Writing Process Q&A (Patreon)

How much detail do you need to write a commission?

When somebody contacts me we have a short chat about the most important parts of their story; the premise, length, etc and I confirm whether it is something I can write. How much detail each client gives me varies; some give a simple two of three sentence summary of the main points, others have given me word docs with play by play dot points of each moment and everything in between. Both these approaches work fine for me. The former allows me the most creative freedom but the latter means I can be sure the client is getting exactly what they have in mind.

Depending on how much detail a person gives me, I may ask a few qualifying questions. The most important thing for me to know are tone, ending and what sort of details they want me to work on. Some people prefer a detailed transformation, others are happy to spare words there and focus on the aftermath etc.

Some people have even commissioned me with a black cheque, giving me free reign to write whatever I like so long as it involves one or two elements. Those are always fun.

How do you decide whose story to write next? How do you organise all the commissions?

I send an invoice to the email provided and once it is paid, I keep that paid invoice in my emails so I can see exactly what date it was paid. I try to start stories 2-3 weeks after the payment date or earlier. I keep an excel spreadsheet with a list of all commissioners, how long their story is, when they paid and whether or not they are a Patron. If two people pay on the same day or close together, I will prioritise the story of the Patron over a non-patron.

Then once the story is complete I send it to the commissioner to read over, archive the invoice and tick their job as complete on my spreadsheet so that only stories needing to be written are in my email and list.

What’s your process for writing a story?

This depends on length, obviously a 5,000 word story requires less planning than a 30,000 one. For longer stories I usually make a quick summary document, listing the main characters, appearance, personality and goals. As well as the main story beats in order and notes of anything specific the client wanted me to focus on eg. making sure there are lots of sex scenes or plenty of romance etc.

I then write the introduction and get a feel for the characters headspace, sometimes if word count allows me I expand on the personality I was given to try and give them a bit more depth. Normally from there, I write in order but if it is a story I am struggling with, sometimes I will jump around and write the important scenes then go back and connect them together.

Once the story is finished,  I run it through spell check and copy the full document into a web page to pick up on any mistakes the spell check missed. I then like to keep it for a day and run my eyes over it again if possible but my dyslexic ass is an awful proof reader so I usually miss something anyway.

How do you stay on top of so many stories?

Spreadsheets. Each month I have a new page in a spreadsheet for the year with all the commissions yet to be complete, all the tier rewards and all the scheduled content for that month planned out. I can’t always keep to the schedule but I try to be as close as possible. Between my emails with the invoices and the spreadsheet nobody can slip through the cracks.

I also have spreadsheets for all my earnings in order to keep the tax man happy. Basically, lots and lots of spreadsheets. 

What information is helpful for me to give you when I commission?

Be clear with what you do and don’t want, I can’t read minds and it is always frustrating when I write something only for the client to come back and say something along the lines of “I was really hoping to see X” when X was never mentioned to me. If you really want your character to only sleep with women or only men, or to act in a specific way, make sure to tell me otherwise I may have them act in a way you didn’t envision.

The most important thing for me, is that people are satisfied with their story and I am more than happy to do rewrites if the final product isn’t what was in mind. However, I reserve the right to charge extra for MAJOR rewrites if they include something that was not mentioned prior.

Do you have a specific time where you write?

Usually after breakfast I try to do 500-1,000 words before starting my day. Then, depending on my other responsibilities, I try to do 2,000-3,000 at lunch time and make up the rest at night. I try to get to 4,000 words a day as a minimum with my current health situation which unfortunately has me tired quite a lot, so writing at night when I have the most free time isn't as productive as it used to be.

What do you do if somebody commissions you and you don’t like the story?

I write it anyway; I am here to write, not judge somebody else's tastes. There are exceptions of course if I believe the story is too dark or not a good fit for me, then I politely decline and explain my position. If somebody brings me a story I think needs some tweaking for narrative flow reasons, I discuss how flexible they are and try to negotiate a version that works for us both.

On rare occasions when somebody wants a story I believe is too niche, I write two versions, one for just them and an edited one for publication with their permission. Those are very, very rare though.

What’s the hardest part of the process?

For original stories, figuring out what sort of story to tell. A lot of people tell me they are sick of certain tropes and descriptions, but those stories are often the most popular. Sometimes I will spend ages working on something I think people will enjoy only for it to get no engagement, other times I post something I think will be quite niche and get a tonne of feedback; it’s a guessing game.

For commissioned stories, balance. Sometimes I will start writing and get an idea that I think will work only to get several thousands of words in and realise I have strayed too far from what the client requested and have to scrap it.

How do you pick the random story winners each month on the Exclusive and Deluxe Tiers?

Good old random number generator, I count up the number of patrons on the tier and use a generator to give me a number. Then I go down the list and find the corresponding patron and shoot them a message. If they don’t reply before midway through the month, I usually try contacting a second person. I also give patrons who have been subscribed for longer than 4 months two numbers and those who have already been picked are disqualified for 3 months for the sake of fairness.

Do you get writer's block? How do you work through it without falling behind?

Oh God yes. Especially when it comes to writing stories that are very similar to things I have written in the past. Sometimes I come up with a really good concept but actually executing it is a total nightmare and I sit there for hours only to get less than a few hundred words done. I often find my writing isn’t as good when I force myself either, which is doubly frustrating.

I find the best cure is to walk away and do something else for a bit, a total clean break can help reset the creative juices. However, that isn't always an option, if I am behind and need to write something.

Normally I bribe myself with something I actually want to do. 1 minute of a show for every 100 words I write. The more I write, the longer my break can be. Sometimes that means I alternate watching 1 minute of a movie and writing a hundred words for hours on end which is not the most enjoyable way to experience a film, but it gets the job done.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Mostly working another, unpaid job. It doesn’t get me any money but it needs to be done, hence why I started this Patreon in the first place. In my little free time I love to paint, draw, play games and read. I am a massive fiction nerd, I love movies, especially older ones from the Golden Age of Hollywood and I adore reading history books. Yes I am that weirdo who reads non fiction for fun.

What’s this ‘health situation’ you keep mentioning? Are you okay?

I will be! Without going too TMI, I need surgery, and said surgery will have a long recovery time. Some of which I will be confined to bed on a tonne of painkillers. This is all planned out and happening in January but until then, I just have to take it easier and rest more and of course continue that afterwards. I will have to close my commissions for a time around December and purely focus on Patreon content. Then they will reopen in a limited capacity once I feel I am able to work at a reasonable pace.