Any advice for a new author?...

[CAVL]

Hey, I'm CAVL, and I pretty much just signed up and have read (still reading) many stories on this site. I was wondering if any of you out there had some advice for me, I already have some story ideas and was also wondering what you guys thought about a story where the main character was evil or the bad guy in the story? Not in terms of rape anything like that but I mean like the one that's actually the bad guy... I have read a few similar, but they are all about the same, with the bad guy being actually really soft and sensitive inside and they seem like there really good, just having a evil outer shell in there personality... No offense intended to any authors out there, I'm not saying your work is bad or anything, I'm just saying its different from what I'm thinking...

So again, just wondering what advice you can offer about that.

 

[Handley_Page]

1. Get a GOOD dictionary.
2. get a style guide (or borrow one) when you need it.
3. Get a good, patient, editor.

Good Luck

 

[TxRad]

Welcome to the AH.

Stay out of Loving wives until you grow a thick skin. It ain't all that loving.

You can write just about anything you can dream up as long as the characters are over 18 and not an animal as in dog, cow, horse. ect.

With over a million people visiting Lit a day you'll find someone to read anything.

 

[sr71plt]

An actual bad-guy story can work, yes. I have a few where the devil is a major character and keeps on being the devil.

 

[mikoli5763]

Please try and take this the right way

First: Welcome to LIT. Second: I might be nitpicking, but shouldn't a story be posted and accepted before one can be called an author? Although it says experienced under my name line, I don't consider myself an experienced author yet.
I always give the same advice, write what you like and want to write, do it for the enjoyment it brings, and don't worry about the comments (if any) that follow your story unless they offer constructive criticism. LW's is the harshest category for negative feedback and sometimes personal attacks toward the author, but that's where my first stories went so you can post there if its an appropriate story for it.
A volunteer editor can be a godsend, but can also be a hindrance, so you might have to try more than one. A dictionary is a MUST and don't be afraid to use it.
After you post, remember to log in, hit the submit link and view the status after three or four days. It maybe rejected and you'll not know if you don't check (voice of experience; happened to my first story and it was two weeks before I checked and found the reject.) Re-work the story fixing whatever got it rejected. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU CLICK ON YOUR STORY WHILE IT SAYS PENDING! That sends it back to the bottom of the submitted stories and prolongs even longer the possibility of it being posted.
Don't get discouraged if it is rejected. It can probably be fixed (again voice of experience first story rejected twice).
Good luck and good writing and I'll be looking for your first accepted story.

 

[TxRad]

First: Welcome to LIT. Second: I might be nitpicking, but shouldn't a story be posted and accepted before one can be called an author? Although it says experienced under my name line, I don't consider myself an experienced author yet.
I always give the same advice, write what you like and want to write, do it for the enjoyment it brings, and don't worry about the comments (if any) that follow your story unless they offer constructive criticism. LW's is the harshest category for negative feedback and sometimes personal attacks toward the author, but that's where my first stories went so you can post there if its an appropriate story for it.
A volunteer editor can be a godsend, but can also be a hindrance, so you might have to try more than one. A dictionary is a MUST and don't be afraid to use it.
After you post, remember to log in, hit the submit link and view the status after three or four days. It maybe rejected and you'll not know if you don't check (voice of experience; happened to my first story and it was two weeks before I checked and found the reject.) Re-work the story fixing whatever got it rejected. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU CLICK ON YOUR STORY WHILE IT SAYS PENDING! That sends it back to the bottom of the submitted stories and prolongs even longer the possibility of it being posted.
Don't get discouraged if it is rejected. It can probably be fixed (again voice of experience first story rejected twice).
Good luck and good writing and I'll be looking for your first accepted story.

Experienced is what you become after you lose your virginity.

Right now expect 5-7 days at the earliest for a story to post.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Welcome to Lit and the Authors' Hangout.

Advice for new authors:

Keep your hand and feet inside the ride at all time. At no time try and lift the lap bar. Hang on for dear life, the ride can be a little, sometimes a lot, bumpy and you may be thrown from the ride.

 

[8letters]

Some advice from a newbie writer:
* Read articles from the Adult How To section. There are lots of places where you can find advice about writing, but few places where you can find advice about writing erotica
* Use the volunteer editor program here. Read the descriptions closely as just because they want to edit doesn't mean they are good at it. Another possibility is to look at the editors who have said they are available for editing in the current "Available editors" sticky here
* With comments, try to read between the lines. There is something of substance to them, but their meaning might not be obvious to you
* When you have a story up, create a thread for it in the Story Feedback forum. You are more likely to get thoughtful feedback there

LitE has many stories published every day (hundreds?). Make yours stand out:
* Pick a title that summarizes what is interesting about your story. My first story, "Heather and Michael" is about the worst possible - it has two people of the opposite sex in it. Whoopee! My second story, "Cycling Weekends with Sis" was far better, providing readers a quick taste of what the story is about
* A good description is also important as a secondary hook. It doesn't appear in as many places, so don't count on it carrying a weak title. In a multi-chapter story, don't use the same description for each chapter. Instead, tell what is happening in that chapter
* Get into your story quickly and don't have many writing errors early on. Readers have only so much patience for a story and so many other stories beckon

 

[SamScribble]

Welcome, CAVL.

If you think that you can write an interesting story around an evil character, write on. Your story may be well received, or it may not. But I have to tell you that here on Lit, a few low scores and a bunch of bad comments doesn't necessarily mean that your story is bad. Some of the readers are just bastards.

Unless you are a professional editor (or something akin to a professional editor), find an editor whose opinion you can trust. There are already far too many stories on this site that really are badly written.

And keep in mind that writing is hard work. It's meant to be. What is written without effort is (generally) read without pleasure.

Good luck.

 

[StrangeLife]

Advice?

Well, if you like to have a glass of coke at hand while writing, make sure it's Coke Light or Pepsi Max or some other non-sugar version. That way your keyboard might still be salvageable after you pour your beverage over it by accident...

 

[Bramblethorn]

Advice?

Well, if you like to have a glass of coke at hand while writing, make sure it's Coke Light or Pepsi Max or some other non-sugar version. That way your keyboard might still be salvageable after you pour your beverage over it by accident...

Keyboard covers are also good that way. I have one to stop my laptop filling up with dog hair.

 

[CeasarBoobage]

I got a few ideas for ya,

Use something to write down notes on the fly: smartphone, tablet, notebook, etc. Sometimes good scenes just can't wait until you get home.

Write often, then write some more. You get better by doing, and actively trying to improve.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

You'll learn a lot more about writing by reading than you'll ever learn from just writing. Read the best stuff you can find and study it.

If you can't tell good stuff from bad, then quit now. No one wants to listen to a tone-deaf singer.

Give yourself permission to write crap, because you'll write a lot of it.

It's okay to write crap, but it's not okay to publish it. Take your crap and revise, revise, revise. The real work of writing is revision. A writer is a reviser, plain and simple. Anyone can write a first draft, but if you don't revise, you're not really a writer.

Learn your mechanics.

"Show, don't tell," is still very good advice, and the closest thing in writing to a universal law. If you don't know what that means, find out. Quick.

Take the rules and tips about writing you'll come across (including these) with a good grain of salt. There's not a rule in writing that can't be broken or ignored in the right situation, and often to good effect.

Most people, when they first sit down to write, immediately start writing in cliches. Their protagonists are types they've seen on TV or movies, the situations they put them in are derivative too. It's shockingly hard to write anything truly original, and the only way to do it is to use real life as your source.

When in doubt, remember that the important thing is telling the story. It's amazing how much bullshit is cleared up when you just concentrate on telling the story.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

You'll learn a lot more about writing by reading than you'll ever learn from just writing. Read the best stuff you can find and study it.

If you can't tell good stuff from bad, then quit now. No one wants to listen to a tone-deaf singer.

Give yourself permission to write crap, because you'll write a lot of it.

It's okay to write crap, but it's not okay to publish it. Take your crap and revise, revise, revise. The real work of writing is revision. A writer is a reviser, plain and simple. Anyone can write a first draft, but if you don't revise, you're not really a writer.

Learn your mechanics.

"Show, don't tell," is still very good advice, and the closest thing in writing to a universal law. If you don't know what that means, find out. Quick.

Take the rules and tips about writing you'll come across (including these) with a good grain of salt. There's not a rule in writing that can't be broken or ignored in the right situation, and often to good effect.

Most people, when they first sit down to write, immediately start writing in cliches. Their protagonists are types they've seen on TV or movies, the situations they put them in are derivative too. It's shockingly hard to write anything truly original, and the only way to do it is to use real life as your source.

When in doubt, remember that the important thing is telling the story. It's amazing how much bullshit is cleared up when you just concentrate on telling the story.

genius ^^^

 

[KalIsBack]

Right.

A dictionary is very goodly and well, and it should become your favourite piece of literature, but you'll find you need a good thesaurus (unabridged, not one of those worthless pocket versions) far more often. Synonyms are real bastards.

Be patient. Stories usually don't take long to write. Making them presentable is another story... you're going to your own best and worst friend as an editor. Best, because no one knows your story as well as you do. Worst, because you might not be the most qualified person to tell it. By that, I mean that there is always someone out there that can say it better. Always. So learn to be patient when you're teasing out the right phrasing or building the mood.

Be persistent. I've six or seven half-finished stories sitting around. Unless writing is your profession or your passion, you'll likely churn out a story or two and get bored. Don't get distracted. Or do, but don't expect to publish much. Don't get depressed. Stories aren't easy to write. Not the ones worth reading, anyway. If it does seem easy, re-read it or go get menal help. You've likely either bungled it or lost touch with reality.

Comments. Get a damn good sense of humour. People, authors and readers alike, like to hate, and troll, and flame, and just generally mindfuck you. EVERYONE has an opinion. 99% of those opinions won't agree with yours, even on a good day. Understand the comments (if they're rational) but don't let them sway you. It is your story, after all. Take them in stride. Recognise and learn to use negative, constructive criticism. You should look forward to negative comments more than positive comments... positve remarks don't help you improve.

If you do multiple chapters, spread them out... don't submit them all a minute apart. Wait a day or two after you see the first chapter is done, and make any tweaks a clever reader has pointed out, if you're so inclined. Then submit the second part, and so on.

And enjoy the ride.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Doctor M offers good advice.

Like he says, when you read something sublime examine it and dissect it till you can duplicate it.

My thoughts:

Editors are right most of the time, and occasionally a master editor shapes crap into a masterpiece. I'm thinking of Maxwell Perkins. But virtually every editor rejects or damages a masterpiece they don't recognize. Editors are mortals.

Don't be afraid to take the road less traveled or blaze a new trail OR serve a niche audience ignored and neglected by McLIT writers. I'm thinking of my old statistics perfesser who writes porn for disabled and addicted readers.

Keep something handy for capturing gossamer epiphanies. Otherwise they evaporate like dreams.

 

[ishtat]

Read BlackShanglan, Literotica's gold standard. He/She didn't write much but is/should be as influential as anyone here.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Read BlackShanglan, Literotica's gold standard. He/She didn't write much but is/should be as influential as anyone here.

Upon your recommendation I picked a BLACKSHAGLAN tale to read. BORING. I'm not impressed with SELENA KITT's favorites, either. All of them have an EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS OWN WAY crust or fungal skin condition.

 

[hylas_]

I think a story with an evil protagonist can work. But I will say that, especially in escapist literature (which is what erotic writing mostly is, in my opinion), I will lose interest very quickly if I can't identify or empathize with the protagonist. Getting me to emotionally invest in a truly evil character is probably really hard.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Welcome to Lit. and the AH.

In addition to what everyone else has suggested, I recommend that you get a comfortable chair. Something with good back support that allows your hands to rest on the keyboard at a comfortable angle. My chair is wearing out, and I can't begin to describe the torture I am experiencing with every writing session.

As for the evil protagonist, examples abound in popular fiction. The key is nuance. There must be something likable about the character.

 

[Dazzle1]

Hey, I'm CAVL, and I pretty much just signed up and have read (still reading) many stories on this site. I was wondering if any of you out there had some advice for me, I already have some story ideas and was also wondering what you guys thought about a story where the main character was evil or the bad guy in the story? Not in terms of rape anything like that but I mean like the one that's actually the bad guy... I have read a few similar, but they are all about the same, with the bad guy being actually really soft and sensitive inside and they seem like there really good, just having a evil outer shell in there personality... No offense intended to any authors out there, I'm not saying your work is bad or anything, I'm just saying its different from what I'm thinking...

So again, just wondering what advice you can offer about that.

It's an idea I have played around with. I think you have to made the evil character more than one dimensional aka DR Doom or the Master from DW if the evil character is the focus.

 

[horrorotica]

Don't get a dictionary as most word processing programs come with one.

Put a link to thesaurus.com on your browser toolbar (dictionary.com too if you have to).

Take time to learn and use proper grammatical structures, particularly using quotation marks for speech. Many writers get this wrong and it's annoying as a reader.

When you write a story and you decide its ready to submit for publishing, put it away for a week and then reread it and you'll see errors you didn't think were there.

Write, write, write, and write. be prepared for your early work to be crap. Nobody gets it right straight away. It takes time to develop your style.

Read books about story mechanics to understand how to structure a good story.

Writing is more about the rewrite than the actual 1st draft. Don't submit yourself to writing a 1st draft until you are sure you have it solidly worked out. Once you write that 1st draft and if it's crap it is very hard to clean up into a good story. You end up wasting hours and hours on it. Save yourself that problem and do it right the first time.

But I know you wont and you'll write something down and fall into the same trap we all do starting out.

This is just a little advice. It's hard work writing and if you're serious about it you'll soon work this out.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Welcome to Lit. and the AH.

In addition to what everyone else has suggested, I recommend that you get a comfortable chair. Something with good back support that allows your hands to rest on the keyboard at a comfortable angle. My chair is wearing out, and I can't begin to describe the torture I am experiencing with every writing session.

As for the evil protagonist, examples abound in popular fiction. The key is nuance. There must be something likable about the character.

Chairs! Mine fell apart. I went to Office Depot, found a really nice one on sale. The sale price was $199, list was $389. It is well constructed and at first was quiet comfortable. It is still comfortable, but not for writing. The back is angled for you to lean back in it to read, not type.

Other than that it is a very nice chair.

 

[Borntolust]

Has anyone tried an editing program like Grammarly?

 

[sr71plt]

There is going to be no computer editing program that helps with fiction. Fiction is too subjective and variable.