Do I write more because someone wants me to?

[Cyalith]

I posted my first story to lit this week and surprisingly got some positive feedback. Several of the posts are asking for more, but I'm not totally sure that if I write more it is going to be as good.

Should I? What do other writers do?

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Whenever I start a story, I need to make sure I can finish it.

As long as your story is wrapped up, no loose ends, no forgotten side-plots... Then you don't have to feel compelled to write more

 

[D_Lynn]

Don't force it.

Only write if you feel compelled to do so. Otherwise, you're right; it will not be very good, and you'll have to deal with the aftermath of that.

I have several people pressuring me to continue writing stories about some characters I've created. I might do that sometime in the future, but I'm not feeling it at the moment. I've moved onto some other interesting characters and situations. When/if I feel like continuing that story, I will. But if I tried to force it out now, it would be crap. And then I've succeeded at pleasing no one.

I've heard where some writers take ideas and notes from readers and write stories just for them. I've also noticed that these stories aren't very well rated. Probably because the writer wasn't into what they were writing.

I think the best works flow freely from the writer's mind through their fingertips. It's a magic that can't be forced.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Don't force it.

Only write if you feel compelled to do so. Otherwise, you're right; it will not be very good, and you'll have to deal with the aftermath of that.

I have several people pressuring me to continue writing stories about some characters I've created. I might do that sometime in the future, but I'm not feeling it at the moment. I've moved onto some other interesting characters and situations. When/if I feel like continuing that story, I will. But if I tried to force it out now, it would be crap. And then I've succeeded at pleasing no one.

I've heard where some writers take ideas and notes from readers and write stories just for them. I've also noticed that these stories aren't very well rated. Probably because the writer wasn't into what they were writing.

I think the best works flow freely from the writer's mind through their fingertips. It's a magic that can't be forced.

I completely agree with 99.9% of this, and if Lit. had the famous Facebook "like" button I'd have hit it, but since it doesn't a quote is the way to go.

 

[SevenSquared]

Personally I think that way too many authors fall in love with their characters too much and write more and more meaningless chapters for them, which end up cheapening the earlier ones. If you feel like the story is wrapped up nicely after the first chapter then you definitely shouldn't write any more. Leave what happens next up to the imagination.

However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't use your readers enjoyment of your story as fuel to write more on a similar theme.

 

[Kurokami]

I don't know that I write more because there are other people reading it, but I certainly write faster now that I have readers. The problem is that I tend to overthink and spin off my stories into sequels and such anyway, just in the course of my day to day writing. Having an audience really just gives me validation for my ridiculous verbosity.

Having said that, I hope that I know when enough is enough, that I stop where it's appropriate. But I do keep going where before I might have given up. It's because the readers I've met are so nice, I just want to give them something they'll enjoy for being so damn pleasant to me!