To any that have tried to write solo

[Veroe]

Just out of curiosity how many of you out there have tried writing something on your own? Why did you come here to lit to write with a partner in a SRP? What do you find are the advantages to writing in a roleplay and the disadvantages? Do you miss any part of writing solo at all?

 

[DarkWarrioress]

I do write solo, a lot actually when the mood takes me. I have two small solo pieces in my siggy even. One is complete, the other is still an ongoing piece. I came to Lit because I love to write and having been an avid roleplayer for years, tossing in that I am addicted to writing with someone else, this just seemed like a good place. I have always enjoyed erotica, reading and writing it.

Advantages of writing an rp is the collaboration on a story idea, that other perspective from eyes and thoughts not your own. I think it can lend grit and depth to a story. The spontaneity that someone else brings is priceless. I have always found it difficult to write male characters for my solo pieces. Simply trying to get into their heads, determining their gut reactions or dialog, is a great deal of the time, difficult for me. So, having a male to write with is a definite plus in that case. The other thing for me is the pleasure of helping a budding writer develop his talents, someone who really, really wants to have a go at writing but isn't sure of himself or isn't sure of how to go about it. For me, it's like dancing, making your partner look and feel good. Words come easy to me majority of the time so if I can help someone else with their desire to write? Satisfaction.

Sometimes, I only see this flash of a scene in my mind. There's no plot at the time. Enlisting someone else to help me weave a story for it, is just.... wow. It certainly makes me grateful to have this person for a co-author.

The sense of humor another person brings to a story is another advantage. That also works in the other direction too, when someone can bring a darkness, an edge, to a story that I just can't get to on my own.

Challenges. Pure and simple. Challenges to my imagination. Heady stuff.

Disadvantages to roleplay than solo writing is that sometimes I have a certain mindset (not often) for a certain idea. Sometimes, no matter how I convey what I am looking for? My co-author doesn't get it and so the story morphs into something else entirely, which isn't a bad thing but ultimately what I was looking for.

There's also the factor that no matter how hard you try, there just isn't the chemistry between co-authors that, for me, is needed to hold my interest in wanting to continue. When I feel like it's more of a chore to continue to write a response instead of looking forward to one, it's time to throw in the towel and I simply hate doing that but it happens.

Another disadvantage is the time factor. I can't simply put a story on the shelf when there is no inspiration or no clue of how to proceed. I have a co-author to consider. I don't want their interest to wane nor do I want to take away their enthusiasm for our story. It bugs me when I have to leave a response for even just a few days, but that's my expectation of self, not theirs, usually.


In the long run, there are more definite advantages than disadvantages for me. I find people fascinating. Different minds, different perspectives. Different flavors. I adore the surprise curves that get thrown my way in stories. I love the challenge of trying to take his post and write one that continues to make the story flow.

Do I miss it? Hell no. Simply because I still do it.

 

[Light Ice]

The majority of what I write is solo. Either for the few side ventures I have where money is involved or simply for the joy of it. I consider my solo work the "artistic" aspect of this crazy compulsion and, frankly, couldn't tolerate to share it with anyone.

When I write solo I usually have an extremely defined set of conditions that I'm attempting to meet. I can't imagine another writer contributing anything but frustration to the mix because, quite simply, they aren't me. They'd fuck it all up and I'd want to strangle the life out of them.

I write on Lit to explore turns of phrase in pornographic material. Co-Authoring here is less about art to me and more about playtime. It has very little to do with expelling the ideas or concepts twisting in my mind and more about relaxing and throwing some shit out there that humors and/or relaxes me. Sometimes, and this is rarely, I'll begin with a concept that I intend to write solo and test a few things.

Setting.

Characterization.

Turns of phrase and diction.

Etc.

But mostly what I put up for SRP is for fun in the most strict of sense.

Writing and Writing on Lit are two entirely different animals.

 

[Vail_Indigo]

I don't have time to write on this topic at the moment, but it reminded me of something Ahren once said.
Something along the lines of "I don't think of this as writing. I think of it more like theater."

 

[Britwitch]

Like a few others I see writing solo projects and writing here as very different things.

When I write a solo projects, which I do...I have a few projects I've been working on for years (and will one day complete!)...they are my ideas, my characters, my everything.

Writing SRPs is about reacting to another's ideas, another's words. It helps me try out different techniques I'd like to try in my solo stuff. Sometimes, like others, I've tried ideas here for solo projects to see if they might work as a story...again though they usually fail because my co-writer doesn't, and honestly, couldn't see things exactly as I do/did. Although there are happy instances where another viewpoint makes for a far more interesting and challenging story.

shrugs

I came here originally for the RP element, I stayed because of the quality of the writers I found here.

 

[Mephistophelily]

When I write alone, its from ideas that are quite fully fleshed out, and characters that I feel quite protective of... That I prefer to write myself, and don't feel others would carry the voice as I envision it in my head.

When writing with others, its more the "idea snippets" that are used as starter fuel. Only a very very few rare cases have had RP's that came from full ideas. (CIP: The Dr Who thread I have with M13. I'm quite happy that Davie is almost the same type of fella I had originally written in my story attempt for Chas.) Aside from that, though, I prefer not to use ideas I've grown attached to, on fears of the thread flopping and discouraging me from trying to write it alone.

Why do I write here? Because those threads that do bloom out become absolutely amazing in most cases. Picking into someone else's brain can give new ideas on how to approach things. I've borrowefda number of writing style quirks from others, and simply like to improve myself with the challenges sometimes set from others. (Eazy is good at this.)

So... I like both. I mean, I have been working on a vampire set of stories for 7 years. SEVEN. YEARS. Maybe at some point I'll finish the damn things. Threads, however, remind me that someone else is waiting for me, and it drives me nuts to feel I'm holding someone up.

 

[Veroe]

I have written solo and now with a partner. I agree with alot of the points people have mentioned above.

One of the things different I find I miss from when I write solo to writing with a partner in a SRP is crafting a scene through dialogue. In SRPs we have to push a plotline with alot of internal monologue and exposition. We can have witty sharp dialogue in it, but that's rare I find, and it doesn't propel the SRP's plot in the same way as the exposition. That's mostly because the emphasis is on exposition in a SRP than on dialogue like in a good play or novel.

That's because we are taught to never god-mod, to leave things open for our partner to interpret the scene and how their character will react. It's the foundation of RPing, so things like dialogue take on less importance in a SRP in comparison to other mediums of writing. Revealing what and how our characters feel through conversation, what they say, how they say it, what they don't comment on. Sometimes we can get lucky and our partner sets that up perfectly, but by and large we have to rely upon exposition to convey all that information in a SRP.

I miss that.

Does anyone understand what I'm talking about? Has any of you felt the same way?

 

[DarkWarrioress]

I have written solo and now with a partner. I agree with alot of the points people have mentioned above.

One of the things different I find I miss from when I write solo to writing with a partner in a SRP is crafting a scene through dialogue. In SRPs we have to push a plotline with alot of internal monologue and exposition. We can have witty sharp dialogue in it, but that's rare I find, and it doesn't propel the SRP's plot in the same way as the exposition. That's mostly because the emphasis is on exposition in a SRP than on dialogue like in a good play or novel.

That's because we are taught to never god-mod, to leave things open for our partner to interpret the scene and how their character will react. It's the foundation of RPing, so things like dialogue take on less importance in a SRP in comparison to other mediums of writing. Revealing what and how our characters feel through conversation, what they say, how they say it, what they don't comment on. Sometimes we can get lucky and our partner sets that up perfectly, but by and large we have to rely upon exposition to convey all that information in a SRP.

I miss that.

Does anyone understand what I'm talking about? Has any of you felt the same way?

Oh yes. I am fond of dialogue and it's hard to do it in an SRP for the reason you've mentioned, it would be god-moding. Now, I have found an exception for this one actually, but it comes from years of writing together and from having a really tight friendship with this person. Even then, he would ask me questions and if I minded if he wrote something that would come off as god-moding. Of course, he was right about how my character would respond, but then, we've been writing these two characters together for years now.

But yeah, I know what you mean. I would never write dialogue for someone else's character. Now, I may ask if I can take a bit of liberty with their character and inform them what I would like to do and see if they approve or if that would be true to their character, but dialogue? No. That's something I can accomplish in solo pieces and again, because I have created the characters myself, I can easily get into their heads. Hell, sometimes, they simply just take over my head and my fingers can barely keep up!

One last thing. To me, writing is writing, no matter what genre it is in. When you put down words to communicate a story or thought, it's writing. Whether or not I am doing a column for my community newspaper or writing a story here. It is something meant to be shared, thoughts communicated to stimulate enjoyment or deeper thought, to provoke interest or even to simply inform, whatever the case may be, in my mind, it's all still writing.