Rob_Royale
with cheese
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2022
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I believe you, but one should also point out that it's been on the site for twenty years.There's a reason this has 2.5 million views and 1.5 favorites.
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I believe you, but one should also point out that it's been on the site for twenty years.There's a reason this has 2.5 million views and 1.5 favorites.
But would both stories be something that avid readers in that category would know?This.
There is a big difference between a story about a torrid professor/student fling and a story about two old lovers checking into the same care facility, and rediscovering their bittersweet love.
And yet? Both go in "Mature."
Not sure it's possible for many of us to suggest anything outside our own interests, and that'll carry bias. So I'm unsure it's possible to make an "all things to all readers" sort of list like this.
But would both stories be something that avid readers in that category would know?
The point of this isn't pick a great story, its the story that's built the reputation of a must read if you enjoy that category.
Its not hard to come up with it in those terms.
Using the example of horror movies: Even if you never saw it, or did and wasn't a big fan, people say "The Exorcist" and you know it as one of the greatest of all time.I agree that picking a story would not be too hard, not least because the site keeps many stats that can help direct readers toward works that get read a lot, or achieve mass approval. I don't see why interested readers need much more than that, certainly not based on anything as subjective as what you're describing here.
I don't agree that "a must read" necessarily has to exist in every category, at all.
I also think this concept is completely non-subjective, and temporary. How long ago was it that everyone KNEW you had to read Moby-Dick as a quintessential example of American literature? Not even twenty years. And yet even back then, we realized it wasn't a very good read. And nowadays, nobody reads it at all.
This entire concept is ephemeral.
Using the example of horror movies: Even if you never saw it, or did and wasn't a big fan, people say "The Exorcist" and you know it as one of the greatest of all time.
There's stories like that here.
TBH, the issue some people are having with this is that I'm not asking authors to tout their own stories, and also asking them to acknowledge someone else. Plenty here can do that, plenty more can't.
I think the flavour of the thread is not about "must read" stories necessarily, but ones that capture the essence of the thing. Or at least, the essence for that particular trope, since the category level on its own is not really granular enough.Not to beat a dead horse, but if you talk to milennials, many of them have never heard of The Exorcist. They tend to think The Ring is the end-all, be-all of horror. Gen Z has never really heard of Star Wars, and if they have they don't think of it as a definitive work in the genre. That boggles my mind, but I can't pretend it's not real.
It's not a big thing. If you think people here need yet another way to rank works, then go with your bad self. I just think there are so many stories here that it's not terribly useful assuming every category has one (or even ten) "must-reads." That ignores too many other stories, and the differential is probably not as great as you seem to think. Depending on the readers' bias, that is.
This quotes going straight to the pool room...It's the vibe.... It's Mabo....
Using the example of horror movies: Even if you never saw it, or did and wasn't a big fan, people say "The Exorcist" and you know it as one of the greatest of all time.
There's stories like that here.
Definitely one of the best stories I've read here.'Bandit' by YouDidWhut in Mature
It absolutely did inspire "Crash Into Me". In fact, I threw a subtle nod its way, with the narrator declaring that her family is of Irish descent, and they take promises very seriously, just as PacoFear's sisters do in "Macallan Promises".Macallan Promises is the sisters, time stopping story. It's great in it's own right, but I have always strongly felt that it probably inspired Ariella-Chan's Crash into me, a personal favorite of mine. Combined with his having helped kicked off Onehitwanda's illustrious tenure here, it's safe to say Mr. Fear has left a very positive legacy here.
You were (and still are) a massive influence on my desire to re-join the community after I wandered back after my initial ten-year vacation. You also helped me get a much-needed perspective for posting on the forums, since things had changed quite a lot since 2003.I used to chat with her. She reached out to me about some of my stories and I'm flattered that she considered me an influence on some of her work and style. Its a loss that she doesn't write here anymore.
I spend some time writing almost every day, and I brainstorm ideas constantly. My problem often comes down to trying to make a given premise work in conjunction with the inspiration. If I reach a point where I'm banging my head against a wall, or if I think I'm not able to do the characters justice, I'll put the idea on ice and move on to something else, maybe coming back to it later. Several times I've found myself writing a story that I think is going well only to poke around here and see that somebody else already did a similar thing far better than the idea I had, and while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, I can't stand the idea of someone looking at a story I wrote and going, "Oh, she just copied <AuthorName>'s premise. How lame." I'm my own worst enemy, I guess. Same with all depressive creative sorts, I think.I sent her an email through the feedback portal 2 or 3 years ago to tell her how much I enjoyed her story. Honestly, all of them are great. She was very gracious in her response, sharing a lot of insight into how she developed the story. Her output here has always been very sporadic, and to me, she's a perfect example of quality over quantity. That said, I just hope she publishes again somewhere. It'd be a shame if she didn't.
Great to see you again.It absolutely did inspire "Crash Into Me". In fact, I threw a subtle nod its way, with the narrator declaring that her family is of Irish descent, and they take promises very seriously, just as PacoFear's sisters do in "Macallan Promises".
You were (and still are) a massive influence on my desire to re-join the community after I wandered back after my initial ten-year vacation. You also helped me get a much-needed perspective for posting on the forums, since things had changed quite a lot since 2003.
I spend some time writing almost every day, and I brainstorm ideas constantly. My problem often comes down to trying to make a given premise work in conjunction with the inspiration. If I reach a point where I'm banging my head against a wall, or if I think I'm not able to do the characters justice, I'll put the idea on ice and move on to something else, maybe coming back to it later. Several times I've found myself writing a story that I think is going well only to poke around here and see that somebody else already did a similar thing far better than the idea I had, and while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, I can't stand the idea of someone looking at a story I wrote and going, "Oh, she just copied <AuthorName>'s premise. How lame." I'm my own worst enemy, I guess. Same with all depressive creative sorts, I think.
I'm two chapters in and hooked. Thanks!I think another "One to Rule Them All" for the Loving Wives category is easily DanielQSteel1's "When We Were Married".
Seconded. I must have read it twelve times or more.Onehitwanda's On the Simplicity of Words in lesbian sex