Ouch... how do you keep writing after mistakes?

[directorx]

I took a chance this week and wrote a much longer story, out of my element I suppose, and I got a lot of negative feedback when parts 3 and 4 went directions the readers didn't really want them to go. How do you other authors keep your 'writer's self esteem' up when you find you've made a huge blunder? I don't want to stop writing because the feedback is overwhelmingly positive on everything else and those other stories' responses made me feel good!

 

[JammyJimmy]

I took a chance this week and wrote a much longer story, out of my element I suppose, and I got a lot of negative feedback when parts 3 and 4 went directions the readers didn't really want them to go. How do you other authors keep your 'writer's self esteem' up when you find you've made a huge blunder? I don't want to stop writing because the feedback is overwhelmingly positive on everything else and those other stories' responses made me feel good!

I guess the question is do you write for the feedback you get from the readers, or do you write for yourself?

I've always found that feedback encourages two things... if its bad, it makes you grow a thicker skin, and if its good, it can make you grow an ego.
Take it all with a pinch of salt, and be true to your vision.
Write what you want to, and enjoy it.

 

[oggbashan]

I took a chance this week and wrote a much longer story, out of my element I suppose, and I got a lot of negative feedback when parts 3 and 4 went directions the readers didn't really want them to go. How do you other authors keep your 'writer's self esteem' up when you find you've made a huge blunder? I don't want to stop writing because the feedback is overwhelmingly positive on everything else and those other stories' responses made me feel good!

Are the readers right? Were Parts 3 and 4 inconsistent with the earlier parts? Were the characters out of character?

Did you make a huge blunder? Or did you change categories with the later parts? If you wrote parts 1 and 2 as Incest and then 3 and 4 as Loving Wives then the readers might well be annoyed.

There is a solution. Wait six months, write other stories, and consider a rewrite of the whole thing to make it internally consistent. If, after six months, you can't face a major rewrite, scrap it and write something new.

Og

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The Audience, Of Course, Is Where You Demonstrate Your Wares. But You Cant Be Confident Of Their Opinion, Because Most People Are Brain-dead Rubes. So What I Do Is Run My Mss By A Competent, Professional Writer First.

If My Writer Girl Friend Is Enthusiastic About The Mss, I Send It To A Magazine. And In Most Cases They Buy It. But If She Doesnt Like The Mss, I Re-write Until She Does.

Please Understand That The Average Lit Reader Comes Here To Salve A Boner. Your Story May Be Excellent Meatloaf (i Like Meatloaf), But If The Reader Is Wanting Fare That Bleeds And Bellows, You May Be In Trouble.

 

[Liar]

I don't want to stop writing because the feedback is overwhelmingly positive on everything else and those other stories' responses made me feel good!

I think you just answered your own question.

Not everyone will like everything you write. And not5 everything you write will be the same. Sometimes you'll write a gem, sometimes you'll write a dud. No big deal. So just do it, for the fun of telling stories.

 

[S-Des]

My first try at a story was met with an insane backlash. It was a 3 chapter (4 pages per) monstrosity that started off very well for a virgin effort (never wrote any kind of story in my entire life), then partway through Ch1, changed directions from a Romance story to a Blackmail/Revenge one. The reaction was less than positive (you are more than welcome to see the feedback for yourself). It was so immediate and negative that I decided not to submit the other two chapters. I took a break for a couple of weeks when another idea came to me. Within weeks I had a new story finished, and enough feedback from some prominent Lit authors to assure me it was ready, and I submitted that one in full. It was a 4 chapter story that wound up with all 4 achieving Hot, and the 4th chapter has been #1 in it's Category at least a half dozen times.

I went back afterward (with some help from a dear author friend who's no longer with us), and completely rewrote the rest of my blackmail story, taking at least a month to get it the way I wanted. The final three chapters all made hot, and the last chapter topped out in the mid 4.7s (a pretty good score for Loving Wives). Not everyone liked it, but once it was finished, people started leaving different comments on Ch1 (now that they understood the characters more), and the score rose to over 4.1. Now I look back on it as the best thing I've done....turning around an angry mob and getting many of them to like a story that drew such ire in the first place.

If it was easy, everybody would do it. Find a few people (authors, editors, etc...) you like and get their help. If getting criticized is a tough thing for you to take, then get a few prereaders (not established authors) to tell you what they like and don't like about a story, and don't submit it until you're comfortable. Most people will tell you to block out the negative, but personally I think you should listen to them because you grow by taking criticism (the good, the bad, and the really disturbed). In the end you have to write what you like, but since it's for an audience, you have to temper that with making the story appeal to others (or turn off the voting and comment options).

Good luck.

 

[evanslily]

Are the readers right? Were Parts 3 and 4 inconsistent with the earlier parts? Were the characters out of character?

Did you make a huge blunder? Or did you change categories with the later parts? If you wrote parts 1 and 2 as Incest and then 3 and 4 as Loving Wives then the readers might well be annoyed.

There is a solution. Wait six months, write other stories, and consider a rewrite of the whole thing to make it internally consistent. If, after six months, you can't face a major rewrite, scrap it and write something new.

Og

Curiosity prompted me to go and take a look. I think Ogg's probably hit the nail on the head. Although you didn't actually change category, maybe you should've done. The first 2 chapters were most definitely lesbian sex stories (the category to which they were posted). The latest 2 aren't. They would probably have done better in Group Sex. I think that's all that went wrong. This may be a sweeping generalisation, but readers of lesbian sex stories are looking for, well, lesbian sex...

So you see, you didn't deliver what you promised, that's all. But don't let this experience stop you from writing. It was the story you wanted to write. It just wasn't the story your readers were expecting.

 

[3113]

How do you other authors keep your 'writer's self esteem' up when you find you've made a huge blunder?

You say to yourself: "mygawd, what if this were on the printed page, in books and there was no way for me to take it back and change it....? I'm so friggin' lucky!"

An internet story has the beauty of being "fixable." Which means you can redeem yourself with readers and with your own ego.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I've had this experience, when my lesbian story took too long to reveal its BDSM plot. My solution is to tuck references into the first chapters, so that the readers won't be so surprised when my arrogant butch suddenly finds herself on her knees-- although she is.

A nod and a wink is a good thing, IMO, when we are writing for entertainment reading...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Jeeez, how'd you like to be David Horowitz, Prince of the Socialists, and wake up one morning as a conservative? Running with the Black Panthers one day and Rush Limbaugh the next.

 

[CharleyH]

I took a chance this week and wrote a much longer story, out of my element I suppose, and I got a lot of negative feedback when parts 3 and 4 went directions the readers didn't really want them to go. How do you other authors keep your 'writer's self esteem' up when you find you've made a huge blunder? I don't want to stop writing because the feedback is overwhelmingly positive on everything else and those other stories' responses made me feel good!

You have to remember that many readers come to Lit to get off. When they don't? WHOA HO! Watch out. Nevertheless, writing out of your element is an important part of your personal growth as an author, IMO. I love experimenting and experimented a lot when I posted stories on Lit. Some people loved it, some hated it. You cannot please everyone and it's important to remember. It comes down to what you want to write and what you want out of the feedback you get. Don't be dissuaded by bad feedback, keep plugging away and make your writing better for you.

 

[CharleyH]

I think you just answered your own question.

Yep, there ya go.

 

[sr71plt]

The Audience, Of Course, Is Where You Demonstrate Your Wares. But You Cant Be Confident Of Their Opinion, Because Most People Are Brain-dead Rubes. So What I Do Is Run My Mss By A Competent, Professional Writer First.

If My Writer Girl Friend Is Enthusiastic About The Mss, I Send It To A Magazine. And In Most Cases They Buy It. But If She Doesnt Like The Mss, I Re-write Until She Does.

Please Understand That The Average Lit Reader Comes Here To Salve A Boner. Your Story May Be Excellent Meatloaf (i Like Meatloaf), But If The Reader Is Wanting Fare That Bleeds And Bellows, You May Be In Trouble.

Your professional writer doesn't say anything about capping every word in the paragraph?

 

[DeeZire]

My favorite stories on this site don't have Red Hs, however some of them do have Green Es. I think it's more important to stay true to your vision than to cater to the lowest common denominator. (I'd probably have a different viewpoint if I made my living as a writer.)

 

[CharleyH]

My favorite stories on this site don't have Red Hs, however some of them do have Green Es. I think it's more important to stay true to your vision than to cater to the lowest common denominator.

I agree.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Your professional writer doesn't say anything about capping every word in the paragraph?

I'm okay with you being anal-retentive and compulsive, and that you imagine printed words somehow shout and make noise.

 

[gauchecritic]

At last, a chance to disagree with Charlie (and D by association).

Writing is about communication. If you want to communicate with the largest number then good luck to you. If you want to communicate with someone that identifies with your method then more strength to you.

In the end it doesn't matter which, just as long as you are communicating.

If you only write for yourself then go keep a diary.

 

[DeeZire]

...If you only write for yourself then go keep a diary.

For me, "writing for myself" means writing for readers that share my values. I would agree that writing for yourself could be interpreted to mean writing a journal or diary. What I can't do is put my heart into writing something I wouldn't want to read. As noted, I do have weird taste - definitely way out of the norm.

 

[erettophallus]

Hello all,
This might be, well, at least the thread to ask my question, it's kind of along the same lines.
I am pretty new here, I have three submissions in the stories area, one short, and a part 1 and part 2 story. I'm working on my next submission, it looks like it might be lengthy. So my question is;

which is a better preference for the readers, a multi part, or one long story.

I write for my own enjoyment, but I do want a somewhat worthy presentation.

Oh, also, I have a little red H, on one of mine, I think I know that one; "HOT" right, but I'm unfamiliar with the little green E, can someone help me with that one please.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

At last, a chance to disagree with Charlie (and D by association).

Writing is about communication. If you want to communicate with the largest number then good luck to you. If you want to communicate with someone that identifies with your method then more strength to you.

In the end it doesn't matter which, just as long as you are communicating.

If you only write for yourself then go keep a diary.

HOW FUCKING STUPID!

You cannot not communicate. Regardless of what you do or dont do or say or dont say, you communicate something. If your armpits smell like a privy THAT communicates a lot about you. Maybe you could specialize with olfactory stories where people try and guess why you smell like roadkill or a restroom at a bar.

How often do they release you from seclusion to play on the computer?

 

[oggbashan]

Hello all,
This might be, well, at least the thread to ask my question, it's kind of along the same lines.
I am pretty new here, I have three submissions in the stories area, one short, and a part 1 and part 2 story. I'm working on my next submission, it looks like it might be lengthy. So my question is;

which is a better preference for the readers, a multi part, or one long story.

I write for my own enjoyment, but I do want a somewhat worthy presentation.

Oh, also, I have a little red H, on one of mine, I think I know that one; "HOT" right, but I'm unfamiliar with the little green E, can someone help me with that one please.

Long, or break it up?

That depends on the story and how you plan it. If you have breaks they must be at a convenient point, preferably with a cliff-hanger so that the readers will want to go on to the next part. But - each part should be a stand-alone story, with sex, otherwise the readers will switch off.

Short is good. Long is good. Multi-part is good (except for contest entries). It all depends on the story.

How long is your long? If it is more than 3 Lit pages (about 7,500 words) then readers do tend to give up.

Green E? That means Editor's Choice. The person who approved your story liked it. It is only one person's opinion but Green E's are difficult to get.

The other mark you will come across is the Blue W which means that the story was a winner or runner-up in a Lit Contest.

Og

 

[gauchecritic]

can't,,,not...quote...

HOW FUCKING STUPID!

You cannot not communicate. Regardless of what you do or dont do or say or dont say, you communicate something. If your armpits smell like a privy THAT communicates a lot about you. Maybe you could specialize with olfactory stories where people try and guess why you smell like roadkill or a restroom at a bar.

Communication (by writing) precludes any other method than being read in order to communicate.

People that have you on iggy have cut off communication with you because they can't read what you've written you big silly.

www.dictionary.com is a good place to go to look up words that you don't understand the meaning of. Just type the word that you're having trouble with into the search box at the top and it will tell you what the word means. If you have trouble spelling then just cut'n'paste the difficult word straight from the page that is bothering you. Here's a help to start you off:

com⋅mu⋅ni⋅ca⋅tion
   /kəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] Show IPA
–noun
1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, [b/writing[/b], or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.

I made the important words darker so you could maybe understand better.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GAUCHE

It sux to be them if I post a treasure map. Would serve the losers right! to miss out. Can you imagine all the whining then?

So, maybe you can publish SCRATCH & SNIFF books.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Communication (by writing) precludes any other method than being read in order to communicate.

People that have you on iggy have cut off communication with you because they can't read what you've written you big silly.

www.dictionary.com is a good place to go to look up words that you don't understand the meaning of. Just type the word that you're having trouble with into the search box at the top and it will tell you what the word means. If you have trouble spelling then just cut'n'paste the difficult word straight from the page that is bothering you. Here's a help to start you off:

com⋅mu⋅ni⋅ca⋅tion
   /kəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] Show IPA
–noun
1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, [b/writing[/b], or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.

I made the important words darker so you could maybe understand better.

We like not knowing what he's written, too-- please don't quote the troll.

 

[Saucy_Sage]

more carefully?

Seriously, go back to basics. Write in your comfort zone again. Expand a little more slowly next time.