Question about how to decide what to write?

[JohnMorrison]

I have written quite a long story so far. its on both xnxx and eroticstories. I started writing erotica as more of a creative excercise. I have some aspirations of actually writing, and i had some ideas, but i could never seem to get past page 1, i was always afraid i would screw it up. But when i had the idea of writing erotica i knew that i would be motivated enough to write, but it doesnt matter enough to worry about screwing it up. With that in mind, my early stories were merely an attempt to get started. That has turned into a 47 part story. Each part is between 1600 and 8000 words, usually around 2400 each.

It would be helpful if you are familiar with my stories but since they arent on lit yet its ok. The story is that of John and Holly as they meet freshman year of college and it follows them through a bunch of crazy adventures in the dorms and making porn and meeting all kinds of people. As of part 47 where i am now, they just graduated college and he proposed. Now i have the story of them until retirement fairly well laid out. It is set to be between 80-110 parts if i actually write it all. But now i have the urge to move on and write "legitimate" literature. So what do i do?

I plan on going back through the entire series and completely re-editing, and possibly expanding, before i put it up on literotica. It is blatanly obvious to me that i am a much better writer now than when i started. So i had the idea of writing a summary (around 3000 words) of the rest of the story and putting that on the end of it. Is it better to just leave it open ended or is it better to put that summary. Also i guess i could continue writing, i do enjoy it but i feel obligated to make every part as good as is expected. I also feel like most people stopped reading my stories, because it is a long read... hopefully someone is familiar with my stories and can help. thx in adv for adv

 

[Gary Chambers]

Pussy Galore

Erotica is legtimate lietrature if it's written with some honesty and sense of purpose. A lot of what passes for legitimate literature these days is anything but. Some hack pens something he/she thinks might sell. An agent hypes it up with some publishing types over a liquid lunch, then the hack gets it back for a rewrite that requires he/she drink heavily for a month or two to get it done against their better judgment. By the time it's done it is more the product of those liquid lunches and the author's alcoholic numbness than the ancient craft of writing.

Works that stand the test of time tend not to be seen as fine literature when they are first released. A century from now I see them studying Ian Flemming as a great novelist of the 20th century, and remaking the Bond films using holographic digital photography to stick closer to his story lines. Reflections and contemplations of sexuality are important in literature, and if you manage to capture something important but readers, critics and puritanical censors miss the point, it's their loss not yours. You roll the dice and take your chances.

 

[Seattle Zack]

Well, try and market your stuff, would be my advise. Try to sell it. There's a big difference between writing something and selling it, and if you plan to move into the 'legitimate' market then you should become familiar with what's involved. Rejection slips, query letters, manuscript formatting, insufferable editors, disinterested publishers, that sort of thing.

A 47 part story is a pretty ambitious project. No matter how good you think it is, it's only as good as what someone will pay to read it. Why not post a few exerpts (perhaps not the entire 47 chapter magnum opus, that's rather extensive, even for the most dedicated Lit reader) and see what the reaction is. That will let you fine tune your writing and, perhaps, give you the insight you need.

 

[JohnMorrison]

well its all over at http://stories.********* im listed under author john morrison and some of it is on the top page anyway if you are interested, i don't think i could really pick one piece to put as an example. I wasn't planning on selling this story at all...and when i said i was moving to "legitimate" i used the quotes to show that its somewhat of a name that isn't necessarily appropriate...if you do go over to xnxx i have all 47 (although not all have been posted) submitted and they also are condensed into 4 episodes. my question is, should i continue writing it or should i move on?