Monday, January 3, 2011

A Look Ahead

A little time to think about the past, present, and future.

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s been a year since I posted my first story to ITS. Although there have been some pitfalls along the way and I did miss a few weeks, I have mostly succeeded in providing a new story every week. The good news is I’m not finished providing new stories here and you can all look forward to another year of weekly posts (excepting those unusual circumstances when something goes wrong, like I get a massive dose of writer’s block or my computer decides it needs a vacation because it is an unbelievable ten years old and has worked 10 hour days for most of that time, but I digress.). The bad news is you have to wait until next week for my first story for 2011.
It wouldn’t quite feel like a new year if I didn’t take the time to think about where I’ve been and consider where I am going. I like to think I learn things every year and get a little bit smarter and wiser along the way. On the top of my learned list is a little something about ambitious planning, like not to do it. I have a tendency to get carried away with whatever new story idea floats into my head. The problem with that is most of the time I have a new story idea floating in my head before I’ve finished the previous one. Hence, I have a few major story projects in various unfinished stages.
Over a year ago I started thinking and planning for a project called Jessica’s Toil and shortly after that came another project called The Retreat and then came something called Lyrics Are Lies and that was followed up by The Spanking Days of Summer and The Spanking Chronicles of Cedar Lake: For The General Assembly. Interestingly enough, only the last one managed to get finished last year. I won’t promise all of these projects will be finished in the new year, but I do intend to work on them systematically and I will keep you updated as to their progress.
Another learned lesson from 2010 is that while 1000 to 2000 word stories are fun and easy to write, they often fall short of their potential leaving both reader and writer unsatisfied. To that end, I’ve decided to adjust my current method of storytelling for ITS. My experiment was April’s Thanksgiving Shower which was told in four parts. Judging by the number of comments and emails the story received, I would have to say this was a rather successful experiment. In that light, I’m currently writing a new multi-part story called The Winter Storm. It will be posted weekly on Mondays starting January 10, 2011.
Late in 2010 I tried another experiment, writing essays or articles exploring various aspects of the corporal punishment lifestyle. These had some mixed reviews, clearly appealing to some of my readers and clearly boring others. The first rule of writing is that you can’t please everyone and if you try, you end up pleasing no one at all. Keeping that in mind, I’ve decided to post the remainder of those throughout the new year as filler posts between stories. Which means what I have left of the articles might well last me into 2012.
All things considered, I’ve been very happy with Imagine the Stories and have found sharing my writing on it to be a very positive experience. I have enjoyed watching the readership grow and have truly appreciated the growth in commentors sharing their thoughts and encouragement with me. It is my hope to see those things continue in 2011 and I will do my best to provide material worthy of being read and talked about.

Happy New Year!

8 comments:

♠ace of spades said...

I'll be looking forward to reading more from you. Happy new year!

Anonymous said...

First, Ashley, i love the pic you posted with this. A young girl, nude, breast firm, waiting head down for her punishment. leaves lots of room for my imagination!

And yes, i looooved April Shower. domestic scenes are my faves, due to the mix of love and discipline and sibs.

looking forward to your next one!

thankS!

Mdare said...

Ash,

Not sure if you were doing your thinking in the corner, but your contemplations have definitely yielded some wise thoughts. It seems to me that ItS has been an opportunity for you to spread your wings and explore a variety of concepts rather than remain yoked to a single serial (even if it was a serial as great as Quest5). For you and for us readers, I'd say it's been a huge success.

The only fly in the ointment is that you aren't superhuman enough to keep up with your rapidly proliferating ambitions. Luckily, like any good beneficiary of cornertime meditation, you've identified your mistakes and resolved to behave better in the future.

As a reader, I agree that multipart stories are more rewarding than short vignettes, and I'm looking forward to reading whatever you write in the coming year.

Michael

hedgehog said...

Thank you for this thoughtful and forward-looking post, Ash, and I look forward to reading all you have to share with us in the year to come.

Your writing has a special and unique quality, as does that of all good writers, and I sincerely hope your Muse doesn't desert you - at least not for long!

As to content, I enjoy your short stories quite as much as your multi-part pieces and have also found your posts on techniques most edifying; I hope you won't forget about those, either.

As Anonymous also points out - no pun intended! - the photographs you share with us are quite delightful, and always seem to add to, rather than detract from, the post itself.

You have come a long way in a year, and my congratulations on sustaining one of the best blogs of its type on the entire English-speaking Internet. I can only hope you go on to even greater things - and I am sure you will!

Again, congratulations and thanks, Ash.

Best wishes,

hedgehog

Paul said...

Ash, You write beautifully, I always enjoy your stories, both vignettes and serials.
Have a wonderful and productive New Year.
I will happily read whatever you offer.
Love and warn hugs,
Paul.

Phone Sex said...

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AL said...

Ash

this past year for Imagine the stories has been Fantastic...and from the looks of thing this next year will be just as fantastic, Awesome
the stories have been very entertaining and great to read.
Looking forward to the upcoming posts
thanks for the entertaining and fun and enjoyable stories
Happy new year
AL :)

Ashley J said...

Ace, Happy new year.

Anonymous, I spend a lot of time trying to pick out the right pic for each post. You should really enjoy the next series as it is also a domestic scenario for the majority, but I wasn't able to find a good selection of pix to work with my story this time and had to assemble something of my own instead.

Michael, I have done lots of thinking in the corner, but I actually do my best thinking in the shower. Something about the warm water enveloping me makes it easier for my mind to wander into my imagination.

Hedgehog, Thanks for the compliments and support. Don't worry, I will continue with the articles, but instead of posting them week after week, I'm going to use them to provide a break between stories.

Paul, Thanks for all your support. I will endeavor to provide you another year full of enjoyable stories.

Phone Sex, You're welcome.

Al, Happy new year and thanks for all your help and support.