Writing a scene you personally hate

[AmberSolis]

Yep, that's me. Writing a scene I hate, and yet ... I must ...
Am I the only one? Surely not!

Tell me, tell us, all about it. What have you written that you hated? But there it was, with all of its lessons, waiting for you, as if someone foresaw the future?

I'll go first: any story of mine (not sure off-hand what-all I have posted!), but, anything with a female main character involving incest with the oldest son? Ok, "I'm not taking any further questions on this matter, thank you very much! Ditto if it involves my Mom and my oldest half-brother!"

 

[SimonDoom]

No, I've never done this. I don't know why one would write a scene that one hates. I've at times gotten weary with writing a story, to the point that it's a slog to finish it, but I've never once thought, "I hate this." If I thought that I would just stop writing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Can't quite see the point of writing something you hate.

I've written scenes where the characters aren't ready for sex yet, and keep circling around each other, but that's something completely different.

 

[ronde]

I've never written a scene like that. If I don't like what I'm writing, chances are most readers won't either.

 

[NotWise]

I've done it, but not sex scenes. Hannah in "Love is Enough" describing her childhood abuse turned my stomach. It was hard to write Keren's murder in "The Third Ring" even though it was essential to the story. There's a few others, and there are other stories still waiting because I can't bring myself to write one scene or another.

 

[AmberSolis]

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin!

You folks have never written a female character into a scene you, yourselves, would never have wished for? Guys? What in the effervescent pluperfect Hell of being skinned alive is all of this about?*

*You know! Writing scenes and situations you secretly wished for, but never would have acted on? NO JUDGEMENT, here! Just an honest question.
*Yes, OK! I KNOW I am not the only one at the grocery-store checkout line, looking at the 18-year-old girl at the cash register. The girl with the lovely young breasts, with the alarmingly low-cut top revealing all kinds of b-cup loveliness, her short, brunette hair-style so perfectly framing the round oval of her face. When she hit you with those terrifyingly blue eyes, and asked "How is your day was going?"
Tell me you didn't fall in love with her, regardless of your marital status. Go ahead, just try. Regardless of whether or not you, yourself, are male or female or anything in between! Go ahead. And if you say you didn't? Then I won't believe you. Not one single bit, not one single moment!
Of course you did! You wouldn't be human, if you didn't! So you've got a crush on someone, male or female?

GOOD FOR YOU!

You're alive!

Your heart is still beating. So there is still time to add meaning to your life, and surprise! It often involves accepting someone else into your life!

As it was meant to be.

 

[YDB95]

I've had scenes in my Lit stories that I found boring but they had to be there to move the plot forward, but "hate" is too strong a word.

My novel is partially about a human trafficking victim. Certainly there were scenes about her that I hated writing.

 

[lc69hunter]

Yep, that's me. Writing a scene I hate, and yet ... I must ...
Am I the only one? Surely not!

Tell me, tell us, all about it. What have you written that you hated? But there it was, with all of its lessons, waiting for you, as if someone foresaw the future?

I'll go first: any story of mine (not sure off-hand what-all I have posted!), but, anything with a female main character involving incest with the oldest son? Ok, "I'm not taking any further questions on this matter, thank you very much! Ditto if it involves my Mom and my oldest half-brother!"

I once agreed to edit a story for another writer on this site. Once I got into the story, I realized that I hated the premise and the outcome. It was a tough edit, but I did as she asked.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I wouldn't say I've written scenes I've hated, but I do in a way understand what it is you're expressing. I assume authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, or Emily Bronte resonate in penning this style of literature, gothic or otherwise.

Even in my darker work, if the scene is too intense for me, I'll deviate from my original path and tone it down. I don't operate well under stress and I do prefer that my writing doesn't depress me or cause me anger, though, I do know quite a few writers on my other writing website who will operate in this vein if they have a piece formed and plotted. They'll see it through no matter how hard it is for them to write it.

In my experience if it is well written, it's often a very raw and intense read, though work like that does not always ensure the erotica edge will resonate with me. It'll tend to strike me more as gothic fiction, or outright horror depending on the topic, which can be exciting in it's own right. I suppose this style of writing (and reading) might make us a tad sadistic, or masochistic, hm? By my experience, this style of writing is on the uncommon side of the literary scale, but there is an audience for it.

 

[HordHolm]

I did it once on Lit. The scene was necessary to move the story forward but it was unpleasant (it was an NC story with a twist, in which the Angel of Mercy must oversee punishment on the FMC so that her time in Purgatory is limited). I didn't enjoy it. The psychological manipulation that was part of the story was much more enjoyable to write.

 

[lustychimera]

You folks have never written a female character into a scene you, yourselves, would never have wished for?

Ah, I see what you mean, now.

I mean, I enjoy the catharsis of writing darker stuff, and I enjoy the escapism of wish fulfilment. I see each as expressing a different kind of story with a different motive behind it, and sometimes one has hints of the other, but there's always a priority of one over the other. Just depends on what kind of tale it is.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Yep, that's me. Writing a scene I hate, and yet ... I must ...
Am I the only one? Surely not!

Tell me, tell us, all about it. What have you written that you hated? But there it was, with all of its lessons, waiting for you, as if someone foresaw the future?

Project documentation. Mission statements. Sometimes I can feel my brain trying to crawl out through my ears when I'm writing those, but at least I'm getting paid for it. Fiction doesn't pay well enough for me to write scenes I hate.

There have been scenes that hurt to write, because I was tapping into painful memories, and there have been scenes that I wasn't thrilled to write because they were the Dull But Necessary bit in between the bits I was excited about. But nothing I'd say "hate".

I'll go first: any story of mine (not sure off-hand what-all I have posted!), but, anything with a female main character involving incest with the oldest son?

I am concerned about this example, coming as it does immediately after the "as if someone foresaw the future" part of your post.

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin!

That's a nice poetic expression but I'm not sure it gets me any closer to understanding why we'd choose to spend time on that side of the coin.

You folks have never written a female character into a scene you, yourselves, would never have wished for?

Not sure why "female" in particular but yes, I've written scenes about women having upsetting breakups, or being seriously ill, or losing a loved one. I'd hate to be in that scene, but that doesn't mean I hate the scene as I'm writing it.

Is that "a scene you'd hate to be in" what you actually meant to ask about here? If so, that's not how it came across.

Guys? What in the effervescent pluperfect Hell of being skinned alive is all of this about?*

*You know! Writing scenes and situations you secretly wished for, but never would have acted on? NO JUDGEMENT, here! Just an honest question.

Wish fulfilment? Sure. But that's not "a scene you hate".

*Yes, OK! I KNOW I am not the only one at the grocery-store checkout line, looking at the 18-year-old girl at the cash register. The girl with the lovely young breasts, with the alarmingly low-cut top revealing all kinds of b-cup loveliness, her short, brunette hair-style so perfectly framing the round oval of her face. When she hit you with those terrifyingly blue eyes, and asked "How is your day was going?"
Tell me you didn't fall in love with her, regardless of your marital status. Go ahead, just try. Regardless of whether or not you, yourself, are male or female or anything in between! Go ahead. And if you say you didn't? Then I won't believe you. Not one single bit, not one single moment!

I'm sure you're not the only one, but it's not as universal as you seem to think. By the time I'm at the checkout - which is usually self-service run by a computer whose sexiest utterance is "unexpected item in the bagging area" - I just want to get my shopping bagged and go home. Even if I do notice one of the staff as being attractive, that's not how falling in love works for me.

Of course you did! You wouldn't be human, if you didn't!

I hear that a lot. I've learned to think of it as an unintended compliment, but I'm still not looking for romance with the robot checkout.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Project documentation. Mission statements. Sometimes I can feel my brain trying to crawl out through my ears when I'm writing those, but at least I'm getting paid for it. Fiction doesn't pay well enough for me to write scenes I hate.

There have been scenes that hurt to write, because I was tapping into painful memories, and there have been scenes that I wasn't thrilled to write because they were the Dull But Necessary bit in between the bits I was excited about. But nothing I'd say "hate".



I am concerned about this example, coming as it does immediately after the "as if someone foresaw the future" part of your post.



That's a nice poetic expression but I'm not sure it gets me any closer to understanding why we'd choose to spend time on that side of the coin.



Not sure why "female" in particular but yes, I've written scenes about women having upsetting breakups, or being seriously ill, or losing a loved one. I'd hate to be in that scene, but that doesn't mean I hate the scene as I'm writing it.

Is that "a scene you'd hate to be in" what you actually meant to ask about here? If so, that's not how it came across.



Wish fulfilment? Sure. But that's not "a scene you hate".



I'm sure you're not the only one, but it's not as universal as you seem to think. By the time I'm at the checkout - which is usually self-service run by a computer whose sexiest utterance is "unexpected item in the bagging area" - I just want to get my shopping bagged and go home. Even if I do notice one of the staff as being attractive, that's not how falling in love works for me.



I hear that a lot. I've learned to think of it as an unintended compliment, but I'm still not looking for romance with the robot checkout.

*You know! Writing scenes and situations you secretly wished for, but never would have acted on? NO JUDGEMENT, here! Just an honest question.
*Yes, OK! I KNOW I am not the only one at the grocery-store checkout line, looking at the 18-year-old girl at the cash register. The girl with the lovely young breasts, with the alarmingly low-cut top revealing all kinds of b-cup loveliness, her short, brunette hair-style so perfectly framing the round oval of her face. When she hit you with those terrifyingly blue eyes, and asked "How is your day was going?"
Tell me you didn't fall in love with her, regardless of your marital status. Go ahead, just try. Regardless of whether or not you, yourself, are male or female or anything in between! Go ahead. And if you say you didn't? Then I won't believe you. Not one single bit, not one single moment!
Of course you did! You wouldn't be human, if you didn't! So you've got a crush on someone, male or female?

I have to agree with Bramblethorn, there is absolutely nothing, zip, nada -- about shopping -- that I would call even vaguely arousing.

By the time I leave the store, after nearly ripping my hair out at the stupid self check out, I wouldn't notice someone naked in the parking lot. Since by that point, all I want to do is load my stuff in my car, gun it, and get the hell out of there.

 

[ElectricBlue]

*Yes, OK! I KNOW I am not the only one at the grocery-store checkout line, looking at the 18-year-old girl at the cash register. The girl with the lovely young breasts, with the alarmingly low-cut top revealing all kinds of b-cup loveliness, her short, brunette hair-style so perfectly framing the round oval of her face. When she hit you with those terrifyingly blue eyes, and asked "How is your day was going?"
Tell me you didn't fall in love with her, regardless of your marital status. Go ahead, just try. Regardless of whether or not you, yourself, are male or female or anything in between!

I don't see what any of that has to do with hate. I'm forever writing such encounters into my stories.

I'm missing something with your question, I think.

 

[Kay_Evans100]

To be honest I find I can only write scenes/stories where I have a direct affinity to it, either in actual experience or something I might desire. Someone asked me to write something else and I tried but it came over and so fake because not in my experience and the emotion was not there so came over as one dimensional if you know what I mean, no depth, no intensity of feeling.

 

[lustychimera]

To be honest I find I can only write scenes/stories where I have a direct affinity to it, either in actual experience or something I might desire. Someone asked me to write something else and I tried but it came over and so fake because not in my experience and the emotion was not there so came over as one dimensional if you know what I mean, no depth, no intensity of feeling.

Everybody's got different things they're passionate about, and trying to fit every kink hits that ol' "jack off of all, master of none" quote---or something like that. And then we all post and meet and come together under the umbrella of rule 34.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Yep, that's me. Writing a scene I hate, and yet ... I must ...
Am I the only one? Surely not!

Tell me, tell us, all about it. What have you written that you hated? But there it was, with all of its lessons, waiting for you, as if someone foresaw the future?

I'll go first: any story of mine (not sure off-hand what-all I have posted!), but, anything with a female main character involving incest with the oldest son? Ok, "I'm not taking any further questions on this matter, thank you very much! Ditto if it involves my Mom and my oldest half-brother!"

I have and I know EXACTLY what you mean.

I had to write a scene where the likeable female male character was non-consensually taken by the antagonist of the story. She eventually gives into his scumbag behaviour as she thinks her husband doesn’t care as he’s off his face and a drink and drugs concoction whereas the antagonist is buzzing his head-off as he’s coked up.

It was horrible to write but it was necessary to be in the story. It made his demise all the sweeter.

 

[SimonDoom]

Do you realize that you just admitted to never actually having written a story, but rather long sex scenes with caricatures instead of characters?

No.

 

[SimonDoom]

Do you realize that you just admitted to never actually having written a story, but rather long sex scenes with caricatures instead of characters?

No

I don't see what any of that has to do with hate. I'm forever writing such encounters into my stories.

I'm missing something with your question, I think.

Me too. I don't understand what the op is asking.

 

[Rob_Royale]

No. I've written scenes that I would never think of doing in real life, like a rape fantasy, but I was still intrigued with the idea enough to enjoy the writing of it.

 

[Voboy]

"Hated?" Probably not.

"Disliked?" Certainly so.

My characters do all sorts of things I think are squicky. They show questionable judgement all the time. I have no trouble writing about them because it's not really the "acts" I'm writing about. I'm writing about my characters, and they very easily become real people to me. So when they fuck up, I'm happy to write about those fuckups. I feel they deepen the characters and make them more real.

To use your example, I've written two incest scenes; incest is obviously something I find personally loathsome, but here's the thing: those particular characters? They're pretty loathsome people, or rather they're normal people in loathsome situations. So? Engaging in that behavior was "right" for them in that story. So writing it was no more difficult than writing any other fuckscene.

When I really do dislike writing something, it tends to be expository. So I often gloss over the boring bits. There are many ways to do that without being boring; writers have been doing that for ccenturies.

 

[jsmiam]

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin!

You folks have never written a female character into a scene you, yourselves, would never have wished for? Guys? What in the effervescent pluperfect Hell of being skinned alive is all of this about?*

*You know! Writing scenes and situations you secretly wished for, but never would have acted on? NO JUDGEMENT, here! Just an honest question.
*Yes, OK! I KNOW I am not the only one at the grocery-store checkout line, looking at the 18-year-old girl at the cash register. The girl with the lovely young breasts, with the alarmingly low-cut top revealing all kinds of b-cup loveliness, her short, brunette hair-style so perfectly framing the round oval of her face. When she hit you with those terrifyingly blue eyes, and asked "How is your day was going?"
Tell me you didn't fall in love with her, regardless of your marital status. Go ahead, just try. Regardless of whether or not you, yourself, are male or female or anything in between! Go ahead. And if you say you didn't? Then I won't believe you. Not one single bit, not one single moment!
Of course you did! You wouldn't be human, if you didn't! So you've got a crush on someone, male or female?

GOOD FOR YOU!

You're alive!

Your heart is still beating. So there is still time to add meaning to your life, and surprise! It often involves accepting someone else into your life!

As it was meant to be.

To me, I interpret what you’re saying (in this post,) as “conflicted,” not “hate.” With the difficult added meaning “and I hate feeling conflicted” tossed in.

I suspect a lot more people would say yes to this interpretation. If that’s what you meant?

 

[Duleigh]

What have you written that you hated?

For me it's non-erotic connecting scenes. Scenes whose soul purpose is to advance the narrative or set up the reason for a scene to follow. For some reason I really fight to get through them

I wrote a twincest scene where the twins agreed that it was going to be the last time, that was pretty difficult, I didn't hate it but it was part of a big series and I had a lot of emotional involvement with them.

I had one very big story where one of the main characters had to die. the closer I got to that chapter the worse I felt, I was losing sleep, my gut was all twisted up I actually felt like I was killing a loved one. Eventually (and with reader feedback) I scrapped the storyline, I saved the character at the last minute and I felt so relieved. The story lost a lot of impact and the ending kind of drifted off but I saved Lanh Nguyen.

I become terribly emotionally invested in my characters so I guess the only things I hate writing are the words "The End"

 

[EmilyMiller]

Writing a scene you personally hate​

The only things I have hated writing have been wholly therapeutic and not intended for publication.

I have recently written some characters who are not intended to be likeable, but I have enjoyed crafting them. They tend to have some redemptive arc. I don’t really do gritty realism.

Most of my stories are about people [mostiy] being nice to each other, even if the characters sometimes have issues or are even a little broken.

If I have some bridge section in a story, which is needed for the structure, but maybe not that interesting, then I try to add some new element (which can I admit be contrived) or a twist (ditto) to make it interesting to write. I figure if I’m bored writing, then so will the reader be.

Em

 

[comegently]

I have never done this. Maybe I should. I liked all the scenes I've written.