Back from the Metaphorical Dead
Posted by Ariel Flynn on Thursday, July 22, 2010
Under: Rant
... with a rant.
Okay, I'd like to address a couple common errors with writing, particularly lemons. I hope someone gleans some knowledge from this and betters themselves, but chances are they'll tell me I'm an idiot (which I'm not).
1) Magically Disappearing Clothing.
This is *very* common, I've found, especially with lemon-writers that haven't experienced sex themselves. The dom gets the sub onto the bed/couch/table/what the fuck ever (literally, as the case may be). They start with foreplay. This is not a problem. This is a very, very good way to set the mood. A little bit of grabbing, licking, touchy-feely stuff sets the reader up and prepares them for what's ahead.
However, the 'removing all articles of clothing' bit is a very big part of foreplay. I've found that a good author/authoress can write it seamlessly into the story in such a way that the reader either barely notices or it at least doesn't actually distract them (I, unfortunately, am not one of these people, so I prefer to start out with one of the participants nearly or completely naked in the first place).
One thing I've seen from the kinda-sorta-okay-with-writing-but-needs-to-work-on-details authors is that they skip mentioning this at all. A good example is that say... Kagome is backed up against the wall by Kurama after just getting home from school. They kiss a bit, plenty of innuendo, he pushes her onto the bed and... starts attacking her bare breast.
I'm sorry, but contrary to hazy memories, clothes don't just disappear (sometimes it just seems that way, but usually you'll find them on the floor afterwards). More often then not, they are removed by hasty participants after both (or more, is some cases) are already sprawled out on the bed/floor/whatev.
This is okay, just don't forget to at least (Please, please, please!) put in a 'he/she removed his/her clothing'. Please. If you're going to be lazy and just skip it, then don't bother us with your amateurish writing. I don't want to read it. ((In an aside, I was surprised to find that 'amateurish' is indeed an actual word... >.>))
That addressed, let's move on to
2) Details
Sometimes, they're better left imagined. I've read fics where certain things aren't described, but the writer is so good you don't really notice (for example, Orihara Izaya dressed in a pink dress- the authoress didn't describe said dress and left it up to the reader's imagination. She did this so well that I didn't even notice until she mentioned it in the A/Ns at the end of the one-shot).
This same concept applies to lemons. I know, you're always told 'describe in detail!' but sometimes, things can be glossed over without losing the effect. If written well enough, the reader can become so engrossed in the story unfolding before their eyes (that you, as the storyteller, are telling) that they don't even notice that some details just aren't there because their brains just make up the missing bits.
This glossing over, if used correctly and at the right times, can even make the story more enjoyable for the reader. Why? Because if they imagine it themselves, they can't be dissatisfied with the description because their own preferences are portrayed. They make up the tiny details themselves, and nine times out of ten, those details will determine whether they enjoyed the story or not (this applies to the story as a whole, not just the citrus-y bits).
3) Writing How you Talk
I've come across this problem a lot. Especially with bad writers. Some people try so hard to write the way they were taught that they don't know what they're doing. My suggestion is that you say the sentence out loud to yourself, write it, use spell check and go on.
'Yea, bcase i luv dem babes'... No. Do you actually say that? Like, seriously? I don't think so. Say it out loud to yourself. "Yeah, 'cause I love them babes." Yes?
Good.
Hopefully, I've helped you in some way with this rather long and drawn out rant. Unfortunately, a good lot of the people that read this won't actually adhere to it because I'm short/white/stupid/arrogant et cetera. Thus, they are right and I am wrong.
I hope you're not that person.
Okay, I'd like to address a couple common errors with writing, particularly lemons. I hope someone gleans some knowledge from this and betters themselves, but chances are they'll tell me I'm an idiot (which I'm not).
1) Magically Disappearing Clothing.
This is *very* common, I've found, especially with lemon-writers that haven't experienced sex themselves. The dom gets the sub onto the bed/couch/table/what the fuck ever (literally, as the case may be). They start with foreplay. This is not a problem. This is a very, very good way to set the mood. A little bit of grabbing, licking, touchy-feely stuff sets the reader up and prepares them for what's ahead.
However, the 'removing all articles of clothing' bit is a very big part of foreplay. I've found that a good author/authoress can write it seamlessly into the story in such a way that the reader either barely notices or it at least doesn't actually distract them (I, unfortunately, am not one of these people, so I prefer to start out with one of the participants nearly or completely naked in the first place).
One thing I've seen from the kinda-sorta-okay-with-writing-but-needs-to-work-on-details authors is that they skip mentioning this at all. A good example is that say... Kagome is backed up against the wall by Kurama after just getting home from school. They kiss a bit, plenty of innuendo, he pushes her onto the bed and... starts attacking her bare breast.
I'm sorry, but contrary to hazy memories, clothes don't just disappear (sometimes it just seems that way, but usually you'll find them on the floor afterwards). More often then not, they are removed by hasty participants after both (or more, is some cases) are already sprawled out on the bed/floor/whatev.
This is okay, just don't forget to at least (Please, please, please!) put in a 'he/she removed his/her clothing'. Please. If you're going to be lazy and just skip it, then don't bother us with your amateurish writing. I don't want to read it. ((In an aside, I was surprised to find that 'amateurish' is indeed an actual word... >.>))
That addressed, let's move on to
2) Details
Sometimes, they're better left imagined. I've read fics where certain things aren't described, but the writer is so good you don't really notice (for example, Orihara Izaya dressed in a pink dress- the authoress didn't describe said dress and left it up to the reader's imagination. She did this so well that I didn't even notice until she mentioned it in the A/Ns at the end of the one-shot).
This same concept applies to lemons. I know, you're always told 'describe in detail!' but sometimes, things can be glossed over without losing the effect. If written well enough, the reader can become so engrossed in the story unfolding before their eyes (that you, as the storyteller, are telling) that they don't even notice that some details just aren't there because their brains just make up the missing bits.
This glossing over, if used correctly and at the right times, can even make the story more enjoyable for the reader. Why? Because if they imagine it themselves, they can't be dissatisfied with the description because their own preferences are portrayed. They make up the tiny details themselves, and nine times out of ten, those details will determine whether they enjoyed the story or not (this applies to the story as a whole, not just the citrus-y bits).
3) Writing How you Talk
I've come across this problem a lot. Especially with bad writers. Some people try so hard to write the way they were taught that they don't know what they're doing. My suggestion is that you say the sentence out loud to yourself, write it, use spell check and go on.
'Yea, bcase i luv dem babes'... No. Do you actually say that? Like, seriously? I don't think so. Say it out loud to yourself. "Yeah, 'cause I love them babes." Yes?
Good.
Hopefully, I've helped you in some way with this rather long and drawn out rant. Unfortunately, a good lot of the people that read this won't actually adhere to it because I'm short/white/stupid/arrogant et cetera. Thus, they are right and I am wrong.
I hope you're not that person.
In : Rant