Shut up and write!

[YmaOHyd]

I need to spend less time on here for sure. But most of the time when I'm here it's because I'm doing baby-care, and I can't write about a guy using a butt plug to turn his coworker into a cum bottle or a woman with psychological problems having violent sex with a scaly-dicked alien while my kid is sitting in her Pack and Play watching me do it.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I need to spend less time on here for sure. But most of the time when I'm here it's because I'm doing baby-care, and I can't write about a guy using a butt plug to turn his coworker into a cum bottle or a woman with psychological problems having violent sex with a scaly-dicked alien while my kid is sitting in her Pack and Play watching me do it.

Totally outside the topic, but if you're at that stage with kids, and packing that kind of kiddie hardware, I strongly suggest looking into the Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow and Go. Might be the best vehicle Chrysler makes.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Totally outside the topic, but if you're at that stage with kids, and packing that kind of kiddie hardware, I strongly suggest looking into the Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow and Go. Might be the best vehicle Chrysler makes.

On the list, I think, for when my wife's Subaru grenades its engine.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think there's no right answer and it's up to the individual author to decide how to use their time for their own satisfaction. What works for one won't necessarily work for another.

I'm in the "just keep writing" camp but I'm a terrible model for that behavior, because I'm an undisciplined writer and I haven't published a story in over a year.

I definitely do NOT think one should refrain from being actively involved in this forum out of any sense of guilt that one is not writing. One can do both. Many have. I enjoy participating in this forum, whether I'm writing stories or not.

I think there is something to be said for accentuating the positive, whatever that means for you. Obsessing about the flaws of this Site is not positive. It is what it is and it's been this way for 27 years. It's not likely to change the basic way it does things regardless of what anyone says in this forum.

I also strongly believe this: this platform gives you an opportunity as an author to have fun with writing and publishing stories and to get an abundance of feedback if you work at it. Take the opportunity. Don't get sidetracked by what you perceive to be the site's limitations.

 

[ColtonWrites]

I think when I am "pushing myself to write more" its in the same vein as someone who likes to run pushing themselves to go faster and further.

When I write its because there's an idea in my head that I want to let out. Often I get stuck in recurring fantasies that change slightly ever time I think about them - writing them down sort of "solidifies" the story and I can move on.

I'm not "juggling" multiple WIPs in any kind of negative way. I like to have multiple possible storylines that I can let my mind wander down depending on my mood.

 

[ElectricBlue]

My writing pace has been pretty much steady state over the years. Roughly 2500 - 3500 words a week, fluctuates some, but not much. These days, not all of it sees the light of day.

I juggle a nearly full time job, a hobby business that tends to look after weekends, and doing the necessary stuff around the house, plus grandkids. Unlike many, I'm not driven to write, it's not therapy. It's something I enjoy doing, like sitting beside myself in one of my constant cafés on a rainy day, sitting with a friend. But there's no need for conversation.

I can't ever see myself not writing, even if I want to get back to drawing and even one day get confident with colour, and paint.

Right now I'm slightly revising content for another platform. That's been interesting, rereading stories I've not read for a while, getting feedback from a different audience, seeing how my common themes weave and change. Even reading a familiar story on another platform's default page style, makes the work read differently. That's kinda fun, reading myself as if I've only just discovered me.

 

[TheExperimentalist]

I expected most of the answers. The most typical and largely true answer is that we are all different and what works for one might not work for others, etc. But I also wanted to see if you think that there are some things almost every author could benefit from. Some common wisdom, as small as it may be.

The only thing I think is common wisdom applicable for all writers is "write what you would want to read". Beyond that, write when it works for you, discuss when it works for you, plan when it works for you, and don't assume that one person's method should apply to another person.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I've found the advice to post/argue/discuss here less, and write more, practically omnipresent. So many authors here always express their delight when they can spend time writing. For them, the time spent best is the time spent writing.

Does everyone really think so?

For me the best part of writing is being read. The best part is getting it done and publishing it. And I can be extremely meticulous in getting everything just so before hitting submit, so it is absolutely not a rush to print. Obviously I enjoy writing, the process itself, getting words, paragraphs and scenes down onto paper (or a document file as it may be). It is intensely satisfying. However, all of that is a means to an end. That end is to create a reading experience and to share it. That is the great joy. I cannot share my writing experience. It is not possible. That is mine and mine alone, but as gratifying as it may be, it is not as good as sharing the finished product. That is why I do not rush publication (unless I'm up against a deadline). I go through it with a fine tooth comb several times, to make it as good as I think I can before I share it. My writing experience is gone, it's over, a joyous memory, but the finished story lives forever and that is the reading experience that I leave behind for whoever comes along to pick it up. That is the real joy.

I think for many writers the joy is in the applause and the scores, and I think that this is so because they do not realize that they cannot share their writing experience. They enjoy the writing and want to share that joy, so they rush to publish so that the scores come back and if they score well, they think that the reader has shared their joy of writing it. But of course this is not possible. They can only enjoy reading it, which is a different experience. Once a writer understands this bit of zen, they develop more patience in their craft and hone their work more finely before releasing it.

Writing is a ton of fun, but the true joy is in sharing it - not positive feedback, not applause or high scores - just sharing it, and taking in the reactions to see how it may or may not have touched or moved the readers. It's an incredible way to connect with complete strangers in a very abstract manner. Quite fascinating if you delve deeply into it. The whole point of writing is to give an experience, and that experience is an emotional one, a ride of emotions that you put onto the page and the reade lifts from the page and hopefully feels the emotions that you tried to convey. If I get a strong emotional response from a reader, it's a wonderful and powerful feeling, much better than just writing it alone.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I really can;t wriote muc any more. My concentraion and hand eye cordination are all but shot. I've med at least 10 ypos in this posts so far and have had to stop and concentrate on how to spel even the siomple words here.

I'll leave this ine undedited and corrected for now, so youy can see what my world loks like.

That is close to what my drafts look like. I'm a good speller but just a bad typer. I will type out a paragraph and it will look similar to your post. Then I will read it back and fix all the typos. Then move on to the next paragraph, wash, rinse, repeat. Just another thing that slows down my word count. : P

 

[OddLove]

I can't say anything about balance when it comes to being productive because I only write when an idea gives me inspiration which sparks my motivation. If I have 'writers block' that just means I don't feel like writing, so I don't write.

But as far as people who talk in the forums and say they don't have time to write erotica, I believe it. The difference between writing erotica and chatting in a forum is massive. If real life comes up, you can finished your reply, click post reply, and walk away. But with working on a story, those frequent interruptions completely derail momentum, at least IMO.

 

[A_Little_Bite]

I stop before I start. I edit before I even get my thoughts on the page. I’m in the writing just to write camp so that I can break that habit.
In school, I remember writing exercises that seeming meaningless, but would pull ideas out of me. Those lengthy assignments to write whatever is on our minds and if we couldn’t think of anything, just write about that experience and how that feels right then, and so on.
Those were helpful and I feel like writing just to write is similar to those exercises. I never know when something useful will come of it, so I have to be disciplined and put the pen to paper.

 

[Britva415]

If I have 'writers block' that just means I don't feel like writing

"But I want to feel like writing!"
"So, you want to write?"
"No! I don't feel like it!"
"But you want... To feel like it?"
"Yeah!"
"Welp. ...How fucking bad do you want it?"

 

[Britva415]

"Punch the keys, for God's sake!"
-Sean Connery

 

[TheExperimentalist]

"But I want to feel like writing!"
"So, you want to write?"
"No! I don't feel like it!"
"But you want... To feel like it?"
"Yeah!"
"Welp. ...How fucking bad do you want it?"

Honestly, it's relatable. Many people struggle with this in terms of wanting to be 'in the mood' with their partners as well...

 

[Voboy]

I need to spend less time on here for sure. But most of the time when I'm here it's because I'm doing baby-care, and I can't write about a guy using a butt plug to turn his coworker into a cum bottle or a woman with psychological problems having violent sex with a scaly-dicked alien while my kid is sitting in her Pack and Play watching me do it.

I concur. I don't miss that stage.

Now I'm at the point where all I have to worry about is one kid who might well be writing her own stuff here, and another who's shown an alarming proclivity for silently peering over my shoulder at my laptop screen.

Take the time where you can get it, lol. It might never be better.

 

[Comshaw]

Let me begin by saying that this isn't meant to be a complaint or criticism thread. These days, I believe I should lead with that, considering my, err, reputation here.

I've been meaning to start a discussion about this, but I always drop it for some reason. Anyway, over the time I've been here, I noticed a pretty common pattern of thought and behavior. Many, probably even most people here, believe that their time is best spent writing.
I've found the advice to post/argue/discuss here less, and write more, practically omnipresent. So many authors here always express their delight when they can spend time writing. For them, the time spent best is the time spent writing.

Does everyone really think so?
I mean, I understand the feeling well; I've felt it so many times while writing, but I've also always felt that when the story is finished, it deserves to be discussed and pondered upon. I believe even the author should take some time and reflect, take a breather, and let their writing energy replenish. I believe in quality over quantity, and I also believe that churning out new stories with a frantic pace isn't a good strategy in any sense.

But I understand that other people think differently. I've seen that many AHers write almost obsessively, juggling several WIPs and constantly pushing for more and more writing. Only the writer's block or a simple lack of time due to work or family seem to be able to stop them from typing.

What do you think? I understand that much of this depends on the individual, but is there also some common wisdom that works for every author when it comes to the writing pace for new stories? Is there some good balance of writing vs reflection that's good for most, if not all, authors?

For me, no. Writing for me comes in fits and starts. It's not like I must write to the exclusion of all else. I do a lot of other things too. Sometimes a long ride on my motorcycle or a day spent in my boat fishing on the salt chuck, or the roar of a chainsaw, the smell of fresh cut Fir or Alder as I cut wood for the winter, or the heat and roar of a forge, accompanied by the clang of a hammer on yellow-hot steel as I work it into shape on my anvil, or the satisfaction of building something, a shed, a porch, an addition to the barn. These things take up some of my time and are just as important to me as writing.

I will say when a story starts to build in my head, when I start to hear the conversations between characters, when the plotline begins to coalesce, it does become a bit of an obsession to get it done. Not always though. I have many that I have hit a point where I lose the story. The path to the end fades away and I have to leave it be for a while. With some, I never find that path again, or when I do, it looks unappealing to me. Other times I read what I began and like a spotlight pointing the way, the path to the end is plain and clear. How that happens I haven't a clue. The workings of the human mind is mysterious and fascinating and while I'd like to claim to know how mine works, I don't have a clue.


Comshaw