# What you do and dont like to see in stories



## zxc098 (Jan 19, 2013)

As someone who enjoys writing weight gain/expansion fiction in their spare time I love it when people really like my stories.

However in order to improve my story telling i would love to hear from people what are some of your pet-peeves when it comes to reading stories.

Ill start it off with some of my own (a few of which i am guilty off myself) :doh:


No proper/accurate classification given to story ie (BBW, XWG REVENGE)

No short run down of what the stories about.

Story isn't finished >_<

Weight gain is too slow or too fast.

Story is more about love/romance/mystery/whatever then actual weight gain fiction. The weight gain seems to be just a side note almost.

I love original ideas and settings

Love description of size and weights (adjectives are our friend)

Got any others?


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## Britt Reid (Jan 20, 2013)

> Story is more about love/romance/mystery/whatever then actual weight gain fiction. The weight gain seems to be just a side note almost.



You are quite correct that not all stories in the Dimensions library emphasize weight gain - and for a very good reason: this is a library which includes several weight related sub-genres, not just gaining. 

We encourage tales that portray persons of size in a positive and successful role. And this frequently means success in affairs of heart and relationships. Frankly many of our readers think this is just fine - as the readership counts for such tales indicate. 

At the same time we allow great freedom of expression for various special weight related interests - something that some in our community feel we are at times too free with. They feel such stories play into popular stereotypes of fat folk as being dense, food obsessed gluttons who are easily victimized by predators.

Hopefully what we actually have is a buffet that has something that appeals to everyone.


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## maltesefalcon (Jan 20, 2013)

zxc098 said:


> However in order to improve my story telling i would love to hear from people what are some of your pet-peeves when it comes to reading stories.
> 
> 
> Story isn't finished >_<



That's my biggest one. I don't even start reading story anymore until all the parts are there.
I think a closely related one are multi-part stories that the writer takes too long to finish. There are some on this site that have literally taken years to finish (or not). If the installments are 3 months apart you need to start reading from the beginning again to remember what happened.

(For the record I have posted some very long stories on this site but all were finished. All but one were published in one go as well.)


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## hap helium (Jan 20, 2013)

It would also rate as my number one problem with stories posted. There have been at least three stories in 2012 that began with a clever variation on the same premise. Each had a great scenario, wonderful character development and the promise of resolving the story with a change of view about weight gain and size. Each author started quickly and then just seemingly quit. 

Falcon - I must salute you as an author who not only follows through but often posts wonderful stories with an unusual amount of detail and character development. Your "epics" are among my forum favorites.


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## maltesefalcon (Jan 21, 2013)

"Blush" 
Thanks-means a lot


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## maltesefalcon (Jan 21, 2013)

Not a pet peeve, but food for thought.

I think a lot of unfinished stories result from people vastly underestimating how difficult it really is to come with an original and entertaining finished product.

First and foremost, it should be a real story, with a plot, a beginning and an end.
Even wild fantasies should at least make sense, and have intelligible spelling and syntax.

Fortunately, the bar at Dimensions is set high enough to allow that. Otherwise, you end up with a lot of stories that are no more than 2 paragraphs of nonsense like on Fantasy Feeder.


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## Snorri Sturluson (Jan 21, 2013)

Well, people also underestimate the value of planning and outlining. Discovery writing tends to require a lot of drafts, but those are the ones mist likely to be posted before a complete idea is in the head of the author.


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## Ravens-son (Jan 23, 2013)

maltesefalcon said:


> That's my biggest one. I don't even start reading story anymore until all the parts are there.
> I think a closely related one are multi-part stories that the writer takes too long to finish. There are some on this site that have literally taken years to finish (or not). If the installments are 3 months apart you need to start reading from the beginning again to remember what happened.
> 
> (For the record I have posted some very long stories on this site but all were finished. All but one were published in one go as well.)



I get this as well, not just as a reader but a writer myself. Last year I started one story and was posting chapters on dA as I went along, but then I lost momentum and now I'm left with an unfinished story in my gallery.

Since then I've set myself the rule that I won't post anything until I've got the entire story finished.

But at least I've acknowledged on my dA site that I've lost interest in the story and probably won't return to it. Contrast that with the countless stories on this site (or elsewhere) where the writer ceases to update it without any comment. It's especially egregious when they're still active on the site. At least say "This story is on hold indefinitely."

***

And I do have to second the "too much plot/too much non-weight gain plot" gripe. I understand this site isn't just about weight gain fiction or weight gain in general, but as I said in another thread here, if you're writing a piece of weight gain fiction, then the weight gain itself should be the focus/driving force of the plot. If you want to write a mystery story, write a mystery story; if you want to write a weight gain story, write a weight gain story. But the two genres (allowing for a very loose definition of the word in relation to weight gain fiction) hardly allow for much overlapping.

I would say if you want to write a piece of genre fiction involving fat people (as Britt Reid mentioned above), then just don't bother with any weight gain element. Just have fat characters. At least then I (and I'm sure others have had this frustration) won't spend any time clicking on stories marked as "WG" and then read through hundreds/thousands of words of character drama and only an offhand reference here or there to the character gaining a few pounds (or in the especially annoying cases of stories marked "MWG" or "XWG," tons of build-up and then a quick weight explosion at the end). Especially if the weight gain doesn't truly affect the plot itself and seems more like an afterthought.

A balance between weight gain and plot is what I prefer, and I don't think it's too hard to pull off. And I prefer to have an accurate idea of what the story is about when I start reading, not to have the rug pulled from under me.

(I probably sound like I'm griping more than this is actually bothering me.)


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## Tad (Jan 23, 2013)

My 1a 'don't like' is probably stories that are mostly about weight gain, without much else really going on.

1b is anything that starts off along the lines of "Trixie was 18 years old and had a hot little body (insert measurements here)...."

1a is partially because I've read too many of them, partially because weight gain stories with no real plot or character development could almost be churned out by a computer program (sort of like romance novels), and in substantial part because_ this site is about so, so, SO much more than weight gain_, yet it seems that a majority of stories on here are weight gain wank fodder. Don't get me wrong--I can get off on weight gain too, it just isn't what the main point of the library should be, in my opinion.

1b is in part because so many stories start that way, and in part because I always feel like "this is the fantasy that the author has nursed since he sat behind Trixie in grade ten history, and really he means her to be younger but because of the rule he is making sure to say she is 18."


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## maltesefalcon (Jan 23, 2013)

Ravens-son said:


> I get this as well, not just as a reader but a writer myself. Last year I started one story and was posting chapters on dA as I went along, but then I lost momentum and now I'm left with an unfinished story in my gallery.
> 
> Since then I've set myself the rule that I won't post anything until I've got the entire story finished.
> 
> ...



Excellant comments, but some are not really gripes IMHO, but _preferences_. You've illustrated that there is a vast array of fiction styles and genres on this site. I am the first to admit that no one's stories will appeal to everyone, including my own.


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## Toby115 (Jan 26, 2013)

I am guilty of the unfinished story charge. And, it does bug me that I lost interest in the story. Had a whole outline and everything. But, in all honesty, the story Wilson Barbers put up called "Waking Moments" is a far better version of the story I was going to anyway.


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## Big Beautiful Dreamer (Jan 31, 2013)

Tad said:


> My 1a 'don't like' is probably stories that are mostly about weight gain, without much else really going on.
> 
> 1b is anything that starts off along the lines of "Trixie was 18 years old and had a hot little body (insert measurements here)...."
> 
> ...



THIS.

Can't tell you how many stories I've started to read just like that!

There are plenty of fantasies that can be developed into great stories -- but it's clear what's going on when there are whole paragraphs of wide-eyed stuttering admiration.

Adolescent-stunted vocabularies are usually a tipoff, as you said, Tad.

Describing someone as having a "hot little body" or the like
Fixating on measurements
Not being able to take your eyes off her
She always wears too-tight, very revealing clothing

We love Dimensions, we love the stories, but one of a good writer's basic tools is an impressive vocabulary. Descriptions will be varied and mixed with plot and character development. If you still describe people in the terms you used in grade ten ... are you still there mentally?

Probably my least favorite plot aspect is the girl (and it's always a girl -- I never see this plot in BHM stories) who is oblivious to her weight gain.

Her friends notice, her enemies notice, her clothes are getting tighter and tighter -- yet she is unaware. The most attention that is paid is, "Hm, my underwear/ jeans/ skirt seems to have shrunk."

I'm here to tell you, as both a Dims writer and a big gal ... WE ALWAYS NOTICE.

We know.

And the first red flag is the clothing. We know exactly how the undies sit, exactly how the jeans button, exactly how the blouse hangs. And we now how much give each garment has, and what the likely cause of a change in fit might be.

I can absolutely buy guys being less tuned in to clothing fit, and have depended on that in a number of my stories. 

But I have a hard time buying that obliviousness in a woman. 

And even if you don't mind that you're gaining weight, or don't care, or like that you're gaining weight, too-tight clothes are physically uncomfortable as well as distracting. Yeah, we notice if it's shrunk. Or we've grown.

Not only does society make women aware of our bodies, doctors encourage it. We're supposed to do breast self-examinations, examine our vaginal areas for unfamiliar growths or anything that feels unusual, and examine our moles regularly, if we have any. We're encouraged to check for varicose veins and do visual examinations of our extremities for bunions, warts, or anything else out of place.

Make her indifferent. Make her deliciously independent, and able to shrug off comments, whispers, and snickers. Make her gain weight on purpose. 

But please, for the sake of womankind ... don't make her oblivious!


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## ashblonde (Jan 31, 2013)

Big Beautiful Dreamer said:


> But please, for the sake of womankind ... don't make her oblivious!



:bow:
Genius, thank you! 

Back to previous posts, and in defense of stories that are not just about entire sororities gaining to immobility in a matter of a year with magic pills and the requisite funnel imagery.... 

It was the lack of anything fat-appreciating in any 'mainstream' fiction genre that piqued my interest in contributing stories. So yes, some of us write about romance, mystery, intrigue, etc. that happen to have people who happen to be fat or getting fatter and people who happen to be attracted to them - where the central premise is not just about weight gain. It's not like we can just grab any old genre from the bookshelf and easily find a story that also appeals to said FA/FFA proclivities. But we can find it here, buried among many styles, praise sweet Jebus (and Conrad).

p.s. sometimes writers suck at updating, but sometimes those poor slackers have jobs, families, and other demands that suck away their time... it's not personal, just business.


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## agouderia (Feb 1, 2013)

Tad said:


> My 1a 'don't like' is probably stories that are mostly about weight gain, without much else really going on.
> 
> 1b is anything that starts off along the lines of "Trixie was 18 years old and had a hot little body (insert measurements here)...."



This.



Big Beautiful Dreamer said:


> THIS.
> 
> Adolescent-stunted vocabularies are usually a tipoff, as you said, Tad.
> 
> ...



... and this



ashblonde said:


> :bow:
> It was the lack of anything fat-appreciating in any 'mainstream' fiction genre that piqued my interest in contributing stories. So yes, some of us write about romance, mystery, intrigue, etc. that happen to have people who happen to be fat or getting fatter and people who happen to be attracted to them - where the central premise is not just about weight gain. It's not like we can just grab any old genre from the bookshelf and easily find a story that also appeals to said FA/FFA proclivities. But we can find it here, buried among many styles, praise sweet Jebus (and Conrad).



and this!!!

We certainly can all agree that we expect - even with amateur recreational writing - a minimum of spelling, grammar, language and story-line to make anything worthwhile reading.

Beyond that though, there seems to be little tolerance, acceptance and realistic self-assessment as to the different sub-genres of weight gain/fat fiction.

As with regular fiction, there are many different forms of expression of writers and tastes of audiences - it's good that the library so far caters to many of them. 

Leave it that way! 

There isn't the one and only golden way to perfect, pleases all weight gain fiction - because that simply doesn't exist.
Work on perfecting your own style, interact with your own readers - and let other writers do the same with theirs. 

Constructive feed-back and critical reviewing are appreciated - but only if you acknowledge the other sub-genres right to exist. Otherwise just steer clear of it, stick to your own side of the playing field.


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## Big Beautiful Dreamer (Feb 2, 2013)

Preach on.

There are plenty of genres that aren't to my taste -- and there are plenty of weight-gain angles that leave me cold -- but I don't feel the need to badger them into going away. I just don't read them, and go on and write what pleases me. And hope it pleases others.


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## Imp (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm anti-:

* Moralizing. Particularly size acceptance moralizing that serves to advance the plot. Let the narrative and characters', er, characters do the talking, not the author.

* Excessive dialogue. I only want to hear someone's words if it's necessary in some way. And if it's back and forth about SA, it's the worst. The exception is first person, which is the bomb.

* Scat. There's a reason bathrooms have doors and air fresheners and that we pay janitors.

* Ignorant numbers. There's a huge FA community so research what size equals what weight. Be realistic about the impact!

I like:
* Thin to fat, not fat to fatter.

* Realistic-ish impact. Not too much please! (See Scat.) It's still fantasy. And eventual self-acceptance, though not necessarily rapture.

* Contagious weight gain. Not viruses; people! One girl in the group gets fat, and the other dominos start falling!

* At least two themes that interact: weight gain impacts some other plot progression and vice versa.

* Imagery.


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## samster (Jul 21, 2013)

I'm pretty easy going with what I like and don't like - but my pet dislike is stories that are just a statistical chronicle of how somebody gains weight. The situation and character development are key to me. Without that its an account of weight gain, not an actual story.


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## Matt L. (Jul 22, 2013)

My only major pet peeve concerning net fiction writing is when some writers depict their female characters as being skinny and yet give them ridiculously huge breasts. 

However, the issue that I would really like to comment on are unfinished stories.

In my opinion, in most cases, real authors finish their compositions due to their commitment to the craft and a love for writing. Real authors dont pause from their manuscript to search the net, play video games or text friends. Real authors constantly write even away from their computers, they tweak dialogue and smooth out the plot while standing in line at the supermarket or on their way to work.

Real authors dont schedule time to write, they take too the keyboards at every available opportunity, just for the pleasure they derive from it and the pure intention of entertaining their audience.


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## Lardibutts (Aug 24, 2013)

Interesting thread this, with contributions from some of my favourite writers: *Maltesefalcon *(for cleverly unforeseeable twists of plots), *Agouderia *(for her beautiful high-end writing craft), *Samster *(for his witty crisply written stuckage predicaments). 

I ought to admit that I retreat into Dimensions when Im feeling low about myself, more overweight than usual.. blah blah.
_.....Which is why Im here now. _

Ill go along with the others about unfinished stuff. When I drop by Recent Additions, I know I will be mostly disappointed: the usual crud Jen got fat at High School dross and unfinished stub ends. 
But to be fair, casting around to find something good in Fantasy Feeder is even more frustrating.

I do love originality: The Trainer was an unexpected delight, as was The Harvest - a small town mystery. Over on FF Winterstock with her BHM obsessions is a favourite writer of mine.

For the rest, Ill dip into my hard disk of the classics classified by ENCounter (A Plane too Small, Anna & Clara); COMPetition (Millies Revenge); EXPansion (Cakes & Innocence) etc.Oh and all by themselves: Melanie Bell, Wilson Barbers, the Studio.

I'll mebbe even re-read one of my oldies like 'Exploding Maids' or 'The Sabbatical Year'. But the shortfall compared to the classics is all too evident in hindsight. 

L


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## Vongola27 (Oct 18, 2013)

Matt L. said:


> However, the issue that I would really like to comment on are unfinished stories.
> 
> In my opinion, in most cases, real authors finish their compositions due to their commitment to the craft and a love for writing. Real authors dont pause from their manuscript to search the net, play video games or text friends. Real authors constantly write even away from their computers, they tweak dialogue and smooth out the plot while standing in line at the supermarket or on their way to work.
> 
> Real authors dont schedule time to write, they take too the keyboards at every available opportunity, just for the pleasure they derive from it and the pure intention of entertaining their audience.



And what happens if someone gets a block in their work? What happens if they lose interest in the piece they're working on?

I'm as guilty as tons of people who never finish a story, but I hardly think it's because I don't have a deep enough love for the craft. I can never stay focused on one project for very long because I'll have another, better idea that comes to mind, and then another and another. It keeps going until I have left my original idea untouched for months (years in some cases), and I never return to it because I have lost interest in that project.

Then there's time in the day where I simply can't write, whether I'm at work, class, or just away from anything I can write on/with. Is that some fault of mine that I have to find time in the day to write, be it on a keyboard or in a notebook? I don't think so.

And just so I don't seem like I'm only here to argue a point, here's a couple of things I like/don't like to see in a story:

YES:

Well-versed descriptions of how big a character is/is getting
Stories with developed characters with their own voices
Creativity, creativity, creativity

NO:

Cookie-cutter stories that are based solely on seeing a person fatten up and have no depth to them
Stories that use numbers as a descriptor for how much someone weighs
Mislabeled stories (less common here than at Fantasy Feeder, but still...)
The library search system on Fantasy Feeder. I know this isn't bsed specifically on stories, but come on; do I really need to be a paying member to access more than three, generalizing options?


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## Tad (Oct 18, 2013)

Matt L. said:


> In my opinion, in most cases, real authors finish their compositions due to their commitment to the craft and a love for writing. Real authors dont pause from their manuscript to search the net, play video games or text friends. Real authors constantly write even away from their computers, they tweak dialogue and smooth out the plot while standing in line at the supermarket or on their way to work.
> 
> Real authors dont schedule time to write, they take too the keyboards at every available opportunity, just for the pleasure they derive from it and the pure intention of entertaining their audience.



And what ever gave you the idea that people who choose to contribute their work here are 'real authors' (as you define them). At a guess, most people with that much focus on their writing are far more apt to be looking at how to make a profession out of it....which would pretty much preclude posting here, I think.

Now, I expect that there may be a few people who post here who might pass over the hurdle you set to be a real author, but for very sure there would be far, far, far less posted here were only those who meet that criteria contributing.

What you get here are people who have a story, and would like to share it. They come to it with varying degrees of experience and talent at writing, ability to conceive of the entire story before starting, consistency in their interests, consistency in life circumstances, and all sorts of other things.

The one thing that they share in common--encouragement and _constructive_ feedback are only apt to make them improve.


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## Matt L. (Oct 19, 2013)

Hello Tad, With all due respect, what I meant is that anyone who has a love for writing is a real author. Doesn't matter if it's a person's profession or a hobby.


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## Yakatori (Oct 19, 2013)

This part of the site is not really one I'm typically interested-in. It's not really my "scene," just as far as the whole reading of long stories and writing aspects of it. I'm more of TV-guy, myself.

But what matters the most to me is, just, the realness of it. Like, how true of a story it is. If it's a real, true-story, it matters-not what "extreme interests" are in it or missing from it. I kind of feel like, many of us have that type of story in us. But, in it's place, it will always be easier to talk about silly-stuff.


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