What's Your Best Work?

[NCmVoyeur]

I don't know if a thread like this has been done before (in any event, there are always new authors and new readers, so what the heck). But I thought it would be interesting to hear what each of us thinks is our best work and why.

This is something of a 'freebie' for self-promotion, but it's really intended as an examination of the creative process. It would be fun to hear the author's own insights into the story, such as "What was your inspiration?," "What difficulties did you encounter along the way?" "What aspects of the story most please you?"

Story-writing has been compared to baby-making, so here's your chance to share the up's and down's of the 'pregnancy' as well as the 'baby pictures' at the end.

(I have my thoughts on my stories, but discretion urges me to wait till after a few others have gone first.)

Remember to post the link to your story.

Anyone?

 

[KillerMuffin]

My best story, in my own personal opinion, is Stalking Tango. No one else seems to share this opinion though, it's not doing all that terribly well in the polls. Probably because it's not very hot, sexually speaking. I just think the writing itself was good and the characters were a little more interesting than my other characters.

I was inspired by a troll named Womanlover who lamented at the lack of females getting the upper hand in the non-consent section.

The story only took a few hours to write, went in unedited, and the only difficulties I have are that it's not hot.



[Edited by KillerMuffin on 05-02-2001 at 08:35 AM]

 

[Dillinger]

For me its a toss up between

The Elevator (written with MP)

and

The Lingerie Store

The Elevator:

"What was your inspiration?" - This has been a fantasy of mine for a long time, I finally decided to turn it into a story. With luck, someday, I'll get to make it come true.

"What difficulties did you encounter along the way?" - I originally wrote this in 2nd person. It was MP who suggested changing it to 1st person and helped me re-work it (and added other contributions as well). I believe the final result, the one that's posted here... is much better because of it.

"What aspects of the story most please you?"

Personally - I like basing my stories on my own fantasies. If I can make myself hard while writing it then I'm please. Yes... this one did that! I'm also quite pleased with the humor in the story as well.

The Lingerie Store:

"What was your inspiration?" - Yet another fantasy that I decided to turn into a story. I wonder what the chances of this one coming true are?

"What difficulties did you encounter along the way?" - No real difficulties, this one just flowed out of me. I had to do a bit of research regarding the correct terminology for various types of women's lingerie. While I've always been very appreciative of lingerie I never had actually paid much attention to the correct terms for the various outfits (my "mind" was focused on other things! *lol*).

"What aspects of the story most please you?"

Pretty much what I said above. I like basing my stories on my own fantasies. If I can make myself hard while writing it then I'm pleased. I can still read this one (and the Elevator) and get a MAJOR hard on.

Does that sound like I'm touting my own horn too much? My opinion is that if a person's OWN fantasies can't get them aroused then there is something truly wrong with them.

[Edited by Dillinger on 05-02-2001 at 09:00 AM]

 

[CreamyLady]

I think my best character is Melanie in Still Life with Teeth. I wrote the story as a challenge; I was to find a part of me that was really monstrous, and write about it. Well, I picked the voracious, never satisfied, part and I actually liked her.

I have a story I'm working on, nonerotic, that is really good, I think, but raw. It needs so much editing that I can only chip away at it. I wrote it under "one of those spells" and while compelling, the errors are horrendous.

My best story to date, though, is The Sunpath. That almost wrote itself, and was based, simply, on an evening at the beach when I watched the sun set, and noted the reflection on the water. I've seen the moonpath, too; that's a different story.

 

[nitengale]

MY best

My favorite and best piece is "Paris: The City of Light and Lust." http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=12784


My interest in World War II, specifically the Holocaust, is what motivated this story. The strength and the courage people had to find just living in war torn Europe, let alone serving as Resistance Fighters has always intriqued me.

The only real difficulties I stumbled upon was the research aspect of gathering all the facts, as I wanted to ensure completed accuracy of dates and battles. It was more cumbersome than difficult. BUT in the end, I think the story is only made richer with the history thread in place.

I worked the hardest on this story as compared to any story I have ever written. I love my characters, their strength, their courage, the love they have for each other and their country.

My only disappointment... this is the most under read story I have written to date, good story that is. I have a few that did worse, but they deserved to, this one didn't.

 

[Mickie]

My best work is usually whatever I'm currently writing. I try to make each story better than the last, using the things I learn along the way. My own thought is that if your work of the past is better than the work of your present, then you've stagnated as a writer.

Mickie

 

[circe!]

Hey NC!

You're back! Just when I was going to take a break from posting for awhile! HMPH!

Well. let me think for a bit about what I consider my best work to date...

Glad to see you back.

circe!

P.S. Can you mozey on over to the Story Discussion board and post some comments on the story that's currently up for dissection?

 

[NCmVoyeur]

I'm most pleased with "Reminiscences" (http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=8815)

When I set out to write in a somewhat 'serious' vein, I wanted the stories to be unique from what I was generally seeing as far as "Net Erotica." Conceptually, stylistically, and narratively, this story is very much a change-of-pace from standard fare. The story has a lot of elements I enjoy -- romance, history, a sense of the mysterious, a 'plot twist,'love, nostalgia, eroticism -- all within a fairly short story. I enjoyed creating the sense of parallelism -- two worlds 'sensing' each other, yet only indirectly and imperfectly.

It's a story that hasn't done well in popular vote, but it's one that seems to be appreciated by other writers, which is fairly pleasing. Two reviewers said essentially the same to me: "I was touched/aroused in the middle, and I cried at the end." It's flattering to have that impact.


While original in application, I can't claim the narrative concept is mine. The inspiration comes from a 1950's novel from Mexican author Juan Rulfo called "Pedro Paramo" (a work perhaps familiar to many a mid-level Spanish lit. student). Still, digging back 20 years to a work one barely recalls to come up with a device around which to structure an erotic tale is pretty good, I thought.

The challenge was describing enough while keeping the basic premise a bit opaque until the ending. (And if this descriptions seems vague, I'm still operating in that mode. )

 

[cymbidia]

My favorite story, so far, is definitely Pierced. (For some weird reason, i can't get the addy to come up in my browser window. All i get is the main page addy. Hope my puter isn't signaling a breakdown. http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/otn/sad/iiworry.gif )

What was your inspiration?

All my "stories" are experientially-based to a greater or lesser degree. This one was prettied up to make it palatable to readers (thank you again, KM) but remains, essentially, a small peek into a real experience.

I wanted...no...I needed to present my very foreign-to-most-people view of sexuality clearly and with the dignity it deserves. I wanted it to be perceived by readers as a deed of love and celebration and wild heat, just like anything anyone does with the one they love. I wanted to find a way to allow normal, "nilla" if you will, people to read about something they'll never do (and probably have a bunch of erroneous perceptions about) and find a common thread between their expressions of love and that which i was portraying.

What difficulties did you encounter along the way?

I had no real difficulties writing this. The "story" pretty much wrote itself. The changes suggested by my editor were logical and pretty simple to make.

I assumed upon its posting that it that it would appeal to only a very small, hardcore BDSM, niche group of readers. Surprisingly, more people have read it than i anticipated and many of the comments, while professing dismay at the pain so explicitly expressed in "Pierced", indicated surprise that it held their attention all the way through. Some went so far as to say their perceptions of people who engage in such edgy activities has been altered. Perhaps we're not all totally depraved and brutish beasts, after all.

What aspects of the story most please you?

I think i was successful in achieving my goals for this submission. I love that feeling.


BTW KM, i *loved* "Stalking Tango" and think i sent you feedback to that effect long before i ever said a word on the BB.

 

[Dillinger]

My favorite story, so far, is definitely Pierced. For some weird reason, i can't get the addy to come up in my browser window. All i get is the main page addy. Hope my puter isn't signaling a breakdown.

You're using the wrong command. Its url inside the brackets not img. url is for a link, img is for inserting a picture.

 

[NCmVoyeur]

Re: Hey NC!

P.S. Can you mozey on over to the Story Discussion board and post some comments on the story that's currently up for dissection?

You know your every thought is my command. (Mozeying as quickly as I can . . . )

 

[cymbidia]

huh?

~feeling brain dead~

When i access the page on which my story lives within the hallowed halls of Literotica, there is no addy to be copied 'n pasted in the ADDRESS box at the top of my browser screen that is different than the addy on which the Lit main page resides. I didn't make that clear, perhaps. Or, equally probable, i was up WAY too late last night and my brain is sleeping in this morning. Email?

 

[circe!]

Thanks NC

for your very kind comments about my 8 P.M. story (and yep, your good use of flashback in your stories was a definite inspiration!).

On the Story Discussion Circle Persephone's "I Done A Bad, Bad Thing" is up for discussion and I know you and Persephone are aquainted.

circe!

 

[KillerMuffin]

Pierced by cymbidia

I highly recommend this story for a read if one wants to see how the other half live. Please have a strong stomach. Be aware that you may need at least two read-throughs to get past the piercing and into the characters who are very fascinating. It's a wonderful character study both of her and him.

 

[circe!]

Pierced

Hmmm, I'm intrigued. I also think highly of Cymbidia. Guess I know what I'll be reading later tonight!

 

[nitengale]

Pierced

I read this story and actually liked it enough to read twice.

Interesting...with a twist.

 

[NCmVoyeur]

Re: Thanks NC

Thank you for your very kind comments about my 8 P.M.

You're most welcome. Good writing warrants good feedback.

On the Story Discussion Circle Persephone's "I Done A Bad, Bad Thing" is up for discussion and I know you and Persephone are aquainted.

Yep. Our paths have crossed. She's a feedback whore, just like you are.

 

[Persephone]

Laughin my butt off in Texas!

So glad ta see ya back, NC!!!

 

[bluntforcemama]

Well, I won't spout for myself

But some of the best stories I've ever read have been well known, already. For instance: Paolo Labico, Muff, WhisperSecret, GenderBender, and MP. I look forward to new stories from these authors all the time. Heck, just go through their profiles and read everything listed that they've done, and you'll be blown away.

 

[Whispersecret]

<passes Myst a twenty> Thanks, babe.

I've only submitted a novella and two poems (if you can call them poems.) I have another novella finished, but I'm still holding on to it in an effort to sell it for moola.

Even so, Hostile Takeover is my best work to date. I can click on any of the chapters and immediately get lost in the story again. I think the pacing was right on, and the characters fell in love, even though I hadn't intended them to. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the sex was hot, even if it didn't show up in every single chapter.

My inspiration was a desire to back up my boasts that I could write a quality erotic story. Also, I had the scenario of a father selling his daughter to someone floating in my head for a long time, and I wanted to see where it would go.

My difficuly was that I intended to write a vignette, after which I would get back to my "serious" writing. But after writing the first part, I decided to pound out a few more of the adventures between Fiona and Rockwell. Then, it evolved into a full-blown love story. And my novel that I began last year is still only half done.

However, some people who have gotten a behind the scenes look at my second novella, The Artifact, say that it surpasses Hostile Takeover. To each his own. I'm just glad they liked it at all.

 

[Skibum]

My favorite, and best story was "Superman's Lament". It took only a half hour to write, and it changed my life. Because of that story I got to know the woman I love, and she and I have co-authored 2 sequels. Which reminds me that I have to get going on our new story!

The story that did the best in the voting, "The Dark Stranger Visits", was written just to see if I could do a non-consent story. I really don't like it very much because of the non-consent aspect. That is a rather big turn off for me.

 

[Ulyssa]

Isn't it ironic...

Me and Alanis Morrisette? My favorite stories tend to change as time goes by. Probably my most widely received story is "Carol's Contract" which is actually a collaberation. But my best story is called Broken Window and it is not on this site since the protagonist is underaged.

I'll try to find the url for you.
http://whiteshadow.pornopartners.com/erotic/brokenwindow.html

I'd appreciate any criticisms or comments you might want to give me. Thanks.

[Edited by Ulyssa on 05-04-2001 at 12:41 PM]

 

[NCmVoyeur]

Because of that story I got to know the woman I love, and she and I have co-authored 2 sequels.

Very impressive. The power of the pen at work. (Heck, I'd be happy just to receive a few salacious e-mails from some admiring fan on account of my stories. Maybe I should go study your technique).

 

[nitengale]

Because of that story I got to know the woman I love, and she and I have co-authored 2 sequels.

Very impressive. The power of the pen at work. (Heck, I'd be happy just to receive a few salacious e-mails from some admiring fan on account of my stories. Maybe I should go study your technique).

:::making a note to write NCmVoyeur:::

 

[Mr_Neb]

A very difficult question to answer. For me, it depends on how you define "best". Not to get too "Clinton" on everyone but there are several aspects of some stories that are better in others.

I guess the one that I consider the best when it comes to overall writing (plot, characters, emotion, settings, etc.) is Veronica's Story.

For pure sexual heat, I like HerTurn. Caught seems to be a favorite of the readers.

In the humor department, Pussy House-1972 still makes me chuckle.

Thanks for asking.

Mr. Neb

[Edited by Mr_Neb on 05-03-2001 at 01:33 PM]