What's your worst fear about your writtings?

[Weird Harold]

Re: Just finish the dang thing!

My biggest flaw is that I write and write and write...
My entry for the Winter Holiday Contest is a good example. Originally, it was twice as long. Finally, I just read it through and drew a line. That was were the story ended.

What I think is the best advice I ever got on writing:

Sit down and write. Don't worry about spelling or grammar, just let the wrods flow through your fingers to the keyboard until you've run out of story.

Then go back and delete the two-thirds that is total crap and edit what's left into a story.

My biggest fear about my writing is that I'll miss some little detail that will make me look stupid when a reader finds it.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Right now I am floundering in doubts about my writing. I think maybe a lot of my worries come from just being a little burnt out. I've been paranoid ever since I finished the second story in my renaissance series and I just can't seem to dive into the third with much enthusiasm. Here are my fears:

1. I feel like all the female characters I write are weak and just sort of take a backseat to my flamboyant male characters.

2. The words and phrases I use when writing my sex scenes are played out and cliche'.

3. I worry that I don't show enough of the inner workings of my characters and their relationships. I worry that I tell rather than show most of the time.

Plot is rarely a problem for me, it seems to come to me in a flash. But, I really have to work hard at the technical aspects of writing, as I am not all that edumacated.

As an exercise in recreation, I've gone back to writing filthy stroke for a short while, just to sort of blow off some steam and stretch my legs. I'll let you all know how that works out for me.

 

[carsonshepherd]

Blowing off steam and stretching legs...? Tell us more about that!

 

[rikaaim]

2. The words and phrases I use when writing my sex scenes are played out and cliche'.

3. I worry that I don't show enough of the inner workings of my characters and their relationships. I worry that I tell rather than show most of the time.

I have the same problems. About the sex scene stuff, maybe we should start a contest to try and create new types of sex scenes. Some fresh ideas of sorts. I also struggle with the characters. I'm still working on that.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Blowing off steam and stretching legs...? Tell us more about that!

Haha. I didn't mean it literally or did I? I meant I'm writing a dirty story about some teenagers humping on a bus.

 

[rikaaim]

Haha. I didn't mean it literally or did I? I meant I'm writing a dirty story about some teenagers humping on a bus.

That's what I think I need to do. Just keep it short and simple and get the fun stuff going, the work on the subtle details (like plot) later.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I worry that I tell rather than show most of the time.

A good way to work on that is, when you have a paragraph of description, such as what a character is thinking, instead change it to an action paragraph of the character doing something to act out his thoughts. His inner thoughts can be in it at the same time as he's performing the action.

Same with describing a past event... instead of telling about the event, have a flashback of the event happening. When describing a relationship between two people, show them interacting instead of telling how they feel and act toward each other, etc.

I'm writing a story based on that concept right now as Scarlett knows. And it's really hard!

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I have the same problems. About the sex scene stuff, maybe we should start a contest to try and create new types of sex scenes. Some fresh ideas of sorts. I also struggle with the characters. I'm still working on that.

Good idear. It's helped me to write some lesbian stuff. It was something fresh and different that I hadn't really written about before. Sometimes trying something new is really liberating. Writing outside the box, so to speak.

Liar had a great thread about writers block awhile ago, I wish I could find it. It had some really good advice and writing exercises in it.

 

[rikaaim]

Good idear. It's helped me to write some lesbian stuff. It was something fresh and different that I hadn't really written about before. Sometimes trying something new is really liberating. Writing outside the box, so to speak.

Liar had a great thread about writers block awhile ago, I wish I could find it. It had some really good advice and writing exercises in it.

Yeah, I just feel I write the same thing everytime I write. The story always ends up the same, and I'm never happy with it. Writting the sex scene is tough too, because I'm sure at some point everything has been said. By now who hasn't thrown in their 2 cents on what sex is? So, how can it be fresh when it's been done for so long?

 

[OhMissScarlett]

So, how can it be fresh when it's been done for so long?

Hey, isn't that what kink is for? Seriously, I think it's those personal relationships between characters that make it interesting. At least that's what does it for me. I'm more turned on by who a character is and their reaction than the 'shampoo, rinse, repeat' aspect of intercourse. How do the characters feel? What makes this experience different? I've always been more concerned with the "whys" than the "hows".

If you don't want to write about relationships, I suppose the alternative is to push the envelope with sex. I can't say I write to a particular audience, I just write what turns me on. If I can't entertain myself, I suck, end of story.

 

[rikaaim]

Hey, isn't that what kink is for? Seriously, I think it's those personal relationships between characters that make it interesting. At least that's what does it for me. I'm more turned on by who a character is and their reaction than the 'shampoo, rinse, repeat' aspect of intercourse. How do the characters feel? What makes this experience different? I've always been more concerned with the "whys" than the "hows".

If you don't want to write about relationships, I suppose the alternative is to push the envelope with sex. I can't say I write to a particular audience, I just write what turns me on. If I can't entertain myself, I suck, end of story.

That's exactly why my new story is taking so long. I want to get the build up and tension just right. I want it to be personal when the characters sleep together. I want it to feel like the reader is a voyuer in their life. They don't even know (meaning the characters) that someone is watching. They just live their life and find each other, meeting, meshing, loving. So we (the readers) get to witness that in honest. At least that's what I hope to do.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

You definitely can't force it, believe me, I've tried. It's so much easier to write something like that when the words do flow. Unfortunately, that isn't always the way it happens.

 

[MLyons]

My fears echo Shanglan's.

My greatest fear about my writing is that I'll never get better at it, no matter how hard I try.

I know I have strengths, but my weaknesses (both those I know about, and especially those I don't) haunt me each time I set out to write a new story. Those include the old standards, repetitiveness of language and excess verbiage, which like Shanglan I am at constant war against, and I chop at my work ruthlessly, incessantly. I worry that my stories are all the same, and I battle against that with every fiber of my being. I worry that my style (which is quite defined over a lifetime of writing in all kinds of genres) might become so predictable as to become annoying. I worry that I don't trust the reader enough. I worry that I trust the reader too much. I worry that in my need to chop out as much verbiage as possible that I just might end up chopping out the wrong things. These are just a few of my known weaknesses. But like I said, my greatest fear is that I will never be able to correct them.

My best approach is simply to rely on the kindness of others I trust to point them out to me and help me through them. I wish to God that I could have a flaw pointed out, correct it, and then never be bothered with that partciluar flaw again, but I've come to understand that writing just doesn't work that way.

In terms of ending stories, I feel strongly that stories should have a definite beginning, middle and end--not necessarily an ending that ties all loose ends or wraps everything in a neat bow, but a thematic ending at the very least. My process of writing is painfully slow, not because I write slowly, but because I write until it feels right. A partial reason for that though, is that I insist on having at least a general idea of the arc of the story before I really start writing it in earnest. I usually begin a story with a few pages--enough to solidify the idea. Then those few pages can sit for months at a time before I am able to come back and have a clear idea of exactly what I'm doing with it. I must have the ending at least generally in mind before I'm really able to take those meager beginnings and turn it into an actual story, otherwise I fear it will drift on forever.

It's a slow process, and I'm sure, not ideal. I don't know any other way to do it, and that is perhaps one of my greatest flaws of all.

I really like this thread.

 

[impressive]

I worry that I trust the reader too much.

I do trust the reader too much. A well-known personal weakness. Where you & Shang struggle to cut down, I struggle to beef up.

Lately, I've been most comfortable with pure dialog. Bare bones stuff, that.

 

[rikaaim]

From my observations, we all seem to have the same basic fears.

1-We think are stories are all the same.

2-We think we use the same words over and over again

3-We don't think the story is good enough


We'll, yeah to some extent all of that is true, but we do write good.

We are all good writters and of course we are going to use some of the same words over and over. We have favorites, it's bound to happen. I try to use my favorite word, then hit the Thesaurus. It helps. And I slowly wean myself off of the same words.

The story is only as good as you think it is. If you are happy with the story, who cares. It's YOUR story. Have fun with it and be happy. We all want public validation and respect, but if we respect it and stand behind it with all we got, then everyone else will see that it is honestly the best work we can do. That best work will always win even against the most educated piece of crap.

Every story is not the same. How many times have you read the same story, but from a differenent view point? Take Beowulf and Grendel for example. I thought both were great and enjoyed them for different reasons. There is no such thing as the same story. Everytime we write words down in a sentence structure, it's unique. It's us. We are who we are and our writtings reflect that. How many awards must we win to feel good about ourselves? For me, I don't care if I get a 0 rating on my story, as long as I am happy with it. That's all that matters. Good luck to all and don't stop posting. This is really a great group to take comfort in and seek ideas from.

 

[MLyons]

The story is only as good as you think it is. If you are happy with the story, who cares. It's YOUR story. Have fun with it and be happy.

Ahh... and this is the trick. Pleasing myself to the degree that I'm 100% happy with a story is much much more difficult than simply writing a story I think other people might enjoy.

I'm not 100% happy with any of the work I've done, BUT, I do believe I did the best I could at the time I wrote it. It takes HUGE amounts of effort and patience and tenacity and discipline and time to get to that point, but once I'm there, I submit the story. At that point, I can at least say I have no regrets. I am my own worst critic, and unfortunately that is one of the most fundamental ingredients to writing something decent.

 

[rikaaim]

Ahh... and this is the trick. Pleasing myself to the degree that I'm 100% happy with a story is much much more difficult than simply writing a story I think other people might enjoy.

I'm not 100% happy with any of the work I've done, BUT, I do believe I did the best I could at the time I wrote it. It takes HUGE amounts of effort and patience and tenacity and discipline and time to get to that point, but once I'm there, I submit the story. At that point, I can at least say I have no regrets. I am my own worst critic, and unfortunately that is one of the most fundamental ingredients to writing something decent.

I agree completly. I think it would be much easier to write a story to please someone else than it is writting one to please myself (although given what I'm writting it should be very easy to please myself ) So, I just do the best I can and like you have to trust that it's all I can do and will be well received. You seemed to like my preview story, minus a few flaws, but I think it's crap. My opnion. I'm still working with it and hope to be happy with it soon.

 

[carsonshepherd]

Ahh... and this is the trick. Pleasing myself to the degree that I'm 100% happy with a story is much much more difficult than simply writing a story I think other people might enjoy.

We've talked about this on another thread. It was pointed out that if you only write for an audience, with no thought to the truth and beauty of your own work, then you're a hack.

You might make money, you might win the public's adoration, but when you go to bed at night you'll still be a hack. And if that's what you want, it's your choice.

What I consider my best work (Spark) is not very highly rated. But it's the most honest thing I've ever written. It came from the soul. My weakest effort (and some of you know what I think it is) is highly rated, but I don't consider it very honest. It's good, but not as good as some of my other stuff.

I've just started a complete rewrite of my current story. Editing it wasn't cutting it. I couldn't feel the truth in the characters so I just scrapped 7 pages, and I feel so much better. The motivations are clear and the characters finally make sense. I was thinking about shelving the whole project, but I feel like I can do this thing now.

 

[rikaaim]

I've just started a complete rewrite of my current story. Editing it wasn't cutting it. I couldn't feel the truth in the characters so I just scrapped 7 pages, and I feel so much better. The motivations are clear and the characters finally make sense. I was thinking about shelving the whole project, but I feel like I can do this thing now.

That's what I think I'm going to do. There is just a point that I come to where I feel the story is wrong. The beginning is great, and I like it, so I may just cut up to that point. Maybe my problem is that I'm trying to do too much. I think I'm going to cut out the middle I'm working on and skip to the part I want to do. That's my problem now, is that I'm working on a middle to this story that I don't really want to do, and qutie frankly isn't really neccasary. I feel better already, so I know that's a good idea for me. I'm just glad I'm not alone in feeling that way.

 

[MLyons]

carsonshepherd wrote:

I've just started a complete rewrite of my current story. Editing it wasn't cutting it. I couldn't feel the truth in the characters so I just scrapped 7 pages, and I feel so much better. The motivations are clear and the characters finally make sense. I was thinking about shelving the whole project, but I feel like I can do this thing now.

Ah yes. Unfortunately, this is an all too familiar situation with my own work.

I can't tell you how many times I thought about shelving "Goodbye, La La Land" in its early stages. It just wasn't feeling right. I also know from experience, though, that often times, the stories that are the most difficult to write are sometimes the most worth writing. I know many others feel differently about this, but if it's too easy to write, I'm obviously not challenging myself enough... And I get suspicious that I'm just writing crap anyway.

I have more to say about writing sex scenes, a little later, if anyone's interested.

 

[rikaaim]

I have more to say about writing sex scenes, a little later, if anyone's interested.

You kiddin'? With this crowd? We're always interested.

 

[rikaaim]

I just want to say that all of your great advice and support have gotten me motivated again and I'm off to write with a renewed passion. Thanks. Be back soon.

 

[LadyJeanne]

Fears, fears, I have many.

The muse - my best stuff is written with someone specific in mind as an inspiration to write a story in the first place. Without a muse, I fear my writing is neither creative nor interesting, nor does it rise above the level of a computer manual or recipe.

Boredom - by the time I've written and edited, I am so bored with the story I can't imagine how anyone else would find anything of interest in it, so I often scrap it.

Talent - or lack thereof. Do I have any? I often think the only thing that separates me from people who aren't 'writers' is that I sit down to write.

Voice - I'm still struggling to find it and inject it into my stories. Without it, I end up with aforementioned computer manual.

You mean that's it? - If writing is my strength, and I'm not especially good at it, then I'm pretty useless. It's not like I can sing or paint or have any other talents...severe crisis of confidence follows...

More? Nah, I shan't bore you further!

 

[rikaaim]

Fears, fears, I have many.


More? Nah, I shan't bore you further!

My dear allow me to assure you that your stories are very well done and insightful. I gianed a lot of knowledge reading what you wrote. I very much enjoyed the thought process of the characters and how they acted. You write very well thought out stories. I am impressed and hope you continue to write more, because I'll definately be reading.

 

[LadyJeanne]

My dear allow me to assure you that your stories are very well done and insightful. I gianed a lot of knowledge reading what you wrote. I very much enjoyed the thought process of the characters and how they acted. You write very well thought out stories. I am impressed and hope you continue to write more, because I'll definately be reading.

Thank you for saying so sweets, and I'm glad you got something out of my writing.

I'll keep scribbling because I just can't keep myself from doing so!