Back in the saddle.

[Niceandbrutal]

I'm back again after some on-again/off-again guest visits during the last 8 or so years. I have done some RPing on another site, but I find the level of writing on Lit more advanced and more to my liking. I've been married and divorced in my absence and have moved out of and back to Norway, my home country. I look at some of my older threads and sometimes cringe, sometimes wonder how I could ever write some of the stuff I did. Most of it is... eesh, not good. But some of it even I can recognise as good.

I will go at a slower pace this time around. In my "heyday" I had 4-6 threads going simultaneously. I got burned out. And yet, I miss the writing. I miss delving into plots, exploring characters similar to or vastly different from myself. And of course, good erotica/smut. I mean, let's not mince words here!

So, wondering if there are others out there in the same situation? Feeling the pull of the muse, as it were, and reluctantly caving in and obeying the call?
If so, what do you consider the biggest challenge in starting up again?

 

[monique_minx]

Remembering how to write with others lol but it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Rather like riding a bike.
I also had an overflow of ideas and desires to write which made me return. Writing alone was boring, I missed not always knowing what would come next. I guess I enjoy the collaborative process more than I thought.

Harder to find the right people to write with, fortunately a few of the old guard still linger so I knew who would be dependable to kick off again with.

Then explaining my ideas coherently was tough, especially the more complex ones - which also circled back to the right co writer because the more complex the plot, the more important it is to have a co writer who is in sync with me. And I have to have a co writer I can challenge and say no to in the brainstorming process and one who contributes in response who will also say no to me or deliver better ideas.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Losing touch with the old crowd and having to make new connections with newer people who have their favourites and have stopped looking for other authors.

 

[Nina327]

I'm back after a long time as well. I am, and I am not, the same person I was 15 years ago.
There's a lot less play in the lounge. That's where I would feel out compatibility. Not necessarily on writing style, but humor and wit. I still read people's past writings to gauge if we could mesh. Some people have a narrow niche they fit into, and others are so broad they lose any focus but the smut.

I like world-building quite a lot, but my focus is more internal. I guess I could say I like people building. Some stories come almost from an alternate persona, and others are like a dear friend telling me about their adventures, and yet others are like a coworker sharing office gossip.

I'd say that this time around, I'm better at narrowing down goals, checking in with co-writers, and getting out of my own way.

Still not good at reaching out to get new cowriters. For me, the story ideas come from conversation, and not just, hey I like you *poof* there's an idea to write. There are several people I'd like to write with I just don't have a story in mind at the moment.

SO, my biggest challenge this time around is still the same challenge I had the last time: I don't reach out unless I have a solid idea of something to spark a story with.