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Of Tails And Fwoompings And Self-Determination...
12 years ago
So, I think I’ve reached a peculiar point with my writing.
I have always gone by the guiding ideal of “Be the change you want to see in the world”... in this case, writing all the wriggling, cute, romantic, helpless herm-on-male butt-fwoomping stories I’ve always wanted to read, but hardly ever been able to find. Seriously, in ten years, I’ve found maybe... eight stories like that? Eight sounds about right. Eight is good.
I’ve written it so many times, though, that it’s actually starting to get a little... tiresome. There are only so many ways I can write what is essentially the exact same scene, over and over. Nowadays, when I write it too quick-and-dirty, the brevity upsets me (the newest story, Demon Love). When I spend too much time writing it, as in some of the more notorious Amber stories, I feel like I’m just wanking my proverbial prose-stick, and irritating my readers needlessly.
It’s like drawing hands. HANDS ARE SO HARD TO DRAW, because not only are they intricately complex, but EVERYONE is intimately aware of what hands look like, and can point out when they don’t look perfect. No-one is more aware of that than the artist. A lot of people look at my stories, and they are pleased and impressed, sure, but all I see are the imperfections, and they’re almost always with the sex scenes. I can see in my mind EVERY little tiny erotic detail, and I can never really do what I see in my mind justice.
And even when I get it close, it’s still the same thing. Boy meets herm. Herm tries to overcome hir baser instincts. Herm fails, and horribly abuses a tailhole that was never meant to endure such catastrophic, but loving, attentions. There’s some peripheral property damage, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Alexthedragon is right, I do need to branch out more. See, I really do like more than that. As has been mentioned before, I am a straight, happily married male. I love male/female stuff, and I absolutely adore herm/female stuff, but I see so much of it out there already I never really felt the urge to throw my hat in the ring.
When I do, though... it goes very well. The Slumber Party, Child Of The City, Amber & Jade, Kimmi’s third-base dalliances with hir housemaidens, most of the relations in Seeds Of Life... these are quite popular, probably my most-liked stories.
Amber needs to get out more. Loreli is also fairly pansexual and coming into hir own self-confident adulthood. Kimmi doesn’t know WHAT shi likes. The odds are good Mally won’t be doing that to Marshall anytime soon (at least explicitly... I have a HUGE list of other stuff they’re going to do).
As for my other stories, the more plot-oriented ones... I'm a little undecided as to what to do there. They get very lukewarm response here, and they take a lot more effort than my other stories. Really, I could write Amber all day and never get sick of her, but Odella and Kimmi and Jasmine? They take a little more planning (and could use a little more, I always rush a bit when I get close to the end). I might start devoting my time a little bit more to my more serious, non-furry stories.
But don't worry. My sexy outlet characters: Mally, Amber, Loreli, Myles... they will always be here, and I have lots of plans for them. They aren't going anywhere.
...
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Yanks down there!
I have always gone by the guiding ideal of “Be the change you want to see in the world”... in this case, writing all the wriggling, cute, romantic, helpless herm-on-male butt-fwoomping stories I’ve always wanted to read, but hardly ever been able to find. Seriously, in ten years, I’ve found maybe... eight stories like that? Eight sounds about right. Eight is good.
I’ve written it so many times, though, that it’s actually starting to get a little... tiresome. There are only so many ways I can write what is essentially the exact same scene, over and over. Nowadays, when I write it too quick-and-dirty, the brevity upsets me (the newest story, Demon Love). When I spend too much time writing it, as in some of the more notorious Amber stories, I feel like I’m just wanking my proverbial prose-stick, and irritating my readers needlessly.
It’s like drawing hands. HANDS ARE SO HARD TO DRAW, because not only are they intricately complex, but EVERYONE is intimately aware of what hands look like, and can point out when they don’t look perfect. No-one is more aware of that than the artist. A lot of people look at my stories, and they are pleased and impressed, sure, but all I see are the imperfections, and they’re almost always with the sex scenes. I can see in my mind EVERY little tiny erotic detail, and I can never really do what I see in my mind justice.
And even when I get it close, it’s still the same thing. Boy meets herm. Herm tries to overcome hir baser instincts. Herm fails, and horribly abuses a tailhole that was never meant to endure such catastrophic, but loving, attentions. There’s some peripheral property damage, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Alexthedragon is right, I do need to branch out more. See, I really do like more than that. As has been mentioned before, I am a straight, happily married male. I love male/female stuff, and I absolutely adore herm/female stuff, but I see so much of it out there already I never really felt the urge to throw my hat in the ring.
When I do, though... it goes very well. The Slumber Party, Child Of The City, Amber & Jade, Kimmi’s third-base dalliances with hir housemaidens, most of the relations in Seeds Of Life... these are quite popular, probably my most-liked stories.
Amber needs to get out more. Loreli is also fairly pansexual and coming into hir own self-confident adulthood. Kimmi doesn’t know WHAT shi likes. The odds are good Mally won’t be doing that to Marshall anytime soon (at least explicitly... I have a HUGE list of other stuff they’re going to do).
As for my other stories, the more plot-oriented ones... I'm a little undecided as to what to do there. They get very lukewarm response here, and they take a lot more effort than my other stories. Really, I could write Amber all day and never get sick of her, but Odella and Kimmi and Jasmine? They take a little more planning (and could use a little more, I always rush a bit when I get close to the end). I might start devoting my time a little bit more to my more serious, non-furry stories.
But don't worry. My sexy outlet characters: Mally, Amber, Loreli, Myles... they will always be here, and I have lots of plans for them. They aren't going anywhere.
...
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Yanks down there!
I'll agree. I think the weakest point in Demon Love was the sex scene, to be honest. Felt like it could have used something more. You're right for that hand analogy, it's really hard to write well. And with writing, the trick is finding that sweet spot where you give enough information for the reader's imagination to take care of the rest.
I actually enjoy all of the stuff you've put out. With the exception of a couple series that aren't quite my thing, I take the time to read all of it. I'm really looking forward to Demon Love, just because there are a lot of possibilities for transformation related things, and that's a really fun new element to the stuff you've been putting out.
I actually appreciate the effort you put into making your characters people first, even when they're 'visually' highly sexualized. I figure you're going the right direction.
I do think that some of the issues that you're running into may be helped by someone willing to do an early read of your stories, if you don't have that already. A good editor can really change your outlook on how a particular scene plays out, usually for the better!
I wish I had your drive for writing, for sure. I look forward to the next installment of, well. Anything you've got. :3
And thank you so much for reading it all, and commenting. I do definitely appreciate it!
The most fun in that story was just the other interactions between the characters though. You do write very well, and I think that adding a demon character in the mix does open up for a lot of other sorts of possibilities... Explore those possibilities and branch out, and just try new fun stuff. :D
And samey... Good word for it. :) I shall be more dutiful!
You don't have much to worry about, believe me.
We've all felt this way whether what we've written has hit the internet or not.
But it's not even about the standard, it's about the sameness of it all. There's only so many ways to write the same bedroom-crushing scene, ya know? I just feel the need to flex my creative muscle and branch out from what got me started in the game in the first place.
I think as long as you still enjoy writing, then it should be fun, regardless of what gets flexed. Or bulged, or what have you. :)
The opening of your journal reminded me of that.
And... Thanks? Not sure I mean it so angrily, but yeah, I write what I wanna read, but lately I also try to write what the fans want. Because Favs and Watchers make my tummy warm.
I know it's going to sound base, and silly. But the formula I usually try to fit is to make at least 1/4th, if not, 1/5th, of a mature story into the "naughty bits/reveal" it's been working to date, that I've seen.
It's hard to explain it really, without one-on-one talking back and forth, but the best quick advice I can give is to stream of thought your every thought/imagination/fantasy on the matter to paper when it comes to the naughtier bits. Anything, and everything; the whole image, the play-out in your head, etc... Write it all down in a separate document, the whole scene in your head, even if its not grammatically correct. Then, once you've successfully emptied that all out as pages and pages of somewhat connected "romps" you read over, flesh it out, hedge it, trim it down, connect things together, and then incorporate it into the story.
This has always worked for me, and it's not too much effort really, since the writing time speeds by when you're just spitting thoughts to paper without care for punctuation, grammar, etc...
The golden rule from my younger days working as a butcher's apprentice apply in many places. "It's better to be 'over' and trim it down to the right amount, or just over it. Than it is to ever be 'under' what you need."
</2 cents>