Starting from scratch

[Rob_Royale]

Okay, so now instead off talking about writing we're rehashing the old thread? Let it go and just write. You want support from your peers? Just write.

Edit. Looked at your past work and it's all in Celeb/FanFic. That could be part of the problem if you are feeling ignored. It's not a well-traveled category here. Try another category.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Have you thought about a volunteer editor?

Heck, post some prose in this very forum and say, "What could I improve about these three paragraphs?" Then listen to (not slavishly obey, but don't be defensive) the comments.

 

[NotWise]

There are lot of people who wouldn’t talk to me because I said something that upset their comfortable existence, or use mean language disguised as help. I’ll admit I fed the trolls. I just wanted to know why am I attacked when others can write garbage and get away with it.

Just your short notes on this thread and scanning your catalog leaves a lot of stuff to be unwrapped. Not going there.

First step was to answer the question "What do you want to write?"

Second step is probably to answer "What do you want out of it?"

 

[Lolita30]

Okay, so now instead off talking about writing we're rehashing the old thread? Let it go and just write. You want support from your peers? Just write.

Edit. Looked at your past work and it's all in Celeb/FanFic. That could be part of the problem if you are feeling ignored. It's not a well-traveled category here. Try another category.

And what category do you write for?

 

[Lolita30]

Have you thought about a volunteer editor?

Heck, post some prose in this very forum and say, "What could I improve about these three paragraphs?" Then listen to (not slavishly obey, but don't be defensive) the comments.

I’ve thought about it but I don’t have the education these people here do so I don’t know if my contributions would be welcomed if at all.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Education? I took one terrible Creative Writing class in college, which is almost no help.

I'm with the advice above. Read. Write. There's your education.

 

[SimonDoom]

I’ve thought about it but I don’t have the education these people here do so I don’t know if my contributions would be welcomed if at all.

You'll never know unless you try and find out. Education is no substitute for experience. Just write. Approach people. Ask advice of people whose stories you've read and whose advice you value.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I’ve thought about it but I don’t have the education these people here do so I don’t know if my contributions would be welcomed if at all.

High school dropout here, who did eventually get my GED. Could my writing be better. Yes it could. Could say, @SimonDoom who is a lawyer, writing be better? I've never read his stories, but still I'm sure that it could be. We're all constantly getting better, it's part of practicing, and not being educated is no barrier to this. If anything, it just means you'll see that improvement faster than any of these well educated college grads.

One of the uses for this forum is the getting better. Not sure if it's one of the original intended purposes, but I wouldn't be surprised. So, grab a few paragraphs and post them. Tell people what you want help with with them, or just ask for peoples opinion. I've done it a few times. It was helpful.

 

[Erozetta]

Okay, are there any posts that can teach me to write a good erotic story? Step by step?

Authors' Hangout Writing Exercises

This is a great place to start. Not full scenes or stories, just encapsulated moments of prose. Then if/when you get feedback from peers, listen to it, digest what they say, think about it, and figure out if what they say works for you or not.

There's no single way to write an erotic story. We all have our own ways, some better than others, some continuously learning and adapting, others very set in their ways. Hearing criticism can be difficult, it absolutely hurts to hear something you wrote wasn't the best thing ever, particularly if you put a lot of time and effort into it, but actually hearing the criticism and working out if the criticism reflects a thing you want to improve or not is where the value lies.

It lets you step back from the piece you wrote and remove the emotional attachment you have to it in order to consider other opinions. If multiple people have the same complaint, it's probably a lot more valuable to listen to that complaint and take it to heart, then ask how you would go about improving on the complaint that was made.

The other step would be to read.

Find people who write the same type of stuff you like to write and read them and pay attention to what you like and dislike about the stories. Think about how you would do it differently. Consider why they chose to write it the way they did instead of how you would.

The best ways to improve your writing and storytelling is to listen to people when they show you potential places for improvement and to read extensively.

Ultimately, any story you write is yours to do with as you please. But, I don't think there's anyone here who has an interest in making writers worse with their advice. It's all sound and geared towards improving. We all learn from each other and each other's mistakes. It's often much easier to see mistakes in the works of others than it is to see mistakes in our own writing, so reading the critiques others get is also helpful.

AwkwardMD and Omenainen Review Thread. This is a good thread to read the critiques on the works of others.

And the feedback forum is a good place for more in depth feedback on your prose once it's posted to Lit.

Everything works in tandem with the other. The place to start is to decide you want to improve and just dive in feet first with exercises and reading.

 

[Lolita30]

High school dropout here, who did eventually get my GED. Could my writing be better. Yes it could. Could say, @SimonDoom who is a lawyer, writing be better? I've never read his stories, but still I'm sure that it could be. We're all constantly getting better, it's part of practicing, and not being educated is no barrier to this. If anything, it just means you'll see that improvement faster than any of these well educated college grads.

One of the uses for this forum is the getting better. Not sure if it's one of the original intended purposes, but I wouldn't be surprised. So, grab a few paragraphs and post them. Tell people what you want help with with them, or just ask for peoples opinion. I've done it a few times. It was helpful.

Great! Where can I post it? Here? Or is there a dedicated thread?

 

[Lolita30]

Just your short notes on this thread and scanning your catalog leaves a lot of stuff to be unwrapped. Not going there.

First step was to answer the question "What do you want to write?"

Second step is probably to answer "What do you want out of it?"

A positive experience and to make friends. Full stop.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Great! Where can I post it? Here? Or is there a dedicated thread?

I don't think there's a dedicated thread to it. You could post them here, or make a new thread about it.

 

[NotWise]

A positive experience and to make friends. Full stop.

Gotta ask: What would make your experience positive? How do you expect to make friends?

If you're thinking of making friends in the forum, then you might start by looking at your signature line.

 

[Rob_Royale]

And what category do you write for?

My primary focus is the older woman/ younger man dynamic and most times I'm in the Mature category with occasional stops in T/I and LW. The readers in Mature are terrific and it's a popular subject matter. I have dabbled in over a dozen categories though.

 

[Lolita30]

Okay not many people like Celeb fanfics but I also write lesbian MMF and non sexual stories like thrillers.

 

[Lolita30]

I don't think there's a dedicated thread to it. You could post them here, or make a new thread about it.

Sounds good; I could post a few when I come home from work tonight

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Sounds good; I could post a few when I come home from work tonight

Be aware, I didn't say "3 paragraphs" before randomly.

Posting more than about that much of a story is against forum rules, because people could use that to publish entire stories (in pieces) without moderation.

 

[Lolita30]

Be aware, I didn't say "3 paragraphs" before randomly.

Posting more than about that much of a story is against forum rules, because people could use that to publish entire stories (in pieces) without moderation.

I’m aware, thank you

Be aware, I didn't say "3 paragraphs" before randomly.

Posting more than about that much of a story is against forum rules, because people could use that to publish entire stories (in pieces) without moderation.

is it up to 3 paragraphs or 3 paragraphs only?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I’m aware, thank you

is it up to 3 paragraphs or 3 paragraphs only?

I get the impression that's a general guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. @AH_Mod?

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

A positive experience and to make friends. Full stop.

I think this thread shows that it might be possible to find friends here.
The experience as such is rarely entirely positive. There are always people who have different expectations. If you write a literary story with a large vocabulary, one lot will complain, if you write a plain stroke story another group will expect something else.

Sometimes one needs a thick skin.

 

[AH_Mod]

I get the impression that's a general guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. @AH_Mod?

It's a general guideline. Paragraphs and sentences come in many sizes. The purpose is to not allow the forum to become a workaround of the story queue where people post their work here without vetting instead of undertaking the normal publishing process. The allowance is for people to provide examples for discussion or soliciting help. I tend to give non-sexual content more leeway as well.

Three paragraphs is the guideline. Don't abuse it by going too far over, or posting too many excerpts, and there will likely be no issue.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I’ve thought about it but I don’t have the education these people here do so I don’t know if my contributions would be welcomed if at all.

Always happy to take a look, so I'll keep an eye out for when you pop it in. It's a lot easier to give tailored advice for something specific. When you do post, it's good to set your expectations about what you're looking for. Mention in the post what specifically you have questions on, or you run the risk of being inundated with a slew of advice ranging from the use of a single word to overly broad advice that isn't even really about your work at all.

It's something I do whenever I give feedback to people, tell them to tell me what they're looking for from me so I know how deep or shallow to focus on, and specifically with what they're looking for help.

 

[Lolita30]

It's a general guideline. Paragraphs and sentences come in many sizes. The purpose is to not allow the forum to become a workaround of the story queue where people post their work here without vetting instead of undertaking the normal publishing process. The allowance is for people to provide examples for discussion or soliciting help. I tend to give non-sexual content more leeway as well.

Three paragraphs is the guideline. Don't abuse it by going too far over, or posting too many excerpts, and there will likely be no issue.

i'm okay with that.