My story quality levels

Not all of my stories are created equal

Published on 2026-04-24 06:41:00

You might have realized that the amount of effort made on each story I write isn't the same. An overview about that...

Writing fiction is hard. Crafting multiple stories read by more or less the same target audience is worse!

Why? Because I want to avoid writing the same story over and over again.

This means that I won't put a nudist magician in again; it's been done. I won't put two couples secluded for a trip and isolate them after their means of transportation (and clothes) are stolen. It's been done. I won't have a guy fall in love with a naturist girl; it's been... ok, fine, that story isn't completed, but if I wanted to write that, I could just finish that story.

But it's also hard because crafting good stories takes a lot of imagination.

I have high praise for Ted Bun's large number of naturist books because it's tough to create new stories.

The need to write

I have a secret: I don't write specifically to be read. I write because I need to. I get ideas in my mind, and if I don't write them down then, my mind will keep rewriting them, over and over again.

And even better, when I begin writing for it, my inspiration ends up focusing on that story until I naturally run out of ideas.

It's how my brain works. It also works for my day job, which is great, but for writing? Not so good.

Because I need that inspiration. I suspect every writer does, but most will have found ways to write anyway. I hope for them ;-)

Not all my stories are the same

And I don't mean with typos. I make a lot, sorry. What I mean, is they are different when it comes to planning and writing.

Let's explore their levels.

Level 0: no planning, low-effort stories

These are stories that I write where I often start writing without even knowing how the chapter will end.

Some short stories are like that, like A fiery teenager.

I don't have many of those anymore because I know that the result is bad. The Secret Beach is in there too.

Level 1: by-the-pants planning stories

These are stories that I write when I have inspiration. I don't have a clear idea of where I am going with them, but I created a well-defined enough (for my inspiration) story that I can easily revisit it later.

The most recent clear example of this is Emails To Bob. I will write episodes in batches; when I get an idea, I write it out, perhaps in 2 or 3 episodes, and then put it on hold until I get new ideas.

This is also where longer serials can end up, once the initial planning is done (see below).

This is where Eden's Creek was supposed to shine! Most of the stories were day-to-day inspiration past their universe's creation.

The first episode was thought out for days; it's why it feels info-dumpy. But after a few episodes in, the universe was set up, and well, it was based on my inspiration, until I was too far removed and my inspiration couldn't connect to Eden's Creek anymore.

With a lack of notes, I was stuck.

The same for Mark and Jenny, I didn't have as much of a plan as I should have, so when I became too busy with work, I was unable to get back in.

Level 2: clear direction, fuzzy map, often no ending planned

Now, this is where most of my stories live. The new Inherited Orphans is there. I know what I want the story to do, the major beats, and how it will evolve, but I am not clear on how to get there yet.

It's like the GPS directions haven't compiled yet, but I know which highways I will use.

It doesn't mean I have an ending, only that I have a current arc that will eventually end, with beats already planned.

This is also the case for the upcoming Kindle Exclusive "Not Business Casual", in which I don't have an ending, but I have pages and pages of notes for book 2 and perhaps book 3! I know the ending (more or less; it can evolve), and I know the path, but the details? Still fuzzy.

I usually shine at Level 2 because it's the right balance between planning and spontaneity.

As characters reveal themselves, the story changes. An example: in Not Business Casual, Cameron was a very secondary character, but she insisted on taking her place.

The Vexx Paradox and Inconvenient Refugees are both also there, but both are open-ended.

Catherine Reynolds is also there, but for the personal stuff. Cases are stand-alone.

Level 3: Mapped stories with a clear ending

These are stories where I already know where it is going, until the end comes. Because those stories have a clear ending.

My Life So Far, written with my daughter, has a clear ending, and you even know what it is! It ends with Julie reaching the present. It's that simple... And it was telegraphed from the start!

But Bared Connection is also there, at least, the sequels are. Because this is a planned trilogy, the 2 sequels are mapped and have a clear ending. But the two sequels aren't as mapped as the first book was, and that's partly was blocks me. Because the first book was Level 4 and the sequels are Level 3 for now. The other reason is that the book isn't selling well compared to my other ones. Maybe I should do more marketing?

Level 4: Outlined stories

These are the stories I spend a lot of time planning, and it's no coincidence that they are mostly Kindle Exclusives.

The upcoming "Worldless: Born in the Middle" is one such story, with a clear, almost chapter-by-chapter plan. All the twists, all the beats, were more or less planned. Did I deviate from the plan? Sure. But I had one.

The same for the first book of Overcoming Trauma which ended up on Kindle but began on my site. The difference, is that I had no confidence on my plan, and it's a good thing I published it because I revised it a few times.

My first Kindle exclusive, How I Became A Naturist was like that, but in two beats. I had original planned for it to be a shorter story, but then, when I realized it was something solid enough, I expanded the plan and wrote it. Now, it's one of my best sellers!

Conclusion

The level of planning on a story doesn't necessarily affect the quality of the story. It might affect how much effort at editing I do, but I try to do less typos now across the board.

What it affects is often my ability to continue a serial.

The Emails to Bob story, for example, has a low barrier of entry. There is little continuity; I can pick up the emails days after the previous one and just write a new exchange of words.

But a story like Weird Visitors or Mark and Jenny got stuck because of how unprepared I was, while others thrived thanks to long-term planning.

So where does Inherited Orphans land?

Right, there is a point to this article. I am not just writing in a vaccum.

This story... is all levels at once.

How is that even possible?

Easy! Soon, the day-to-day beats will be Level 0. What they do each day, once the introduction is done, is planned to be low planning.

Why? Because what they actually do doesn't matter. It's the relationships between the characters that matter, and that is Level 3.

But Ron and Daphne had a business, and that storyline is Level 4! And Kyle will get a job, and that one is Level 2. As for Sydney's job, it's level 1.

So, all levels are in there, and I hope this will make it super special, because I care a lot about that one, and I hope this will make it super special

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