The word "vicarious" is defined on Dictionary.com as "felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others". I think that many writers are being vicarious with their writing. It pretty easy for me to identify with my main characters because my interest in this subject originated with the problems my inter-sexed sister had when her gender problems came to light. Both she and I were very young when it happened but, of course, it made a big impression on me so I remember quite a bit about it and I learned more as time went by. I remember the way she felt was mostly "alone". During that time, gender was a binary thing and any variation was almost unheard of.
The only problem I see with vicarious writing is that writers tend to write about "happy people" and "happy circumstances". The writer doesn't want to put the main character through too much stress since the writer is vicariously living the story. The problem with this is that after a while the reader feels that nothing is really happening in the story.
So many of the stories on "Big Closet" are about a male, usually a young boy, who is gender dysphoric. The first few chapters record his problems dealing with this, including problems at school and at home, and people who support him with this and people who don't. He is at least somewhat successful in "coming out". What's next?
Ironically, the more successful the main character is in transition, the less there is to write about afterward. This is why I have 5 or 6 unfinished stories. To hold readers post-transition, one has to be a good writer. There are some really good writers on Big Closet, but when I look at the number of people reading my stories, I see a drop in readership with each new chapter. I guess my writing is not that great.
I read somewhere that interesting stories involve characters with a "problem" or some kind that is resolved, usually in a way in a way that is satisfactory to the character. So I guess the "meat" of these stories is in the transition.
I think just writing this has shown me what I need to do about my unfinished stories. I need to go back to them with the idea that the goal is successful transition and fill in more details about the transition. After that, it's time to say "The End" and let the character go on to live his or her (usually "her") life without trying to document it.
I have work to do.
Comments
Interesting
I think you're on to something here. Yes, I live vicariously with my writing. As a fat, 6'+, all-too-masculine 70 year old man that's about the only way I can live a feminine life.
Looking back at my output, almost all of it deals with discovering or implementing the change of gender. I have also noticed the number of hits drops the farther along the story goes, but I want to tell the entire story, so I'll live with that.
By the way, that pile of incomplete stories annoys me, too. Very rarely do I find a way to complete one of them that satisfies me.
You are right about "So many of the stories on "Big Closet..."
Which is why I really don't write many where this happens. Most of my characters tend to be older (and hopefully more worldly wise).
TBH, I get bored with all the stories where we see a discovery followed by the ritual shave/depiliate process. Also bets, dares and high school proms. If I was transported back to that sort of age, I'd run a mile before even thinking about going to a Prom. It is one rite of passage that I'd avoid like the plague. I had the misfortune to stay at a Hotel last year where a 'Prom' was being held. The aftermath looked like a scene from WW3. But I digress.
There is a wealth of very diverse storied here but AFAIK, they almost all have one thing in common and that is that the number of reads/kudos drops off as the story progresses. I guess there is a PHD waiting for someone who could not only understand it but propose a solution to it.
One of my most successful stories is one where each part is pretty well a self contained story using the core set of characters rather than chapters of a long story. Perhaps this says something about people's attention span... I don't know.
Samantha
Knowing when to end it makes the story
You wrote: "I think just writing this has shown me what I need to do about my unfinished stories. I need to go back to them with the idea that the goal is successful transition and fill in more details about the transition. After that, it's time to say "The End" and let the character go on to live his or her (usually "her") life without trying to document it."
I try never to attempt a story without knowing just how it will end. There's an old line, usually used for on stage performing, but it applies to writing as well. Leave them wanting more.
Most of my stories end with the protagonist reaching a point where their struggles are at an end or near an end and they have a course laid out for them they can walk, but the details are dubious. This lets the readers imagination fill in the the details according to their own needs. Authors aren't the only ones who live vicariously through the lives of the main characters. Reader do too and we, as authors, need to leave them room to do that.
As a result of my philosophy most of my stories are short. 20K or less. When stories go on and on into the lives of the characters after the initial problem is solved, I generally quit reading, because it seems the writer doesn't know how to end the story. Frankly, I don't know how Angharad does it. Prolific and the same story line for book after book.
I rarely write sequels to my stories because I don't want to get bogged down in the mundane of daily living after the solution to the problem. If I do write a sequel, it's usually about some character in my story that hasn't been explored in the original.
"Millie's Release" is one such story. It's a sequel to "Jamie Finds Acceptance". Each is a stand alone, but makes reference to the other. In each case the protagonist is an "off camera" (or what ever the writing equivalent is) character. There was supposed to be a third story in the series. In fact, when I first published "Millie" on my now defunct web site, I promise the story to my readers. Harriet, was referenced in Millie and the ground work laid for the back story. When I went to write the story, I found I had no reference for the antagonist, Harry's father, and just couldn't pull off the story line. I'm not a good enough writer to write something I don't know about. My own father was gentle when it came to my own gender issues. Harry's father was to be the "I'll beat it out of him" kind of father. Alas, Harriet's story will never be written.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Knowing the Ending
I think that it's a good idea to have an ending in mind, when starting a story. However, that shouldn't prevent one from adopting a different ending that comes to mind. Especially if it allows one to hack away at accumulated bloat.
-- Daphne Xu
isn't the end
just the beginning of a new story?
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Yes.
Often it's the drudgery of day-to-day life. Boring as it is, it's better than living out an interesting, exciting story. Usually.
-- Daphne Xu
Not me
I start writing when I find an interesting idea but almost never have an ending in mind. In fact, I've sometimes been surprised to finish a paragraph to find I just finished the story.