How to write a [FR] ...?

ThrowawayPUA · 2011-02-07T06:52:01+00:00

I was actually thinking that question would make a good assignment for Seddit University. I haven't resumed those posts in a couple of months because I've been very ill. But too late for that now. Let's deal with it here and now.

I am infamous for my 5000 word FRs. But people read them anyway, and tell me they like them. I have an advantage, I'm a professional writer, I can churn out the words effortlessly. But I have seen 500 word FRs that take more effort to read than my epics.

Not everyone can be a good writer (if they could, nobody would pay me to write). But you can do some of the things good writers do. I've been thinking a lot about what makes a good FR. I can't speak for everyone, but I think the best feature of my own FRs is:

NARRATIVE.

My FRs have a plot line. You can read along and I will walk you through the events that happened. You will feel the mood of the evening, that is as important as the specific events. How I feel about the events is evident. My stories have a beginning, middle, and ending, or as screenwriters call it, "Acts I through III." The story is constructed so so you can follow the events easily. The story stays focused and doesn't wander all over the place unnecessarily.

Another important feature of narrative is "story arc." I have themes running through all my FRs. I talk a lot about my past AFC behavior. I often talk about The Woman and this is one story arc. It may never come to a conclusion but you never know (hey, I just saw her in the grocery store 3 days ago).

Now it's sort of hard to explain what makes a good narrative, what makes you want to read more. My editor often complains to me when I write something crappy, he marks my copy in about paragraph 2 and says "this is the point I start asking, 'why am I reading this?'" Think of your audience, and how you are explaining things to them. Are you putting in too much irrelevant crap that just confuses them? Or are you getting to the core of the story, and editing out the boring stuff?

It's almost impossible to teach someone how to be a good writer unless they've got some natural writing ability. But a good counterexample is often useful (I am often a good counterexample). I'll show you how to write a bad FR. I see it all the time, it goes something like this:

We entered the club and met some of my friends, I'll call them John and Jack. We opened a 3 set of girls, I'll call them Carol, Clara, and Chris. John and Clara hit it off, then Chris and Jack started drinking shots. I started kinoing Carol. Then Carol and Chris started chatting and ignoring me. After that, Carol, Chris, and Clara went to the bathroom, while John, Jack and I wondered if we were being ditched. Then Chris and Clara took Jack and John on the dance floor. I talked with Carol for about half an hour while Chris, Clara, Jack, and John danced. Chris said she wanted to go home, but Carol and Clara wanted to stay, so Jack offered her a ride. She left, but Carol and Clara stayed in the bar with John and me.."

Okay, you can probably see the problem here. The events are described, they even lead one into the other, but you can't figure out what's happening because you're trying to keep all the peoples' names straight. The FR is about you doing pickup, focus on that.

I tend to use a basic structure with my FRs. It varies a bit, but it goes like this:

I talk about how I feel about general stuff, the background to my mood heading out.
I talk about some specific PUA study material I'm working on, and how I think I might be able to use it in the field.
I briefly mention my wardrobe and other basic logistics as I launch.
In field, I describe the place, the mood, the crowd, etc. I describe opening a few minor sets, without getting into too much detail. I try to link each opening to some sort of PUA method, testing how it works and seeing the results.
Usually, at some point, I'll go off-topic and rant about something else, like some past incident with The Woman. I usually try to relate this to the primary FR somehow, so it becomes relevant. Sometimes the only relevance is to remind me of how bad things were. Screenwriters call this "exposition." You're exposing some details of what the character is all about. This is the story arc in all my FRs. But story arc has its disadvantages, if you haven't read my previous FRs, the arc's direction may not be obvious. So I make the anecdote relevant to the FR's events.
Somewhere in the process of all this, I get to the core FR: I describe my interactions in the primary set of the night. Sometimes there isn't really a primary, so I describe a couple of the most important sets. But I do NOT go into extensive detail on every set in the evening. I may give a few sentences at most, and I try to relate that to some specific pickup method (something I tried, or should have tried). I try to use specific dialogue (I have a good memory for that) and mark up that dialogue with short comments that connect it to PUA methods. I keep that short so the dialogue keeps flowing smoothly.
Somewhere near the end, it wraps up and I go home. Then I try to summarize what happened and do some self-analysis about what I did well and what I did poorly.

FRs have several purposes. I unburden myself by writing about the events, this helps me stay objective. But of course I am not objective about myself, so the other purpose is to allow other sedditors to critique the events and make suggestions about how to improve my game. Note that a critique is not criticism, critiques are constructive. The final purpose of an FR is to be instructive or encouraging to others. We can learn what works in the field and what does not. We can learn how other sedditors are breaking through their own barriers.

Well this is getting too long already, so I better wrap it up. Let me toss out some quick suggestions on how to write better FRs:

Write it in a text editor, not in the tiny reddit window. Then copy and paste it into seddit.
Use spell check.
Focus on core events, avoid irrelevant detail that doesn't push the narrative forward.
Re-read what you wrote before posting it. Re-write what you wrote, if it seems unclear.
Avoid the "Wall of Text" and use lots of paragraph breaks.
Use reddit conventions like italics, bullet points, etc. but avoid use of too much boldface (some trolls do that to grab attention). Look at the little link "Formatting Help" underneath the post window for simple tips on "Markdown" formatting.
Avoid excessive boasting and excessive self-deprecation.
Always think of your audience of sedditors. They want to learn from you, so connect to pickup methods and explain them (briefly) wherever possible. Link to pickup material or other FRs where possible.

Well that's all I can think of for now. Remember these are just suggestions, there are a lot of ways to write an FR. We each have our different writing styles. I was heavily influenced by mPUAs like jlaix, who writes explicit FRs that spare nobody's feelings (including his own). You may find other FRs that influence your style. Just be careful at first, a lot of noobs start copying other sedditors' styles and jargon and they're not talking in their own voice, and it shows. Above all, be yourself. Seddit is where you come to expose yourself and your problems to people who care enough to help you improve. So dont' be scared, even if you can't write worth a damn. This should be fun for you, your readers, and the people who liked your FR enough to comment on it.

TofuTofu · 2011-02-07T05:48:10+00:00

You're correct. It should be about analysis and celebration. People shouldn't just upvote feel-good FRs unless they actually offer some value to the community. This isn't like the rest of reddit, this is seddit.

alphaasfuck · 2011-02-07T20:11:00+00:00

As an aside, I think it is also important to ask yourself, "Why am I writing?" before you start writing.

Am I trying to get support / brag / whine? (Don't ask us to feed your ego, do this for yourself)

Am I stuck on an issue I encountered? (If so, think about it for a couple days before appealing to us.)

Do I feel like others could learn from this? Is there an overarching lesson to be learned? How certain am I about certain events (how she felt at a certain point, details that seem to stick out but may have been meaningless, ect.)

Title	How to write a [FR] ...?
Author	FLPUA
Upvotes	8
Comments	5
Date	February 7, 2011 5:27 AM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/seduction
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/seduction/comments/fgof3/how_to_write_a_fr/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/seduction/how-to-write-a-fr.1315373 https://theredarchive.com/post/1315373

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