Story grafting, procrastination, and unnecessarily dark metaphors

[openthighs_sarah]

Gerald Hoffnung was a gifted cartoonist, musician and comedian.

His Domestic Symphony...

*steadies arm, takes deep breath, gently squeezes trigger... then watches as last hijacker drops over the side; walks closer, finds him hanging by fingertips on the edge of the thread; steps on his fingers; laughs in innocent, radiant joy as he falls...*

This thread... is clean.

(Just doing my job as thread starter.)

 

[jfinn]

*seizes thread by gunpoint, forces hijackers to their knees, straps a ball-gag on each of 'em, and hurls them screaming into the abyss*


The problem is that sometimes that particular scene will end up taking over my attention to such an extent that I'll lose track, just a bit, of the main story thread.

Maybe the real problem, though, is that I started having too many ideas at once; and instead of just taking notes on each of them and finishing them up one by one, I tried to write all of them simultaneously. But they're all different, not just in content but in tone and voice, and I worry that by jumping around so much, each story will lose its unique voice. Any good story should have integrity in both senses of the word -- it should be true to itself, and be consistent and whole.

The other bad thing is that I like obsessing about a single fantasy, and investing all my time and energy into capturing it. I've posted my thoughts on this before -- I want the story to take me over completely while I'm writing it. Otherwise these stories are only exercises -- which is nice, but I want more. I want to reach deeper every time... If I spread myself too thin, creatively, the individual stories may lose something in the process.

I do most of my obsessing in the daydreaming stage. By the time I'm acutually ready to write something I've pretty much gotten that out of my system. But sometimes when a scene does start to take over, I'll go back and reoutline the entire story. It helps me back off a bit and get some perspective.

Jayne

 

[MaxSebastian]

The downside of course is that the last couple of scenes left are usually stinkers I don't even want to think about let alone write.

See, I'd have that problem too, but either I'll get that little feverish excitement that comes from having a story virtually ready to post - in which case, I can bust through that feeling - or I will look for a way to minimise or do without those final scenes.

 

[Guest]

good job, OTS

This thread... is clean. (Just doing my job as thread starter.)

Thank you for the gracious manner you do your 'job'.

Back to the topic myself: I don't do this for Lit. so much as my 'stories' are short compared to my usual writing (besides poems), but often I'll leave something for a week or months (or a year w/a novel) and when I come back to it can quite easily delete paras, sections; or simply realize a para or section should be moved to another place.

It seems difficult for many authors to distance themselves from their work; it's easy for me I think because I look at the work as 'work', vs. my 'self'. That's just me I know.

 

[Quasimodem]

Gerald Hoffnung was a gifted cartoonist, musician and comedian.

His Domestic Symphony which included vacuum cleaners and garden hoses was performed at The Royal Festival Hall in the 1950s by all the most significant musicians of the day who had a wonderful time.

Og

I may err, but what I most vividly remember of Gerald Hoffnung’s Domestic Symphony was a wildly cacophonic concerto – somewhat in the style of Igor Stravinsky – featuring Vacuum Cleaner, Sump Pump, and Steam Driven Catheter. If my memory serves, the work was entitled, “Evacuation of the Muses, in E Flat.”

Of course, I may be somewhat confused about the recital. It is true that these stirring events occurred during one of those unfortunate period when I was off my meds.

 

[Guest]

*steadies arm, takes deep breath, gently squeezes trigger... then watches as last hijacker drops over the side; walks closer, finds him hanging by fingertips on the edge of the thread; steps on his fingers; laughs in innocent, radiant joy as he falls...*

This thread... is clean.

(Just doing my job as thread starter.)

_____

You kill me, OTS.







Go ahead. Make my day.

 

[MathGirl]

Good grief!

Hoffnung’s Domestic Symphony – featuring Vacuum Cleaner, Sump Pump, and Steam Driven Catheter. If my memory serves, the work was entitled, “Evacuation of the Muses, in E Flat.”

Sounds like one of those old Spike Jones records. "Stream Driven Catheter"? Wow
MG

 

[Jigs]

I suspect that I am the undisputed heavyweight champion of the unfinished story. I already have four or five of them hanging around the Literotica, all of them popular, and all of them waiting for another chapter . An acceptable conclusion is probably too much to hope for. Alas, I never seem to know when to quit, and even worse, how to!

I understand the root of my problem. I hate the confinement of outlines, and have since the first teacher in some forgotten elementary grade insisted upon one. My God, I can't think of any thing more certain to strangle inspiration than trying to capture it in an outline. Accordingly, I never start a story with the slightest idea where it and I might be headed. Each begins with a momentary sexy picture from my imagination, and from there events go forth to wherever my horny might take them.

Trust me, to depend upon a consistent flow of imagination (what I call the drums in my head) is a recipe for the unfinished story. Guided only by those drums, the story will eventually escape from my control, and then wander away into some far out fantasy that it is bad erotica and even worse literature. Fortunately, it is a failure easily recognized before it is made public. Ashamed of what I have written, this would-be next chapter soon becomes another orphan on my hard drive.

Anyway, by then some other new sexy picture has captured the attention of my horny, and it is simply too tempting not to be the centerpiece of a new story that, like its siblings, will probably never be finished. I get a good deal feedback asking for continuations. I only wish I was good enough at this business to comply.

 

[Guest]

Jigs

I'm there with you, except I don't feel bad about it. That's why I like Lit.; it's not as if some publisher won't pay you because you haven't turned in the final chapter. Ha ha. I too simply begin with an idea and let it flow. When the river runs dry I leave the dry bed gladly and go back for a new 'mouth'.

Regards, Perdita

 

[Jigs]

"I'm there with you, except I don't feel bad about it..." Perdita

Thanks Perdita! It makes me feel better that somebody out there has the same problem. Please tell me that you also can't spell and don't exercise regularly.

I wonder who taught us to feel so damned guilty about our failures? In my case I'm pretty sure it was my football coach.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Perdita! It makes me feel better that somebody out there has the same problem.

No, no - it's NOT a problem. I'm afraid I spell well, but if it means anything spelling is a genetic thing and has nothing to do with intelligence. I walk a lot and do other exercising quite irregularly. Guilt? I'm Catholic but I decided long ago it's a useless trait.

 

[openthighs_sarah]

Go ahead. Make my day.

You've got to ask yourself one question, manxy.

Did she come five times... or six? (Do you feel lucky today?)


Well do ya.... punk?

 

[PAUL C]

writing a story

i start.

meander for 10 - 20 k words then decide upon the plot. Then change the plot. Write another 20k. Post it.

takes on average about 4 months from beginning to end. although some do take considerably longer than that.

i find it best to have 3 or 4 stories in preparation at any one time.

 

[Quasimodem]

. . . I hate the confinement of outlines, and have since the first teacher in some forgotten elementary grade insisted upon one. My God, I can't think of any thing more certain to strangle inspiration than trying to capture it in an outline. . .

Jigs,

It seems that your elementary teacher must have been anally retentive. Or merely a lousy communicator.

An outline is not any tunnel down which you MUST plunge, chugging mindlessly.

A good outline is like a map. From it you know in which direction you are going, through what important crossroads you must pass, and what will be your final destination.

For the rest, you can gawk and rubberneck in any or all interesting directions, slow down to dawdle, or floor it through any boring deserted stretches.

The best part is that you won’t find yourself rushing full speed over any cliffhangers, from which you cannot make a recovery.

Other writers here have mentioned how much detail they need to know about their characters, before they can start writing. For me, the story outline is even more important. If you don’t know where you are going, how can you pick who to take along for the journey?

 

[Guest]

You've got to ask yourself one question, manxy.

Did she come five times... or six? (Do you feel lucky today?)


Well do ya.... punk?

____

Speaking of cumming, you left out the part where he was talking about his errr ... ummm ... gun ... and how it could blow a head clean off.

Now THAT would be some kinda blowjob.