How Playful Are You With Your Writing?

[madelinemasoch]

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Some stories more so than others. It really depends on my mood and the story. As for the rest of your question, I'm not sure... I'll get back to you on that if I ever figure it out. But I tend to mostly be an instinctive writer.

 

[AchtungNight]

Very playful, in that I like to write the sort of stories I’d like to see more of out there. I also use fantasy versions of real life celebrities and other people I idealize in various ways, so it can be said I play out fantasies in that way also.

On trying new things, I like to incorporate at least one new sex position, kink, or other factor into each of my stories. This is sometimes difficult, but always helps me write better. There are certain things I’m just not into, but I can write about most anything else.

 

[EmilyMiller]

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

I think being playful - with plots, with characters, with sex scenes, with twisting of genres, with types of stories, is kinda what I do.

 

[Statius]

I had a ton of fun when I started, for me it was the whole idea; that's why so many of mine are absurd. I wrote porn, flat out porn. Fun and funny, and absurd. But writing the same thing type of thing got old pretty quick. Then I had a crisis of sorts, and it's been a struggle getting the fun back ever since. I simply don't enjoy the process like I did and it's hard getting that back. Feels like a chore now.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I think being playful - with plots, with characters, with sex scenes, with twisting of genres, with types of stories, is kinda what I do.

Oh, and most importantly, with words. I love playing with words. I’m still grinning from my,

"There are more things in Heaven and Hell than dreamed of in your philosophy, Fellatio," I replied, with a grin.

Even if the story itself has been bombed into the Stone Age.

 

[SugarStorm]

In terms of writing, I like to experiment. Sometimes I lean hard into vivid descriptions, trying to paint scenes so clear you can almost walk into them. Other times, it’s all about the dialogue with quick exchanges, banter flying back and forth. Occasionally, I go full 'cinematic mode'. Oh! And action scenes? I love writing them, though I don’t do it nearly as often as I’d like.

My process is a bit chaotic in the best way. Sometimes I (force myself to) write things in order, nice and neat. Other times, I write bits and pieces only to splice it all together to something that’s cohesive enough to become a story. I'm still trying to find 'my way', I guess.

When it comes to storytelling, I’ll admit I stay in my comfort zone a lot. I like leaning on my strengths, mostly intimate banter that’s witty, light, and teasing, and then letting the story grow around that initial spark.

While I’m getting more comfortable with all that, formatting is still something I’m actively playing with. Chapters, scene breaks, structure… I peek at what more experienced authors are doing (or not doing), then shamelessly tinker with my own approach. For example, some of the more seasoned writers here don’t use chapters at all, just scene breaks. It works beautifully for them. When I try the same, it just feels off. But that’s part of the fun, the tinkering Sometimes, putting a story together is just as much of a puzzle as it is writing it.

Overall, as long as I’m writing a scene I enjoy, the process feels playful. I can keep tweaking and adjusting the characters and the flow without getting frustrated with myself. Ah, and the endings? I never know my endings in advance. I let The First Scene and my characters guide the way and then I just tag along the ride myself.

This ended up being way more in-depth than I meant it to be… but hey, there ya go.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

If it isn't fun, why do it?

I'm not sure if playful is the term I would use, but the joy comes from creating an interesting character.
One of the weaknesses of contemporary writing is the infatuation with "representation" this idea that characters need to check certain boxes to be "relatable" to the audience.
Great art comes from creating characters that are unlike the audience, but still making them engrossing.
I saw a wonderful quote from Penn Jillette (the comedian/magician) about the movie "The Wrestler". I can't seem to locate it but essentially he said the brilliance of that movie was it took a character you should absolutely not care about, and made you care about him.
That's art, that's great storytelling.

 

[SadieGirl06]

Very

 

[Statius]

It hasn't been fun that's why I haven't published.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I'm always trying to write something that I haven't written before. I suppose that's playful, iunno.

 

[Erozetta]

Everything I write is an experiment that centers on "What can I write that, based on statistics, should fail?"

 

[DeMont]

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

@madelinemasoch,
I hope I'm interpreting your query correctly, no matter what I'm writing I always have fun... I am always 'playful' since I build scenes inside my head as though they were being enacted, either on stage or in film, before me.

I think that since we are writing 'fantasy', even though some of the base idea may have a kernel of reality in there somewhere, the joy of writing is that your characters are your puppets. They will do, be and say anything you wish them to.

Might I make a suggestion? Start with something simple and 'playful' based entirely in your imagination, let it have free rein and see where it goes. Don't pressure yourself to turn out a masterpiece (or a 'War and Peace') from the get go - ease back into it...! (As Captain Kirk was fond of saying, "Ahead one quarter Mister Sulu")
Deepest respects,
T.

 

[sirhugs]

.

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

I write for catharsis. I suppose that has to be fun. If not, what's the point. I find the more I write, the more I explore boundaries- see Mom's New Cock.

 

[StillStunned]

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

I'd say I'm open to trying new things. I've always hated 1P present tense, but I've done that. I loathe 2P POV, but I've done two of those. One of them is even stream of consciousness, which I usually find impossible to read. I've written different genres and different styles. For amateur writers, I think that's one of the greatest advantages of publishing on Lit: there are basically no limits to the possibilities if you want to experiment, and no real consequences besides a low score if you get it wrong.

In terms of subject matter, I have a story that features a sex toy called the Sensationaliser and the anthropomorphised Aspects of Orgasm (Arousal, Climax, Satisfaction). In another story a character talks exclusively in sexually explicit sing-song rhymes. Those stories were "playful" to write and had me sniggering to myself at the keyboard.

That said, the fun has gone out of writing for now. Time to recharge and hopefully rediscover it.

 

[iwatchus]

I find I need to write some more light hearted stories to intermix with my more emotional ones. Certainly my last published story (The Great Cupcake Caper) was pure whimsey. A wise person warned me it would not do very well rating's wise, but I decided it was okay because because it was a blast to write. Writing it was not universally happy; my SO complained because I significantly increased the number of bad puns I was inflicting on the household while I was writing it.

I sporadically need to write what I think of as popcorn stories -- something that I don't take seriously. It's almost like a mental cleanse. My very first SF&F story, The Dolls, was not absurdist comedy like Cupcake, but it was almost a shaggy dog story. I still want to write well (I think I failed that point on Dolls), but I don't worry about creating characters that the readers are likely to emotionally connect to.

I mostly write emotional stories (or try to at least). But even those can be helped with humor. Helping both keep my emotions in check and giving the reader a break. My only finished novel to date was almost certainly over melodramatic (don't shoot me, I'm still learning how to do this), but I did include a steady stream of comic scenes in it to offset that, which I was happy with and made the writing a lot more fun.

I write a lot. I am pretty obsessive. Given my WIP, I might make 20 categories in my first year of writing, so I do write somewhat broadly. I do find that helps for now. I'm just learning to use POV appropriately. But I have been writing for months, not years, like so many others here have been. I guess ask me in five or ten years if this has worked to keep me enjoying the writing.

@StillStunned I wish they had a hugs reaction. It makes me sad that you have lost that joy. Your fun comes through in so many of your stories.

 

[SimonDoom]

Very. The spirit of play is important to me in my erotic writing.

Most of my stories have a somewhat light, playful tone. Some of them are outright absurd, like "Mom, You're A Hucow!" I've written stories that are intended to spoof erotic categories, or even this institution, as with my story "A Story And Its Readers."

I like to have fun when I write, and I enjoy it when I can get a laugh from readers.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

For me, it depends on the intended audience.

I can be much more playful when writing a middle-grade chapter book than when writing something for Loving Wives as an example. My two attempts at creativity there flew well over the heads of most readers. Ironic that eighth grade kids have better comprehension than a lot of the adults that read stories here.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think I'm having more fun now than before. I'm at a point where I write all manner of quirky things into the stories that amuse me and don't care if anyone else gets it or not.

In my WIP I wrote my cat into the story as the familiar of a secondary character. They're only in one chapter but my beta reader came back with "That friggin cat! They stole the damn scene!"

The story also features that pen name breaking the fourth wall and appearing in the story as the guardian of the sexual spell book that's the focus of the story and they make bad jokes and push people who are assholes to them into doing degrading sexual acts.

How will it go over?

I don't care. Time is precious and I'm not going to waste any of it when it comes to writing.

 

[sirhugs]

I think I'm having more fun now than before. I'm at a point where I write all manner of quirky things into the stories that amuse me and don't care if anyone else gets it or not.

In my WIP I wrote my cat into the story as the familiar of a secondary character. They're only in one chapter but my beta reader came back with "That friggin cat! They stole the damn scene!"

The story also features that pen name breaking the fourth wall and appearing in the story as the guardian of the sexual spell book that's the focus of the story and they make bad jokes and push people who are assholes to them into doing degrading sexual acts.

How will it go over?

I don't care. Time is precious and I'm not going to waste any of it when it comes to writing.

I love it when cats make guest appearances!

 

[StillStunned]

@StillStunned I wish they had a hugs reaction. It makes me sad that you have lost that joy. Your fun comes through in so many of your stories.

Thanks. Hopefully I just need to take a break and destress a bit.

 

[Pabiporffor]

I like to play with reality. Not in a sci-fi way, more create senarios that border on unbelievable yet have a sense of plausibility. Ultimately I'm playing with the readers mind.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

In the interest of garnering more discussion around writing itself, I want to pose the question, how playful are you with your writing? Are you open to trying a lot of new things or do you stick to a certain wheelhouse? Do you find the process of writing itself a playful thing? I’d like to foster that kind of fun back into my own process. I remember having a lot of fun with things before my mental health kind of collapsed. I’d like to get back into that vibe with things.

Allowing yourself to be playful adds emotional depth to your writing, especially if there are heavier tones in the work.

I have a wheelhouse; Pollyanna happy endings in the Trans space, but have tried a few different things in other categories and am working on a few more: fantasy, bdsm, etc. It’s always fun to spread your wings.

As for the process, yes, I find it very playful. I love getting into my characters heads and seeing things through their eyes. It’s exciting and fun even if some of what they’re going through is not. If I can feel it, if it makes me uncomfortable or happy or emotional, it will probably resonate the same way with my readers. Even Consequence to Recompense (thank you for that challenge, btw) was fun to write, and it is my darkest work by far.

 

[ICantLeafYou]

I'd like to think I have fun while writing. Certainly wouldn't do it if it felt bad.

I find myself tickled by certain lines or titles I've come up with.

 

[CalBishForNow]

I like the idea of being very experimental, of SFF world-building or playing with genres or narrative devices. In actual practice, almost all my work has been in series with established characters and premises. 24 works here as of this morning, 22 of them in two series here, and I have ideas for follow-ups to the latest one.

I like the idea of having new ideas, but actually doing stuff with them isn't easy.