Naming the inspiration?

[Rob_Royale]

Sam, I get it. I'm just relatively new to writing anything, much less erotica, and have a fair bit of self-doubt that I'm working through. This post did help me write a better story.

 

[Britva415]

I think that stating that the character is intended to represent "a certain popular porn star" without naming her could be something to think about.

The reader is then free to either try to figure her out from your descriptions, or else just patch in one they like.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Sam, I get it. I'm just relatively new to writing anything, much less erotica, and have a fair bit of self-doubt that I'm working through. This post did help me write a better story.

I’ve taken to doing story notes at the end of some of my stuff. That’s where I’d drop the inspiration, if I were to do something similar. Lets you share with the reader without tainting their first read through.

 

[oggbashan]

There is only one of my characters based on a single real person - Fag-Ash Lil in jeanne's story Unatit. Fag-Ash Lil (her real nickname) was a local character but died about twenty-five years ago from a lifetime of drug abuse.


Every other character in my stories is an amalgam of poeple I knew and people I met. None represent any individual but some characreristics might be stronger in one than another.

Except for Fag_Ash Lil I have deliberately tried to ensure no one can say 'That's me!'.

 

[Duleigh]

Look up the basics of story writing, and you will see that step number 1 is "Exposition" that's where you introduce the theme of the story and the characters. Exactly how you do it is always up to you but keep in mind that if you don't do it, the few readers that remain will likely be confused. It's sometimes hard to do but you need to keep in mind that the reader doesn't know what you're thinking about until you let them in on what is going on in your head. If the description of the character is important to their understanding of the story then by all means use whatever device you can come up with to let your readers know what you want them to think. I would avoid things like "She looked just like Marilyn Chambers but with red hair," I have a picture of what my character looks like and use my words to describe her, but that's just me.

 

[MillieDynamite]

In the end, the inspiration doesn't need to be named or named correctly, the name isn't what was important; the inspiration's the thing of importance. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” William ‘Willyboy’ Shakespeare

 

[TadOverdon]

Just an observation: some of you boys and girls really do worry this writing stories business to death. Have you never just considered writing the story that's in your mind and setting it free among the readers. Not having a go at you, Robroy. Not having a go at anyone. Just asking for a friend.

No.

I write longer stuff. "The story that's in my mind" exists only of moments, incidents, and scenes. Bits of dialogue that seem to define a few characters. Ideas about settings. None of that exists in linear prose form until I start to write, no matter how much I may have convinced myself that I have sentences, paragraphs or even whole scenes perfectly composed before I open the file.

If the story existed fully or nearly fully formed before I started to write, I probably wouldn't bother. I'm telling myself the story and finding out what it wants to be as I go.

 

[TadOverdon]

2) your inspiration may be viewed differently by the reader, which seems like it would cause dissonance for them.

This is perhaps the best point to be made.

 

[oggbashan]

This is perhaps the best point to be made.

Or the reader, particularly if not in the US, may have no idea who you are writing about or what her characteristics are..