Stories you are the least / most proud of

[AsylumSeeker]

Hey all, with 57 stories under my belt I thought I'd ask this. If you're an author out there, are there stories you have a personal connection with, and those that you don't? I was wondering what you connect with, and why.

It's my thread, so I'll start.

I love my Castle Keep stories. I know, I owe the readers a sequel, which I continue to massage... But the work I'm MOST proud of is Stolen Virtue chapters 1 & 2. But then I'm torn with my success with my First Time submits.

Maybe it's easier to highlight my failures, which most are already aware of.

No, I started this thread, and thus will finish it. I started writing Stolen Virtue as a vehicle for self-satifaction. I don't think I'm the only one that has done this. But then I stumbled upon a wonderful site that allowed me to submit "completely off-the-wall stories". I say this because I tried other sites that totally dismissed me.

And then Lit was completely embracing.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to this site for allowing me to express myself. I additionally thank others for their support.

I am getting off-subject. Stolen Virtues defines me.

What defines you ???

 

[FallingToFly]

Gods... uhm....

Heart of the Matter is most raw and true to me, or at least me in the moment I wrote it. A Certain Way is probably one of my most subsconcious stories- it reveals a lot about myself that I didn't want to face.

Story that I am most proud of? HA! Laugh all you want- Killing Loneliness, which is Celeb category, is the story I KEEP rereading, every single time I pull up my submissions list. It's not nice, sweet, romantic, cuddly.. it's a story, at the heart, of being in love, denying it completely, and hating each other as much as you love them because of that denial. I also liked the fade-to-black ending, people keep asking if Linde lives or dies. Heh.. I'll never tell. It's also a story you don't really need to know the band or their music to read... they could be any band, anywhere, any when. Rock and roll doesn't change that damn much over the years.

Story I'm least proud of... American Baby which is fluffy and sweet and I write for a friend who begged me for HIM fluff. Followed by the badly written poorly edited Fall: An Excerpt from Wicked Ways. It needs a rework, I just can't see how to do it. My ratings of my stories, in order from best to worst:

1. Killing Loneliness
2. A certain Way
3. A Far Cry to Heaven
4. Your Eyes
5. Butterfly Wings
6. Serpent Heart - because I know where it's going.
7. Falling
8. Heart of the Matter
9. Fall...
10. American Baby

 

[frozen_north]

Most proud of: Rite of Passage
Least proud of: Willow chronicles

 

[AchtungNight]

All my stories define me. They are all harsh works driven by emotion and love of the characters and themes. Read any of them and you will get something of me. I think all writers can say the same.

Which tale am I most proud of? All of them. Which tale am I least proud of? All of them. They are all good and bad, depending on your point of view.

If I had to pick, though, I'd say I'm most proud of "Fear, Lust, and Vanity." It was my first erotic story and is truly epic with tons of great profound moments. Action, emotion, development, feeling, cameos, things that make you go hmm... everything I love about the movies is in this story. The same can be said for all my stories, and every story I find the slightest bit good.

The other stories were challenges too. When I wrote "A Request for Help," I was dealing with people and concepts from a show I had never seen, hoping I could fulfill a reader's request. When I wrote "The Rendezvous" I was trying to express numerous conflicting thoughts I was having, break through my own anger and resentment as well as the characters'. That, and create a great fanfic for a great film and four great young stars. When I did "Conviction: In Media Res," I was trying to give the first erotic fanfic (I had seen) to a great new TV show. When I did "X-Men 3: Additional Aftermath" I was trying to take well-established characters and develop them in new ways, different ways, than anything I had ever seen before. All these stories gave voice to my feelings, my fantasies, and yet no one ever got them like I did. Or if they did, I will probably never know for sure. I'm just preaching to the void, throwing pebbles in the water, airing my fantasies and hoping they're well-received.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'm proud of all the stories I've placed here on Lit. Otherwise, I wouldn't post them!

But I can pick holes in all of them.

"When Petey Met Yuri" could use a little more polish- "Her Woods" is just a little distanced from it's subject- "A Private party" relies on your already knowing the characters, who are introduced in "Sarabande"- (a novel without a story arc, at least one that I can figure out.But the writing is good, and the action is hot)

Um... "Passing The Torch" is hampered by its Celeb category,
"The Snake" likewise- and another flaw of that one is that not every reader notices that it's told in internal dialogue, and the grammer is not mine own. If I can make that clearer, I would be doing myself a service.

"Jessamine" seems to be lasting, as I reread every once in a while, as a workmanlike effort. And it still gets me wet, at least- and "The Baroness' Boy" likewise, which is missing its sequel,

And Mad Moll- where do I go from there?

"Meeting Robby" is an interesting case; I wrote it early on. When I first thought about posting it, I sent it to someone for a look-over, and she wanted me to, essentially, re-write it. I just didn't have the time or energy, so it sat on my hard drive for quite some months. Finally, I said "What the hell" ran it through spell-check, looked for missing punctuation, and flang it online- and it has both an "H" and an "N", all at the same time!
But it's not my most favoritest story.

 

[S-Des]

I guess you could say I'm least proud of True Meaning Of Sacrifice (my first story). It's also the one I'm most proud of (in a way). Whenever I tell someone to read my stories, I qualify that they shouldn't read it unless they're into that kind of story (blackmail, NC, revenge). However, it' not my problem, I love the story (although I do wish I had taken another 1000 words to set up the blackmail). Because it's a niche story, many people that like my stuff have told me that they don't like that one (at least the first couple of chapters).

It's also my the one I'm most proud of because I worked my ass of to rewrite it and accomodate the people who didn't like aspects of the beginning. The last chapter is still at 4.7 (not bad for a story that caused people to email and beg me not to finish it) and I love the revenge the husband hits the unsuspecting blackmailers with. It has the most interesting twists of any of my stories and almost everyone was surprised by the biggest twist just before the end. I guess you could say it's not overly realistic, but that never stopped me from enjoying a story.

 

[rgraham666]

My favourite is probably Abyss although The Gift runs a very close second.

Don't want to choose a least favourite. My stuff's all pretty good. I like it and picking a least favourite would make it sound like it wasn't a good piece of work.

 

[Aurora Black]

I'm proud of all my stories to some degree, but since I have to choose...

Most Proud:

Bard's Tales: Henry V. My latest story for the Shakespeare chain. I love Shakespeare and this piece was my chance to use my writing skills to pay homage to the Bard. To me, it's also the most detailed work I've ever done concerning the description of the sex act. I paid more attention to the mechanics of it than ever before, both oral and intercourse. On top of that, this was my first attempt to write a story with a hint of bondage involved. I think I pulled it off rather well.

Be Mine. My first Erotic Horror piece. It placed 3rd for this year's Valentine's contest, if you can believe it. I dared to go against the huge tidal wave trend of romances for the occasion, and it paid off in a big way. I put a great deal of emotion into this story, poured my heart and soul into it. It was a very cathartic experience for me to write this, using a past experience of unrequited love (and the pain involved) and turning it into a story that so many identified with and responded to. Wow.

Dark Impulse. This 20+ chapter fanfic series took over 2 years for me to write and I believe that I wouldn't be writing today if it hadn't been for this story. Seriously. I started writing it after a long hiatus of several years, and I used DI as a tool to sharpen my skills until I was satisfied enough to share my work with the world. With this story I learned how to effectively write romance, suspense and horror, and I thank my lucky stars every day that this series renewed the creative flame inside me.

Least Proud:

My earlier works, such as The Last Dance (written at the age of 17) and Guardian Angel series (age 20). Looking at these projects now, they show that I had a LOT to learn about writing. But I'm still glad I wrote them because they were stepping stones towards bigger and better things.

 

[3113]

Interesting Question!

I kinda feel like Rob in not wanting to "dis" any of my stories by saying I'm not proud of them. They all have parts I'm proud of, and parts I wince about and want to rewrite...when I find the time.

That said, the ones that make me blink and go, "Did I write that? Darn. That's pretty good..." are:

Till Dawn which just turned out right beginning to end.

Pretty as a Picture, in which I put my most poetic effort when it came to the sex, and

Black Lion's Mark, which, hands down, is the story that has the most heart and soul--at least, the most of my heart and soul.

I'm certainly very, very proud of these stories.

Least fave...it got editor's choice but I wasn't quite satisfied with Down to the Bone nor, for that matter, with Full Disclosure. I don't count them as failures--just as stories with which I'm not completely satisfied.

 

[AchtungNight]

If I had to say I was least proud of something, I'd probably be like 'Rora. I'd mention the stuff I've done in the past that was great but only a stepping stone to the bigger and better things I've done since. (None of these stories are on Lit.)

 

[oggbashan]

Proud: My Brigit series. I enjoyed and enjoy writing about her. Two more episodes are in progress.

Least Proud: Trapped - my excuse is that it was written for a specific audience and shouldn't have been posted here.

and - my incomplete 19th Century Balkan story that will forever remain unpublished.

Og

PS: Stories I'm not satisfied with - all of them. The earlier ones could do with complete rewriting. Most could do with a review and edit. I will never write the perfect story my Muses want me to write. I just do my best and generally improve over time with lapses such as 'Trapped'.

 

[Guest]

.....

 

[Alessia Brio]

The ones I'm most proud of are no longer on Lit (or, in some cases, never have been on Lit).

I'm very proud of Wetter Has Never Been Better and Topping Love and It's Just Sex and Boiling Point and Say It with a Strap-On. Each of them first appeared on Lit.

I'm very proud of Erotique. It's a helluva short story.

I'm very proud of Switch and Artistically Inclined and Amichu -- written with Bel. (I'll be proud of San Diego Sunset once we give it a good edit & get it published.)

I'm very proud of my non-erotic Kwanzaa stories (The Seven and The Seven: Revisited).

I'm proud of my pure dialogue efforts (Be-Musing, A-Musement, and Muse-ical Chair).

And I'm even proud of my humorous 2nd person story (The Second Person).

Sorry you asked?

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Hey all, with 57 stories under my belt I thought I'd ask this. If you're an author out there, are there stories you have a personal connection with, and those that you don't? I was wondering what you connect with, and why.

I don't mean to quibble, but I'm not sure what you're asking. As the author, I have a "personal connection" with every story I write. Perhaps by "personal connection" you're asking if there are some with autobiographical aspects. The only problem with that is your own answer doesn't appear to touch on that issue.

The other two possibilities that crossed what passes for my mind were stories we were proud of due to the subject matter or due to the difficulty in writing them.

All that aside, it's still a good thread, IMHO, since it lets Lit writers mention some of their stories others might have missed. Besides, no matter what you wanted, odds are most folks will focus on the term "proudest" and interpret it to mean best or worst.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[oggbashan]

I am proud of my single E on E-mail Valentine even though it does not have an H.

My two Ws are for essays, not stories.

My ambition here is to get a W for a story.

Unless I change my style (again) that is an ambition I am unlikely to achieve.

Og

 

[Darkniciad]

The one I'm most proud of would have to be Home by the Sea. It was pure You will not ignore me! inspiration, and it came out exactly like I had invisioned it. Considering it has picked up the most comments of all my work, I'd say the readers agree.

2nd place would have to go to my Blackhawk series. Arilee really came to life, and I'm happy with how I was able to incorporate reader suggested "challenge" words into that series, actually improving upon my original outline as those words sparked ideas.

Least... I suppose that would have to be Arts Ardane:KW I think I rushed that one a bit, and didn't exploit the hook of the tale until too late. Darmok was supposed to be the life running through that story, and I didn't use him enough. I had good reason, because the tale was told through Devan's eyes primarily, and she was doing everything in her power to ignore him, but he needed to be more prominant for the story not to come out as a "day in the life" right up until the end where Darmok springs to the forefront.

In retrospect, I should have utilized him more from the beginning, or had an additional hook in there to keep the tale moving better for people who aren't already familiar with the world and the characters.

 

[Guest]

Most proud of...Endless and my Slave series.

Least proud of and wishing I could forget I wrote...Feelin' Lucky. God it's the worst thing ever...

 

[Unsung Muse]

Most proud, by far, of "Obstinate Stain".

I worry I might never live up to it... so I guess everything else = varying degrees of disappointment & choosing just one that I'm "least proud of" is very difficult. All other stories I've posted on LIT should have undergone more editing/refining... most seem too rushed and 'train-of-thought' by comparison.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

most proud... Connections

least proud... my paperback romance... rushed it... *sigh*

 

[neonlyte]

Without any doubt it is the first story I posted to Lit under a different sig, a tale of alien incest, quite disgusting, poorly written and little read. it was the first fiction I'd written in more than thirty years and like a naive fool I sent the draft to Mab's who patiently put me right and encouraged me to post. It is not my best story by a long way, but it is the one over which I feel the most pride and one with which I have deep personal connection.

 

[sack]

hmmmmm...

Most Proud: A Walk to The Paradise Garden, The Rainbow, and The Little Candle Girl. All have an other-worldly quality that is hard to define, but I still can find some magic in these wildly disparate tales.

Least Proud: Zapped Into National Nude Day
I wrote this for a friend that has a crush on Scott Baio, but it turned out to be the most insipid. silliest thing I've ever penned!


Sack

 

[carsonshepherd]

I'm always happiest with what I'm writing at the moment. Then I finish it, and it goes up wherever, and I hate it. Then I go back to it some months later and realize it doesn't suck quite as much as I thought.

But on Lit, I most dislike my story Spark. It was inspired by a true story, but I gave it a bullshit ending and it shows.

Ah well. C'est la vie.

As far as proudest... well, my current novel,Between the Bars two parts posted with five more to come in fast succession. I worked hard on it, and I think my writing has improved since I last wrote for Lit over a year ago.

 

[Bizkit_Writer]

I hate my stories. I read them and I just hate them they don't connect to me anymore I'm trying to write more but nothing is coming out sexy.

 

[Belegon]

Least Proud Of is easy...

The New Neighbors is a decent plot and has some very good elements in it...but it was the first try at collaborative writing and it shows. I think we could make it much better...but I don't write with her anymore, so it will stay as is. I do like that it has a Colly cameo though...one that she was aware of BTW, I'd never do it without permission.

Most Proud Of is not so much the story, although I feel it is good...

San Francisco Surrender is a romantic treatment of a subject that is hard to make romantic...my PC's and feedback show that I got that feeling across, and I am quite proud of that.