I was wondering about the folks who are reading this.
Are you a writer/reader?
What kinds of stories do you read?
Who’s your favorite authors?
Do you buy books?
Do you donate to this site?
Will you reread a story again?
What do you look for in a story?
What’s your favorite topics/subjects/genre/ that you enjoy?
Curious
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Comments
Here you go………
I am an avid reader - reading is an important part of my job, but I also read for relaxation and entertainment.
I am not a writer in that I cannot write creatively. I am an engineer by education and by personality. I tend to analyze everything and have a very direct and factual style of writing. I have always been an avid letter writer, or nowadays e-mail. Showing my age a little there. But creating a story from my imagination is not one of my talents or skills.
I read pretty much anything - but I am not a fan of forced feminization stories. They bother me, as does any situation where a person is being abused, humiliated, or belittled by another. I don’t care that there are those that say that it is done out of love or caring - no, it is not. When you love someone, you put their well-being and happiness before your own. Humiliating or abusing a person is not done out of love. It is simply another way of holding power over someone - and that is no better than rape in my eyes.
My list of favorite authors has changed over the years, but there are many here that stir something within me. A good example of that would be the writing of Bailey Summers. Bailey, in addition to being someone I consider to be a very special friend, has not only given me hours and hours of enjoyment, but also was instrumental in saving my life and helping me to become the woman I am.
Yes, I buy books - both real paper books and electronic ones. I have quite a library, both hardcover books and on my I-pad.
Yes, I donate to this site - although probably not as much as I should. I have lately been donating more through Patreon than otherwise. I also try to buy as many books from authors on this site as I can.
I absolutely re-read stories. It is a habit I developed in my youth. It has come in very handy in the past when I needed to be able to quote from a story or write about a book. Plus, a good story is always worth reading again and again…….
As to what I look for in a story, there are certain authors I will read whatever they write based on my past history with their work. Specifically, a story that involves me emotionally or intellectually is what I look for. If it makes me feel I am hooked - and yeah, that includes making me cry. “Sweet Dreams - I’ll never have them” by Bailey Summers is a good example. If it makes me think, want to look things up to catch specific references, or comment or question, then I am definitely hooked. “The Lost Queen” by Elsbeth is a perfect example here. Or if I see myself in one of the characters, then I am hooked. “Bridges” again by Bailey Summers had me at times crying, and at times sitting in the dark with the shakes reliving my own nightmares.
“Being Christina Chase” by Admiral Krunch was another story that I could see myself in.
Of course, there are those stories which simply pull me in as the story is so compelling. A good example of this would be “Severence Pay” by meps98.
As for favorite topics or genre - that’s a tough one. It doesn’t really matter as long as the story speaks to me, and especially if it isn’t formulaic and a repeat of something I have read many times before.
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
I agree with most of what you said
I'm also an engineer by training and education. I spent years writing dry technical reports, specs and other documents. I never believed that I could write a story given that I have dyslexia but over the years, I have overcome most of how it affects me.
Just because you are an Engineer does not preclude you from having an imagination. The ability to ask yourself 'what if...?' is part of an engineers core values and is how a lot of stories start.
Don't be scared of trying even if the results never see the light of day. Don't put yourself down like that. Life, for those of us whose brain is wired up differently from the rest of humanity, sucks enough as it is.
Samantha
Thank you for the…….
Wonderful comment and sentiment. I can tell you that every attempt I ever made at creative writing while in school ended up way too bogged down in detail. Just my nature I suppose.
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Writing
I came at writing sideways. I was doing photography for a company and they asked me to write about the places that I was photographing for them. One thing led to another and I was asked to write articles. I was lucky to have patient editors who guided me along.
I’d always loved reading and finally decided to write a story. I think I’ve gotten better but I have expend more effort to make up for my lack of talent. Once in a while I get lucky enough to see and hear my characters. Then I just write down what they say.
Thank you
Thanks for taking the time to write. I enjoyed reading your honest responses and look forward to reading "your favorites". I cherish your opinions and value your friendship.
Leslie
Re curious
I am very much a reader, I have great respect for anyone who can write or draw as I don’t think I have an artistic bone in my body. When I say a reader I have a huge collection of ebooks, over the years have bought many real books although my tastes have changed. Plus I used to drive a great deal so have many Audible books.
I like stories that drag you in, and that you can relate to. Some books are just too much of a fantasy for me or unrealistic so I cannot relate. Plus I like strong characters, weak ones I just cannot relate with.
Some stories and books I read over and over, they are keepers. I find a good story helps when I am stressed or worried about something or someone, taking me into a different time and place.
I don’t so much have favourite authors as favourite stories. I recently found the caregivers universe and that was fantastic, I could see myself as characters in that series.
Yes I donate and also am a patron for Erin. Long may this site continue. I am reading Taylor at the moment but also keep checking in as I am following several series on here.
Keep writing, I hope to keep reading.
Joan
Valleys Girls
Engineers and Imagination
I offer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute. He gave us the novels "On The Beach" and "A Town Like Alice" (both made into movies), and much else.
His autobiography is "Slide Rule". (A hand-held, entirely mechanical analog computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule. "Twenty-inchers" were used in computing NASA's earliest space flights.)
Engineers must have imagination. They must imagine a thing that does not exist - all of it, or how to put existing pieces together - and make it a real and working thing in the world.
Stories of visiting Mars are a fine thing. And the Curiosity Rover going 'walkabout' -er- roll-about from Bradbury Landing, Mars is also a fine thing.
Yes, but it is a different type of imagination.
The old saying about the difference between a scientist and an engineer is true. A Scientist asks “Why?” An engineer asks, “Why not?”
It’s not so much a lack of imagination, but rather an inability to write in a way that isn’t dry and calculating.
I once had to take a test with a psychologist that was kind of the opposite of a Rorschach test. You are handed a blank, white piece of paper and told to describe what you see on the paper. I saw a blank, white piece of paper. When asked to try harder, I described the way the fibers were formed and bonded together.
The psychologist told me he usually got answers like a field covered in virgin snow, but I just don’t work that way. I did tell him that I could see the potential in the paper, what it could become - but not some imaginary scene.
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
I am a reader/writer
I'm first of all a reader. It's easier to tell you what I don't want in a story, than to tell you what I do want. Mostly, I look for content that is G rated or at least PG-13. Most any caution will cause me to give the story a pass. A special thank you to authors who do put those cautions in the heading of the synopsis. If I read a story that should have had a caution and didn't, I generally will write a PM to the author and tell them at what point I stopped reading because they didn't caution me and should have. After that, I'll likely skip anything they write, regardless of how interesting the synopsis seem. Deals/Bets are OK providing that the one making the bet does so willingly. If the loser is young (under 18) I expect that any adults (parent/guardians, teacher, etc.) to look out for their best interests and protect them should the winner become over exuberant in collecting on the bet.
Any story that includes gratuitous/vividly described sex or potty mouthed characters will cause me to give the story a pass or quit reading should the author have failed to give me fair warning.
I like stories that have happy ending, better if the details are left to my imagination. The protagonist, though maybe reluctant at first should come to enjoy the situation.
I most like stories that start off with a cross-dress/trans person who is in stealth finding themselves in a situation where the are caught with consequences IE partially outed and prodded to be more open about themselves. This requires that there be at least one person who is willing to support and encourage them. Maeryn Lamonte's "Trick of the Mind," is a perfect example of that.
As to favorite authors; the afore mention Maeryn Lamonte, Valetina Michelle Smith, any of the crowd that collaborated on "One Dozen Roses" plus a host of others that can suck me in with a good synopsis.
As a writer, I started writing for therapy. It was a way of reliving my past with more authentic outcomes. Kind of a parade of "would have, should have, could have" if things had been slightly different, would describe my early work.
As I matured and read more of other peoples work that spoke to me, I began to branch out and try my hand at things that weren't at least partially autobiographical. I like to think that I'm a much better writer than I've was in the beginning. To describe my work, one word does so adequately: Fluff. I write feel good stories that paint a rosy picture of cross-dressers coming of age or finding fulfillment in their true nature. I'm unable to write stories with a dark side, even if they have happy endings. I think that's because I've never experienced any of the typical rejection or punishment associated with being caught. I've lead a charmed life first from my father's turning blind eye to what was blatantly presented to him to my wife sticking with me when she caught me. I've never suffered any guilt over my trans nature.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin ein femininer Mann
Motivation
I started writing one story when I didn’t like what the author was doing in theirs. I love leaving an ending open ended to allow the reader to fill in the blanks. Right now, I’m involved with a writers group where I’m writing short stories where I can let my imagination soar.
I'll try
I am both a writer and a reader. I started writing many years ago, including the usual juvenile attempt at a novel. I have always been a Fan, so like a lot of Fen, I assumed that if I found it easy to read, I would find it easy to write.
Not at all true. I don't have the correct mindset for writing SF, though I reman a Fan. It was one of the reasons I drifted into my first degree, in aero engineering; it was only later, when I had more time, that I could follow my other love, languages, and so my second qualification is in language studies, linguistics and French.
I look for stories (on this site) that are character-driven and based in the real world. I am not one for comics, superheroes, magic and so on. I need someone to care about in a tale, and they need to be credible people. My own writing technique is character-led, and I always have a massive back-story sitting behind each one. Like Ms Eden, I despise the 'forced fem' trope. I also tend to avoid 'CD Heaven' tales, as I am not that interested in clothes: to me, the thing isn't about wearing, say, a skirt, but rather being in a position where wearing one is an acceptable thing. I also avoid "erotica' like the Plague.
I have a few people on here I will follow and read, as well as others that I avoid, for the reasons stated. Other people like them; taste is personal. Outside this site, I read Charlie Stross, and used to follow Pratchett, Asimov, etc. I adore Jacques Prevert's writing, as well as Pagnol's.
Yes, I buy books, both dead tree and electronic.
I have donated to this site, as and when my finances have been adequate.
I reread stories regularly, and I have one piece of self-indulgence/egotism, in that I have a favourite part of my own writing I go to for comfort when life is being unpleasant. It is the section of my book 'Ride On' where Annie first gets together with her man. To me, it is like comfort food.
Summary of a favourite story type on here? As said, real world, vivid and believably 'real' characters, a plausible story line, and basic humanity and optimism.
I used to use a pseudonym here (Cyclist), but once I started publishing stuff under my real name, I didn't see the point.
What? My feelings are hurt!
You avoid neurotica like the plague? Why I never heard of such....What? E rotica? not NEUROTICA? Why...that's another thing entirely. Never mind....
Love, Andrea Lena
[long] What I like (and don't like) in stories
Mostly a reader, but occasionally write something.
Ones I like :-)
I like ones that make me care about the characters and have them overcoming difficulties in a believable way. "Believable" means: (a) realistically (in terms of the universe as shown so far) and (b) ways that I can believe the characters would choose. I'm mainly interested in the characters' feelings and development in the course of the story. So, for example, stories that are mainly about the character magically turning into a girl, or about characters doing amazing things (esp. with superpowers) bore me. (This lets out most of the Whately stories, among others.)
Some things that will kill my interest in story: gratuitous cruelty; misogyny (this includes stories based on the idea that being the "opposite" sex is a punishment); stories that are too much about sex or some other fetish (I usually skip sex scenes, so if they're the point of the story, I skip the story.) Self-indulgent writing (e.g., Mary Sues.) Also: bad writing. (There are some writers here who I skip because their prose feels like a bicycle ride down an endless, uneven staircase.)
I like stories to have a beginning and end up somewhere. Serials that go on and on forever generally bore me.
Bailey Summers -- I like most of their writings. I've liked a lot of Maeryn's stuff recently Other than that, there are lots of authors who have written some stories I liked.
Only if I've had a chance to see whether I'm going to like them. If possible, I borrow them from the library first. If I still want to reread them by the due date, I'll order a copy (but not from Amazon!)
FWIW, I don't buy E-books.
Yes, occasionally. I might do it more often if they would stop losing my checks.
Yes, if I think it's good. For me, the defining feature of a "good" story is that I want to keep rereading it.
Character development; I look for an insight into what it's like to be someone else, or to go through something that's outside my experience.
Lately I've gotten into Young Adult novels, e.g., Hunger Games, because they are usually more straightforward and honest than many adult novels. I used to like SF, but it's still dominated by male authors, and lately I find even SF stories I used to like unsatisfying, because their perspective seems so unreal; I assume it's because the authors' privilege limits what they see.
Some more input
Just a reader.
I like feel-good stories and rollicking adventures the best, especially stories where the protagonist has a secret or a secret identity. So superhero stories fit right in with that. I also like Mary-Sue stories because they are generally affirming and positive and things work out well, making them great escapes from ordinary life.
Conversely, I'm not much into hyper-realistic or gritty stories since I get more enough of those things in my own life, thank you very much :)
Elsbeth (especially The Lost Queen, which I've read all of nearly every week of the pandemic and which has been a huge comfort to me), Morpheus (especially his Imp stories in the Whateley universe), Megan Campbell (her Sara Carrera trilogy), and Sleethr (Whisper and She of the Jade Skirt).
Off this site, I like Alexandra Erin (Tales of MU), Brandy DeWinter (especially Nightwind), and Ellen Hayes (The Saga of Tuck).
Yep! Mostly on Kindle these days, though.
Yes, every month via Patreon.
Absolutely! I've read all of the stories I mentioned above a half dozen times or more.
I both read and write. I've
I both read and write. I've been a writer for many years now, both in music and stories. My favorite type of stories to read are feel good stories. I don't like forced fem, although I used to enjoy them. Perhaps as I've gotten more secure as myself, I don't need to fantasize about a way to blamelessly become female? I don't know.
I've always been a sci-fi fan, but I hate conflict and most sci-fi stories have conflict galore. Lol! Even my own sci-fi stories have conflict. I suppose I can write it because I know what's going to happen.
Conversely, I love mysteries. There's something fun about trying to solve a good mystery.
Yes, I buy books. When I drove truck years ago, I bought them on cassette, and later on Audibles, as when you're driving 500 miles or more in a stretch, it helps keep you sane.
I enjoy ebooks as well, although there's something special about holding a paper version on your hands and being able to feel the book. That might not make sense to others, but it does to me.
I recently purchased one that I really miss here on the site as I read it when I first started reading on BCTS.
I do donate to BCTS, both through Patreon, and also through the premium stories here on the site.
I donate through Dopller Press also.
I have a large collection of Star Trek books that I have read over and over, but ot so much now, as I've been turning away from stories with conflict. There are some where the conflict is so minor, or it resolves in a very benign way, and i'll read those over and over.
My favorite authors here? Drea Dimmagio, of course. I like Teddies writing as well as Aylesea's. There are many more, but each of the aforementioned have written some of my very favorites.
Hugs!
Rosemary
Curious
I'm a reader and writer. You can't really write if you don't read.
I usually read science fiction, but lately I'm sticking mostly to TG fiction. In SF, my reading ranged from Arthur Clarke to Burroughs to Ron Goulart and a lot in between. In TG fiction, I've been reading Tanya Allan lately.
My favorite type of non-TG story is the basic story you find in The Alamo, the movie Zulu and even my own book Life Giver. A small group in a desperate battle against over-whelming odds. It makes for a compelling story.
In TG fiction, I guess I prefer what would be the broader definition of "forced femme". Because really, any time you have a character who must take on a female role and it wasn't their idea, is forced femme. Almost all my stories are this. I find it much more interesting to place your protagonist into an unfamiliar and alien setting and see how they deal with it. Not to say there isn't a good story to tell about someone's journey to becoming a woman with all the trials and tribulations associated with that. To me, there's just more to say about the human condition in an unwanted change.
I used to buy physical books all the time. Now I just get them on Amazon.
A portion of my book sales go to support Big Closet.
I seldom re-read a book as that takes time away from reading a new book.
And my favorite book quote is from Groucho Marx -- Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
Melanie
gush
Dear Melanie Brown,
I am a fan. I love the upbeat innocence of your protagonists. I enjoy the way you craft a story. You've been my inspiration to try to improve my writing and make it reach a broader audience.
Riddle me this...
Are you a writer/reader?
I am writer for the most part. I do not read as much these days as I should. I used to read so much in the past that I would be able to get one of those personal pan pizzas weekly from the "Book It" program. I like to take events in my life and use them as story ideas.
What kinds of stories do you read?
I am open to reading anything if asked or if the blurb interests me. It may take me a while to get through it, but I try.
Who’s your favorite authors?
Overall? Ivy Ruckman, Sherman Alexie (we graduated from the same high school...almost 20 years apart, but, still), Roger Hargraves, Terrence Dicks, Douglas Adams. Sitewise, Melanie Brown and Alicia Snowfall
Do you buy books?
Yes
Do you donate to this site?
Not as much as I should, said meekly.
Will you reread a story again?
Yes
What do you look for in a story?
An interesting premise or characters that can tell their story
What’s your favorite topics/subjects/genre/ that you enjoy?
I'm open to anything if it catches my attention.
Curosity
Are you a writer/reader?
Yes to both. A family friend, almost like another grandmother encouraged me to both read and write. She had written a book that was nominated for the Pulitzer prize, although it was the same year that Gone with the Wind was nominated, and we know which book won that year. She was the only one I trusted to read and give me constructive criticism to those early stories I wrote during my teenage years.
What kinds of stories do you read? Science fiction, fantasy, action are my favorite although I will read anything that catches my attention including technical manuals. I once read through the Funk & Wagnall’s encyclopedia, each book A-Z, cover to cover because I found it interesting.
Who’s your favorite authors? If I had to pick one I would say Heinlein is my top favorite although I love Asimov, Verne, Niven, McCaffery and many others. I get hooked into one story by an author and will read everything they have published.
Do you buy books? And the multiple bookshelves to hold them all. Several rooms in my home look like a library.
Do you donate to this site? Occasionally, it has been awhile since I have.
Will you reread a story again? I have been known to revisit a book or two.
What do you look for in a story? One that draws me into the story. I can’t really say what in a story does this, sometimes it’s the characterization, other times it could be the situation in the story other times it could be the comedic way the characters interact. With TG fiction I find the ways different characters deal with the change interesting.
What’s your favorite topics/subjects/genre/ that you enjoy? There are a lot of genres that I will read but Science Fiction is my favorite, with Fantasy coming in a close 2nd. For instance I read a lot of Louis Lamour while I was in the military.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Pole Tacks
Are you a writer/reader?
Yes. I can't seem not to do either one. When I'm lying in bed at night (or whenever), I am often writing dialog in my head. When I'm eating, or doing any sort of waiting, I'm usually reading something, even if it is only a ketchup bottle.
What kinds of stories do you read?
Well, TG stories. :) An easier question would be what kind of stories don't I read? I read on average the equal of two standard paperbacks a week.
Who’s your favorite authors?
Heinlein, Asimov and Zelazny with a side of Niven. John D. MacDonald. Lois McMaster Bujold. John Sandford. Barbara Hambly. John Grisham. Mary Jo Putney. Rex Stout. Jo Beverly. Harry Turtledove...stack overflow. This list cannot be finished.
Do you buy books?
Weekly. New, used and eBooks. From online, to actual bookstores. Once I bought 360,000 books at once!
Do you donate to this site?
Um, yes. :)
Will you reread a story again?
One of my chief joys in life is to reread books.
What do you look for in a story?
Characters I care about. Intriguing situations and settings. Bits of knowledge about the world and human beings. The author's love of writing and their mastery of their craft.
What’s your favorite topics/subjects/genre/ that you enjoy?
People discovering things they didn't know about themselves and their place in the world.
Examples:
Heinlein's Have Spacesuit, Will Travel and Glory Road. Zelazny's Lord of Light and Nine Princes in Amber. Asimov's Pebble in the Sky. Poul Andersen's Three Hearts and Three Lions. Maggie Finson's Peace Bringer. Christopher Leeson's Noel. Another list I can't find the end of.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
have spacesuit, will travel
I remember reading that in Elementary school, maybe fifth or sixth grade. Funny
Anything you say will be held against you...
Are you a writer/reader?
Voracious reader though I go thru periods where I won't read for days or weeks at a time. As far as writing, I'm working on it, dang it!
What kinds of stories do you read?
As someone who had to read practically all the canonical works in the English language while working toward a graduate degree, I must say I much prefer to read genre literature: hard science fiction, mysteries, satire, all the good, fun stuff. I'm not a big fan of fantasy, sword & sorcery or horror. There are always exceptions when the writing is extraordinary though.
Who’s your favorite authors?
Can't give a complete list so...off the top of my head: Pynchon, Clarke, Pohl, McDevitt, Borges, Reynolds, Benford... Among writers of TG fiction: Melanie Brown, Jenny Walker, Angela Rasch, Erin, Maryanne Peters, Marianne G, Bronwyn Welsh, Tanya Allen, Alecia Snowfall, Karin Bishop, Chris Leeson & Ellen Dauber...and those who are not active currently, Kayleigh Way (no way? way!), Megan Campbell, Admiral Krunch, etc.
Do you buy books?
Both print and ebooks.
Do you donate to this site?
Yes and thru Patreon.
Will you reread a story again?
I will but in some cases I can't. I don't know if anyone else feels this way but there are stories I absolutely adore but cannot bear to re-read (at least not for a long while). Something about them triggers an emotional response I'm sometimes uncomfortable with experiencing again. But they are stories I loved reading the first time.
What do you look for in a story?
Simply characters that I find interesting, an engrossing plot, and, of course, great writing. I am always captivated by the signs of intelligence and sensitivity in the prose. I suppose it's what you look for in a person as well.
What’s your favorite topics/subjects/genre/ that you enjoy?
The MC's journey to self-discovery is always a winning trope.
Sammy
Anything you say will be held against you?
Annette Benning? Jennifer Connelly? Cate Blanchett? Carrie Ann Moss?
Love, Andrea Lena
But that's MAD-ness I say!
Drea I didn't mention you only because of space restrictions. Love your mashups!
Hugs,
Sammy