What are you proud of in your stories?

[LessThanAWord]

I'd love to hear what people have to say about their own work. One aspect or quality you think stands out in your stories that you think/know resonates with your readers.

I'd like to share mine after I've read a few of your answers! Feel free to link to works that you believe stand as especially good examples.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think my stories show a good (though sometimes twisted) imagination, decent prose, and sometimes, a sense of humor.

Imagination: Teddy Bear and In The Hallway.
Humor: Cuckolds and Incels: A Chain Story

 

[Erozetta]

Can't link to outside places, but I can say that something all of my stories have in common is that I'm fairly decent at depicting emotions and flawed characters.

And sensuality tends to take precedence over sexual interactions.

 

[yowser]

I think my range is broader than most, not just in focus but treatment. I've hit almost every category, and explore some themes that aren't so common. I'd like to think my tales are fairly tightly woven, especially the later work.

And I'd surely enjoy meeting my characters in real life.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Pride is a very misunderstood word. Pride is the very root of the ego. So I take great care to avoid the word pride. I like to think that I'm not proud of a single word that I have written and I hope that this is true.

There's nothing 'wrong' or 'evil' about the ego, but it will hold you back from being a better writer (or better accountant, or better chess player, or better parent, or better whoever you want to be).

I know that when someone says that they are proud of something in their life they do not necessarily intend to be boastful about it, but in my experience usually the person is not aware of how much their ego may or may not be stepping into the spotlight. This includes myself when I was younger and I used to say the same things not truly knowing what they meant.

 

[lovecraft68]

Pride is a very misunderstood word. Pride is the very root of the ego. So I take great care to avoid the word pride. I like to think that I'm not proud of a single word that I have written and I hope that this is true.

There's nothing 'wrong' or 'evil' about the ego, but it will hold you back from being a better writer (or better accountant, or better chess player, or better parent, or better whoever you want to be).

I know that when someone says that they are proud of something in their life they do not necessarily intend to be boastful about it, but in my experience usually the person is not aware of how much their ego may or may not be stepping into the spotlight. This includes myself when I was younger and I used to say the same things not truly knowing what they meant.

Pride and counterproductive pride are two different things. If you take no pride in your work-whatever it may be-you don't care about it. Too much pride, however, stops one from learning, accepting advice, and growing in your craft.

There's nothing wrong with being proud of something you've done.

And if you were to take your own post seriously, you wouldn't go round and round and round arguing with people in threads. Because always needing to be right? That's pure ego and counterproductive pride.

 

[LessThanAWord]

Pride is a very misunderstood word. Pride is the very root of the ego. So I take great care to avoid the word pride. I like to think that I'm not proud of a single word that I have written and I hope that this is true.

There's nothing 'wrong' or 'evil' about the ego, but it will hold you back from being a better writer (or better accountant, or better chess player, or better parent, or better whoever you want to be).

I know that when someone says that they are proud of something in their life they do not necessarily intend to be boastful about it, but in my experience usually the person is not aware of how much their ego may or may not be stepping into the spotlight. This includes myself when I was younger and I used to say the same things not truly knowing what they meant.

Alrighty. With the caveat that Pride is the root of the ego and ultimately leads to complacency and mediocrity, I'd like to restate my question unchanged.

 

[visioneer]

There are a few things I think I do reasonably well in my stories. One is I think I do a good job showing over telling as I get into the main character’s head and try to convey a sense of why they're in the situation doing what they're doing.

I think I handle dialogue in a way that is fairly believable to a character in that it gives him/her a voice apart from the other characters.

I think I write female POV pretty well. I actually find this more interesting than writing a male POV.

 

[HeyAll]

When people say I've written something original or new.

That's problably my favorite kind of comment.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'll add this, too. I'm proud (in the good sense) of myself, and of all of us, for doing this. I don't think it's "just smut." We're striking a blow for erotic art and kink positivity, and I think that's a good thing.

 

[THBGato]

I'm content (let's say that, instead of proud) with how I've managed to deal with serious themes (neurodiversity, racism, consent, addiction, eating disorders) within the context of erotic stories.

 

[LessThanAWord]

I'm proud of all of you.

FWIW, I don't think pride in artistic practice is a bad thing, and as far as being an honest self-critic goes, most creative people have enough inert guilt and habitual disappointment that to be proud of one's creations generally represents growth. If people get from 0 to finished Thing and come away inspired to proceed to new Things, cautioning them against the sins of the ego is counterproductive.

 

[NotWise]

I'm proud of the only thing I really have control over. My stories get all the work I can stand putting into them. I hope it shows.

 

[lovecraft68]

I get a lot of compliments on my dialogue, People say it flows naturally and my people "talk like people."

Also, some additional remarks on how sarcastic they often are.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I'm content (let's say that, instead of proud) with how I've managed to deal with serious themes (neurodiversity, racism, consent, addiction, eating disorders) within the context of erotic stories.

Content. I like that, but for the opposite reasons. My stories are pure escapism and ignore the evils of the world. My characters are generally all perfectly likable Mary Jane characters without any major hangups or trauma. Everyone has great sex and falls in love/lust.

 

[ChuckWolf]

I feel like I've written some femdom/CFNM stories that are at least a little more unpredictable and imaginative and that show different voices for the dominating women in them.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Pride and counterproductive pride are two different things. If you take no pride in your work-whatever it may be-you don't care about it. Too much pride, however, stops one from learning, accepting advice, and growing in your craft.

If they are two different things then we really should have two different words for it, because as it is, most people have great difficulty separating the two, or at least have a large blurry grey section between the two. Pride is the second most misunderstood word in our English language. The first is love for the same reasons. There are many different types of love but we give them all the same word which confuses everyone and blurs all of the different definitions. The word pride is the same.

I don't take pride in a job well done, I take care in a job well done. I'm not proud of my family, I'm glad for my family. These are conscious choices that I make. I'm not telling anyone in this thread that they are wrong to be proud of something - especially since we are all taught from birth that the weord pride is always good, no one ever teaches us the other side of it - just heeding a word of caution about the definitions. Care is one sided, joy is one sided, we know what they mean. Arrogance is one-sided, boasting is one sided, we know what they mean, but pride is two-sided and it's meaning is blurry because we are not taught its meaning clearly, we are only taught the good half. In my opinion, society would be much better if we stopped doing that and made the definitions clear.

There's nothing wrong with being proud of something you've done.

Like I said, I take care in a job well done. I take satisfaction in doing it as well as I can. Taking pride in it means to boast about it and tell everyone to read it and see how great I am. I don't want that. I'm not saying that anyone else is doing that, but it's my way of making sure to myself first and then to anyone else that the definitions are clear.

And if you were to take your own post seriously, you wouldn't go round and round and round arguing with people in threads. Because always needing to be right? That's pure ego and counterproductive pride.

I don't do that. People just disagree with me. Most of the time I walk away and give the last word. No one notices when someone does that. One in ten I might give it back (especially if they are rude to me) and that's when you notice and think I'm a cunt. There are many people here far far more argumentative than I am and some of them even do it on multiple accounts just to be bitches.

This post in particular is not a front at all. I thought that it could be taken that way, so I even worded it carefully, yet you still saw it as a front. I can't control that if you want me to be that way that badly. I really just wanted to share my views on pride as I have learned over the years since someone else brought up the topic. I thought it could be a helpful discussion. If the thread starter feels that I am not welcome, they can say so, or if enough other members think that I am not welcome, give a show of hands and I'll show myself out.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

It fills me with a great deal of satisfaction that I seem to be able to make people cry with my words. Mostly happy tears, but to achieve that level of emotional connection is very heartwarming. I also enjoy the positive reactions I get. It seems that I connect with my readers on quite a few levels. Some are encouraged. Others are inspired or comforted. Knowing I’ve made a small difference in peoples lives is extremely rewarding. Writing primarily in the T/CD space, I feel validated that I can provide a safe haven for people in light of all the angst in the real world.

 

[AchtungNight]

Details, dialogue, certain celebrities and fanfic characters depicted in erotic scenes who might not be A-list but are nevertheless worth fantasy, creativity in general, weaving of real life and a parallel universe in a realistic way mostly. Also some of my original characters- where else can you read about a self-described modern knight playboy and a redhead nympho borderline psychopath on a crusade for pleasure, and all their friends and foes?

 

[OffNSFW]

Honesty.

 

[Cagivagurl]

The full stops.....
I'm really proud of them. They look so full, before they stop.

 

[TheLobster]

The full stops.....
I'm really proud of them. They look so full, before they stop.

*motions to his byline*

 

[Flybynite1892]

I guess I'm surprised by - and also kind of proud of - the fact that while I try to not describe the physical details of my characters much at all, people still seem to find the stories hot. To me, sex has always *always* been like 80% in your head. Someone saying some hot shit is way, way more of a turn-on than how someone looks physically. I really try to get that across to the reader in my stories. So far, people have seemed to respond well to that, and I really appreciate it.

 

[LessThanAWord]

I guess I'm surprised by - and also kind of proud of - the fact that while I try to not describe the physical details of my characters much at all, people still seem to find the stories hot. To me, sex has always *always* been like 80% in your head. Someone saying some hot shit is way, way more of a turn-on than how someone looks physically. I really try to get that across to the reader in my stories. So far, people have seemed to respond well to that, and I really appreciate it.

I was thinking that when I remember sex with heavily tattooed people, I can't always seem to picture the tattoos, because the memory is very physical. I think there's something to be said for tapping into that by allowing negative space for the reader to project. I increasingly try to describe faces and bodies in cursory detail but I don't often return to the description because, like you, I want to let people's imaginations breathe.

 

[Flybynite1892]

I was thinking that when I remember sex with heavily tattooed people, I can't always seem to picture the tattoos, because the memory is very physical. I think there's something to be said for tapping into that by allowing negative space for the reader to project. I increasingly try to describe faces and bodies in cursory detail but I don't often return to the description because, like you, I want to let people's imaginations breathe.

"Letting people's imaginations breathe" is such a good way to put it, damn. A good writer gives you the right number of guideposts and lets you fill in the rest. And literally no one can tell you what the rest is...if the writing is good enough, it makes you fill in those blanks with the hottest things you can imagine.