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I was musing as I worked today, while also preparing for a language exam and nursing sore LH fingertips from a session last night. I started submittng stuff here two and a half months ago, or so, and I have ended up doing a bit of self analysis.How do I write? Oh shut up at the back, yes, I tap buttons on a keyboard, but...
Apart from a deliberate change for a horror story, all my central characters are TS.
Everything is first person.
I like to drop hand grenades into the plot.
There are set-piece events,like PBP and the rugby in StD.
I don't do porn, but I DO do nastiness, to an extent.
With one obvious exception, I have happy endings.
With the same exception, my principal characters are heterosexual.
I realise as I type this that almost all of my principals are mentally ill in one way or another.
All of my situations are, well, hackneyed and old hat,but I try to get round that by writng character-driven stuff.
The point here is that I wonder if I should try and write something which is foreign to me, such as a crossdressing tale or a gay romance. As I have said,I write for exorcism and comfort, so it is personal to me, but my fraglelittle ego, like any wrter, enjoys some stroking. Should I experiment, or should I stay close to home? I did try a CD tale once, but t was just so wrong--I don't fixate on clothes, but on love, and gender.
Thank you for your patience.
Comments
My take on your writing
Go for it and exspand your writing abilities as far as mentally ill aren't we all a little mental, so try your hand at it you can always go back to your base RICHIE2
If you do...
Set out to do something fairly short first, to see if you can write something in a different style that looks OK to you. After all, there's no point churning out stuff (even if the readers love it) that you're not comfortable with. Besides which, starting off with shorts allows you to experiment with a variety of different styles to see what (if anything) appeals to both you and the readers.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Indeed
That's the sort of thing I was thinking of. Just need to start writng outside my own head....
nutso
Yeah maybe, then aint we all. You have to be a teensy bit mad to sit scribbling away and then post it up and expect anyone to care. Then that's the fun of it too..see, mad.
Tis all about the emotion and the people isn't it. Explore, look at, exorcise as needed, all good. Being a somewhat uneducated twit type stylist I just mess about and no doubt screw up tenses and veiwpoints and god knows what, but hey, mostly it sorta works. I do try to run at things I may not normally too and like the 'contests' for that. Not about winning or anything, it's about trying something I might not and maybe even coming at it left of centre just because. Did start a Halloween thing but... maybe sometime and yes it's off centre, but then why not.
Ideas, imagination, exploration...then don't forget them people and emotions. Go for it.
Kristina
Lol
What's the worst that can happen,getting ignored? I shall do some deep thinking
they used to say, "Write what you know"
but there is nothing wrong with trying new stuff. I think "Character-driven" could take you in lots of different directions, with the right characters.... As for being mental, I am a certified crazy (GID, don't you know, is considered a mental illness), so I cant throw stones there. Besides, us crazys have more fun than the straights!
Crazy
Yes,indeed,I am officially a nutter. I meant other aspects of that, such as PTSD and fugue....LOL,the thing that worries me is that being a loony makes so much sense to me. Especially in the world we have to live in.
Heh, yeah, that 'write what
Heh, yeah, that 'write what you know' stuff almost kept me from trying my hand at a romance story for the contest here last year. But I gave it a try, and it was pretty well received, I think. Seeing as how I've never even been on a date, it doesn't get much further outside what I know than that!
Since then I've tried other different things; different perspectives, types of character, and so on. It's challenging at times, but I like it.
And crazy is where it's at! :)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Yay!!!
Just 'Yay!!!!'
Does that need any amplification?
If it's any comfort, love is overrated :-P
Or maybe I'm just jaded because every woman I've ever dated has turned out to be the bad kind of insane, so I stopped trying a long time ago :-P I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart; I'm just not crazy enough to put my heart on the line again unless pigs are playing croquet with the planets.
Err, right! More on topic, I agree wholeheartedly in experimenting with shorter stories despite being the undisputed Queen of being able to shut up and cut a story short :-P
To put a personal spin on it, Aria Blade in its original writing was an experiment in style that I ended up hating, despite the mostly warm reception from the people that read it (The ones who like that sort of thing. Not at all anything against those that do not :-D)
If you find you like a particular style, then you can write a sequel to expand on it, or something totally different: the joy of writing without deadlines ^_^
Anything else I could add has already been said better than I could, so I'll just shut up and get back to work, myself :-D
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Voice
I thnk that is it; once you find a voice that speaks to yourself as well as, hopefully, to others, it is difficult to change. There is an element of "why fix what isn't broken"
It ain't broke-but maybe it needs a walk?
I agree with the short story idea. It let's you explore a style, and if you don't like it, no great loss. That said, you do a great job of building a character, like John/Laura. We even talked about how he was so unlikable, but as the story plays out, she becomes more and more interesting. It was a great change, and I love the story. You have the skills, and I would gladly read just about anything you write! Go for it!
Wren
John
Now, he was hard work to write....even a turd like Joe in "Cold Feet" was easier.
On balance...
...I would say give it a whirl.
If you produce a stinker - which seems to be your concern - you will know that, won't you? And that could be the end of it. Or you could post it and face a certain amount of public opprobrium; but there are many here who would support you and give you genuine criticism (by which I mean telling what is good as well as what is bad, and suggesting how the bad might be made better).
In my business dealings, I reserve my highest loyalty for those companies that have messed up, but then proved their worth by how they got themselves and me, out of the cac.
In a lot of life if "the numbers don't stack up" (sorry: bean-counter here) or something "looks too good to be true" or you can't see the safety net, it may be best to stay away. In this case, is the downside (the risk of falling flat on your face), beaten out by the upside (finding something good about yourself)?
Xi
It depends...
And, before you throw things at me for using the consultant's favorite answer, let me say why it depends.
I'll start out asking a question or two. A good consultant has to learn how to listen.
First, are you enjoying writing the stories you've been writing?
Next, are you satisfied with the results you are getting - the nature of the story - not necessarily hits/kudos?
Do you know HOW other styles / approaches could be done?
Finally, do you WANT to push yourself?
Why these questions? I'll tackle each...
If you're not enjoying what you're doing right now, why are you doing it? Habit? You're paid? (If you are, where do you go to get the checks?) Fear? There are many reasons an author might follow a fairly "rigid" story approach. Each of those reasons might apply. Another is that it's the first thing you tried, and you finished the story, so you've trained yourself to do it that way (oops, habit snuck in here...)
As to your results. Apparently you're finishing stories. In and of itself, that's a good thing. :-) But, what are your goals for writing? Are you trying to please your audience? Are you trying to work through things in your life? Are you trying to speculate on what might happen given certain circumstances? Once you know your goal in writing, you can then take a step back and look at what you've done, and see if you're achieving this. I suspect that if you're achieving your goals, you may be satisfied with the results. But, if you're not, in some way, you're likely to be less than satisfied.
On the next bit, from your post it appears you are aware that there ARE other ways to write, other story elements to include, etc. So, I'll gloss over this one.
The last bit, actually echos the others. If you're not enjoying what you're doing, perhaps a change will help. If you're not happy with your results, perhaps a change will help. And, the last is obvious. You know there are other ways to write and other story elements you could include.
So, armed with your thoughts on these matters, I'll now be a bad consultant... That is, I'll keep going, without actually listening to your answers. (A real conversation should address these issues, and issues they bring to light.)
I'll preface my further comments by noting some things I've read that professional authors have stated. First, once authors find a "formula" that works for them, it's far easier to stick with it. It's financially rewarding, too. Perhaps they could do "better" (such a fuzzy word) by changing something, but they're almost as likely to break what's not broken. Others have said thing that it's EASIER to write to a formula. (Some authors use several - to keep from going stale. Yes, that IS a risk from formula writing. The best authors avoid this but...)
A big thing is that it is FAR easier to write what you're familiar with. If you're a transsexual, it's far easier to express the emotions/feelings of a transsexual character than a non-transsexual character since you've been there. If you're heterosexual, it's easier to write about that - not having first hand experience with the alternative. That's not to say you can't write about the other. Some do - with no experience - and write very superficially or get it very wrong,etc. But, a good author that really wants to do it, can write with conviction about characters they have little or no personal experience that applies. It's like acting, in a way. Some that act play a certain kind of character. Others play a wide range. Many play characters that show something of themselves and are convincing but when they play characters that have no relationship to their inner self they're less convincing. Others are quite convincing no matter the part they play.
So, reading into your question. It appears that you are not completely satisfied with your results or perhaps your goal is to be a "well rounded" author and you are curious about other styles and plot elements. Why not try? If you're not happy with the results, you don't have to share them. In MY opinion stretching our skills as an author IS a good thing. Who knows when we'll find a story we NEED to write that might just "CRY" for something we've not done before.
Now, I'll quickly put another hat on... A GOOD editor should be able to help you with both the decision on what to do, but also with the execution. A good editor may even strongly recommend that you use some other approaches / techniques / plot elements to get your story across. Not all editors are as effective on this as others. Some have strong personal biases that color the recommendations/suggestions they provide.
If you decide to try something new, go for it! Even if you decide you don't like the results, I believe it will help you in your reaching for being a better author (whatever that means to you).
Anne
Whoosh
THAT was a reply!
Yes, an awful lot of that applies directly to me.I write for release,and what I write almost satisfies me. If the satisfaction was complete, I would feel no need to write more.
I write to touch people, and as long as I can do that and confront the demons of my life, I will continue to do so. I write from passion,and strive to get that across, and sometimes I think do succeed, at least for myself.
So....I shall finish the two rolling stories I have in train, pause, and reflect. Thanks to all for listening.
Sorry...
Didn't mean to cut off comments on your blog... But, I seem to have.
Sorry,
Anne
Cut off
Lol, they can still be left, and that was a good answer. I tend not to get upset by good answers!