Entering the Wilderness

[lc69hunter]

My tastes are the same as yours. I prefer not to read 20-page Lit stories. Ideal for me is 3-6 pages, and that's why most of the stories I write fall in that range as well. But the stats indicate that long stories do very well. There seem to be a lot of people with lots of big chunks of time on their hands to read Lit stories.

Agreed. BTW, I see you have brought back Mrs. Pillsbury for another round

 

[Duleigh]

I prefer not to read 20-page Lit stories. Ideal for me is 3-6 pages,

I agree with you, but I love to write 35K to 50K and bigger stories, I love to build worlds or romp in other people's words. I don't get much chance to read because I don't read while I'm writing except for research material.

 

[SimonDoom]

Agreed. BTW, I see you have brought back Mrs. Pillsbury for another round

Yep. She just can't control herself.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I am being a whiney bitch here, but as most of you know, I read and rate a great number of stories. I have a question concerning these large stories. WTF would someone publish a 20 page story? Hell, I bitch at have to read a 11 or 12 page story. Please split something that size into readable chunks. 5-6 pages should be about the max chapter size. No matter what the tags and plot, no one has the time to sit and read a 20 page story.

Maybe they read faster than you.

 

[Duleigh]

WTF would someone publish a 20 page story?

Because I can.

You know, I've never received any feedback that says "Too big" or "I can't read this, it's too long" Most of my feedback is "Well done" and "More!"

 

[onehitwanda]

I've never received any feedback that says "Too big"

sorry, I'm so tired, and everything is just so funny

 

[Duleigh]

I knew I should have used a better choice of words

 

[SimonDoom]

I knew I should have used a better choice of words

You're dealing with writers. The scrutiny over your words will be fierce.

 

[Duleigh]

You're dealing with writers. The scrutiny over your words will be fierce.

There's those who scrutinize, then there are those for whom unintended inuendo and double entendre are the joys of their existence

 

[nock]

I am being a whiney bitch here, but as most of you know, I read and rate a great number of stories. I have a question concerning these large stories. WTF would someone publish a 20 page story? Hell, I bitch at have to read a 11 or 12 page story. Please split something that size into readable chunks. 5-6 pages should be about the max chapter size. No matter what the tags and plot, no one has the time to sit and read a 20 page story.

You think 20 pages is too long?? There are excellent stories of 80 pages, or more, much more. What does the length of a story have to do with its quality, anyway. It's called Literotica, not Illiterotica. There are excellent literary quickies, too.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Finishing a story usually is a big relief.

Starting a new one is the big dopamine rush - until pesky things like continuity rear their ugly head. The joys of writing in a big interconnected universe and all that...

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Finishing a story usually is a big relief.

Starting a new one is the big dopamine rush - until pesky things like continuity rear their ugly head. The joys of writing in a big interconnected universe and all that...

Ah, I don’t have that to worry about. All mine are separate.

I guess I could make some connections later, but for the time being I like to have them maybe exist in the same universe, maybe not.

 

[gunhilltrain]

So after finishing HOT AND FUZZY’s final part and getting the poems published (song parodies) I now find myself in the position of having to start a new story from scratch with only the merest of starting points in place which means I might not be posting for quite a while.

I know many people have dozens of ideas on the go at once (something I only carry into my mainstream writing) so my question is two-fold.

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

Since you asked, I've never had dozens of ideas going at once. I've got to have patience and deal with things slowly and get them finished. There is no rush.

How do I feel finishing a large story? I guess with Geek Pride pretty good, because I already have a prequel and at least one sequel in the works. (It's not that long, about four Lit pages.)

How do you define a new kind of story? Geek Pride was interesting because I decided to have a female narrator, and I think I've only done that four times before. The others were characters that I had used earlier. So how did I do Amanda, who is about 32 years younger than I am? Like everyone else here, I just made it up.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I have always had something in the wings that I was anxious to get started on. I think it's important to keep an ideas file, and to save even the barest suggestion of a story concept in it. Many times, you'll look into it and not even remember what the hell you were thinking, but at least as often, you're likely to spot the blossom in the smallest of seeds.

Thanks for reminding us to do this. I had some ideas during the week and then, after I read this, I knew I had to write them down today or I would forget them weeks from now.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Thanks for reminding us to do this. I had some ideas during the week and then, after I read this, I knew I had to write them down today or I would forget them weeks from now.

Funnily enough I now have a starting point for the story after THE PROCESS. After chatting on the Doppelgänger thread I now will rework an idea I had for a short story about mistaken identity.

THERE’S A LOT OF ME ABOUT.

I’m looking forward to doing both now.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Funnily enough I now have a starting point for the story after THE PROCESS. After chatting on the Doppelgänger thread I now will rework an idea I had for a short story about mistaken identity.

THERE’S A LOT OF ME ABOUT.

I’m looking forward to doing both now.

I'm not sure when I began to take such notes. I've been dong that pretty consistently, but then I almost missed it this week.

Yeah, it does help. If you have them, you can see the outline of the story and perhaps have a clue as to whether it will work or not. I've been starting the story text in the same file with the existing notes, usually with the notes being on the bottom. That helps too, because you can glance down at them and see where you might want to go next.

 

[stickygirl]

There's a lot of me in my stories, usually a better version of myself, so letting her go feels like watching the train disappear up the track, leaving me standing amongst the busy commuters in a cloud of diesel fumes, fighting back tears so no one thinks I'm crazy or worse still, offers me a Watchtower and cup of tea in a plastic cup.

I'm resolved to write something in a new style for a challenge. Trouble is, it's become a roadblock to my ideas, wracking me with guilt for not making progress. I've decided to wait till the long dark evenings of autumn to look at it again. Summer beckons, with its raucous seagulls and wistful sunsets over the water.

 

[MelissaBaby]

There's a lot of me in my stories, usually a better version of myself, so letting her go feels like watching the train disappear up the track, leaving me standing amongst the busy commuters in a cloud of diesel fumes, fighting back tears so no one thinks I'm crazy or worse still, offers me a Watchtower and cup of tea in a plastic cup.

I'm resolved to write something in a new style for a challenge. Trouble is, it's become a roadblock to my ideas, wracking me with guilt for not making progress. I've decided to wait till the long dark evenings of autumn to look at it again. Summer beckons, with its raucous seagulls and wistful sunsets over the water.

I don't know, babe...I think that you start thinking about those raucous seagulls and wistful sunsets, and before long, you'll be imagining a pair of tanned bodies entwined on the beach, the sand sticking to their wet skin as the fingers of the tide ebb and flow around them...

 

[ElectricBlue]

There's a lot of me in my stories, usually a better version of myself, so letting her go feels like watching the train disappear up the track, leaving me standing amongst the busy commuters in a cloud of diesel fumes, fighting back tears so no one thinks I'm crazy or worse still, offers me a Watchtower and cup of tea in a plastic cup.

I'm resolved to write something in a new style for a challenge. Trouble is, it's become a roadblock to my ideas, wracking me with guilt for not making progress. I've decided to wait till the long dark evenings of autumn to look at it again. Summer beckons, with its raucous seagulls and wistful sunsets over the water.

You know you write better when it's raining outside, and you're inside (in a blizzard, or a storm in an ocean, or fighting bears on icebergs).

 

[gunhilltrain]

I agree with you, but I love to write 35K to 50K and bigger stories, I love to build worlds or romp in other people's words. I don't get much chance to read because I don't read while I'm writing except for research material.

Hi Duleigh, I should have congratulated you on the April Fool's contest, but I didn't even look at it until last week. Damn, I almost wrote Valentine's Day.

I usually use existing worlds. There have been many romps in this place, almost entirely fictional except for two non-fiction essays.

https://mrmhadams.typepad.com/.a/6a015434a64eda970c0167688f0697970b-pi

 

[Duleigh]

Hi Duleigh, I should have congratulated you on the April Fool's contest, but I didn't even look at it until last week. Damn, I almost wrote Valentine's Day.

I usually use existing worlds. There have been many romps in this place, almost entirely fictional except for two non-fiction essays.

https://mrmhadams.typepad.com/.a/6a015434a64eda970c0167688f0697970b-pi

Most of my stuff takes place in imaginary portions of real places. You can't make up Minnesota but I invented a new town for We're a Wonderful Wife and in the Stormwatch Series it all takes place in areas that I love in Western New York, but The Gate takes place in a Japanese created Fantasy Land, and Enchantress takes place in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

I may sit down and create a whole world of my own for next year's Geek Pride, but I have to start now, it's a lot of work.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Most of my stuff takes place in imaginary portions of real places. You can't make up Minnesota but I invented a new town for We're a Wonderful Wife and in the Stormwatch Series it all takes place in areas that I love in Western New York, but The Gate takes place in a Japanese created Fantasy Land, and Enchantress takes place in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

I may sit down and create a whole world of my own for next year's Geek Pride, but I have to start now, it's a lot of work.

I see that you did great with Enchantress. In fact, you've done well with almost everything. I've never been that consistent.

May I ask, is that your dog in the avatar?

 

[Duleigh]

I see that you did great with Enchantress. In fact, you've done well with almost everything. I've never been that consistent.

May I ask, is that your dog in the avatar?

Yes, his name was Duleigh

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yes, his name was Duleigh

That's great! I thought it might be your name - like maybe your middle name for privacy purposes.

 

[Duleigh]

Well, for privacy purposes he crossed over the rainbow bridge 5 years ago. He was named after this guy: