Seeking help increasing productivity while writing.

[threeinthenet]

Hey everyone, I've been reading erotica for many years and in the last year or two I've been honing my craft and finally started writing my own stories. I have been running into a big problem that I imagine a lot of authors experience and I was hoping that some of you could give me some tips and tricks for dealing with it. To put it simply, I write the stories that I do because their ideas, themes, and characters turn me on. I have fun writing, but most of the time I have too much fun. When the story really starts to develop and things start to get erotic, I have trouble not playing with myself while I write. It inspires me to try to write in a way that makes it enjoyable for the prospective reader, which only makes me enjoy myself more. Eventually, I reach a tipping point and have to take a break from writing to get myself off, and after I'm finished, I've lost the momentary passion for my writing and then I take a break. When I resume, the cycle continues.

Am I alone in this? Is this less common than I think it must be? Do any of you struggle with the same thing?

 

[MillieDynamite]

You perceive the occasional self-gratification break as a downside to your writing? Why on earth is that a problem? If the story isn't hot to you, who else, would you think, might find it hot? When I write foreplay and sex scenes, if I don't get hot, I have to rewrite it till I do. You're doing fine, so don't sweat the jack breaks. You must hope they continue.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Delay, extend, postpone…. The payoff is magnificent.

Good luck either way.

 

[threeinthenet]

You perceive the occasional self-gratification break as a downside to your writing? Why on earth is that a problem? If the story isn't hot to you, who else, would you think, might find it hot? When I write foreplay and sex scenes, if I don't get hot, I have to rewrite it till I do. You're doing fine, so don't sweat the jack breaks. You must hope they continue.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's not that I think there's a problem with the writing itself. I actually am usually pretty satisfied with the quality of the writing when I go back and read through my work. The problem is more so how much writing I can actually get done in any given session because I get so distracted, hah.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

<snip>

Am I alone in this? <snip>

Nope. Definitely not.

The only thing I can add is "Well done, you pleased at least one person with your writing."

ETA: (I lied) It's worse when you start rereading what you wrote to catch mistakes, at least it is for me.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

You might want to add a link to your stories in your signature.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

You might want to add a link to your stories in your signature.

It that was meant for me, I don't have any published here (yet...), if it was meant for the OP, I believe I can surmise they are in the same situation.

@threeinthenet
Also I do have some advice actually: learn ten-fingered typing, it helps at keeping the hands away from the crotch.

 

[KeithD]

Whatever works it the moment without agonizing over it.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's not that I think there's a problem with the writing itself. I actually am usually pretty satisfied with the quality of the writing when I go back and read through my work. The problem is more so how much writing I can actually get done in any given session because I get so distracted, hah.

Well, given the givens, whether it's better to suffer with the unsatisfied hard-on, write with ungratified lust, or take a break and rub out the problem, this is the question.

 

[ScrappyPaperDoodler]

Nothing wrong with taking a break to polish your sword or visit Father Fingers. If it’s happening often enough that you need advice, I envy you!

 

[ElectricBlue]

Write hot at night, edit slow in the morning.

Fix typos, add commas, fix tense changes, that kind of thing. It happens, go with it!

 

[gunhilltrain]

My impression is that you are worrying too much. It's not a paying job; no one is looking over your shoulder. (There must be some pun in there that I'm missing.) If you like how you are handling the task (now that was not intended as a pun!) and you like the results, then you are doing fine.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

You might want to think about not spending so much time here. This place can be a time waster for sure.

 

[Duleigh]

If you have a lot of story that you want to get nailed down but are bogged down in the erotic, work around the erotic. I mark that area of the document by changing the font to red then leave my characters hanging in midair as they leap into bed and press on with the narrative of the story. Once I have the non-erotic part of the story set the way I want, I can go back to the area with the red text and get myself and my characters all worked up as much as I want.

 

[oggbashan]

There is a simple and effective way to increase your productivity.

Take the NaNoWriMo challenge in November to write 50,000 words in a month. That is a minimum of 1,666 words a day but it is better to try for 2,000 to allow for emergencies.

The words do not have to be coherent, or edited - December is for tidying up. Doing NaNoWriMo forces you to write when you don't feel like it, or have no inspiration. It is a useful tool.

My How-to:

https://www.literotica.com/s/complete-nanowrimo

 

[Bisexguy70]

I do the exact same thing. I start describing some sexual situation, perhaps one time im recalling and its like reliving in the moment. Im no writer. I hated English and grammar in school. If only the teachers would have assigned stories about our sexual desires i would have excelled at the subject. Still, writing erotica is an outlet for me. I may not be an expert but the thought of sharing sexual feelings, desires, and fantasies turns me on. I discovered this forum and love the interactions ive had so far. Im so addicted now. Glad to hear so many out there creating stories for us to enjoy. Just when you do orgasm, try not to get your juices on your keyboard. It can cause severe damage and make it difficult to type out your dirty thoughts.

 

[DukeStone]

I must be the strange one. I become so involved in my writing that I don't even entertain the thought of self gratification until I'm done then I relive rhem inside my head.

 

[Whanmore]

Shoot..I use it. If I get horny Writing a scene...i'll grab a bottle of Vas and let my imagination run wild. Alot of times I'll think of something horny