File: 1483965385202.jpg (1.02 MB, 1600x1067, 1600:1067, writing.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
Remember, anything from novels to lyrics are allowed to be posted and discussed.
Last Thread
>>>/hob/338
As usual, discussion starters:
>What are you currently writing?
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
>What are you fond of writing and why?
Last Thread
>>>/hob/338
As usual, discussion starters:
>What are you currently writing?
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
>What are you fond of writing and why?
I asked when it's been autosaged for guidance books about writing.
>"The Curtain" or "The Art of the Novel" by Kundera
>"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner
These 2 have been suggested in that thread, and now "Steering the Craft" and "Save the Cat" by Ursula Le Guin have been suggested. I'll read that book at once.
You can suggest more if you like.
>"The Curtain" or "The Art of the Novel" by Kundera
>"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner
These 2 have been suggested in that thread, and now "Steering the Craft" and "Save the Cat" by Ursula Le Guin have been suggested. I'll read that book at once.
You can suggest more if you like.
What are some creative ways to start a story?
My first thought was to start it off with a nightmare sequence as it properly sets the tone of internal conflict and outward societal scorn, but then I remembered starting a story with a dream is literally the most uninspired opening out there. How exactly are you supposed to start a non-action, slow paced, character study in a way that sets the dower tone but still provides a good amount of relative levity? Obviously I don't want to throw the reader into the deep end of hating society at the very beginning, but I want to still lay the groundwork of it at the same time as opening with a good amount of humor (even if it's mostly self-deprecating and cynical).
How do you juggle all of these things at once without opening with a nightmare that transitions into a "light" interaction, and then ending it off with another mood-setter? Sandwiching the overwhelming majority of the chapter (which is a laid-back conversation) between two sections of dreariness seems like the best way to do it, but I have no idea how to do that without a nightmare opening.
Does anyone know of any books that start off a "slice of life" story in an interesting or creative way? I'd be interested in reading some creative openings of any kind of story, really.
My first thought was to start it off with a nightmare sequence as it properly sets the tone of internal conflict and outward societal scorn, but then I remembered starting a story with a dream is literally the most uninspired opening out there. How exactly are you supposed to start a non-action, slow paced, character study in a way that sets the dower tone but still provides a good amount of relative levity? Obviously I don't want to throw the reader into the deep end of hating society at the very beginning, but I want to still lay the groundwork of it at the same time as opening with a good amount of humor (even if it's mostly self-deprecating and cynical).
How do you juggle all of these things at once without opening with a nightmare that transitions into a "light" interaction, and then ending it off with another mood-setter? Sandwiching the overwhelming majority of the chapter (which is a laid-back conversation) between two sections of dreariness seems like the best way to do it, but I have no idea how to do that without a nightmare opening.
Does anyone know of any books that start off a "slice of life" story in an interesting or creative way? I'd be interested in reading some creative openings of any kind of story, really.
>>33041
>start a story
>dower tone
>relative levity
>slow paced, character study
>self-deprecating and cynical
>laid-back conversation
Describe the room where in a few minutes the dude will start working at some forced mundane social task that requires politely talking to normies.
>start a story
>dower tone
>relative levity
>slow paced, character study
>self-deprecating and cynical
>laid-back conversation
Describe the room where in a few minutes the dude will start working at some forced mundane social task that requires politely talking to normies.
>>33041
I've written some stories like you're describing. I try to take my inspiration from modern horror like Ligotti, and begin them with some completely mundane shit that has undertones of being a nightmare, rather than anything too explicit. Subtle is supposed to be better, and we wizards know the real world has enough horror in it without having to appeal to anything more.
For example, the project I'm working on at the moment starts with the main character sitting on a crowded bus. It's hot, cramped, and stuck in traffic. Some norm is playing loud music at the back. The narrator's anxiety is through the roof. He describes everything around him in laborious detail, hopefully giving the reader the sense of being trapped with him. The worst part is, he's not even going somewhere he wants but to a pointless social obligation (the main 'action' of the chapter), where he will also be trapped.
It's supposed to introduce the general theme of being trapped in a mundane life and wishing for something more romantic. That's the idea anyway, I have no idea whether I've actually pulled it off.
Maybe you could do something similar, but in a way that links to whatever you're exploring in your work?
I've written some stories like you're describing. I try to take my inspiration from modern horror like Ligotti, and begin them with some completely mundane shit that has undertones of being a nightmare, rather than anything too explicit. Subtle is supposed to be better, and we wizards know the real world has enough horror in it without having to appeal to anything more.
For example, the project I'm working on at the moment starts with the main character sitting on a crowded bus. It's hot, cramped, and stuck in traffic. Some norm is playing loud music at the back. The narrator's anxiety is through the roof. He describes everything around him in laborious detail, hopefully giving the reader the sense of being trapped with him. The worst part is, he's not even going somewhere he wants but to a pointless social obligation (the main 'action' of the chapter), where he will also be trapped.
It's supposed to introduce the general theme of being trapped in a mundane life and wishing for something more romantic. That's the idea anyway, I have no idea whether I've actually pulled it off.
Maybe you could do something similar, but in a way that links to whatever you're exploring in your work?
>>33043
>>33048
I am unfortunately still at a loss.
The actual mechanics of the introduction is going to be incredibly difficult to work around in this situation. The reason I cannot think of anything except a dream sequence is because I'm not just trying to juggle tone, structure, the nuances of starting a story in and of itself, capturing the reader's attention early on, and the duality between what you see on the surface and what is hauntingly present just underneath. The problem is I also have to find a way to create a "fish out of water" scenario of the protagonist leaving everything behind and starting over.
I'm not exactly a mastercraft author with abilities beyond the natural that pertain to subtly, nuance, tight imagery, symbolism, and writing in-fucking-general, so it's not like can just magic into existence the perfect starting chapter like a beautifully woven tapestry. I just need something that doesn't make me out to be some kind of creative writing dropout. Maybe this whole thing is a mistake that I need to just bin and re-do everything from the ground-up. I did not initially think it would be as complicated as it inevitably proved to be, and looking at the list of things I need to accomplish in a single chapter is a bit intimidating. I just don't know.
It is actually fairly surprising how difficult it has proven to be to start off a story of such strikingly plain substance. It's not like I am writing some kind of Greek epic here; I'm just writing a story about a dude that moves out of the city and into a small town, struggling with society's expectations. Maybe I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be?
>>33048
I am unfortunately still at a loss.
The actual mechanics of the introduction is going to be incredibly difficult to work around in this situation. The reason I cannot think of anything except a dream sequence is because I'm not just trying to juggle tone, structure, the nuances of starting a story in and of itself, capturing the reader's attention early on, and the duality between what you see on the surface and what is hauntingly present just underneath. The problem is I also have to find a way to create a "fish out of water" scenario of the protagonist leaving everything behind and starting over.
I'm not exactly a mastercraft author with abilities beyond the natural that pertain to subtly, nuance, tight imagery, symbolism, and writing in-fucking-general, so it's not like can just magic into existence the perfect starting chapter like a beautifully woven tapestry. I just need something that doesn't make me out to be some kind of creative writing dropout. Maybe this whole thing is a mistake that I need to just bin and re-do everything from the ground-up. I did not initially think it would be as complicated as it inevitably proved to be, and looking at the list of things I need to accomplish in a single chapter is a bit intimidating. I just don't know.
It is actually fairly surprising how difficult it has proven to be to start off a story of such strikingly plain substance. It's not like I am writing some kind of Greek epic here; I'm just writing a story about a dude that moves out of the city and into a small town, struggling with society's expectations. Maybe I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be?
>>33058
> Maybe I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be?
It sounds like that to me. I think it's best not to overthink things when writing, and to just let some kind of instinct take over. Then again, I'm no author so what do I know?
If I were in your position, I would focus on
> capturing the reader's attention early on
> create a "fish out of water" scenario of the protagonist leaving everything behind and starting over
Like you say, you're not trying to create the next Ulysses, there's no need to cram a million layers of complexity in there. You didn't say whether you're just starting with writing or whether you've got some experience. For me, my early writing projects failed because I tried to do too much.
In my experience, it helps to just start writing. Once you get into the flow of it you find yourself having more and more ideas. You can always go back and weave more nuance and detail into the opening later, when you've got some more solid concepts in mind. Failing that, you can always rewrite the first chapter entirely.
Sorry I haven't given you any clear ideas. Have you read anything by Hermann Hesse? His novels are character studies, sort of in the vein you're describing, unless I'm getting totally the wrong idea.
> Maybe I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be?
It sounds like that to me. I think it's best not to overthink things when writing, and to just let some kind of instinct take over. Then again, I'm no author so what do I know?
If I were in your position, I would focus on
> capturing the reader's attention early on
> create a "fish out of water" scenario of the protagonist leaving everything behind and starting over
Like you say, you're not trying to create the next Ulysses, there's no need to cram a million layers of complexity in there. You didn't say whether you're just starting with writing or whether you've got some experience. For me, my early writing projects failed because I tried to do too much.
In my experience, it helps to just start writing. Once you get into the flow of it you find yourself having more and more ideas. You can always go back and weave more nuance and detail into the opening later, when you've got some more solid concepts in mind. Failing that, you can always rewrite the first chapter entirely.
Sorry I haven't given you any clear ideas. Have you read anything by Hermann Hesse? His novels are character studies, sort of in the vein you're describing, unless I'm getting totally the wrong idea.
>>33061
>Have you read anything by Hermann Hesse?
I have not. I'll be sure to take a look at them.
I must confess that the real problem here is capturing the reader's attention early on. If I start with just details of the protagonist driving into the new town, then I run the risk of boring people with what is essentially a guy driving through a sleepy small town. That's not even that interesting in my head, let alone on paper. On the other hand, I could start with the nightmare, but then I run the risk of irritating avid readers with a device so tired and old that it would put people to sleep no matter how exciting.
I suppose we can't all be unique (or creative for that matter), but I can't help but feel like I should at least try to begin the story in an interesting way. If not a dream, what? Is just driving through a town really that interesting? I wouldn't say so. Environmental detail, a profound sentence to be extrapolated on throughout the chapter, a dream, a scene that takes place hours, days, months, or even years before the main trust of the story, none of it seems right. I'm looking for that thing that really starts the story, and I cannot for the life of me find it. I've always had a "I'll know it when I see it" approach to my stories, and right now I have seen a whole lot with little to no success.
I know I can't just wait for that spark of light, but I really don't know what else to do.
>>33067
That drive is a cruel thing when you look back on what you just wrote and wonder why you even bother.
>Have you read anything by Hermann Hesse?
I have not. I'll be sure to take a look at them.
I must confess that the real problem here is capturing the reader's attention early on. If I start with just details of the protagonist driving into the new town, then I run the risk of boring people with what is essentially a guy driving through a sleepy small town. That's not even that interesting in my head, let alone on paper. On the other hand, I could start with the nightmare, but then I run the risk of irritating avid readers with a device so tired and old that it would put people to sleep no matter how exciting.
I suppose we can't all be unique (or creative for that matter), but I can't help but feel like I should at least try to begin the story in an interesting way. If not a dream, what? Is just driving through a town really that interesting? I wouldn't say so. Environmental detail, a profound sentence to be extrapolated on throughout the chapter, a dream, a scene that takes place hours, days, months, or even years before the main trust of the story, none of it seems right. I'm looking for that thing that really starts the story, and I cannot for the life of me find it. I've always had a "I'll know it when I see it" approach to my stories, and right now I have seen a whole lot with little to no success.
I know I can't just wait for that spark of light, but I really don't know what else to do.
>>33067
That drive is a cruel thing when you look back on what you just wrote and wonder why you even bother.
>>33067
I don't have a problem with writing. It's just that I'm reminded I don't have anyone to critique my stuff, and I'm essentially writing shit with little improvement between each.
I don't have a problem with writing. It's just that I'm reminded I don't have anyone to critique my stuff, and I'm essentially writing shit with little improvement between each.
>>33067
I'm >>33048. I've been writing for a few years now, and I have no idea how or why I do it. In fact, I would say I actively hate writing. I have no idea how to convey emotions, because I don't really feel them myself. I lack the motivation to work at something and make it deep and meaningful. I think I can be funny, but them my mind is so warped by years of chan browsing that I just don't know any more. Books don't make me feel anything, I either like them or dislike them without any clear reason for my opinion. Yet still I am driven to write, almost compulsively, and I loathe how terrible it makes me feel.
I'm really disillusioned with the whole literary scene. I read these 'masterpieces' that feel like the author has spent so much time on them and really thought them through, and people say they're rich with all these emotions and complex meanings, but I just don't see it. Normies say you're stupid if you don't get this stuff, but I'm not stupid, I just don't think these books are nearly as deep as people say they are. The whole literary community is some huge circlejerk and it makes me sick to even consider myself being a part of it, yet for some reason I still write.
I would have lost interest in writing and given up long ago, if it weren't for one thing. Everything I write I send around to literary agents to see if I can get it published. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but it feels twice as pointless if I don't even try. I have no interest in self-publishing this crap, it either has to be for real or not at all.
Every time I do this I get loads of rejections, but always one or two nice ones that show the agent has actually given it some thought before rejecting, with a few compliments and criticisms that aren't just generic. One time an agent was so interested he actually took my work to some publishers, but of course they all rejected it and nothing more came out of it.
Like >>33089, I get basically no real critique and I can't tell whether my stuff is any good. If it weren't for those comments I would just assume it's terrible. The comments are encouraging, but they don't offer much real advice so I don't know how to improve my stuff, and I can't stand the literary community and the idea of critique websites either. I wish nobody said anything nice about my work, because it gives me that tiny amount of motivation to continue torturing myself. I just want to give up on it like I do with everything else, and stop kidding myself that I'm being 'productive'.
Sorry for the incoherent, off-topic rant/blogpost, this shit just drives me up the wall.
>>33068
Steppenwolf is Hesse's best work, and one of the few books I actually do really like. Give it a go. Now that I think about it, his openings aren't actually very good, so maybe it's more of an example of what not to do.
I'm >>33048. I've been writing for a few years now, and I have no idea how or why I do it. In fact, I would say I actively hate writing. I have no idea how to convey emotions, because I don't really feel them myself. I lack the motivation to work at something and make it deep and meaningful. I think I can be funny, but them my mind is so warped by years of chan browsing that I just don't know any more. Books don't make me feel anything, I either like them or dislike them without any clear reason for my opinion. Yet still I am driven to write, almost compulsively, and I loathe how terrible it makes me feel.
I'm really disillusioned with the whole literary scene. I read these 'masterpieces' that feel like the author has spent so much time on them and really thought them through, and people say they're rich with all these emotions and complex meanings, but I just don't see it. Normies say you're stupid if you don't get this stuff, but I'm not stupid, I just don't think these books are nearly as deep as people say they are. The whole literary community is some huge circlejerk and it makes me sick to even consider myself being a part of it, yet for some reason I still write.
I would have lost interest in writing and given up long ago, if it weren't for one thing. Everything I write I send around to literary agents to see if I can get it published. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but it feels twice as pointless if I don't even try. I have no interest in self-publishing this crap, it either has to be for real or not at all.
Every time I do this I get loads of rejections, but always one or two nice ones that show the agent has actually given it some thought before rejecting, with a few compliments and criticisms that aren't just generic. One time an agent was so interested he actually took my work to some publishers, but of course they all rejected it and nothing more came out of it.
Like >>33089, I get basically no real critique and I can't tell whether my stuff is any good. If it weren't for those comments I would just assume it's terrible. The comments are encouraging, but they don't offer much real advice so I don't know how to improve my stuff, and I can't stand the literary community and the idea of critique websites either. I wish nobody said anything nice about my work, because it gives me that tiny amount of motivation to continue torturing myself. I just want to give up on it like I do with everything else, and stop kidding myself that I'm being 'productive'.
Sorry for the incoherent, off-topic rant/blogpost, this shit just drives me up the wall.
>>33068
Steppenwolf is Hesse's best work, and one of the few books I actually do really like. Give it a go. Now that I think about it, his openings aren't actually very good, so maybe it's more of an example of what not to do.
sitting on the shadow of a tree
its leaves being robbed by the wind
thunder storm breeds underneath my skin
waiting for autumn's final breath
overtures winterly glacial breeze
freeze these feelings and become ice
snowmen may melt but they do not feel
somehow i am being told this is spam. i swear its not. pls let me post.
its leaves being robbed by the wind
thunder storm breeds underneath my skin
waiting for autumn's final breath
overtures winterly glacial breeze
freeze these feelings and become ice
snowmen may melt but they do not feel
somehow i am being told this is spam. i swear its not. pls let me post.
>>33067
I only do it out of sheer obsessiveness and half the time I don't feel any drive at all. Then sometimes I do and I write a ton. But I am constantly plagued by a dissatisfaction with my writing and always remind myself of the futility of it all because it's a story no one would want to read except me.
>>33092
>One time an agent was so interested he actually took my work to some publishers, but of course they all rejected it and nothing more came out of it.
Hey that's pretty cool that you got that far. Congrats. What was it about?
I only do it out of sheer obsessiveness and half the time I don't feel any drive at all. Then sometimes I do and I write a ton. But I am constantly plagued by a dissatisfaction with my writing and always remind myself of the futility of it all because it's a story no one would want to read except me.
>>33092
>One time an agent was so interested he actually took my work to some publishers, but of course they all rejected it and nothing more came out of it.
Hey that's pretty cool that you got that far. Congrats. What was it about?
>>33105
> Hey that's pretty cool that you got that far. Congrats. What was it about?
Thanks anon. I try to think of it as being a positive thing.
The story is a dark comedy about a middle-aged wizard who worked as an IT sysadmin, kinda like a BOFH sort of character, if you're familiar with those stories. His company is quickly being taken over by nu-males and succubi, who are trying to get him fired because he doesn't fit in with their politically correct world, even though he doesn't hurt anyone and all he wants to do is sit in his basement on his own.
At the same time, he meets a femme fatale succubus and starts to question his wizardly life. Before he can compromise his wizardry the succubus kills herself, which leads him to more soul-searching. His eventual conclusion is that he was right to live his life in solitude, the way he has always wished. Now that his mind is settled, he gets his revenge on the people at work who were trying to get him fired, including the evil HR ladies.
To get around the fact that the narrator was alone for like 90% of the novel I gave him an 'imaginary friend', sort of like a devil on shoulder. There is lots of witty banter between them, and the voice also make cynical barbs at the other characters, who obviously can't see him. The narrator behaves as if the voice is real and has physical presence, which fuels a fair bit of the humour in. This was my favourite part about what I'd written.
In hindsight it's obvious why it didn't go down well with the largely-succubi staff of the publishing companies. At least, that's what I tell myself.
> Hey that's pretty cool that you got that far. Congrats. What was it about?
Thanks anon. I try to think of it as being a positive thing.
The story is a dark comedy about a middle-aged wizard who worked as an IT sysadmin, kinda like a BOFH sort of character, if you're familiar with those stories. His company is quickly being taken over by nu-males and succubi, who are trying to get him fired because he doesn't fit in with their politically correct world, even though he doesn't hurt anyone and all he wants to do is sit in his basement on his own.
At the same time, he meets a femme fatale succubus and starts to question his wizardly life. Before he can compromise his wizardry the succubus kills herself, which leads him to more soul-searching. His eventual conclusion is that he was right to live his life in solitude, the way he has always wished. Now that his mind is settled, he gets his revenge on the people at work who were trying to get him fired, including the evil HR ladies.
To get around the fact that the narrator was alone for like 90% of the novel I gave him an 'imaginary friend', sort of like a devil on shoulder. There is lots of witty banter between them, and the voice also make cynical barbs at the other characters, who obviously can't see him. The narrator behaves as if the voice is real and has physical presence, which fuels a fair bit of the humour in. This was my favourite part about what I'd written.
In hindsight it's obvious why it didn't go down well with the largely-succubi staff of the publishing companies. At least, that's what I tell myself.
File: 1484564269872.png (553.73 KB, 1414x1958, 707:979, excerpt.png) ImgOps iqdb
Introductory excerpt from a document that I keep and maintain in order to help myself when I am going insane. It is both a diary (but for it to be useful, only of darker moments) and collection of observations of my behaviour, possible remedies for my problems, what I have tried and further conjectures.
I have suffered from severe depersonalization in the past, mostly due to high school traumata, and am graudally recovering and advancing spiritually.
I have found that likewise self-introspection helps a great deal and is way superior to that which others may ever advice you, including professionals.
After all, all truth about universe lies deeply within.
I have suffered from severe depersonalization in the past, mostly due to high school traumata, and am graudally recovering and advancing spiritually.
I have found that likewise self-introspection helps a great deal and is way superior to that which others may ever advice you, including professionals.
After all, all truth about universe lies deeply within.
>>33113
I am curious. Could you tell me where that document originated? It is at least within the writer's intentions for it to be shared with those who appreciate it, and I found it relatable. And what does the spoiler say?
I am curious. Could you tell me where that document originated? It is at least within the writer's intentions for it to be shared with those who appreciate it, and I found it relatable. And what does the spoiler say?
File: 1484584207073.png (45.83 KB, 830x1900, 83:190, reparation.png) ImgOps iqdb
>>33118
The spoiler hides name of the project upon which I currently work on and by that single keyword it may be found online in an instant.
I would like to hide that a connection exists between this and such a document, until I deem the former complete. Needless to say, the latter is not yet public.
It originates from everything mentioned by now - my mind suffered from severe panic attacks and I have found that my innermost injuries have long urged for a monologue. I began composing something that is a finely balanced mixture of creative work, a diary and a guidebook for the future me troubled by that which troubles me at the time of writing.
I use TexWorks editor, should you be curious about that.
>>33117
It certainly is. Keeping a "thought scratchpad" or a diary seems like something a child or a teenage succubus would do, but they do it for legitimate reasons. I regard it as the most practical form of creative activity, seeing that it can really help you enforce your desired behaviors, make better decisions, give you some sense of accomplishment and improve quality of life overall.
The spoiler hides name of the project upon which I currently work on and by that single keyword it may be found online in an instant.
I would like to hide that a connection exists between this and such a document, until I deem the former complete. Needless to say, the latter is not yet public.
It originates from everything mentioned by now - my mind suffered from severe panic attacks and I have found that my innermost injuries have long urged for a monologue. I began composing something that is a finely balanced mixture of creative work, a diary and a guidebook for the future me troubled by that which troubles me at the time of writing.
I use TexWorks editor, should you be curious about that.
>>33117
It certainly is. Keeping a "thought scratchpad" or a diary seems like something a child or a teenage succubus would do, but they do it for legitimate reasons. I regard it as the most practical form of creative activity, seeing that it can really help you enforce your desired behaviors, make better decisions, give you some sense of accomplishment and improve quality of life overall.
>>33067
can't start my story because i don't know how to start it and i can't get over my writing being shit
can't start my story because i don't know how to start it and i can't get over my writing being shit
>>33140
Some people say just write and fix it later, but it's hard to do that when what you write just looks like unsalvageable garbage.
Some people say just write and fix it later, but it's hard to do that when what you write just looks like unsalvageable garbage.
>>33112
If you clean that up a bit I'm sure it would be fantastic. Like, I actually want to read this now. Can you upload a PDF? Or maybe at least put some good standalone section in pastebin? How long is it?
> Now that his mind is settled, he gets his revenge on the people at work who were trying to get him fired, including the evil HR ladies.
No spoilers, right? But that sounds fantastic. Definitely include that in your "blurb" if you ever do one.
If you clean that up a bit I'm sure it would be fantastic. Like, I actually want to read this now. Can you upload a PDF? Or maybe at least put some good standalone section in pastebin? How long is it?
> Now that his mind is settled, he gets his revenge on the people at work who were trying to get him fired, including the evil HR ladies.
No spoilers, right? But that sounds fantastic. Definitely include that in your "blurb" if you ever do one.
>>32868
>What are you currently writing?
Working on a new short story
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
It can be pretty fun I guess
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
They're reflections of my experiences growing up, or portraits of people I see in the streets
>What are you fond of writing and why?
Mostly I try to stick to fiction and horror
I would like to share, but I'm a spanish
>What are you currently writing?
Working on a new short story
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
It can be pretty fun I guess
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
They're reflections of my experiences growing up, or portraits of people I see in the streets
>What are you fond of writing and why?
Mostly I try to stick to fiction and horror
I would like to share, but I'm a spanish
>>32868
>What are you fond of writing and why?
The answer to this question is difficult to articulate. I don't know that the actual process of writing gives me any pleasure. If I were to answer truthfully, I would probably go on some long tirade of complaints and self-depreciating rants about how everything that I write is shit, and how there has not been a noticeable improvement beyond what is essentially learning the basics of the English fucking language. Perhaps I would structure it in a way that can adequately describe how much I loath how lazy I can be, how words slip out of my brain the minute I need them, and how my work cannot ever hope to achieve the level some others are practically born at.
I really have no reason to like writing. The act of it is tedious and frustrating, the brainstorming and outlining is always jumbled and incontinuous, and the final product feels to me to never reach beyond the sum of its parts (more often than not being diminished when all brought together). Yet I still write.
I think it's something particularly ethereal that I will never understand. Looking back and wrapping my brain around the fact that I have written more words than most people will in their entire lifetimes, I feel no great accomplishment. It is like believing that I have somehow accomplished something by breathing. When I had finished my first project, I had believed that I would feel something—anything—by saving the page and closing the program. All I got was the itch to start again, even after the final chapters were such a depressing drudge. I didn't even feel like I finished it.
If I was to take a shot in the dark, I would say that it probably has something to do with vicarious breaths that I take as other people. The characters in my stories do feel things, and I often find myself immersed in a moment of my own creation, far more than I would if it remained trapped in my head. Redemption, struggle, happiness, depression, it all feels real, even if just for a moment. When I'm not behind the keyboard, I feel trapped, suffocating under the wills that the world inflicts on me, but when I'm writing it's almost like I can breath again.
Maybe that doesn't make sense. I don't know.
>What are you fond of writing and why?
The answer to this question is difficult to articulate. I don't know that the actual process of writing gives me any pleasure. If I were to answer truthfully, I would probably go on some long tirade of complaints and self-depreciating rants about how everything that I write is shit, and how there has not been a noticeable improvement beyond what is essentially learning the basics of the English fucking language. Perhaps I would structure it in a way that can adequately describe how much I loath how lazy I can be, how words slip out of my brain the minute I need them, and how my work cannot ever hope to achieve the level some others are practically born at.
I really have no reason to like writing. The act of it is tedious and frustrating, the brainstorming and outlining is always jumbled and incontinuous, and the final product feels to me to never reach beyond the sum of its parts (more often than not being diminished when all brought together). Yet I still write.
I think it's something particularly ethereal that I will never understand. Looking back and wrapping my brain around the fact that I have written more words than most people will in their entire lifetimes, I feel no great accomplishment. It is like believing that I have somehow accomplished something by breathing. When I had finished my first project, I had believed that I would feel something—anything—by saving the page and closing the program. All I got was the itch to start again, even after the final chapters were such a depressing drudge. I didn't even feel like I finished it.
If I was to take a shot in the dark, I would say that it probably has something to do with vicarious breaths that I take as other people. The characters in my stories do feel things, and I often find myself immersed in a moment of my own creation, far more than I would if it remained trapped in my head. Redemption, struggle, happiness, depression, it all feels real, even if just for a moment. When I'm not behind the keyboard, I feel trapped, suffocating under the wills that the world inflicts on me, but when I'm writing it's almost like I can breath again.
Maybe that doesn't make sense. I don't know.
>>33153
Sorry I didn't reply to you anon. The novel is around 70k words, which is a pretty standard length.
I don't really want to post a PDF, because I still have hope that I might get it published some day and want to keep it to myself.
> http://pastebin.com/daXG3CRf
If you're still around, here's a paste of the opening section. That gives you a idea of the general tone of the thing, though it does get a bit more serious and intellectual towards the end.
Sorry I didn't reply to you anon. The novel is around 70k words, which is a pretty standard length.
I don't really want to post a PDF, because I still have hope that I might get it published some day and want to keep it to myself.
> http://pastebin.com/daXG3CRf
If you're still around, here's a paste of the opening section. That gives you a idea of the general tone of the thing, though it does get a bit more serious and intellectual towards the end.
Life is temporary, nothing but a problem to solve
Scrolling pages of posts fills pastime with thoughts
Every morning cuts a slice off this endless newsletter
Something happened, you don't care, getting up is an effort
When you dream of a world that's devoid of all misery
It's empty since existence itself is imprisonment
Activities you try, all peel off like bad varnish
Bored after seconds of what you've just accomplished
Not even with yourself you can reach a consensus
Time sinks, never to be found, like Atlantis
Countless minor errands, no way to stay alert
If you risk, the results exclude a reward
Even having good times you find ways to mismanage
Long-term disappointment, a dormant rampage
The damage is done, foundation is trash
Good luck building anything on top of that
Acquire right chemistry and die in its bliss
Or keep clouding your mind, there's no peace
Scrolling pages of posts fills pastime with thoughts
Every morning cuts a slice off this endless newsletter
Something happened, you don't care, getting up is an effort
When you dream of a world that's devoid of all misery
It's empty since existence itself is imprisonment
Activities you try, all peel off like bad varnish
Bored after seconds of what you've just accomplished
Not even with yourself you can reach a consensus
Time sinks, never to be found, like Atlantis
Countless minor errands, no way to stay alert
If you risk, the results exclude a reward
Even having good times you find ways to mismanage
Long-term disappointment, a dormant rampage
The damage is done, foundation is trash
Good luck building anything on top of that
Acquire right chemistry and die in its bliss
Or keep clouding your mind, there's no peace
>>33264
It needs some editing. Like "altar" not "alter." And some parts of the writing are a bit choppy but I've read worse in published works.
You should try to find an editor. Preferably one a bit eccentric who won't try to report you to mental health authorities over bull shit. Because I would like to read this book someday.
It needs some editing. Like "altar" not "alter." And some parts of the writing are a bit choppy but I've read worse in published works.
You should try to find an editor. Preferably one a bit eccentric who won't try to report you to mental health authorities over bull shit. Because I would like to read this book someday.
>>33264
It does look really good, though. I didn't mean to sound negative, I just would love to see it published and obv you can't post too much cause publishers wont publish a novel youve posted online.
It does look really good, though. I didn't mean to sound negative, I just would love to see it published and obv you can't post too much cause publishers wont publish a novel youve posted online.
>>33385
I think it does depend. 50 Shades of Grey was an ebook, the author got contacted by some publishers who wanted to make a print edition. Of course, it only happens if your book sells a lot of copies online.
>>33363
>>33384
Thanks anon. I know there's some spelling and grammar mistakes still in there, it's hard to edit them all because after a while you get into the flow of reading and your eyes skip over them. Alter/altar is annoying because it doesn't show up as a spelling mistake, even though I used the wrong word.
I really think that if a decent editor took a look at the book and made some suggestions it would be much better. The trouble is, to get a decent editor you have to spend money. It probably wouldn't cost much, and might be a good investment if only so I can learn what they want to see. One day I will return to this book, and improve it based on what I've learned in the mean time. For now I'm thinking of other projects.
Speaking of which, I'd like to get some opinions on this blurb I've written for what I'm currently working on. Does it sound like something you'd want to read?
> It is the autumn of 1865. A bizarre cast of characters arrives at a remote country estate in anticipation of meeting a man they know as Elliott. He means something important to each of them, but it soon becomes apparent that they have wildly different ideas about who he is, what he does for a living, and why they have come to his house. Whoever Elliott is, he is conspicuous by his absence at the banquet thrown for the guests on their first night.
> Day comes, yet Elliott does not arrive. His staff do not know what has become of him, and can offer only platitudes. Restlessness drives the guests to argue, and to reminisce about events in their past that shed light on what may now be happening to them. More days pass, and paranoia sets in among the more prescient guests. They spend their days playing games, spying on other another, exploring the halls of a house that seems to have no fixed size or configuration. Those with weaker minds find their sleep troubled by a nameless entity that plays poltergeist pranks. The fear and confusion becomes palpable, yet despite it all something more than the remote and dangerous surroundings keeps them in the house, waiting.
> That something untoward is going on is clear, but what? Are they part of an obscene Victorian experiment on the human mind, or fresh victims delivered to whatever is watching them out of the mirrors and the portraits? Or is there no inherent malice in the house at all, only that which they have brought with them?
I think it does depend. 50 Shades of Grey was an ebook, the author got contacted by some publishers who wanted to make a print edition. Of course, it only happens if your book sells a lot of copies online.
>>33363
>>33384
Thanks anon. I know there's some spelling and grammar mistakes still in there, it's hard to edit them all because after a while you get into the flow of reading and your eyes skip over them. Alter/altar is annoying because it doesn't show up as a spelling mistake, even though I used the wrong word.
I really think that if a decent editor took a look at the book and made some suggestions it would be much better. The trouble is, to get a decent editor you have to spend money. It probably wouldn't cost much, and might be a good investment if only so I can learn what they want to see. One day I will return to this book, and improve it based on what I've learned in the mean time. For now I'm thinking of other projects.
Speaking of which, I'd like to get some opinions on this blurb I've written for what I'm currently working on. Does it sound like something you'd want to read?
> It is the autumn of 1865. A bizarre cast of characters arrives at a remote country estate in anticipation of meeting a man they know as Elliott. He means something important to each of them, but it soon becomes apparent that they have wildly different ideas about who he is, what he does for a living, and why they have come to his house. Whoever Elliott is, he is conspicuous by his absence at the banquet thrown for the guests on their first night.
> Day comes, yet Elliott does not arrive. His staff do not know what has become of him, and can offer only platitudes. Restlessness drives the guests to argue, and to reminisce about events in their past that shed light on what may now be happening to them. More days pass, and paranoia sets in among the more prescient guests. They spend their days playing games, spying on other another, exploring the halls of a house that seems to have no fixed size or configuration. Those with weaker minds find their sleep troubled by a nameless entity that plays poltergeist pranks. The fear and confusion becomes palpable, yet despite it all something more than the remote and dangerous surroundings keeps them in the house, waiting.
> That something untoward is going on is clear, but what? Are they part of an obscene Victorian experiment on the human mind, or fresh victims delivered to whatever is watching them out of the mirrors and the portraits? Or is there no inherent malice in the house at all, only that which they have brought with them?
>>33405
I'm pretty sure you could probably clean the blurb up a little bit. It seems unnecessarily long for what is supposed to fit on the back of the cover.
I think your lack of confidence in the premise is making you over-explain what is ostensibly a Scooby Doo mystery with 1865 weirdos. Do we need to know the specifics of the paranormal incidents?
I'd also like to say that the structure of >>33264 may not be helping your probability of finding a publisher. Literary Agents are fickle things, always examining the superficial elements of the line and paragraph structure before they even read the first sentence. I have read of them flipping through the first pages of a manuscript for no other reason than to see how much dialogue is in the first chapter. A common piece of advice is to start your story at the last possible moment, which I would probably say would me right outside the succubus's office. Starting off the first couple sentences in a place of calming comfort for the protagonist seems to me to be a good way to bore the readers from the very start. I also have no idea what the protagonist even looks like at this point, so it's like I'm going along with an empty suit that is apparently at least a little bit intimidating.
If I was to be honest, I would say this entire chapter seems like it could be cut from the story completely. It introduces the characters and setting sufficiently, but I have to wonder if you could not incorporate the same kind of information in a chapter where something actually happens. I don't want to seem rude, but I personally hate the yes-man kind of approach to reading others work, because it never helps us improve. I could be wrong, though, and this is actually just not my cup-of-tea, but I'm just trying to tell you want I think a mainstream editor would probably tell you.
I'm pretty sure you could probably clean the blurb up a little bit. It seems unnecessarily long for what is supposed to fit on the back of the cover.
I think your lack of confidence in the premise is making you over-explain what is ostensibly a Scooby Doo mystery with 1865 weirdos. Do we need to know the specifics of the paranormal incidents?
I'd also like to say that the structure of >>33264 may not be helping your probability of finding a publisher. Literary Agents are fickle things, always examining the superficial elements of the line and paragraph structure before they even read the first sentence. I have read of them flipping through the first pages of a manuscript for no other reason than to see how much dialogue is in the first chapter. A common piece of advice is to start your story at the last possible moment, which I would probably say would me right outside the succubus's office. Starting off the first couple sentences in a place of calming comfort for the protagonist seems to me to be a good way to bore the readers from the very start. I also have no idea what the protagonist even looks like at this point, so it's like I'm going along with an empty suit that is apparently at least a little bit intimidating.
If I was to be honest, I would say this entire chapter seems like it could be cut from the story completely. It introduces the characters and setting sufficiently, but I have to wonder if you could not incorporate the same kind of information in a chapter where something actually happens. I don't want to seem rude, but I personally hate the yes-man kind of approach to reading others work, because it never helps us improve. I could be wrong, though, and this is actually just not my cup-of-tea, but I'm just trying to tell you want I think a mainstream editor would probably tell you.
File: 1486012193734.jpg (337.22 KB, 1214x900, 607:450, 1476671484978.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
Hello everybody,
I had written something that I should have posted last October while everybody was in the mood, but oh well. Here's the link anyways, if anyone's bored enough to bother:
https://pastebin.com/raw/naYKjmki
Just looking for feedback is all, such as how you might feel about it while reading – really anything that pops into mind or sticks out to you would be immensely appreciated. It's not too terribly long, I promise.
As for myself, I think you'll all fine writers for the most part. I would read and give back some of my own layman critique if more recent pastebins were here, but alas I am at a loss. Perhaps with my own posting, others might possibly be inclined to do so as well.
At least most of you have evolved past basic spelling errors and teenage text shortcuts that, believe it or not, plague many professional-level emails on a daily basis. To me, by god, that already makes it a sheer pleasure to read.
Just keep writing, write anything, and you'll get something. It's better than nothing.
I had written something that I should have posted last October while everybody was in the mood, but oh well. Here's the link anyways, if anyone's bored enough to bother:
https://pastebin.com/raw/naYKjmki
Just looking for feedback is all, such as how you might feel about it while reading – really anything that pops into mind or sticks out to you would be immensely appreciated. It's not too terribly long, I promise.
As for myself, I think you'll all fine writers for the most part. I would read and give back some of my own layman critique if more recent pastebins were here, but alas I am at a loss. Perhaps with my own posting, others might possibly be inclined to do so as well.
At least most of you have evolved past basic spelling errors and teenage text shortcuts that, believe it or not, plague many professional-level emails on a daily basis. To me, by god, that already makes it a sheer pleasure to read.
Just keep writing, write anything, and you'll get something. It's better than nothing.
Does anybody have any advice on how to get out of a hole?
I haven't written anything in almost a month now, and the longer I wait the harder it becomes to bring myself to start again. Does anybody here have anything that knocks them out of their rut, or is this another "mind over matter" thing that I'll never be able to beat?
I haven't written anything in almost a month now, and the longer I wait the harder it becomes to bring myself to start again. Does anybody here have anything that knocks them out of their rut, or is this another "mind over matter" thing that I'll never be able to beat?
>>34075
Pick a random picture and describe it. It doesn't really matter where the picture comes from, just as long as it's something interesting to you, that'll be fun to write about, expand on, or describe. It can be some shit off gelbooru, or your desktop wallpaper. It could be the cover of a book, or the label of some hot sauce. Doesn't matter, just as long as you're writing about it. If you like what you wrote, you can expand on it, and turn it into something fun.
Pick a random picture and describe it. It doesn't really matter where the picture comes from, just as long as it's something interesting to you, that'll be fun to write about, expand on, or describe. It can be some shit off gelbooru, or your desktop wallpaper. It could be the cover of a book, or the label of some hot sauce. Doesn't matter, just as long as you're writing about it. If you like what you wrote, you can expand on it, and turn it into something fun.
Time's drawing(/getting?) tight, so pull your finger out and plug back in. (0.27 - 0.30)
Toil, slave away countless days, and review. What more's there to do? (0.30 - 0.34
Monk mode, till your soul's malnourished and your mind's gonna explode (0.34 - 0.36)
What was the point again? To end this chronic shut-in? (0.36 - 0.38)
Some see it easy. I make it hard. Wanna trade? Don't make me laugh. (0.40 - 0.44)
Pseudo epiphanies, Webbed mazes, smoky half truths - I own all these. (0.44 - 0.47)
You want some? Untether my back, haul up, then buck - or turn numb. (0.47 - 0.51)
Reciprocate. Oscillate. Back and forth, round and round. How does
this shit not bring (/send?) you down? (1.22 - 1.26)
Sum it all up, what's it become?
Does it matter? Do you even care? Without foundations to bear load,
biting winds can't break faith; just float it unhindered. (1.27 - 1.35)
I hate grime. However I often like the production for it. I don't have a south London accent, nor can I effect one successfully. Which makes writing grime lyrics even sillier, given that such an accent is a necessity for proper delivery. Despite all this, I felt inspired and wrote these lyrics recently. I had nothing better to do. The bulk of it took about an hour to write but I then spent another 2 or 3 changing words to avoid repetition and refining the rhyming structure (which is still dubious). I know it lacks a chorus and several verses.
Is this a pile of cheesy crap? Obviously it's more reflective and less braggadocios than grime in general - but does that just make it self indulgent, emotive tripe? Please, if you can bear to, listen to some grime rap and imagine these lyrics delivered in a similar style then comment.
Toil, slave away countless days, and review. What more's there to do? (0.30 - 0.34
Monk mode, till your soul's malnourished and your mind's gonna explode (0.34 - 0.36)
What was the point again? To end this chronic shut-in? (0.36 - 0.38)
Some see it easy. I make it hard. Wanna trade? Don't make me laugh. (0.40 - 0.44)
Pseudo epiphanies, Webbed mazes, smoky half truths - I own all these. (0.44 - 0.47)
You want some? Untether my back, haul up, then buck - or turn numb. (0.47 - 0.51)
Reciprocate. Oscillate. Back and forth, round and round. How does
this shit not bring (/send?) you down? (1.22 - 1.26)
Sum it all up, what's it become?
Does it matter? Do you even care? Without foundations to bear load,
biting winds can't break faith; just float it unhindered. (1.27 - 1.35)
I hate grime. However I often like the production for it. I don't have a south London accent, nor can I effect one successfully. Which makes writing grime lyrics even sillier, given that such an accent is a necessity for proper delivery. Despite all this, I felt inspired and wrote these lyrics recently. I had nothing better to do. The bulk of it took about an hour to write but I then spent another 2 or 3 changing words to avoid repetition and refining the rhyming structure (which is still dubious). I know it lacks a chorus and several verses.
Is this a pile of cheesy crap? Obviously it's more reflective and less braggadocios than grime in general - but does that just make it self indulgent, emotive tripe? Please, if you can bear to, listen to some grime rap and imagine these lyrics delivered in a similar style then comment.
>>33067
I hate coming up with ideas but never knowing what to do with them. I can write 3k words in a few hours if I know what I'm writing from A to B. But 99% of the time I can barely go 200.
People will say things like
>Write fanfiction!
I've never been invested in any show or game enough to care about writing stories about them.
>Write what you know!
This is so vague I don't know what it means
I hate not being able to write anything and getting a feeling like I have to vomit because of it. It seems like you either can or you can't and I can't but want.
I hate coming up with ideas but never knowing what to do with them. I can write 3k words in a few hours if I know what I'm writing from A to B. But 99% of the time I can barely go 200.
People will say things like
>Write fanfiction!
I've never been invested in any show or game enough to care about writing stories about them.
>Write what you know!
This is so vague I don't know what it means
I hate not being able to write anything and getting a feeling like I have to vomit because of it. It seems like you either can or you can't and I can't but want.
>>34647
I like it. There are a couple lines in this that are really powerful for what they are, and send a pretty clear message. "Wicked young lesbians pretending they're happy in the nude with each other" was one such line. I don't really know why I like it so much, but it's just so beautifully pathetic that it's almost endearing.
Couple things:
You should try not to use so many adverbs with your dialogue tags. Things like "whispered softly" and "lightly echoed" are nice, but only when they're peppered around in important parts that really need the added flair. Also, I noticed that there wasn't a single usage of the word "said," which is fine if the character was just thinking these words instead of actually speaking them, but often that wasn't very clear.
"Thought to himself" is also pretty redundant. You wouldn't "think to someone else" unless you were a telepath, and if that was the case I'm sure you would use some other verbiage. "Lewis thought" is all you really need.
I don't mean to be so critical. I'm actually a pretty shit writer, but I just wanted to give a little bit to maybe help? I don't know.
I like it. There are a couple lines in this that are really powerful for what they are, and send a pretty clear message. "Wicked young lesbians pretending they're happy in the nude with each other" was one such line. I don't really know why I like it so much, but it's just so beautifully pathetic that it's almost endearing.
Couple things:
You should try not to use so many adverbs with your dialogue tags. Things like "whispered softly" and "lightly echoed" are nice, but only when they're peppered around in important parts that really need the added flair. Also, I noticed that there wasn't a single usage of the word "said," which is fine if the character was just thinking these words instead of actually speaking them, but often that wasn't very clear.
"Thought to himself" is also pretty redundant. You wouldn't "think to someone else" unless you were a telepath, and if that was the case I'm sure you would use some other verbiage. "Lewis thought" is all you really need.
I don't mean to be so critical. I'm actually a pretty shit writer, but I just wanted to give a little bit to maybe help? I don't know.
>>34656
nah it's cool, I appreciate any feedback.
I might try and release a newly edited version with what you've said in mind, I do apologise for how sloppy it is
nah it's cool, I appreciate any feedback.
I might try and release a newly edited version with what you've said in mind, I do apologise for how sloppy it is
I wrote this pretty quickly. I really didn't have any plans with it, as I was just sitting down to write something, but I don't think it's horrible.
I watched Unforgiven the other day, and I thought about that while writing this. The idea that you shouldn't be surprised when a demon answers a demon's call, and all that. I don't know. It's pretty stupid if you ask me.
http://pastebin.com/csG8ZBJy
Also, I encourage others to start writing little 1-2k bits and posting them here. It can be about anything, really. This thread could use more of that.
I watched Unforgiven the other day, and I thought about that while writing this. The idea that you shouldn't be surprised when a demon answers a demon's call, and all that. I don't know. It's pretty stupid if you ask me.
http://pastebin.com/csG8ZBJy
Also, I encourage others to start writing little 1-2k bits and posting them here. It can be about anything, really. This thread could use more of that.
>>34672
Overall, I like what you wrote. Dark themes behind the horrors of war are difficult to tackle in such short time, and for that quick burst of writing I had felt it was moderately satisfying, especially the "death for a price has always two payments" quote. What a lovely quote, for some reason I found myself really fond of it.
While no doubt written not too seriously in mind (from what I gathered based on the tone of your post), there are a few things that in my opinion could have been better apprached. That very same quote for example, I felt as if it was a bit devalued by having it explained so promptly afterwards. Personally I prefer having room for interpretation, even if the message behind it is clear – a kind of artistic and dramatic flair, you know?
It would have been like a very sad scene in a film, followed by the main character looking at the audience and just saying "it was really sad what happened, and I feel like crying now." A bit of a cop-out, so to say. Omitting the following sentence after, leaving that bit alone to stick out and catch the reader's attention would have done well, I think.
On the other hand, aside from that it didn't seem to be too clear on what exactly happened: I understand there was a massacre of peasants from a siege in a knights' conquest, but that seemed to be inferred solely from the dead peasants on the ground and other hints such as "Wait outside the gates until they starved?". After all that conversational buildup, I anticipated in the climax a kind of "justification statement" by the leading knight along the lines of "I was ordered by the king to take this castle by any means necessary. I did what I had to do, and I do my job proudly". Something that would morally be questionable and yet from his perspective, a rightful deed. Perhaps some more background on previous acts that necessitated slaughter but was against other knights, so it was fine up until he slew peasants in the same merciless fashion.
Nonetheless my nit-picking aside, it was a fair exchange of dialogue and held a lot of potential. Instead of petty comments I ought to have written something myself, but it is just so terribly difficult. It is painful to be an art critique without their own to gallery.
Overall, I like what you wrote. Dark themes behind the horrors of war are difficult to tackle in such short time, and for that quick burst of writing I had felt it was moderately satisfying, especially the "death for a price has always two payments" quote. What a lovely quote, for some reason I found myself really fond of it.
While no doubt written not too seriously in mind (from what I gathered based on the tone of your post), there are a few things that in my opinion could have been better apprached. That very same quote for example, I felt as if it was a bit devalued by having it explained so promptly afterwards. Personally I prefer having room for interpretation, even if the message behind it is clear – a kind of artistic and dramatic flair, you know?
It would have been like a very sad scene in a film, followed by the main character looking at the audience and just saying "it was really sad what happened, and I feel like crying now." A bit of a cop-out, so to say. Omitting the following sentence after, leaving that bit alone to stick out and catch the reader's attention would have done well, I think.
On the other hand, aside from that it didn't seem to be too clear on what exactly happened: I understand there was a massacre of peasants from a siege in a knights' conquest, but that seemed to be inferred solely from the dead peasants on the ground and other hints such as "Wait outside the gates until they starved?". After all that conversational buildup, I anticipated in the climax a kind of "justification statement" by the leading knight along the lines of "I was ordered by the king to take this castle by any means necessary. I did what I had to do, and I do my job proudly". Something that would morally be questionable and yet from his perspective, a rightful deed. Perhaps some more background on previous acts that necessitated slaughter but was against other knights, so it was fine up until he slew peasants in the same merciless fashion.
Nonetheless my nit-picking aside, it was a fair exchange of dialogue and held a lot of potential. Instead of petty comments I ought to have written something myself, but it is just so terribly difficult. It is painful to be an art critique without their own to gallery.
>>34647
>>34754
>>34672
I enjoyed the read.
I did a little bit of writting, as it being entirely a personal dissertation, it made me cry as I didn't in a long time.
https://www.docdroid.net/1CQEbmv/the-will-to-overcome-will.pdf.html
English isn't my native language.
>>34754
>>34672
I enjoyed the read.
I did a little bit of writting, as it being entirely a personal dissertation, it made me cry as I didn't in a long time.
https://www.docdroid.net/1CQEbmv/the-will-to-overcome-will.pdf.html
English isn't my native language.
I've been putting together a (relatively) short little erofic in Twine. It's semi-interactive, but not really, in the grand scheme of things. There's a single outcome to more or less everything, and the big differences in the choices so far are in the specific content that you see on the next page, before the story coalesces back into a single linear narrative. The real reason for it to be in Twine, is that I'm planning on having the sex scenes be done through a turn-based RPG type system. The base system itself is built, but it's very modular, so you add in the attacks as you go, and right now, I've only got handjob and titsucking related attacks. Either way, the super complex part is done, so it's not a matter of "got everything done but the programming, so full release in 14 years".
I'm enjoying building these characters, and I'm especially enjoying exploring some of the worldview of the player character. Especially how he sees others through the lens of race, because he was raised in the Nation of Islam. I'll probably be doing another story similar to this one later, where I flip the races, and put the player in a forest behind/around an Idaho trailer park. You'll be a white Idaho boy who finds a porno mag strategically placed in the woods where you play, and then a large-breasted cafuzo sceneslut pops out of the bushes and cranks you off, before taking you to a strip joint for copious soft-drug use, and another sex scene. It will mostly be based around the PC's desire for excitement, and how he views the EC (chick character) as a delivery mechanism for that excitement.
Taken together, these stories are meant to provide the player/reader with an understanding of the different theological/strategic approaches to "revolution" among the Lilians. The Eugenians focus on "love-bombing" conversions, while the Portlanders focus on "pleasure-bombing" conversions. The Eugenians offer a higher purpose, while the Portlanders offer a higher you. They both have reasons that make perfect sense within the internal logic of the faith overall. Eugenians want to increase their (religious) organization's physical power on Earth, while Portlanders want to increase their goddess' spiritual power in heaven. Two strategies for the same revolution, and a fun little point of contention to play with, for other stories.
Here's what I've got so far for my current (smaller) story.
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/LRLB%20Sagishiroi.html
Here's some prewriting for it, that isn't quite finished.
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/Twine_Scripts/Sagi/conceptprewrite.txt
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/Twine_Scripts/Sagi/prewrite.txt
>>34754
This is neat. Very tight, but still triggers the imagination. 3 thumbs up.
I'm enjoying building these characters, and I'm especially enjoying exploring some of the worldview of the player character. Especially how he sees others through the lens of race, because he was raised in the Nation of Islam. I'll probably be doing another story similar to this one later, where I flip the races, and put the player in a forest behind/around an Idaho trailer park. You'll be a white Idaho boy who finds a porno mag strategically placed in the woods where you play, and then a large-breasted cafuzo sceneslut pops out of the bushes and cranks you off, before taking you to a strip joint for copious soft-drug use, and another sex scene. It will mostly be based around the PC's desire for excitement, and how he views the EC (chick character) as a delivery mechanism for that excitement.
Taken together, these stories are meant to provide the player/reader with an understanding of the different theological/strategic approaches to "revolution" among the Lilians. The Eugenians focus on "love-bombing" conversions, while the Portlanders focus on "pleasure-bombing" conversions. The Eugenians offer a higher purpose, while the Portlanders offer a higher you. They both have reasons that make perfect sense within the internal logic of the faith overall. Eugenians want to increase their (religious) organization's physical power on Earth, while Portlanders want to increase their goddess' spiritual power in heaven. Two strategies for the same revolution, and a fun little point of contention to play with, for other stories.
Here's what I've got so far for my current (smaller) story.
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/LRLB%20Sagishiroi.html
Here's some prewriting for it, that isn't quite finished.
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/Twine_Scripts/Sagi/conceptprewrite.txt
https://m5klrlb.neocities.org/Twine_Scripts/Sagi/prewrite.txt
>>34754
This is neat. Very tight, but still triggers the imagination. 3 thumbs up.
Is there a limit to the breadth of a story?
I'm not talking about scope or complexity; I'm talking about how wide a net we can cast to show the lives of people that don't exist, and what limitations, if any, we have in successfully telling that story.
If any of you have seen my post in the quotes thread, I took an excerpt from Shakespeare's Hamlet. He spoke, in the context of theater, about how someone goes about acting on stage, and weaving the complexities of the characters they are portraying into their own performance, suiting the action to the words, and vice versa. I've been thinking about that quote for some time now, and I find myself believing that he wasn't just speaking about theater, or at least it doesn't exclusively apply to theater. As writers, we take on a special kind of acting ourselves. Unlike actors is is not so graceful, however we are responsible for far more than any one actor. We have to play every role, from the narrator to the camera to the people within the frame itself. Constructing dialogue, forcing your mind to flip fluidly between personas, arguing with yourself within the confines of your own mind, constructing the very fabric and seams of every minute detail within a world that does not exist. As writers, we are responsible for these scenes, and more to the point every person we inhabit or idea we allow ourselves to hold onto without letting it stick, it allows us the ability to tell stories that are not feasible for plays, or movies, or television, or any other form of media. We have the ability to not only articulate a scene, but chronicle a life.
In that quote, Hamlet warns us to overstep not the modesty of nature, lest we rob these scenes and people of the life we offer. In writing, we can hold up that same mirror to nature, but so many do it in the same vein as film. Its subtlety and modest form is often given appropriate credence, sure, but just as often does those same traits take the back-seat to faster narratives and violent change. I'm something of a romantic, and this, I know, negatively affects my work. I too often find myself captured my the scene and trying to convey what I can see myself in exhausting detail. That's not really what I'm talking about. It's in the same category as romanticism, maybe, but more so applied to the human condition and its broader range of influence.
Back to why I started this thread, I wonder if it is possible to do exactly that, chronicle a life. Instead of spending a couple hundred thousand words, expand upon it. Go about telling the story as if it was actually happening, as if you had sat down and decided to spy on someone from the clouds, watching them day in and day out. Obviously I don't mean to cover the overtly mundane without a purpose, but could I, say, stretch a year of Highschool out to almost five hundred thousand words or more? It would certainly not overstep the modesty of nature to be sure, but is there no limit to the breadth in which I can show the gradual flow of time, of the character's identities? I suppose it all hinges on the premise and the inevitable lesson or theme of it all. Still, I find myself far too often disheartened by the break-neck pace of things. There's no room to breath in the moments that I myself believe to be the most influential of my entire life, the quiet ones. So many try to convey their message through extravagant actions and plots, and the only thing I have every seen in nature is how silent it can be. Even in the greatest moments of triumph and glory, pain and suffering, grief and despair, it is never the noise that breaths life into this word. It's always the smallest motion. The faintest words. The briefest glances. The modest things in nature.
Maybe I'm just fucked up. I don't much see the point in all effort people put into words that don't mean anything. If they're not holding up a mirror, what are they doing?
I'm not talking about scope or complexity; I'm talking about how wide a net we can cast to show the lives of people that don't exist, and what limitations, if any, we have in successfully telling that story.
If any of you have seen my post in the quotes thread, I took an excerpt from Shakespeare's Hamlet. He spoke, in the context of theater, about how someone goes about acting on stage, and weaving the complexities of the characters they are portraying into their own performance, suiting the action to the words, and vice versa. I've been thinking about that quote for some time now, and I find myself believing that he wasn't just speaking about theater, or at least it doesn't exclusively apply to theater. As writers, we take on a special kind of acting ourselves. Unlike actors is is not so graceful, however we are responsible for far more than any one actor. We have to play every role, from the narrator to the camera to the people within the frame itself. Constructing dialogue, forcing your mind to flip fluidly between personas, arguing with yourself within the confines of your own mind, constructing the very fabric and seams of every minute detail within a world that does not exist. As writers, we are responsible for these scenes, and more to the point every person we inhabit or idea we allow ourselves to hold onto without letting it stick, it allows us the ability to tell stories that are not feasible for plays, or movies, or television, or any other form of media. We have the ability to not only articulate a scene, but chronicle a life.
In that quote, Hamlet warns us to overstep not the modesty of nature, lest we rob these scenes and people of the life we offer. In writing, we can hold up that same mirror to nature, but so many do it in the same vein as film. Its subtlety and modest form is often given appropriate credence, sure, but just as often does those same traits take the back-seat to faster narratives and violent change. I'm something of a romantic, and this, I know, negatively affects my work. I too often find myself captured my the scene and trying to convey what I can see myself in exhausting detail. That's not really what I'm talking about. It's in the same category as romanticism, maybe, but more so applied to the human condition and its broader range of influence.
Back to why I started this thread, I wonder if it is possible to do exactly that, chronicle a life. Instead of spending a couple hundred thousand words, expand upon it. Go about telling the story as if it was actually happening, as if you had sat down and decided to spy on someone from the clouds, watching them day in and day out. Obviously I don't mean to cover the overtly mundane without a purpose, but could I, say, stretch a year of Highschool out to almost five hundred thousand words or more? It would certainly not overstep the modesty of nature to be sure, but is there no limit to the breadth in which I can show the gradual flow of time, of the character's identities? I suppose it all hinges on the premise and the inevitable lesson or theme of it all. Still, I find myself far too often disheartened by the break-neck pace of things. There's no room to breath in the moments that I myself believe to be the most influential of my entire life, the quiet ones. So many try to convey their message through extravagant actions and plots, and the only thing I have every seen in nature is how silent it can be. Even in the greatest moments of triumph and glory, pain and suffering, grief and despair, it is never the noise that breaths life into this word. It's always the smallest motion. The faintest words. The briefest glances. The modest things in nature.
Maybe I'm just fucked up. I don't much see the point in all effort people put into words that don't mean anything. If they're not holding up a mirror, what are they doing?
File: 1495348635465.jpg (1.15 MB, 2592x1936, 162:121, image.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
>Wizchan 2017,
covered head to toe with memes.
It was not always like this,
once a time we were the shiz.
All the wizards, true volcels,
passed away or killed themselves.
Now the wizkids rule the board,
scouting for the normie hoard.
/cow/, SA and kiwifarms,
tumblr, reddit, lolcow.farms,
Thundercock and Thundercunt,
all swarm here to laugh and taunt.
FBI and NSA,
/pol/ and /b/ and /r9gay/,
redpillers and PUAs,
jealous of our carefree ways
covered head to toe with memes.
It was not always like this,
once a time we were the shiz.
All the wizards, true volcels,
passed away or killed themselves.
Now the wizkids rule the board,
scouting for the normie hoard.
/cow/, SA and kiwifarms,
tumblr, reddit, lolcow.farms,
Thundercock and Thundercunt,
all swarm here to laugh and taunt.
FBI and NSA,
/pol/ and /b/ and /r9gay/,
redpillers and PUAs,
jealous of our carefree ways
File: 1495349131333.jpg (91.66 KB, 639x408, 213:136, image.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
>>36718
True wizards wake up at dawn,
playing gayly all day long.
Lifting, vidya, reading, sports;
true wizards wear speedo shorts.
Wizard life is full of play,
watching porn and anime.
Live on welfare every day,
while our parents slave away.
Driving mommy into tears,
while new daddy drinks his beers.
Daddy Howard's here to say,
fapping thread is really gay.
You don't need to masturbate,
being that you're celibate.
If you don't practice nofap,
you will turn into a trap.
There's a cure for autism,
drinking volcel wizard cum.
Remember to shoot cummies,
deep inside your own tummies.
True wizards wake up at dawn,
playing gayly all day long.
Lifting, vidya, reading, sports;
true wizards wear speedo shorts.
Wizard life is full of play,
watching porn and anime.
Live on welfare every day,
while our parents slave away.
Driving mommy into tears,
while new daddy drinks his beers.
Daddy Howard's here to say,
fapping thread is really gay.
You don't need to masturbate,
being that you're celibate.
If you don't practice nofap,
you will turn into a trap.
There's a cure for autism,
drinking volcel wizard cum.
Remember to shoot cummies,
deep inside your own tummies.
File: 1495349405514.jpg (91.58 KB, 684x500, 171:125, image.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
>>36720
Wizards aren't all the same,
but some can be really lame.
Some live lives of intense pain,
Others bitch 'bout fog of brain.
Some laugh like a maniac,
others are insomniac.
Some can sleep tight like a log,
others suck dick like a dog.
Wizards may be different,
but one thing is the same.
No matter the conditions,
we don't play the stacey game.
Wizard never meant loser,
only meant you're a chooser.
Chose to live far far away,
from societal decay.
Instigate the norman purge,
Archmage slays the demiurge.
When the normalfags are kill,
our kind shall rise and rebuild.
Young apprentice heed my word,
and you'll reach your ten of third.
Find me in your lucid dream,
>Wizchan 2017
Wizards aren't all the same,
but some can be really lame.
Some live lives of intense pain,
Others bitch 'bout fog of brain.
Some laugh like a maniac,
others are insomniac.
Some can sleep tight like a log,
others suck dick like a dog.
Wizards may be different,
but one thing is the same.
No matter the conditions,
we don't play the stacey game.
Wizard never meant loser,
only meant you're a chooser.
Chose to live far far away,
from societal decay.
Instigate the norman purge,
Archmage slays the demiurge.
When the normalfags are kill,
our kind shall rise and rebuild.
Young apprentice heed my word,
and you'll reach your ten of third.
Find me in your lucid dream,
>Wizchan 2017
>>36721
https://myanimelist.net/manga/95652/Akita_Imokko_Ebina-chan
A spinoff far superior to the original, since it doesn't have that gamer gurl fake neet stacey in it.
https://myanimelist.net/manga/95652/Akita_Imokko_Ebina-chan
A spinoff far superior to the original, since it doesn't have that gamer gurl fake neet stacey in it.
File: 1495375197556.png (42.39 KB, 300x199, 300:199, my face everyday.png) ImgOps iqdb
>>35412
The problem is that we read in order to escape the mundanities of our lives (at least most of us do). Words are powerful when they are packed full of meaning, and daily life is not such a romantic thing. I could write a novel that chronicles my 8 years of NEETdom but it would fall to a point where the same thing keeps happening over and over and over and over, with zero feeling of progress or novelty. And if there is any of it, any deep insights gained through introspection is made worthless and forgotten by the main character because the sameness of the everyday weights down upon their soul, until it finally mercilessly crushes it and forces them to act on pure instinct alone. Maybe it could have some charm in the beginning, but due to the inherent structure of routine interest would fade.
The problem is that we read in order to escape the mundanities of our lives (at least most of us do). Words are powerful when they are packed full of meaning, and daily life is not such a romantic thing. I could write a novel that chronicles my 8 years of NEETdom but it would fall to a point where the same thing keeps happening over and over and over and over, with zero feeling of progress or novelty. And if there is any of it, any deep insights gained through introspection is made worthless and forgotten by the main character because the sameness of the everyday weights down upon their soul, until it finally mercilessly crushes it and forces them to act on pure instinct alone. Maybe it could have some charm in the beginning, but due to the inherent structure of routine interest would fade.
Are there any websites to get your writing on a platform to be looked at?
All I know of is DeviantArt and Reddit
All I know of is DeviantArt and Reddit
>>36780
wattpad is normie central
The gist is to just use your own blog and self-promote like a camwhore.
wattpad is normie central
The gist is to just use your own blog and self-promote like a camwhore.
File: 1495505384059.jpg (13.82 KB, 182x211, 182:211, 1495224294036.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
What you guys think?
https://pastebin.com/yiBVwqQW
The 0 would be scientific references, the ones you put in the end of the book or the end of the page.
I will also make a philosophical rant about all of it.
https://pastebin.com/yiBVwqQW
The 0 would be scientific references, the ones you put in the end of the book or the end of the page.
I will also make a philosophical rant about all of it.
>>36787
There isn't anything wrong with what you've written so far, you could at the end, add a conclusion summarizing your points and adding your own point of view of what you believe.
There isn't anything wrong with what you've written so far, you could at the end, add a conclusion summarizing your points and adding your own point of view of what you believe.
>>36806
The only thing I know what to write about is evolutionary psychology, economics, politics, naturalism, philosophy like existentialism, nihilism, absurdism, stoicism, christianity, marxism, capitalism etc… and that's about it.
It's the few subjects I've read in the past years, I don't know much else aside of anciet/medieval history as well, mainly modern times and technology.
Write about a subject you always read about, even if it's daily/casual stuff.
The only thing I know what to write about is evolutionary psychology, economics, politics, naturalism, philosophy like existentialism, nihilism, absurdism, stoicism, christianity, marxism, capitalism etc… and that's about it.
It's the few subjects I've read in the past years, I don't know much else aside of anciet/medieval history as well, mainly modern times and technology.
Write about a subject you always read about, even if it's daily/casual stuff.
>>36819
Read about how to write fiction, since they are mostly about narrative; so start to read guides and more fiction books and read reviews/analyze all the elements of the book.
Read about how to write fiction, since they are mostly about narrative; so start to read guides and more fiction books and read reviews/analyze all the elements of the book.
All there is comes from one true will
God made it all, and he can't be wrong
It is beautiful when man fares ill
There is silence in every song
God made it all, and he can't be wrong
It is beautiful when man fares ill
There is silence in every song
>>37404
Getting feedback also plays a big part in it. But knowing where to go to get feedback is the problem.
Getting feedback also plays a big part in it. But knowing where to go to get feedback is the problem.
>>37404
That's a hard question to answer. Writing is complicated as a creative form since it's so closely related to the non-creative uses of language. I can only speak for writing prose, which I've been practicing for the last five years.
The most important thing to do is read other stories and understand why they work. I've met voracious readers who couldn't write a decent paragraph because they never pay attention. Once you learn to identify specific techniques and stylistic choices, it's easy to apply them to your own work. Sentence rhythm, story beats, pacing, the use of contrasting sensory details, chapter length, character development, dialogue tags… it takes a lot of careful reading to develop your eye for these things. The amount of tricks you can learn from a single novel is too much for non-autists to remember, so it takes a certain amount of conditioning.
The second most important thing is to write constantly and actually enjoy it. This allows you to apply that taste of yours to your own work. Think of it like a chef understanding how each seasoning and ingredient changes the flavor. Of course, you can't be too prescriptive. This is, after all, a creative endeavor. What most successful authors do is bash together a bunch of story elements and writing styles and pass off their creation as 'new.' This becomes especially apparent when you read the predecessors of your favorite authors.
I spent the last two years writing a fantasy novel, but it appears to be a failure. Not a single agent has read more than my query letter and sample chapter. Soon I'll be homeless but I'll try to keep writing my new novel. This one is a bit more in line with what the market wants, but still carries my special brand of weirdness. Dark days ahead, but this is literally the only skill I have. If I fail again I'll probably kill myself.
That's a hard question to answer. Writing is complicated as a creative form since it's so closely related to the non-creative uses of language. I can only speak for writing prose, which I've been practicing for the last five years.
The most important thing to do is read other stories and understand why they work. I've met voracious readers who couldn't write a decent paragraph because they never pay attention. Once you learn to identify specific techniques and stylistic choices, it's easy to apply them to your own work. Sentence rhythm, story beats, pacing, the use of contrasting sensory details, chapter length, character development, dialogue tags… it takes a lot of careful reading to develop your eye for these things. The amount of tricks you can learn from a single novel is too much for non-autists to remember, so it takes a certain amount of conditioning.
The second most important thing is to write constantly and actually enjoy it. This allows you to apply that taste of yours to your own work. Think of it like a chef understanding how each seasoning and ingredient changes the flavor. Of course, you can't be too prescriptive. This is, after all, a creative endeavor. What most successful authors do is bash together a bunch of story elements and writing styles and pass off their creation as 'new.' This becomes especially apparent when you read the predecessors of your favorite authors.
I spent the last two years writing a fantasy novel, but it appears to be a failure. Not a single agent has read more than my query letter and sample chapter. Soon I'll be homeless but I'll try to keep writing my new novel. This one is a bit more in line with what the market wants, but still carries my special brand of weirdness. Dark days ahead, but this is literally the only skill I have. If I fail again I'll probably kill myself.
>>37494
You seem very determined - something i extremely lack. I want to write, but something stops me, i don't know what. Fear of failure, i guess.
Whats your novel about?
You seem very determined - something i extremely lack. I want to write, but something stops me, i don't know what. Fear of failure, i guess.
Whats your novel about?
File: 1497998538266.jpg (20.64 KB, 242x359, 242:359, Henry.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
>>37501
>You seem very determined - something i extremely lack. I want to write, but something stops me, i don't know what. Fear of failure, i guess.
(Not the poster you are responding to, for the record)
I get like that too, part of it is commonplace general lack of willpower I must admit, but when I do get a bit of willpower yet still feel stopped for reasons like fear of failure or because it's not what any publisher would consider worthy, I go and read up on my inspiration for writing at all: Henry Darger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger
Probable wizard recluse who wrote a 15k page long fantasy epic over decades (and other works besides), and illustrated it in various ways. Didn't care if his style wasn't what people wanted, or wasn't "the correct way to write", never showed it to anybody, it was done for himself by himself because it was the story he wanted to tell. It was only found by his landlords around the time of his death.
I don't write consistently these days, but when I do work on the bits of this one thing, the life and work of good old Henry inspires me. I aim to keep in mind that I shouldn't care how fragmented, out of the norm or "incorrect" my methods are, I just have to keep in mind that this is what I want write and how I want it done and damn the imposed constraints by publishers and others who are chiefly concerned with how to turn a profit. I can only speak for myself, but my writing has got to be mostly for myself or I'd have given up even thinking about any of it long ago.
>You seem very determined - something i extremely lack. I want to write, but something stops me, i don't know what. Fear of failure, i guess.
(Not the poster you are responding to, for the record)
I get like that too, part of it is commonplace general lack of willpower I must admit, but when I do get a bit of willpower yet still feel stopped for reasons like fear of failure or because it's not what any publisher would consider worthy, I go and read up on my inspiration for writing at all: Henry Darger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger
Probable wizard recluse who wrote a 15k page long fantasy epic over decades (and other works besides), and illustrated it in various ways. Didn't care if his style wasn't what people wanted, or wasn't "the correct way to write", never showed it to anybody, it was done for himself by himself because it was the story he wanted to tell. It was only found by his landlords around the time of his death.
I don't write consistently these days, but when I do work on the bits of this one thing, the life and work of good old Henry inspires me. I aim to keep in mind that I shouldn't care how fragmented, out of the norm or "incorrect" my methods are, I just have to keep in mind that this is what I want write and how I want it done and damn the imposed constraints by publishers and others who are chiefly concerned with how to turn a profit. I can only speak for myself, but my writing has got to be mostly for myself or I'd have given up even thinking about any of it long ago.
>>37501
I'd rather not share details about my novel on here as I'm still trying to get it published, and I fear the wrath of the SJW hordes.
My determination comes from desperation and wholly dedicating my life to becoming a professional author. I've made a lot of sacrifices along the way and there's no rewards in sight. It'll be years more before anything comes from this. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't get into the hobby for the sake of social or financial payoff.
Learning to write regularly is a lot like getting regular exercise. At first you have a small gas tank, but the longer you work at it, the easier it gets. The hardest part is overcoming your apprehension. The second hardest is realizing that writing is a legitimate skill. Someone without the right skill cannot paint a brush stroke, strum a chord, or throw a real punch. The same goes for writing a sentence. Unless you set absurdly high standards for yourself, the only real failure is never trying.
>>37503
Tbh I wish I approached writing like this instead of targeting a commercial audience. It's the Emily Dickinson way, to create for yourself and survive. But I was drawn in by the freedoms a professional author has. The ability to live anywhere and wake up any time. It's like becoming an Ascended NEET. Now it's too late to turn back.
I'd rather not share details about my novel on here as I'm still trying to get it published, and I fear the wrath of the SJW hordes.
My determination comes from desperation and wholly dedicating my life to becoming a professional author. I've made a lot of sacrifices along the way and there's no rewards in sight. It'll be years more before anything comes from this. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't get into the hobby for the sake of social or financial payoff.
Learning to write regularly is a lot like getting regular exercise. At first you have a small gas tank, but the longer you work at it, the easier it gets. The hardest part is overcoming your apprehension. The second hardest is realizing that writing is a legitimate skill. Someone without the right skill cannot paint a brush stroke, strum a chord, or throw a real punch. The same goes for writing a sentence. Unless you set absurdly high standards for yourself, the only real failure is never trying.
>>37503
Tbh I wish I approached writing like this instead of targeting a commercial audience. It's the Emily Dickinson way, to create for yourself and survive. But I was drawn in by the freedoms a professional author has. The ability to live anywhere and wake up any time. It's like becoming an Ascended NEET. Now it's too late to turn back.
File: 1498064669498-0.pdf (130.72 KB, IntroFull.pdf)
File: 1498064669498-1.pdf (83.3 KB, Liber1of0Cost.pdf)
File: 1498064669498-2.pdf (115.41 KB, LiberLilith.pdf)
I'm currently writing a type of demonology / theology "thing" about Lilith. It's fun to write, but I do wonder if the occultists will hate it, since it kind of shits all over their "craft". I also wonder if anybody's going to read it, since it is a little on the long and overly detailed side.
>>37503
He wasn't even aware succubi had vaginas, he was definitely a wizard, and my favorite real life wizard as well. I always admired his reclusivity even after a shitty childhood as a runaway orphan, mode of production(from watercolors to collages of magazine cutouts) and his worldbuilding, just uniquely mashed between his interests in Catholicism, the American Civil War, and classic little-succubus-in-fantasy-world stories. Amazed we don't have a banner for him.
Pains me to think that if he was born a century later, he would probably give up writing after being mocked by normies on the internet(he'd probably be into moe anime characters too), but then again, he probably never cared what others thought of him. His own autobiography was more about a tornado than it was about himself.
He wasn't even aware succubi had vaginas, he was definitely a wizard, and my favorite real life wizard as well. I always admired his reclusivity even after a shitty childhood as a runaway orphan, mode of production(from watercolors to collages of magazine cutouts) and his worldbuilding, just uniquely mashed between his interests in Catholicism, the American Civil War, and classic little-succubus-in-fantasy-world stories. Amazed we don't have a banner for him.
Pains me to think that if he was born a century later, he would probably give up writing after being mocked by normies on the internet(he'd probably be into moe anime characters too), but then again, he probably never cared what others thought of him. His own autobiography was more about a tornado than it was about himself.
>>37523
I can guarantee to you that you're making a mistake waiting for a publisher. You should simply self-publish on Amazon. Putting a book up for free is a sure way of getting large numbers of downloads and more favourable reviews, then as interests increases you can put a price on it, or use that as proof to publishers. In this day and age that counts as risk mitigation, which is the number one priority in the business.
I can guarantee to you that you're making a mistake waiting for a publisher. You should simply self-publish on Amazon. Putting a book up for free is a sure way of getting large numbers of downloads and more favourable reviews, then as interests increases you can put a price on it, or use that as proof to publishers. In this day and age that counts as risk mitigation, which is the number one priority in the business.
Sometimes I get urge to write something, maybe a short story or something. Problem is, I'm not sure wether I shouldd write in my mother tongue, or English, which would be a second language that I'm not really fluent in. Which language to choose?
>>37763
Writing in english will improve your english. So if you want to improve your english choose english.
You could also use both languages if you really wanted too, which would be cool.
Writing in english will improve your english. So if you want to improve your english choose english.
You could also use both languages if you really wanted too, which would be cool.
>>37763
depends, really. If you want more readers, I would go with the more popular and accessible language like English unless you already have a readerbase with your mother tongue
depends, really. If you want more readers, I would go with the more popular and accessible language like English unless you already have a readerbase with your mother tongue
>>37523
I feel your pain anon. I've also been trying to get published for a few years now. About eighteen months ago an agent requested a full manuscript of my strange, dark comedy novel that I thought practically no one would like. When he agreed to represent me and sent the novel off to four major publishers, I actually let myself believe it was going to happen. Of course, all the publishers rejected it and the agent dropped me.
Since then I've continued working at writing, trying to get better. Comparing my current writing to what I did back then is like night and day, I'm so much better now. A while back I finished a really long, complicated novel I'd been working on for a while. I think I mentioned it somewhere in this thread, but I'm too depressed to go back and look. Anyway, it's either been rejected or ignored by pretty much every UK agent, so I guess that's another bomb.
About three weeks after submitting it, I got this back from one agent:
> You write well, and I congratulate you on finishing a long novel (not to mention your earlier efforts) at an age when there are so many other distractions.
> The setting may be familiar – the country house with the missing host – but your take on it is distinctive. However – you know there is usually a “but” or a “however” – I think your plot may be too complicated, and its details too dense, to retain the attention of today’s impatient readers, and in this harsh climate, when editors (and agents) are being even more boringly cautious than usual, especially where new historical novelists are concerned, I just don’t think we’d succeed in selling your work.
>Of course all judgements in this business are entirely subjective, so don’t be discouraged. Sorry to disappoint you, and good luck anyway.
Every time I submit I always get a 'non-generic' rejection like this from somebody. I wish I didn't, because it inspires me to keep going.
I want to believe that there's nothing wrong with my writing and that the rejection is purely because my style isn't commercial enough, but of course that's just wishful thinking. There may be some truth to it, and that's even more depressing - no matter how hard I work or how much I improve, they'll never again be a market for the sort of things I want to write. It depresses me how almost every agency is staffed by succubi looking for cheap romance crap or feminist stuff, and very few people care about the sort of genuinely literary stuff that would easily have got published 50 years ago.
The thing is, I don't care about the money or the fame - neither of those things are likely outcomes of being an author anyway. It sounds pathetic, but I honestly just want my writing to be read and enjoyed by someone. I don't want praise, just to make someone laugh or think for a little while. Maybe I've just been isolated for so long that I'm starting to feel like a ghost and I need someone to acknowledge me, even in the meekest way possible. If some publisher were willing to sell my novel but pay be no advance and only a pittance of the sales, I'd agree. Vanity publishing is the only thing I won't do - it defeats the point.
I'm starting to think about doing what >>37612 suggested, since the money doesn't matter to me. I've got a couple of completed novels that could probably be whipped into shape for publication on amazon. I thought I could also write a dumb wordpress blog about thoughts I have, which may or may not be so incoherent that nobody can understand them. I started doing both these things before, but gave up when nobody read the novels, and I couldn't think of anything to put on the blog, ad the anxiety over people reading what I did write made me sick. Maybe I'll stick with it this time.
I suppose eventually the rejection will get to me and I will give up on this. I was starting to feel like that for a while, but then I had a new idea and started work on that. I wish I could give up, because I really don't enjoy writing, I just do it because I'm compelled to do so.
Sorry for the long blog post. Today my novel was rejected by the guy who was interested in my earlier attempt, and part of me had been banking on him being interested in this too, and I'm pretty crushed. I should know better than to get my hopes up.
I feel your pain anon. I've also been trying to get published for a few years now. About eighteen months ago an agent requested a full manuscript of my strange, dark comedy novel that I thought practically no one would like. When he agreed to represent me and sent the novel off to four major publishers, I actually let myself believe it was going to happen. Of course, all the publishers rejected it and the agent dropped me.
Since then I've continued working at writing, trying to get better. Comparing my current writing to what I did back then is like night and day, I'm so much better now. A while back I finished a really long, complicated novel I'd been working on for a while. I think I mentioned it somewhere in this thread, but I'm too depressed to go back and look. Anyway, it's either been rejected or ignored by pretty much every UK agent, so I guess that's another bomb.
About three weeks after submitting it, I got this back from one agent:
> You write well, and I congratulate you on finishing a long novel (not to mention your earlier efforts) at an age when there are so many other distractions.
> The setting may be familiar – the country house with the missing host – but your take on it is distinctive. However – you know there is usually a “but” or a “however” – I think your plot may be too complicated, and its details too dense, to retain the attention of today’s impatient readers, and in this harsh climate, when editors (and agents) are being even more boringly cautious than usual, especially where new historical novelists are concerned, I just don’t think we’d succeed in selling your work.
>Of course all judgements in this business are entirely subjective, so don’t be discouraged. Sorry to disappoint you, and good luck anyway.
Every time I submit I always get a 'non-generic' rejection like this from somebody. I wish I didn't, because it inspires me to keep going.
I want to believe that there's nothing wrong with my writing and that the rejection is purely because my style isn't commercial enough, but of course that's just wishful thinking. There may be some truth to it, and that's even more depressing - no matter how hard I work or how much I improve, they'll never again be a market for the sort of things I want to write. It depresses me how almost every agency is staffed by succubi looking for cheap romance crap or feminist stuff, and very few people care about the sort of genuinely literary stuff that would easily have got published 50 years ago.
The thing is, I don't care about the money or the fame - neither of those things are likely outcomes of being an author anyway. It sounds pathetic, but I honestly just want my writing to be read and enjoyed by someone. I don't want praise, just to make someone laugh or think for a little while. Maybe I've just been isolated for so long that I'm starting to feel like a ghost and I need someone to acknowledge me, even in the meekest way possible. If some publisher were willing to sell my novel but pay be no advance and only a pittance of the sales, I'd agree. Vanity publishing is the only thing I won't do - it defeats the point.
I'm starting to think about doing what >>37612 suggested, since the money doesn't matter to me. I've got a couple of completed novels that could probably be whipped into shape for publication on amazon. I thought I could also write a dumb wordpress blog about thoughts I have, which may or may not be so incoherent that nobody can understand them. I started doing both these things before, but gave up when nobody read the novels, and I couldn't think of anything to put on the blog, ad the anxiety over people reading what I did write made me sick. Maybe I'll stick with it this time.
I suppose eventually the rejection will get to me and I will give up on this. I was starting to feel like that for a while, but then I had a new idea and started work on that. I wish I could give up, because I really don't enjoy writing, I just do it because I'm compelled to do so.
Sorry for the long blog post. Today my novel was rejected by the guy who was interested in my earlier attempt, and part of me had been banking on him being interested in this too, and I'm pretty crushed. I should know better than to get my hopes up.
>>37795
Pretty much. I've read quite a few books and I got a rough idea of what works ad what doesn't. There's some obvious do and don'ts, which I think you pick up as you go. After reading back things I wrote 6 months or a year after, I find I notice a lot of bad things that I didn't pick up on before. I really don't know what else to do apart from this as far as improvement is concerned, sorry I can't give better advice.
The trouble is, I think that to go from decent writing to great writing, you probably need someone else with a lot of experience to critique your work and give you pointers. It's not even possible to objective when evaluating your stuff. Agents almost never give any critique though I have had occasional comments that were actually very useful.
The only options are to get a friend to a look at it (not possible for the obvious reasons), do a critique-for-critique on a writers website (getting comments from other people who have repeatedly failed to get published and have no real experience) or pay one of those companies that does copy editing. I'm considering the latter, because it's not that expensive to have one chapter analysed and could still be very helpful.
Pretty much. I've read quite a few books and I got a rough idea of what works ad what doesn't. There's some obvious do and don'ts, which I think you pick up as you go. After reading back things I wrote 6 months or a year after, I find I notice a lot of bad things that I didn't pick up on before. I really don't know what else to do apart from this as far as improvement is concerned, sorry I can't give better advice.
The trouble is, I think that to go from decent writing to great writing, you probably need someone else with a lot of experience to critique your work and give you pointers. It's not even possible to objective when evaluating your stuff. Agents almost never give any critique though I have had occasional comments that were actually very useful.
The only options are to get a friend to a look at it (not possible for the obvious reasons), do a critique-for-critique on a writers website (getting comments from other people who have repeatedly failed to get published and have no real experience) or pay one of those companies that does copy editing. I'm considering the latter, because it's not that expensive to have one chapter analysed and could still be very helpful.
Summer is the worse time for a Wizard,
normans forming gangs of roving bands.
Chads, succubi, incels, human-lizards,
prowl accross the scorching dessert lands.
Go to the beach and,
You'll. Eat. Sand.
Stay indoors and,
Use. A. Fan.
Autumn is the worse time for a Wizard.
There's a reason they call Autumn, Fall.
Tis the season with more expectations,
when life decides to kick you in the balls.
I'm tired of supporting you!
Get. A. Job.
Why don't you go back to school?
I'll. Be. Fun.
Winter is the worse time for a Wizard,
the relatives hit you like a blizzard.
Why don't you come downstairs?
Eat. With. Us.
Tell us all about yourself!
For. You. Must.
Spring is the best time for a Wizard,
stay inside while listening to the rain.
Close your eyes and rest upon your gizzard,
water washes away all your pain.
normans forming gangs of roving bands.
Chads, succubi, incels, human-lizards,
prowl accross the scorching dessert lands.
Go to the beach and,
You'll. Eat. Sand.
Stay indoors and,
Use. A. Fan.
Autumn is the worse time for a Wizard.
There's a reason they call Autumn, Fall.
Tis the season with more expectations,
when life decides to kick you in the balls.
I'm tired of supporting you!
Get. A. Job.
Why don't you go back to school?
I'll. Be. Fun.
Winter is the worse time for a Wizard,
the relatives hit you like a blizzard.
Why don't you come downstairs?
Eat. With. Us.
Tell us all about yourself!
For. You. Must.
Spring is the best time for a Wizard,
stay inside while listening to the rain.
Close your eyes and rest upon your gizzard,
water washes away all your pain.
File: 1499539227332.gif (369.02 KB, 267x200, 267:200, 1376395504010.gif) ImgOps iqdb
>>37822
I like your poem, Anonymage.
I like your poem, Anonymage.
>>37769
Hey, wiz, your book sounds interesting. By chance could you post all the ones you're proud of in this thread or something? I'm always looking for something good to read, and I think it would be quite nice to read something from a wizard.
Hey, wiz, your book sounds interesting. By chance could you post all the ones you're proud of in this thread or something? I'm always looking for something good to read, and I think it would be quite nice to read something from a wizard.
>>37827
Thanks for the interest wiz. I'm still waiting to hear back from some agents. I'm going to give it another month before considering it rejected.
After that, I plan to clean up a couple of my less-crap novels and put them on amazon for free. If I do that, I'll also post pdfs here for wizards to enjoy.
Thanks for the interest wiz. I'm still waiting to hear back from some agents. I'm going to give it another month before considering it rejected.
After that, I plan to clean up a couple of my less-crap novels and put them on amazon for free. If I do that, I'll also post pdfs here for wizards to enjoy.
>>37834
We'll be looking forward to it. I can seldom motivate myself to read these days, but knowing that there are full literary works written by a wizard changes things.
We'll be looking forward to it. I can seldom motivate myself to read these days, but knowing that there are full literary works written by a wizard changes things.
The eyes, Violet
The lips, as well
On the chest, breasts
But over her heart
"I Play Normies Like Nintendo"
8-Bit Font
The soul weeps
The lips, as well
On the chest, breasts
But over her heart
"I Play Normies Like Nintendo"
8-Bit Font
The soul weeps
Where can learn how to start writing? I mean really back to basic school stuff. How to form a proper sentence, what a noun is and where to use a comma and all that. Is there a resource that drills these basic fundamentals into you before continuing into an actual writing course?
>>38404
>writing course
The basic syntax of the enlgish language can be learn through any of these e-learning sites like youtube or khan academy for free. Poesis however cannot be taught. The best way to "learn"it however, if you do not possess talent, is through imitation. Read novels that are similar to the writing style you wish to develop then write stories similar to those stories. Read tragedies if you want to write tragedies, read pulp if you want to write pulp, and so on so forth.
>writing course
The basic syntax of the enlgish language can be learn through any of these e-learning sites like youtube or khan academy for free. Poesis however cannot be taught. The best way to "learn"it however, if you do not possess talent, is through imitation. Read novels that are similar to the writing style you wish to develop then write stories similar to those stories. Read tragedies if you want to write tragedies, read pulp if you want to write pulp, and so on so forth.
just an OC "poem" that may be better suited to /dep/:
Life Among Apes
In a tribe of apes with little food
One finds a cliff and
Jumps off
The others now have more to eat
And they don't even know why
Life Among Apes
In a tribe of apes with little food
One finds a cliff and
Jumps off
The others now have more to eat
And they don't even know why
anybody here have any experience with freelance writing as a job?
thinking about doing this with a pen name, I know some employers and websites don't like that but I have a really autistic name (thanks mom and dad) and I want something more "marketable" and easy to remember. Also I hear that just having a wordpress blog is enough as a portfolio these days, no degree needed. I wonder if the blog topic matters or if they just care that you can write in an accessible manner. Probably going to do shitty jobs until something livable, but at least I'm getting paid
copywriting, technical writing, I am just so sick of my current conditions right now and would prefer doing something at least tolerable like writing bullshit for normies
thinking about doing this with a pen name, I know some employers and websites don't like that but I have a really autistic name (thanks mom and dad) and I want something more "marketable" and easy to remember. Also I hear that just having a wordpress blog is enough as a portfolio these days, no degree needed. I wonder if the blog topic matters or if they just care that you can write in an accessible manner. Probably going to do shitty jobs until something livable, but at least I'm getting paid
copywriting, technical writing, I am just so sick of my current conditions right now and would prefer doing something at least tolerable like writing bullshit for normies
Anyone have tips on how to structure/format a script for a comic?
Total noob at writing fiction but figured I should finally put whats in my head down somewhere.
I am used to writing mainly technical documents and research analysis. So this is all outside of my comfort zone.
Total noob at writing fiction but figured I should finally put whats in my head down somewhere.
I am used to writing mainly technical documents and research analysis. So this is all outside of my comfort zone.
>>39722
It depend on how closely you want the "script" to be to the comic you have in mind.
You could just write a draft of the story, main events, some dialogues and collect images from different sources of the scenarios and characters…
You can directly write a story in form of novel, or a script, like if it was a theater play. You could also draw a storyboard, that is the closest document to the comic itself… where you describe each single panel and the reading flow.
I recommend you to start with something you feel comfortable. After all, if you aim too high at the beginning you are not going to make it.
Note that you can start with a draft and then, iteratively transform such draft into a novel, then a play, and finally a storyboard. Of course, jump the steps you feel you don't need.
It depend on how closely you want the "script" to be to the comic you have in mind.
You could just write a draft of the story, main events, some dialogues and collect images from different sources of the scenarios and characters…
You can directly write a story in form of novel, or a script, like if it was a theater play. You could also draw a storyboard, that is the closest document to the comic itself… where you describe each single panel and the reading flow.
I recommend you to start with something you feel comfortable. After all, if you aim too high at the beginning you are not going to make it.
Note that you can start with a draft and then, iteratively transform such draft into a novel, then a play, and finally a storyboard. Of course, jump the steps you feel you don't need.
I write so I can figure out my philosophy and my personal outlook on various subjects, and questioning reality. But after writing a document and coming to the realization of what my philosophy is on the subject, I tend to think to myself, "I sorta knew it before, and now that I know it, it's so fucking simple that it doesn't even need it's own document."
I always end up deleting my work unless it's a fictional story or something.
I always end up deleting my work unless it's a fictional story or something.
>>39806
"Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."
Everything collapses down to simple drives and actions in the end. The fact is that if you align all your beliefs, values, drives, and motives you have aligned all the complexities to feel a certain way and to take certain actions in the world. It is the act of navigating all the complexities and addressing the dissonance, moving from one position to the other. And once you've made the move you forget what it was like to hold the position you held before, only accessible my exchanging ideas with someone who held that position before you so you can remember what it was like.>>39806
"Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."
Everything collapses down to simple drives and actions in the end. The fact is that if you align all your beliefs, values, drives, and motives you have aligned all the complexities to feel a certain way and to take certain actions in the world. It is the act of navigating all the complexities and addressing the dissonance, moving from one position to the other. And once you've made the move you forget what it was like to hold the position you held before, only accessible my exchanging ideas with someone who held that position before you so you can remember what it was like.>>39806
>>39810
Shit that's weird, your post felt like I typed it. I even use 'dissonance' the same way, as in cognitive dissonance, but I just dropped the dissonance.
The book Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday helped me a lot figuring out what I was doing with myself. I have a better idea now, "Simplicity is the Height of cultivation." - Bruce Lee
After I mulled over that book and started writing more of my own books, I realized that I've gotten to another level of satisfaction with writing without even realizing it. I'm still very afraid of anyone seeing my work, but there's no way to test it out but to test it out.
>>39806
>write to figure out philosophy
I do that too, then I ask more questions based on what I wrote out. Unfortunately, I've found that you can't escape reality. It was a big revelation to me in the end, and this got me into psychology and neuroscience more. Now I think I have a better idea of how to handle myself, but that doesn't magically make it any easier, I may be a wizard but casting spells is still hard work.
Shit that's weird, your post felt like I typed it. I even use 'dissonance' the same way, as in cognitive dissonance, but I just dropped the dissonance.
The book Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday helped me a lot figuring out what I was doing with myself. I have a better idea now, "Simplicity is the Height of cultivation." - Bruce Lee
After I mulled over that book and started writing more of my own books, I realized that I've gotten to another level of satisfaction with writing without even realizing it. I'm still very afraid of anyone seeing my work, but there's no way to test it out but to test it out.
>>39806
>write to figure out philosophy
I do that too, then I ask more questions based on what I wrote out. Unfortunately, I've found that you can't escape reality. It was a big revelation to me in the end, and this got me into psychology and neuroscience more. Now I think I have a better idea of how to handle myself, but that doesn't magically make it any easier, I may be a wizard but casting spells is still hard work.
>>32868
I used to write garbage """books""" in middle school and high school. filling dozens of pages of my notebooks, drawing maps and having a great time. It was the ultimate form of escapism. I can't do it anymore though, it's like my creativity is gone. I see cliches everywhere, I can't think of original ideas and the only thing I can write about the worlds in my head sounds like something out of a college textbook. I'm tired of consuming media, I just want produce something of my own
I used to write garbage """books""" in middle school and high school. filling dozens of pages of my notebooks, drawing maps and having a great time. It was the ultimate form of escapism. I can't do it anymore though, it's like my creativity is gone. I see cliches everywhere, I can't think of original ideas and the only thing I can write about the worlds in my head sounds like something out of a college textbook. I'm tired of consuming media, I just want produce something of my own
I have noticed something strange about myself.
When I use a big maximized window of a text editor my adhd kicks in and I can't get anything done.
When I use a small window that can hold maybe a small paragraph at a time I can write all day and stay relatively focused as long as I have mental energy to keep going.
Only after I have finished with a large chunk do I expand the window to edit, proof read, and revise. Once I need to write again I srink down the window and get to it.
I don't understand why though. Wish I knew this trick in when I was in school.
When I use a big maximized window of a text editor my adhd kicks in and I can't get anything done.
When I use a small window that can hold maybe a small paragraph at a time I can write all day and stay relatively focused as long as I have mental energy to keep going.
Only after I have finished with a large chunk do I expand the window to edit, proof read, and revise. Once I need to write again I srink down the window and get to it.
I don't understand why though. Wish I knew this trick in when I was in school.
>>39952
creativity is just listening and appreciation. All you have to do is find someone or something you disagree with, read about it, and listen to your thoughts. Now you have more than enough ideas of what to write about.
>>40072
I do this too. I read some behavioral psychology lately, it's called Task Association. Even though it's on a computer screen, the visual of a smaller box let's you imagine that it less of a big deal, lets you focus on less words at a time. This helped me get lots of journaling done. I think I probably learned it from posting on imageboards for so long, I feel more comfortable writing a huge response on the imageboards rather than on some notepad. I didn't start writing on the computer until I was 29, had to start myself off with pen and paper just to calm my perfectionism down.
Another trick I learned is to reduce decision making. The more you think about what you're going to do, the more you engage the decision making part of your mind, which inevitably leads back into procrastination within a small time span. So, if you really want something done, do stuff to trap yourself into doing only that one thing. This is how I ended up getting myself to save money from time to time, I withdraw from the bank and stick it in a paper envelope to keep it away from me.
creativity is just listening and appreciation. All you have to do is find someone or something you disagree with, read about it, and listen to your thoughts. Now you have more than enough ideas of what to write about.
>>40072
I do this too. I read some behavioral psychology lately, it's called Task Association. Even though it's on a computer screen, the visual of a smaller box let's you imagine that it less of a big deal, lets you focus on less words at a time. This helped me get lots of journaling done. I think I probably learned it from posting on imageboards for so long, I feel more comfortable writing a huge response on the imageboards rather than on some notepad. I didn't start writing on the computer until I was 29, had to start myself off with pen and paper just to calm my perfectionism down.
Another trick I learned is to reduce decision making. The more you think about what you're going to do, the more you engage the decision making part of your mind, which inevitably leads back into procrastination within a small time span. So, if you really want something done, do stuff to trap yourself into doing only that one thing. This is how I ended up getting myself to save money from time to time, I withdraw from the bank and stick it in a paper envelope to keep it away from me.
hope is coming this way
just beyond the horizon
for all these past years
its been one month away
not this, but the next,
and when the next comes,
it will repeat, a big lie
they tell it to our faces
they feed us fresh dreams
try to feel anything else
without a reason to live
how can we stand to go on
with only hope in the day
im free of present pains
my life now is a fantasy
just beyond the horizon
for all these past years
its been one month away
not this, but the next,
and when the next comes,
it will repeat, a big lie
they tell it to our faces
they feed us fresh dreams
try to feel anything else
without a reason to live
how can we stand to go on
with only hope in the day
im free of present pains
my life now is a fantasy
as then once again hatred songs
come spill out my head so wrong
trying to stop this all
futile sense of meaning
what lives on to breed
and its bitter parts forever
my fears take on walking forms
each surrounds me as ill sleep
and once awake they dig inside
let my self be a poison
if it was fed by others
with this i know i cannot hide
and my fate is known, it ends
no success ever felt
no praise one desires
nothing true to call ones own
disappointment in other's eyes
shame swells within my chest
im sure this loathing will pass
yet for now ill hate my self
i pray for a solution
anything would be okay
this life im only supported
unable to stand myself upright
when down like this i see
it's impossible to fail and
theres no difference in falling
when you crawl around to exist
come spill out my head so wrong
trying to stop this all
futile sense of meaning
what lives on to breed
and its bitter parts forever
my fears take on walking forms
each surrounds me as ill sleep
and once awake they dig inside
let my self be a poison
if it was fed by others
with this i know i cannot hide
and my fate is known, it ends
no success ever felt
no praise one desires
nothing true to call ones own
disappointment in other's eyes
shame swells within my chest
im sure this loathing will pass
yet for now ill hate my self
i pray for a solution
anything would be okay
this life im only supported
unable to stand myself upright
when down like this i see
it's impossible to fail and
theres no difference in falling
when you crawl around to exist
Too many ideas in my head. I start writing one story, get an idea for another, and start writing that. Might have to force myself to write each one by one at this point.
>>40373
That's the idea guy syndrome. You beat that by putting all your ideas into the same story, it worked for me.
That's the idea guy syndrome. You beat that by putting all your ideas into the same story, it worked for me.
i want to write an action serial and i've never read an action novel in my life.
as it stands, the only action writing i'd be able to do, the only thing that makes sense to me, is going into extremely graphic detail.
like describe exactly what hit where and use medical and anatomical explanations of the damage inside and out.
which i don't know. that'd be cool for me but i doubt anyone would want to read 5000 of those. i want this to be a lifetime project, i want to write a new story once a week if possible.
i don't know what to do.
as it stands, the only action writing i'd be able to do, the only thing that makes sense to me, is going into extremely graphic detail.
like describe exactly what hit where and use medical and anatomical explanations of the damage inside and out.
which i don't know. that'd be cool for me but i doubt anyone would want to read 5000 of those. i want this to be a lifetime project, i want to write a new story once a week if possible.
i don't know what to do.
>>40380
The problem is that all the ideas I have take place in one world, but during drastically different time periods so some of them wouldn't make much sense. There's also the problem that it jumps from high fantasy to science fantasy.
I decided to take a break from those ideas and try and write a snippet for one unrelated to it.
>>40384
This might be the obvious thing to say, but just start writing. You can always edit things and you'll get better have repeatedly doing it. If you're able to get feedback then take advantage of that as well. It also wouldn't hurt to read some well regarded action novels to see how those authors wrote them. I'm not that great, but I'd say if you're describing action scenes with medical/anatomical explanation you're going to lose people and the scene will just drag on longer than it needs to.
The problem is that all the ideas I have take place in one world, but during drastically different time periods so some of them wouldn't make much sense. There's also the problem that it jumps from high fantasy to science fantasy.
I decided to take a break from those ideas and try and write a snippet for one unrelated to it.
>>40384
This might be the obvious thing to say, but just start writing. You can always edit things and you'll get better have repeatedly doing it. If you're able to get feedback then take advantage of that as well. It also wouldn't hurt to read some well regarded action novels to see how those authors wrote them. I'm not that great, but I'd say if you're describing action scenes with medical/anatomical explanation you're going to lose people and the scene will just drag on longer than it needs to.
>>40401
>all the ideas I have take place in one world, but during drastically different time periods
The application of anachronism in literature is legitimate. You just have to apply it well, and to be able to tie everything together, regardless of the clashing aspects.
>all the ideas I have take place in one world, but during drastically different time periods
The application of anachronism in literature is legitimate. You just have to apply it well, and to be able to tie everything together, regardless of the clashing aspects.
poem
a question has my mind sold
how can we live, if we fear getting old?
How can we live if mistakes are not made?
When in essence, those mistakes eventually fade?
Yet the lessons to you they lend
until the very end
a question has my mind sold
how can we live, if we fear getting old?
How can we live if mistakes are not made?
When in essence, those mistakes eventually fade?
Yet the lessons to you they lend
until the very end
here's one of my poems
crushing loneliness in my heart
life of sorrow
life of regret
my friend the needle is always there
entrapped in this prison
tortured souls born to wither away
the uncaring god
and the monster that lurks inside
crushing loneliness in my heart
life of sorrow
life of regret
my friend the needle is always there
entrapped in this prison
tortured souls born to wither away
the uncaring god
and the monster that lurks inside
File: 1513291135210.jpg (338.19 KB, 1280x960, 4:3, 1497955096010-0.jpg) ImgOps iqdb
I've been thinking about trying to get some of my fiction published again. It's just depressing having ideas, writing stuff, working at it, and then having the finished product just sit there, never to be read. There's some online services that will distribute your ebook to all the major sites like amazon. I was just going to give my stuff away for free, it's possible with them. If I get my stuff out there, try and keep up a blog, there's a chance I could get for-real published down the line. But I can't summon the enthusiasm to actually go through with it. It's such a long shot, and such an emotionally gruelling (forgive the hyperbole) experience that I'm not prepared to deal with.
I just want to get for-real published. I think if I got a book published, I would instantly lose interest in this stupid hobby and then I'd finally be free of it. If not, at least I'd feel like I am wasting my time doing something I don't really enjoy. I've had some interest before, enough to keep me feeling like I actually have a shot but never actually going anywhere. I think I wrote about this before.
The problem is that the stuff I write may not be half bad, but it certainly isn't commercial, and that's all that counts in today's marketplace. There's one thing I haven't tried yet, and that's submitting to agents and to small publishing houses that only accept postal submissions. But I don't have a printer, and although I could use the one at work I'm scared a norm coworker will catch me printing and want to hear all about my writing hobby, and I'm scared to go to the post office to send the letters.
I couldn't even tell you why I want this so bad. Certainly I don't want to be famous, and I'm not really interested in money either. I can only surmise that my life as a ghost, entirely without achievement and without even personal satisfaction, is starting to get to me. Sometimes it's as if I don't exist at all. I don't think the human mind was prepared to deal with this shit. I should just go down the ebook path, and keep a blog to promote my stuff and write down all my crazy thoughts. At least that way I might attract the sort of people who would actually like my stuff, and get a couple of nice comments to make me feel better about my ghostly life.
Anyway, it's too close to Christmas to do anything now, so I have until January to not make up my mind about what to do.
Sorry for the massive blog-post/rant. I'm so fed up with this. I only started this bullshit for something to do, but it seems I'm so fucked up I can't even have a stupid hobby without it getting out of hand. Stick a fork in me, I'm fucking done.
I just want to get for-real published. I think if I got a book published, I would instantly lose interest in this stupid hobby and then I'd finally be free of it. If not, at least I'd feel like I am wasting my time doing something I don't really enjoy. I've had some interest before, enough to keep me feeling like I actually have a shot but never actually going anywhere. I think I wrote about this before.
The problem is that the stuff I write may not be half bad, but it certainly isn't commercial, and that's all that counts in today's marketplace. There's one thing I haven't tried yet, and that's submitting to agents and to small publishing houses that only accept postal submissions. But I don't have a printer, and although I could use the one at work I'm scared a norm coworker will catch me printing and want to hear all about my writing hobby, and I'm scared to go to the post office to send the letters.
I couldn't even tell you why I want this so bad. Certainly I don't want to be famous, and I'm not really interested in money either. I can only surmise that my life as a ghost, entirely without achievement and without even personal satisfaction, is starting to get to me. Sometimes it's as if I don't exist at all. I don't think the human mind was prepared to deal with this shit. I should just go down the ebook path, and keep a blog to promote my stuff and write down all my crazy thoughts. At least that way I might attract the sort of people who would actually like my stuff, and get a couple of nice comments to make me feel better about my ghostly life.
Anyway, it's too close to Christmas to do anything now, so I have until January to not make up my mind about what to do.
Sorry for the massive blog-post/rant. I'm so fed up with this. I only started this bullshit for something to do, but it seems I'm so fucked up I can't even have a stupid hobby without it getting out of hand. Stick a fork in me, I'm fucking done.
File: 1513292036354.pdf (118.83 KB, sample.pdf)
>>40823
What the hell, there's no use in being coy. Here's the first chapter of what I might dubiously term my magnum opus.
The whole thing is tangled web of paranoia and allusions to the bible and mythology. The main themes are duty, the loss of the past, dissatisfaction with the present and future, mental illness, and the loss of wonder and magic from life. Most of the characters aren't too wizardly but I think the general tone is. The story is convoluted but does make sense - however, according to the one literary agent who bothered to offer real feedback (>>37769) it's too complicated for dullard norms.
At 175k words it's probably also way too long. The sample chapter is 12k words, which would be about 15% of a normal length book. I know I've repeated myself at times, because I came up with three or four different ways to say the same thing and couldn't decide which was best, so they all ended up going at different points of the novel. A decent editor would probably hack away at it and make it much tighter, but I can't quite bring myself to do that. I recently cut about 2-3k words, but that was all I could manage. Plus I've still got the bad habit of telling rather than showing, though I have improved on this.
Anyway, you might like it, or not. If I ever do decide to upload the full thing somewhere I'll link to it here. It'll be free.
What the hell, there's no use in being coy. Here's the first chapter of what I might dubiously term my magnum opus.
The whole thing is tangled web of paranoia and allusions to the bible and mythology. The main themes are duty, the loss of the past, dissatisfaction with the present and future, mental illness, and the loss of wonder and magic from life. Most of the characters aren't too wizardly but I think the general tone is. The story is convoluted but does make sense - however, according to the one literary agent who bothered to offer real feedback (>>37769) it's too complicated for dullard norms.
At 175k words it's probably also way too long. The sample chapter is 12k words, which would be about 15% of a normal length book. I know I've repeated myself at times, because I came up with three or four different ways to say the same thing and couldn't decide which was best, so they all ended up going at different points of the novel. A decent editor would probably hack away at it and make it much tighter, but I can't quite bring myself to do that. I recently cut about 2-3k words, but that was all I could manage. Plus I've still got the bad habit of telling rather than showing, though I have improved on this.
Anyway, you might like it, or not. If I ever do decide to upload the full thing somewhere I'll link to it here. It'll be free.
File: 1513543678662.pdf (151.31 KB, the girl.pdf)
https://write.narwhal.space/ - link-aggregator for writing-related articles
If anyone is interested in an invite, request one with some note that you saw this on here and I'll send you one.
If anyone is interested in an invite, request one with some note that you saw this on here and I'll send you one.
>>33041
I'm very bad at writing, but I would say you could start with the dream thing, but instead as a analogy, whereas you make a dream seem more like reality instead of the opposite
I'm very bad at writing, but I would say you could start with the dream thing, but instead as a analogy, whereas you make a dream seem more like reality instead of the opposite
>What are you currently writing?
A visual description of a character in an MMORPG.
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
Proper sentence structuring, the sheer importance of starting early, not to overly embellish ones writing (still have a problem with the latter). I'm quite new to writing, as I've only written the odd short story - I'm more of a reader. :-)
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
Here's what I've got thus far:
Dwimmerbeard, the Gnome Wizard
"He was an eccentric, diminutive creature of the weefolk kind, barely standing at a three-foot's height. Many a name has been referred to the gnome, yet one stuck: and that was Dwimmerbeard, in regards to his proliferous beard that, (along with his matted hair), seemed to make up more of himself than his body did, and his flair for magic.
The wizard was veiled by the shadows of a pointy hat's wide brim, and his plump self was cloaked in gaudy, mismatched clothing that was bound together by a brown girdle, bearing pouches deep with knick-knacks, journals and a hotchpotch of items of arcane origins.
He oft-leant on an old walking stick, its yew-wood chipped and torn by the elements of his voyages. Etched into the shaft were tangled scrollwork and Gnomish inscriptions, and stuck atop its tip was a luminous ball, bearing quaint dwimmer, swirling about in the bauble's confines."
I find this character to be quite interesting. I'm planning for him to be a wandering wizard, spinning tantalizing tales of high adventure to eventually whisk away laymen and heroes alike to grand voyages to reclaim someone's stolen treasure, or to vanquish a beast.
Why I linked a description of my character in a video game instead of showing off one of my short stories is because I'm way too shy, and I've lost quite a chunk of them after my old computer died.
>What are you fond of writing and why?
Happy high fantasy, as I enjoy escapism. I've also got a soft spot in my heart for fairytales for some reason: it makes me all giddy and comfy.
A visual description of a character in an MMORPG.
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
Proper sentence structuring, the sheer importance of starting early, not to overly embellish ones writing (still have a problem with the latter). I'm quite new to writing, as I've only written the odd short story - I'm more of a reader. :-)
>How do you feel about your characters? What are they like?
Here's what I've got thus far:
Dwimmerbeard, the Gnome Wizard
"He was an eccentric, diminutive creature of the weefolk kind, barely standing at a three-foot's height. Many a name has been referred to the gnome, yet one stuck: and that was Dwimmerbeard, in regards to his proliferous beard that, (along with his matted hair), seemed to make up more of himself than his body did, and his flair for magic.
The wizard was veiled by the shadows of a pointy hat's wide brim, and his plump self was cloaked in gaudy, mismatched clothing that was bound together by a brown girdle, bearing pouches deep with knick-knacks, journals and a hotchpotch of items of arcane origins.
He oft-leant on an old walking stick, its yew-wood chipped and torn by the elements of his voyages. Etched into the shaft were tangled scrollwork and Gnomish inscriptions, and stuck atop its tip was a luminous ball, bearing quaint dwimmer, swirling about in the bauble's confines."
I find this character to be quite interesting. I'm planning for him to be a wandering wizard, spinning tantalizing tales of high adventure to eventually whisk away laymen and heroes alike to grand voyages to reclaim someone's stolen treasure, or to vanquish a beast.
Why I linked a description of my character in a video game instead of showing off one of my short stories is because I'm way too shy, and I've lost quite a chunk of them after my old computer died.
>What are you fond of writing and why?
Happy high fantasy, as I enjoy escapism. I've also got a soft spot in my heart for fairytales for some reason: it makes me all giddy and comfy.
I'm thinking of starting a wordpress to have somewhere to throw up my shitty short stories.
So what is the best way to get into writing as a regular hobby rather then a utilitarian tool?
I have tried writing for fun and just come up with random cool scenes with minimal dialog and completely unrelated to each other or a bigger narrative. It is what I seem to make every time I open a fresh document. Resides me of when I dabbled in electronic music but only could make loops rather then full songs.
I have tried writing for fun and just come up with random cool scenes with minimal dialog and completely unrelated to each other or a bigger narrative. It is what I seem to make every time I open a fresh document. Resides me of when I dabbled in electronic music but only could make loops rather then full songs.
>What are you currently writing?
These past couple weeks I’ve been working on 3 fanfics, 93 pages of those. A 15 page original last week because I wanted a sex scene that got out of control. Started a new 3 page short story that started in a nonsexual version of the other one. So 110 pages in two weeks if I math right.
I’ve been editing for friends lately.
Been trying to force myself to work on one of my original stories a bit. Writing fake histories and shit.
Also salvaging bits from my old 1500 page mess to eventually transplant into other stories. Scavenging words is boring so it’s taking a while.
I like to stay a busy little spelling bee.
These past couple weeks I’ve been working on 3 fanfics, 93 pages of those. A 15 page original last week because I wanted a sex scene that got out of control. Started a new 3 page short story that started in a nonsexual version of the other one. So 110 pages in two weeks if I math right.
I’ve been editing for friends lately.
Been trying to force myself to work on one of my original stories a bit. Writing fake histories and shit.
Also salvaging bits from my old 1500 page mess to eventually transplant into other stories. Scavenging words is boring so it’s taking a while.
I like to stay a busy little spelling bee.
>>41569
Holy fuck I wish I could actually get beyond the intro of a story without getting fed up with it and writing a completely new one or going onto another story before I get fed up with that one and going back.
Holy fuck I wish I could actually get beyond the intro of a story without getting fed up with it and writing a completely new one or going onto another story before I get fed up with that one and going back.
>>41474
>>41561
The best way is to continue writing. I'm an expert procrastinator, right now from your post you sound like you don't have any bigger goal like a story, so don't start there. You have to discover why you're writing and what you want to write, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels asking others for advice and then proceeding to ignore whatever they told you. The whole point of a creative endevour is that it comes from your creative sensibilities. Take everything you like the most and pair down what you like about it, and now you have writing that is entirely about what you like.
Journal writing is pretty important too as that gives you a consistent way to express emotions in relation to real things. I used imageboards for years to write, so I learned that most writing is throwaway, so when I started saving all my stuff in a journal it felt more important.
Saying I would put everything into my story helped too. When writing I would mention how I was feeling through the character or situation, that got me more connected to my work.
Currently I can't even read my own stuff because I already saw it before so I skip it. Hard to focus when I know my own writing isn't interesting to me.
>>41474
I used Royalroad because there was no way I was going to advertise my shit and the site at least gives people a chance of finding your stuff.
>>41561
The best way is to continue writing. I'm an expert procrastinator, right now from your post you sound like you don't have any bigger goal like a story, so don't start there. You have to discover why you're writing and what you want to write, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels asking others for advice and then proceeding to ignore whatever they told you. The whole point of a creative endevour is that it comes from your creative sensibilities. Take everything you like the most and pair down what you like about it, and now you have writing that is entirely about what you like.
Journal writing is pretty important too as that gives you a consistent way to express emotions in relation to real things. I used imageboards for years to write, so I learned that most writing is throwaway, so when I started saving all my stuff in a journal it felt more important.
Saying I would put everything into my story helped too. When writing I would mention how I was feeling through the character or situation, that got me more connected to my work.
Currently I can't even read my own stuff because I already saw it before so I skip it. Hard to focus when I know my own writing isn't interesting to me.
>>41474
I used Royalroad because there was no way I was going to advertise my shit and the site at least gives people a chance of finding your stuff.
>>41616
I was thinking about writing on Royalroad, but there were a lot of litrpgs and similar stories on there. Seems like my story would just get ignored for not falling in line with the demographic's tastes.
I was thinking about writing on Royalroad, but there were a lot of litrpgs and similar stories on there. Seems like my story would just get ignored for not falling in line with the demographic's tastes.
https://royalroadl.com/fiction/16526/shaded-pond/chapter/192380/well-11
I wrote something. Not really any of my past ideas I had in mind. It's just something I thought up a week ago and wrote. Better to actually try and write a story and fail than not write one at all and just hop from one idea to the next. I don't plan for this to be very long.
I wrote something. Not really any of my past ideas I had in mind. It's just something I thought up a week ago and wrote. Better to actually try and write a story and fail than not write one at all and just hop from one idea to the next. I don't plan for this to be very long.
>>41810
>>41791
read other people's books. Something written by good authors, but not mainstream or popular. Your writing I think, lacks a very small and ambiguously defined thing. Interest.
It seems like there are two people talking about something, it seems like it starts en media res, or whatever.
But it seems banal. You mimic form, but not understanding of why authors start in media res.
I was reading a book where a succubus is walking, looks at a wall, mouths something and leaves. A man sees this, looks at the wall and discovers a notice posted on this bland wall.
"Engineer M. S. Lo's invites people willing to fly with him on the 18th of august to Mars for further interview from 6-8pm. Zhdanovsk Riverside, housing complex 11, near the park"
This is a masterfully crafted start to a decent book [i]because[i/] it writes the extraordinary in such a mundane way. And the characters believe and react to reading this like they've seen and heard this a dozen times. the little hints with the date, time and place, the sheer deftness of this extraordinary statement and the fact that it's written and nailed to a wall like a lame bulletin about a lost cat is what really sells this book.
Don't try to copy how intros work, but understand what makes them successful.
>>41791
read other people's books. Something written by good authors, but not mainstream or popular. Your writing I think, lacks a very small and ambiguously defined thing. Interest.
It seems like there are two people talking about something, it seems like it starts en media res, or whatever.
But it seems banal. You mimic form, but not understanding of why authors start in media res.
I was reading a book where a succubus is walking, looks at a wall, mouths something and leaves. A man sees this, looks at the wall and discovers a notice posted on this bland wall.
"Engineer M. S. Lo's invites people willing to fly with him on the 18th of august to Mars for further interview from 6-8pm. Zhdanovsk Riverside, housing complex 11, near the park"
This is a masterfully crafted start to a decent book [i]because[i/] it writes the extraordinary in such a mundane way. And the characters believe and react to reading this like they've seen and heard this a dozen times. the little hints with the date, time and place, the sheer deftness of this extraordinary statement and the fact that it's written and nailed to a wall like a lame bulletin about a lost cat is what really sells this book.
Don't try to copy how intros work, but understand what makes them successful.
>>41811
I try to understand what makes intros in the stories tick, but when it comes to writing my own I just feel lost. For that story alone I probably wrote around 4 other openings that I ditched early on or saw how bad they were in hindsight and that's not going into the pile of intros for my other stories. Do you have any other examples of good openings?
I try to understand what makes intros in the stories tick, but when it comes to writing my own I just feel lost. For that story alone I probably wrote around 4 other openings that I ditched early on or saw how bad they were in hindsight and that's not going into the pile of intros for my other stories. Do you have any other examples of good openings?
>>41813
There was this one book I read a while ago, which started by a seemingly unrelated and comical death. This set a good indication of how the rest of the book was going to go.
Honestly I don't know. I don't read as much as I should. Just keep trying.
There was this one book I read a while ago, which started by a seemingly unrelated and comical death. This set a good indication of how the rest of the book was going to go.
Honestly I don't know. I don't read as much as I should. Just keep trying.
>>41813
I just heard the other day on Joe Rogan Experience with Jordan Peterson that when he was writing Maps of Meaning he would take a single sentence and cut it out, then redo it and rephrase it six different ways.
It took him 15 years to finish that book.
In my own experience writing the intro, middle, etc. are actually all the same thing. You're maintaining an illusion. It's more akin to a symphony than each part being good on it's own. I began to understand that satisfaction in both writing and reading comes from creating a harmony from the chaos of words. When I made a passage that felt it couldn't be put anywhere else, written in any other story and existed solely for the context of the imagination I tried to convey, then I felt satisfied.
In that sense I believe that an intro is best written last. It's so that you understand what the future of the story is before you write it, an intro should have that sort of clairvoyance about it.
I just heard the other day on Joe Rogan Experience with Jordan Peterson that when he was writing Maps of Meaning he would take a single sentence and cut it out, then redo it and rephrase it six different ways.
It took him 15 years to finish that book.
In my own experience writing the intro, middle, etc. are actually all the same thing. You're maintaining an illusion. It's more akin to a symphony than each part being good on it's own. I began to understand that satisfaction in both writing and reading comes from creating a harmony from the chaos of words. When I made a passage that felt it couldn't be put anywhere else, written in any other story and existed solely for the context of the imagination I tried to convey, then I felt satisfied.
In that sense I believe that an intro is best written last. It's so that you understand what the future of the story is before you write it, an intro should have that sort of clairvoyance about it.
>>41815
Well, you made me realize my other problem. Figuring out where to take the story at all. Which is the most counter productive thing when it comes to story telling. I know it's "Give your character something and put obstacles in their path" but when your character wants something abstract/isn't obtainable then it just makes things difficult.
Well, you made me realize my other problem. Figuring out where to take the story at all. Which is the most counter productive thing when it comes to story telling. I know it's "Give your character something and put obstacles in their path" but when your character wants something abstract/isn't obtainable then it just makes things difficult.
>>41827
Then you show what the struggle looks like. Figuring out what the character wants is part of the process as well, I think it's better if you don't have the character 'finished' as the evolution of the characters thinking has a chance to be more organic. Thinking about it as story telling isn't a good idea until after you have the second draft done.
Then you show what the struggle looks like. Figuring out what the character wants is part of the process as well, I think it's better if you don't have the character 'finished' as the evolution of the characters thinking has a chance to be more organic. Thinking about it as story telling isn't a good idea until after you have the second draft done.
Going to try and write three different intros to one of my oldest story ideas I've had since I was young. Hopefully I'll be done by Wednesday.
>>41816
he's basically some professor (and psychologist?) who sort of does philosophy lectures about mundane things. he's interested in mythology and religion and incorporates it into his talks. he views the answer to life's suffering as a heroic overcoming and everyone trying to make the world better. a lot of his lectures from the years were recorded and added to youtube, somehow he became popular with an imageboard or something for refusing to use someone's preferred pronouns in university. the recent popularity meant he could start a bunch of things, one of them being a patreon, and he talked once about cleaning your room as an answer to making an easy connection to beauty to ease your way into changing things about your life. it's now a meme to tell people to clean their room and ask for money, mimicking his behavior… that's all i've undrstood kind of half-assedly paying attention to what people posted here on wizchan.
he's basically some professor (and psychologist?) who sort of does philosophy lectures about mundane things. he's interested in mythology and religion and incorporates it into his talks. he views the answer to life's suffering as a heroic overcoming and everyone trying to make the world better. a lot of his lectures from the years were recorded and added to youtube, somehow he became popular with an imageboard or something for refusing to use someone's preferred pronouns in university. the recent popularity meant he could start a bunch of things, one of them being a patreon, and he talked once about cleaning your room as an answer to making an easy connection to beauty to ease your way into changing things about your life. it's now a meme to tell people to clean their room and ask for money, mimicking his behavior… that's all i've undrstood kind of half-assedly paying attention to what people posted here on wizchan.
https://pastebin.com/J5wSGb36
I'm just going to keep writing garbage until I figure something out. That seems to be the popular advice normans give.
I'm just going to keep writing garbage until I figure something out. That seems to be the popular advice normans give.
I'm writing a book about a self-absorbed intellectually 8 year old braggart who can barely even engage in conversation because he cares so little about others that he mutes them out, his brain doesn't process them as relevant information, and thinks of ways he can talk about himself more or plays off to the side, completing ignoring them.
and it's fucking hard. I've been writing the same two pages over and over trying to get it right and I just can't. All it is is him and another minor character walking a couple of miles and I don't know how to fill that in without the use of dialogue.
And it's going to become even harder because in the next chapter, I'm going to be introducing a character that's equally challenging to write dialogue for. A grumpy retarded old man that doesn't speak the language well.
I'd change the protagonist if I could. But I can't. I'm obsessed.
If you have some suggestion, I would be grateful. But I'm really just venting.
and it's fucking hard. I've been writing the same two pages over and over trying to get it right and I just can't. All it is is him and another minor character walking a couple of miles and I don't know how to fill that in without the use of dialogue.
And it's going to become even harder because in the next chapter, I'm going to be introducing a character that's equally challenging to write dialogue for. A grumpy retarded old man that doesn't speak the language well.
I'd change the protagonist if I could. But I can't. I'm obsessed.
If you have some suggestion, I would be grateful. But I'm really just venting.
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>>42004
Lead with the imagination not with the words. If you have an idea of what you want to convey then at least you have something to work with.
Lead with the imagination not with the words. If you have an idea of what you want to convey then at least you have something to work with.
>>42017
i just want to let you know that your reply pissed me off real bad and i've been thinking about it often since you wrote it.
this is the writer's equivalent of saying "just be yourself". it's completely meaningless and unhelpful. and i feel like you had absolutely nothing of value to add but felt the need to reply anyway, maybe you're the OP of the thread and felt an obligation, i'm not sure, so you just wrote basically nothing filler just to do so.
it was very normalfag of you.
i just want to let you know that your reply pissed me off real bad and i've been thinking about it often since you wrote it.
this is the writer's equivalent of saying "just be yourself". it's completely meaningless and unhelpful. and i feel like you had absolutely nothing of value to add but felt the need to reply anyway, maybe you're the OP of the thread and felt an obligation, i'm not sure, so you just wrote basically nothing filler just to do so.
it was very normalfag of you.
>>42004
> All it is is him and another minor character walking a couple of miles
It looks like you're trying to jam a square brick into a round hole. Adapt the plot to the main character. If he's useless for dialogue don't put him in situations that require dialogue to work. Don't have a scene of them just walking together. Either skip that part or interrupt/break up the walk with other events.
> All it is is him and another minor character walking a couple of miles
It looks like you're trying to jam a square brick into a round hole. Adapt the plot to the main character. If he's useless for dialogue don't put him in situations that require dialogue to work. Don't have a scene of them just walking together. Either skip that part or interrupt/break up the walk with other events.
>>42030
Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure not to offer my opinion unless it's one I know you like in advance in the future, buddy.
Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure not to offer my opinion unless it's one I know you like in advance in the future, buddy.
>>42004
Something relevant to the plot is happening in the background. Or they're in VR, each exploring their own part and broadcasting what they encounter without discussion. See if your characters presence matters to the other, for support, not for talk. Make well-being of one depend on choices the other makes along the way.
Something relevant to the plot is happening in the background. Or they're in VR, each exploring their own part and broadcasting what they encounter without discussion. See if your characters presence matters to the other, for support, not for talk. Make well-being of one depend on choices the other makes along the way.
Ok, instead of trying to outline my story as a book I decided to follow anime/manga and hit things by "arcs" and so far I've thinly outlined three. Once I'm done I'm going to start writing and see where it goes. Not sure what I'm going to do with it aside from throwing chapters in a pastebin though.
>>42051
I'm doing the same thing as you. Arcs. My main source of inspiration is Hokuto no Ken where every few episodes a protagonist is introduced, we learn his life story and sympathize with him, and then he's killed in a magnificent display of selfless sacrifice. Repeat until I get bored/run out of material and have my main protagonist fight the final boss shouldering the burden of the friends he's lost.
I'm doing the same thing as you. Arcs. My main source of inspiration is Hokuto no Ken where every few episodes a protagonist is introduced, we learn his life story and sympathize with him, and then he's killed in a magnificent display of selfless sacrifice. Repeat until I get bored/run out of material and have my main protagonist fight the final boss shouldering the burden of the friends he's lost.
I've more or less given up on getting any of my stuff published. After months of procrastination I've finally decided to make some of my better things into ebooks.
So far I've got one, my best one, up. You can find it here if you want to read it:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/794878
It's completely free. You can download from that page in any format, without making an account. It's not published under my real name, by the way.
It's essentially literary fiction, set in Victorian England, but beyond that it's hard to put a concrete label on what kind of book it is. It's quite long and slow, and the story takes second place to character development and theme, so if that's not your sort of thing you probably won't like it. There's some wizardly themes discussed. It may or may not be good, but I'm sure it's not terrible; I even had some positive feedback from literary agents that rejected it.
Anyway, it's there if you want to read it. If you feel like giving it a try but don't want to read such a long thing, then you could read just chapter 8 or 15. In the context of the book these are supposed to be pulp fiction stories, intentionally silly ones, so they stand on their own and are hopefully quite fun. You might also like to read chapters 6 and 18 together, as these also form a self-contained story, albeit one that makes a lot more sense in the context of the rest of the novel.
Sorry for shilling, but I'd just like people to read and enjoy my work.
(Also, if anyone has an ebook reader that uses .mobi or .epub files, could you tell me if those formats work correctly on your device?)
So far I've got one, my best one, up. You can find it here if you want to read it:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/794878
It's completely free. You can download from that page in any format, without making an account. It's not published under my real name, by the way.
It's essentially literary fiction, set in Victorian England, but beyond that it's hard to put a concrete label on what kind of book it is. It's quite long and slow, and the story takes second place to character development and theme, so if that's not your sort of thing you probably won't like it. There's some wizardly themes discussed. It may or may not be good, but I'm sure it's not terrible; I even had some positive feedback from literary agents that rejected it.
Anyway, it's there if you want to read it. If you feel like giving it a try but don't want to read such a long thing, then you could read just chapter 8 or 15. In the context of the book these are supposed to be pulp fiction stories, intentionally silly ones, so they stand on their own and are hopefully quite fun. You might also like to read chapters 6 and 18 together, as these also form a self-contained story, albeit one that makes a lot more sense in the context of the rest of the novel.
Sorry for shilling, but I'd just like people to read and enjoy my work.
(Also, if anyone has an ebook reader that uses .mobi or .epub files, could you tell me if those formats work correctly on your device?)
>>42083
Nothing wrong with posting your story. At least you actually finished something unlike me. The thread needs to be more active anyway. I'll try to read your story sometime on the weekend though wiz.
Nothing wrong with posting your story. At least you actually finished something unlike me. The thread needs to be more active anyway. I'll try to read your story sometime on the weekend though wiz.
>>42083
> but to allow themselves to become too paranoid would be to sign their own death warrants
Quote from book. How so? Don't understand this bit.
> (Also, if anyone has an ebook reader that uses .mobi or .epub files, could you tell me if those formats work correctly on your device?)
Google Play Books on tablet reads epub just fine.
> but to allow themselves to become too paranoid would be to sign their own death warrants
Quote from book. How so? Don't understand this bit.
> (Also, if anyone has an ebook reader that uses .mobi or .epub files, could you tell me if those formats work correctly on your device?)
Google Play Books on tablet reads epub just fine.
>>42100
> > but to allow themselves to become too paranoid would be to sign their own death warrants
> Quote from book. How so? Don't understand this bit.
If they're paranoid, and constantly over-analysing every little thing that happens in case it's a trap, they'll be unable to spot the real threats coming. You need to be able to react to things, but you can't do that if you're crippled by paranoia.
> Google Play Books on tablet reads epub just fine.
Thanks anon.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the book.
> > but to allow themselves to become too paranoid would be to sign their own death warrants
> Quote from book. How so? Don't understand this bit.
If they're paranoid, and constantly over-analysing every little thing that happens in case it's a trap, they'll be unable to spot the real threats coming. You need to be able to react to things, but you can't do that if you're crippled by paranoia.
> Google Play Books on tablet reads epub just fine.
Thanks anon.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the book.
>>42104
What was your reference for dialogue markup in the scene where guests discuss how they got to know Elliott? Usually see quotes, with some attributions here and there, minimally enough for the reader not to get lost. Meanwhile this reads like a script, oddly standing out. Characters use some rare older words but these are clearly image board users speaking. Have you experimented with a setting closer to our time and more electronic? Maybe they would fit in more naturally there. Occasionally I stumble on WTF moments, could be typos but I'm not a native speaker, just would like to ask for clarification if you don't mind. How should I structure and report these, so that my questions can be of use and not just criticize?
What was your reference for dialogue markup in the scene where guests discuss how they got to know Elliott? Usually see quotes, with some attributions here and there, minimally enough for the reader not to get lost. Meanwhile this reads like a script, oddly standing out. Characters use some rare older words but these are clearly image board users speaking. Have you experimented with a setting closer to our time and more electronic? Maybe they would fit in more naturally there. Occasionally I stumble on WTF moments, could be typos but I'm not a native speaker, just would like to ask for clarification if you don't mind. How should I structure and report these, so that my questions can be of use and not just criticize?
>>42172
> What was your reference for dialogue markup in the scene where guests discuss how they got to know Elliott?
No reference. I wanted a scene that was all dialogue to simulate a dinner conversation, but I didn't want a long list of "blah," says A, "blah," says B. I played around with a few different ways of structuring it but that seemed the best.
For what it's worth, in my opinion chapters 2 and 3 are the weakest ones in the book. I have never been happy with them, but didn't know how to replace them.
> Characters use some rare older words but these are clearly image board users speaking.
I didn't want to go too heavy on archaic words, but I guess I made things too modern. I don't think I'm very good at dialogue in general, this is something I need to practice.
> Have you experimented with a setting closer to our time and more electronic?
I written, or started writing, loads of things, including some set in modern times. Honestly, I can never finish them. I find the modern world so completely uninspiring that I just get bored and give up half way through.
> Occasionally I stumble on WTF moments, could be typos but I'm not a native speaker, just would like to ask for clarification if you don't mind.
What do you mean by WTF moments? Is it places where I've used a word or phrase that are so out of place they jump you out of the setting? There could certainly be typos. I've edited it so many times, but after a while you just go blind to these things.
> How should I structure and report these, so that my questions can be of use and not just criticize?
Right at the end of the book, in the 'about the author' section you can reach from the contents page, there is an email address. If you're willing to, you could make some brief notes on what you liked/didn't like and send it to me there. I completely understand if you don't want to do this, and I'm happy with you asking me questions here. I'll check back regularly.
Also, feel free to be as harsh with the criticism as you want. I might not like it, but I really need this sort of thing and I'm grateful to anyone that provides it.
> What was your reference for dialogue markup in the scene where guests discuss how they got to know Elliott?
No reference. I wanted a scene that was all dialogue to simulate a dinner conversation, but I didn't want a long list of "blah," says A, "blah," says B. I played around with a few different ways of structuring it but that seemed the best.
For what it's worth, in my opinion chapters 2 and 3 are the weakest ones in the book. I have never been happy with them, but didn't know how to replace them.
> Characters use some rare older words but these are clearly image board users speaking.
I didn't want to go too heavy on archaic words, but I guess I made things too modern. I don't think I'm very good at dialogue in general, this is something I need to practice.
> Have you experimented with a setting closer to our time and more electronic?
I written, or started writing, loads of things, including some set in modern times. Honestly, I can never finish them. I find the modern world so completely uninspiring that I just get bored and give up half way through.
> Occasionally I stumble on WTF moments, could be typos but I'm not a native speaker, just would like to ask for clarification if you don't mind.
What do you mean by WTF moments? Is it places where I've used a word or phrase that are so out of place they jump you out of the setting? There could certainly be typos. I've edited it so many times, but after a while you just go blind to these things.
> How should I structure and report these, so that my questions can be of use and not just criticize?
Right at the end of the book, in the 'about the author' section you can reach from the contents page, there is an email address. If you're willing to, you could make some brief notes on what you liked/didn't like and send it to me there. I completely understand if you don't want to do this, and I'm happy with you asking me questions here. I'll check back regularly.
Also, feel free to be as harsh with the criticism as you want. I might not like it, but I really need this sort of thing and I'm grateful to anyone that provides it.
I fell into the over outlining trap and haven't written shit except skeleton overviews of what the plot should be like. Fuck.
Well I'm 14 thousand words in now so I guess one day I'll actually finish this novel. But I have two problems. One is that everything I've read in the past 5 years has been in Japanese and the novel I'm writing is in English. I think it's warped my writing style to some strange Japaneseified English form that reads similar to Nisio Isin. It's working okay for now though.
The second is that I'm writing in first person using a hybrid of past tense for describing what's happening and present tense for the protagonist's present internal monologue. This is essential to the plot because the protagonist is experiencing the story through his jumbled memories in a semi lucid state. The problem is that its difficult to consistently write in the correct tense in accordance to these rules. Does anyone have any advice for this? I've noticed nearly everyone in this thread is writing in third person but it feels really unnatural for me and it wouldn't fit what I'm working on.
The second is that I'm writing in first person using a hybrid of past tense for describing what's happening and present tense for the protagonist's present internal monologue. This is essential to the plot because the protagonist is experiencing the story through his jumbled memories in a semi lucid state. The problem is that its difficult to consistently write in the correct tense in accordance to these rules. Does anyone have any advice for this? I've noticed nearly everyone in this thread is writing in third person but it feels really unnatural for me and it wouldn't fit what I'm working on.
>>42245
Adding to this, I'm sure that writing in this way is going to make the editing process take way longer then actually writing the book itself.
Adding to this, I'm sure that writing in this way is going to make the editing process take way longer then actually writing the book itself.
You know what. Instead of trying to write big and elaborate stories I'm just going to settle for short stories/novella styled ones instead. I wish Royalroad let you delete stories because I don't care for the one I wanted to write.
Does anyone here do play-by-post roleplaying? I don't have the attention span to write books, but roleplaying is great to scratch that writing itch. Especially since it's easy to do it collaboratively, so the stories become more fun and dynamic.
>>40373
Share these ideas, so they don't haunt you and someone maybe uses one to create a piece you'll like.
Share these ideas, so they don't haunt you and someone maybe uses one to create a piece you'll like.
>>42662
If you can benefit from talking to another writer, I'm active again finally. Used to write a lot more when I could shoot my mouth off about thoughts and such.
If you can benefit from talking to another writer, I'm active again finally. Used to write a lot more when I could shoot my mouth off about thoughts and such.
Any recommendations for grammar guides for writers? I'm a native speaker but would like to do a refresher.
>>42667
How do you see your stories through? For the love of my life I can't commit to anything I write. I either get bored of it or get caught up in story related flaws that I endlessly rewrite it to make it work or just trash it all together because I found the story to be bad from its core.
How do you see your stories through? For the love of my life I can't commit to anything I write. I either get bored of it or get caught up in story related flaws that I endlessly rewrite it to make it work or just trash it all together because I found the story to be bad from its core.
>>42669
You might benefit from going to revision sites such as that linked, which will give you an overview of different areas you may be rusty with. I did so some years ago in almost all the school subjects that had completely vanished from my memories. I found it to be extremely helpful.
https://www.bbc.com/education/examspecs/zcbchv4
You might also want to check out one of the best free resources out there for a writer - The Sage.
http://www.sequencepublishing.com/1/thesage.html
>>42670
>I found the story to be bad from its core
That's very indicative of a certain level of confusion (or lack of confidence) in your grasp of plot structure more than anything. I'd recommend a book which I'll have to find on another computer. I believe it is titled 'Plot & Structure', which discusses something called the LOCK system.
You'll also more than likely hit the boredom stage with anything you write, but the more fascinated you are with a topic, the less likely you are to be overwhelmed by it. I've dropped four books before hitting the first 10,000 words in the last couple of years, and dropped another at 45,000 which was going nowhere and couldn't see how even a rewrite could salvage it. It's much more easily said than done, but if you can ignore detailed rewrites and assume you will do at least one huge edit once you round it out from beginning to end, you can at least delay the bad feels until the most fragile creative work is out of the way.
You might benefit from going to revision sites such as that linked, which will give you an overview of different areas you may be rusty with. I did so some years ago in almost all the school subjects that had completely vanished from my memories. I found it to be extremely helpful.
https://www.bbc.com/education/examspecs/zcbchv4
You might also want to check out one of the best free resources out there for a writer - The Sage.
http://www.sequencepublishing.com/1/thesage.html
>>42670
>I found the story to be bad from its core
That's very indicative of a certain level of confusion (or lack of confidence) in your grasp of plot structure more than anything. I'd recommend a book which I'll have to find on another computer. I believe it is titled 'Plot & Structure', which discusses something called the LOCK system.
You'll also more than likely hit the boredom stage with anything you write, but the more fascinated you are with a topic, the less likely you are to be overwhelmed by it. I've dropped four books before hitting the first 10,000 words in the last couple of years, and dropped another at 45,000 which was going nowhere and couldn't see how even a rewrite could salvage it. It's much more easily said than done, but if you can ignore detailed rewrites and assume you will do at least one huge edit once you round it out from beginning to end, you can at least delay the bad feels until the most fragile creative work is out of the way.
>>42671
The book seems to be very helpful. I kind of knew about these concepts, but never really "understood" them.
I hope I can have the intro chapters of my trash done by the weekend.
The book seems to be very helpful. I kind of knew about these concepts, but never really "understood" them.
I hope I can have the intro chapters of my trash done by the weekend.
File: 1522249481339.mp4 (845.09 KB, 238x224, 17:16, A Question.mp4) ImgOps iqdb
>>40702
i hope you like this ♥
i hope you like this ♥
>>42083
There are a number of glaring red lights in the first dozen pages that would explain why no publisher would touch it, but I'm not sure whether you're open to criticism or not. Regardless, well done on completing a substantial body of work as you did.
There are a number of glaring red lights in the first dozen pages that would explain why no publisher would touch it, but I'm not sure whether you're open to criticism or not. Regardless, well done on completing a substantial body of work as you did.
>>42702
Thanks.
> There are a number of glaring red lights in the first dozen pages that would explain why no publisher would touch it, but I'm not sure whether you're open to criticism or not.
I'm certainly open to criticism. What do you mean by glaring red lights?
Thanks.
> There are a number of glaring red lights in the first dozen pages that would explain why no publisher would touch it, but I'm not sure whether you're open to criticism or not.
I'm certainly open to criticism. What do you mean by glaring red lights?
File: 1522303212908.pdf (36.06 KB, A Dreary Night .pdf)
Could someone tell me whats bad and good, if anything, in my short story? I've barely written anything in my life, but I want to actually contribute something now. I'll take any tips you guys want to give me.
>>42725
I liked it. It's an interesting opening, you should try continuing it.
A couple of points. First, you use too many adjectives. Less is more. Secondly, some of the sentences sound awkward, like 'his sight is thrice…' I get what you mean here, but it sounds weird.
I liked it. It's an interesting opening, you should try continuing it.
A couple of points. First, you use too many adjectives. Less is more. Secondly, some of the sentences sound awkward, like 'his sight is thrice…' I get what you mean here, but it sounds weird.
>>42725
The present tense is not suited to fictional writing outside of motion picture scripting, and is one of the very first red flags raised by anyone who might pick it up. This is a point that needs to be made to another person in this thread, although he was actually jumping from past to present within the length of a single page, which is jarring if not altogether schizophrenic. You can use present tense prose, but it should only be used when it modifies something immediately stated in the past, or, sparingly, the other way round if it aids flow and sentence structure (readability). The example in the next paragraph employs such a style of prose.
>"James slowly wakes to a pounding head."
This prose is very blunt and uninspired. For an opening line, it is an immediate concern. The first sentence often gets rewritten a dozen or more times by the author throughout the writing process as it is such an important moment in its presentation. Consider perhaps something along the lines of, "As the blood pulsed up to the swelling on his head, pushing against the back of his eyeballs, James opened his eyes to a sight replicated threefold." (or 'thrice split/'split thrice' etc., as the wiz above put - very nice literary usage of an archaic term, which dates everything around it so easily) While I dislike what I just wrote there as an opening line, it is a far more imaginative outline for the reader. Notice the past tense 'pulsed' and the present 'pushing'. It is helpful to think of this as describing past moments, but the infusion of the present helping to bring it alive. This is a classic storytelling style that hasn't really aged at all, and it might help you find that symbiosis between storytelling and natural linguistic rhythm. As an alternative to what I put, how about "As the blood pooled in the swelling above his brow, pulsing against the back of his eyeballs, James opened an eye to a sight doubled and blurry."
In terms of the description of a particular something, you can't really overdo it. It will only raise an alarm bell to the reader when extremely obscure language is adopted in order to do so, or otherwise overtly lengthy descriptions that go past the interesting and informative, and into the autistic. You want to insert hints that let the reader feel clever by reading between the lines, so to speak… by reading into your choice of words so descriptive and singular that other descriptions can be derived from them. "The hall floor, tiled like a chess board", immediately dates the floor to the Tudor style chequered black and white (or rarely other colours such as green and orange). You know it's going to be sparse with little clutter in its middle - an open planned, most likely huge hall. Little things like so get the reader to add to your own details and shape the world to whatever their imagination holds, flowing in its own uniqueness derived from the template that you gave to them to play with. Nobody saw Lord of the Rings the same way in their heads until the films came out and forced the image upon them, brilliant as it was but killing off a big part of what Tolkein gave us, in potential form. It tempts the reader into thinking past or beyond the text alone, often without them ever realising that they did so. By way of the resultant image, in essence the 'great writing' is actually the reader's own doing; you the author just expertly helped them into doing it. The better the word choice, the easier it is for them to do.
>"Peering back over the ridge he watches and listens, but is unable to hear anything but…".
Peering is a helpful word, but it isn't charged with any premonition, nor serves to imply the moment or character traits by proxy. This is important to understand and to implement throughout all kinds of fictional writings because it is such an incredibly potent mechanism for engaging the reader. While the following doesn't apply to your text, "leered" implies a very illicit, perhaps perverse form of watching something or someone, whereas "gazed" is wistful and without pressure of time or action. Being caught in a gaze is a wonderfully simple example of describing two characters, their relationship (or lack thereof), the setting that allowed for it to happen and the frame of mind of each of the characters… in just 4 fucking words. In such a stealthy setting as you have, you could even move to anthropomorphism through simile or similar - "With hawk eyes, he poked his head around the edge of the jagged stone [you already referenced the ridge twice in the last two sentences] and listened intently." You would do well to find words that really fit into the moment. I actually think "poked" doesn't fit the scene here and we should keep searching for the right word, and if a replacement can't be found, describe it more fully in sentence form if it is important enough a point to get across to the reader. You have the option of describing the amount of cunning, fear, determination, skill, even his current mental state if he is too slow to look back behind the ridge, or the woozy double vision from the blunt force trauma from earlier. It brings out an enormous amount of energy from the text and actively engages the reader. Do not, at any time in your life, disregard the thesaurus. It is a tool that should be held close to the hearts of EVERY writer ever. With regards to the repetition of the word 'ridge', ideally you don't want to repeat words so frequently. I've heard some say that a word without pure literary function, such as the determiner 'the' or pronouns and prepositions etc., should not be found on the same page twice. Use it as an opportunity to further describe it, the ridge being jagged, the cold and mossy-green granite, the slippery tone wet from the spring showers, etc. etc. You also use the word imminent twice with two difference meanings which is again better avoided in such close proximity.
>"His circumstances are to great to bothered by the non imminent."
This is on the way towards being descriptive, telling of priorities greater than such, which opens up a window into the character's being, his soul, his intention, and more. The sentence itself is not functionally correct, regardless of errors, but it is also somewhat self-explanatory. Something along the lines of "Comfort and need took a back seat to his immediate troubles", or something similar to this might be one way to put the point across to the reader if necessary. Of course, the problem here is that 'back seat' really dates the content to the era of the motorcar and later. So what about "shrugging off the risk of exposure, he wrapped his overcoat tightly around his waste and briskly continued along the tracks, up and over a rocky ridge that scattered the tracks into nothing. As he clamped his hands around the last of the weathered grooves and pulled his body up with a determined grimace, the candle glow of a distant cabin stole his senses."
One final point that is worth making is that of the formatting of descriptive paragraphs when interlaced with dialogue. You have embedded all dialogue within the same paragraph, which is not typical practice and will be off-putting to a great majority of readers. You'll want to encase each character's dialogue and any description that pertains exclusively to it within its own paragraph. When this changes back to an abstract or global description, a new paragraph once again is called for. The same goes for a shift from character to character in dialogue. Remember that you can reduce paragraph indentation with the little right-angle sliders, which I find dramatically helps readability in a dialogue-heavy passage.
I like the scene overall, it shows you have the exacting imagination for descriptive and creative writing. Now it's just how deep you can describe it, how powerfully you can charge it, and how you package it up and deliver it to the audience.
The present tense is not suited to fictional writing outside of motion picture scripting, and is one of the very first red flags raised by anyone who might pick it up. This is a point that needs to be made to another person in this thread, although he was actually jumping from past to present within the length of a single page, which is jarring if not altogether schizophrenic. You can use present tense prose, but it should only be used when it modifies something immediately stated in the past, or, sparingly, the other way round if it aids flow and sentence structure (readability). The example in the next paragraph employs such a style of prose.
>"James slowly wakes to a pounding head."
This prose is very blunt and uninspired. For an opening line, it is an immediate concern. The first sentence often gets rewritten a dozen or more times by the author throughout the writing process as it is such an important moment in its presentation. Consider perhaps something along the lines of, "As the blood pulsed up to the swelling on his head, pushing against the back of his eyeballs, James opened his eyes to a sight replicated threefold." (or 'thrice split/'split thrice' etc., as the wiz above put - very nice literary usage of an archaic term, which dates everything around it so easily) While I dislike what I just wrote there as an opening line, it is a far more imaginative outline for the reader. Notice the past tense 'pulsed' and the present 'pushing'. It is helpful to think of this as describing past moments, but the infusion of the present helping to bring it alive. This is a classic storytelling style that hasn't really aged at all, and it might help you find that symbiosis between storytelling and natural linguistic rhythm. As an alternative to what I put, how about "As the blood pooled in the swelling above his brow, pulsing against the back of his eyeballs, James opened an eye to a sight doubled and blurry."
In terms of the description of a particular something, you can't really overdo it. It will only raise an alarm bell to the reader when extremely obscure language is adopted in order to do so, or otherwise overtly lengthy descriptions that go past the interesting and informative, and into the autistic. You want to insert hints that let the reader feel clever by reading between the lines, so to speak… by reading into your choice of words so descriptive and singular that other descriptions can be derived from them. "The hall floor, tiled like a chess board", immediately dates the floor to the Tudor style chequered black and white (or rarely other colours such as green and orange). You know it's going to be sparse with little clutter in its middle - an open planned, most likely huge hall. Little things like so get the reader to add to your own details and shape the world to whatever their imagination holds, flowing in its own uniqueness derived from the template that you gave to them to play with. Nobody saw Lord of the Rings the same way in their heads until the films came out and forced the image upon them, brilliant as it was but killing off a big part of what Tolkein gave us, in potential form. It tempts the reader into thinking past or beyond the text alone, often without them ever realising that they did so. By way of the resultant image, in essence the 'great writing' is actually the reader's own doing; you the author just expertly helped them into doing it. The better the word choice, the easier it is for them to do.
>"Peering back over the ridge he watches and listens, but is unable to hear anything but…".
Peering is a helpful word, but it isn't charged with any premonition, nor serves to imply the moment or character traits by proxy. This is important to understand and to implement throughout all kinds of fictional writings because it is such an incredibly potent mechanism for engaging the reader. While the following doesn't apply to your text, "leered" implies a very illicit, perhaps perverse form of watching something or someone, whereas "gazed" is wistful and without pressure of time or action. Being caught in a gaze is a wonderfully simple example of describing two characters, their relationship (or lack thereof), the setting that allowed for it to happen and the frame of mind of each of the characters… in just 4 fucking words. In such a stealthy setting as you have, you could even move to anthropomorphism through simile or similar - "With hawk eyes, he poked his head around the edge of the jagged stone [you already referenced the ridge twice in the last two sentences] and listened intently." You would do well to find words that really fit into the moment. I actually think "poked" doesn't fit the scene here and we should keep searching for the right word, and if a replacement can't be found, describe it more fully in sentence form if it is important enough a point to get across to the reader. You have the option of describing the amount of cunning, fear, determination, skill, even his current mental state if he is too slow to look back behind the ridge, or the woozy double vision from the blunt force trauma from earlier. It brings out an enormous amount of energy from the text and actively engages the reader. Do not, at any time in your life, disregard the thesaurus. It is a tool that should be held close to the hearts of EVERY writer ever. With regards to the repetition of the word 'ridge', ideally you don't want to repeat words so frequently. I've heard some say that a word without pure literary function, such as the determiner 'the' or pronouns and prepositions etc., should not be found on the same page twice. Use it as an opportunity to further describe it, the ridge being jagged, the cold and mossy-green granite, the slippery tone wet from the spring showers, etc. etc. You also use the word imminent twice with two difference meanings which is again better avoided in such close proximity.
>"His circumstances are to great to bothered by the non imminent."
This is on the way towards being descriptive, telling of priorities greater than such, which opens up a window into the character's being, his soul, his intention, and more. The sentence itself is not functionally correct, regardless of errors, but it is also somewhat self-explanatory. Something along the lines of "Comfort and need took a back seat to his immediate troubles", or something similar to this might be one way to put the point across to the reader if necessary. Of course, the problem here is that 'back seat' really dates the content to the era of the motorcar and later. So what about "shrugging off the risk of exposure, he wrapped his overcoat tightly around his waste and briskly continued along the tracks, up and over a rocky ridge that scattered the tracks into nothing. As he clamped his hands around the last of the weathered grooves and pulled his body up with a determined grimace, the candle glow of a distant cabin stole his senses."
One final point that is worth making is that of the formatting of descriptive paragraphs when interlaced with dialogue. You have embedded all dialogue within the same paragraph, which is not typical practice and will be off-putting to a great majority of readers. You'll want to encase each character's dialogue and any description that pertains exclusively to it within its own paragraph. When this changes back to an abstract or global description, a new paragraph once again is called for. The same goes for a shift from character to character in dialogue. Remember that you can reduce paragraph indentation with the little right-angle sliders, which I find dramatically helps readability in a dialogue-heavy passage.
I like the scene overall, it shows you have the exacting imagination for descriptive and creative writing. Now it's just how deep you can describe it, how powerfully you can charge it, and how you package it up and deliver it to the audience.
>>42707
Apologies, I only just saw your post now; not been sober until today. I'll be speaking bluntly to be as helpful as I can be- given your body of work, I would assume you would find it preferable.
To start out, the 21st Century book business is the most Jewish industry on the planet. Stop reading here if that isn't already clear to you, because the rest won't make much sense if you don't understand how the Jewish mentality works in the business world. On top of that, I can only speak to the presentation of the formatted PDF I downloaded, but that lack of vision as to the modification/correction of it is something that you won't find from many literary agents or publishing houses in this day and age. They expect it bound inside the ass of an ass, a red ribbon and a cuban cigar. If they have to invest either time or resources in you, with even a shred of uncertainty as to its final form, it isn't worth the risk, because there are plenty of other authors who would pay half on the printing fees themselves.
1. >Dramatis Personae
If you open a book in latin, you just shut out 90 percent of anyone that walks into a bookshop. You will not get published. We both know that isn't true of course, people are far more tolerant of elaborate stylistic insertions such as a dramatis personae, although from what I understand it's more often than not listed simply rather than implemented in a lengthy fashion as you have done. Does not matter one iota. Because 90 percent will drop it back on the pile, won't they?
2. Face value is that your first page is an insert of a letter. If you haven't tasted the predominant flavour of the book within the first 2 sentences, and more importantly LOOKING like a book inside, you will not get published, because nobody will read it. This continues through to the short paragraph style you have adopted, although I think this gives off less of an amateur vibe than it used to in the eyes of publishers, but I know for a fact either opening with dialogue or a wall of text is still the best welcome to the reader. Additionally, if you open page 1 and it's in italics, you will be looking at a rewrite.
By this point, they will be thinking the author is a talented fish out of water, which is about the most unprofitable risk assessment you'll ever get. He will be as temperamental and stubborn as the most modern of artists, not to mention that latin he opened with…
Following is exaggerated to prove a point that they are sensationalist cunts.
3. You've got a lot of low-impact content at the start which is going to drop 99 percent of sales opportunities. And more worryingly, just the opening page alone carries with it enough examples. These vultures will pick apart anything they can. It's the opening page! Oy vey, I need to make a profit from this book!
>We arrived safely earlier this evening.
I'll bet you did, who writes a lengthy letter if they didn't arrive safely?
>Our first view of the house was from the rise
And its following description reads like the transcript of an anatomy lecture.
>He is a balding, pudgy-faced fellow with a tremendous nose like a great red tomato, overripe and ready to burst.
What is this, a visualisation exercise?
>Apparently he has been delayed by some business, but is
still expected for dinner
I could read the exact same line in a rushed business email.
>I was dog-tired and my eyes had glazed over. I was scarce able to note a single detail of the
décor in the entrance hall, nor the flight of stairs, nor the corridor upon which our rooms lie. It is
rare that my powers of observation fail me so! However, I have examined our bedroom in detail
and…
So you were too tired, but now you're suddenly not, even though you've not gone down for that dinner you needed?
4. There is nothing whatsoever that fits with the zeitgeist of today. I could write a thesis or two on this point alone, but to keep it simple, even the most recent period dramas have some feminism, politically correct (and historically incorrect) point or mention of something the owners of a publishing house/Jewish community want shoved down the reader's throat. So no bonus points there.
5. Pace of the opening is snail like. I know you mention the fact that it is, but that doesn't speed it up for the publisher. In fact, assuming you did mention that point to the publisher themselves, it reads, genuinely, as an ommission of guilt in their eyes. "Oh, please read it with this pinch of salt and it'll be more enjoyable… just stick with it." There is no space on the back of the book for a sachet of salt.
My headache is catching up with me now, but a couple of the points in the above post apply; where and which should be apparent.
If you did think of going down the publishing avenue again, you either need to whore the book out or whore yourself out, which, especially given we are on /wiz/, I highly doubt is a viable option.
The saddest part is if I owned a publishing house, I'd have probably funded an appraisal and at least one edit if positive. I'd read it in full too if I didn't have such a backlog, but it's a super effort and I commend you on it. But it's commercially untouchable in this day and age.
Apologies, I only just saw your post now; not been sober until today. I'll be speaking bluntly to be as helpful as I can be- given your body of work, I would assume you would find it preferable.
To start out, the 21st Century book business is the most Jewish industry on the planet. Stop reading here if that isn't already clear to you, because the rest won't make much sense if you don't understand how the Jewish mentality works in the business world. On top of that, I can only speak to the presentation of the formatted PDF I downloaded, but that lack of vision as to the modification/correction of it is something that you won't find from many literary agents or publishing houses in this day and age. They expect it bound inside the ass of an ass, a red ribbon and a cuban cigar. If they have to invest either time or resources in you, with even a shred of uncertainty as to its final form, it isn't worth the risk, because there are plenty of other authors who would pay half on the printing fees themselves.
1. >Dramatis Personae
If you open a book in latin, you just shut out 90 percent of anyone that walks into a bookshop. You will not get published. We both know that isn't true of course, people are far more tolerant of elaborate stylistic insertions such as a dramatis personae, although from what I understand it's more often than not listed simply rather than implemented in a lengthy fashion as you have done. Does not matter one iota. Because 90 percent will drop it back on the pile, won't they?
2. Face value is that your first page is an insert of a letter. If you haven't tasted the predominant flavour of the book within the first 2 sentences, and more importantly LOOKING like a book inside, you will not get published, because nobody will read it. This continues through to the short paragraph style you have adopted, although I think this gives off less of an amateur vibe than it used to in the eyes of publishers, but I know for a fact either opening with dialogue or a wall of text is still the best welcome to the reader. Additionally, if you open page 1 and it's in italics, you will be looking at a rewrite.
By this point, they will be thinking the author is a talented fish out of water, which is about the most unprofitable risk assessment you'll ever get. He will be as temperamental and stubborn as the most modern of artists, not to mention that latin he opened with…
Following is exaggerated to prove a point that they are sensationalist cunts.
3. You've got a lot of low-impact content at the start which is going to drop 99 percent of sales opportunities. And more worryingly, just the opening page alone carries with it enough examples. These vultures will pick apart anything they can. It's the opening page! Oy vey, I need to make a profit from this book!
>We arrived safely earlier this evening.
I'll bet you did, who writes a lengthy letter if they didn't arrive safely?
>Our first view of the house was from the rise
And its following description reads like the transcript of an anatomy lecture.
>He is a balding, pudgy-faced fellow with a tremendous nose like a great red tomato, overripe and ready to burst.
What is this, a visualisation exercise?
>Apparently he has been delayed by some business, but is
still expected for dinner
I could read the exact same line in a rushed business email.
>I was dog-tired and my eyes had glazed over. I was scarce able to note a single detail of the
décor in the entrance hall, nor the flight of stairs, nor the corridor upon which our rooms lie. It is
rare that my powers of observation fail me so! However, I have examined our bedroom in detail
and…
So you were too tired, but now you're suddenly not, even though you've not gone down for that dinner you needed?
4. There is nothing whatsoever that fits with the zeitgeist of today. I could write a thesis or two on this point alone, but to keep it simple, even the most recent period dramas have some feminism, politically correct (and historically incorrect) point or mention of something the owners of a publishing house/Jewish community want shoved down the reader's throat. So no bonus points there.
5. Pace of the opening is snail like. I know you mention the fact that it is, but that doesn't speed it up for the publisher. In fact, assuming you did mention that point to the publisher themselves, it reads, genuinely, as an ommission of guilt in their eyes. "Oh, please read it with this pinch of salt and it'll be more enjoyable… just stick with it." There is no space on the back of the book for a sachet of salt.
My headache is catching up with me now, but a couple of the points in the above post apply; where and which should be apparent.
If you did think of going down the publishing avenue again, you either need to whore the book out or whore yourself out, which, especially given we are on /wiz/, I highly doubt is a viable option.
The saddest part is if I owned a publishing house, I'd have probably funded an appraisal and at least one edit if positive. I'd read it in full too if I didn't have such a backlog, but it's a super effort and I commend you on it. But it's commercially untouchable in this day and age.
>>42738
Thanks for putting in the effort to write that. It's pretty much what I thought you were going to say, the same thoughts I had myself. Sending it off to agents was worth a short, but I never really expected anything to come from it. I'd rather write stuff I enjoy than whore myself out, as you say.
In >>42737 you're quite critical of present tense writing, but I actually like it, both to write and to read. It's a taste thing, but you're certainly correct that it's not what publishers want to see and it's a black mark as far as they're concerned.
But yeah, I really don't think it is possible to get something like this published, unless if you have connections (e.g. David Foster Wallace) or are already super famous for something else.
I don't want to get published for money or fame, I just want people to read my stuff and (hopefully) enjoy it. With a bit of effort, I think I can scrape together a few readers after a year or two of writing blogs and more fiction, assuming I stick with.
One guy from this thread already read the same thing and decided to do some editing, which was extremely helpful. He fixed the many missed/repeated words and other typos that I somehow didn't spot in three read-throughs myself. The fact that somebody found it compelling enough to do that, and still had nice things to say afterwards, made me feel really good and was worth all the effort.
The typo-free version will be up soon, hopefully this weekend, in case you (or anyone else) still want to give it a full read through.
Thanks for putting in the effort to write that. It's pretty much what I thought you were going to say, the same thoughts I had myself. Sending it off to agents was worth a short, but I never really expected anything to come from it. I'd rather write stuff I enjoy than whore myself out, as you say.
In >>42737 you're quite critical of present tense writing, but I actually like it, both to write and to read. It's a taste thing, but you're certainly correct that it's not what publishers want to see and it's a black mark as far as they're concerned.
But yeah, I really don't think it is possible to get something like this published, unless if you have connections (e.g. David Foster Wallace) or are already super famous for something else.
I don't want to get published for money or fame, I just want people to read my stuff and (hopefully) enjoy it. With a bit of effort, I think I can scrape together a few readers after a year or two of writing blogs and more fiction, assuming I stick with.
One guy from this thread already read the same thing and decided to do some editing, which was extremely helpful. He fixed the many missed/repeated words and other typos that I somehow didn't spot in three read-throughs myself. The fact that somebody found it compelling enough to do that, and still had nice things to say afterwards, made me feel really good and was worth all the effort.
The typo-free version will be up soon, hopefully this weekend, in case you (or anyone else) still want to give it a full read through.
>>42738
Just to add, this:
> The saddest part is if I owned a publishing house, I'd have probably funded an appraisal and at least one edit if positive. I'd read it in full too if I didn't have such a backlog, but it's a super effort and I commend you on it. But it's commercially untouchable in this day and age.
makes me feel pretty good too. And while you're bang on with your assessment that I'd be a little stubborn, I'd also be more than willing to take advice from someone who knows what they're talking about, like some hardened editor who's been in the game for years. The novel would be ten times better if a genuinely decent editor got their hands on it, I'm sure.
Of course, that's never going to happen.
Just to add, this:
> The saddest part is if I owned a publishing house, I'd have probably funded an appraisal and at least one edit if positive. I'd read it in full too if I didn't have such a backlog, but it's a super effort and I commend you on it. But it's commercially untouchable in this day and age.
makes me feel pretty good too. And while you're bang on with your assessment that I'd be a little stubborn, I'd also be more than willing to take advice from someone who knows what they're talking about, like some hardened editor who's been in the game for years. The novel would be ten times better if a genuinely decent editor got their hands on it, I'm sure.
Of course, that's never going to happen.
>>42748
The biggest problem is that veteran editors not only charge through the teeth, they are usually selective with what they edit; repeat clients, closed circle networks that they vibe with and all that. But I honestly think we find ourselves in very interesting times, with new opportunities rearing their heads. I'm currently developing two plots and writing blind with another on the topic of civil/race war. It's such an untapped market that self-publishing anything which won't get taken down for hate speech probably gives the best odds of 'success' at the moment, and will remain so for a long time.
Also drop a link once it's uploaded.
The biggest problem is that veteran editors not only charge through the teeth, they are usually selective with what they edit; repeat clients, closed circle networks that they vibe with and all that. But I honestly think we find ourselves in very interesting times, with new opportunities rearing their heads. I'm currently developing two plots and writing blind with another on the topic of civil/race war. It's such an untapped market that self-publishing anything which won't get taken down for hate speech probably gives the best odds of 'success' at the moment, and will remain so for a long time.
Also drop a link once it's uploaded.
>>42681
And the weekend is here and I couldn't even do an outline. I don't know what's wrong with me.
And the weekend is here and I couldn't even do an outline. I don't know what's wrong with me.
>>42794
Let's discuss it then?
1. What is the plot in 1 line? Don't worry if it barely explains it at all, that comes later.
2. What is the main character like? Or are there multiple characters? If so what are they like?
3. Are you planning to include any themes or describe particular interests in it? If so, what?
4. What kind of emotions do you want the reader to feel at the start, middle and end?
5. Any big surprises or twists planned?
Let's discuss it then?
1. What is the plot in 1 line? Don't worry if it barely explains it at all, that comes later.
2. What is the main character like? Or are there multiple characters? If so what are they like?
3. Are you planning to include any themes or describe particular interests in it? If so, what?
4. What kind of emotions do you want the reader to feel at the start, middle and end?
5. Any big surprises or twists planned?
>>42681
Well, the plot was generally about a group that takes a job to capture a new leader of a religious group for suspected ties to an event. The main character always hated the idea that he'd owe people things for one reason or another. Which that mindset ends with him cutting ties from his brother and sister after years of being blamed for things and getting caught up in issues he wanted no involvement with.
That's kind of the main theme I wanted to go with the story, and it relates to the other characters as well in different ways. The theme essentially being " The obligations between people and how you will always owe something or someone something no matter what you do". One of the characters who joins them is a succubus that lives in a "middle of nowhere" town that's was essentially taken over by a gang and then screwed over further after the antagonist group wanders through, but due to her power she's valued and knows the remainder of the gang leadership would do something to her family for not preventing her from going.
I never really thought of any emotions I wanted to evoke, honestly. Not really a fan of plot twists but there were a few in mind. The "leader" of the protagonist's group would have her relationship to the antagonistic group revealed and her true motivation for egging them to go after them would be connected from there. The truth regarding a famous figure in story would come to light near the end.
Well, the plot was generally about a group that takes a job to capture a new leader of a religious group for suspected ties to an event. The main character always hated the idea that he'd owe people things for one reason or another. Which that mindset ends with him cutting ties from his brother and sister after years of being blamed for things and getting caught up in issues he wanted no involvement with.
That's kind of the main theme I wanted to go with the story, and it relates to the other characters as well in different ways. The theme essentially being " The obligations between people and how you will always owe something or someone something no matter what you do". One of the characters who joins them is a succubus that lives in a "middle of nowhere" town that's was essentially taken over by a gang and then screwed over further after the antagonist group wanders through, but due to her power she's valued and knows the remainder of the gang leadership would do something to her family for not preventing her from going.
I never really thought of any emotions I wanted to evoke, honestly. Not really a fan of plot twists but there were a few in mind. The "leader" of the protagonist's group would have her relationship to the antagonistic group revealed and her true motivation for egging them to go after them would be connected from there. The truth regarding a famous figure in story would come to light near the end.
>>42813
Sounds good, you've got multiple layers to keep things moving. What kind of length are you aiming for? By the sounds of it, novella length would be a good target.
Sounds good, you've got multiple layers to keep things moving. What kind of length are you aiming for? By the sounds of it, novella length would be a good target.
>>42814
I've been thinking average novel length. Story starts off with introductions to the setting/characters, then it goes to the middle of nowhere town, and afterwards a confrontation with the antagonist to finish it. But I have to figure out how to link those three parts of the story together coherently .
I've been thinking average novel length. Story starts off with introductions to the setting/characters, then it goes to the middle of nowhere town, and afterwards a confrontation with the antagonist to finish it. But I have to figure out how to link those three parts of the story together coherently .
>>37822
Gee, anon, this sounds like that poem I made in the 5th grade about winter. I like it
Gee, anon, this sounds like that poem I made in the 5th grade about winter. I like it
>>42753
Sorry I missed your post anon. Your work sounds interesting, I hope you upload it when it's done.
My novel is here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/794878
It's free to download in any format you like. This is the updated problem, free of typos thanks to anons editing services.
I'd really recommend this site by the way, it's easy to use and my novel seems to get some views, unlike when I tried uploading something to amazon before. Still getting a couple of downloads every week despite not shilling anywhere.
Sorry I missed your post anon. Your work sounds interesting, I hope you upload it when it's done.
My novel is here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/794878
It's free to download in any format you like. This is the updated problem, free of typos thanks to anons editing services.
I'd really recommend this site by the way, it's easy to use and my novel seems to get some views, unlike when I tried uploading something to amazon before. Still getting a couple of downloads every week despite not shilling anywhere.
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It's 2800 words and the prologue's still not done, but I've hit a roadbump. No one has responded to it fully thus far, plz repsond
https://pastebin.com/vb1MYMwn
It's Warhammer Fantasy.
https://pastebin.com/vb1MYMwn
It's Warhammer Fantasy.
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i want to write one of the secondary protagonists in my book as a comically japanese man that speaks in broken english and sprinkles japanese throughout his dialogue. would that be annoying to people? any advice on how to do it "the right way"? his henchmen would talk to him in japanese as well.
i might just do it anyway just to make me happy even if there's no way to do it that's not grating. just wanted to see if you had any wise words on this topic. never really read any books that have characters like these prominently.
i might just do it anyway just to make me happy even if there's no way to do it that's not grating. just wanted to see if you had any wise words on this topic. never really read any books that have characters like these prominently.
>>43468
also it's worth mentioning that while he'll be funny by default just by virtue of being a racist stereotype, he'll still be one of my most serious characters and the source of many emotional scenes and arcs. i'm not going for comic relief, it's just a side effect.
also it's worth mentioning that while he'll be funny by default just by virtue of being a racist stereotype, he'll still be one of my most serious characters and the source of many emotional scenes and arcs. i'm not going for comic relief, it's just a side effect.
Why is writing a rough draft so hard? It's so hard to let myself just write shit before I edit it and make it 3% less shit.
>>43525
I saw a video with a writing coach where they advocated closing your eyes or putting a towel on your screen to write so that you can just pump out words instead of trying to critique and reevaluate if it's 'good' or not.
I tried a couple sessions like this and I couldn't get the words I typed to make any sense at all so I stopped. It upped my confidence a little.
I think that old adage "Kill your darlings" applies to everything you write as well. It's more like milling words and trying to do one thing at a time instead of getting something 'correct' and 'perfect'. That's why editing is so tough, I hate reading my stuff because I already know how it goes and it's not interesting anymore.
I currently use my editing brain to write, I think I can do a good job as long as I don't enter the endless judgement territory where everything I write is shit forever. But, I still think that way. I'd have to have other people read my stuff to get an opinion on if it's even worth reading, but I don't see myself making any friends at all. There's this site scribophile where you can just get random people to do it, but I hated the criticisms that I ended up getting. It's a disgusting process, editing.
I saw a video with a writing coach where they advocated closing your eyes or putting a towel on your screen to write so that you can just pump out words instead of trying to critique and reevaluate if it's 'good' or not.
I tried a couple sessions like this and I couldn't get the words I typed to make any sense at all so I stopped. It upped my confidence a little.
I think that old adage "Kill your darlings" applies to everything you write as well. It's more like milling words and trying to do one thing at a time instead of getting something 'correct' and 'perfect'. That's why editing is so tough, I hate reading my stuff because I already know how it goes and it's not interesting anymore.
I currently use my editing brain to write, I think I can do a good job as long as I don't enter the endless judgement territory where everything I write is shit forever. But, I still think that way. I'd have to have other people read my stuff to get an opinion on if it's even worth reading, but I don't see myself making any friends at all. There's this site scribophile where you can just get random people to do it, but I hated the criticisms that I ended up getting. It's a disgusting process, editing.
>>43580
> I'd have to have other people read my stuff to get an opinion on if it's even worth reading, but I don't see myself making any friends at all
Consider uploading your work to a free site and telling us about it here. I did that, and an anon took it upon himself to edit the whole novel for me. It was very helpful feedback and it improved my confidence a lot.
If your writing looks like you put some real effort into it then I'm sure someone here will be happy to read it. I certainly would.
> I'd have to have other people read my stuff to get an opinion on if it's even worth reading, but I don't see myself making any friends at all
Consider uploading your work to a free site and telling us about it here. I did that, and an anon took it upon himself to edit the whole novel for me. It was very helpful feedback and it improved my confidence a lot.
If your writing looks like you put some real effort into it then I'm sure someone here will be happy to read it. I certainly would.
>>43589
I went with https://www.smashwords.com/. There are other places, but I've been quite happy with smashwords. They don't require much work for you to upload your book there, only some basic formatting. They also put your work on places like amazon if you want, so if you want to try and get a wider readership it's possible.
You could also just make a pdf and upload it here as an attachment, if you don't want to share it so widely.
I went with https://www.smashwords.com/. There are other places, but I've been quite happy with smashwords. They don't require much work for you to upload your book there, only some basic formatting. They also put your work on places like amazon if you want, so if you want to try and get a wider readership it's possible.
You could also just make a pdf and upload it here as an attachment, if you don't want to share it so widely.
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>>43586
https://royalroadl.com/fiction/8693/mental-world-online
I wrote a bunch of other stuff on there but most of it was in jest to get myself to start writing. Mediocre in Another World was me trying to write a faux isekai, or something. I got myself psyched up by saying "I'm aiming for mediocre!"
MWO turned out to be the one I was most proud of, even got a positive review.
I was thinking of trying to edit it again but once I look at my old stuff the suffering returns. It doesn't feel "done" and I think I have a real poor sense for how people understand stories, so I feel pretty hopeless.
>>43589
I uploaded to royalroad because I wanted to get someone to read my stuff immediately. It probably wasn't the best idea. The sites ranges from broken chinese english writing that barely makes sense to straight literature, it's surprising the quality and variety that is available. Didn't like most of what I read, but then again I don't like my stuff either.
https://royalroadl.com/fiction/8693/mental-world-online
I wrote a bunch of other stuff on there but most of it was in jest to get myself to start writing. Mediocre in Another World was me trying to write a faux isekai, or something. I got myself psyched up by saying "I'm aiming for mediocre!"
MWO turned out to be the one I was most proud of, even got a positive review.
I was thinking of trying to edit it again but once I look at my old stuff the suffering returns. It doesn't feel "done" and I think I have a real poor sense for how people understand stories, so I feel pretty hopeless.
>>43589
I uploaded to royalroad because I wanted to get someone to read my stuff immediately. It probably wasn't the best idea. The sites ranges from broken chinese english writing that barely makes sense to straight literature, it's surprising the quality and variety that is available. Didn't like most of what I read, but then again I don't like my stuff either.
I finally realized I'm only good with coming up with characters and nothing for them to do no matter how much I think up.
I finally finished a draft of a shitty short story at 2.5k words after two weeks of on and off. Now to try and edit it and I guess I'll post it here since I don't know where else for it to go.
After a ton of meandering and off and on writing I managed to finish the draft. A week ok. Not sure where to go when editing it, it's just flat all around. I'll write something else and come back to it later.
https://pastebin.com/DbA9N23p
I finally finished something. As shit as it is at least I saw it through.
I finally finished something. As shit as it is at least I saw it through.
>>42083
Use less commas. You have too many sentences with four or more clauses separated by commas, and it makes every sentence a chore to read. Try to only use commas with the words "and", "but", and "or". Split up those unnecessary comma splices into multiple sentences.
Use less commas. You have too many sentences with four or more clauses separated by commas, and it makes every sentence a chore to read. Try to only use commas with the words "and", "but", and "or". Split up those unnecessary comma splices into multiple sentences.
Does any one have experience submitting short stories to publications? I think it would make a good challenge to start getting short stuff published.
>>44165
In the old days you'd mail it to a pulp magazine and they'd send you a couple bucks if they used it. These days you'd probably submit it to the amazon store, I think they have a category called "kindle shorts" or something. Or you could start a blog where you self-publish your works and buy some advertisements on popular websites.
In the old days you'd mail it to a pulp magazine and they'd send you a couple bucks if they used it. These days you'd probably submit it to the amazon store, I think they have a category called "kindle shorts" or something. Or you could start a blog where you self-publish your works and buy some advertisements on popular websites.
I wrote a hard sci fi horror story about the end of the universe. I wanted to get the theme of being alone in a crowd across and themes of hope mixed with horrifying defeat.
https://pastebin.com/NUc9PTg4
Any thoughts?
https://pastebin.com/NUc9PTg4
Any thoughts?
I wrote an action horror short story about a succubus who uses an MMORPG to convince NEETs to meet up with her and then murders them. It's basically just the standard "succubus joins a guild" story but it's a literal lust demon.
>>44180
I liked it. Sentences could use more variation and touches to the grammar here and there.
I liked it. Sentences could use more variation and touches to the grammar here and there.
>>44180
I had to re-read that last paragraph a couple times before I realized the twist. I don't know if I'm just dumb but maybe you could improve it by making it a little bit clearer that B-422 is in a simulation itself in those first two sentences of the last paragraph.
I had to re-read that last paragraph a couple times before I realized the twist. I don't know if I'm just dumb but maybe you could improve it by making it a little bit clearer that B-422 is in a simulation itself in those first two sentences of the last paragraph.
I've wiped one of my laptops, installed gentoo on it, and am setting it up so that it has no graphical programs at all and just takes me straight to vim as soon as I log in. It's a distractions-free writing environment. If I need to reference something on the internet I've got the text-based lynx browser installed, which makes the prospect of tabbing over to an imageboard much less attractive. I realize that vim isn't a word processor, but I figure I can take care of formatting with some basic html tags, and from there it's a simple matter to sftp my stories to my main rig and convert them to .epub with calibre. Wish me luck wizzies, I'm finally about to get shit done.
>>32868
Was on the final draft of my alternate history book until the fucking police seized my computer with my files on it. Now I'm going to have to start a new book after I buy an (unseizable) typewriter based upon my personal philosophies, incorporating them into a story.
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
You can create a universe through qigong meditation (like H. P. Lovecrafts Cthulu Mythos) and just create stories out of nothing more than feeling into what's happened based upon the chaos you've created.
Was on the final draft of my alternate history book until the fucking police seized my computer with my files on it. Now I'm going to have to start a new book after I buy an (unseizable) typewriter based upon my personal philosophies, incorporating them into a story.
>Is there anything important about writing that you wish you knew earlier?
You can create a universe through qigong meditation (like H. P. Lovecrafts Cthulu Mythos) and just create stories out of nothing more than feeling into what's happened based upon the chaos you've created.
>>33041
>Obviously I don't want to throw the reader into the deep end of hating society at the very beginning
Have the character be of low -spirit and having to live an extremely normal life with practically no troubleship, then have the universe decide that it was time for his spirit to grow through suffering, and so they took nice things away from him, and he tried to incorporate damage control but could never get it back to the grandiose scale of which it once was, so then he has to settle for about 20% of the pleasantry he formerly had, and after finally cutting his losses and accepting his new, shitty life, it happens again and again. The character could try suicide, but no matte how many times he tries, he always seems to fail (quantum immortality) and eventually realises that it's impossible for him to successfully commit suicide. You end it however you want.
>Obviously I don't want to throw the reader into the deep end of hating society at the very beginning
Have the character be of low -spirit and having to live an extremely normal life with practically no troubleship, then have the universe decide that it was time for his spirit to grow through suffering, and so they took nice things away from him, and he tried to incorporate damage control but could never get it back to the grandiose scale of which it once was, so then he has to settle for about 20% of the pleasantry he formerly had, and after finally cutting his losses and accepting his new, shitty life, it happens again and again. The character could try suicide, but no matte how many times he tries, he always seems to fail (quantum immortality) and eventually realises that it's impossible for him to successfully commit suicide. You end it however you want.
>>33061
>it helps to just start writing
Yeah, I just make greentext stories and then fix them up so it reads like a proper story.
Turn a shitpost into a novel, it'll be less pretentious.
>it helps to just start writing
Yeah, I just make greentext stories and then fix them up so it reads like a proper story.
Turn a shitpost into a novel, it'll be less pretentious.
>>33068
>I could start with the nightmare
If you are truly so attached to the idea of a nightmare, have the character see the entire world through the lens of said nightmare; make the book uncomfortable to read all throughout and you'll have done well. Make the lifestyle normal, but seen through a nightmarish lens.
>I could start with the nightmare
If you are truly so attached to the idea of a nightmare, have the character see the entire world through the lens of said nightmare; make the book uncomfortable to read all throughout and you'll have done well. Make the lifestyle normal, but seen through a nightmarish lens.
>>44322
>>44323
They had a warrant to search my house for cocaine and LSD, then took all my shit.
>why would you not keep backups?
Because I'm a lazy retard who couldn't be bothered backing it up every time I worked on it. I should be getting the computer back eventually, but I'm still pretty fucking pissed; only ever writing on a typewriter from now on anyway. I'd suggest you all get one and do the same, the government doesn't like those opposed to slavery. I think they're trying to pin a mass-crime on me like they do to other wizards. I don't even fucking care anymore, many great books were written in prison.
>>44323
They had a warrant to search my house for cocaine and LSD, then took all my shit.
>why would you not keep backups?
Because I'm a lazy retard who couldn't be bothered backing it up every time I worked on it. I should be getting the computer back eventually, but I'm still pretty fucking pissed; only ever writing on a typewriter from now on anyway. I'd suggest you all get one and do the same, the government doesn't like those opposed to slavery. I think they're trying to pin a mass-crime on me like they do to other wizards. I don't even fucking care anymore, many great books were written in prison.
>>44326
You can download the dropbox daemon, put the files in your dropbox folder, and just edit them normally and they'll be automatically updated in your dropbox account when you save. I mean there's reasons to believe dropbox isn't necesarily privacy-respecting, but it is an option for the wizwriter who's too lazy to manually update backups and is worried about personal storage devices being seized.
Anyway even with a typewriter backups will still be important. Paper is easily damaged and if you lose something you'll have to type it out all over again. You probably want to invest in a copying machine, a binder, and a stack of plastic sleeves that will hold paper and go in a binder.
You can download the dropbox daemon, put the files in your dropbox folder, and just edit them normally and they'll be automatically updated in your dropbox account when you save. I mean there's reasons to believe dropbox isn't necesarily privacy-respecting, but it is an option for the wizwriter who's too lazy to manually update backups and is worried about personal storage devices being seized.
Anyway even with a typewriter backups will still be important. Paper is easily damaged and if you lose something you'll have to type it out all over again. You probably want to invest in a copying machine, a binder, and a stack of plastic sleeves that will hold paper and go in a binder.
>>44336
>You probably want to invest in a copying machine, a binder, and a stack of plastic sleeves that will hold paper and go in a binder
I work in an office, so I can probably just use the equipment here. I can come up with plenty of stories anyway; here's to the future, Anon.
>You probably want to invest in a copying machine, a binder, and a stack of plastic sleeves that will hold paper and go in a binder
I work in an office, so I can probably just use the equipment here. I can come up with plenty of stories anyway; here's to the future, Anon.
>>44254
I couldn't write on the computer at all. Always thought everything was shit that I wrote.
About two years ago I came across the idea of moving to another room and writing a handwritten page a day about whatever. I didn't stick to it, but I still managed to do it every so often and now I journal everyday on the computer and wrote tons of stuff. It's still hard to do creative stuff because I'm worried about rejection, but at least I'm writing every day.
I couldn't write on the computer at all. Always thought everything was shit that I wrote.
About two years ago I came across the idea of moving to another room and writing a handwritten page a day about whatever. I didn't stick to it, but I still managed to do it every so often and now I journal everyday on the computer and wrote tons of stuff. It's still hard to do creative stuff because I'm worried about rejection, but at least I'm writing every day.
>>44389
I'm >>44315 and I ended up buying a typewriter from an antique shop. What it's done for me so far is this:
>write a page
>fuck up somewhere
>continue writing page until complete
>while re-writing the page, i notice parts i can improve
>write the page again, slowly perfecting it
>again
>again
>again
>again until it's finally finished
>move onto the next page
>you know the page is complete when you get through the entire thing without fucking it up
I'm >>44315 and I ended up buying a typewriter from an antique shop. What it's done for me so far is this:
>write a page
>fuck up somewhere
>continue writing page until complete
>while re-writing the page, i notice parts i can improve
>write the page again, slowly perfecting it
>again
>again
>again
>again until it's finally finished
>move onto the next page
>you know the page is complete when you get through the entire thing without fucking it up
It's weird how people can just write a story with no planning and have their characters "surprise" them. I have to outline everything otherwise I'm left staring at a screen trying to figure things out.
>>44414
I'm actually the opposite way. I like to come up with a setting and some characters and a vague notion of what they might be doing there, and then make it up as I go along. If I try to plan beforehand I never actually get anything written down.
I'm actually the opposite way. I like to come up with a setting and some characters and a vague notion of what they might be doing there, and then make it up as I go along. If I try to plan beforehand I never actually get anything written down.
I like to brainstorm a lot about my stories until I have a rough idea of how the story goes. Then I type it out and the little details just fill themselves in. I've found that when I write the same scene multiple times it'll have a different tone every single time.
Thought of writing a short story anthology where there's 4 settings with a main plot that is unraveled through 5 stories for each
Do you all use any specific program for writing (assuming you're not doing it with pen+paper or a typewriter)? I've been using word since forever.
>>44743
I'm configured the fuck out of vim to make it more like a word processor and I'm using that. I can't use a graphical word processor because I never bothered installing graphical capabilities on my writing laptop because I wanted it to be a more distractions-free environment. It's working out pretty well, I've already gotten six chapters hammered out.
I'm configured the fuck out of vim to make it more like a word processor and I'm using that. I can't use a graphical word processor because I never bothered installing graphical capabilities on my writing laptop because I wanted it to be a more distractions-free environment. It's working out pretty well, I've already gotten six chapters hammered out.
Right now I'm just writing a directionless thing about a few hermits in the same forest. Trying to write a comfy story.
>>44844
Kinda neat, sort of like one of those weird tales you find in an old pulp magazine buried in your dad's basement. I don't think you can ever hope for a mainstream audience with stories that are so intentionally incoherent, but you certainly can hope to be recognized as good by people who are into literature.
Kinda neat, sort of like one of those weird tales you find in an old pulp magazine buried in your dad's basement. I don't think you can ever hope for a mainstream audience with stories that are so intentionally incoherent, but you certainly can hope to be recognized as good by people who are into literature.
File: 1534664048461.png (685.62 KB, 600x872, 75:109, 1525840073941.png) ImgOps iqdb
What premise sounds the most interesting? I plan on writing all of them but can't really decide on which to go with first.
>An entire institution of espers are sent to an alternate version of their world where espers aren't a thing and send the world into chaos with groups trying to take control and lunatics doing whatever they want. A young esper leaves his relatively safe community in order to find and help an entity called "Heart" set the world right
>A man is a part of a small group that catalogs things in reality going missing nonsensical such as a city not being remembered by the population or a small town inhabited by several versions of one person. A twin sister of one of the members turns up one day with strange humanoid creatures and claims the city as a part of the Horizon and expects everyone to listen to its rule
>A brother and his sister are shells, living vessels that deities grant power to in order to spread and protect their influence, that find out the god they followed since birth is dying. They have little idea why, but they're certain it starts and ends with a group in the country's capital called Round Court.
>An entire institution of espers are sent to an alternate version of their world where espers aren't a thing and send the world into chaos with groups trying to take control and lunatics doing whatever they want. A young esper leaves his relatively safe community in order to find and help an entity called "Heart" set the world right
>A man is a part of a small group that catalogs things in reality going missing nonsensical such as a city not being remembered by the population or a small town inhabited by several versions of one person. A twin sister of one of the members turns up one day with strange humanoid creatures and claims the city as a part of the Horizon and expects everyone to listen to its rule
>A brother and his sister are shells, living vessels that deities grant power to in order to spread and protect their influence, that find out the god they followed since birth is dying. They have little idea why, but they're certain it starts and ends with a group in the country's capital called Round Court.
>>44932
Have you played the CYOA Avatar of the Wolf? The third one sounds kind of like the premise of that game.
Have you played the CYOA Avatar of the Wolf? The third one sounds kind of like the premise of that game.
>>44933
>>44984
What do you like about it compared to the other two?
>>44988
Never heard of it until now, and looking at it the premise is pretty similar. But it seems to be focusing on different aspects of it than what I had in mine. I actually got the idea of it from reading a story called Pact. They're not a major part of the story, but there's characters who vow to worship a god and based on their faith and success in being a follower their god would grant them power/gifts to help them along. The gods would also die if they didn't have enough people with faith in them.
>>44984
What do you like about it compared to the other two?
>>44988
Never heard of it until now, and looking at it the premise is pretty similar. But it seems to be focusing on different aspects of it than what I had in mine. I actually got the idea of it from reading a story called Pact. They're not a major part of the story, but there's characters who vow to worship a god and based on their faith and success in being a follower their god would grant them power/gifts to help them along. The gods would also die if they didn't have enough people with faith in them.
>>44989
The first two sounds a bit gimmicky and might end up disappointing.
Third one sounds nice without revealing too much, so when the reader cant predict much about it, you have a bit more freedom as a writer about how to take it if you don't already have the game plan.
I'm not a writer but that's how I would look at it if I was going to choose one to write.
The first two sounds a bit gimmicky and might end up disappointing.
Third one sounds nice without revealing too much, so when the reader cant predict much about it, you have a bit more freedom as a writer about how to take it if you don't already have the game plan.
I'm not a writer but that's how I would look at it if I was going to choose one to write.
Any good books for grammar? I feel it'd be better to have one good source of information than randomly jumping around to 500 blogs trying to figure out one thing.
>>44932
You got something with the second one but do you have any ideas for what the entity might be?
You got something with the second one but do you have any ideas for what the entity might be?
>>45213
As of now, I planned for it to be a large result of the world "slipping apart" rather than the actual cause as it may seem at first. For the actual cause, I'm tied between two explanations. The first being that most of the people aware of what's going on are either too terrified, intrigued, or blithe to actually find the root cause of it. The minority that want to do something about it hit walls due to lack of help and such and their desire gives way to the roots of something that becomes far greater than them. The other explanation was that the other twin found an object while exploring that allowed her to tear open holes to other locations that she kept secret from the rest. She goes too "deep" and ends up allowing for an isolated entity to take actual hold.
It's just an idea that I haven't written yet so it's likely going to change when I actually get to writing it. For now, I'm focusing on the third premise.
As of now, I planned for it to be a large result of the world "slipping apart" rather than the actual cause as it may seem at first. For the actual cause, I'm tied between two explanations. The first being that most of the people aware of what's going on are either too terrified, intrigued, or blithe to actually find the root cause of it. The minority that want to do something about it hit walls due to lack of help and such and their desire gives way to the roots of something that becomes far greater than them. The other explanation was that the other twin found an object while exploring that allowed her to tear open holes to other locations that she kept secret from the rest. She goes too "deep" and ends up allowing for an isolated entity to take actual hold.
It's just an idea that I haven't written yet so it's likely going to change when I actually get to writing it. For now, I'm focusing on the third premise.
>>45215
Kinda reminds me of Persona 5 a little bit, but either way it sounds really interesting.
Kinda reminds me of Persona 5 a little bit, but either way it sounds really interesting.
After some thought and errors, I feel I'd be better off researching religion in detail before taking a stab at this again.
>>45267
I tried P3 (got 80+ hours in before I got tired of it) and really disliked it. Also played SMT4A and got tired of it too near the end. So I'm kind of turned off from persona/smt games.
I tried P3 (got 80+ hours in before I got tired of it) and really disliked it. Also played SMT4A and got tired of it too near the end. So I'm kind of turned off from persona/smt games.
spaces are slight pause
ever inside i dwell
for outside is hell
pure isolation i seek
without this i'm weak
other's needs turn me ill
i can't take this
what i make is
bags full of shit
gallons of it
white jugs of all my piss
kite high on frugal bliss
beyond these six planes
hermits see it's insane
that "man's" animalization
his sin's normalization
citing hope it sustains
the desired the changed
biting rope in such pains
the inspired they hanged
no pills of note
he looked faceless
no will to be wrote
he took stasis
this coffin i've nailed
boards are all you see
it's often i'm ailed
swords mar all through me
ever inside i dwell
for outside is hell
pure isolation i seek
without this i'm weak
other's needs turn me ill
i can't take this
what i make is
bags full of shit
gallons of it
white jugs of all my piss
kite high on frugal bliss
beyond these six planes
hermits see it's insane
that "man's" animalization
his sin's normalization
citing hope it sustains
the desired the changed
biting rope in such pains
the inspired they hanged
no pills of note
he looked faceless
no will to be wrote
he took stasis
this coffin i've nailed
boards are all you see
it's often i'm ailed
swords mar all through me
i'm too autistic to write. i get stuck over the smallest details for months on end.
ive been stressing out about the origin of my character's names for almost two years.
ive been stressing out about the origin of my character's names for almost two years.
>>45289
Names are the worst. Sometimes I use placeholders and defer it to later, it's a stupid thing to waste so much time on.
Better to sketch everything out and be 90% of the way there than to get stuck on trivialities. You may save even more time when you have the whole thing outlined and realize it's garbage and drop it before it consumes too much time.
Names are the worst. Sometimes I use placeholders and defer it to later, it's a stupid thing to waste so much time on.
Better to sketch everything out and be 90% of the way there than to get stuck on trivialities. You may save even more time when you have the whole thing outlined and realize it's garbage and drop it before it consumes too much time.
>>45290
I just find a list of uncommon first/last names and throw them together and don't really fixate on them.
I just find a list of uncommon first/last names and throw them together and don't really fixate on them.
>>45291
I decided to write a short story about superheroes, and got caught up in naming shit. Jinxed myself.
I decided to write a short story about superheroes, and got caught up in naming shit. Jinxed myself.
>>45212
just use hemingwayeditor and grammarly
the truth is that people these days really don't care
>>45290
I like being obvious with names. What does the character do in the story, what are they like? The name is a piece of copywriting that tells the audience what to expect of the character.
Recently, I've been writing a lot of poems on allpoetry. I like the format because it's two comments to each post you make so I get feedback on my work. I've been doing a poem a day, and I'm getting fairly proud of them.
I also tried scribophile, but it's really annoying combing through 1,000+ words of trash fiction. Sometimes spent hours reading one guy's mediocre stuff and adding in-line critiques, realized I didn't learn anything.
At least with poems you can be short and clever, even if I don't understand why people like poems at all I've gained an appreciation for the freedom, verse and brevity of the art form.
just use hemingwayeditor and grammarly
the truth is that people these days really don't care
>>45290
I like being obvious with names. What does the character do in the story, what are they like? The name is a piece of copywriting that tells the audience what to expect of the character.
Recently, I've been writing a lot of poems on allpoetry. I like the format because it's two comments to each post you make so I get feedback on my work. I've been doing a poem a day, and I'm getting fairly proud of them.
I also tried scribophile, but it's really annoying combing through 1,000+ words of trash fiction. Sometimes spent hours reading one guy's mediocre stuff and adding in-line critiques, realized I didn't learn anything.
At least with poems you can be short and clever, even if I don't understand why people like poems at all I've gained an appreciation for the freedom, verse and brevity of the art form.
>>45341
>I also tried scribophile, but it's really annoying combing through 1,000+ words of trash fiction.
Trying to find people to critique your stuff is difficult. I even tried writing fanfiction for critique and quickly found out no one gives a shit about stories that aren't a pairing or smut.
>I also tried scribophile, but it's really annoying combing through 1,000+ words of trash fiction.
Trying to find people to critique your stuff is difficult. I even tried writing fanfiction for critique and quickly found out no one gives a shit about stories that aren't a pairing or smut.
i'm writing a villain and it's hard and i feel like he's lacking.
he's a japanese guy and he followed a traitor that abandoned japan and fled to south korea.
when they have a confrontation in south korea he just goes "youre a piece of shit! your family is dead because of you! I'll find and kill you and all your new friends in three days, but you should kill yourself first though to save me the bother."
i just feel like he's lacking, i want to give him another angle. i dunno. he's just boring and one note.
maybe that's a good thing. my story has racist undertones. maybe a japanese man being uninteresting and flat is proper.
he's a japanese guy and he followed a traitor that abandoned japan and fled to south korea.
when they have a confrontation in south korea he just goes "youre a piece of shit! your family is dead because of you! I'll find and kill you and all your new friends in three days, but you should kill yourself first though to save me the bother."
i just feel like he's lacking, i want to give him another angle. i dunno. he's just boring and one note.
maybe that's a good thing. my story has racist undertones. maybe a japanese man being uninteresting and flat is proper.
Wrote a snippet for a random character action by hand. It was funner than I expected it to be despite being terrible.
I've always felt inspired by Lolita after connecting very strongly to parts of it. I want to write something for the modern "nympholepts". I'm not exactly sure what it would look like. A story that simply speaks to my own experiences? Something that follows a sad, lonely young man who struggles with a burning passion for succubus-children?
I'm still not sure how I'll go about it but I've been really wanting to do something about it for a long time.
Anyone else thought about something like this?
I'm still not sure how I'll go about it but I've been really wanting to do something about it for a long time.
Anyone else thought about something like this?
Is anybody here trying to get published?
I won a short story competition last year, but the experience has really impacted me in a negative way. Please don't rush when you are writing something for a deadline, because it may come back to bite you. Grammatical mistakes, pretentious wording, cringeworthy plot, all this is now the first thing that appears when you search my name on google. Wrote two stories in four days, submitted both, both published, both make me cringe most days.
I won a short story competition last year, but the experience has really impacted me in a negative way. Please don't rush when you are writing something for a deadline, because it may come back to bite you. Grammatical mistakes, pretentious wording, cringeworthy plot, all this is now the first thing that appears when you search my name on google. Wrote two stories in four days, submitted both, both published, both make me cringe most days.
>>45369
I thought of it, but my writing is pretty bad and I don't know any short story competition or publisher that would actually look at my esoteric nonsense and go, "Yes, this is what would sell."
I thought of it, but my writing is pretty bad and I don't know any short story competition or publisher that would actually look at my esoteric nonsense and go, "Yes, this is what would sell."
>>45369
I'm >>42747. I'm still working on getting a novel published. I'm getting close to finishing something right now, and then I have to do as you say and leave it alone for a while so I can go back later and remove all the cringe from it. Maybe this time next year I'll be getting another round of rejections.
Congrats on getting something published at least, all I've got is a couple of nice emails from agents saying they liked my stuff but it was not commercial. I've wanted to try writing short stories but can't get into it. I don't even know where you publish that sort of thing, I figured all the old fashioned short story magazines were gone now.
Any chance you could link us to the place where your stories got published? Obviously you don't have to tell us which are yours.
I'm >>42747. I'm still working on getting a novel published. I'm getting close to finishing something right now, and then I have to do as you say and leave it alone for a while so I can go back later and remove all the cringe from it. Maybe this time next year I'll be getting another round of rejections.
Congrats on getting something published at least, all I've got is a couple of nice emails from agents saying they liked my stuff but it was not commercial. I've wanted to try writing short stories but can't get into it. I don't even know where you publish that sort of thing, I figured all the old fashioned short story magazines were gone now.
Any chance you could link us to the place where your stories got published? Obviously you don't have to tell us which are yours.
File: 1537477552904.pdf (72.4 KB, DeathsOtherKingdom.pdf)
Would anyone offer any critique of the first couple of chapters of my novel? They still need some polish but I am not unhappy with them. PDF attached.
I'm trying to write something a little more commercial. It's about a detective in a nameless city, who is trying to live according to a moral code even though the people around him have none. He's hired to investigate a disappearance but ends trapped in a convoluted plot to unseat the city's biggest crime lord.
The story alternates between following the detective and following his literal guardian angel, who is a fun character to write. He takes everything way too seriously, and has an extreme protestant Christian view that all life is continual suffering and everyone is damned to hell from the moment they are born. He has to grapple with his curiosity and fundamentally good nature getting in the way of his desire not to get involved and his general nihilism.
The themes centre around how horrible life in a modern city is, the loss of meaning in our lives, plus musings on the nature of sin and the possibility for redemption, and the possible escape from a cyclic rebirth into a hellish world. Hopefully there's enough interesting stuff in there to make up for an otherwise-cliche plot, but I'm not sure it counts as commercial.
I'm trying to write something a little more commercial. It's about a detective in a nameless city, who is trying to live according to a moral code even though the people around him have none. He's hired to investigate a disappearance but ends trapped in a convoluted plot to unseat the city's biggest crime lord.
The story alternates between following the detective and following his literal guardian angel, who is a fun character to write. He takes everything way too seriously, and has an extreme protestant Christian view that all life is continual suffering and everyone is damned to hell from the moment they are born. He has to grapple with his curiosity and fundamentally good nature getting in the way of his desire not to get involved and his general nihilism.
The themes centre around how horrible life in a modern city is, the loss of meaning in our lives, plus musings on the nature of sin and the possibility for redemption, and the possible escape from a cyclic rebirth into a hellish world. Hopefully there's enough interesting stuff in there to make up for an otherwise-cliche plot, but I'm not sure it counts as commercial.
>>45372
>Any chance you could link us to the place where your stories got published?
I'd like to know this too.
>Any chance you could link us to the place where your stories got published?
I'd like to know this too.
>>45373
I half-read it, sorry if that offends you. This is all according to my tastes, so it may be subjective. However, I'd like to think my thoughts have some merit, so humor me.
First page's first two paragraphs are rough, you repeat a lot of descriptions, for example amount the moon and the wetness, to your detriment. It's not a gripping introduction.
This is good description, just the right amount to get the reader to envision the scene without micro-managing their imagination. It was evocative and brought a vivid scene to my mind. Write more like this:
>Rain began to fall softly from the black sky. The moon painted every surface with a soft glaze of light. Steam curled into the night from vents in the pavements.
This paragraph is where you should have began, getting right to the point of the detective meeting an otherworldly femme fatale.
>He finished his coffee but couldn’t summon the enthusiasm to leave. There was nothing waiting for him out there in the night, just the long walk home through waterlogged streets with only the dark for company. At least in the café he could enjoy the fuzzy warmth
I skipped past most of the cafe description, Grace, and the lackluster dialog earlier, but the meeting with the succubus piqued my interest enough that I went back to read where she was introduced.
>“Fine,” she cut in, her voice flipping from butter-wouldn’t-melt to hard-as-ice in a split second
I don't understand what you're trying to describe here. She went from cool to cold?
>Is that a note of sarcasm, Miss Crane? Unreadable eyes are the worst. Couldn’t tell what she was
thinking.
Omit the third sentence here. You're repeating what's already been said (her eyes are unreadable, so it follows we can't tell what she was thinking without it needing said). Watch out for this sort of description, you do it often and it weakens your writing.
Voyeur:
>The fractal topology is shifting and pathological. No map is valid. The brown sludge of the river cuts across this corpulence like a festering wound. When it rains, the rain burns.
I feel like this says much more about the city than the rest of Voyeur put together. I love the first two sentences, and the last two are a very strong one-two punch of a weighty long sentence followed by a quick and simple description of hellish conditions.
>Grey-skinned humans wait out the days of their futile lives in abandoned buildings, and on the bare streets beneath the oppressive sky. Their skin is peeling and raw. Their eyes are hollowed, their teeth rotten. Their souls are gone[.]
I like this description. It could be tightened up by swapping out adjective+noun for a word that describes it, making it richer. An example (to my taste, not necessarily the best way to communicate what you want to describe):
>Grey-skinned humans (fritter until death/waste away) in (tenament halls/slums) and on the bare streets (choked by smog/caged from light). Their skin is peeling and raw. Their eyes are hollowed, their teeth rotten. Departed souls whose bodies have lost their pass long ago.
And I didn't read the rest. The bits that interested me the most was getting the case set up and meeting the dramatis personæ. Some of the description was good, but laying it on too thick just makes it muddled. I'd like to see either more plot progression, internal monologues, or perhaps foreshadow during action. An example would be Nash running into some of the scum of the city, letting you show off what the city does to people, showing how he handles himself in a conflict, and set up the thugs or their ilk to return later on as part of the disappearance of George, if they would be part of said mystery.
As-is, personally, I would call it a good rough draft that shows promise. Needs to be cut down to about a fourth of its current length, and more things need to happen beyond description and idle conversation. I'm interested in the guardian angel's POV. It could be commercial, but I know absolutely nothing about publishing or the market. I'd read it if it went through a few more revisions, I like hard-boiled detectives and cities as characters, although I don't read books at all, so take that as you will.
I half-read it, sorry if that offends you. This is all according to my tastes, so it may be subjective. However, I'd like to think my thoughts have some merit, so humor me.
First page's first two paragraphs are rough, you repeat a lot of descriptions, for example amount the moon and the wetness, to your detriment. It's not a gripping introduction.
This is good description, just the right amount to get the reader to envision the scene without micro-managing their imagination. It was evocative and brought a vivid scene to my mind. Write more like this:
>Rain began to fall softly from the black sky. The moon painted every surface with a soft glaze of light. Steam curled into the night from vents in the pavements.
This paragraph is where you should have began, getting right to the point of the detective meeting an otherworldly femme fatale.
>He finished his coffee but couldn’t summon the enthusiasm to leave. There was nothing waiting for him out there in the night, just the long walk home through waterlogged streets with only the dark for company. At least in the café he could enjoy the fuzzy warmth
I skipped past most of the cafe description, Grace, and the lackluster dialog earlier, but the meeting with the succubus piqued my interest enough that I went back to read where she was introduced.
>“Fine,” she cut in, her voice flipping from butter-wouldn’t-melt to hard-as-ice in a split second
I don't understand what you're trying to describe here. She went from cool to cold?
>Is that a note of sarcasm, Miss Crane? Unreadable eyes are the worst. Couldn’t tell what she was
thinking.
Omit the third sentence here. You're repeating what's already been said (her eyes are unreadable, so it follows we can't tell what she was thinking without it needing said). Watch out for this sort of description, you do it often and it weakens your writing.
Voyeur:
>The fractal topology is shifting and pathological. No map is valid. The brown sludge of the river cuts across this corpulence like a festering wound. When it rains, the rain burns.
I feel like this says much more about the city than the rest of Voyeur put together. I love the first two sentences, and the last two are a very strong one-two punch of a weighty long sentence followed by a quick and simple description of hellish conditions.
>Grey-skinned humans wait out the days of their futile lives in abandoned buildings, and on the bare streets beneath the oppressive sky. Their skin is peeling and raw. Their eyes are hollowed, their teeth rotten. Their souls are gone[.]
I like this description. It could be tightened up by swapping out adjective+noun for a word that describes it, making it richer. An example (to my taste, not necessarily the best way to communicate what you want to describe):
>Grey-skinned humans (fritter until death/waste away) in (tenament halls/slums) and on the bare streets (choked by smog/caged from light). Their skin is peeling and raw. Their eyes are hollowed, their teeth rotten. Departed souls whose bodies have lost their pass long ago.
And I didn't read the rest. The bits that interested me the most was getting the case set up and meeting the dramatis personæ. Some of the description was good, but laying it on too thick just makes it muddled. I'd like to see either more plot progression, internal monologues, or perhaps foreshadow during action. An example would be Nash running into some of the scum of the city, letting you show off what the city does to people, showing how he handles himself in a conflict, and set up the thugs or their ilk to return later on as part of the disappearance of George, if they would be part of said mystery.
As-is, personally, I would call it a good rough draft that shows promise. Needs to be cut down to about a fourth of its current length, and more things need to happen beyond description and idle conversation. I'm interested in the guardian angel's POV. It could be commercial, but I know absolutely nothing about publishing or the market. I'd read it if it went through a few more revisions, I like hard-boiled detectives and cities as characters, although I don't read books at all, so take that as you will.
>>45399
Thanks anon, this is really helpful stuff.
> you repeat a lot of descriptions, for example amount the moon and the wetness
Yes, I know I do this. The worst part is that I cut a bunch of redundant stuff before posting and it's still too much.
> This paragraph is where you should have began, getting right to the point of the detective meeting an otherworldly femme fatale.
You may be right. Perhaps I will move things around, so that it starts here and some of the stuff from before is moved afterwards, as a brief prelude to some kind of action scene like you suggest later.
Rather than introducing lots of plot, I was trying to set a vaguely sinister atmosphere that would foreshadow later stuff, especially with the last paragraph.
> Voyeur
Yes, I should probably cut this chapter down a lot. Glad you like some of the descriptions though. I'm intentionally making the character's speech dramatic because it's part of his character to be over the top, hopefully the reader will come to recognise that by the next time he shows up. Obviously I don't want to go too far though.
> I'd like to see either more plot progression, internal monologues, or perhaps foreshadow during action.
The next chapter rapidly moves the plot forward and ends with a big action scene, a shoot-out between the detective and some unseen baddies in an abandoned club. Though I guess I may have lost the reader by this point with the slow introduction. I'll think about it more.
Thanks anon, this is really helpful stuff.
> you repeat a lot of descriptions, for example amount the moon and the wetness
Yes, I know I do this. The worst part is that I cut a bunch of redundant stuff before posting and it's still too much.
> This paragraph is where you should have began, getting right to the point of the detective meeting an otherworldly femme fatale.
You may be right. Perhaps I will move things around, so that it starts here and some of the stuff from before is moved afterwards, as a brief prelude to some kind of action scene like you suggest later.
Rather than introducing lots of plot, I was trying to set a vaguely sinister atmosphere that would foreshadow later stuff, especially with the last paragraph.
> Voyeur
Yes, I should probably cut this chapter down a lot. Glad you like some of the descriptions though. I'm intentionally making the character's speech dramatic because it's part of his character to be over the top, hopefully the reader will come to recognise that by the next time he shows up. Obviously I don't want to go too far though.
> I'd like to see either more plot progression, internal monologues, or perhaps foreshadow during action.
The next chapter rapidly moves the plot forward and ends with a big action scene, a shoot-out between the detective and some unseen baddies in an abandoned club. Though I guess I may have lost the reader by this point with the slow introduction. I'll think about it more.
>Have an idea and want to write it
>Realize I'm lacking in knowledge and will have to research it so it doesn't come off as "hollywood"
How do other wizards go about this? Do you just write a draft and fix the inaccuracies later?
>Realize I'm lacking in knowledge and will have to research it so it doesn't come off as "hollywood"
How do other wizards go about this? Do you just write a draft and fix the inaccuracies later?
I hate when I realize something in my story can be vaguely construed into some political allusion.
>>45547
I hate to tell you this, but that is literally everything you can make a story out of. Anything can be spun to be political even if the authors intent was nothing of the sort.
I hate to tell you this, but that is literally everything you can make a story out of. Anything can be spun to be political even if the authors intent was nothing of the sort.
>>45549
Guess so, funny how that happens. IIRC Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit because he didn't like the public shift from books to television and intended for the story to show how terrible it'd be if everyone just disregarded books all together. But most who read it interpret it as a commentary on government censorship.
Guess so, funny how that happens. IIRC Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit because he didn't like the public shift from books to television and intended for the story to show how terrible it'd be if everyone just disregarded books all together. But most who read it interpret it as a commentary on government censorship.
>>45584
I'm pretty sure those things went hand in hand for him. He also wrote a short story bashing television.
I'm pretty sure those things went hand in hand for him. He also wrote a short story bashing television.
>>45543
Misunderstanding is creativity wizard, make it up if you don't get it. People will mind, but you'll get some writing done, and that's what really matters.
>>45547
Art really is whatever you want it to be. If it's music, you can be extremely vague and it's hard to make it political, but if it's a story and you mention power dynamics at all people can construe that as politics because that's a way to act like the art is more valuable than it is. Notice how this is especially common among cartoons/comics, lots of teenagers doing youtube videos about how important their negativity about entertainment is to society.
Misunderstanding is creativity wizard, make it up if you don't get it. People will mind, but you'll get some writing done, and that's what really matters.
>>45547
Art really is whatever you want it to be. If it's music, you can be extremely vague and it's hard to make it political, but if it's a story and you mention power dynamics at all people can construe that as politics because that's a way to act like the art is more valuable than it is. Notice how this is especially common among cartoons/comics, lots of teenagers doing youtube videos about how important their negativity about entertainment is to society.
File: 1538916603996.jpg (201.33 KB, 1128x1000, 141:125, aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb2….jpg) ImgOps iqdb
Anyone took a creative writing or participated in a writing group before? How was it?
>>45644
I've never participated in a formalized writing group or taken any creative writing classes per se, aside a poetry elective. The poetry class was awful. I did get a few good ways of giving feedback out of it, though, so it wasn't a complete waste. I've had some experience swapping tips and criticisms on imageboards, which I feel is a much better medium for developing writers than some group of named individuals.
Discerning feedback from others reading your work and pointing out things they did and didn't like is almost always going to be helpful, unless everybody in that group just doesn't like whatever it is you're writing about (not the writing itself). I can easily see how, unless it's kept as a business relationship, personal attachements could form and keep someone from providing their full feedback unless there was a high level of trust between the group members. I wouldn't expect it to happen all that often, online or in real life.
You can see a good amount of helpful feedback between the "nice stuff" and "I like it, could use some work on this thing" posts in this thread. Imagine that, but with a face/name attached to it. That's what a good writing group is like. A bad one is easily imagined.
I've never participated in a formalized writing group or taken any creative writing classes per se, aside a poetry elective. The poetry class was awful. I did get a few good ways of giving feedback out of it, though, so it wasn't a complete waste. I've had some experience swapping tips and criticisms on imageboards, which I feel is a much better medium for developing writers than some group of named individuals.
Discerning feedback from others reading your work and pointing out things they did and didn't like is almost always going to be helpful, unless everybody in that group just doesn't like whatever it is you're writing about (not the writing itself). I can easily see how, unless it's kept as a business relationship, personal attachements could form and keep someone from providing their full feedback unless there was a high level of trust between the group members. I wouldn't expect it to happen all that often, online or in real life.
You can see a good amount of helpful feedback between the "nice stuff" and "I like it, could use some work on this thing" posts in this thread. Imagine that, but with a face/name attached to it. That's what a good writing group is like. A bad one is easily imagined.
How do I get myself to write? I've been contemplating it for nearly 9-10 years now. I was in middle school when it first dawned on me that I wanted to write something.
Now, I'm just so frustrated, sick, and tired of everything. I don't know if anything good will come out of even trying to write or do anything productive. Will a mind like this even create anything worthwhile?
Now, I'm just so frustrated, sick, and tired of everything. I don't know if anything good will come out of even trying to write or do anything productive. Will a mind like this even create anything worthwhile?
>>45647
Retell, translate, write minimal viable "pilots" and follow up with related events in the same universes.
Retell, translate, write minimal viable "pilots" and follow up with related events in the same universes.
>>45647
>How do I get myself to write?
You can't make yourself do something you don't want to do. You might be able to encourage yourself by isolation. Just you, paper, and pencil (or a disconnected, barebones laptop with a plaintext editor).
>I don't know if anything good will come out of even trying to write or do anything productive. Will a mind like this even create anything worthwhile?
I'd argue that such a mind would be able to produce remarkable, raw writing if you're willing to skin yourself to show your heart's thoughts. The rough draft will be bad, but after your fourth or sixth pass you'll have something beautiful beyond proof of your mind's consciousness and discipline. You'll have a permanent record of emotion that others can connect and empathize with. That's a laudable goal to set for yourself.
Or maybe you want to write something less personal. What makes up the body of your work is largely irrelevant for the goal above, although the nuance of your work's body is not irrelevant.
>How do I get myself to write?
You can't make yourself do something you don't want to do. You might be able to encourage yourself by isolation. Just you, paper, and pencil (or a disconnected, barebones laptop with a plaintext editor).
>I don't know if anything good will come out of even trying to write or do anything productive. Will a mind like this even create anything worthwhile?
I'd argue that such a mind would be able to produce remarkable, raw writing if you're willing to skin yourself to show your heart's thoughts. The rough draft will be bad, but after your fourth or sixth pass you'll have something beautiful beyond proof of your mind's consciousness and discipline. You'll have a permanent record of emotion that others can connect and empathize with. That's a laudable goal to set for yourself.
Or maybe you want to write something less personal. What makes up the body of your work is largely irrelevant for the goal above, although the nuance of your work's body is not irrelevant.
>>45652
Thanks. I appreciate your words. Maybe ill write something one of these days and share it here.
Thanks. I appreciate your words. Maybe ill write something one of these days and share it here.
Could someone recommend me a book that would help me improve my grammar please?
What are you wizzies writing right now?
What are you wizzies writing right now?
>>45669
>Could someone recommend me a book that would help me improve my grammar please?
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134 The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.; an older edition, but still quite good. You can find a newer version easily enough if you search. Essential reading for undergraduates of English, or anyone who wants to write seriously.
>What are you wizzies writing right now?
I was writing a dark fantasy story about an amnesiac lich of sorts, but I've run headlong into the worldbuilding problem several times so I've put it on hold. Mainly magic and how it would logically shape the world.
>Could someone recommend me a book that would help me improve my grammar please?
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134 The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.; an older edition, but still quite good. You can find a newer version easily enough if you search. Essential reading for undergraduates of English, or anyone who wants to write seriously.
>What are you wizzies writing right now?
I was writing a dark fantasy story about an amnesiac lich of sorts, but I've run headlong into the worldbuilding problem several times so I've put it on hold. Mainly magic and how it would logically shape the world.
>>45669
Got bored of my usual stuff, so I'm planning something more comedic. I'm not funny so it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
Got bored of my usual stuff, so I'm planning something more comedic. I'm not funny so it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
>>45697
They are quite good, but you should definitely up your rhyme game. Your poems would be top tier if you could pull it off. Try some synonyms next time. Bigger vocabulary=more options
They are quite good, but you should definitely up your rhyme game. Your poems would be top tier if you could pull it off. Try some synonyms next time. Bigger vocabulary=more options
It is exceptionally difficult to retain the information i NEED to retain. Every day I seek out the reward feelings I acquire from my pursuits, but I alas fail to apply it to complete satisfaction.
>>45731
check out the online course Learning How to Learn, I'd also recommend reducing overall input of information. People with high IQs can manage lots of information without understanding why. Pertinent information needs to be seen as useful/interesting to seep into long term memory, here are a few quick tricks for memory in general:
1)imagine it as something ridiculous/novel, like if you left your keys on the stove imagine a stove that needs a key to run
2)chunking, this is why phone numbers are in sets of 3 to 4 numbers. Don't try to remember 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, remember 12 and 34
3)song/tone alteration of words. This is how people in muslim countries today memorize the entire koran, and these people are on shitty diets and live in violent environments which doesn't do wonders for the IQ
4)Speaking of IQ, your IQ reduces about 30 points according to a study I read while angry. I think you could bridge that over to stress as well, if you're taking in a lot of information that isn't useful or induces stressful thinking that won't help much either.
I could mention the other basics like a consistent sleep schedule, studying before bed, fasting, intermittent fasting(eating in a 4 hrs window), and also reduction of screen time(all screens are bad according to studies for everything).
I think the worst thought you could possibly have is any thought where you cede control over your environment. What that does is send your brain into panic mode, like a rat on a sinking ship. It's good for thinking quickly and reacting to fast and dangerous situations with lots of movement, but given you're on this site I'm going to assume you don't need that part of yourself as much.
Get familiar with being in a bored state. I think that the majority don't realize just how much stimulation their minds are under day by day, anything you can do to reduce that and get to the 'bored' feeling will bring you closer to peace and up your thinking ability as well.
I don't think there is much of a difference between excitement and anxiety or boredom and calm. That's something that society teaches us that matters that the body doesn't seem to care about, a misfiring of our meaning making organs in the brain.
check out the online course Learning How to Learn, I'd also recommend reducing overall input of information. People with high IQs can manage lots of information without understanding why. Pertinent information needs to be seen as useful/interesting to seep into long term memory, here are a few quick tricks for memory in general:
1)imagine it as something ridiculous/novel, like if you left your keys on the stove imagine a stove that needs a key to run
2)chunking, this is why phone numbers are in sets of 3 to 4 numbers. Don't try to remember 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, remember 12 and 34
3)song/tone alteration of words. This is how people in muslim countries today memorize the entire koran, and these people are on shitty diets and live in violent environments which doesn't do wonders for the IQ
4)Speaking of IQ, your IQ reduces about 30 points according to a study I read while angry. I think you could bridge that over to stress as well, if you're taking in a lot of information that isn't useful or induces stressful thinking that won't help much either.
I could mention the other basics like a consistent sleep schedule, studying before bed, fasting, intermittent fasting(eating in a 4 hrs window), and also reduction of screen time(all screens are bad according to studies for everything).
I think the worst thought you could possibly have is any thought where you cede control over your environment. What that does is send your brain into panic mode, like a rat on a sinking ship. It's good for thinking quickly and reacting to fast and dangerous situations with lots of movement, but given you're on this site I'm going to assume you don't need that part of yourself as much.
Get familiar with being in a bored state. I think that the majority don't realize just how much stimulation their minds are under day by day, anything you can do to reduce that and get to the 'bored' feeling will bring you closer to peace and up your thinking ability as well.
I don't think there is much of a difference between excitement and anxiety or boredom and calm. That's something that society teaches us that matters that the body doesn't seem to care about, a misfiring of our meaning making organs in the brain.
Do you guys think that someone having a heart attack that's hooked up to one of those monitors that beeps could be conscious enough to hear it flatline? I imagine that if your heart stops, your brain would become hypoxic and shut down in less than a second, but for that second could they be conscious to hear the beep?
>>45814
I think it is possible for a second or two they may still have consciousness long enough to hear the beep.
But I am not a doctor or anything. Just seems plausible to me.
I think it is possible for a second or two they may still have consciousness long enough to hear the beep.
But I am not a doctor or anything. Just seems plausible to me.
Before I forget, look at this video. It's about local news stations saying the exact thing. Imagine this. Every single script that was written was written the exact same way. Have you seen that in books or writing in general? This really applies to the introductions of a paper. I bet a lot of the introductions of papers are basically copy paste + your topic here.
>>45820
Seen the video before. It's the result of a group deciding on what's the most effective way to do something and everyone following suit because it proved true. Hollywood blockbusters are a good example of it in stories. Corporate committees focus test stories to audiences and fall back on successful formulas which ends up with stories hitting the same plot beats, character arcs, dialogue etc.
Seen the video before. It's the result of a group deciding on what's the most effective way to do something and everyone following suit because it proved true. Hollywood blockbusters are a good example of it in stories. Corporate committees focus test stories to audiences and fall back on successful formulas which ends up with stories hitting the same plot beats, character arcs, dialogue etc.
A year ago I couldn't think of shit to write, now I'm getting flooded with ideas and can't finish a draft because I hop on the next idea I get. Great.
>>45824
I think it's more reinforcement from the environment. Back when hollywood had the final say in the majority of culture, they had to make movies as digestible as possible. If you read the screenwriting book Save The Cat the author talks about how he'd come up with a title first that explained the entire story, then the characters/setting etc were all just derivations serving to fulfill the expectations of the title.
>>45827
I started writing daily journals because of this and I have a >READ> for important idea that I can just ctrl+ F to find. I wasn't able to finish anything until I started doing smaller work, microfiction(under 1000 words), short poems.
I've done longer projects before that, I realized that the best way to do a big project(more than 30mins-1hr time to finish) is to decide how you're going to write and what you're going to write, then planning ahead time to do that. Otherwise, I would just float on imageboards and porn and… yeah not much got done.
I think it's more reinforcement from the environment. Back when hollywood had the final say in the majority of culture, they had to make movies as digestible as possible. If you read the screenwriting book Save The Cat the author talks about how he'd come up with a title first that explained the entire story, then the characters/setting etc were all just derivations serving to fulfill the expectations of the title.
>>45827
I started writing daily journals because of this and I have a >READ> for important idea that I can just ctrl+ F to find. I wasn't able to finish anything until I started doing smaller work, microfiction(under 1000 words), short poems.
I've done longer projects before that, I realized that the best way to do a big project(more than 30mins-1hr time to finish) is to decide how you're going to write and what you're going to write, then planning ahead time to do that. Otherwise, I would just float on imageboards and porn and… yeah not much got done.
>>45820
> Every single script that was written was written the exact same way.
it was probably a network diseminated script, there are only 3 major companies that own ALL the local stations around the USA anyway, so it makes it easy for the owner to say "here are some lines" and suddently everybody says the same thing.
In writing, I think the best comparison is writing etiquette, which uses standard phrases and is different from culture to culture. High and low context cultures have different writing styles depending on the audience and the situation. A great example of this is the introduction to a letter, in asian countries and especially japan, you want to open up with some light hearted small talk type discussion of the seasons and shit before announcing bad news (the product I bought does not work, give me my money back etc.)
In european countries, the opposite is true, you usually announce your intent without any fluff writing.
>>32868
can anybody help me find an outlet for writing? people say my writing is very informative, and that I could probably sell articles if I wanted to, but I dont have any journalism experience, and I dont really have opinions unless someone tells me to argue a point for them. can I make money just freelance writing articles?
> Every single script that was written was written the exact same way.
it was probably a network diseminated script, there are only 3 major companies that own ALL the local stations around the USA anyway, so it makes it easy for the owner to say "here are some lines" and suddently everybody says the same thing.
In writing, I think the best comparison is writing etiquette, which uses standard phrases and is different from culture to culture. High and low context cultures have different writing styles depending on the audience and the situation. A great example of this is the introduction to a letter, in asian countries and especially japan, you want to open up with some light hearted small talk type discussion of the seasons and shit before announcing bad news (the product I bought does not work, give me my money back etc.)
In european countries, the opposite is true, you usually announce your intent without any fluff writing.
>>32868
can anybody help me find an outlet for writing? people say my writing is very informative, and that I could probably sell articles if I wanted to, but I dont have any journalism experience, and I dont really have opinions unless someone tells me to argue a point for them. can I make money just freelance writing articles?
>>45849
>can anybody help me find an outlet for writing? […] I dont really have opinions unless someone tells me to argue a point for them.
You have to have opinions on some things, even if it's just how you like to cut your toast. Start by writing serious articles on joke topics like that, and you'll find something that piques your interest along the way. Then you can write about that. You could also research topics you find interesting and write reports on them.
>can I make money just freelance writing articles?
It won't be good money, but you could probably scrape a few hundred bucks a month if you're decent and can make good on deadlines. Places like oDesk and etc. have markets for people to write blog articles. You don't even have to take the job, just find a listing that catches your eye and write a blog post about it.
>can anybody help me find an outlet for writing? […] I dont really have opinions unless someone tells me to argue a point for them.
You have to have opinions on some things, even if it's just how you like to cut your toast. Start by writing serious articles on joke topics like that, and you'll find something that piques your interest along the way. Then you can write about that. You could also research topics you find interesting and write reports on them.
>can I make money just freelance writing articles?
It won't be good money, but you could probably scrape a few hundred bucks a month if you're decent and can make good on deadlines. Places like oDesk and etc. have markets for people to write blog articles. You don't even have to take the job, just find a listing that catches your eye and write a blog post about it.
>>45647
This anon here. I finally got myself to write something.
It's short, but it's a start:
The lost souls find themselves at the edge with a heavy heart
Feeling they had nothing, they let go of everything.
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
Their minds submerged in uncertainty,
the waters guide them deeper and darker
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
No longer feeling the weight of gravity,
their bodies don’t resist as the current
pulls them to the bottom
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
They found themselves together,
together in the Luna Sea
This anon here. I finally got myself to write something.
It's short, but it's a start:
The lost souls find themselves at the edge with a heavy heart
Feeling they had nothing, they let go of everything.
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
Their minds submerged in uncertainty,
the waters guide them deeper and darker
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
No longer feeling the weight of gravity,
their bodies don’t resist as the current
pulls them to the bottom
Falling, sinking into the Luna Sea
They found themselves together,
together in the Luna Sea
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