Who is the most versatile author you know here?

[Kelliezgirl]

I've considered submitting there, but what stops me is the idea of the Group Sex being the focus of the story, rather than an adjunct (however important) to the main slant. I can't remember who it was but someone was making the point about differences in categories between ones which are lifestyle or identity focussed, and ones which are act focussed, with the act focussed categories being less interesting or 'in depth' in some way. I don't completely agree with that viewpoint, but I am adjacent, and whilst I might include, e.g. a threesome in a story, or anal, I'm focussing (I hope) on more than just an act. An act, in the end, isn't a relationship or an identity.

Which isn't to denigrate authors who make those categories work for them. There's good stuff there. I just feel that these categories are perhaps a bit limiting for me.

I agree with you. I've written a number of threesomes, but never anything I'd consider group sex. It might come up in a story at some point, but I think if I tried to make it the focus of the story it would just be pandering.

 

[lc69hunter]

I category hop all the time. But, even so, i tend to stick to areas such as:

1. Fetish
2. BDSM
3. Romance
4. Lesbian
5. Anal
6. SciFi / Fantasy
7. Erotic Couplings
8. Exhibitionist / Voyeur (thanks @Djmac1031 )

With the occasional foolhardy road trip into Loving Wives and NC/R - mostly with subversion on my mind.

But who are the true masters / mistresses of multiple categories. Authors who can write Gay Male as easily as First Time? Who can gain plaudits from Loving Wives and then Non-human? Incest / Taboo then Mind Control?

I need to know who these paragons are.

Em

Probably @TarnishedPenny . I have seven or eight of her stories saved as favorites, and they span a number of different categories

 

[EmilyMiller]

Probably @TarnishedPenny . I have seven or eight of her stories saved as favorites, and they span a number of different categories

Yay! Someone nominating an author other than themselves

Well done!

Em

 

[Duleigh]

At one point I tried to touch every category but there's some that I have nothing for. Celebrity, Gay Male, Loving Wives? I got nothing. There's some I want to write more like Humor/Satire, Essay, and How To but those are very difficult categories to properly write and there's very little return.

 

[holliday1960]

IMHO, there are several people who write broadly, but remember, stories get pigeonholed into one category no matter how many categories they may cover. So for that reason, I'd have to say ElectricBlue is my first choice as most versatile, Sam Scribble is neck and neck, and a mention of Simon Doom because he'll attempt anything that captures his attention and the man has a vivid imagination. I'm sure there are many others...you just have to dig through author lists and then piles of stories to realize how many openminded writers we have on Lit.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Everybody else is talking about themselves, so I will too.

I've now written in every category except Mind Control, Mature (not sure why, should be easy), How To, Non-Erotic and Novels. I can't claim to be the most versatile author as I've only written 46 stories thus far, but I'm getting there.

I thought Emily was talking about other authors, not oneself. But a little self-promotion never hurts.

 

[StillStunned]

I thought Emily was talking about other authors, not oneself. But a little self-promotion never hurts.

I thought most people were saying, "Well, it's not me, because I've only notched up 8 categories."

 

[EmilyMiller]

IMHO, there are several people who write broadly, but remember, stories get pigeonholed into one category no matter how many categories they may cover. So for that reason, I'd have to say ElectricBlue is my first choice as most versatile, Sam Scribble is neck and neck, and a mention of Simon Doom because he'll attempt anything that captures his attention and the man has a vivid imagination. I'm sure there are many others...you just have to dig through author lists and then piles of stories to realize how many openminded writers we have on Lit.

Again - thanks for getting into the spirit of the question

Em

 

[alohadave]

I can't remember who it was but someone was making the point about differences in categories between ones which are lifestyle or identity focussed, and ones which are act focussed, with the act focussed categories being less interesting or 'in depth' in some way.

It's like the difference between gay male and anal sex categories.

 

[SimonDoom]

I aspire to that sort of versatility, but I'm not there yet. So far I've published 59 stories in 14 categories, but there are several big categories, including gay male, lesbian sex, non-con, mind control, and nonhuman, for which I have not yet published any stories but have stories in the works and hope to get them published this year.

I really don't know the answer to the question, because while I can scan other authors' story lists, in most cases I've read other authors in just a few categories and have no idea whether they've succeeded in many different categories.

 

[yowser]

Probably the 'most versatile' crown is going to come from the highly prolific crew such as silkstockingslover.

There are 32 categories which include 'non-subject parameters' such as language (non-English) and format (audio, illustrated.) A high degree of difficulty to hit all of them. I'm at 26 and counting, but will never hit 30.

 

[AlinaX]

(EB said 18 categories, and I got curious about how many I ended up with, not expecting it to be so many. There are categories that I'll probably never get around to publishing in, for reasons, and there are categories that after ten years I've only written one or two in. The bulk of my stories in the end are in SFF, T&C and MC, and the rest is mostly statistics rather than anything profound.)

 

[Devinter]

I don't know if I agree that "versatility" is about how many different categories you submit stories to. You could write a hundred different stories in the incest category alone and make them all significantly different. Not just relationship dynamics, but writing styles, first or third person (forget second!), overall mood of the story, and so on. If one story is happy, the next heartbreaking, a third hilariously funny - isn't that a form of versatility?

I'm going to nominate @eclare - the man has written some truly heartwrenching tales, has the number one illustrated story of all time on the website, and is the author of " How I became a sex toy to a Sasquatch. " Enough said.

 

[Imstillfun]

Not me, my stories could go in lots of categories and maybe score better. My last one was definitely ‘mature’ worthy, but Loving wives is so much fun I can’t help myself.

 

[Cali_Love]

Ha, ha, well it certainly wouldn't be me. I've only ever published in one category.

Truthfully, with most of the alternatives, the category title alone makes me cringe.

In the spirit of the thread's assignment, couldn't nominate anyone either as I only read from the same category. I think I'm actually from the Island of Misfit Toys, clearly not fitting in here.

CL

 

[EmilyMiller]

I've done that in the past here and it hasn't worked out well for me.

I'm not sure why, as I very much enjoy reading stories from Writers that do category hop.

Most of my stuff is multi-category. I’m not a very disciplined writer [insert joke here].

Em

 

[Bazzle]

I've got one story and so far I've told it 57 different ways

 

[SimonDoom]

I've got stories in eighteen categories, and I've written this:

Something for Everyone

which means I have a snippet in every category.

That "story" was a great idea. Inspired and playful. I'm thinking about trying my own version of that--maybe a (highly modified) short-story erotic version of Ulysses, a single erotic day in the life of a protagonist who over the course of the day experiences every erotic category. I think I know Spanish just well enough that I could pull off the non-English section.

Yeah, yeah, I know. #64. Or maybe higher. I've lost count.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That "story" was a great idea. Inspired and playful. I'm thinking about trying my own version of that--maybe a (highly modified) short-story erotic version of Ulysses, a single erotic day in the life of a protagonist who over the course of the day experiences every erotic category. I think I know Spanish just well enough that I could pull off the non-English section.

Yeah, yeah, I know. #64. Or maybe higher. I've lost count.

I did a low brow Ulysses. A day in the life of a Jersey sex worker, told in five very different scenes.

Em

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I'm vaguely working on a story for every category, mostly as an incentive when I can't think of anything else to work on. Currently have 60 stories in 16 categories and I think a red H in each of the 16 (my one trans story had one for a while, at least. It'll get a sequel eventually).

I've managed I/T and Erotic Horror, which are pretty different to my usual stuff - I enjoyed writing the EH one a lot and hope to do a sequel. I/T sibcest was an interesting challenge but I don't intend to repeat it. Of remaining categories, non-con and mind control would have to be 'macguffin removes character's inhibitions' for me to be at all comfortable with them.

I can't recall enough authors works to notice what categories they post in, and I often don't notice the category - if it's not non-con I'll read pretty much anything if I like the style.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That "story" was a great idea. Inspired and playful. I'm thinking about trying my own version of that--maybe a (highly modified) short-story erotic version of Ulysses, a single erotic day in the life of a protagonist who over the course of the day experiences every erotic category. I think I know Spanish just well enough that I could pull off the non-English section.

Yeah, yeah, I know. #64. Or maybe higher. I've lost count.

# 65, if my memory serves me correctly .

If I can do it, so can you. After all, we were able to coordinate two sorta kinda inter-related 750 worders, some time ago, so, you know, great minds etc...

 

[SimonDoom]

# 65, if my memory serves me correctly .

Villain. I bite my thumb at you. But I'll try to rise to the challenge.

"Try" . . . that word.

 

[SimonDoom]

I did a low brow Ulysses. A day in the life of a Jersey sex worker, told in five very different scenes.

Em

Which story?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Which story?

This one: A Hard Day’s Night

Em

 

[ElectricBlue]

Villain. I bite my thumb at you. But I'll try to rise to the challenge.

"Try" . . . that word.

"Try to rise" was almost disturbing.

Alternatively, there's your gay one done .