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Lessons learned from writing Atlas
Dec. 28th, 2018 04:54 pmThings I have learned while essentially writing a novel (Atlas):
1. Subplots are hard, especially ones centered around relationships, not action.
2. Pacing is hard in a fic that spans a year, not a few days or even a few hours (which is most of my fics).
3. Editing is even harder. This fic should be 30% tighter than it is.
4. OCs are fun.
5. I really like writing about food.
6. I really like writing about gender.
7. Many more people are into reading scenes from the submissive masochist POV than the dominant sadist POV (at least that I can infer from readership and Ao3 tags). Personal theory: because there's so much moral ~stuff in being a sadist that there isn't in being a masochist, people don't want to entertain the idea that they could have a sadistic streak, and the popular idea of sadists being dirtybadwrong psychopaths instead of (in my experience) kink dorks who get really! excited! about toys and techniques colors the fic that people write and want to read. (Not that there isn't something appealing in dirtybadwrong sometimes, but that's not representative of sadism as a whole.)
8. I HAVE A LOT OF SADISM FEELINGS OK?
9. Did I mention editing is hard?
1. Subplots are hard, especially ones centered around relationships, not action.
2. Pacing is hard in a fic that spans a year, not a few days or even a few hours (which is most of my fics).
3. Editing is even harder. This fic should be 30% tighter than it is.
4. OCs are fun.
5. I really like writing about food.
6. I really like writing about gender.
7. Many more people are into reading scenes from the submissive masochist POV than the dominant sadist POV (at least that I can infer from readership and Ao3 tags). Personal theory: because there's so much moral ~stuff in being a sadist that there isn't in being a masochist, people don't want to entertain the idea that they could have a sadistic streak, and the popular idea of sadists being dirtybadwrong psychopaths instead of (in my experience) kink dorks who get really! excited! about toys and techniques colors the fic that people write and want to read. (Not that there isn't something appealing in dirtybadwrong sometimes, but that's not representative of sadism as a whole.)
8. I HAVE A LOT OF SADISM FEELINGS OK?
9. Did I mention editing is hard?
