Forum: Author Hangout

Rereading older stories on here with a different eye

StarFleet Carl 🚫

One of the things I've started doing is going back through my historical story address and re-reading stories that I don't remember, or wondering how I view them now, as I haven't looked at many of them for a decade or more.

I recently re-read three of Gina Marie Wylie's works - The Mission, Landing, and Down from the Mountain.

When I first read them, years ago, I was quite impressed with them. When I have re-read, I'm quite impressed with the level of detail, the characters, and what's going on. There's just a problem that I didn't notice then.

They're not complete stories.

They're really nice CHUNKS of a story. Where's the rest? Where's the resolution? Yes, you can certainly leave it to our imagination to figure this out, but ... what the hell? This isn't quite as bad as the Soprano's cut to black, but it's like she's taken the time to develop a really interesting world for us to explore together, then yanked it away from me.

I know she wrote at a different time on here than I am now. I realize that I have to be viewing things from a different perspective than I did then, but at the same time, it had to have been obvious to others at that time.

I'm also re-reading other, older stories. I found some that I've changed my vote on, some up, some down, and in many cases I feel like I do with some of my dead tree books, I'm meeting an old friend again. With Gina, I want to like them, but I feel like I've been cheated and didn't know it.

Replies: Keet JoeBobMack Mushroom PotomacBob

Keet 🚫

@StarFleet Carl

I read a lot and because of that I also re-read a lot. My experience is that I find many little typos that I didn't notice before, but do now. It's probably because my knowledge of the English language has increased massively over the years by reading almost exclusively in English. It takes away part of the enjoyment but I fix most of them so I won't encounter them again when I re-re-read such a story.

JoeBobMack 🚫

@StarFleet Carl

We're you writing then? I find I am seeing stories differently since I started trying to write and studying the subject some. I am more overwhelmed by writing that grabs me. Not language so much, the "sparkling prose" thing, but concept, world building, characters, and plot.

Replies: StarFleet Carl

StarFleet Carl 🚫

@JoeBobMack

We're you writing then?

That's why I specifically stated:

I know she wrote at a different time on here than I am now.

From a concept and world building, those stories are incredible. But they feel very incomplete to me.

Replies: JoeBobMack

JoeBobMack 🚫

@StarFleet Carl

Ah! Missed that. Thanks!

Mushroom 🚫

@StarFleet Carl

With Gina, I want to like them, but I feel like I've been cheated and didn't know it.

It was also a very different time in writing erotica for public reading.

Prior to that, about all you had was the "Dead Tree" type stories that are all over in here. Relatively short pulp books, intended to be complete in themselves with nothing else.

Marie herself was one of the first that tried to go beyond that. But even she said that her problem became that once she reached a certain point, she just basically wanted to be done with it, and see them end. Which is why so many of her stories seem "unfinished". It was just at the cusp when erotica was moving beyond basic short stories, and into something else.

Decades ago, she responded to those who begged for a continuation of one of her first, "Kate and Lyn" that she tried, but each time she ended up trying to kill one of them, and just let it end as it did.

And myself, I have no problem with a story ending somewhat ambiguously. Nothing says that a story has to end completely wrapped up with a pretty bow around it at the end.

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Mushroom

With Gina, I want to like them, but I feel like I've been cheated and didn't know it.

…

Marie herself was one of the first that tried to go beyond that. But even she said that her problem became that once she reached a certain point, she just basically wanted to be done with it, and see them end.

I can easily respect her wanting to distance herself from that, but it was the way she went about it. I felt similarly 'cheated' when she'd put in these snide asides, teasing the reader about naughty implications, only to expose her character was talking about her cats.

That might have been cute, if handled humorously, but instead, it was like sprinkling red meat before one of her cats, only to yank it away and punish the cat for being … a cat. I tried a few of her stories from that phase, and each seemed similar, that she held her previous fans in contempt and was deriding each and every one of us for having the termerity to enjoy her stories. It's hard trusting an author after that kind of response.

Replies: qqqq

qqqq 🚫

@Vincent Berg

maybe off the subject...but while we're talking old stuff...go back to home and library...then on the left just under recent stories you'll find history...which show everything you;ve read since day 1...have fun and happy trails

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@qqqq

I don't think any of us are old enough to have been around for day 1. SOL hasn't been around that long either. :)

PotomacBob 🚫

@StarFleet Carl

I'm also re-reading other, older stories. I found some that I've changed my vote on, some up, some down, and in many cases I feel like I do with some of my dead tree books, I'm meeting an old friend again. With Gina, I want to like them, but I feel like I've been cheated and didn't know it.

As a reader, there are lots of ways to feel "cheated" in stories. I realize that these stories are written by amateurs who get paid nothing for posting them for me alone to read, but I can feel "cheated" if the author chooses the "wrong" person as a life partner. I felt that way, for example, in Nick Scipio's Summer Camp stories, the MC chose the wrong girl. The Summer Camp stories took several "books" and almost two decades to write and in that time I kept hoping the author would tell us how one of the major characters, Gina, kicked her cocaine habit. As I recall, there wasn't much more than the declaration that she had done so. I also felt "cheated" in the stories about Kenny the Kansan (not sure I got that name right), it turned much darker than I ever wanted it to. Don't these authors know they're supposed to write their stories the way I wish them to go?
Now a question. If I were to review the Summer Camp series, would what I have just written about it in this post be an acceptable review?

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@PotomacBob

Don't these authors know they're supposed to write their stories the way I wish them to go?

ROFLMAO

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Don't these authors know they're supposed to write their stories the way I wish them to go?

I feel that way often, but nowadays, I'm more likely to criticize a story for either leaving a conflict unresolved, or for butchering a characterization. I've been watching the rebroadcast of "Downtown Abby" on PBS, and the way each week seems to end with the same upbeat/betrayl/trajedy angle annoys me no end. Any of those are fine in a story, but the fact that trio is so predictable, it's impossible to ever take the story seriously. The result is, it feels like a huge soap opera, with the same dramas being trotted out each week, with the same predictable responses.

There are thousands of ways to disappoint, and most you'll never even know of, but above all, I find predictable the worst trait, as it robs the story of truth, and robs the readers of the power of revelation.

But, when you've been at this too long, you start to look at all stories through jaundiced eyes, and start looking for alternatives. In the end, despite most of my stories ending mildly depressing, I prefer happy endings, but the characters have to suffer a bit, so you know they learned something, rather than simply skating by at everyone else's expense.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Vincent Berg

leaving a conflict unresolved

That could be a cue for an unresolved conflict gripe thread. Here's one of mine:

In one of the recent AWLL stories, it ended with an apparently unresolvable rift between Steve and Bob. When the next story started, it was business as usual between the two.

AJ

Replies: StarFleet Carl

StarFleet Carl 🚫

@awnlee jawking

unresolved conflict gripe thread

That's sort of what I was talking about. In one of the stories I mention, a guy from another land rescues a slave girl off a mountain, and gets her down to the big city. Turns out this guy is a well known, and suddenly there's a lot of interest in the slave girl. In the meantime, we are told the King has his army ready to move out. There's a conflict with someone who disagrees with the King, lots of people suddenly say that this girl could be part of their family ... and that's it. End of piece.

At least to me, mentioning the Army being ready to deploy is a bit like Chekhov's gun. (Anton, because Pavel would have used a phaser.) You put the Army out there, you told us some of the backstory of the guy that rescued the slave girl, you set up all kinds of conflicts for resolution ... and then you ended it, leaving NOTHING resolved.

I did find another story that had a bit of an explanation regarding the planet that THIS story happened on. I really don't remember when Universes were allowed on here, but these belong in one of those.

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Forum: Author Hangout

Rereading older stories on here with a different eye

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