Don't wanna post your latest story?

[gauchecritic]

I had the day off from work today (and the rest of the week too hehe) and started writing a story. Quite a good story. The premise was a basically shy guy being in conflict with his emotions because a girl, with whom he has been flirting, makes a very basic proposition which he is mortified by but eventually plucks up the courage and follows her into a secluded room.

The way the story panned out whilst writing was that the girl's sisters stop and tease him by flaunting their bodies at him, and the mother of the girls eventually turns her attention and tells him it's 'her next'.

So the guy goes in the other room, where the original girl regales him with tales of her incestuous sisters (who he met outside), has mindblowing sex with the girl, then the mother, then he's taken to their home where there is yet another sister and a good time is had by all.

I just came back to it tonight to finish the final few paragraphs and on re-reading decided to scrub it from the hard drive.

It wasn't awful. There wasn't much wrong with the technique (although I was attempting a slightly different style) and I could have posted it straight up. This is the first story I've ever just scrubbed altogether. So what's that all about?

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I can relate. I didn't scrub mine for the style, necessarily, and was actually quite enamored with the premise. But there was just something missing. I still can't put my finger on what it was, but I'm hesitant about submitting things I'm really proud of, so I wasn't surprised by not wanting to post it here.

Here's a question, Gauche:

Even though it's scrubbed does the story still hold your attention? Do you think you might ever try something along those lines again and be happier with it?

My story idea still lingers and bugs me at the grocery or as I'm driving through town. Suppose I should sit and give some serious thought to why the story nags at me, but once written loses all verve and appeal.

Good question...but now I'm off on thinking about that silly story again.

~lucky

 

[gauchecritic]

Lucky

Very few things hold my attention for any serious length of time, actually I'm surprised I still visit Lit after nearly two years, that's some kind of record.

To answer your question. Probably no. When I wake in the morning I will have forgotten about it. One of the advantages of getting old.

Gauche

The other advantage is that I still prefer older women, but that's gotta run out some time.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

The other advantage is that I still prefer older women, but that's gotta run out some time.

I prefer older women as well D ) and pray it never runs out. Crossing my fingers for you too.

Wish I could dump some of the stuff running through my brain, but maybe as I get older that will take care of itself.

Thanks,
~lucky

 

[flawed_ethics]

Am I reading this right?

I dream of a day where I can wake up, look at a near-completion story I wrote, knowing I've written it well and the elements were in place, and on a whim decide to scrub it because something about it didn't 'click'.

No chance that you didn't actually delete it and have a blog where you can throw it up?

Better yet, if it's a short enough story, could you toss ait up on the Story Ideas board and let them drool over it? Those kids get a kick out of incest.

 

[Guest]

The other advantage is that I still prefer older women, but that's gotta run out some time.

 

[Sabledrake]

I hate throwing anything away. If nothing else, I keep the rejected stories around in a giant mental junkyard and scavenge them for parts.

Sabledrake

 

[sweetnpetite]

I can relate.

When I was in 5th grade, I was writing a novel. I kept it in a green folder and wrote whenever I could. At the end of the year, I took it home and kept it in my bottom dresser drawer. I asked my mom to read it, and she said she would, but didn't right away. I took it out to look at it, desided it was stupid and tossed it in the trash.

I wish to God I had never done that. I don't even know why I did. Maybe I was 'growing up' or something. Maybe I was just to scared to show it to another person and hear what they thought. Maybe I freaked because I didn't know how I was going to end it.

In any case, it's gone now, and I can never get it back. I think that every author goes through this once, and hopefully learns never to do it again. For god's sake, print yourself a copy and lock it in a drawer so you can look at it again in ten years. You never know, it could be a real diamond in the rough. At the very least, you can learn from your mistakes.

I worked so hard on that book. I wish I could look back over it now with an adult eye, and see if I could spy raw tallent, or even to see if it was half as long as I imagined at the time. Now it is a part of my personal mythology- the one that got away. I'm so sad, just writing about it. I better pop over to my suffering thread and remind myself that life is worth living

 

[Icingsugar]

Something was bugging me about this thread. I read through the whole thing without realising what ut was, until I went back to read the first post.

I had the day off from work today (and the rest of the week too hehe) and started writing a story. Quite a good story.

[...]

I just came back to it tonight to finish the final few paragraphs and on re-reading decided to scrub it from the hard drive.

[...]

It wasn't awful. There wasn't much wrong with the technique (although I was attempting a slightly different style) and I could have posted it straight up.

Oh yeah, that's it. You can write 'quite a good story', and I have no doubt that it was just that, in only one day.

/Ice - oh no not envious at all

 

[wishfulthinking]

I've had a completed story sitting in a folder on my computer from before Christmas and I haven't submitted it (or trashed it). Don't know why. Something about it makes me hesitate, even though I like it. It's very tame - no children, dogs or pizza delivery guys. So I can't off you any answers.

 

[gauchecritic]

Lucky, what wouldn't I give to be a lesbian. (Well there's your cock for one) Are mature lesbians 'Dirty old women'?

Flawed, no, it's gone forever and the opening post here is as much as I can remember. Wracking brains to think of anything I think outstanding. "The taller of them had two eyebrows, one over each eye curving to bracket deep brown pools whereas the other had one eyebrow slashing her exotic complexion, underscoring her dark black fringe."

Perdita (almost called you something else then) I just meant that sooner or later I'll be the oldest person I know.

Sable, I'm guessing that it's still all there somewhere and will re-surface sooner or later in a different form. Isn't that what inspiration is?

Sweet, I never learn. Im doomed to make the same mistakes over and over and I'd rather not have a whole collection to remind me. If there's one thing that history teaches, it's that history teaches us nothing. (paraphrasing someone famous)

Ice, I think I said in the inspiration thread that my inspiration is usually the first paragraph, then the second then the third... Plus the fact I had the rare luxury of no-one in the house at all for a whole day. I've written replies to exercise threads that just make the minimum word count to post as stories. In less than an hour and some of the best writing I've ever done. It's easy Ice (ice) baby. You can do it.

Wishful. That's something I couldn't do. I'm sure your fans wouldn't appreciate your withholding.

Gauche

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I just finished a story. Written over two days. It's like nothing I have written before. Thus far three of the peope I usually ask to look at a story before I begin editing it for posting said it moved them to tears. I was hesitant to even show it to people.

Normally I don't scrub stories, I just leave them on the hard drive and eventually finish them, or borrow from them to fill out a new idea. On rare occasion I complete something I think is crap and just trash it.

This one I don't know yet. It isn't crap, but it's so different from my norm. I know we as writers try to move a reader with our words. But I like to move people to laughter and happiness and even just plain old randiness. This one seems to be moving people to tears. So it may be headed for the recycle bin.

-Colly

 

[dr_mabeuse]

There's nothing wrong with writing something you decide not to publish. If you push yourself and take chances with your writing, you're bound to write some stuff you don't like, and if you care about what you post, you don't publish what you don't like. I mean, very few artists practice in public. Why should it be different for authors?

I wrote a second story for the Valentine's Day contest, trying a new, very psychological kind of voice. I published it, then after a couple days I decided that it just wasn't very good at all, so I had it pulled. It just didn't work; wasn't ready for prime time. I've abandoned it now as a failed experiment, but I kept it.

I've heard that you should always keep your old stuff. That's especially true for visual artists, who are always supposed to keep their old sketchbooks, because you can learn a lot by comparing your old stuff to what you do now. Now that it's so easy to keep manuscripts on hard disc, I throw very little away, but I never go back and visit it. I always say I'm going to salvage bits and pieces for new works, but I hardly ever do.

Still, why would you bother to delete something when you can keep it by default? You must have been pretty disappointed or embarrassed by it to take the trouble to delete it.

---dr.M.

 

[A7inchPhildo]

Here is a laugh some of the stories, my wry sick mid comes up with I feel after completed are not appropriate for Lit readers. So they eventually go on a disk and collect dust on a shelf.

 

[Guest]

The best piece of writing advice I've ever heard was from Richard Laymon.

"Finish what you start, whether you like it or not, just make sure you finish it or you will get into the habit of not finishing." - Richard Laymon.

Even it you just put it to one side, and then go back to it after a few months, it's better than deleting it. Who knows what little gems might be hiding in that story.

Lou

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

When I was in 5th grade, I was writing a novel. I kept it in a green folder and wrote whenever I could. At the end of the year, I took it home and kept it in my bottom dresser drawer. I asked my mom to read it, and she said she would, but didn't right away. I took it out to look at it, desided it was stupid and tossed it in the trash.

In any case, it's gone now, and I can never get it back. ...
I worked so hard on that book. I wish I could look back over it now with an adult eye, ...

Dear Sweet, your post was a beautiful, however sad, story in itself. It gave me the best picture of you yet, and it is a lovely one.

However, you can look it over with your adult eye. Spend some time thinking about it; if it makes you sad that is good. If you can recall anything of it, write it down, however odd or silly it might seem - the way you might try to write down a seemingly crazy dream. Even if you think it's not quite the story you wrote then, keep writing, something good will come of it.

Think hard and write down why you might have trashed it, what it meant that your mom didn't read it, what you were like and going through then. I really believe this is important. I have suffered, in various way, all my life trying to find the real lost Perdita of my youth. I believe it's at the core of why I write.

love, Perdita

 

[Guest]

Perdita (almost called you something else then) I just meant that sooner or later I'll be the oldest person I know.

You can call me anything, Gauche.

Perdita http://www.techhelpers.net/e4u/animal/062.gif

 

[mtnman2003]

Always submit............

Now, granted, I am rather new at this process. Over the months here, I have seen, read, and absorbed the thoughts and comments of many what I consider respected authors.

I am continually amazed when I read about the length of time a story takes, the requirement often includes outlines, etc.

I must be doing something wrong. Maybe it's the quality of my stories. That's got to be it. I don't think it has taken more than 2-days to write any story, most written in several hours.

Now, this may result in less than quality stories? I would love any thoughts ya'all have there!!!

Given response from the general populus or readers, I believe that I am succeeding with the format and nature of my stories.

I can not imagine throwing one back to the hard drive. I have deleted a story from pending to rework a paragraph or two, but that is about the extent of it. I resubmitted it within minutes.

I feel like one of those romance authors in paperback at the grocery store, everybody (ladies) reads them but no one will admit to it........

Mtn

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Re: Always submit............

I am continually amazed when I read about the length of time a story takes, the requirement often includes outlines, etc.

I must be doing something wrong. Maybe it's the quality of my stories. That's got to be it. I don't think it has taken more than 2-days to write any story, most written in several hours.

Now, this may result in less than quality stories? I would love any thoughts ya'all have there!!!

Given response from the general populus or readers, I believe that I am succeeding with the format and nature of my stories.

There are writers here who profess not to care much about the quality of their stories, and there are also writers who obsess about making everything as good as they possibly can. I tend to fall more in the latter group than the former. I'm uncomfortable with a lot of stuff in writing that probably a lot of people wouldn't think twice about. For some people, a "good" story is no more than a story with no spelling mistakes. Others of us look for plot, characterization, rhythm, imagery, language, even musical elements in the writing. I've come to realize that most of the readers here don't care about or even notice these things, but I do, and I'm stuck with it.

I can knock off a story sometimes in a couple days, but then I go back and fool with it, and keep on fooling with it. I'll fool with it for maybe a week or two, letting it rest a bit between fooling sessions. Up to a point, the more I fool with it, the better it gets, but only up to a point.

I've never used an outline for a short story. That's just not how I work, I would think that anyone who has to use an outline to write a short story has a moderate case of attention deficit disorder, but if it works for some people, more power to them.

I guess what I'm saying is: your stories can only be as good as you want them to be. If you can go back to something you wrote, say, a couple months ago and it still seems good to you, then you're probably writing as well as you can.

---dr.M.

 

[Octavian]

Yes and No

I have just posted the first four chapters of a new story.
I wrote the first three chapters over a year ago and more or less forgot about them.

Then I had an idea as to how I could develop it and I have since written another three chapters and I can't seem to post them quickly enough!

However I am an obsessive. I constantly reread and frequently rewrite each chapter before I submit it.

I also find myself thinking about the plot in the middle of the night!

Sad, isn't it?

Octavian

My Stories

 

[wildsweetone]

Dr M. said: 'There's nothing wrong with writing something you decide not to publish.'

It sparked a thought I've been wondering for a while. Why is there such a huge expectant feeling that when one writes, one must therefore publish?

Is it an American thing?

Are writers doomed to never be content with simply writing and enjoying the act for itself?

 

[sweetnpetite]

Why not make a second lit profile, and post it under that? Or even look for a different market?

It sounds like a good piece of work. Even if you never publish it, it seems like such a waste to just trash it.

Knowing your skill and ability, I for one would live to read it. The ability to move a reader, even to tears, is a skill and a tallent. Don't disparage it on this account.

I just finished a story. Written over two days. It's like nothing I have written before. Thus far three of the peope I usually ask to look at a story before I begin editing it for posting said it moved them to tears. I was hesitant to even show it to people.

Normally I don't scrub stories, I just leave them on the hard drive and eventually finish them, or borrow from them to fill out a new idea. On rare occasion I complete something I think is crap and just trash it.

This one I don't know yet. It isn't crap, but it's so different from my norm. I know we as writers try to move a reader with our words. But I like to move people to laughter and happiness and even just plain old randiness. This one seems to be moving people to tears. So it may be headed for the recycle bin.

-Colly

 

[minsue]

Why not make a second lit profile, and post it under that? Or even look for a different market?

It sounds like a good piece of work. Even if you never publish it, it seems like such a waste to just trash it.

Knowing your skill and ability, I for one would live to read it. The ability to move a reader, even to tears, is a skill and a tallent. Don't disparage it on this account.

Hear! Hear!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Are writers doomed to never be content with simply writing and enjoying the act for itself?

For me it's the same difference between masturbation and shared sex. Or maybe it's like the dubious pleasure of tickling oneself.

More than any other art form, writing is about communication, and if you fail to communicate what it is you're trying to say, then you've totally failed, in my opinion at least. And how do you know if you've succeeded unless someone else reads it?

Writing exists only in the mind of the reader. We don't produce pretty pictures or sensual pieces of sculpture or make pleasing sounds when we write, as in visual art or music (at least I don't), so a piece of writing must be read to exist. It's like the tree falling in the forest. If no one reads it, it doesn't really exist.

I've never been able to understand people who "write for themselves". I guess it must be something like keeping a diary, but I'm really not sure. But if you don't care whether anyone else reads it, why not just detsroy it after it's written? Better yet, why write it in the first place? I just don't understand how you can write something you think is good and then just rip it up and feel satisfied that your time was well-spent.

---dr.M.