CloverReef
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Everything posted by CloverReef
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Noooo! Not until I’ve backed up all that messed up pervy stuff so they can continue to entertain me while I simultaneously weep for humanity for many years to come.
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Of course! The horrible stuff is only fun if its got a purpose! Okay, that’s a lie. Sometimes its fun to write horrible shit just to write horrible shit. But it’s more fun to read when it’s got a point! … Okay that’s a lie too. Stories I like best are the crazy, pointless, horrific shit I wandered onto via pure, unadulterated morbid curiosity. I forget what I was trying to say...
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It’s only irrational if the stories aren’t really out to get you. I dunno, these fic-jugglers still give me panic attacks. I’m just going to hide in the corner and grumble bitterly to my pug about all these crazy multitasking shenanigans going on around here. He gets me. I think… It’s hard to tell. Sometimes he snores when I’m talking to him with his eyes wide open.
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I kinda had the same issue, not knowing how much was too much. I think I’ve only rated ++ on one fic, and that’s just because that fic had a few really violent sex scenes and human trafficking was a recurring theme in detail. So I pretty much agree with the others – the subject matter plays the biggest part in my decisions. Like if a fic had a lot of really graphic sex but was a standard erotic romance, I wouldn’t tack on that extra +. Unless that romantic erotica involved like… scat. Or super graphic vore. Okay I gotta stop thinking of things I’d go ++ for. My depraved imagination is having a little too much fun with priests and tentacles now.
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Yeah but I gobbled them all up, so my head is whole again. Because that’s how it works.
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If anyone shows up and beats him, my head will explode into Skittlez.
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I have been assimilated into the world of the bespectacled. Huzzah!
And… You know what? I think I like it.
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- JayDee, Desiderius Price, BronxWench and 2 others
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Seconded on the foundation thing, my sunglasses do that too
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You use the daily contacts? Those are a lot more expensive than the monthly ones I use. It isn't hard to clean them, so I just do that. The fact that I flip so much between glasses and contacts helps in not having to clean them every day, though I do have to clean the lenses throughout the day when wearing my glasses because of all the little dust mites floating around inside if I'm home all day.
Tinted moisturizer might work depending on the brand and such. I never bothered trying that myself, though. I sometimes don't even bother with make-up when wearing my contacts. If it's a particular occasion, I'll definitely put on at least some foundation and mascara, otherwise it's just depends on whether I feel like it or not.
I'm afraid of wearing sunglasses with my contacts for that reason when I do put on make-up! I haven't worn actual sunglasses in so long because of that.
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@Arian-Sinclair I live in LA, so not wearing sunglasses is not really an option lol. Hey, maybe that’s why everyone here walks around with shades on indoors and at night!
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Now that’s dedication. Six years! I swear, I drop shit at the drop of a hat, (which is why I don’t post most of what I write) but I’m a big fat commitment phobe, so there’s that.
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I happen to be quite fond of annoying attention whores! I’d say we should be besties, but my annoying attention whore friends might not like that. I’m gonna lose this competition. I have a big whopping 0 going on right now. I always go through a bit of a drought when I finish a story. Keep starting things and nothing feels good enough compared to the story I just finished lol. When I am working on something, I have a one-track mind too. I can only really work on one at a time. Sometimes I lie to myself and say I can multitask stories just to justify starting a new one when I’ve got one going already, but that inevitably ends in one of them getting dropped lol. @Tcr should have something to say about this. His ability to juggle many stories at once blows my mind. Frequently.
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If you can keep the sex scenes fresh and interesting, you can never have too much, even in a plotty story (in my opinion). But if it’s just the same mindless banging followed by a quick squirt and rinse, repeat, then it will get pretty old pretty quick. With some writers, their sex scenes become formulaic, and when that happens, I tend to just skim over them or skip them completely. If its predictable and repetitive, it’s not much of a turn on and it can easily feel like ‘too much’ or ‘gratuitous’. But some people like predictable and repetitive. Sooo… Whatever floats your goat.
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Congrats! Self published counts! I’m super happy for you and I hope you get to publish a shitload more in the future! <3 Rock on
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Happy chocolate eating day, my lovelies. Soon I shall commence the grand tradition of burning out my tastebuds with cinnamon hearts.
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- Wilde_Guess and BronxWench
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I think its fascinating to hear other writers talk about their process for starting a story and character building. It’s so different and relatable at the same time. I tend to just write the very first scene, and then I put all the work into plotting out the character’s personalities and flaws, based on how they performed in that first scene. For me, its easier to see them as a well rounded character that way, and feel they have a life of their own. When I plan the characters before writing, I tend to have trouble connecting to them because I don’t know them yet! … And I just gotta say I feel you. Many a sexy villain has felled my plans.
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100% Yes, @InvidiaRed. Hints and snippets are generally all I can take when I’m reading a book or a story. Just enough to let us know that the character is a well rounded human being who existed before the events of the story, but it takes very little to establish that, and if done via the character’s actions and decision making, and interacting with the world around them, I think it comes much more naturally. I don’t see anything wrong with doing a spinoff prequel type thing, like you mentioned, @Desiderius Price. Its just when the flashbacks and exposition dumps interrupt the story that I tend to skip forward or stop reading. I used to do little standalone drabbles with characters backstories just to get them straight in my head before putting the char in a full fic. Origin stories can be fun.
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Absolutely! I think sometimes it's a case of the writer not trusting their words to paint a picture without the help. Or not trusting the reader to understand or get attached without the life story. At least that's been my experience. But a character's actions and decisions are far more effective to get the reader hooked enough that they'll crave that backstory over time. I don't know if I'm making sense anymore tonight lol.
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Wow, this is a neat thread! Well worth the grave digging you did to pull it back up. Too much backstory is one of the major reasons I’ll stop reading a fic, and definitely one of the first things to go when I get cut-happy in the editing process of my own stories. (Though I’ve been criticized for not having enough, so I may not be an authority on the subject.) For me, it has to be relevant to the moment in the story as well as interesting. Not just one or the other. Otherwise it feels forced or boring to me. But I’ve come to learn that there are people out there who don’t groan and skip over backstory and exposition dumps like I do. If you zone out while reading your own writing, that’s a pretty good indication there’s a problem. If not, but you’re still unsure, ask someone for help. (Just to be clear, the ‘you’ I’m referring to in the second paragraph, is anyone reading this who may be unsure. I’m fairly certain you already trust your instincts, @Desiderius Price)
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Latest Cold Snap Review Hi Junie! Wow, this seriously made my day, for two reasons. First, of course very little makes writing worth it more than a detailed, supportive review. Second, the race thing is a very big issue in my life right now and I’m so happy that it came across the way it did for you. I like to have diverse representation in the things I watch and read, and yet my writing didn’t reflect that. I have so much to say about this subject – about writing and character diversity – but I don’t want to bore you with an essay. I’ll just say that I’m glad he didn’t seem too fetishized. I tried to avoid some stereotypes and play with others, but most importantly, tried to avoid making his race an issue. Because it shouldn’t be. Except with Gary because Gary’s a bit racist lol. As for the poly thing. I was worried people wouldn’t like it. Having to choose is so dramatic and romantic, but I didn’t want Nathan and Iddy or Iddy and Ben to be like normal romances, if you know what I mean. They aren’t normal. I wanted this love story to be about not having to compromise.
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I’m still checking in every couple days but been a little more busy than my social phobia can take so my online life is suffering. I’ll be back!
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- Desiderius Price, BronxWench and JayDee
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Wait, you tried to be friendly, right?
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- CloverReef and BronxWench
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Smile, nod, and dead eyes. That’s my go-to response in the real world. Why, is that not friendly?
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I’d rather hide, kinda makes me eligible for Hermits United, if I could stand a crowded cave, that is.
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- CloverReef and BronxWench
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Shaping Your Writing: Does a Lack of Feedback Affect Yours?
CloverReef replied to Tcr's topic in Writers' Corner
This is Canada, DP. Our angry mobs favour the hockey stick. -
Shaping Your Writing: Does a Lack of Feedback Affect Yours?
CloverReef replied to Tcr's topic in Writers' Corner
I love the idea of a creative writing class, just for the pure educational value of it. Learning is always valuable. But for me and people like me, it’s not an option for feedback for two reasons. Price is the first one. Personal interest classes generally run $100 and up. Actual programs will run a lot more than that (where I am). There are online free options, but those are best for independent learning rather than getting any honest feedback. Second reason is simply the subject matter. If I were to write a story for a class, I would not write the sort of things I prefer to write. I wouldn’t write anything close, because gay-themed smut does not seem like an appropriate subject matter for a creative writing class. I certainly wouldn’t have the balls to put one of my stories forward even in an open-minded university environment, much less in a very conservative small town lol. So the class could be awesome for honing skill if one can afford it, but perhaps not ideal for the sort of feedback we’re griping about lacking. -
Review for Cold Snap Thank you for reviewing it! I’m glad you enjoyed!
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Review for Wish Hi Kylee! I’m glad you enjoyed the story! If I ever expand upon it, I will definitely delve more into Caleb’s feelings for his late husband. Thank you for the suggestion!
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Shaping Your Writing: Does a Lack of Feedback Affect Yours?
CloverReef replied to Tcr's topic in Writers' Corner
Absolutely, lack of feedback makes me change stuff! Sometimes the change is as simple as pulling the story. Sometimes it gets more complicated as I attempt to read the minds of readers to figure out what the problem was. And seeing as how I’m a pretty shitty psychic, I end up changing a lot of things in a panic until the story is unrecognizable or just not what I wanted to begin with soooo either way it’s usually a terrible decision on my part lol. But doubt does that to me. Makes me make terrible decisions. -
Review for Wish RamblingRobin, thanks for reading! Right in the heart huh? That makes me happy. The doll dude kinda left me wanting to write more about him so I’m glad the story has the same effect on readers.
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Hi Mevumi! Thank you for taking the time to drop me a line! It’s always encouraging to know some of those dragon prints are actually people reading and (hopefully) enjoying the story. Have a great New Year!
