Random thoughts on what I’m working on, why I wrote what I did, what I think about life, and maybe what I had for breakfast… if I’m in a chatty mood.
After “erotica for men,” the search term that brings the most traffic to this site is “literotica tags.” I have no idea why this is the case since I’ve never written a post explicitly about tags and literotica. I wrote one about the site in…
Remember in my last post when I talked about how Literotica misposted my sequel to Little Miss Communication? And remember the convoluted steps I had to take to get it removed and reposted? Well, I did those and it was reposted… wrong again. As the…
I wrote a post a while back reviewing the three major free erotic sites out there: literotica.com, eroticstories.com, and storiesonline.net. In it, I said that none of them are perfect. This short post is a reminder to myself how true this statement is (and primarily,…
Sorry, couldn’t help the pun (and worse, the pun hardly makes sense). Little Miss Calculation should post soon to Lit (edit: I’ve posted it on my site). If you haven’t read the first part of the “Little Miss” tales (Little Miss Communication), it’s basically a girl meets boy story, set primarily in a gym. Elaine is drawn to Hayden’s bad boy persona, but discovers there’s more to him than just that.
The sequel takes their relationship a step further, but I’ll let you discover that for yourself. For me, the sequel has taken my thoughts of Elaine and Hayden further, too. I’m intrigued by them and the possibilities of where their relationship could go. Once you finish Calculation, there’s a pretty obvious direction, and while I might write that one day, I’m curious to hear what others think or want to see in future installments. No promises that anything will get written, but my muse is always hungry for more ideas.
If you’re not comfortable posting below, send me an e-mail at kennywright.writer@gmail.com.
I wrote a blog entry a couple months ago refuting the idea that characters drive the stories, not the authors. Well, I’m willing to admit when I’ve misspoke, and in this situation, I did. A little, anyway. The take-away of that entry should have been…
Don’t you hate it when you think you’ve got a sure thing, only to realize that the people who matter don’t agree? Yeah, got my very first rejection in this wonderful world of publishing. I know, I know, get used to it. It’ll happen again…
Short answer, it’s coming. Had some things come up in my life that put a temporary hold on the writing front. First one was good — a trip to Cali for a friend’s wedding. Second one was bad — break-in while we were away that resulted in both of our computers stolen. But I choose to see the sunny side of this. Nothing that couldn’t be replaced was taken. No one was hurt. Cat’s still alive. All our files (including photos and stories) were backed up. And I got to upgrade my three year old computer (although Adobe CS is going to be a bitch to replace).
I was about 50% through the editing of a completed story when this adventure began. That should be finished and posted shortly. Then I have a few other things I can hopefully get back to without too much trouble. Not sure I’ll be able to finish one of those projects in time for Literotica’s Summer Lovin’ story contest, but I was beginning to wonder if maybe I should try shopping that story around, anyway (and I do have a back-up plan).
I’m over half of the way through a fairly short piece that I’ve been working on my phone (crazy, I know, and really inefficient, but something is better than nothing).
Oh, and there’s also that short paranormal contest that I haven’t forgotten about. That one is coming along in stutters. Will get there. It’s only early August, right?
“Sometimes, a story can take a life of its own and lead the author down a path he or she least expected.”
I’m sure nearly every writer has heard some variation on this thought. The theory behind it is a simple one (a good one, even): we’re not just wordsmiths, we’re creators of entire universes, populated with characters so vivid that they could drive the stories on their own. They live and breath in a world of our making, plucked from our imaginations. It’s what we hope to achieve when we set ourselves before a computer (or tablet/iPhone/pad of paper/whatever).
I’m pretty sure that I’ve even given this advice in the past because it’s so noble a goal. But there’s such a thing as taking it too far. Your characters do not dictate the flow of the story; you do. (I bolded that because it’s important to keep in mind.) There is no such thing as freewill when it comes to your stories. You’ve got some say in the matter. You are, after all, writing it. If you don’t want Scott running away with the maid, then don’t let Scott run away with the maid!
Here’s the rub: you can’t force it. There has to be a balance between your carefully structured plot and how your characters navigate it. If you (via your characters) keep getting pulled down a particular avenue that wasn’t intended, then you probably need to analyze your characters. Most likely, there’s a good reason for the draw. Why does Scott want the maid over the flawed yet beautiful Genevieve? The answer lies in how you’ve written Scott.
I wrote a 45k novella in which I “was true to my characters.” But in the end, I neither liked the story I told nor the character I wrote, and when I wanted to force a happy ending, it felt forced (shocking, I know). Hindsight being what it is, I should have paused as soon as things started to spiral out of my control and asked myself: why are we headed in this direction? The fix wouldn’t have been to simply course correct the plot. It would have required me to readjust the motivations and actions of the characters. And it would have been a small amount of work then, rather than the daunting task of a complete rewrite I have now.
It’s a fine line, for sure. You want your characters to thrive and mingle and play and have thoughts of their own. One of the most pleasant things about writing are these little surprises along the way. But you also need to mind the story you intend to tell. You’re not the historian of your imagined world; you’re its creator.
[message_box title=”UPDATE (3.30.2012)” color=”black”]Interest in what “erotica for men” has continued to grow since the day I posted the thoughts below. Clearly there’s a market for it, but I’m no longer convinced this market is all that different than what “erotica for women” is. In…
I’ve been writing creatively for over 15 years. I don’t say this to brag (after all, it’s been over 15 years and I’m still writing with adverbs and expressive eyes). I say this for context. The quality (and subject matter!) has changed over the years…
