Crosswise Challenges.

[Joe Wordsworth]

Someone feedbacked me as asked me if I wrote anything outside of BDSM (which I do, for the record)... and asked if I would write a transgender story.

First reaction "I wouldn't know where to begin"; second reaction "I could give it a shot".

Has anyone been posed with the challenge of writing something entirely outside of their interest/habit/comfort zone for stories? If so, did you? I think it'd be interesting to challenge people to write outside their "genre". Personally, I don't know that a transgender story from me would be anything but comically bad.

 

[English Lady]

I have written several custom stories which involved me writing stuff I wouldn't call my thing. The clients have always been well pleased though so thats good.

Actually, one such story is pending here right now. A lesbian sex story. I will be interested to see how it is recieved.

I'd be up to the challenge of trying something new. I always like a good challenge. I would imagine for me Non erotic could be a serious challenge, or maybe reviews and essays? If we're keeping within the sexual arena I think transgender would be difficult for me to as would gay male be (obviously*L*)

 

[BlackShanglan]

Hmmm. Tough call. I'm not sure what I would really call outside of my typical interests. I haven't written in every field that interests me, and I can't say that any one leaps out as particularly difficult to write in.

Perhaps it's time to resurrect the gloveslap thread

Shanglan

 

[Black Tulip]

Joe,

I think I would treat it exactly like it is: a challenge. I know I would try, just for the sake of proving to myself whether I could or not.

*sigh*

Nobody ever asked me to write a story specifically for them. All I get is invitations to ... whatever.

 

[Liar]

Interresting. I would give it a shot. I mean write it, find an audience of one who have that interrest and get his or her (or whatever) opinion. It's a good security for any fiction writer to have that ability under his belt. I dont mean writing transexual stories per se, but to make good, well written fiction even when the heart is not fully into it.

#L

 

[Guest]

yes...
i received a feedback once from someone who wanted me to write a story from them. i didnt do it simply because i didnt have the time. they wanted me to write about a 'fur' fetish...hell they went so far as to outline the entire story. i wrote them back and told them how flattered i was but that they seemed to have the entire story nearly written... why not do it?
it was a great feeling to have someone like my 'schtuff' enough to ask me to write something they enjoyed.
ego stroke!

 

[Green_Gem]

[QUOTE
Has anyone been posed with the challenge of writing something entirely outside of their interest/habit/comfort zone for stories? If so, did you? I think it'd be interesting to challenge people to write outside their "genre". Personally, I don't know that a transgender story from me would be anything but comically bad.[/QUOTE]

Yes Joe, I have been faced with writing something completely outside of my interest and comfort zone. I wrote an incest story and found it to be hugely challenging. I had to wrap my mind around the idea and make it 'work' both in terms of crediblity and appeal for those who enjoy that genre. Don't be so sure that a transgender story from you would be anything but comically bad. You don't know till you've tried!! It's ironic and bizzare but my 'challenge' incest story turned out to be one of the finalists in the Incest category for the year end contest, so you never know what can happen.

Green_Gem

 

[Guest]

Yep, I had to write a romance once (ick), for one of Earl's Gloveslap challenges.

I didn't do very well, though, cos it turned into a comedy with a frog called Gilbert, who had mock leather driving gloves.

(Edited to add that I have nothing against romances, I just can't write them - not without there being loads of feelthy, hardcore sex in it anyway.)

 

[cloudy]

I have one lesbian story up that I wrote for a couple of reasons.....just to see if I could do it and because several readers asked me to expand on a small girl/girl scene in an earlier story.

It was definitely a challenge, since it was outside of my experience, but I had some wonderful help from Colly and Lucky, and it's done very well. So, don't knock your abilities until you've tried.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Since I've written at least one story for every category at Lit at one time or another, I would say that I definitely have written stuff that is way out of my comfort zone. For last year's Survivor Contest I wrote a father/daughter incest story. Even though I made it extremely realistic in terms of how it can affect people's emotions (father committed suicide... yes the story got bombed), I ended up deleting it because of the comfort zone thing.

I still have the story, but it won't be posted anywhere.

 

[Black Tulip]

Since I've written at least one story for every category at Lit at one time or another, I would say that I definitely have written stuff that is way out of my comfort zone. For last year's Survivor Contest I wrote a father/daughter incest story. Even though I made it extremely realistic in terms of how it can affect people's emotions (father committed suicide... yes the story got bombed), I ended up deleting it because of the comfort zone thing.

I still have the story, but it won't be posted anywhere.

I remember that one. Good but not happy reading.

 

[Boota]

Writing erotica at all was out of my comfort zone. I only did it as a challenge from a girl I know online. In most of my writing, which is comedy, I skip over the details of sex scenes. The only sex scene in my novel is between two dogs. (I should post that sometime. It's pretty funny.) When she challenged me to write a piece of erotica it made me approach the entire process of writing in a different way, and I really liked what I ended up with, so I posted it here. I don't think you can go wrong with stretching your legs a bit. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work, and even that in itself is a good learning experience.