There Is No Right Way to Write

[JackLuis]

I came to this conclusion a couple of days ago when I realized that some of the things I have been cautioned not to do, were praised by the "Literary" crowd when James Joyce or some other highly regarded author did it.

I'm coming to the conclusion that there are only wrong ways to do the right things.
Anyway I found this site and thought it might be useful to other who aspire to Literature in their writing.

"Lit Reactor"

 

[litfan10]

But....but....but... E. L. James is coming out with THE way to write Erotica.

I love reading "the rules" and seeing them "broken" by great writers. Kate DiCamillo had a two word sentence with no verb and the first word was "and" in the first chapter of her Newbery winner Because of Winn-Dixie.

BTW. I never thanked you for reviving Horny Springs. Great stuff!

 

[lovecraft68]

Just do your thing your way. Except for grammar, to me the rule is there is no rule. If you're a good story teller, people will read it and not dissect it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I came to this conclusion a couple of days ago when I realized that some of the things I have been cautioned not to do, were praised by the "Literary" crowd when James Joyce or some other highly regarded author did it.

I'm coming to the conclusion that there are only wrong ways to do the right things.
Anyway I found this site and thought it might be useful to other who aspire to Literature in their writing.

"Lit Reactor"

When I did psychotherapy I discovered some interventions that no sane person should ever play with, and many decades later I shudder, WHAT IN HELL WAS I THINKING WHEN I DID THAT! It worked, of course, and was a Hail Mary Mother of God act of desperation, and exactly what was needed, but its frightening in hindsight. And they threw the ball to me cuz they knew I'd do some wild & crazy thing that might work.

Its the same with writing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Just do your thing your way. Except for grammar, to me the rule is there is no rule. If you're a good story teller, people will read it and not dissect it.

That's really it.

The most powerful story ever told me was 5 words long and rocked my world for years. On 10 December 1971 I come home drunk as a lord, and the kid next door comes out, stands under my window and shouts, HEY JIMMY YOUR MOMMAS DEAD. Talk about a surprise ending I wasn't expecting.

 

[JackLuis]

But....but....but... E. L. James is coming out with THE way to write Erotica.

I love reading "the rules" and seeing them "broken" by great writers. Kate DiCamillo had a two word sentence with no verb and the first word was "and" in the first chapter of her Newbery winner Because of Winn-Dixie.

BTW. I never thanked you for reviving Horny Springs. Great stuff!

I've been wondering when you'll put up a HS story? VM and HP have kept me company but we need another perspective to flesh out the community.

Weren't you using Brent and the Mayor? I used Brent and mentioned the Mayor, but didn't want to step on your characterizations. This made me go crazy and invent a lot of characters that got me a bit scattered and I ended up with lots of half stories and titillating bits and pieces.

I'm working on a story that doesn't use my HS characters. I'm aiming at a female audience, more innuendo than explicit.

Innuendo: def; Italian for gay sex.

 

[3113]

Awesome advice on that site--thanks!

Anyway I found this site and thought it might be useful to other who aspire to Literature in their writing.
"Lit Reactor"

Thank you! Usually writing advice bothers me as too limited or simplistic or arrogant. But I think those five points are among the clearest and best i've read for writing any kind of story, be it "literary" or not.

I especially like the ones on "It's my world...and I can do what I want" and "Have I shocked you yet?" Many an erotica writer could use the advice in those two--especially the "shocked" one. Amazing how erotica writers seem to think that the weirdest or grossest sex they can think of will shock readers more than a really good character or story twist. That's an excellent lesson to learn.

As for the "it's my world" advice--I wouldn't expect most erotic writers to follow that, as for most of them it is their "fantasy" and they'll have it as they want it. But it's great advice for anyone who wants to be true to their characters and story, who wants their story to be more than just their fantasy. I especially appreciated this, as it's how I feel when reading stories (or watching movies/televisions shows) where it's clear the writer is just having the character do what he/she wants them do, not what everything previously written about them says they'd do:

Yes, it's fiction writing and yes, that means you get to make things up. However, sacrificing your characters’ credibility just to get over a narrative hump has the unintended consequence of tanking the story's illusory power along with it. Sooner or later we'll get the feeling that the character's entire raison d'être is a walking convenience who can be called upon to turn the plot seamlessly at your every whim, and the reader's stakes in the story will fall considerably.

 

[JackLuis]

Thank you! Usually writing advice bothers me as too limited or simplistic or arrogant. But I think those five points are among the clearest and best i've read for writing any kind of story, be it "literary" or not.
-
:

They have a lot of interesting articles that raise issues not found in the "Ten ways to Write Better" tripe that litter the net. the problem is it's distracting and not helping Roberta get Rodney's attention.

Back to my story.

 

[Vinner1234]

Writting

Liberals are so hard to please.
They believe they are better than everyone else.
I get sick and tired over how they comment on stories here.
Or how these editors wont post your stories, based on writting style.
I have a mechanical engineering degree, I didnt get one in Liberalism.
Liberals are the least tollerant people I ever meet.
and at this site it truly shows thru.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Liberals are so hard to please.
They believe they are better than everyone else.
I get sick and tired over how they comment on stories here.
Or how these editors wont post your stories, based on writting style.
I have a mechanical engineering degree, I didnt get one in Liberalism.
Liberals are the least tollerant people I ever meet.
and at this site it truly shows thru.

Amen.

 

[Stella_Omega]

If you feel your story was rejected because of your writing style, you can try sending a PM to the only editor here, which is Laurel.

Other than that, welcome to the great big internet. People have opinions on things that you never expected to hear.

 

[litfan10]

I've been wondering when you'll put up a HS story? VM and HP have kept me company but we need another perspective to flesh out the community.

Weren't you using Brent and the Mayor? I used Brent and mentioned the Mayor, but didn't want to step on your characterizations. This made me go crazy and invent a lot of characters that got me a bit scattered and I ended up with lots of half stories and titillating bits and pieces.

I'm working on a story that doesn't use my HS characters. I'm aiming at a female audience, more innuendo than explicit.

Innuendo: def; Italian for gay sex.

Since I've been able to write again, I've been thinking about doing a Horny Springs story actually. I have the Chinese restaurant, and I was thinking of borrowing some of Stella's characters to go with it and play with the overly horny daughter of the restaurant's owner.
I'm trying to get more of two of my other series out before my readers shoot me (those that haven't given up on me! ), plus I owe annanova an appearance in my Holly series with her characters.
ahhh, it feels good to be writing again

 

[JackLuis]

Since I've been able to write again, I've been thinking about doing a Horny Springs story actually. I have the Chinese restaurant, and I was thinking of borrowing some of Stella's characters to go with it and play with the overly horny daughter of the restaurant's owner.
I'm trying to get more of two of my other series out before my readers shoot me (those that haven't given up on me! ), plus I owe annanova an appearance in my Holly series with her characters.
ahhh, it feels good to be writing again

I may have stepped on that one too!

Lester takes a couple of women to "Long Dongs" for egg rolls and dim sum.

 

[JackLuis]

Liberals are so hard to please.
They believe they are better than everyone else.
I get sick and tired over how they comment on stories here.
Or how these editors wont post your stories, based on writting style.
I have a mechanical engineering degree, I didnt get one in Liberalism.
Liberals are the least tollerant people I ever meet.
and at this site it truly shows thru.

Well welcome to the asylum. Take the criticism with a shot of bourbon and it doesn't hurt so much.

I spent 30 years doing electronics and it's taken me four years of steady writing to teach myself how to 'do it' and I still can't get all H's.

Most of the conservatives on Lit seem to congregate on the General Board and few are authors. I truly doubt that they even read the stories here.

 

[slyc_willie]

My personal philosophy on writing is this:

1) See the scene in your head and describe it accordingly. Write it the way you would describe it to someone else, in your own words.

2) Follow basic grammar, but beyond that, invent your own.

3) Ignore what anyone has ever written about "how to write."

 

[JackLuis]

My personal philosophy on writing is this:

1) See the scene in your head and describe it accordingly. Write it the way you would describe it to someone else, in your own words.

2) Follow basic grammar, but beyond that, invent your own.

3) Ignore what anyone has ever written about "how to write."

I hear you but...
I think you can learn something from listening to people who have 'made it.' I don't slavishly believe it all, but am open to considering it as I write.

There is a LOT of SHIT written about writing by people who are trying to 'make big money on the internet' and haven't the slightest clue about what really works. Mostly I see them parroting what others have written and so we see the same tired crap over and over.

Lit Reactor didn't seem to be that kind of thing and might have some good points. I haven't made up my mind about whether it's Gospel or not but it seemed reasonable.

I think writers have to be open to criticism and praise. While we might like praise, it doesn't help as much as considered criticism. Of course that's only my opinion.

 

[slyc_willie]

I hear you but...
I think you can learn something from listening to people who have 'made it.' I don't slavishly believe it all, but am open to considering it as I write.

There is a LOT of SHIT written about writing by people who are trying to 'make big money on the internet' and haven't the slightest clue about what really works. Mostly I see them parroting what others have written and so we see the same tired crap over and over.

Lit Reactor didn't seem to be that kind of thing and might have some good points. I haven't made up my mind about whether it's Gospel or not but it seemed reasonable.

I think writers have to be open to criticism and praise. While we might like praise, it doesn't help as much as considered criticism. Of course that's only my opinion.

I agree that criticism is more valuable than praise. I cringe when someone points out an error in my writing, but I take it to heart.

essentially, I feel that if every writer in the world followed the same set of guidelines on writing, we would never have another Shakespeare, Angelou, Hemingway, Kerouac, or McCarthy. Writing is always about interpretation, as with any art. Sure, there are a few good points made here and there amongst the several thousand "How To Write" codexes out there, but I don't think anyone who follows a cookie-cutter blueprint will ever be a good writer.

They might, however, be popular. Cue J.K. Rowling, Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz, Stephanie Meyers. et al.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Oh! There's a right way to write, so lets not bullshit ourselves about it. Prose has become like poetry writing, everyone thinks they can do it, cuz they can write words on paper, and scribbles now suffice for art.

 

[Bramblethorn]

My personal philosophy on writing is this:

1) See the scene in your head and describe it accordingly. Write it the way you would describe it to someone else, in your own words.

2) Follow basic grammar, but beyond that, invent your own.

3) Ignore what anyone has ever written about "how to write."

Slavishly following anybody else's how-to is a bad idea, sure, and you should be willing to break their rules when appropriate.

But IMHO it's still worth knowing what those rules are and why somebody thought they should be rules, so you can make an informed decision on when to break them.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Slavishly following anybody else's how-to is a bad idea, sure, and you should be willing to break their rules when appropriate.

But IMHO it's still worth knowing what those rules are and why somebody thought they should be rules, so you can make an informed decision on when to break them.

From the looks of things I'd say most schools and colleges follow your NO RULES, JUST WRITE advice. I call it the OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SCHOOL OF LITERATURE.

 

[sr71plt]

From the looks of things I'd say most schools and colleges follow your NO RULES, JUST WRITE advice. I call it the OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SCHOOL OF LITERATURE.

Tilt. Compared with the latitude you have in writing for a site like Literotica, school and college writing courses are all about limiting boxes in how you can present it.

 

[slyc_willie]

But IMHO it's still worth knowing what those rules are and why somebody thought they should be rules, so you can make an informed decision on when to break them.

Seeing as how I've never believed there were any "rules" to writing, just rules of grammar and punctuation, I cringe whenever I see any sort of reference to supposed rules of writing. It's like telling Picasso how to paint cubism.

From the looks of things I'd say most schools and colleges follow your NO RULES, JUST WRITE advice. I call it the OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SCHOOL OF LITERATURE.

I cook my own steaks, thanks.

 

[JackLuis]

I'm coming to the conclusion that there are only wrong ways to do the right things.

I probably stated that incorrectly the first time, maybe it should have been.

"There a infinite number of of ways to do the right things wrong and only a few ways to the do the wrong things right."

Better?

 

[slyc_willie]

I probably stated that incorrectly the first time, maybe it should have been.

"There a infinite number of of ways to do the right things wrong and only a few ways to the do the wrong things right."

Better?

I'd stick with the Nike slogan.

"Just do it."

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Seeing as how I've never believed there were any "rules" to writing, just rules of grammar and punctuation, I cringe whenever I see any sort of reference to supposed rules of writing. It's like telling Picasso how to paint cubism.



I cook my own steaks, thanks.

Piker! Cheating Outback outta milk money for the children.