Writing A Favourite Genre - issues?

[meridian_rose]

I have a real thing about hurt/comfort, as in it's one of my absolute favourite genres to read. But for some reason I get hesitant about writing it – or at least about sharing it once I've written it. And now I look like a hypocrite because: hurt/bingo last year :P And I've got a card for this year, currently without fills.

But part of both of my big bang fics have included hurt/comfort and 'Desperate Measures' was, if not h/c then 'whump' which I understand to be hurt without the comfort; and they have been some of the most difficult things for me to write. The only other thing that gives me such grief is sex scenes. First threesome fic I wrote was agony in places. Reading erotica and fanworks with NSFW content is apparently not at all the same as writing it. I'd write a sentence, walk away from the PC, calm myself down, go back, write another sentence…yeah. I don't even know why writing it rather than reading/watching it bothers me sometimes.

Anyway, hurt/comfort. Perhaps because it is such a kink for me, it gets tangled up with sexuality and makes me reluctant to write it as often as I want to. Then there's the issue of all my fic potentially ending up as h/c and boring people; so I don't write it as often as I might. And then there's the fact that I sometimes have problems writing 'around' the h/c. That is, if it's part of a long fic I might freeze up when it comes to the h/c but if I've written the h/c to my satisfaction, I might feel I've had all the fun, and not want to bother writing the rest of it. That happened with an original fic I was working on; a few background scenes, two major h/c scenes and until a couple of days ago I hadn't written another word for it in years – though I did re-read it on occasion.

I'm usually quite good at delaying self-gratification – eg put clean clothes away and then check email – and I ought to do the same thing with favourite scenes, I suppose. Then again, you have to write when the inspiration is there or risk losing it.

Does anyone else have problems writing something they love reading, or writing something after they've written their favourite part of the story?

Comments

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Reading erotica and fanworks with NSFW content is apparently not at all the same as writing it. I'd write a sentence, walk away from the PC, calm myself down, go back, write another sentence…yeah. I don't even know why writing it rather than reading/watching it bothers me sometimes. Me, too - exactly this. I occasionally feel compelled to write NC-17, but I always struggle with it.

That is, if it's part of a long fic I might freeze up when it comes to the h/c but if I've written the h/c to my satisfaction, I might feel I've had all the fun, and not want to bother writing the rest of it. This has happened to me, too - there's one scene I really, really want to write and then the rest of it just isn't so compelling, or even in the leading up to my favorite scene part, it can take me forever to get it properly.

I have an HP fic that's technically in progress, and although I did have a whole outline for the end, including lots of epic AU stuff, I mostly just wanted a happy reunion for Lily and Severus, where Lily doesn't die...

My favorite genre is action/adventure, or at least that is what I always write...even when it's supposed to be romance, or hurt/comfort, or humor, or even horror - I end up with an adventure story. I like things to happen.

I do have favorite tropes that I probably write too often, and maybe I'm still trying to get them exactly right...I think the problem I often have is that I race to the end, sometimes because I panic that I'll lose my inspiration if I don't get it all out right that second.

[meridian_rose]

Not just me :D It rarely is, of course; there are places where authors are poles apart in their approach, but so many where the experiences are almost identical.

Fics like your HP one are ones I then never finish - or maybe cut out the fave and/or finished bit and post it as part of an AU. Which is disappointing because you've got a whole idea for it, just not the resources to see it through. Also, that AU idea is intriguing, since so much of Harry's story relies upon his mother's sacrifice, making him the Boy Who Lived.

Yes; sometimes I get carried away trying to include plot where it isn't needed. I like to have enough background detail for scene setting and context, even if I'm writing basic shippy fic or h/c. I don't think it's a bad thing - better than the alternative - but perhaps some readers don't care as much about the context as I do.

Inspiration, come back here :D I know this feeling, the one where you can barely type fast enough while the story is clear in your head, just in case inspiration disappears.

I think all authors have favourite tropes. So long as you as a reader likes or at least doesn't hate them, it doesn't affect how you feel about their work. It's more about if you enjoy how the stories are told, from the plots to the descriptions :D

[lar_laughs.livejournal.com]

I'm a fluffy bunny and I write fluffy bunny stuff... or, it's easiest for me to write fluffy bunny stuff. I love angst so much but I can never seem to get it right. Or I feel that I don't get it right. More often than not, I aim for angst and settle for fluffy bunny land. *grins*

[meridian_rose]

So sometimes you go back to your writing comfort zone, even though you like reading angst. What we read and what we write - and what we want to write - is perhaps more complex than I might have thought.
You probably write better angst than you give yourself credit for :D Writers are often their own worst critics.