do you write for your audience?

[Guest]

Springboarding off of open thighs sarah's thread, I thought I would ask this question:

When you are writing your stories do you write with the intention of getting your audience off?

Many of us say "I write for myself." How many of us are writing for ourselves and how many of us are writing for our audience. Naturally, I am presuming that the majority of people come to Lit Land to cum.

Personally, I have found that the stories that I wrote with the intention of arousing the reader have gotten the most feedback of the "I am so fucking hard" variety (or so wet). While some of the feedbacks venture into TMI land, it is gratifying to know I accomplished what I set out to do.

b

 

[Chicklet]

Your question confuses me because I think that writing for your audience can be just as rewarding as writing for yourself. So, if you enjoy writing for your audience, aren't you still just writing for you?

I *can* write with the intent of getting my audience off. I think I do a pretty good job of it when I try. I enjoy the feedbacks and votes I get for such stories.

But I enjoy writing the one's that're just for me. The one's that get shitty votes and no feedback at all.

I don't really sit down and think to myself "hmm...should I write for me today or for my audience?" It's different every time.

First, please yourself. If you're not happy, what's the friggin' point? But that doesn't mean that writing for your audience can't be enjoyable.

I write for me. I can't write for anyone else. But sometimes I do write with my audience in mind.

-Chicklet

 

[Wicked-N-Erotic]

I write for myself and hope that others will like them. I write about my R/L experiences and my fantasies. Some of my stories make me hot, from reliving the event while writing, I know there has to be others who like similar things and that it would get them hot also. So, I guess I kinda write for both reasons.

Wicked

 

[oggbashan]

Muses Rule OK

I write what my Muses want me to write.

Sometimes I write for a specific audience, mainly an adult Yahoo Group, but the Muses have the final say. If they want a particular story written, I have to write it.

If they go away, the story remains unfinished. They sometimes revisit part written works but usually they are off on another track.

It's the voices in my head that decide what I write and who I write for.

I write for myself only in the sense that my Muses won't give me any peace unless I write some approximation of the story they really want me to tell. I hope that one day I will write a story that satisfies the Muses but I doubt anyone would read it.

With eleven or more Muses I have a minute probability of satisfying all of them at once. Now if I had only one ... life would be so much simpler.

Og

 

[sirhugs]

contributing to a consensus?

I'd much prefer to be contrarian, but I too can only write the stories which infest my perverse mind. They exist without conscious motivation.

I first discovered Lit as a reader. ( Saying more might be TMI). Recognizing that a volunteer written site needs volunteers to write, I committed one of my favourite fantasies into electronic written form, and submitted. I post to " give back" to the excellent writers who inspired by , umm, er, you know....

and to share with this little community of free speechers and freaks.

I like to say that if even one reader likes a stotry, its worth while. I must admit that positive feedback, lotsa views and decent scores encourages me to write more.

Over time, I have made good friends in the Lit forum, and to some extent write to please them especially.

 

[pop_54]

Yep

Sometimes, but not often.

Mostly I write what I feel like writing and if they don't like it, the words 'tough' and 'shit' spring to mind.



pops............

 

[Gabriel_Lee]

Originally posted by Chicklet
Your question confuses me because I think that writing for your audience can be just as rewarding as writing for yourself. So, if you enjoy writing for your audience, aren't you still just writing for you?

I *can* write with the intent of getting my audience off. I think I do a pretty good job of it when I try. I enjoy the feedbacks and votes I get for such stories.

But I enjoy writing the one's that're just for me. The one's that get shitty votes and no feedback at all.

I don't really sit down and think to myself "hmm...should I write for me today or for my audience?" It's different every time.

First, please yourself. If you're not happy, what's the friggin' point? But that doesn't mean that writing for your audience can't be enjoyable.

I write for me. I can't write for anyone else. But sometimes I do write with my audience in mind.

Actually, I agree with all this. But generally, I write what I want to write. I do like to trip the reader up occasionally, though!

But I always write for an audience, but not necessarily to get them off. I've just started getting low votes (<4) with my two most recent stories - one was crap (an exercise that didn't really work), but the other I have actually had some very appreciative feedback about, it just wasn't what most people were expecting.

I think it matters that people care enough to vote. I am more upset by a story that carries less votes, than a story that carries lower votes.

If you have a big enough fan club, I guess it doesn't matter.

GL

 

[openthighs_sarah]

I do write for an audience. Unfortunately, I always imagine the audience is comprised entirely of other sarah's -- people just like me.

I absolutely want to turn people on with my stories. But I'm my first (and toughest) reader, and anything I write has to get past me before it finds its way into the cyberether. I want my readers to have explosive orgasms when they read my stories, but this always seems incidental when compared to my need to have explosive orgasms.

Note to Gauche: I use "explosive" in a metaphorical sense here. I'm not suggesting that readers actually explode while reading my stories in the way they might, for example, if exposed to a (near) vacuum.

 

[Guest]

I certainly write for my audience since they have provided me with the encouragement and feedback to continue and improve my writing. And I enjoy returning the favor.



P.S. Oh, openthighs_sarah? *putting away my Super Deluxe Vacuum Pump Penis Enlarger*, you sure know how to take the wind out of a guy's sails.

 

[Guest]

ewwww

PM-

I don't know how many times I have to mention it to you guys, but 'itch' and 'pussy' should NEVER go in the same sentence.

b

 

[MathGirl]

'itch' and 'pussy' should NEVER go in the same sentence.

Dear BKeeney,
Do you mean as in Candida albicans?
MG

 

[Guest]

the obvious

MG-

Candida is always unwelcome, but there are many other critters that are also indicated by those words being together. None of which are at all erotic.

b

 

[sirhugs]

Re: the obvious

MG-

Candida is always unwelcome, but there are many other critters that are also indicated by those words being together. None of which are at all erotic.

b

watch out , BK, Dirtgurl might see this as a story challenge: " write an erotic tale about ..."

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: the obvious

watch out , BK, Dirtgurl might see this as a story challenge: " write an erotic tale about ..."

Now that would be a fetish story.

Hmmm... he likes fish and cottage cheese.

*so very ill*

b

 

[Guest]

Thread Discipline

Bad thread starter... I have wandered off into the hinterlands.

I really am interested in for whom you write. Please forgive my lack of discipline.

b

 

[sirhugs]

Re: Thread Discipline

Bad thread starter... I have wandered off into the hinterlands.

I really am interested in for whom you write. Please forgive my lack of discipline.

b

oh, if you want discipline you oughta be over on BDSM Talks forum

 

[KillerMuffin]

I write to my audience. Not at them, to them. I write for myself because it pleases me to write. I write to the audience, not to myself. It is with them that I wish to communicate. I have something to say and I try to make this as engaging as possible so that they might not only be entertained by it, but that they might hear what I have to say. Whatever that is.

I don't write to please myself. If I did that, I would not share my writing. I write to reach an audience and I keep them at the forefront of my mind when writing.

 

[Croctden]

Five second history

I started writing for myself a long time ago. Generally speaking I've found my tastes to not much the mainstream, so I posted a story to see how it would do. I've been surprised at how good my scores are. I do like feedback, and am actually writing a sequal right now due to requests, but in the end I am writing for myself. Which makes it tough for me to decide when a piece is done (hence I have not put up a story since September). Right now I have a story that's done, but I have problems with it and keep making nitpicky changes. Okay that was more than five seconds.

 

[Guest]

just do it!

Croctden-

My advice, even though you haven't asked for it, is to let another author that you respect read the story and make comments. If they think it is good to go, then post the story.

You have admitted to never truly "being done" with a story. Let someone else toss you off the boat and make you move on.

I have done this a couple of times and not regretted it. Yes, there are still quirks that I would like to iron out, but I have been able to move on to different stories that I would never have written if I had still been piddling.

b

 

[MathGirl]

Re: just do it!

Let someone else toss you off

My goodness, Bridget. Are you sure you meant that?
MG

 

[sirhugs]

Re: Re: just do it!

My goodness, Bridget. Are you sure you meant that?
MG

I'm surprised you stopped the quote there..." little man in the boat" slang racing through MY brain

 

[Guest]

wrong thread

MG and SH-

I talked about all that on open thighs sarah's thread. sheesh.

b

 

[Mazora]

bridgetkeeney asked:

When you are writing your stories do you write with the intention of getting your audience off?

-----------------

(Digging deep in the bone pile...)

Does one have an audience? And if so...what the heck did I do with mine?

I have and do write pieces for people who want "Private" writings. And they very clearly know what gets them off. But aside from that, the writing is for/because of the story that wants telling. And the story is assisted by my hopefully randy mind! Now and again I will try my hand at writing erotica that has a specific theme/audience, but usually only for the sake of the personal challenge.

Now if we are talking about the audience of ones work, that's an even tougher call to make for me. I've had my web site since January of 99 and I do get feedback, I even have a small colony of on-going readers who will drop me a note about a particular story now and again. But the feed back is not of a volume that would allow me to make any judgements about who on the whole likes getting off to what.

So I suppose that I write and them what like it return or ask for more!

Mazora

 

[sirhugs]

Re: wrong thread

MG and SH-

I talked about all that on open thighs sarah's thread. sheesh.

b

Hey, you're the one that brought it up.

 

[Erlikkhan]

If I was only writing for myself, then why would I ever post a story? Show me someone that can't wait to see audience reaction to a newly posted story and I'll show you someone that is in denile (and that's in Egypt).

On the other hand I write what turns me on and what I think is erotic. If it doesn't do it for me how can I possibly think it will do it for others?