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Hi there
I am trying to juggle elderly parents, grandchildren and everything in between. Due to my parents, I've had to shelve any work for the time being, so that sucks, however, that's not why I'm writing this. I am trying to finish various works that I started ages ago, and making some progress... but I'm conscious that I tend to write for my own edification, so...
What I want to know as follows: - ....
....do you like slow and gradual transitions or rapid ones?
....is it the build up before, during or after that is the most interesting, or a bit of each?
....is sexual activity important, or is it the peace of mind knowing that the subject is finally the person he/she wanted to be?
I know what I prefer, but I'm always interested in what others think.
Tanya.
Comments
Your Writing
Tanya; Your writting as it has been to me is great, I've always love the stories you have written and have no problem with them as is! Richard
Richard
My opinion
Well.. I don't really like slow transformations. I like it though if there are descriptions of the faster ones. Not just "poof and he was a girl". Well thinking about SF and fantasy. I'm not so much into the real world stuff...
Buildup before and after... Although if it's a real transition than it would probably be the transition part.
Sort of... It's not really necessary, but it's nice when it fits...
Beyogi
The "story" is the key...
Your three questions are all answered with a single word... Maybe...
I know - doesn't help much. :-) But, what I'm trying to suggest is that it depends sometimes one or the other, but the kicker is "does it advance the story" or "is it just there". Perhaps I should go back to each one...
....do you like slow and gradual transitions or rapid ones?
Both and neither. There needs to be movement in the story, and yes, it can sometimes appear that things are going backwards. But, when things advance TO quickly, it can be disconcerting for a reader. "How did we get here?" So, if you have to err, it's generally better on the slower side than the rapid side but there are exceptions.
....is it the build up before, during or after that is the most interesting, or a bit of each?
The entire story should be interesting. As things build up there's natural interest. At the peak, again, there's natural interest. More often than not, the post peak time has the most danger of our mucking it up... It's far to easy to get "boooring" as we tie up loose ends.
....is sexual activity important, or is it the peace of mind knowing that the subject is finally the person he/she wanted to be?
For me, the actual description of the activity is almost NEVER needed in a story, and more often than not, if a reader skips over it he/she loses nothing. But, asking the reader that doesn't want to read it to skip over isn't really fair. So, I tend to not delv on this kind of event. Occasionally, it's important to drive the story forward, but again, we need to use our judgement as to whether a having the reader "re-live" the event helps drive the story forward or not. On the other end - knowing you're who you were meant to be IS important... But, again we have to be careful to keep the the story alive when this happens. The "Oh, gee, my drivers license now has an "F" and it used to have a "M". How nice." kind of thing really doesn't work... well. Yes, it gets the info across, but the reader is board reading it. Much better is "She was floating on air just thinking about finally having the correct marker on her drivers license. It's a wonder she didn't have an accident on the way home."
That's my two (2) cents...(Even if it's worth less...)
Anne
A question or two for you all.....
To me, it all depends upon the story and genre.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
my 2 cents
1: slow or rapid transitions? - it depends on the basic conflict in the story. a slow one for someone who is anxious to get it over with, or a fast one for someone who is doubting themselves creates good conflicts.
2: build up before, during, or after? - the build it before and during can be very interesting if the character is having to overcome serious obstacles. After transition tension can also be interesting - a character who is suffering from rejection or self doubt or even a feeling of anti-climax can really be the basis for a good story.
3: Sex, or peace if mind? - a sexual encounter that adds to a character's confidence and peace of mind is interesting, but maybe even a bad one that a character has to move beyond can also be well worth reading. For me, I don't need a graphic description of the event to get the idea, but some people like details.
That's my two cents
Dorothycolleen
Hi Tanya :)
Reading your blog it seems to me you are trying to juggle so many things.
If I am mistaken by your comment which leads me to believe you are a carer for members of your family first and foremost then please accept my appology in advance.
I find the demands of being a carer can throw one out of the zone when you have to attend more pressing demands within the family home.
I have ditched so many potentialy good stories due to my rl situation. Lost the thread and concentration and out of my zone.
I am a carer for my brother and his needs are a priority.
A message of encouragement from a fellow carer.
What I like.
Since I like what you write and you right what you like... I guess I like what you like.
Stories that have 10,000 words that cover part of an afternoon are too slow. I like stories that move right along and carry you along in the dust devil the story creates.
I like a little sex... nothing too graphical... but being an adult human sex figures into almost everything we do. We're looking for, avoiding it, craving it, disgusted by it, recovering from the after effects, and mostly looking forward to when we can do it again... but I don't need to know too many details before I start skipping to the smoking cigarette so I know that mess is over.
Again I meandre... I like what you like so write selfishly and we'll get along fine.
Dayna.
Answers
1) I like both, depending on the story. I think it is very hard to say without knowing about the story.
2) I would have to say during is MOST interesting (to me), but they all have value.
3) I'm embarrased to say this, as I don't do it in most of my own stories, but yeah, I do enjoy the sexual aspects, although it isn't absolutely necessary.
I've read the stories on your website (well, the free ones. I'm trying to pick a pay one now. In Plain Sight seems toi be my favorite, so perhaps tonight I will get that one.) I seriously love your work! If you're wondering, yes, I would enjoy sequels on some of the stories. You're characters are enchanting, and I hated to see the end of the stories! I know, there is a great deal on your plate already, but when you post it, I'll be there!
Wren
Hi Tanya, Please just
Hi Tanya,
Please just continue as is. The numerous stories you've written are excelent. I hope the extra burdens are easy, I know first hand the other side. I hope God blesses you and helps you through the tough times. Thanks so very much.
Jeanne
Preferences
Good idea, market research, but unlikely there can be much consensus. Yet I like the idea of your little survey.
I quite like nasty forced fem, though I think there are quite a few who don't. And again in variance to some others, I really like psychological realism. I usually hate magic stories or unexplained black-box sci fi. But sometimes these work even when there's no apology for the trope if the writing and the characters and the situations really work.
I'm not sure speed of transformation is an issue at all, but a lot of writers start of really well and then dissolve into soap-opera, repetitive scenarios and tired situations which, fair enough, are what float their boat, but can undermine otherwise good writing. So a sense of development and leading somewhere is important whatever the speed.
If the buildup is really slow, it can feel as though it's not a TG story at all, which again is fair enough, but it means the story hasn't the old familiar crutch and needs to be more compelling and better witten - there are plenty of those better written stories on this site though.
I don't think transition is about the sexual act at all, though the transitioner's feelings about sex probably are of interest. Whether or not sex is in the story is down to whether or not the author wants to put sex into the story.
I feel that sparky intelligent writing full of ideas and hints at other things gives a sense that the world the story is set in is bigger than just what we are reading. Whether this is done through technical complexity, character backstories, jokes, parodies, reference to other literature or by interesting digressions, it can add texture, interest and depth.
You already write really well, so you already have your own well formed opinions on these things, but it's a nice thing to throw out to the floor. It would be fascinating to hear back what your own response is to the responses.
XX
AD
Preferences in writing/reading
Thanks to all of you for taking the trouble to write something.
It is so hard, I remember when I thought I was the only person in the world feeling that God had made a serious mistake when handing out bodies to fit the mind. The only escape I had was to write, so I wrote what was going through my mind. The frustrations of waking up each morning in the wrong body, the frustrations at watching that body become further and further away from my ideal, and then of having to make choices in life, without considering the inner me. I grew up in the 60s, so there were no real choices for me as a teenager, so I buried my personal feelings and just tried to be the best person I could with those attributes with which I had been born.
In writing, I seek to redress the balance.
I seek primarily to tell a good yarn, in which the story comes first and the gender confusion is an important factor, but not the whole story. That's like real life. I went to work every day, I earned a wage, paid a mortgage, shouldered responsibility, both personal and corporate, and did everything else that humans do - eat, drink, have sex, sleep, make mistakes, go to the toilet (for everyone apart from movie stars!), fall in love, fall out of love, have a fight, make up again, enjoy sports, break a limb, etc... It's just that I carried an extra burden that no one knew about.
Mostly, the stories I write are fairy stories that do not involve overt magic, but do involve the balance being restored in the lives of the protagonists. They may be set in a contemporary school, or against an historical backdrop of a major conflict, but they always involve someone being able to walk away from whom they once were to become that person they should always have been.
Sex, in the sexual act is only important if the developing relationships are such that it's appropriate.
I have read many stories that involve unrealistic and often fetish-related sexual activity. Often these stories are one dimensional and unrealistic, being simply vehicles for sexual fantasy for the sexual gratification for those who may need to vent those frustrations at that particular time. Occasionally, I have included some quite graphic sexual activity in some of my books, sometimes with extreme violence as well, but only if the storyline demands it to clarify the depths that human depravity can fall, or to add a sense of realism to the particular scenario..for example, male rape in prison is commonplace and hardly a gentle pastime, so to do the subject justice, one has to depict it as it really is.
In essence, there will always be a range of subject matter, from gentle, dainty, feel-good stories at one end of the spectrum, to almost horrific overtly pornographic material at the other, for which there will always be a consumer clutching a box of tissues.
It is impossible to please all the people, all of the time, so my desire is to write what I like writing, hoping that it will please some of the the people, some of the time. I'd like my stories to be about people, just like you and me...real people, who have all the human weaknesses and strengths, but for whom there is a glimmer of hope, whereas for me and many like me... that particular hope is something that has passed us by.
Once again, thank you for help and friendship.
Tanya
There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!
There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!
no preference
I have no preference. Sometimes rapid is good other times it isn't
Its not the anticipation I go for since Foreshadowing annoys me.
Sexual stuff in some cases is the story in others ruins the story.
A writers job is to put all these in whatever way the story naturally flows.
for example; If you are writing a story of a difficult transistion, saying 'and don became dolly as soon as the skirt touched him and then was raped by 5 men'. Does it make sense, not on your life.