CloverReef

The way you described the stories to me. That’s your script. There was plenty of drama and emotion in it – and thats how most oral storytelling works, like a story around a campfire. You’d just need to edit it a little then read it out. 

I wish it just depended on the plot for me, @SirGeneralSir. I admire that. For me, though, I can be super inspired for a plot in a genre I’m not comfortable in, and everything I write will feel not-good-enough so it turns into a chore to write out. 
@Melrick I looove writing erotica. It’s funny, because I used to hate it, but now I love writing sex scenes. In my most recent stories, the sex scenes were the easy parts to make fun and interesting and the other stuff was tough lol. I have been trying to step away from erotica though because I was hoping to write something that I could show my friends and family, but that’s just not as fun, lol. 

I think that’s when we really find out exactly where our writing level is at, when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones.  Staying in your comfort zone is safe but I personally think your writing can stagnate if you do that.  Writing for different genres forces you to think differently, approach things in a way that you wouldn’t have before.  My biggest Achilles Heel is coming up with plots that I’m happy with.  I find it very, very difficult, which is frustrating.
I’m glad you enjoyed my story. And you should definitely have a go at writing horror one day.  It’ll be good experience if nothing else.

I think a lot of writers feel this way. Like it’s a little easier to say you write just for writing itself and don’t require feedback if you’re getting ample feedback, you know? Like rich and comfortable middle-class people saying money doesn’t buy happiness. Some writers, of course, might be perfectly happy just writing without feedback, but I think the majority are right there with you. And some are like me. I don’t write a lot. But I looove writing. And even though I love writing, and don’t feel like it’s a chore most of the time, I still write to be heard. 
I won’t mention graphic novels again… But I got a new idea! Podcasts! You should totally tell your stories that way! 

True. Though depending on how many of the facts you change, at some point you have to cease calling it historical. I wouldn’t really call abraham lincoln vs vampires ‘historical’ though it’s definitely history-inspired lol. 

Oh yeah, the few times I’ve wanted to do history, I’ve ended up going with AU because worrying about facts was too much of a nuisance lol. Well… I call it ‘History-inspired fantasy’. 

Wait!  Hold the phone!  Stop the presses!  Abraham Lincoln didn't fight vampires and that wasn't the reason for the Civil War?  Damn, I've been under the wrong impression!   Guess I gotta cut the Vampires as leaders of Nazi Germany out now...

Hey! Cool post!
Most of all, I do romance  I’m afraid I’m a little over the top, sopy at times, but idk, it balences out with my extreme love of drama!
Woah, I think I just described the scene of a soap opera… Ok, nevermind, I’m gonna have to rethink that *smh*
I’m attempting sci-fi in the story I’m working on currently. Its a challenge for me. I’m using a single character’s 3rd person perspective to keep certain plot points hidden from the readers and as the plot progresses, I’m very slowly unraveling the scifi. I def knew from the start I wouldn’t be able to go full blown ALIEN INVASION shit. So I structured the story to support my oh so wonderful talents  in drama bs. Rofl!
I’m also interested in trying some fantasy when I’m done with my current story… I’d be interested to know how other people attempt that genre as well. I think it’s going to be a tough process… It’s not something I’ll approach without a lot of planning involved.
I already know I want to invent a mythology, an imaginary kingdom and a new world to put it in. I want magic with love spells and death potions and maybe a magical creature here and there  
 
 

I love historical, I just find it sooo difficult, mostly for the reason you mentioned. It’s hard to determine where it’s best to take a few artistic liberties and where to go with the research. But it’s soooo much fun. 

What genre/categories do you write in and why? Which ones do you avoid because you don’t like them, or avoid because they’re daunting?
Seems like a random question, but I’ve been mulling over taking another dip into fantasy. And when I mull, I ask a lot of questions. “Why do people read fantasy?” “Do I want to write campy fantasy, epic fantasy, or dark fantasy?” “What fantasy tropes should I stick with?” “How much fantasy is too much fantasy?” 
I think most genres come with questions of their own. For me, fantasy is daunting because I have trouble deciding whether something is eyeroll-worthy or suspend-belief worthy when so much of it relies on that belief suspension. I tend to write dramas and thrillers with supernatural elements (or just plain violent), probably because I spent my life reading them. It’s easy to keep them character driven and sometimes fantastical and still pull enough of the real world in that I’m comfortable with the believability factor. 
So:
What genres/categories do you play in?
What genres/categories do you avoid?
Why?

I love historical, I just find it sooo difficult, mostly for the reason you mentioned. It’s hard to determine where it’s best to take a few artistic liberties and where to go with the research. But it’s soooo much fun. 

What genre/categories do you write in and why? Which ones do you avoid because you don’t like them, or avoid because they’re daunting?
Seems like a random question, but I’ve been mulling over taking another dip into fantasy. And when I mull, I ask a lot of questions. “Why do people read fantasy?” “Do I want to write campy fantasy, epic fantasy, or dark fantasy?” “What fantasy tropes should I stick with?” “How much fantasy is too much fantasy?” 
I think most genres come with questions of their own. For me, fantasy is daunting because I have trouble deciding whether something is eyeroll-worthy or suspend-belief worthy when so much of it relies on that belief suspension. I tend to write dramas and thrillers with supernatural elements (or just plain violent), probably because I spent my life reading them. It’s easy to keep them character driven and sometimes fantastical and still pull enough of the real world in that I’m comfortable with the believability factor. 
So:
What genres/categories do you play in?
What genres/categories do you avoid?
Why?

I love historical, I just find it sooo difficult, mostly for the reason you mentioned. It’s hard to determine where it’s best to take a few artistic liberties and where to go with the research. But it’s soooo much fun. 

Well, you know what mine are, as my Beta, but…
My area of specialty, so to speak, is science fiction or speculative fiction.   I also don't mind writing historical, but a lot of the time, I find myself having to smudge a detail slightly...  And I don't like doing that…
I really avoid the romance...  Like extremely...  Like vampire and sunlight (and not the Twilight vampires...)...  I don't really think I do good writing it...  I actually think I fail when I've tried (I'm sure anyone keeping up on CHHW would agree...)  Another I avoid, though not as vehemently, is westerns.  I was never interested in them, so now I don't really have the interest in writing them.
Why do I write SciFi and historical?  I guess it's the love of stuff like Star Trek and Star Wars with my grandfather.  Good memories instilling that deep love of the genre.  When I started writing, sci fi was the first I wrote...  And historical, I just love history.

...fuck, that hit me right in the aging.

You know you’re an author when you’re cursing Google for insisting on finding links for fixing diarrhea when you're trying to give it to your character (in a plausible fashion, of course).

You can. Stereotypical villains can be interesting \. Or you could simply make the story less about the villain. Look at Lord of the RIngs. Did you notice that Sauron (despite being the big bad) never really factors in the story? He’s there, in the same way the trees the grass and the mountains are but he’s not the focus.
 
In such cases the Villain is more treated as a force of nature, something the protagonist must react to, In these cases the meat of the story is what sort of actions, changes and reactions the villain brings out in the characters.
The raptors in Jurassic Park, Jason Voorhees, The Shark from Jaws. These are prime examples of that.
Not every story needs to be focused on a grand, looming conflict. Sometimes just the task of getting from A-B is enough.  Sort of like in a video game.You aren’t thinking about the last boss fight. Your attention is focused on surviving one area at a time., and I’d say that makes for some thrilliung engagement.

Just the thought made the little bloody thing in my chest flutter a little! I’d read the hell out of that shit! 

I’ll keep that in mind, maybe I have to write an M/M pirate horror just for you
(That actually sounds kind of fun, I’ll let you know if it happens)

I have to respectfully disagree, good sir. Everyone should be writing solely to appease me. 

That’s why I like AFF so much too. Like with all the fucked up things I’ve read here, I’ve never genuinely thought “this person has stray cat carcasses under their bed.” I like to think if I read something a real psychopath has written, I’d instinctively know (I’m probably wrong, but I trust my instincts anyway.) But the more twisted your writing, the more human and relatable you seem. The more disturbing your writing, the more I admire you. (I didn’t glance in @JayDee’s direction there, I swear.) 

Maybe I’m weird, but super vanilla stuff where there’s a lot of overt romance and serenading and “I love you so much let me toss flower petals all over your squishy bits while you act super coy and/or helpless” creeps me out way more than tentacle porn and zombie rape. 

Hell yeah! Embrace your dark side! 

Hahaha! I let @sweetmamajama scare me off my more darker urges in my current story… I’m still recovering  It’s cool to know I can go a little off the wall again once I’m done. I’m gonna do it! Rape for everyone!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I like romance too! Tame stuff can be fun (Though what you described didn’t sound tame at all!) It’s just the overly cheesy stuff that makes me uncomfortable lol. 

I used to go there to find bad fics specifically! Why are they all so bad… Jk but the best and only story I was subscribed to there was eventually abandoned and I never found my way back….