Literotica writing lore which may not be as helpful as people think

[MelissaBaby]

Another one:

Lit lore: Don’t describe your protagonists so that readers can project themselves onto one character and their fantasy onto another.

In reality: Characters live in the author’s head, not the reader’s, and it is solely up to the author how much or little to reveal about their appearance. If details of appearance enhance the story, then of course they should be included.

As far back as I can remember, I would "cast" every book I read in my imagination, sometimes with people I knew, more often with actors and actresses. I would get annoyed when the author would drop a detail about a character that contradicted my earlier casting choice.

I always kind of assumed that most readers did that. So, when I started writing, I kept description of the characters appearance to a minimum, unless something about the way they looked was specifically pertinent to the story.

Over time, I've come to realize that many readers appreciate a more detailed description, and I have moderated my technique somewhat, but I still lean toward not giving much more than a quick sketch of my character's appearances.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'd say every piece of Literotica "lore" falls into this category. Rules are meant to be broken, as long as they're broken well, but "well" is in the eye of the beholder.

I know what I like. I think. Maybe I'm not so sure about that one, either.

 

[FeldGasden]

Why not make it such that the reader feels what's written is so natural that even if a rule's broken, he or she wouldn't notice it?

I mean, if grammar involves some wrongs becoming right, why not writing? I remember that when I was in school, I was told we can't start a sentence with "Also" or use "I and him/her" but now these seem to be accepted, especially the latter which my mum told me shortly before she retired from teaching English, here in Singapore.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

If anyone needs to kill darlings it's Stephen King, anyway.

How about George "Kill 'Em All" Martin?

 

[YmaOHyd]

How about George "Kill 'Em All" Martin?

He needs to get to the point, and to recognize that resolving every situation negatively is just as knee-jerk and arbitrary as giving every character a happy ending.

Why not make it such that the reader feels what's written is so natural that even if a rule's broken, he or she wouldn't notice it?

Because that's very hard to do. It's a bit like asking why baseball players don't just hit a home run every time.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

Hey ND brother,

I know what you mean. I sometimes have to stop myself from explaining every detail. Like:

I picked up the lube bottle, which had been lying on the bed next to me where I left it, and flipped the top. I pulled one butt cheek to the side and drizzled some gel onto my ring. Then I closed the lid and lay the bottle on my tummy while I rubbed the lubricant around and into my asshole.

As opposed to:

I lubed my ass ready for him.

no idea what you're trying to say here.

neither versions is bad.

the first is "explaining" only when it does not fit the narration's tone. whether it belongs in the text, depends on... the text.

 

[EmilyMiller]

no idea what you're trying to say here.

That my natural state is to dot every i and cross every t, to leave no detail unexplained, lest I be misunderstood.

In speech, I find I have to stop myself from constantly reiterating points for the same reason.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Over time, I've come to realize that many readers appreciate a more detailed description, and I have moderated my technique somewhat, but I still lean toward not giving much more than a quick sketch of my character's appearances.

I’ve gone the other way. But it’s common to have detailed descriptions of characters in mainstream literature. Particularly if there is a large cast to distinguish from each other.

I saw The God of the Woods mentioned in a thread here and had been meaning to to get around to reading it. I’m only about quarter of the way through, but all of the camp visitors and employees get described, I think it helps when there are so many different people involved, and so many shifting POVs.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Are you one of us or under another category?

I’m autistic.

If you're one of us, all the better, I appreciate ladies with a witty mouth, especially if they're capable of dirty thoughts or ideas.

I noticed you're always armed with some repartee. Hopefully I'll have the chance to fence with you.

I love word play and clever turns of phrase. Making words dance and sing. I’ve had more than one person say my writing is a shadowy reflection of Nabokov in this respect, though clearly with ridiculously less talent.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That my natural state is to dot every i and cross every t, to leave no detail unexplained, lest I be misunderstood.

To maybe clarify this. It’s a visceral feeling, compulsive even. It’s not that I want to cover every detail, it’s that I have to.

It can work sometimes. Other time it gets in the way.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I had a lot of fun dialing both an info dump and self-description to eleven in (all the formatting doesn’t translate here sadly):

Post, Text, Fuck

by Emily Miller

— — —

"I can't relate to desperation
My give-a-fucks are on vacation
And I got this one boy, and he won't stop callin'
When they act this way, I know I got 'em"​

Sabrina chirpily fills my ears with her Sun-drenched vocals as I compose my bio. Sure, if you look like her, the boys probably wouldn't ever stop calling. For us regular girls...? Not so much. Indeed pretty much never. But, I'd run out of fucks to give as well, hence my current form-filling.

I put the song on loop...

Age: I toy with the idea of pretending to be a teen. With my looks, I could probably get away with that. But no, honesty is the best policy, twenty-two it is.

Status: Single... d'oh! Then I reflect that quite a few members are probably seeking extramarital fun. But would they admit that in their profile? I decide I'm not really qualified to opine on this matter and move on.

Height: I type a wistful 5'4" knowing it's not true, but thinking that no one will bring a measuring tape with them.

Weight: Why is this important? Do some guys have a fetish for a certain number of pounds? Let's say one hundred.

Then I think, 5'4" and one hundred pounds sounds kinda anorexic. My conscience gets the better of me and I knock three inches off of the earlier field.

If a miracle occurs and I actually meet anyone as a result of this, they are most likely gonna be deeply disappointed in me anyway. So let's not give them one more reason to be so.

Build: Isn't that fucking obvious? I select 'Skinny' from the drop down.

Eye color: There's nothing that matches my weird combo, so let's say 'Blue.'

Hair color / length: Hmm... I guess that 'Blonde' is closer than 'Light brown.' Length? Do they want the number of inches? It's kinda between mid-length and long. I pick 'Mid-length.'

Bust size: I first enter 32B, then change the B to A. I'm going to be posting photos of myself as well, might as well be consistent with the images.

Pussy: I pick 'Shaved,' it's close enough.

Tattoos: None.

Piercings: Ears and belly.

Highest level of education: Seriously? I assume the form has been customized from a more generic one. No one on this site is gonna give a fuck about my Computer Science degree. Still, I select that option.

Hobbies: I consider writing: 'failing to attract any male attention at any of work, bars, or regular dating sites.' Then I reflect that this isn't exactly a great sales pitch. Instead I enter 'running and art house movies.' Why anyone viewing my details would care is beyond me.

Preferred role: There is no option for 'trying to figure that shit out,' so I go for 'Submissive.'

Next there is a lengthy section consisting of a series of expandable categories. An explanatory paragraph says that there is no need to fill everything in, just to complete any answers that you feel will help to match to like-minded people.

I click on Number / gender of partners:and get a list starting at One. Out of curiosity, I scroll down. It stops at Ten. I have an involuntary image of a red raw vagina flit across my mind. Shuddering a little, I scroll back up and pick 'Two.' A pop-up asks me to specify the gender of each, and I check the 'Male' box for both.

This is after all my key selling point, that I want to fuck with two guys. I hope it helps me stand out, but suspect it won't really compensate for my other many deficiencies.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Sabrina chirpily fills my ears with her Sun-drenched vocals

Note for older readers: Sabrina Carpenter is a young, short, blonde Pennsylvanian girl with a reputation for being sex positive, and yes unicorns do exist. She also sings a bit…

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I believe I exposed some of these here.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

By the way, challenge idea: take all the bad writing advice from Literotica, and make the worst story possible by following it. Here's a helpful framework, and a reason for it if anyone is feeling the resistance:

Extra credit: post it on LW.

 

[EmilyMiller]

By the way, challenge idea: take all the bad writing advice from Literotica, and make the worst story possible by following it.

I think @Devinter may already have done that…

https://www.literotica.com/s/girl-cum-1

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I think @Devinter may already have done that…

https://www.literotica.com/s/girl-cum-1

The 'Girl Cum' Challenge!

 

[AG31]

And do not by all means do not bash the Oxford comma.

OK, them's fightin' words.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

That my natural state is to dot every i and cross every t, to leave no detail unexplained, lest I be misunderstood.

In speech, I find I have to stop myself from constantly reiterating points for the same reason.

gotcha.

then, as a writer, you should take on those subjects and genres that suit your strength.

 

[ADirtyPerv]

I had a lot of fun dialing both an info dump and self-description to eleven in (all the formatting doesn’t translate here sadly):

Post, Text, Fuck

by Emily Miller

— — —

"I can't relate to desperation
My give-a-fucks are on vacation
And I got this one boy, and he won't stop callin'
When they act this way, I know I got 'em"​

Sabrina chirpily fills my ears with her Sun-drenched vocals as I compose my bio. Sure, if you look like her, the boys probably wouldn't ever stop calling. For us regular girls...? Not so much. Indeed pretty much never. But, I'd run out of fucks to give as well, hence my current form-filling.

I put the song on loop...

Age: I toy with the idea of pretending to be a teen. With my looks, I could probably get away with that. But no, honesty is the best policy, twenty-two it is.

Status: Single... d'oh! Then I reflect that quite a few members are probably seeking extramarital fun. But would they admit that in their profile? I decide I'm not really qualified to opine on this matter and move on.

Height: I type a wistful 5'4" knowing it's not true, but thinking that no one will bring a measuring tape with them.

Weight: Why is this important? Do some guys have a fetish for a certain number of pounds? Let's say one hundred.

Then I think, 5'4" and one hundred pounds sounds kinda anorexic. My conscience gets the better of me and I knock three inches off of the earlier field.

If a miracle occurs and I actually meet anyone as a result of this, they are most likely gonna be deeply disappointed in me anyway. So let's not give them one more reason to be so.

Build: Isn't that fucking obvious? I select 'Skinny' from the drop down.

Eye color: There's nothing that matches my weird combo, so let's say 'Blue.'

Hair color / length: Hmm... I guess that 'Blonde' is closer than 'Light brown.' Length? Do they want the number of inches? It's kinda between mid-length and long. I pick 'Mid-length.'

Bust size: I first enter 32B, then change the B to A. I'm going to be posting photos of myself as well, might as well be consistent with the images.

Pussy: I pick 'Shaved,' it's close enough.

Tattoos: None.

Piercings: Ears and belly.

Highest level of education: Seriously? I assume the form has been customized from a more generic one. No one on this site is gonna give a fuck about my Computer Science degree. Still, I select that option.

Hobbies: I consider writing: 'failing to attract any male attention at any of work, bars, or regular dating sites.' Then I reflect that this isn't exactly a great sales pitch. Instead I enter 'running and art house movies.' Why anyone viewing my details would care is beyond me.

Preferred role: There is no option for 'trying to figure that shit out,' so I go for 'Submissive.'

Next there is a lengthy section consisting of a series of expandable categories. An explanatory paragraph says that there is no need to fill everything in, just to complete any answers that you feel will help to match to like-minded people.

I click on Number / gender of partners:and get a list starting at One. Out of curiosity, I scroll down. It stops at Ten. I have an involuntary image of a red raw vagina flit across my mind. Shuddering a little, I scroll back up and pick 'Two.' A pop-up asks me to specify the gender of each, and I check the 'Male' box for both.

This is after all my key selling point, that I want to fuck with two guys. I hope it helps me stand out, but suspect it won't really compensate for my other many deficiencies.

That was delightful. So much character in an info dump. Bonus points for the 'Espresso' quote. I worked 'Tears' and 'Manchild' into a story recently, and people called it political. Lol.

 

[Britva415]

that's very hard to do. It's a bit like asking why baseball players don't just hit a home run every time.

Certainly a worthy goal, at any rate.

That was how I took the question

 

[EmilyMiller]

That was delightful.

Thank you

 

[FeldGasden]

I’m autistic.



I love word play and clever turns of phrase. Making words dance and sing. I’ve had more than one person say my writing is a shadowy reflection of Nabokov in this respect, though clearly with ridiculously less talent.

Definitely going to hit you up.

Are you a British comedy person, in that case? Used to like it until I ended up in places where people think being able to speak a grammatically correct sentence without resorting to pidgin is a sign of elitism......I've been broken out. Wouldn't mind getting into it if I had somebody to spar with. Interested? I've noticed you absolutely can't resist getting a word in. I barely fall under your category of neurodiversity.

In some circles, Nabokov is regarded as overrated. How ironic that his name is quoted here. This is Literotica after all. His roads do lead within.

That my natural state is to dot every i and cross every t, to leave no detail unexplained, lest I be misunderstood.

In speech, I find I have to stop myself from constantly reiterating points for the same reason.

I've the same issue myself but more because people keep trying to find loopholes in the things I say. It's why Robert Caro ended up becoming the non-fiction writer I involuntarily emulate.

I had a lot of fun dialing both an info dump and self-description to eleven in (all the formatting doesn’t translate here sadly):

Post, Text, Fuck

by Emily Miller

— — —

"I can't relate to desperation
My give-a-fucks are on vacation
And I got this one boy, and he won't stop callin'
When they act this way, I know I got 'em"​

Sabrina chirpily fills my ears with her Sun-drenched vocals as I compose my bio. Sure, if you look like her, the boys probably wouldn't ever stop calling. For us regular girls...? Not so much. Indeed pretty much never. But, I'd run out of fucks to give as well, hence my current form-filling.

I put the song on loop...

Age: I toy with the idea of pretending to be a teen. With my looks, I could probably get away with that. But no, honesty is the best policy, twenty-two it is.

Status: Single... d'oh! Then I reflect that quite a few members are probably seeking extramarital fun. But would they admit that in their profile? I decide I'm not really qualified to opine on this matter and move on.

Height: I type a wistful 5'4" knowing it's not true, but thinking that no one will bring a measuring tape with them.

Weight: Why is this important? Do some guys have a fetish for a certain number of pounds? Let's say one hundred.

Then I think, 5'4" and one hundred pounds sounds kinda anorexic. My conscience gets the better of me and I knock three inches off of the earlier field.

If a miracle occurs and I actually meet anyone as a result of this, they are most likely gonna be deeply disappointed in me anyway. So let's not give them one more reason to be so.

Build: Isn't that fucking obvious? I select 'Skinny' from the drop down.

Eye color: There's nothing that matches my weird combo, so let's say 'Blue.'

Hair color / length: Hmm... I guess that 'Blonde' is closer than 'Light brown.' Length? Do they want the number of inches? It's kinda between mid-length and long. I pick 'Mid-length.'

Bust size: I first enter 32B, then change the B to A. I'm going to be posting photos of myself as well, might as well be consistent with the images.

Pussy: I pick 'Shaved,' it's close enough.

Tattoos: None.

Piercings: Ears and belly.

Highest level of education: Seriously? I assume the form has been customized from a more generic one. No one on this site is gonna give a fuck about my Computer Science degree. Still, I select that option.

Hobbies: I consider writing: 'failing to attract any male attention at any of work, bars, or regular dating sites.' Then I reflect that this isn't exactly a great sales pitch. Instead I enter 'running and art house movies.' Why anyone viewing my details would care is beyond me.

Preferred role: There is no option for 'trying to figure that shit out,' so I go for 'Submissive.'

Next there is a lengthy section consisting of a series of expandable categories. An explanatory paragraph says that there is no need to fill everything in, just to complete any answers that you feel will help to match to like-minded people.

I click on Number / gender of partners:and get a list starting at One. Out of curiosity, I scroll down. It stops at Ten. I have an involuntary image of a red raw vagina flit across my mind. Shuddering a little, I scroll back up and pick 'Two.' A pop-up asks me to specify the gender of each, and I check the 'Male' box for both.

This is after all my key selling point, that I want to fuck with two guys. I hope it helps me stand out, but suspect it won't really compensate for my other many deficiencies.

Age: Which woman doesn't toy with the idea of pretending to be a teen? How ironic? I suppose you chose twenty-two for a reason, the oldest age where a young woman can avoid being classified as an adult, the age of someone in her final year of college.

Status: Are you trying to get an additional attachment but then you said you wanted two guys. So I suppose already being attached to one means you're still open for another.

Height: Which means you're below that. I can't imagine anybody wanting to be shorter unless they want to appear cuter, but I think you're aiming for something else.

Weight: I like how you can randomly write a number and arrive at that.

Come to my country. Our women come in all classes of disappointing. Their scale only points downwards. We totally wouldn't mind you coming to school them.

Build: If people are deeply disappointed that you're not skinny, you really aren't. Unless you're telling me people are expecting you to be bigger because of the current fashion trend towards baggy and loose clothing.

Eye color: From a weirdo to another weirdo, honestly weirdos come in all colors. I've been certified for decades running by all and sundry. Here, there's only one color unless I'm weirder than weird, but I suppose I am.

Hair color: You know most people prefer blondes so you're passing yourself off as one, aren't you?

Bust size: Really? Are you going to put up your real photo or a photo of someone with that bust size who you think we all think is you?

Pussy: No matter how it's shaved, it'll always be close. Anything that can be shaved will always leave stubble behind. The only difference is whether it can be seen or not. The follicles are still going to be there after all, however the hair is cut.

Tattoos: No comment

Piercings: No comment

Highest form of education: All forms have this. Other computer science people here whom I believe are a dime a dozen here, will give a fuck.

Hobbies: You got my attention but some ladies admittedly find my masculinity questionable, probably in the virility department. The better sales pitch, the lesser people are going to care because everybody's going to write that, such as reading.......when reading emails and webpages are classified the same as reading by leafing through the pages of a book with a spine, that fans out.

Preferred role: Why not the other one?

Any chance any one can ever ask you for a REAL self-description or does it have to be taken privately? These tongue-in-cheek descriptions are practically an invitation.

 

[SmilingLez]

Hey ND brother,

I know what you mean. I sometimes have to stop myself from explaining every detail. Like:

I picked up the lube bottle, which had been lying on the bed next to me where I left it, and flipped the top. I pulled one butt cheek to the side and drizzled some gel onto my ring. Then I closed the lid and lay the bottle on my tummy while I rubbed the lubricant around and into my asshole.

As opposed to:

I lubed my ass ready for him.

I would have described the bottle too.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I would have described the bottle too.

Yeah - I’ve done that

 

[EmilyMiller]

Any chance any one can ever ask you for a REAL self-description or does it have to be taken privately?

It’s a story. And - just to be 100% clear - happy to chat, but not sexy times chat. I’m very, very not single. Sorry to be in your face, but better to be clear IMO.