I have fun with my stories. But I don’t think I’d call any out as my best work. Though I do like to make sure things are somewhat coherent.
I care about the ideas in my story, for sure. I'll be rather lenient with myself when it comes to descriptions, continuity, and overall writing style because it's not a job, just a hobby. But, I like my writings, here and elsewhere, because they describe the things I like, and they give me a shot to find others who like these same ideas. So, I care that they can get my overall concepts and scenarios across for the things I enjoy, to put feelers out and discover like-minded people. It's my kink fingerprint, way better defined than just a list of things I enjoy. And I think that's pretty important, personally. Sex is something that seeks a connection, albeit with a degree of privacy. There are a plethora of ideas out there that turn people on, and that creates a giant, diverse, but diluted field. So, for me, putting my personal enjoyments into a single place hopefully opens some paths to come together with others that really resonate with the ideas beyond the keywords. I definitely think that's worth caring about!
I care a lot. It usually takes me a while to craft each chapter -- I do a lot of searching for the "right" word or phrase during the writing process.
My focus on the quality of my writing depends on the tone of the story. So, for instance, Darkest Challenges is a bit cartoony and superficial, so I can just write out frank descriptions to get the point across. The Lord's Companion takes itself seriously to a degree, so I need to put some effort into letting the reader become emotionally invested in the writing. Still, I'm not working to create a masterpiece, and I'm not getting paid to do this. I'm just making sure my writing isn't physically painful to read.
I've put a fair bit of work into the story at this point. It's not the best thing I've ever written, and all of it's been written fairly quickly, so the quality is I think pretty uneven. Lots of branches unfinished, plenty of plotlines that veer a bit wildly in tone and content. It's a mess. A lovely mess. I like it. I want to finish it. Next story, I'll probably take more time and plan it out better and hopefully the plotting will be tighter and more interesting. But for now...it lets me play. Exercise in creativity. I like that.
I put a fair bit of effort into my stories. I wish I could force myself to take more time editing them before I publish but it’s a struggle. My stories here are the only things I’ve ever written so it’s not like I have other work to try harder on
Since I know I never will get published... This IS my best work. People can either read it or not as they will. Always feel GREAT being called a garbage author, because that means I'm on the exact same level as my favorites. Arthur Clarke and O. Henry. Overly sentimental, way too obsessed with twists and hints, and generally a pain in the ass to read. Just gonna keep doing my thang...
My writing on this site is definitely not the best that I've produced, but a lot of it is because I don't have an editing process here—it's write, proofread, and post. There ends up being issues with pacing and characterization and scene-setting and just about everything else... I also don't stop myself from engaging in the excesses that I find personally appealing, but is less popular with a general audience (see, for instance, all the nerding out in the Freshman 15). But I still care a lot about what I write. In some ways, because what comes out is so unadultered and unfiltered (in more ways than one ), I end up quite invested in what I've written.
