of finishing an albeit short series. They're performing okay for baby's first erotica self-publishing - as long as some people enjoy them, and some people sure seem to be, I'm happy.

 

[ChloeTzang]

My goal was to get up the courage to post to Literotica - and I'll also meet my accidental goal of finishing an albeit short series. They're performing okay for baby's first erotica self-publishing - as long as some people enjoy them, and some people sure seem to be, I'm happy.

Congrats - getting that first story posted is the big hump. Once you're over that, the second is way easier

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

This has been a very busy year, with my writing significantly slowed in the second half of the year due to my work.

I’ve published ten stories this year (my goal was 12) with ratings currently between 4.87 and 4.51. Four stories are above 4.8 and all of that helped me pick up several hundred followers during the year.

I was able to complete in the Valentine’s Day and Summer Lovin’ contests, but missed on my plans for two others. That was disappointing, but there’s always next year, right?

I also completed stories for five author challenges, though a second Hammered challenge story was shelved (until 2023?) and stories for a couple of other challenges were basically nonstarters. However, my biggest disappointments were my 1820s period piece/romp (think Lady Chatterly?) which only advanced a little in 2022 and a new arc for a non-erotic story on another site that didn’t grow at all. That said, those and numerous others in various stages of development await me in 2023.

Finally, I helped edit two stories by JoshFrom53, a friend and fellow writer for whom English is a second language, this year but am well overdue on finishing his third story. I hope to finish it before the end of 2022.