Suggestions to improve my writing

[Cagivagurl]

How to improve as a writer...
There have been a a lot of replies making suggestions that are sound and full of good logic. Good advice...

In my opinion. Writing is the best way to improve. Just write, and try different genres, strange perspectives. Write from the villains perspective. The seducer, or seduced. Be vicious and nasty... Loving and warm... Romantic, obsessed.

Personally, I'm an avid reader, and I have my favourite authors. What I do find is it's impossible not to be influenced. As a writer you have to be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to emulate, or copy the styles of your favourites.

It's important to find your style, your voice. To write stories that make you feel good. Ignore the readers, the audience, the haters and even the fans. You have to be true to yourself. Find your voice, refine it, polish it by writing more...

We all take little pieces from our admired authors. We all find different styles appealing. Something about their style lights the fuse. It's OK, in my opinion to use that as a base, but not to be so heavily influenced that we become clones... We have to find ourselves, and then express that...

Write...

Cagivagurl

 

[TheLobster]

Nobody's going to gatekeep there.

Not only that, @StillStunned is regularly complaining his arms get sore from keeping the gates wide open!

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Not only that, @StillStunned is regularly complaining his arms get sore from keeping the gates wide open!

Gates? Is that how they call them these days...

 

[TheLobster]

Gates? Is that how they call them these days...

I intentionally may or may not have left precisely this opening…

Opening! Get it?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I intentionally may or may not have left precisely this opening…

Opening! Get it?

Damn, why isn't there a Lit award for clever and subtle humor!?

 

[SimonDoom]

I intentionally may or may not have left precisely this opening…

Opening! Get it?

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Damn, why isn't there a Lit award for clever and subtle humor!?

Because subtlety gets you nowhere on lit. : P

 

[SimonDoom]

Because subtlety gets you nowhere on lit. : P

I think my Beavis and Butt Head meme disproves that.

 

[Bamagan]

@Bamagan. I tried to correlate the Star Ratings and red H’s to better writing. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I think the ratings are maybe based more on content and “excitability” than on the quality of the writing? There have been some stories I’m interested in reading just because of the title or description, but in the first five paragraphs the spelling and grammatical errors make me quit. I’ll keep using the advice from above about the Top Rated lists.

To be clear, I was suggesting taking a closer look at the stories that have scores around 4.9 after hundreds or even thousands of votes. There are enough readers who deduct points for bad grammar and the like that it can be hard for less polished works to remain on such lists, at least by the time they've been read widely enough to accumulate so many votes. It's not a guarantee, but it should improve the odds you'll find something you can learn from.

 

[FidelityBoss]

Hello again everyone.

I haven’t been around for quite some time, but I haven’t give up on posting some of my stories. Life has thrown a little curve ball at my wife and I so other things have taken priority. Life getting in the way of living, so to speak.

I have a couple of my old stories written out (as best I can remember from when I originally told them) but they just don’t sound as good the second time around. I’m not sure if it’s the medium (spoken as opposed to written) or something else. I know that comparing my meager writing to other real authors here could be self defeating, but to improve my writing I need to read works that are better than mine to see how it’s done.

So my request is, without overly promoting one author over another, or one genre over another, can you all point me towards stories I can find here that are very well written? Not the sexual aspect of the stories (that will become self evident as they are read) but just plain well written. Stories that you would recommend for the art of the writing just as much as the content of the writing.

I know we all have our genres we are drawn to and ones that we have no interest reading. Story lines that are very overplayed and some that are refreshingly unique. I’m willing to go out on a limb and read something that may not be in my sphere of personal favorites to try and see what good writing consists of.

Again, I’m not wanting to or trying to promote any authors or genres over others, but with the plethora of stories here at Lit, I would be searching forever to find what I’m looking for. And I’m not even sure I know exactly what I’m looking for in the first place. If this is the type of thread that is going to draw fire or cause strife, let me know and I’ll try and delete it. I don’t want to be the FNG causing trouble.

Life has a way of throwing curveballs, but it’s great to see you’re still passionate about writing. Your approach to improving by reading well-crafted stories is spot on, it’s one of the best ways to grow as a writer. While I can’t point to specific stories (since I don’t have access to Literotica’s library), I’d suggest browsing the “Highest Rated” or “Editors’ Choice” sections for starters. Those often highlight standout writing. Also, don’t be afraid to explore genres outside your comfort zone, sometimes the best lessons come from unexpected places.

 

[FidelityBoss]

Life is very difficult for a lot of people right now so my sympathies to you and your wife. Hoping that you're able to come out okay.

I also agree that taste is very personal and subjective. "Good writing" looks different for most people because we all have different things we gravitate towards. From how well you write, I can imagine that you're looking for a particular style of writing that tends to read more literary and "traditional" for lack of a better term. You'll find a fair bit of that here, but you'll need to seek it out because Lit publishes all sorts of stuff.

But if you're still seeking advice, looking at the top lists for each category is a good start as others have said. You can also use the search function to look for stories about a specific interest (which you can sort by score so the cream of the crop is first in line). And if you find a story or an author that you enjoy, check out their profile and see what they have favorited; chances are if you vibed with them, you might vibe with what they like as well.

You’re actually right, taste in writing is super subjective, and what resonates with one person might not click with another. Your advice about checking out top lists, using the search function, and exploring favourites from authors you enjoy is spot on. It’s like following a trail of breadcrumbs to discover hidden gems. And your kind words about life being tough right now are so appreciated, it’s a great reminder of the supportive community.

 

[FidelityBoss]

Oh my. My post is probably longer than my stories. I’ll try and be a bit more concise from now on.

Yup it's a bit too long.