What part of writing do you enjoy the most?

[ronde]

I have to say I don't have a favorite part of writing because I like it all. An idea becomes a plot and characters who fit the story idea. After that, it's turning the characters loose in a situation or situations in the plot and seeing how they work through it. Throw in some of the character's thoughts and it becomes a story. I too like dialogue. Dialogue lets me convey the character's personality, inner thoughts, and reactions far better than words upon words of text.

 

[Codoc24]

The worst part of writing for me is when I get stuck at a point and can't figure out what to do next. It's not really writer's block; it's just a point where I struggle to come up with something. That's the worst part, so the best part is the opposite of that. Writing when the story is flowing really well, and I'm typing as fast as I can. The dialogue is flowing smoothly. When everything is coming together and the story almost seems to write itself. That's my favorite part.

 

[StillStunned]

I'm not sure whether I enjoy it most, but there's something very satisfying in the editing - finetuning and polishing the words and sentences. Getting the rhythm just right, figuring out how to piece a paragraph together so that it clicks. I could do that for hours.

Oh wait, I do.

 

[MissRoberta]

I think my favorite part is establishing character relationships and dynamics, with backstories being a close second.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm not sure whether I enjoy it most, but there's something very satisfying in the editing - finetuning and polishing the words and sentences. Getting the rhythm just right, figuring out how to piece a paragraph together so that it clicks. I could do that for hours.

Oh wait, I do.

You can take the boy out of editing, but…

 

[StillStunned]

You can take the boy out of editing, but…

Speaking of which, it's time to get to work.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Speaking of which, it's time to get to work.

Speaking of which, it’s time to go to bed!

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Plot can be such a chore to hash out but love that a-ha feeling moment when you’re writing and the inspiration to connect plot points serendipitously falls into your lap.

 

[Stimtheone]

I like it when it all comes together, when all the build-up, layout of infrastructure connects in this moment when you experience THE MESSAGE. Everything until then was just running toward this.

 

[HordHolm]

I absolutely suck at ending stories. I either stretch them out too long, or cut them off too short. I doesn't help that I rarely have an ending in mind when I start, it's normally just a scene or line in my head and I work out from there.

FWIW I think of endings as transitions - my MC(s) step through a doorway into a new phase of reality for them. I try to find the point that it happens and stop right there. That then may suit a brief epilogue with a moment of introspection, but by and large the action stops as they step into their new lives (because that, as they say, is another story).

 

[HordHolm]

I often find myself thinking of plot as a game of mental tetris, and then there's that moment when I can finally see a spot to slide in that S shaped bit and it all suddenly works. That's the bit I like most, and with pretty much everything I write there's a moment when the S shaped bit is sliding down the screen and I can't see where it goes... And, of course, I have a bulging file of abandoned stuff where the space for the S shaped piece didn't become clear.

I also enjoy getting the right backstory for a character, getting them to here so they can go forward to there.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Worldbuilding, probably.
My other mortal sin is planning events and/or plot points way ahead of time, so I can drop some hints along the way that might seem unusual at the time. They seem to be pointing in a certain direction, only to coalesce with other hints into something new. I take special delight when I feel I managed to pull it off and surprise the readers with a well-prepared twist.

 

[Zephreck]

I use to just love to tell stories. The last two years though I went through some things mentally and it has greatly effected my ability to write. I used to love to create characters and loved to try to think like I was that character. I have never written stories about females though because I cannot think like a female. My poor little male mind. Lol

 

[Omenainen]

I enjoy all of writing as opposed to editing. I love when it just flows and I can write and write and be all excited about what’s happening in my story. Yes, I’m a pantser so it’s a surprise for me too

 

[KachinaDoll]

Turning my bedside light out with a feeling of accomplishment.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

Yes, I’m a pantser so it’s a surprise for me too

That's hilarious. I never thought of it that way, but it's true. When I write, I feel like I'm taking a random walk through a vast configuration space.

Except there's a certain element of path dependence to the exercise. I'm constantly finding that various options have been closed off for inconsistency with previous choices, and my space starts feeling more like a maze.

When I find my way out, that does give me quite the feeling of accomplishment, and let me turn off the light with satisfaction.

 

[LonRivers]

I am currently trying to get a favorite story idea of mine going where there is a lot of military action, war, explosions and changes in location. So there is a lot of research to be done. Weapons, vehicles, equipment, etc. Even though a lot of it is fictional, I still want to try and be realistic. To me the research is fun. I find so many more ideas when I delve down into a geographical location

 

[Becky_Sapphire]

I like when I suddenly come up with an idea for a scene, or piece of dialogue, or something for a story between writing sessions, and it makes me excited to get back to the keyboard.

 

[ChloeTzang]

What part do I enjoy the most? Hitting submit, or sending that final email to the publisher. "It's done"

 

[AllenWoody]

Those too-few times when I craft a particularly elegant or pretty phrase, description, or scene. This is as likely to come during editing as when I first put down the words.

But like others here I also like writing dialogue. When it flows it's a magical feeling.

 

[Djmac1031]

It varies from story to story, and there isn't just one thing. But in general, I'd say this:

1. I probably enjoy coming up with story ideas the most. I'm better with ideas than I am with execution.

2. I like creating the situation--the characters' goals and intentions, the erotic conflict and taboos, the process by which they get to the fulfillment they are seeking.

3. I like endings. I usually write the last page or few paragraphs of a story before I'm very far into it.

Pretty much the same answer, especially #1.

I really enjoy coming up with ideas.

Transforming those ideas to an actual story is where it gets tricky lol.

 

[samhasstories]

I love writing the sex scenes. That's what I write erotica for, that's what I'm always working toward. That's my payoff. But I'm sometimes surprised at how much I enjoy writing dialog. Not always; sometimes I have to kind of force my way through and it comes off stiff and in need of rewrite. But when it clicks, and I feel like my characters are coming alive, it can be an absolute blast, and sometimes it's that, even more than the sex, that keeps me coming back for more.

 

[UnquietDreams]

I like when I suddenly come up with an idea for a scene, or piece of dialogue, or something for a story between writing sessions, and it makes me excited to get back to the keyboard.

For me, within this milieu, this is it for me. This is my first foray into erotic writing. In my more mainstream work, I am absolutely a "fade to black" guy with sex scenes. And I have few pretensions in this, I fully accept I am writing in depth sex scenes. Character driven, and I think they work to move the story, but I am not currently writing long form stories with some erotic elements. I am a simple man, thank you.

That said, it is pushing my creativity in ways it doesn't usually go. I find myself thinking of a small element, a scenario, or a piece of dialogue, and saying "I've got to get to a keyboard to write that down." And I am doing a lot more "seating" than usual, and the excitement to get it down keeps expanding that output. I started out with an image which became an idea, and I figured it would make a reasonable story. In less than a week, that became three consecutive stories of 30 pages or so taking place in one night. And I thought it was a complete story, it's done.

And then I said to myself, "what happens if they get caught?" And I said to myself, "that's stupid, we don't need that... wait, I've got a great piece of dialogue that would go there!" And now I am some 80 pages into a multi-chapter sequel with two associated short stories that were originally part of it, but turned out to work better individually, and it is all flowing out of control...

All because I keep getting excited to come up with an idea I have to get down on paper.

 

[Rob_Royale]

The moment when the first draft is done and the polishing begins.

I'm going to amend this. I do enjoy the polishing/fleshing-out step, but it's not the best part about writing for me.

The best part is the epiphany moment. Last night I was kicking around some ideas and had that moment of clarity where I was thinking about a sequel to my recent work, Yes, Ma'am. I thought about where I'd left it and was like, "Okay, the MIL asks her SIL a question about what her daughter is doing at that moment." And then all of a sudden the whole story just lined up in my brain, like soldiers falling into ranks. Scene after scene. First, she asks him this, and then he gets an idea, and they go home and this happens, and it's great, but she has this fantasy and because of what he does for a living, he knows a guy, and they do this and show it to the daughter who's ..... you get the picture.

That is the best part of it for me. Hands down, bar none. It's a kind of magic. I cannot wait to start writing this.

 

[Duleigh]

I love watching an entire world unfold in front of me. I know what's going to happen (mostly) and what my people are going to do (mostly) but the world around them slowly unfolds revealing more and more. I love writing dialog, and I love writing action, and I love to fall in love with my characters.