Writer's Block & Starter Tips

[ViciousKiwi]

First off I'm 19 and female. I have written in the past but have never finished a project. I've always loved writing but never felt I had the natural talent for it. But I've always (exaggeration) been interested in giving erotic fiction a shot.

Anyway before you continue reading you should know that this is an incest story between a brother and sister, as I know many people do not care for this particular genre.

I'm trying to give it a vibe of a brother and sister becoming close and intimate in the midst of their parent's broken relationship, whom they both have no respect for and in fact have great resentment towards. As well as the vibe of them having only each other to rely on, as their parents are much too caught up in their own personal issues to acknowledge really anything that's going on in their children's lives. I thought it would be interesting to pursue.

To give you the gist of what I have so far; one night as the parents are arguing, Erica (the younger sister) accidentally finds herself catching her brother Liam in the act of having hardcore sex with a girl he has just brought home. The sister obviously becomes aroused, before dashing off once her brother notices her. The morning after is awkward, not making it any easier for Erica to come to terms with her new feelings towards her brother with his almost incessant teasing. But little does Erica know he actually has the same feelings towards her, as they both choose to attempt to suppress these feelings their arousal towards each other grows, making it harder for them to maintain a normal brother and sister relationship.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm having issues integrating the physical features and specific ages of both characters without it seeming like I'm just throwing it in, and finding it difficult as to figuring out how much detail I should put in. Such as their history and what not. Right now where my writer's block is is right in the middle of a sex scene, where the brother pursues Erica unexpectedly. And I would of course like some grammatical and punctual errors pointed out that I could spiff up a bit to make the story more fluid. Also ideas to include or change are always welcome.

The story is obviously still in a very rough draft. But if you would like to read it (I'm assuming you will, to get a better idea of where my story has left off) I would be willing to private it to you. But I've actually just been considering giving this idea to someone willing and more capable of making it into something worth reading. v.v

P.S. I'm new to the forums, so if there's anything I should or shouldn't be doing. Please politely give me a heads up and I will fix it. c:

Thanks in advance.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

First off I'm 19 and female. I have written in the past but have never finished a project. I've always loved writing but never felt I had the natural talent for it. But I've always (exaggeration) been interested in giving erotic fiction a shot.

Anyway before you continue reading you should know that this is an incest story between a brother and sister, as I know many people do not care for this particular genre.

I'm trying to give it a vibe of a brother and sister becoming close and intimate in the midst of their parent's broken relationship, whom they both have no respect for and in fact have great resentment towards. As well as the vibe of them having only each other to rely on, as their parents are much too caught up in their own personal issues to acknowledge really anything that's going on in their children's lives. I thought it would be interesting to pursue.

To give you the gist of what I have so far; one night as the parents are arguing, Erica (the younger sister) accidentally finds herself catching her brother Liam in the act having hardcore sex with a girl he has just brought home. The sister obviously becomes aroused, before dashing off once her brother notices her. The morning after is awkward, not making it any easier for Erica to come to terms with her new feelings towards her brother with his almost incessant teasing. But little does Erica know he actually has the same feelings towards her, as they choose to both attempt to suppress these feelings their arousal towards each other grows, making it harder for them to maintain a normal brother and sister relationship.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm having issues integrating the physical features and specific ages of both characters without it seeming like I'm just throwing it in, and finding it difficult as to figuring out how much detail I should put in. Such as their history and what not. Right now where my writer's block is is right in the middle of a sex scene, where the brother pursues Erica unexpectedly. And I would of course like some grammatical and punctual errors that I could spiff up a bit to make the story more fluid.

The story is obviously still in a very rough draft. But if you would like to read it (I'm assuming you will, to get a better idea of where my story has left off) I would be willing to private it to you. But I've actually just been considering giving this idea to someone willing and more capable of making it into something worth reading. v.v

P.S. I'm new to the forums, so if there's anything I should or shouldn't be doing. Please politely give me a heads up and I will fix it. c:

Thanks in advance.

Include what needs to be in it, leave the irrelevant stuff out. Irrelevant is what has no influence on the action or the characters. Like....in the middle of sex don't make anyone suddenly recall how they learned to fly at summer camp 12 years ago.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

I definitely would not do that. lol But I saw in another post, someone critiquing someone else's work about how they were left with characters with blank faces. And I didn't want the readers to feel that way with my story.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Now that that's out of the way, I'm having issues integrating the physical features and specific ages of both characters without it seeming like I'm just throwing it in, and finding it difficult as to figuring out how much detail I should put in.

This is one of those areas where it's impossible to please all readers. Some people want a full physical description of the characters; some are happy with little or no physical description, and will grumble about "wanted poster" info-dumps.

So I think your best bet is to write as much or as little physical description as feels right to you, and accept that some people will like that choice and others won't.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

This is one of those areas where it's impossible to please all readers. Some people want a full physical description of the characters; some are happy with little or no physical description, and will grumble about "wanted poster" info-dumps.

So I think your best bet is to write as much or as little physical description as feels right to you, and accept that some people will like that choice and others won't.

Very true. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

 

[HeyAll]

I'm having issues integrating the physical features and specific ages of both characters without it seeming like I'm just throwing it in, and finding it difficult as to figuring out how much detail I should put in.

In my experience, sometimes less is more when it comes to physical descriptions.

A lot of readers like to imagine their own interpretations of the characters to whatever fits their fantasies.

But if you bring it up, do it when it's necessary. For instance, I wouldn't recommend saying "she has blond hair" near the end of the story, because by that time, the reader may have already imagined a brown hair girl.

Personally, the only time I want details is when the female character is undressing, I'd want the author to tell me what her breasts look like, ect...

But I think the most important thing is to know their personalities, and write their dialogue with what they would say. For instance, if the sister is shy, give her a shy personality. If she's outgoing, give her an outgoing personality.

That way, it gives the story a lot more realism.

 

[AwkwardMD]

In answer to a question you asked at the end there; Unless you really feel out of your depth, keep at it. Writing is a fantastic medium for processing emotions and kinks (or however you want to put it) in a positive and therapeutic way. It's hard and frustrating sometimes, and the quantity of the feedback you get will not be commensurate to the quantity of work you put in, but I've found that the quality of the feedback is often on par with the quality you put out.

The premise is sound, and the characters seem relatable. I would also echo JBJ's call to adhere to Chekhov's Gun (no unnecessary shit), and don't be afraid to write dialogue and scenes that dive into the emotional wasteland divorce leaves in it's wake.

I would be happy to look over your draft and give you comments if you'd like.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

In answer to a question you asked at the end there; Unless you really feel out of your depth, keep at it. Writing is a fantastic medium for processing emotions and kinks (or however you want to put it) in a positive and therapeutic way. It's hard and frustrating sometimes, and the quantity of the feedback you get will not be commensurate to the quantity of work you put in, but I've found that the quality of the feedback is often on par with the quality you put out.

The premise is sound, and the characters seem relatable. I would also echo JBJ's call to adhere to Chekhov's Gun (no unnecessary shit), and don't be afraid to write dialogue and scenes that dive into the emotional wasteland divorce leaves in it's wake.

I would be happy to look over your draft and give you comments if you'd like.

So far I've put quite a bit of dialogue. The characters seem to be coming out smoothly. But haven't really delved into the emotional side of it yet. But that would be lovely. I'm always down for pointers and suggestions. I'll send it, but like I implied in the thread it's nowhere near close to being finished. I'm pretty happy about how it's coming along though, surprisingly. Except for the spot I'm stuck on.

 

[robertreams]

I will read it, send me some or all of it in a PM.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

In answer to a question you asked at the end there; Unless you really feel out of your depth, keep at it. Writing is a fantastic medium for processing emotions and kinks (or however you want to put it) in a positive and therapeutic way. It's hard and frustrating sometimes, and the quantity of the feedback you get will not be commensurate to the quantity of work you put in, but I've found that the quality of the feedback is often on par with the quality you put out.

The premise is sound, and the characters seem relatable. I would also echo JBJ's call to adhere to Chekhov's Gun (no unnecessary shit), and don't be afraid to write dialogue and scenes that dive into the emotional wasteland divorce leaves in it's wake.

I would be happy to look over your draft and give you comments if you'd like.

Don Westlake went so far as to exclude anything unrelated to plot. His Parker character doesn't go to movies or golfing or to the WALMART. He mostly goes out to eat or meets with merchants who sell him things for the robberies.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Don Westlake went so far as to exclude anything unrelated to plot. His Parker character doesn't go to movies or golfing or to the WALMART. He mostly goes out to eat or meets with merchants who sell him things for the robberies.

I read a fascinating treatise last year that argued that "Everybody poops."

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I read a fascinating treatise last year that argued that "Everybody poops."

Its a little known fact and needs to be depicted a lot more often.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

I'm really enjoying all the input! But feeling slightly discouraged. While wondering which direction to go with this story. Whether to just tweak a few things here and there, or to just trash the story I've written so far and start all over again, but with the same plot of course, and with the new tips I've received.
I'm not very experienced with writing, as far as creative writing goes, so it's really hard to get the hang of how I want my writing style to be as well as giving just the right amount of depth to the characters and their lifestyle without getting too carried away with the details.
But I'm not going to give up. All the advice I've gotten has really got me brain storming, and I appreciate the time some of you have taken to read my story and analyze it. :3
And honestly I'm kind of surprised at how many people have taken an interest to this thread so far. It's exciting. ^.^​

 

[sr71plt]

There's no magic bullet or easy button to give you on this. I suggest you write it the best you can, submit it, read a lot in the areas that interest you, and work on developing--unless this is going to just tie you up in knots. If so, go do something that isn't going to be as stressful for you. You might come back to writing when you're more in the mood. If you don't, that's OK. Writing isn't a requirement in life.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There's no magic bullet or easy button to give you on this. I suggest you write it the best you can, submit it, read a lot in the areas that interest you, and work on developing--unless this is going to just tie you up in knots. If so, go do something that isn't going to be as stressful for you. You might come back to writing when you're more in the mood. If you don't, that's OK. Writing isn't a requirement in life.

What he means is throw enough shit against the wall and something will stick.

 

[sr71plt]

Ah, no, not at all. I understand that's your method, JBJ, although you just talk about doing it rather than actually doing it to try to gather cheap "I'm so great" credits on the board (which does work, I've seen), but that's just you're way.

 

[lovecraft68]

What he means is throw enough shit against the wall and something will stick.

750+ turds so far and none stuck, they're all on the floor in a big stinky pile.

That's going to be his next anthology "Habu, piling it on"

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

750+ turds so far and none stuck, they're all on the floor in a big stinky pile.

That's going to be his next anthology "Habu, piling it on"

My God! How does he find so many different things to lay folks over to fuck them in the ass?

 

[sr71plt]

I see the Vaudeville act is on stage at the elementary school lunch room again.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

There's no magic bullet or easy button to give you on this. I suggest you write it the best you can, submit it, read a lot in the areas that interest you, and work on developing--unless this is going to just tie you up in knots. If so, go do something that isn't going to be as stressful for you. You might come back to writing when you're more in the mood. If you don't, that's OK. Writing isn't a requirement in life.

It's not tying me up in knots and I'm not stressed out at all. I'm actually happy working on this.
Like any form of art, you're going to erase and add or change things. And some you'll trash and restart. It's a process I'm used to. Being an artist and all.
Plus the writing thing is a nice break from my drawing and graphic art. It's exciting to try to expand my talents.
Also I'm aware writing isn't a requirement, but I do enjoy it. I'm not doing any of this as an obligation, it's just a hobby I'm trying to pick up. If it works out, great. If not then moving on to the next thing. Hehe.​

 

[sr71plt]

It's not tying me up in knots and I'm not stressed out at all. I'm actually happy working on this.
Like any form of art, you're going to erase and add or change things. And some you'll trash and restart. It's a process I'm used to. Being an artist and all.
Plus the writing thing is a nice break from my drawing and graphic art. It's exciting to try to expand my talents.
Also I'm aware writing isn't a requirement, but I do enjoy it. I'm not doing any of this as an obligation, it's just a hobby I'm trying to pick up. If it works out, great. If not then moving on to the next thing. Hehe.​

OK, then my suggestion would be not to try to write by committee from here. Work on it yourself for a while and improve by experience and observing what others are writing that you can affirm--and even then don't go the "blindfold everyone and have them describe what the elephant is" route.

 

[ViciousKiwi]

OK, then my suggestion would be not to try to write by committee from here. Work on it yourself for a while and improve by experience and observing what others are writing that you can affirm--and even then don't go the "blindfold everyone and have them describe what the elephant is" route.

I hear (or read) you loud and clear. I'm trying all of the above. Reading other people's work, experimenting with how or what I'm going to write, as well as taking in some notes/constructive criticism from others. And so far I haven't gotten one bit of advice that I disagreed with or was offended by. I'm a very open and observant person. So there isn't much that I won't take into consideration. I appreciate your advice. c:​

 

[Dream_Operator]

I've written a similar type story -- overheard encounter sparks an unknown desire.

I'd be happy to give your story a read and feedback. If you are interested send me a PM.