Story with cycles/rounds

[Writer61]

Damn plot bunnies.

I was attacked by one while listening to an audiobook last night (Scandi Noir crime by Jussi Adler Olsen). The idea is promising, but structurally it requires several cycles/rounds of action, think of games like Truth or Dare and Strip Poker, although this one is even more complicated. So far, this is the type that I find hardest to write, with one published and another WIP that may never see the light of day.

Do others struggle with stories like this?

Do you find these easy? If so, do you have any tips?

 

[NotWise]

Can you clarify what you're doing a little more? What problem are you having?

 

[Rob_Royale]

I see your problem. An ongoing sexual situation with multiple people, that isn't constant with different people each time perhaps.
What I would do is spend more time on the first coupling and the last. Be descriptive on the others but not detailed. Lastly, tell it from one perspective. One character is the voyeur and watches everything but is part of the last coupling.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

I've seen a few series like this.

Each chapter details and new and escalating challenge for the characters. First some almost accidental exhibitionism. Then deliberate and directed exposure to a group of people. Then interaction with one person. Then a group. Then maybe some mild BDSM.

 

[crookedletter]

If I'm understanding the logistical issues, I'd suggest that rather than feeling you have to describe every little detail of what's going on, when things can get overwhelming and possibly repetitive, lean into the chaos and focus on the characters' feelings and experience.

If you're in a situation like that you're not necessarily going to be aware of what everyone is doing at any given time. You can embrace that, play around with it. Jump forward in time, give fleeting impressions. Focus on the arc of your point of view character(s)' experience, rather than the Xs and Os of where all the bodies and their various parts are.

 

[Writer61]

Can you clarify what you're doing a little more? What problem are you having?

It's a reality dating show where candidates are paired up/kicked out by public vote.

My immediate problem is planning: creating the game mechanic and sequencing the events.

The next will be when writing: in making each encounter different, and there are likely to be in the order of 15.

 

[NotWise]

It's a reality dating show where candidates are paired up/kicked out by public vote.

My immediate problem is planning: creating the game mechanic and sequencing the events.

The next will be when writing: in making each encounter different, and there are likely to be in the order of 15.

Is there a common thread that ties the cycles together? Something like one couple that your story returns to between excursions. If so, then that could help tie your story together.

I have a small number of stories that made me deal with similar problems. I think there are multiple ways to handle it. One approach that works on several different levels is to build clearly different personalities for your players. That way, even if the physical acts are the same, their motivations and reactions can be completely different.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'll just advise caution if you're intending to publish on Literotica.

Not due to the site, guidelines, or anything like that.

It's the readers. Will they be able to comprehend and appreciate what you wrote?

If you test them too much, you'll feel it quickly.

 

[Britva415]

It's a reality dating show where candidates are paired up/kicked out by public vote.

My immediate problem is planning: creating the game mechanic and sequencing the events.

The next will be when writing: in making each encounter different, and there are likely to be in the order of 15.

Yeah, making 15 of them all be different and interesting is going to be a tall order. What if one of your meta-cycles condensed several of them into one?

Like, yeah, the in-universe structure requires these cycles. But the meta-cycle of how you write the story - can you really find meaningful stakes for all 15 of them, or can a smaller set of meaningful stakes be played out in fiction cycles which don't directly align to each one of the in-universe voting cycles?

If you can find stakes, then, maybe you can pull off writing all 15. But maybe one particular stake is served or achieved with 5 rounds instead of there being five separate stakes for those same rounds.

For that matter, why does it even have to be 15? Why couldn't it be exactly as many as are needed for the series of stakes you can get readers to feel invested in?

 

[Writer61]

Yeah, making 15 of them all be different and interesting is going to be a tall order.

That is the problem but I think I am going to focus on one character's experience.

For that matter, why does it even have to be 15?

It's a consequence of having a believable number of characters at the start.

But by focusing on one of them, I only need to describe 5 or 6 encounters.

@all Thanks for your responses.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

You don't have to describe all the encounters in detail. One sentence could suffice for a couple - the third-round battle was much easier than she'd expected, and the fourth was an embarrassing walk-over in her favour. The fifth round, however, proved more of a challenge (insert scene here).

Basically, what's your story here? Is it, lots of stuff happens to lots of different people, and each round is some barely-connected scenes? Or is it focused on one or two players and how they get on - typically one protagonist and whoever they end up with? The Hunger Games is a classic example, Or Squid Game.

 

[Katie_Mae]

It's a reality dating show where candidates are paired up/kicked out by public vote.

My immediate problem is planning: creating the game mechanic and sequencing the events.

The next will be when writing: in making each encounter different, and there are likely to be in the order of 15.

I have two series which feature "rounds" where each round is with new or increasing number of partners.

Also, not written, but I had a story idea a while ago for a sex gameshow.

The idea was that contestants were blindfolded, then paired off to have sex infront of the live audience. After, they had to guess which contestant they fucked. If they guessed wrong, they were eliminated.

The protagonist guessed wrong and got eliminated first round. But, the sex was so amazing, that she wanted to reconnect with the person she fucked. So, she tracked down all the contestants one by one, and fucked them to determine if they were "the one."

Now, assuming you've suspended your belief to read this far, if I did write this, I wouldn't need to describe every sex act in detail. I'd describe the beginning and end ones, but some of the middle ones could be skipped over with a "my search continued, but with no luck. Over the next two weeks I fucked five guys. The first jizzed in his pants. The second was a hair puller. Urgh. The fourth's dick was way too small and the fifth's too big. I felt like goldilocks, except ..." etc.

If you want to detail each round, then you might be better thinking about having big differences either physically or emotionally. Eg, different acts, different genders. Or escalating the encounters eg round one is a kiss, round two is making out.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

There are two issues here. The first is how to write an unwieldy cast of characters and keep it all engaging for the reader. The second is the actual logistics of writing it. I think that you have gotten some good advice for the first issue and you seem to have taken some of that advice to move in a focused direction with this. If the second issue still needs addressing, I would handle it by just mapping it out point form:

~cycle 1
~these 2 get paired up
~then these other 2 flirt
~then we follow the first 2 on their first hookup
~cycle 2
... etc.

You don't have to map out the entire show, just enough to keep your brain from paralyzing and you can start writing some scenes. As you write a couple of scenes you will probably get ideas for the future scene notes, or to edit and/or rearrange any scene notes that you have.

 

[KitMasterson]

Agree with the takes above, feels like you would be best narrowing in on a few primary characters within the backdrop of the show. It would make it far easier for you to keep track of, and more engaging for the reader, as they don't need to keep asking, "Who was that one again? The one with the mole on her buttock? Or the one with the lopsided boobs?"

A focus on a small cluster as the cycles go on — whether as main players in that action, or observers with a stake in the game — could be more fulfilling that a series of distinct episodes across fifteen players. I think I'd struggle to work out who I'm rooting for, as it were.

Good luck!

 

[Writer61]

There are two issues here. The first is how to write an unwieldy cast of characters and keep it all engaging for the reader. The second is the actual logistics of writing it. I think that you have gotten some good advice for the first issue and you seem to have taken some of that advice to move in a focused direction with this. If the second issue still needs addressing, I would handle it by just mapping it out point form:

~cycle 1
~these 2 get paired up
~then these other 2 flirt
~then we follow the first 2 on their first hookup
~cycle 2
... etc.

Thanks.
I have now got a plan that shows who is paired with whom / gets eliminated in each round.

You don't have to map out the entire show, just enough to keep your brain from paralyzing and you can start writing some scenes. As you write a couple of scenes you will probably get ideas for the future scene notes, or to edit and/or rearrange any scene notes that you have.

I disagree a bit on this. The challenge will be to write each character to justify what happens to them at each stage, which ideally includes laying groundwork in earlier stages.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I disagree a bit on this. The challenge will be to write each character to justify what happens to them at each stage, which ideally includes laying groundwork in earlier stages.

By all means you can plan the whole thing out. As a heavy plotter I plan out as much as I can. In a shorter story I will probably have 90-100% of the plot all mapped out before I start, but in a longer story it will be less. I just know that plotting like that seems very daunting for many pantser types and I didn't want this method to intimidate. So plan it all out if that works, awesome. For those who might have trouble, just plan what you can, this can work too.

 

[Writer61]

By all means you can plan the whole thing out. As a heavy plotter I plan out as much as I can. In a shorter story I will probably have 90-100% of the plot all mapped out before I start, but in a longer story it will be less. I just know that plotting like that seems very daunting for many pantser types and I didn't want this method to intimidate. So plan it all out if that works, awesome. For those who might have trouble, just plan what you can, this can work too.

Understand.

Normally, I start with a rough plan that evolves as I go, often as a result of pantsing the details. I think this requires more planning, so I can set up the players' and the audience's decisions later on.

It is a bit intimidating, but I think a story like this requires it.

 

[Bazzle]

Damn plot bunnies.

I was attacked by one while listening to an audiobook last night (Scandi Noir crime by Jussi Adler Olsen). The idea is promising, but structurally it requires several cycles/rounds of action, think of games like Truth or Dare and Strip Poker, although this one is even more complicated. So far, this is the type that I find hardest to write, with one published and another WIP that may never see the light of day.

Do others struggle with stories like this?

Do you find these easy? If so, do you have any tips?

Now, you see I try and use motifs of things going around, but each time around something is different.

My problem is that when I have done this, the complaint has been "its too repetitive" because you are revisiting a scene or location and your MC is doing the same thing. What I see as subtle differences to move the character forward, can be seen as "she has done this already".

For example in : -

https://www.literotica.com/s/watching-her-13

Things have to repeat...its a girl sitting in front of a paranormal mirror. Each time she goes to it, like most people they are going to do the same thing?

For me there are differences each time she gets there the addiction to smoking has incrementally increased so almost predicting the mirrors actions.

So, yes, I do like going around in circles and repeating things in stories to try and move the character forwards.