do your stories evolve in the midst of creation?

[flyer333]

I am very proud of my 2nd submission A TREASURE FOUND. It may not be that good to you but in my mind it was a simple story that had a life of its own. I'd like to explore how many writers found that an initial idea blossomed into something totally different as the characters took on a life of their own. Is it me or common???

 

[Whisky7up]

I am very proud of my 2nd submission A TREASURE FOUND. It may not be that good to you but in my mind it was a simple story that had a life of its own. I'd like to explore how many writers found that an initial idea blossomed into something totally different as the characters took on a life of their own. Is it me or common???

Pretty common I think. One of mine started out as a brief fantasy that I began writing while on holiday...it developed into something much more and became over 30,000 words. I'd get ideas about something I liked and then change or add things to earlier parts so it made sense with the new idea. This happened in other stories too. I don't think I'm unique there

 

[Sabledrake]

Happens to me all the time. "The Ravishing of Constance," for instance, went 20 chapters because I was having too much fun exploring the new characters and ideas.

Sabledrake

 

[Boxlicker101]

All of my stories start out fairly simply, usually inspired by a porno pic of a woman or a video clip or something like that. Sometimes it is a suggestion made by a reader. I start writing, usually having some idea what is going to happen and the story evolves from there.

 

[BHill93]

While I have only written two erotica stories (i accidentally deleted the other one before getting a chance to submit it.) I have never really had that experience though I have had the content kind of flow from me.

 

[J.Q. Hack]

Some of my stories I intended to be stand alone. Then once I saw the finished product and got some feedback on Lit, I thought of ways the story could expand or take in a different direction. I don't think I've consciously planned any stories to be several chapters but I've had some stories grow and those are the ones I'm happiest with.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I don't think I've ever sat down and written a story in which I knew exactly what was going to happen and stayed true to that idea. Often my story ideas are no more than a scene or an image. I sit down, create characters, and start manipulating them towards that scene, but as I write they take on a life of their own and things start happening.

Very often I'll sit down intending to write one kind of story and it ends up something completely different. It's the writing that does it. Being immersed in the story with your characters, you see and notice things you never imagined when you were turning the story over in your mind. It's one of the fascinating things about writing.

---dr.M.

 

[PAUL C]

life of their own

I have a rough idea of what i am going to write about when i start but then my fingers take over.

 

[hotchkiss]

I find I get an idea from somewhere, a film, book, picture etc then develop it.

Most times the story evolves greatly from the initial idea or draught copy. When I'm on a roll stories sometimes end up completely different.

Besides that I tend to rewrite stuff constantly, even the stuff I'm happy with!

Bestest wishes

HK

 

[patricia51]

I think pretty much anyone who writes has had their characters take off in an unexpected direction. I rather enjoy it, except when I'm in one of my wierd moods and I've written the ending first and then can't seem to lead the characters to that ending.

 

[MagicFingers]

Do my stories evolve in the midst of creation?

Sometimes
The last one did, for sure. I had intended for it to evolve entirely differently from how it ended up. A friend pointed out the direction it should be heading and I changed the whole second half to fit that idea. I think it turned out great. However, the public, readers, weren't so turned on by it.

Should I have continued on the original path?
Who knows?
I like the way it turned out even it the voting is only 4.31.

I'll write the other story some other time.
Cest la vie.

 

[strickland83]

Evolving Stories

I've had this happen. When I was writing Havana Club, the story was going to end with Christopher standing alone in Key West. End of story. While I was writing it and posting the chapters weekly, there were so many e-mails and posts asking for a happy ending that I decided to find a way. I knew I couldn't give Christopher and Felicita a happy ending in the timeframe of Havana Club, so After Fidel was born and what had been just a story turned into a novel, The Cuba Stories. The whole concept of how the story was being told changed, as evidenced by the opening section of After Fidel.

Recently, I was writing Yellow Lambswool with one ending in mind. About halfway through writing it, the idea came to me for a different ending. I knew in my heart this was the way to end it, so the story changed at that point. The ending has been what readers say really gets to them.

As others have mentioned, I also start writing with a general idea of what is going to happen. The story develops as I write it, often bringing in subplots that I had not envisioned at the outset.

Strickland83

 

[hotchkiss]

Posting them on Lit has actually made me change my scribblings quite a bit. As most of the stuff I write is Vampirotica a lot of the tales ended not knowing whether the character lives, dies or is reborn.

I left the tales like that because sometimes I reused characters that I really liked or grew attached to (sounds kinda sick like that!)

A couple of stories got knocked back, the reasons being violence/snuff etc so i rewrote the end all happy ever after and they were accepted.

In the original tales the ends were darker and written as a series shows how the main character evolves from a heartless killer into a more careful cautious creature that preys on the human race almost hidden using her power to ensnare influential characters to bring her fortune and power.

Wot a load of waffle!

HK

 

[bogey102]

I think I agree with Dr. Mab on this one. All my writing (erotic and otherwise) starts with an idea and grow as I write. My only submission Sarah and Christy was in response to the fantisies of a girl I was seeing at the time. She wanted a story, and I let my fantisies about the possibility play out.

 

[elsol]

It works like this for me.

When I start to think about a story... I'm standing on dirt... and in my mind the foundation takes shape, the framing for the walls, the rooms get labels, and when I'm done I can even see how the outside is painted.

I've never had anything that is BASIC to the structure of the story change.

What evolves is how each room gets decorated.

ElSol

 

[Guest]

I am very proud of my 2nd submission A TREASURE FOUND. It may not be that good to you but in my mind it was a simple story that had a life of its own. I'd like to explore how many writers found that an initial idea blossomed into something totally different as the characters took on a life of their own. Is it me or common???

This has been very mixed for me because while my longer, labor-of-love story, "Legacy of Judas" has evolved from a simple set of ideas into a three-book storyline, while my very short stories like, "Christmas Eve at Johnny Goodsins" or "Cupid's Boomerang Arrow" (which I did for another site) was a one shot thing that I knew from the start would be a certain way.

I'm working on one right now that is a short story but its based from a verys simple concept that I had that I'm allowing to grow in a number of different directions. Originally it started out as set in contemporary times, but then it felt more comfortable as a bit of a period piece because of the dialog of the main character. Then again, I write like I illustrate; one line at a time.