Help getting started / organized ?

[seanyboy22]

To be direct... I've been a fan of erotic stories, and in particular this amazing site dedicated to them, for over a year now. Having become inspired by what I've read and now knowing what I look for in erotic fiction... I've decided to try my hand at the craft. I've had previous experience writing fiction in a few college creative writing courses so I know I'm capable.

The problem is, unlike in those classes, I'm writing out of inspiration and creative desire, so I'm flooded with ideas... and there lies the problem.

I'm having difficulty with a few things in particular: Where to start, organizing my story, 3rd person vs. 1st person, and method of writing. Here are my questions and I hope someone who's experienced similar barriers can give some tips.

1st), Do you write on the computer or old fashioned, by hand? I feel like I have trouble really getting into the story while writing on the computer because of distractions. Does anyone still write/plan on paper? 2nd) Do you outline your story or do you jump right in? What point of view would be best for a beginner writer to use? Do you outline your characters before your write?

Essentially... any advice on taking your raw creativity and ideas and forming them into an erotic story? Can anyone relate?

 

[sun_sea_sky]

Personally I write on the computer. Easier to correct mistakes, insert paragraphs etc.

I started writing recently, and my advice would be just to jump in and write your first story, and see what happens. It may well be that you don't attempt to publish that. But you will start to iron out punctuation rules, paragraph lengths, and so on.

It's like cooking your first pancake, you usually throw that one away. But you learn from the experience.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Back when I started writing, in the age of the dinosaurs before computers-- I would begin at the top of the first right-hand page of a spiral bound notebook, and continue on-- on the right only. I sucked at leaving space for editing notes, but I somehow managed to edit kinda as I went-- lots of crossed out words and boxed off paragraphs. When I got to the last page, I would turn the book over and continue writing-- on the right hand pages once more, which were now kind of upside down.

Hundreds of thousands of words that way. My first word processor was a revelation-- so easy to edit!

Recently, I tried that notebook technique again, and it still worked-- except that my handwriting is now so bad that even I cant read it...

 

[jomar]

You will find what works for you.

I write on the computer. If you are distracted, you could disconnect from the internet if that is the distraction...of course your porn collection on the hard drive is another matter...You could try longhand and will be editing as you transfer to the computer.

First person may be a way to dip your toes in the writing water.

I have a broad mental outline of where I want the story to go. With some recent multi-chapter tripe I listed a few bullet points for each chapter and let the details take care of themselves as I write.

The more ambitious the story the more need for notes on stuff.

Good luck and let us know when something posts.

 

[oggbashan]

A good way to start writing/posting is to enter the themed contests run several times a year.

The Summer Lovin' Contest is next. Laurel's official announcement of that Contest is posted Here.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Its true that you have to find what works for you, I write in machine gun bursts, cuz I spent a whole career writing psychological reports, reviews, and legal documents for the circuit court. So every paragraph I write is like a can of condensed milk I add water to later. Dont overload your head, find the size that works for you.

 

[someoneyouknow]

I can only tell you what works for me. What works for you is most likely entirely different. In my case I simply started writing a scene. No muss, no fuss. I described it as if I was watching the events unfold and told the story. I didn't worry about which person to write in, I just wrote.

I edited as I went along (and still do), writing sentences then going back with a quick eye to see if it read correctly. Then I moved on, sometimes writing several paragraphs before stopping. When I was all done, I set it aside for a day then went back to it and read it again, making corrections along the way. Rinse and repeat.

Sometimes stories are practically ejected as I write them, others I have put a concerted effort into writing. In my (hopefully) only 4 part series, it took me a year AFTER I had written the first part to go back and write the last three parts which I wrote in less than a month.

Just write, don't worry about form. Find an editor if you're unsure. They will help you sharpen your skills and tighten the form.

Write about whatever you want. It's not as if someone else hasn't written something similar.

 

[MaxSebastian]

If I were you, I'd jot down those ideas so you don't forget them while you get going.

Then everyone else is right - you'll need to find what works for you, there's no perfect one-size-fits-all answer to how to do it.

Plenty of people work on paper, but computers are easier for editing.

On point of view, generally 1st person gets you closer to the protagonist and makes it easier to engage with your main character. I find it easier, but not necessarily better, so the best idea is try different options for different stories. You can always try from another POV in a second draft.

I tend to avoid outlining plot or characters unless a piece gets long and/or complicated, but again it comes down to personal preference. Some writers like to plan intricately down to the finest detail, others prefer to wing it. There is all manner of middle ground, too. I like to have a good idea what is going to happen, what the key twists will be, and come up with most of the detail as I go.

Writing is about making choices, but you can always change your choice later on. Th important thing is to make the choice and then move on.

Where to start? Perhaps at the point in time when your character's life started going in an unexpected direction. Perhaps at a particularly key moment in their life (and how did they get there?). You can always start in the middle of a story and flashback to see how things started.

In erotic fiction you're assisted by sme of the characteristics of the genre - you could start when the two love interests meet, notice each other or some barrier between them is removed, for example. They you build up the heat between them on subsequent encounters, perhaps, before they go all the way.

Read lots, see what others do. Particularly seek out stories of a similar characteristic to your idea, see how established writers have done it. (and then make sure you are bringing something new with your tale).

And the most important thing is, enjoy it, or else it's just not worth it.

 

[BONNIEBREA]

I can't imagine not using a computer to write. The ability to edit, move things around, easily make corrections just offers too much convenience to not take advantage of. Also, if you're writing to submit to Literotica the story has to be put into digital format at some point. I can't image what benefit writing on a typewriter could offer that would make up for having to take all those typewritten pages and write them all again so they can be submitted here or anywhere else.

I've always written my stories in first person. I like the immediacy of it, and how it builds a direct relationship between the narrator and the reader. Also, you can legitimately (and very naturally) keep things hidden, since the only information the narrator can dispense is what she/he knows. So maybe she/he doesn't know something, or has incomplete information, or simply understands something wrongly.

I don't think I've ever actually sat down and outlined a story. But I've never started writing without clearly understand what story I wanted to tell: where the tale starts and where it ends, the broad outlines of the plot, on what journey I want to take the characters and how I want them to develop or change.

 

[CeasarBoobage]

For me, doing all the writing on a computer is a MUST. Besides, it's easier for me to look like I'm still working this way - a simple 'Alt-Tab' and I'm back on email and no one knows the difference!

As you have seen here, you can ask 10 people a question and get 13 answers. Try a few things and see what works best for you, including trying some things you don't think you will like - you may surprise yourself. Even if you want to try the 3rd person viewpoint, do one story with the 1st person angle. Just to see how it works for you. Don't forget to try to work with an editor (or a good friend) to help catch stuff you won't see right away.

I've rarely done an outline for a story because it seemed to get in the way more than it helped. I will, however, keep a second document open with ideas, cut-scenes, character descriptions, and relationship definitions. Being able to quickly keep track of potentially complicated items is worth the small effort it takes.

The reason an outline doesn't work for me is because I start with a theme, an opening/ending, or just a few scenes. Once I've fleshed out the idea into print, the story just takes over from there and it's hard for me to follow a pre-defined outline since it seems to make things feel forced.

Funny tidbit... A few times I tried the outline, I kind of got carried away with the outline and put in too much detail. Each of the bullet points and descriptions got more and more involved, and the outline itself turned into the story. While it was kind of funny how it progressed, the flow of the story just didn't move like it was supposed to. It felt very disjointed and overdone. Re-writing the same stories from start to finish without a second reference made it come out 10x better.

One thing that may help you is to move each story out of sight once you're done with it. After a week or two, come back and read it again with a critical eye. Once it's no longer fresh in your mind, you will likely be able to see problems you wouldn't have caught at first.

Good luck in your writing, and don't forget to post them.

 

[someoneyouknow]

One ting I forgot to add, and I hope I'm not the only one who does this, but I have multiple copies of the same story. By that I mean I'll write, write, write, then something will click and I go back and make a revision which changes the story in some manner. I then save that changed copy while keeping the first.

By the time I'm done with a single story, I may have up a dozen different permutations at various stages of completion. To keep things in some semblance of order, I use a simple numbering/letter system. The first writing has nothing. Just the name. When I make a minor change to the story, maybe I'll change a scene or rewrite several paragraphs, the next saved copy is [story name]a. If I make minor changes to the plot or conversations, [story name]b.

If I make a major revisions, a completely different story arc, [story name]2. Then [story name]2a and so on.

Why would I use such a convoluted system? Rather than overwrite something I already wrote, I get to keep the original and go with the changes. If at some point I don't like the way a story is going, I can always go back to an early point an pick up where I left off.

Also, sometimes you can write something which just sounds good but which you can't use in that particular story but don't want to forget. So I keep the revisions for later use, going back to them for inspiration and wording.

As I said in my first port, what works for me may not work for you.

 

[seanyboy22]

Ok... I actually wasn't expecting such in depth and detailed information / tips. To everyone, thank you! I've took some of the advice I was given pretty literally, and so far it's paid off incredibly. I don't wanna ramble, so I'll post here again when I submit my first story in case anyone wants to read it. Thanks for the advice again pals. I've decided to write strictly on paper for now (despite popular preference), in first person, and keep a running list of notes. I've written quadruple the amount of usable material since I readjusted a few things.