Journey of a Literotica Writer Ch. 01

I am one of those that have, from time to time, what is called,"writer's block." I like to write; sometimes I can, and sometimes I'm stumped. For those who still follow me, comment on my stories, and have added me to "Favorites," I appreciate it. I know it's been a while.

I'm motivated to work on several unfinished stories, and post them. I do have a desire to write here again, so while I work on those stories, this series satisfies my desire to write something easier to finish than those stories that are not quite yet coming together.

For those that write in any genre and have not jumped into the pool from reader to writer, this first chapter is for you. This introductory chapter is why I decided to write here in the first place.

After this, I'll go through every story I have written, all the reasons I wrote it and the responses. I sincerely hope to encourage writers that want to take the plunge or scare you away. If you put it out there, you will be judged. Onward to the first of many parts, starting with why I decided to submit stories.

I'd read Literotica for years, before I had even thought about writing anything here. I can't remember exactly how I discovered this site, it was that long ago. It could have been any number of reasons. The reason wasn't because I wanted to write stories. That part, I'm certain of.

For whatever reason I first discovered Lit, it was not somewhere I frequented. That changed when I had a romantic (sexual) relationship with a woman who wrote stories on Literotica. I was intrigued, and wanted to read the stories here.

A great tragedy in my life was that she'd already pulled them and they were no longer available. That was a short-term relationship, so communication was not at its best. Don't be sad that the relationship ended. It ended on a happy note. She did write a story for just me. It wasn't posted on Literotica, it was sent in an email. I have to say, it's something special when someone writes a story for you that only you will see. That story was as good as some of the best here.

After that relationship ended, I found my own reasons to continue reading stories. I explored every genre. I started with the Lit Hall of Fame. Those stories in every category definitely belong there. The writing was good, the stories fit in the categories the authors were writing for, and were compelling enough I thought some authors should be published. It wasn't until much later that I found out some have been.

After sampling categories, my favorite was, and still is, "Loving Wives." It wasn't the topic that intrigued me, it was the comments. No category had as many comments as LW. The best stories were as good as authors in any other category, but the feedback in the comments were sometimes more fun to read than the story. I have read many shitty stories there just to read the comments.

I read every story in the LW Hall of Fame, and every other story by each author who wrote that story. After I went through what readers considered the best of the best, I was still hungry for more stories. I found other authors that I enjoyed, mostly through the recent comments.

The comments for stories and authors I'd never heard of ran the gamut of praise and outrage. I was curious to see what people liked about an author I didn't know, as well as equally curious about authors that infuriated the readers. I discovered Ageliquesophie and Matt Moreau as two examples for very different reasons. Don't bother to look for Matt Moreau, he sadly pulled his stories.

I read story after story after story, on almost a daily basis. I wanted to read the new stories published that day. I also started paying attention to people that commented a lot. I was looking forward to comments from frequent posters as much as to stories of authors I enjoyed. I was still finding new stories, but had no motivation to write for Lit.

What changed my mind, in one day, was reading the first story that made me angry, and I really doubt that was the author's intent. I was enjoying the story for what it was, until the ending. Then I felt the same rage as anyone who went crazy in the comments. That story is "Monopoly Money."

I'm not sure why that one had the impact that it did. No story had done that before. I've read stories with a lot of fucked up endings, so not sure if it was something in the story, or I was just having a bad day. Whatever it was, that was the catalyst; I wanted the author to have written that story a different way.

After I calmed down without punching any walls or breaking random objects, I realized the author wrote the story he wanted to write. If I didn't like the story that much, I could always write a version of that story the way I wanted it to end.

So I started writing an alternative version of "Monopoly Money." The words came out easily and I wasn't lacking inspiration. I would add to the story the next day, and then the next. At that time, before I started frequently writing here, I would read what I'd written previously, then continue.

Day 3 or 4, I saw I was writing too much humor into an alternative version of a story that didn't have any. The tone was completely different. It became apparent to me that I could not write drama. I tend to go for the funny, in life and as well in what I write, and this attempt was no exception. That story has been abandoned. It probably never will be submitted. I haven't revisited in years.

Even though I abandoned that story, once I started writing for Literotica, I was committed. I wanted to submit at least one story. If I couldn't write drama, what could I write that fit my favorite category of LW; that would be a story I wanted to write? I didn't care about ratings at all, and never have. I wanted to get a story out there that I would enjoy writing, and if it hit some readers, that was my audience. I didn't get to that point without some influences here.

There are a few authors I could name that showed me that humor has a place here, and they write what they want, ratings and reactions be damned. The audience that likes them, really likes them, and that includes me. One I will name is Hard Days Night, because he had a similar sensibility. HDK, as he is referred to, wrote stories that I felt were the type of story I could write.

Something additionally that appealed to me, he usually wrote happy endings. Having been through the wringer of a divorce, I liked that most of his stories hit my desire for everything working out, no matter how fucked up the situation was.

I started writing a new story, and knew if I was going to post it, I'd need an editor. Every writer needs an editor, but triple that for me. I can reread what I have written multiple times and still not see the errors in spelling and grammar.I also wanted someone that would do more than that. Someone that would point out inconsistencies and suggest changes. I also wanted someone that had a sense of humor similar to mine.

As someone who'd never written on Lit, I knew all of the things I wanted weren't very likely to happen. The most I'd ever won buying a lottery ticket was ten dollars. As it turned out, I hit the editor jackpot with the first person I approached.

I knew Luedon as a writer from the stories she posted. What appealed to me were her comments. Lue was a frequent commenter, and I found her comments often had a sense of humor that appealed to me. Often, people missed the humor and took the comments seriously.

I had no idea if Lue was interested in editing. She was my first choice, so I took a shot. I sent her an email asking if she would edit my stories. I was prepared for her to say, "No." She said, "Yes."

I got my first choice, and had no idea why, until later. Over the years, I've heard authors struggle to find an editor. I have no doubt it is a challenge. I just happened to nail it on the first attempt.

Now that I had an editor to edit a story I wanted to write, there was no reason not to do it. All I had to do now was write it. I immediately went to work on a quasi science fiction story I titled, "Robocock." That one has a slightly better chance of seeing the light of day than my alternate version of "Monopoly Money."

Whatever you are probably thinking about what kind of story that would be, you're right. It would have been in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy category. The comment section there is a wasteland compared to the Loving Wives category. I wanted feedback.

People post on Lit for their own reasons, but mine was, not only a desire to write, but also feedback. I wanted to know what someone loved, hated, or if they had thoughts on how the story could have been better. I chose to post in LW to get the most feedback.

With Sci-Fi still on my brain, I started writing a third story that would fit LW that contained those elements. That story did get published, but it was not my first one. The story that did, will be the next part of the series.

Thanks to all who read my submissions, newer and older, comments are always welcomed. Special thanks, as always, to my current editor SPP. This stuff would be unreadable without her. As always, I welcome comments and will respond in the first three days. Emails will always be answered.