First off great pic EJLS! I bet it's truer than some like to admit.

I'm actually working on the ending of my story now! I might actually get it done on time (Crossing fingers). I just have a scene or two left to write then it's on to the full read through and touch up.

I know some don't believe in rewrites but I wish I had the confidence in my writing to just write it and be able to stick with it. I always have to run through the whole story again at least twice to touch up and look for mistakes.

But I'm hopeful that if I can finish the ending in the next day or two then I should have re-write time and make the contest.:excited:

Does anyone else re-write once or twice or do most of you just right it out once and stand confident that it's done right?

 

Dizzyworks - on the subject of rewriting, what do you mean once or twice? I often wind up having to rewrite the entire blasted stories at least five or more times...or more if I am really unfortunate.

Some of my stories, such as one I have been editing and working on for over six months has grown from a five page story to well over ninety w/o any end in site.

Even my CAW 12 entry, based on a half finished story from earlier, took some time to expand to its current size of nineteen pages. It is finished, yet I keep going back over it to see if there is anything I have missed.

 

The majority of what I write is a first draft. I can't go through and look for mistakes because then I'd never finish. :excited:

As I write, I read back what I have so far and add to it then.

 

Ejls - I look at that picture and I finally understand why all the noise from my bosses office never ends; and why he never has any work done by the end of the day...oh well...I guess today I should have warned him that his dear old wife left her new mastiff inside the office, the one she named as 'Nutcracker."

Oh well...

Mayhap's I will get the promotion I have sought for some time...

The above is meant to be utterly ridiculous and ridiculed for bad humor.

 

I guess Snow I should re-form that statement. Everytime I open up my story or current chapter to work on it I start at the beginning and touch up until I get to the end of what's written so I will end up going over the first paragraphs about 20 times or more by the time I write the ending.

But what I meant was that I have to run through the whole thing and re-write it at least twice once I think it's done before I think its ready. Even at that I never feel like their ready when I do post them. Its a matter of confidence that I still am lacking on some level.

But I understand your point. Storms Rock my CAW 11 entry was a story concept I came up with in high school and it was about a bunch of high school kids. For the contest I threw out the original story and wrote the first chapter of a new version about a bunch of kids in college. But after 20 of kicking it around in my head I still don't feel like it's right.

I also know what you mean about re-working ideas that you have been rolling with for a long time. Most of what I try to work on are ideas that I came up with years ago and ether tried to write then or said someday want to write.

My entry for the CAW 12 is the first brand new story line I came up with in a long time. After I read how great the stories were for the CAW 11 I decided it was time again to write something new.

It's been great working on something different for a change, I only hope it's up to the challenge, as I truly admire the level of writing we have on these compititions.

As always good luck everyone I can't wait to compete!

 

Knock knock

I'm in. Completely different story but this one works.

Emotional? Just a tad in places but miles more sex.

(just for you DC, just for you :excited: )

 

I know mine is not very long, but I've never been done this early.

Twiddling thumbs here.

 

On the subject of writing.

Welcome to the club.

I know of several writers who can just sit down and pound out a story, or at least a chunk of it, and have it work -- the first draft needs absolutely nothing other than a careful proofreading.

Not me.

First, I have to be in the mood to write. I can't just say, "Okay, I can spend about three hours working on a story, so I'm going to force myself to write." That doesn't work. If I write anything at all, I wind up deleting it. When I am in the mood to write, or have an idea that I'm enthused about, productive writing sessions often span days or even weeks.

But, every day, at some point, I have to stop. When I go back, I have to re-read to make sure I remember everything, don't contradict myself, don't skip any needed details. When I re-read, I ALWAYS find stuff I want to change, so that the beginning of a story may have been revised a dozen or more times by the time it's posted.

It's a lack of confidence in my work combined with a bit of OCD. If I could move forward with a piece every time I'm in the mood to write, I'd have hundreds of stories out there by now!

As I said, welcome to the club.

 

Ooh Goody; there's a club I can belong to.

Sorry, that should be "to which I can belong."

Its the brutal "cold light of day" that sees so many of my efforts perish under the delete key.

A story either works or it doesn't and it isn't until you can look at it dispassionately and see if it works or not that you know if its a success. Well that's how it is for me.

Certainly for me also time available to write is not the same thing as head in the right space to write- be nice if it was.

 

Exactly.

I have a folder called "Unfinished Shit." I go there sometimes if I'm bored or stuck in a story I'm writing. A few of those story lines have been heavily modified and re-cycled recently.

The real fun is when the protagonists take over the story for me -- when all I have to do is transcribe. That's one of the reasons I re-write so much. I'm trying to get the situation and the characters to the point in my head where they become real.

Then the voices tell me what to write. :-E

 

They say it isn't the 'length', but the 'girth' that matters more.

I'm sure you'll do alright ejls.

Both of these for me.

I have a bit of OCD. I know I'm not 100% accurate on my punctuation but I tend to add most of it according to how a snippet of dialogue is meant to be spoken. Sometimes I get carried away :excited:

A lot of my potential stories are sitting unfinished. I wrote a few paragraphs and all of a sudden I couldn't add to what I'd set out to write. Yes, that happens to me way too often. My mind isn't into writing and I am otherwise ready and willing to jot my ideas down.

But when the mind and the pen work in tandem, boy howdy you better hold onto your seats

And WSF's post above rings true. The characters do like to speak to me. But the oddest thing is when they interrupt me while I'm at work

There's a story to be told and sometimes I have to scramble for some paper and take notes while it's still fresh in my mind.

 

I'm always nervous about my characters speaking to me because I must remind myself that I am God.

A story needs twists and turns and every character enjoys an easy life and will avoid these at every opportunity so we must impose these vicissitudes of fate upon our hapless characters for the idle entertainment of our beloved Gentle Readers- otherwise its not so interesting.

 

Dizzy, most likely I misunderstood your original posting. I have that happen quite a bit on my part. Personally I am entering this CAW to see how my writing has improved since CAW 10.

I have no expectations of winning, however nice it would be, but this one will show me how much more I have to go to enter the masters of the masters league here in the forum.

 

Actually I feel exactly the same way. I hope people like my entry but ultimately I'm doing this to challenge myself to get better. As I said once before I've never worked against a time limit so that is a challenge for me, to write something in 30 days that would be just as good as something I spent years thinking on.

As I said before I started something completely new. This will be the first time I ever went from concept to finished in less then 30 days so I'm hoping it will at least be liked. So like you Snow I have no expectation of winning the CAW but I will feel like I won if I have it done on time.

 

That made me go back and look at lists of past entries. The quality of the stories entered was great, right from the start. Over time, it's gotten better. I'm ready to read some great stuff from returning writer and interesting, hot tales from newbies, too.

Why wouldst Thou feel nervous about Thy characters addressing Thee in prayer? On bended knee, of course.

When I put on my God hat and begin to create another world in the galaxy I call "My Documents", I try to put an Adam and Eve there that are believable, and I manipulate their world for their pleasure. Why shouldn't they pray to Me?

And the rewards and punishments We rain down upon Our creations in Our respective universes (Is that the correct plural of "universe"?)-- aren't they for Our entertainment too?

 

So I'm one of the oddballs here (as if that would surprise anyone) in that I only write a first draft. I'll go over once for an edit, but I don't rewrite. Not that I believe that what I have written cannot be improved upon. It's simply an element of time and concentration. Literally don't have enough time to devote to writing,Mao the time I have I feel is better spent writing something new vs. revising. That's why I've resigned myself to knowing that I'll never write anything worth publishing mainstream.

But what matters to me is whether the audience enjoys it, not so much whether I think it is good or could be better. I'll always know it could be improved upon and be critical of my own work, so for me, if I get a PM that says "Wow! Great story, I came three times to it!" I smile and accept erotic writing for what it is.

Last few days people...tighten it up and then get for some reading.

 

I have a question for everyone, "Who is a big fan of the happy ending in stories?" I made it to the end of my entry and I have a chance to end the story one of two ways.

I could end the story where it sits now where the two star crossed lovers are seperated by age and what has happened so far in the story. OR I can write an ending where they meet up years later, like has been done on so many other stories in the past.

So again my question to everyone is are you fans of the happy ending or a more realistic one? I'm torn on wich way to go. I just wanted some oppinions.

Thanks...............

 

That's how I write. If it's on the paper it stays. I don't rewrite endings. I might edit words, but that's it. The story is in my head and it comes out my fingers. I can't make characters do what they don't want.

Thumbs still twiddling.

 

Or can you stop at a point that let's the reader imagine the end?

 

Oh bother!

I am having a serious problem, I have one complete story and one half way through but I want to submit the non finished one. I still have to finish writing it, edit it, proof it and re-edit it all before friday.

It is seeming impossible to me.

I am really disappointed but so much has been going on that it has distracted from writing my stories.