Jack Torrance
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🕑 Added 2024-12-17 00:37:18 +0000 UTCHey guys!
So, I've been thinking about Takes One to Know One. In the past I've had a nasty habit of pantsing stories, that is to take a premise and sorta run with it without actually sitting down and outlining it. I'll get so excited about an idea that I won't take the time to really sit down and flesh it out and ensure what I have is worthy of the time and effort it'll take me to bring it from start to finish.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned in doing this for as long as I have is that I gotta sit down and plan shit out. And in the case of TOTKO, I did. However, outlines do not always come to life the way you think they will. You can plan out a story and still discover later down the line that you just don't have enough material to keep things going the way you thought you would. This can lead to a major creative rut and a bizarre case of writer's block. You know where to go, you know how to get there, but the road ahead is so empty and full of repetition that you begin to doubt whether or not it's even worth it to continue. What's worse, you may have people who are very much invested in the story and have paid money to get the chapters early as possible. And you wanna deliver for them. But you just don't really know how. And you feel like you're putting out a subpar product. In the past I've let this kinda stuff get to me and it's let some pretty cringey and regrettable meltdowns. Situations that I could've handled much better and in a more mature way. If you've been here a while I'm sure you remember.
With TOTKO I know there is a good story in there but my execution thus far has left me doubtful I can deliver on it the way I want to right now. I wanna avoid past mistakes. Not every story is gonna hit. That's just the nature of the beast. But when you get caught in a long form series that you've lost faith in, it really, really, sucks. Also, having multiple long-form series going at the same time is a balancing act that can sometimes put too much on your plate. I tend to be a very manic kind of writer. I will have these "runs" of endless creativity wherein writing is as easy as breathing. And then it'll come to an abrupt halt and won't come back until it feels like coming back. Frustrating as that may be, I can't control it, and I have to accept it.
I think WP and Hard Time are some of my best work yet and they're both approaching their climaxes. I think the best decision for me right now, creatively, is to keep my focus on them and to use the slot for TOKTKO open for one-shots and less serious kind of projects. Stuff that's more smut-driven than anything else. I was really excited about bringing Sergei and Alanna back but I'm not willing to do it if I'm not gonna be able to give them the attention they deserve.
Sorry for rambling. If you joined the page specifically for that story feel free to hit me up and I'll issue you a refund no questions asked. I apologize if I got your hopes up. For those keeping score you're gonna be getting another three pieces from me before the month is over. One more one shot, new WP, and new Hard Time.
Thanks,
-STC
