I've really enjoyed writing Call Me Misty. The final chapters are being edited now. I expect to post a new chapter tomorrow. I've added unique AI art to this story that you will only see on SOL. I created persistent characters and caption/edit them myself.
I try to enhance the story, rather than tell the story with the pictures. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and the first story is 187,808 words, and the second story is 84,102 with three more chapters remaining.
https://storiesonline.net/s/31449/call-me-misty
I split it into two parts, because I've found that readers seem to get overwhelmed with longer stories.
I don't understand that. To me, if a story is great, I fall in love with the characters and don't want it to end.
Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, all those stories live on because people love to hear about their journey.
I feel like it's time to end the story after I've told the most interesting part of their lives and shown how they evolved from the start of the story to the end.
In Call Me Misty 2, I also wanted to write about the connection between Ren Faire and BDSM. You'll often find people who are into both at Ren Faire and quite open about it. Leather is a common theme to both.
I included a few of my observations of raunchy behavior at those places. They are PG-13, sort of like an 80's movie. If you ever revisit National Lampoon's vacation (movie version) and think "my parents let me watch this?"
That's the same thing as a Ren Faire. The saying is "You only get the jokes you are supposed to get" but some of the costumes are pretty damned sexy. Especially the tight white bodices with big jugs on the girls that shake up the lemonade. They earn their 7 dollars.
In addition, I feel my NIS Breeder Program may be up there with some of my other favorites like Keeping the Babysitter in Line, and Do you have a big dick? Why not?
https://storiesonline.net/n/33623/nis-breeder-program
I have 75 chapters complete. I modified the NIS format to allow mothers to participate in the program voluntarily as breeders (As long as they are fertile). It's 2047 and population is on the decline, public nudity is legal, and sexual expression is much more tolerated in public.
You can't walk around sticking a dildo up your ass in the grocery store and not expect to get kicked out, but you won't get arrested if you leave. People have the right to be nude in public but in small town Little Rock Arkansas, its much more rare.
Except at the high schools, where they encourage it through the NIS programs. Any student or teacher is free ot be naked, but the NIS students get school credit and have specific mandates to educate and encourage body positivity/sexual positivity and not kink shame or slut shame.
I have also added some AI art to that, and I've got 12 chapters posted as of this writing, and another almost ready to post.
I am not sure what I'll write next. I have several unfinished stories to complete. I love getting reader feedback and suggestions. If you feel like dropping me a constructive note, that's appreciated.
This story is pretty much written, but I still love to hear thoughts and suggestions. I write for free. I'll never ask for money/donations or Patreon. I am not sure my writing is good enough for that anyway, but even if it was, I do this for two reasons.
1 - I like to live vicariously through the eyes of my characters and I get to do that when I write.
2- I LOVE to inspire other authors to give it a try. I write for the most selfish reason of all. I write stories that I would have LOVED to read. If I can inspire anyone to just sit down and write out their idea and post it on SOL, that's awesome.
Especially, if it's like one of my stories, or riffs off some of the characters I created. If you dig Hope and Misty from Call Me Misty, then feel free to write a fan fiction. You have my blessing and encouragement.
It would be quite flattering because it means I breathed enough life into the characters to make someone else fall in love with them the way that I did. They aren't iconic Captain Kirk or Gandalf, and I would never say they were. However, their adventures could continue!
If you never wrote before, just remember that EVERY author on this site had never written a story BEFORE they wrote their first one. We all sucked at it, and most of us have learned over time.
I cringe at some of my earliest stories. I didn't even have MS Word and no editors. I just wrote without spell check.
Now, I cringe at how many errors I find when I free write before I post. Do your best, and don't worry about it.
What I do, and the secret to writing (to me) is three critical things.
1. Pick a time in the character's life that was the most interesting time for them. Write about that.
2. Imagine you are sitting across from your buddy at the bar and telling him a story. If it starts with "No shit, so there we were" that's fine. Just write the story like it's happened and you are giving them the details.
3. Show don't tell. Many new writers "tell" by writing sort of a police report. "This happened, then this happened, then he said this, then that happened."
Don't write a long background, or a report. SHOW the reader what happened.
This is the hardest one of the three on this list to master, and I still work at it.
Instead of "He was nervous" (TELLING)
Describe his body language. "He kept looking at the door and shift his weight from one foot to the other. He couldn't stop fidgeting with his hands"
I've painted you a picture with words. You can see that he is nervous, right?
Don't worry if you can't do that every time. Work on it. Do it. Contribute to the body of work on SOL, and in time, people will start writing more stories you like.
I get inspired by other authors like MaryS, Badgerhole, ByDaSea, Vulgus and Mike McGifford.
I hope I write stories they would like to read. It's my way of paying them back, because money won't cut it.
(And I really don't have any to give, lol)