I'm stuck...

[Thucydides]

I'm getting a lot of feedback that my stories all have a similar plot. Well, it's romance: Boy meets girl, they like each other, overcome some difficulties, and live happily ever after. The variations are in the difficulties and the characters. Wouldn't be much fun to write one where boy meets girl, they can't stand each other and never talk again.

I'm trying to figure out a new direction to take. I looked through the "story ideas" section, but frankly a lot of people here are into a lot stranger stuff than I am. Maybe this isn't the ideal place for romance fiction. Believe me, I'm not going to start writing "gay incest" stories to fit in- I'm a parent myself!

So what am I not seeing as far as where I should be going in plotting?

Oh, btw, here's the list:

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1029243&page=submissions

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There's nuthin wrong with romance, and it has greater appeal than raunchy sex. And standardized plots aint the kiss of death, readers enjoy a sense of familiarity with where things are going. I mean, I can travel 6 ways to Atlanta, and while the McDonalds and Comfort Inns clutter every path, there are significant differences tween the routes.

I looked at a sample of your tales, and offer a suggestion: Try starting each story with an interesting and novel boy meets girl encounter. Something unexpected, something clever. Like...a guy calls his girl at her job, the woman who answers the phone has an identical voice, and after the guy expresses some lewd & naughty thoughts, the co-worker responds, HANG ON I THINK YOU WANT ETHEL.

 

[estragon]

Thu, look at your scores; and note I twice gave you a favorable mention on my "Embarras de Richesse" thread. More I cannot do. And as your fans have given you scores that would give most authors on Lit orgasms, what more can they do? So if some people don't like your stories, keep writing your way, and let them go elsewhere. If they want incest with bullfrogs they can go to asstr.org.

The late great Ricky Nelson said it at a garden party: "I'm all right now/I learned my lesson well/If you can't please everybody/Well, you have to please yourself."

 

[PennLady]

It could be you've stumbled upon people who don't care for romance.

You're right, that is the basic structure of a romance story (and I know b/c I write them myself). They meet, they get along, they begin to trust, something threatens the trust, and then the problem is resolved. Truth is, if you're reading romance and looking for an unhappy ending, you'll probably be disappointed.

What exactly are they complaining about? For example, another author, Cruel2BKind, recently noted that she had a comment on a story that made an observation about similarities in her work.

I finished a story last week and a LOT of readers didn't like the ending. I gave them the HEA (which I like myself) but they wanted it done differently. So watch out if you step outside the box.

I think it's good to look for new challenges in your writing, so I wish you luck.

 

[lovecraft68]

Certain categories seem to thrive on cliche more than others. I feel romance may very well be the crowd that enjoys it the most. Romance in general is an extension of children's fairy tales, there's a heroine, there's a love interest and usually something crappy happens to push them together so they can be happy.

. If a few are complaining your similar I bet if you went in a different direction you would here far more complaining. If you want to be different do so, because you'll be doing it for you, but I you'll be rocking the boat in that category.

Incest is another that loves their cliche's I wrote an entire series against the grain and you can see by the amount of votes I was getting I was only appealing to a limited part of that audience. But when I release a fluffy mother/son story my board lights up.

Some people enjoy eating the same food every day.

 

[estragon]

Thu, you got answers from some very well-respected writers. LC's single venture into a Romantic story, even though labeled Mature, was a total winner with a great score. SA Penn Lady's achievements speak for themselves.

 

[Thefamiliar]

If you are looking to expand a tad, you could go for romance where happily ever afyer isnt how it ends.

It doesnt have to be tradgic but not all great romances are perfect.

I have to say I havent read one of your stories yet, I dont know if they are happily evrr aftets, but sounds like you just need a little twist, not a whole new plot.

 

[MaxSebastian]

Boy meets girl, they like each other, overcome some difficulties, and live happily ever after. [/url]

You've basically defined the whole romance genre - name a Hollywood romcom that doesn't do that (and then if you can, there's a suggestion for how to break the mold).

I agree with the others - you've nothing much to worry about in terms of plot if your readers are happy and you're happy about writing what you're writing. If you're getting bored yourself, try to mix it up a little, mess with the expectations.

1. Maybe start with a boy and a girl who don't like each other. They're forced together for some reason, there's physical attraction but they can't stand each other mentally. How does that resolve?

2. Mess with the structure - start after the Happy Ever After. Start after they've met, and in the middle of the difficulties to be overcome.

3. Try adding some rivals into the mix - boy meets girl who is already with another boy.

4. Are there any little sexual kinks that you do have? Clearly not the gay incest, but something else you fantasize about beyond the run-of-the-vanilla romance stuff? Try exploring something a little spicier, that one character in the couple perhaps can't handle to begin with.

I'd avoid messing with the happy ending concept personally, but you can always try a tragedy if you like. Won't get much reader positivity though, I should imagine!

 

[lovecraft68]

Thu, you got answers from some very well-respected writers. LC's single venture into a Romantic story, even though labeled Mature, was a total winner with a great score. SA Penn Lady's achievements speak for themselves.

And it was cliched and cheesy with a capital C, but that's what they enjoy.

 

[lovecraft68]

If you are looking to expand a tad, you could go for romance where happily ever afyer isnt how it ends.

It doesnt have to be tradgic but not all great romances are perfect.

I have to say I havent read one of your stories yet, I dont know if they are happily evrr aftets, but sounds like you just need a little twist, not a whole new plot.

If Thu wants his readers to be happy he won't do that.

Sydney Blake wrote a great story here, how to Save a life. it's been pulled, but is for sale on amazon if anyone is interested.

Near the end she had a chapter which made it look as if it were not going to end happy, it was the lowest voted chapter and people were upset in the comments just thinking it may not have a Cinderella ending.

The romance crowd takes its happiness seriously!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

God forbid Readers get what they want! How dare them! Lit scribblers are artistes and know best.

 

[lovecraft68]

God forbid Readers get what they want! How dare them! Lit scribblers are artistes and know best.

Siblings with Benefits was my baby done my way the readers be damned.

But when I want to "pad my stats" get added to new fav pages and see my name on top lists, I give them exactly what they want.

Part of why I write is to make myself happy, but I get a kick out of making others happy with my writing.

Where would writers be without readers? So keeping that in mind I have no qualms with writing a "straight up" story that includes their favorite tropes.

 

[CarlusMagnus]

Wouldn't be much fun to write one where boy meets girl, they can't stand each other and never talk again.

Hey—this is erotica!

They don't have to like each other or talk—they just have to fuck!

 

[Thefamiliar]

If Thu wants his readers to be happy he won't do that.

Sydney Blake wrote a great story here, how to Save a life. it's been pulled, but is for sale on amazon if anyone is interested.

Near the end she had a chapter which made it look as if it were not going to end happy, it was the lowest voted chapter and people were upset in the comments just thinking it may not have a Cinderella ending.

The romance crowd takes its happiness seriously!

Thats a shame, because V.C. Andrews made millions off twisted and tradgic novels. Flowers in the attic...is proof it sells. The movie wasnt that great, they had to leave too much out.

There is something to be said about an author willing to step outside the box and try something different.

Though, if you're only writing to be liked, then sorry to say, you will be stuck.

As a reader myself, I dont mind tragedy in romance, but it better make me cry. As a writer, there is nothing I wont try to write, though whether I can write it well is another story.

I dont know why one would ask for ideas though, if they really didnt want to try something different?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Siblings with Benefits was my baby done my way the readers be damned.

But when I want to "pad my stats" get added to new fav pages and see my name on top lists, I give them exactly what they want.

Part of why I write is to make myself happy, but I get a kick out of making others happy with my writing.

Where would writers be without readers? So keeping that in mind I have no qualms with writing a "straight up" story that includes their favorite tropes.

Writers are free to piss in the punch if they dont care what the Reader prefers. Plenty do it.

 

[jomar]

I like Max's thoughts, and he's a good one to listen to as he's got a rainbow of squares across a number of categories on his story page.

So maybe mix it up...a historical setting; sci fi spaceship romance (interspecies!); action/adventure in which the couple is thrown together unexpectedly, tolerate each other and have to cooperate to survive; an android that experiences love and turns human...there are infinite ways to get to a HEA.