Causes of Thread Death ?

[shizzz]

I am constantly suffering from thread death, and I am almost never given any insight into why. So I wanted to post a thread where people could post the reasons they let threads die. I can only imagine there is often little or no communication about it. And the threa is simply left to shrivel up and die

So please tell all is lit-sters, what it is that makes you want to ignore a thread, or stop interacting with a co-writer.

With the help of all faithful writers I hope to save a thread or two from an untimely demise. Thank you for your support

 

[Veroe]

One of the most common reasons I would imagine is Real Life. It quite often makes someone devote their time to friends family or work or school instead of their obligations to their threads here at Lit. Sometimes it makes them lose their internet for an indefinite period. Real Life can be a real self-centered rat bastard sometimes to a lot of peple myself included, but sometimes Real Life happens.

The other most common reason for a thread death is failure to click. The direction of the plot, the other writer's style conflicting with your own, your own writing not meeting your own expectations, not quite excelling at the character as you expected, or the thread just not capturing your imagination like you thought it would when you expressed interest in the idea for it. There's a myriad of reasons for the failure to click, but I'd think it's probably the number one reason a thread dies.

The trick for you shizz is to not take it personally, sometimes at poker you just have to fold and get a new hand next time. So too here at Lit sometimes a thread just doesn't work out, but you can't let it get you down or bitter or angry. If a thread dies on you, keep at it. Try getting another cowriter for it, or try out another idea for a thread. Just don't give up. You'll have more misses than hits here, but I find you get rewarded more for perserverence than success here.

 

[Annisthyrienne]

I'll play. I've only ever let a few threads die since I've been here. I've had many threads die on me, usually when a co-writer gets pulled away in real life, and doesn't come back for months. And then when they do, the story is just too far removed from our minds and memories to revive it.

I have revived some after a co-writer returned, and I still enjoy that thread very much. But the ones I have let go on my end have been for one of the following reasons:

-My co-writer insists on writing my character's actions without my consent.
-My co-writer pressures me either directly or indirectly to post before I am ready, thereby making me feel guilty about the time it takes me to post. When this happens, it makes this hobby feel like an obligation and a chore to me, and takes the enjoyment out of it. For this same reason, I never pressure a co-writer to post. I won't even mention it, even if it takes weeks or months.
-My co-writer puts my character into situations where I have no choice of actions/am not comfortable with the situation. Or they put my character into situations that disgust me or turn me off and do it in such a way that I have no option but to go along with it.
-The one other time I let a thread drop was when my co-writer just put me into one sex situation after another without a break or further story development. Let's face it, I'm too old to be a nympho for very long. I get tired and it just doesn't seem like it would be realistic to keep going like the energizer bunny.

Now, I have often wondered about why some of the stories of my own that have been abandoned by my co-writers had ended. I have wondered if it could be because my posts are too long, and possibly intimidating to them. A lot of people try to match their partner's post length and quality, and after a while, maybe it just gets to be too much work for them to live up to their own expectations. For my part, I have never told a co-writer that I expect them to write a certain amount, etc. I always say, write what you feel, and don't worry about the length. When you've put all into your post that you wanted to cover, then that's all you need. If that takes 100 words or 2000, it's okay with me either way.

 

[The_Spectre]

I've had few reasons as to why my threads have died though the main one seemed to be lack of interest. While I won't deny that RL has pulled my partners away from time to time, usually it's due to what I assume is lack of interest. I understand this, I'd rather have a story die than have a partner who doesn't have the heart to go on. What I dislike is the lack of communication as they'll simply let it die and go on to do other stories without even telling me that they don't wish to do mine leaving me to wonder (I've since abandoned the thought of PMing them). I don't care what reason it's for whether it be my writing or not knowing where to take the story, but I at least want to know when someone want to leave.

I think that's what kind of made me not want to write so much now, at least not here. I have the ideas stewing in there, I've just need the desire back.

 

[The_gladiator]

I agree with most of what has been said here... and have dropped threads or had threads drop for most of the reasons listed here... RL is the most common one though that I've experienced.

 

[tmmmbrrr]

after being involved in a few threads, i've come around to the idea that i'd prefer to start a thread with an end in mind or at least some concept that the story idea should be strong enough to support 75, 150 or ### posts -- particularly rp threads.
i've brought a couple threads to their end - once because i was got emotionally involved, once because we kept writing about the same things over and over. like everybody else, i've had co-writers flake out or prove to be non-compatable. part of the beauty of lit boards is that they're an idea marketplace and ideas come, go or never get off the ground.

my sole piece of advice is that if you are lucky enough to find somebody you love to write with, do whatever you can to keep that relationship alive at a level where both (or all) want to continue writing and playing off each other's ideas. That is the best thing lit has to offer and probably the only thing that makes the hours we spend here worth it.

 

[shizzz]

I have to agree with all you guys are putting out there. Any thoughts on why there is a lack of communication? I am most certainly guilty I it myself, simply not 'feeling' it for any if the myriad of reasons you guys have mentioned. But there is never a quick Pm to say why your bit feeling it, or that your just not interested. Then of course the PM checking in on your co writer that is never responded to. Do we find it easier to ignite some one rather then tell them why it's not clicking or whatever the reason may be that we have lost interest. I guess for me I'm always curious if it is my writing or whatever, looking for a little constructive criticism.

I appreciate all these replies though

 

[Miaoux]

I have to agree with all you guys are putting out there. Any thoughts on why there is a lack of communication? I am most certainly guilty I it myself, simply not 'feeling' it for any if the myriad of reasons you guys have mentioned. But there is never a quick Pm to say why your bit feeling it, or that your just not interested. Then of course the PM checking in on your co writer that is never responded to. Do we find it easier to ignite some one rather then tell them why it's not clicking or whatever the reason may be that we have lost interest. I guess for me I'm always curious if it is my writing or whatever, looking for a little constructive criticism.

I appreciate all these replies though

discomfort, no one wants to be the "bad" guy .."your all into it and I am not feeling it, makes me feel bad...and so it is easier not to say anything...
This is a very common reaction everywhere I go...and in almost every relationship I have...I tend to get enthusiastic about stuff and when people around me don't ..they don't say anything..until thier pissed or hurt...as if I should have known..or understood just by thier silence...*sigh*
but I can be pretty dense.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

discomfort, no one wants to be the "bad" guy .."your all into it and I am not feeling it, makes me feel bad...and so it is easier not to say anything...
This is a very common reaction everywhere I go...and in almost every relationship I have...I tend to get enthusiastic about stuff and when people around me don't ..they don't say anything..until thier pissed or hurt...as if I should have known..or understood just by thier silence...*sigh*
but I can be pretty dense.

Now, now Miao. You are hardly dense. Enthused perhaps, but I am not buying dense. Shizz, I agree with Miao. Many people consider being truthful to be bad mannered because oft times, the only way to state it is to be blunt. Not many have the stomach for it. It is far easier to just avoid altogether. The thing is, don't take it personal or if you feel the need to know, write them in private and ask what went wrong for them. Hopefully, they'll reply but don't be surprised if they don't. Again, don't take it personal and just keep plodding along. You'll eventually catch a break.

 

[The_Spectre]

Now, now Miao. You are hardly dense. Enthused perhaps, but I am not buying dense. Shizz, I agree with Miao. Many people consider being truthful to be bad mannered because oft times, the only way to state it is to be blunt. Not many have the stomach for it. It is far easier to just avoid altogether. The thing is, don't take it personal or if you feel the need to know, write them in private and ask what went wrong for them. Hopefully, they'll reply but don't be surprised if they don't. Again, don't take it personal and just keep plodding along. You'll eventually catch a break.

You're gonna have to forgive me if I don't find that completely cowardice to just avoid something rather than tell someone you want out and be honest.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

Honestly, Spectre... I think it comes down to 2 things...

1. You do not want to hurt your writing partner by telling them that the story just is not working, or the character is not working, or whatever is not working. No matter how you put it, the other writer is going to think it is something about them that is not working, something about them that is wrong..

2. You do not want to have to answer the myriad of questions that will surely follow. Perhaps even you do not quite know what it is that is not working, and trying to then answer questions as to "why" is just not fun nor comfortable...

That is my take on it at least...

 

[shizzz]

For me I am just not 'feeling it' when I check in on lit, other threads having more precedence for me. Then the next thing I know it's down on the bottom of my subscripts.

It's just so interesting how quickly a thread, that is definitely hot (both writers responding very frequently and extensively) can then never be mentioned again the next day

 

[DarkWarrioress]

You're gonna have to forgive me if I don't find that completely cowardice to just avoid something rather than tell someone you want out and be honest.

Oh, I agree, Spec. If I have to pull out of a thread, which I have before, I have been as honest as I possibly can be with my co-writer. I do try to use tact and politeness but I am honest about the reason for doing so.

 

[Veroe]

You're gonna have to forgive me if I don't find that completely cowardice to just avoid something rather than tell someone you want out and be honest.

Is it cowardly? Yes, yes it is.

Is it human? Yes, yes it is.

Will the fact that its cowardly prevent people from doing it still. Nope, not one bit.

One of my very first threads was like this I wrote the first response and nothing. Time went by. I PMed my cowriter. She was very apologetic and posted a post shortly after and I responded and she failed to post once again I pmed again and again she was very apologetic and posted, that was when I began to realize her posts were getting progressively shorter and more disengaged. She was failing to click with it. Since I was new then we continued on like this until she no longer posted and didn't respond to my PMs. I was curious to know the why it didn't click with her, but still don't know.

One more thing to add. Me and her wrote together on another thread later on and that was one that truly sung and moved quick and promptly with ideas pouring out from both of us. One of my favorites of all time. That one died because RL pulled her away.

Its truly a random thing sometimes the thread clicks with you and your cowriter and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[brw02]

Threads seem to die for a variety of reasons, although real life is probably the most common among them. The demands of work and family can squeeze out the time that a writer has for Literotica. Writing amateur erotica does not put food on the table. We don't really know what issues our writing partners may have in their private lives. We only know what they are willing to share with us. We can't tell if her husband or boyfriends know thay are writing sexually explicit messages to us, and we don't know if he is OK with it. There are numerous reasons why our cowriters may not be responding to us.

At other times, the thread itself may be unworkable. For example, there are men like myself that like to play with some bondage domination/submission in a role play thread, but we don't get any pleasure from sado-masochism. If a partner wants to explore that genre, it is time to close the thread. She can find true sadists to cowrite with; I simply don't have a sadistic mentality and I would not be a good partner for a masochist.

Whatever the reason, the partner who does not want to continue owes the other partner a PM to let him/her know why they are leaving. That is common courtesy. Writers who disappear without a word are being disrespectful of their partners.

 

[zydrate]

For me, I sometimes find myself bored...but still planning on continuing...and then some time passes...and passes..and then it just seems silly to mention it...
Maybe I am evil.

Agreed.

In all honesty, I like to write. I really do. Threads have died because of me. I admit that. But there is fault on the other guy/girl. I have found only 2 writers on Lit. that I love to write with. 2 that I want to respond to no matter what time of day they reply.

Sadly, those 2 no longer come back onto Lit.... RL took over I guess...

I can't seem to find my groove back with anyone else.

 

[dale124]

Real life is the number one reason for me. Computer problems, friends, family, at one time work (I'm retired now), and commitments all get in the way. It probably doesn't help that I've never been a role player that posts short one sentence or one paragraph comments either. My posts tend to take time to create and type. And since I'm somewhat anal about spelling and grammar, I frequently end up editing the finished product. All that ends up taking more time than I can afford.

The number two reason I've let a role play die is that I've taken on too many role plays at the same time. I never know which role plays are still active or have been forgotten about by the author. So I end up applying for several role plays at a time on the assumption that I won't get a response on some of them. I'm doing one role play right now (via email), but I have applications here and elsewhere for 5 others. Two of those applications have been unanswered for quite some time. Which is why I joined this site, since it seemed more active than the other sites I belong to.

The number three reason I've let a role play die is pure boredom. The story turned out not to be as interesting as I thought it would be. Blame it on me or the other role players for being unable to come up with a good storyline to support the initial opening sequence. Because the opening sequence is usually what attracts me to a story.

The number four reason I've let a role play die is that it had simply run it's course. I had role plays that went into almost two thousand comments, where at some point, the members seemed desperate to hold the story together when it had reached what I thought was a satisfactory conclusion.

The number five reason I've let a role play die is that the other role players were taking on too much of my character's actions. I'm easy going enough that I allow others to take a certain amount of liberties with my character, but there comes a point when the god modding gets to be too much and I have to walk away.

In most cases, I've been able to tell the other role players, "This is not working for me." But to my shame, I haven't always done so. Usually that's happened when real life got in the way in the form of a computer crash and the chaos that resulted afterwards. But sometimes it was simply because I didn't know how to say goodbye.

 

[shizzz]

Real life is the number one reason for me. Computer problems, friends, family, at one time work (I'm retired now), and commitments all get in the way. It probably doesn't help that I've never been a role player that posts short one sentence or one paragraph comments either. My posts tend to take time to create and type. And since I'm somewhat anal about spelling and grammar, I frequently end up editing the finished product. All that ends up taking more time than I can afford.

The number two reason I've let a role play die is that I've taken on too many role plays at the same time. I never know which role plays are still active or have been forgotten about by the author. So I end up applying for several role plays at a time on the assumption that I won't get a response on some of them. I'm doing one role play right now (via email), but I have applications here and elsewhere for 5 others. Two of those applications have been unanswered for quite some time. Which is why I joined this site, since it seemed more active than the other sites I belong to.

The number three reason I've let a role play die is pure boredom. The story turned out not to be as interesting as I thought it would be. Blame it on me or the other role players for being unable to come up with a good storyline to support the initial opening sequence. Because the opening sequence is usually what attracts me to a story.

The number four reason I've let a role play die is that it had simply run it's course. I had role plays that went into almost two thousand comments, where at some point, the members seemed desperate to hold the story together when it had reached what I thought was a satisfactory conclusion.

The number five reason I've let a role play die is that the other role players were taking on too much of my character's actions. I'm easy going enough that I allow others to take a certain amount of liberties with my character, but there comes a point when the god modding gets to be too much and I have to walk away.

In most cases, I've been able to tell the other role players, "This is not working for me." But to my shame, I haven't always done so. Usually that's happened when real life got in the way in the form of a computer crash and the chaos that resulted afterwards. But sometimes it was simply because I didn't know how to say goodbye.

I totally agree with those all being valid reasons. I've done the same myself. But I typically throw a PM to my coauthors, and then had no response. I think that's the worst part


I feel they could at least respond? I mean how long does that take to explain one of those reasons in a response?