/lit/ - Literature

Remember to write about how big your female characters' breasts are to make redditors angry!!

Why would you make a new thread so early? So you can force anime girls as the OP image?

>>17363981
this has been going on for like. half a dozen threads now at least. Keep up, buddy.

I'm going to try to enter a contest to get myself to write. I have free rein to do whatever as long as I keep it between 5 and 15 pages. I will have to appeal to a jury of middle aged people from rural Spain; I intend to choose a theme related to age and solitude to improve my chances. The price is of 300€, but the experience will suffice.

>>17364194
I haven’t been writing for a while so I trailed off these threads. My bad.

>>17364216
Fair enough. Didn't mean to be such a dick about it. I tend to pick up traits from my characters while I'm writing them. I know that sounds really fucking gay, but... It is what it is.

How do I write in third person omniscient without just copying Vonnegut? I feel like this chapter lacks a distinctive mark and blatantly steals the concept of Leon from Galapagos.

>>17364266
Fuck I need to get better at grammar.

Give me your very best PROTIPS on the art of storytelling!

Do it now, I'm waiting.

>>17364403
1. Have a detailed plot structure before you start writing.

2. Edit and adapt and rewrite constantly.

3. Steal from the greats.

4. Understand that art is derivative and anything made now is just combinations of other works.

5. Don't be an edgy retard and don't play it safe. Walk the line.

6. Don't use filler writing.

7. Write about characters and not the setting.

8. Condense your writing to not bore the reader.

>>17364403
also kys, that helps too

>>17364403
characters should always be working towards a concrete goal, even if it's just grabbing a glass of water

>>17363872
>Any progress on your novels?
I'm making a ton of progress on a shorter spy thriller, but I need to find ways to get more readership.

>>17364403
Write what you want to read.

Historicalfag here. I was far too optimistic about the volume of material I would need to parse. I need to read at least 3 more 500 page texts just to cover the basics. Learning so much though, and have a lot more details to add to the manuscript. (I started with it half-complete so I'm not staring at a blank document or anything.) Maybe by mid-Feb I can finish the preliminary reading.

>>17363872
>Any progress on your novels?
This week was a lull in writing the latest chapter. But I managed to pull through last night and finish it, so now I can finally spend today editing it and release the chapter into the wild by tonight.

>>17364266
Like this >>17364433 anon said, don't be afraid to "steal" your style from other writers you like. To quote the greatest living author, "The ugly fact is books are made out of books, the novel depends for its life on the novels that have been written."
>>17364403
Show and don't tell.

Just how much pre-writing work do you fags do before writing novel-length stories? I'm about to attempt my third draft of a story where the first two drafts failed due to plotholes that I felt couldn't be resolved in a satisfying way. I've gone a bit nuts this time on the pre-work to try to avoid it happening again, to the point of having a spreadsheet of the plotlines and how they interlock so I can work out what everybody is doing "offscreen" so to speak. It feels a bit excessive but after wasting nearly 200k words per draft I'm not really keen to fuck it up again.

>>17363872
Do any of you guys worry about people finding out you posted writing to threads on 4channel? Wouldn't a link to this site be a detriment to one's writing career, especially if you want to be published?

>>17365294
Bullet points at best. Just write nigga.

>>17365355
Does it really matter?

>>17365438
>Just write nigga
Yeah that's what got me 2 failed drafts. One because the conclusion ended up not making sense and one because if you thought about the plot the actions of about half of the supporting characters were totally retarded.

>>17365355
sometimes. it makes me hesitate to post here, honestly. but imagine: people are actually posting on r***** about their work who plan to query.

>>17365355
when im famous ill make sure to indirectly reference you guys every once in a while. it'll be our little inside joke.

>>17365294
I keep a notebook where I put notes, ideas, and the outlines of the various sections of the book I'm working on. Prior to working on a new chapter (which are typically 20-45 pages), I'll spend several days' worth of writing time instead working on structuring the plot and ideas of my story in my notebook.

As I've gotten older, I've gotten a lot more strict about structuring my writing out beforehand (I write non-fiction for work and fiction for fun). The whole process is so much more simple if you have that skeleton structure to work off of, and then you can just bounce from point to point. (It's more complicated than that really, but that's a simple way of putting it.)

>>17363939
She had huge boobs. i mean some serious honkers. a real set of badonkers. packin some dobonhonkeros. massive dohoonkabhankoloos. big ol' tonhongerekoogers. what happened next?! a rival shows up with even bigger bonkhonagahoogs. humongous hungolomghononoloughongous.

Can women's tits shrink if they're malnourished for a long time?

How do I go about writing a forced incestuous relationship between brother-sister without it being fetishized or sympathetic? At first, I intended it to be written from the perspective of the older sister and began writing about 1k-2k words a day these days which took a while to get to but now that I'm here I'm starting to realize just how writing from her perspective spoils the entire story, and reveals too much about the world.

I thought about rewriting the entire story from a new character's perspective, but at the cost of the original story, I wanted to tell and not to mention untold problems in trying to retain as much of the original ideas intact.

Is it just not possible?

>>17365650
They'll grow if fat, shrivel if starved

>>17365662
>original story
what was the original story, and what did you want to tell about it?

>>17365662
Write your story from the perspective of a family friend who eggs the Nee-san on and secretly observes the relationship unfold.
In the end, the shota grows up to be a child molester to show how these things usually end.

How do you feel about reworking fairy tales into modern retellings?

>>17365691
>How do you feel about reworking fairy tales into modern retellings?
I don't dislike the idea.

>>17365691
could be good

>>17365691
If it's done in allusion(Passengers was just spin on Sleeping Beauty for example) then I'm fine with it. When it's just copypasta, then it feels weird and out of place because it is weird and out of place.

>>17365691
>fairy tales but what if X character was gay and half of the characters were ethnic stereotypes?
No. Make new stories.

>>17365730
Yeah, that shit has to stop.

Here is another section from my short story. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on it.

>>17363872
>Any progress on your novels?
D-don't ask me that please. I just keep getting 3am inspiration, writing a premise and outline and a few scenes, then I lose steam.

What do you guys think of filling a historical book set in medieval Europe with mostly people of colour and have all the antagonists be white (including the main character's love interest as a blonde blue eyed woman) as a way to provoke the anti-sjw hoard?

>>17365795
Just do what I do when I'm actually writing. Always write 1500 words a day until you're done, then edit the whole thing and contemplate blowing your brains out the whole time.

>>17365804
An amazing way to display just how much of a hack you really are while also making a bunch of potentially dangerous lunatics hate you.

Does anyone know any non-pozzed publishers out there?

>>17365804

>>17365834
>being this uninformed
Your first step isn't going to be a publisher.

>>17365834
Stop caring about this shit.

>>17365826
>hack
What if I shove the book full of references and ham the shit up past 11 and say some real prophetic shit that my cowriter told me to add in?
>making a bunch of potentially dangerous lunatics hate you
that's the exciting part
>>17365859
not jewish

>>17365804
>what if i wrote something set in ancient china but made everyone a blond haired white guy, and the villains were all chinese
that's how insane you sound. never post on 4channel again.

>>17365944
Yes but the purpose is to provoke the anti-sjw hoard

>>17365874
What are the steps? I have never tried to get published before
>>17365899
Why? I would like to be published by people that want to hear from me and a lot of publishers right now seem to be looking for LGBT/non-white authors

>>17365953
>purpose
The exact thing you lack. Go be sad somewhere else.

>>17365929
>What if I shove the book full of references
I'm sure it'll get 100000000 upcummies on whatever subreddit you post it to

>>17365959
Self-publish on Amazon and then aggressively self-promote it

>>17365959
>right now seem to be looking for LGBT/non-white authors
No one cares. Send your work to a publisher and stop caring about this shit. If no one picks up your work, it probably sucks cock.

I write for visual novels, is it a good idea to use ellipsis for thinking or doubting moments.
I find that I rely on it probably more than I should.

>>17365986
I use ellipsis to indicate a character is being careful with their words without saying "they thought for a moment before speaking"

>>17365986
Just never do boomer ellipsis

>>17365758
The writing is mostly fine and probably above average. Maybe learn how to use actual em dashes and fix the last sentence of the first paragraph.

>>17366013
What's boomer ellipsis?

Ok guys, I'm biting the bullet.

I'm going to try to seriously write an isekai in western style

>>17366026
Some Boomers (and early Gen X) use ellipsis for emphasis, in place of commas sometimes, and often they just stick them on the ends of sentences for no fucking reason. It's enraging.

>>17366039
Why?
It's not that hard to write an actual story in the modern world without jumping to a parallel universe of dragons and slug women.

>>17366026
You know... I assume he means like this...?

>>17365758
your verbage feels unnatural. "custom cycle" "rubber cords" "outfitted". I have the same issue I don't know why. Reading a lot of writer from after 2010 it reads like an ESL trying to sound natural. The words just don't fit quite right. I blame social media

>>17366087
I've read a lot of light novels that are absolutely dogshit and I want t o try my hand at writing an isekai to prove to myself that I can do it better than them

>>17365672
>what was the original story, and what did you want to tell about it?
The original story was about an older sister with an ambiguous mental disorder being more or less emotionally dependent on her younger brother with her intentionally blurring the line between them due to her physical intimacy and emotional manipulation.

>>17365676
I thought about writing from a friend of the sister who was in love with her and seeing her interactions and reactions between the two siblings.

>>17365973
Maybe I will
>>17365977
I don't want to send stuff to places that don't care about my writing. Even if one of these houses did publish me there's no real reason to want to work with them if they won't value my writing and make it a priority (I'd pretty much be at the bottom tier of their hierarchy of importance). Plus they'll probably breath down my neck to make sure I tow that woke line. Not worth it.

>>17365672
>what was the original story, and what did you want to tell about it?
The original story was about an older sister with an ambiguous mental disorder being more or less emotionally dependent on her younger brother with her intentionally blurring the line between them due to her physical intimacy and emotional manipulation.

>>17365676
I thought about writing from a friend of the sister who was in love with her and seeing her interactions and reactions between the two siblings.

>>17366428
would writing from the perspective of the younger brother work? If he's the victim, you can easily cover what happens without it being viewed in a positive light.

Also, if you're point is to show how it effected him later on, you could possibly have it from the perspective of someone in his life later on being told his experiences. There's a lot of stories like that, a third party coming in and getting the tale from a (usually/mostly) passive observer or someone directly involved.

>>17365662
Write it from the fathers prospective.

>see people online bragging how they write 1k words daily
>you write max 200 when having a good day and you're focused
>realise they just write down whatever they think about because everything will be edited anyway
>you think 10 times before writing a word and try to do it as beautiful as possible on your first try

>>17366059
>It's not that hard to write an actual story in the modern world without jumping to a parallel universe of dragons and slug women.
I think most isekai fans are in it for the "parallel universe of dragons and slug women", and the protagonist from this world is a shortcut to a relatable main character for whom the backstory isn't important.

>>17366514
do it as beautifully as possible and then still edit it! better good do it.

>>17366424
>I don't want to send stuff to places that don't care about my writing.
Ok Anon. Tell me. Who the fuck should care about your writing?
>Even if one of these houses did publish me there's no real reason to want to work with them if they won't value my writing and make it a priority
No one will care about your writing but you and your readers. Like I said, stop caring about frivolous shit and just send your manuscript to a publishing house because I can tell you that the chance of letting them handle all the market shit is better than you running around like a gypsy begging people to buy your book because you may actually get a fucking audience afterwards.
>Plus they'll probably breath down my neck to make sure I tow that woke line.
Like what?

>>17366523
Yeah I edit everything many many times
But I don't know how people can just sit down and write bad words solely for the sake of writing because they are going to edit anyway, it's like they want their first draft to be just an outline and then rewrite 100%

What I’m working on involves a group of characters in a confided space, so it’s very dialogue heavy. Sometimes I do enjoy playing with that in making it seem very chaotic/messy but how do I avoid losing the readers when things are more serious and I’m not trying to troll? I’m used to script writing so characters talking over each other and such is harder to manage.

>>17365662
I’d write third person omniscient. The book I’m reading right now actually deals with a brother and sister incestuous relationship and doesn’t seem to sympathize much with either, at least at the start. If you’re wondering, it’s Outer Dark.
>>17366023
Thanks for reading anon. I actually write them like that since it was the way to get the dashes to work in Word. Should breakout if that habit.
>>17366112
Thanks for the feedback, you may be right. I think, for me, the problem is I just try and sound too fancy with my writing.
>>17366514
Me all the time anon.

>>17366514
>I'm not slower I just work differently
Keep telling yourself that. Protip: Every novel needs editing. The reason people churn out 1000+words/day then edit later is because they're going to edit it regardless of how fast they write and the editing takes almost the same amount of time.

>>17366545
People are taught to do that in school that's why.

>>17366545
same, but when I finish something it feels perfect. I'm at the point where I edit books I read for fun, especially translations I'm just always thinking "wouldn't it have been better worded like this?"

>>17366558
No it does not take the same amount of time to edit something you are ok with rewriting completely vs something you think only needs a bit of rewording. In fact the difference in editing time between the two can be immense.

>>17366543
I'm not against publishing. I just want to find the right publisher. I will give the big ones a shot anyways just to see for myself. In that respect I think you have a point and are right.
>Like what?
Read what these places want. It's significant roles for gay/non-binary/trans/POC or some combination of. I don't care about doing that. It's not out of the question that they would pressure their authors to write what they are prioritizing at the time.

>>17366577
>something you are ok with rewriting completely
That's not editing, and basically nobody does this.

>>17366514
This + I use my language that is much harder to write in, one word can literally be written in hundreds of ways. It takes time but everything seems a lot more poetic and beautiful than English.

>>17366585
>I use my language that is much harder to write in,
What language?

>>17366581
Self-publish dude. Why deal with the hassle of a publisher at all?

>>17366596
>What language?
Polish

>>17366581
>I'm not against publishing. I just want to find the right publisher. I will give the big ones a shot anyways just to see for myself. In that respect I think you have a point and are right.
Alright, well, that's all I was really saying, is all.
The "woke" stuff rubbed me the wrong way, since I'm almost 100% sure a company isn't going to be giving priority to a minority writer unless its profitable.
I say this as a minority myself.

So I'm writing a romance/porn story, but I want to know how non-human people like their romances getting. She'll certainly be intelligent, sapient, and of the age of consent chronologically, physically, and mentally speaking, but past that, I want to write some romance with completely inhuman characters.

>>17366717
I'm afraid I don't understand the question

>>17366787
>leek
leek spin anyone?

>>17366717
>completely inhuman characters
mmmmyes. Amoeba smu! My favorite!

>>17366717
Ask /trash/, they have a porn writing thread and are mostly furries/xenos.

I want to write a romance with a two-spirit mc but I don’t want to deal with bs from non-native people. How do you publish/market in only a small community? Is there ways you can do that?

>>17366920
You can't control who reads a book once you write it
However you do not need to worry, rest assured my friend, nobody will read your book

>>17366920
Maybe ask the reservation people

>>17366477
>would writing from the perspective of the younger brother work? If he's the victim, you can easily cover what happens without it being viewed in a positive light.
I did write a few chapters from the brother's perspective, but they came out, to my opinion, lacking. Mostly because he doesn't see himself as a victim nor does he see what his older sister doing as "wrong" since she's been doing this since they were children and so his views on sibling relationships are warped.

>>17366950
>However you do not need to worry, rest assured my friend, nobody will read your book
That’s the problem I’m pretty known now bc I said some shit on Twitter that white liberals went crazy for so unless I get a pen name, I’m screwed
>>17366987
That’s the thing I don’t know how to get a book carried only on reservations

>>17367167
but once he got older he'd realize it was wrong tho, wouldn't he?

>>17367216
>white liberals
wait who are we talking about here, liberals who happen to be white... or terminally online dipshits who can't see anything past their social circles of extremely pathetic people just like them?

>>17367216
there's no such thing as bad publicity

>>17367285
white peoples. Even though I have had an online presence for a fat minute in my own community, last year white liberals decided they felt bad about ignoring brown online people and suddenly I had an army of white peoples.
>>17367286
That is the biggest lie though. t b h I just want to write a self insert but white people are already policing my identity all the time because of me blowing up. If they get ahold of this book I’m just going to be writing “bad representation” one way or another. Kinda don’t want to be canceled for writing fanfiction but at the same time want folks like me to have a story for once. I mean I guess you’re right, maybe I’m just being a pussy about it.

>>17367229
Anon, by the time where the story takes place, the sister is already an adult and in college while the brother is in the last semester of high school senior year.

>>17367438
that's plenty old enough for the brother to know things weren't right. Or it could be about him realizing things were wrong. There's plenty you could do to fix this problem, Anon. Stop making excuses.

>>17367469
I think I might have typed it wrong, let me be clear: It's because I want the brother to be in a state of denial when it comes to his relationship with his sister, but at the same time, subconsciously realizing things are wrong with his relationship with his said sister. Do you understand? It's like a part of him is trying to come to terms with what's actually happening and another part wants to remain consciously unaware, despite knowing what they're doing is not right. The brother is at a crossroads.

>>17367469
nothing wrong with incest bro

>>17367527
Incest is definitely wrong- the exception is twincest which is right and proper

>>17367510
Saw an anon a few years ago go to /adv/ about his older sister taking advantage on him in hs and was in denial about it. Are you him? Are you doing ok now?

>>17367543
No, anon, I'm not him. I don't know what you're referring to.

I want to write, but I'm not very smart, and I don't have many experiences.

Do I need to learn about medieval war tactics, horse husbandry, or how to tie a knot before I can write a fantasy story?
Do I need experience all facets of love before I can write a romance?

>>17367315
>letting them live in your head rent free
Literally mentally colonized

>>17368542
You need to learn exactly enough to be inspired, and you'll figure out what else you need to know from there

>>17367510
People don’t really do this, right?

>>17367543
Source? Sounds crazy and potentially depressing.

>>17367543
Can I just say, even though I don't know what you're referring to either, I appreciate your concern for that anon.

Im so bad at writting holy shit i cant write dialogue

>try to outline a chapter plan
>8 chapters in
>no idea what to do past that
Should I just start writing and hope I figure it out when I get there, or will I run into the same wall anyways? I've never outlined like this before but wanted to give it a go.

>>17369982
The real redpill is only writing real conversations you've had

>>17370092
Real conversations are the peak of shit writing.

>>17370092
I only write conversations that are revealed to me in dreams.

>>17370011
Writing without a plan if you don't know what you're doing is a quick way to get writer's block.

>>17370187
Dreams are bullshit, last night a British man driving a bus on the wrong side of the road told me to check eBay to get that thing I wanted for cheap and when I went there it wasn't cheap at all, fucking dreams can't trust them

>>17370011
Write the ending and work backwards. How does Stephen King get away with never even trying to write decent ending?

>>17370243
Nobody ever finishes a Stephen King book, that's how.

>>17363939
Thanks for reminding me anon

Who here is writing literary fiction and not speculative fiction?

>>17370621
Is autofiction considered literary?

>>17370621
none. It's all isekai and incel fantasies. Leave before you're infected aswell.

>>17370621
I main reason I don't write literary fiction is because I have zero people IRL who can appreciate it. I haven't found a single person who can appreciate my favorite literature even a bit. It's pretty depressing honestly. If I knew even one person who didn't freak out at the idea of using an obscure word it would be different. I'm coming to the /wg/ more now though so that should help

>>17364403
Make me care.

My brother read my story about the frogs, he rated it an 8 on a scale of 4-10 and said that stories about helping animals always make him feel better.
I hope you all find such joy in your own endeavors.

Editing is quite fun desu

>>17370635
no it's considered cringe

>>17370819
Then I write cringe.

>>17370758
You're right, I'm adding animals to my story now. It's about a robot AI so maybe the AI should try and enjoy messing with animals in a harmless way. I'm thinking geese.

>>17370835

>>17370835
I'd go with capybaras just for comfiness maximization

>>17370857
Seconding this.

I'm this anon >>17364266

The basic idea is that

1. Juan and Harry become decent friends.
2. Juan plans a school shooting.
3. Harry commits it.
4. they both flee to avoid incarceration.
5. Harry is imprisoned.
6. Juan is stabbed and flees into a forest, leans on a tree.
7. Juan sees fox-god.
8. Juan is transported into the fox world (It is implied this is possibly a hallucination before his death, it could possibly be real too).
9. Juan adventures into the fox land
learning about fox culture.
and discovering that god did truly make man in the image of himself in the sense that the fox-gods are just as violent.
10. Fox god triggers WW3 and the nukes kill everyone, including Harry who is in his jail cell.
11. Fox god arranges a marriage with Juan and a 26 year old fox lady.
12. Fox god sends Juan to the now destroyed earth that is facing nuclear winter with his adoptive fox-wife and fox-son.
13. Fox god creates an "Eve" for the sire of humanity (Juan).
14. Fox arranges a fox "eve" to be thrown onto earth.
15. Humanity continues and fox-god uses this era of humanity to experiment with
"What would happen if two intelligent species shared a planet and were of equal ability and strength?"
16. The book ends.

It is also called Fox Trotter. It will include many sketched illustrations and a "BookTrack" of random songs I like that fit specific chapters.

been listening to a lot of american folk songs recently and I've taken some of the premises and weaved them into short stories to a relatively good effect
but I feel like a hack taking a story from somewhere else, with one especially my short story mirrors the song quite closely, although obviously I've added a lot of things
am I thinking too much about it or is it a bad habit that I am developing?

>>17371254
>It is also called Fox Trotter. It will include many sketched illustrations and a "BookTrack" of random songs I like that fit specific chapters.
I struggle to not do this with just about everything I write. I even wrote a story about vaporwave/Mallsoft inspired haunted and abandoned mall and made every chapter themed after a different vaporwave album (no Floral Shoppe). I just don't think most people will be able to appreciate the mixed media aspect, Murakami gets away with it sometimes though

>>17371254
Also the fox-wife that Juan gets is not a plot hole. Juan will be a lanky dweeb and the fox wife will be incredibly ugly but since humans and fox people are not evolutionally inclined to read the facial expressions of a different species. The fox eve and human eve happen to be afterthoughts to make it so both species can survive

>>17371289
No thats a good habit to develop. Anyone who cares about "stealing" has probably never made anything of value. It's remixes all the way down

>>17371290
I just get iffy about the idea since I am not sure how licensing works and if I will have to pay. I doubt my novel is even publishable. I think I will license the songs to put in a tapebook if it is publishable.

>>17371254
I forgot to add it is hinted at and fully revealed at the second act that the omniscient third person narrator is fox-god. I will also use some in-universe first person writing. Just Harry's manifesto and Juans journal.

>>17368874
>Literally mentally colonized

How much do you guys plan for your stories? I myself usually have the beginning and end hard set from the start and the have various plot points I'd like to hit along the way.

The rest in between is brain storming semi- on the fly of how I want it to progress from point A to B then C... so on so forth.

>wasted a month trying to write a chapter I didn't need to write unnecessarily prolonging the first act
>then wasted another month trying to totally change the setting of everything I'd written so far because I suddenly got the idea it wasn't working
>now back working steady, getting into the difficult middle act that is going to be the make or break if this book is actually going to be a goer or not
Man it feels good to be back on the open road again. Put a 4000 word chapter together this weekend, nearly.

Do names even matter?
I have the story I want to tell, but can't put a decent name to my MC.

>>17371556
I usually have the whole story planned before writing, though the details I work on them as I move forwards. Before I began the novel, I wrote an entire summary of the story describing every major thing that happens ("caracter goes to this place, meets with other character, then they do this" and so on). Now that I am writing the middle of the novel, I split the plan into 'arcs' depending on the location. Then I made a more detailed chapter-by-chapter plan, making bulletpoints of the events that take place in the chapter. It helps me to think these things before actually writing, since it allows me to focus on the prose, while ticking off the things that I have to go through in each chapter. Perhaps this method helps you.

Also one thing to keep in mind that you movement from one plot point to the other must come from character choice rather than plot driven ("something happens out of the blue"), as it feels more organic for the reader and makes the character more active.

>>17371805
Yes, names help you and your reader remember characters. Try and make character names somewhat unique but not eccentric

>>17371805
Names are super important. You never name a character something that doesn’t mean anything to the story or that character for some reason.

>>17371887
>>17371911
My character names are either banal shit like "Peter Smith', or overtop cringe shit like 'Zantith Ironfoot'.

I can't find a sweet spot in the middle.

>>17371930
Try combining names from different cultures. Like a spanish first name and an anglo-saxon last name

>>17371930
http://max.marrone.nyc/Markov-Word-Generator/

Put names of the culture and sex that you want for your character, and click generate. Play around with the order and length till you get something cool. I use this frequently, along with fantasy name generators, and mix them up until I get something I like.

>>17371930
Well what are you writing? For example I’m writing a postmodern esc sci-fi so all my characters have silly names that ultimately still reflect what I want to do with them (the character that gets infantilized by other characters’ name is Pillow, the character that gets scapegoated is named Cible, the arsenal experts have gun-related names ect) . Same with names not related to characters, I have an enemy species named after Sumerian annunaki.

>>17366787

nice sfw content.

>>17372165
>he doesn't know
/lit/ - Hentai

>>17371301
Furries get the rope

>>17372481
not furry you retard. kill yourself

>>17372481
If you can believe it, it is actually a deconstruction of furfagism.

The point of the fox-god retards is that they are just as violent as us and it is a childish fantasy to hope for "A land of little foxes and cherry trees". Furfagism is a massive cope for faggots who hate their lives.

>>17372559
>"deconstructing" the idea of people jacking off to cartoon characters
What a waste of time lol

>>17364403
https://youtu.be/-6HOdHEeosc

Very good stuff right here. Obviously he's not going to teach you how to write a masterpiece, but there are concrete sections of extremely practical insights into writing and also how to get published.

>>17372692
no

>>17372651
I know right it's so faggy

>>17372559
well i guess every story is just some writers thinly veiled fetish anyways so it's not that cringy

>chekhov's gun
>show don't tell
I'm so sick of this retarded shit, I see these two advices EVERYWHERE, especially the second one
If you unironically post one of them here you should just fuck off

>>17373123
Someone can't foreshadow for shit

whenever I try to write stories in which my characters are of the same background as me, I worry about making them stereotypical.

I don’t know how to go about describing my characters in a way that is clear they’re of a different race or ethnic background without making it seem offensive or like I threw it in there just for the sake of it if that makes sense?

I like to write stories in which my characters have small routines or beliefs that relate to the culture i’m writing about but I worry about writing it in a way that seems like i’m exploiting real people’s struggles or issues. Are there any good resources on how to accurately and correctly write POC characters?

thoughts on technobabble? How do YOU do it?

>>17373453
By knowing enough about the related science to come up with something vaguely plausible

>>17372722
k

>>17373453
Only 3 correct ways
>don't
>make an entire system which is completely internally consistent and use that
>make it funny (only for comedic works)

>>17373415
>not making every character a sterotype

I need some good music to write, post what you like when you write.

>>17373415
Person of color is kind of dated and makes you sound internally racist, you should use the new commonly accepted term, 'non-whites'

>>17373731
the worst part about this post is that I can't even tell if you're joking or not.

>>17373726
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6r4cHeu5fE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qB8pTr-cPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU6VCwqSyu8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWKm6jDt-BA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLx9YnddEmY

>>17373726
silence

>>17373726
>not building his own playlists to fit moods, the plot &/or specific characters
You new or something?

>>17373123
why is this advice bad?

>>17373744
lol

How should I go about adding diversity into my writing?
Sorry if this has been asked before. I totally understand how important diversity is and I’m good at that with sexualities and genders but I don’t know what to do about different cultures and races. I don’t want to add in a black/Asian/ etc character as a main character that is basically white but with a different look bc I’ve heard that’s wrong but I don’t want to just have side characters as diversity because it doesn’t really count.

>>17374087
Only do it if you want to or are going to have to go through an agent/publisher.

>>17374087
why did you have to remind me of my interdimensional flesh-monster supercomputer wife

>>17374001
It's not constructive. It only tells you what not to do, and when followed literally, leads to overly-wordy plodding shit with predictable outcomes.

>>17374087
>How should I go about adding diversity into my writing
why?

>>17366583
What's editing then? Because if you're just doing basic revision and a bit of rewording, then you're doing it wrong. And most of editing consist of adjusting the style, not touching the structure of the story if you already madke an outline.

>>17374087
>How should I go about adding diversity into my writing?
Why? But Why?

>>17374213
She's waiting for you on the other side, anon.

>>17373415
imagine wanting to write a story while even worrying about that bullshit. in my stories everyone is white. do i explicitly describe \every, or even any characters skintone? nope. never. I may do a brief description of a hair color here and there, or hairstyle, or has beard/mustache, but in my head everyone is white. if you want negroes in your story without explicitly stating it have them smoke crack or drink colt 45. I'd never tell that story, but that's because I like telling stories about human characters, or animals. not people of crime

>>17374434
>>17374628
Not him, but why not?

>character isn't "stinky" at the start of story
>want to have him "stinky" by the end
>not sure where to start
Do I just have a character smell him somewhere around the 1/3 point and say he smells bad? Not sure how gradual I should make it, him becoming "stinky." Should I mark down points in my story's planning document where his "stinky" should be remarked as becoming worse?

Also, does the same apply for a woman becoming "milky"?

>>17375149
This whole post shows extreme signs of mental derangement, from the pic rel to the entirety of the text. You need to seek help, before you hurt yourself.

>>17375028
>>17375028
I've always found the concept of diversity quota extremely jarring regardless of the medium. it makes even less sense in writing in all things where all your characters are gray blobs left to the reader's imagination (unless there is character art) I genuinely don't care in the slightest your character is a sassy black or Mexican woman.

I can't think of a good climax to my story without going full schlocky bullshit.

Is an ensemble cast generally more interesting than a single hero.

Fuck, I can't stop writing. My book should be done before February at this rate. Currently at 91k and hoping to end around 100k.

194,629 words
ctrl f "fuck"
141
not even as close to as bad as I thought, was getting self conscious

>>17375624
and to make it clear that includes all variations. fuck, fucks, fucker, fucking. all of em. feeling extremely relieved now actually

>>17375624
What kind of context are they used in? Even half a dozen can be too many if used poorly

>>17375624
Coward

>>17375624
I only used shit once so far at the pivotal moment in Book 2, and I'll only use fuck at the very end of all the novels in my series.

>>17375645
emphasis, usually. calling someone a fucking asshole. calling someone a stupid fucker. in a phrase like rat fuck. occasionally just a character swearing because something bad happened

by contrast I only used the word bitch 22 times. mostly calling someone a bitch, or apologizing for being a bitch. also when someone is bitching, as in the phrase bitching and moaning

>>17375653
That pic right there, that's setting a bar real high. I've got a lot of work to do to get to that level.

>>17375645
>Even half a dozen
Six. Half a dozen is six. Why didn't you just say six? AAAHHH I'M GOING INSANE

>>17375661
doing a count on shit, 111 times. includes bullshit, horseshit, shitty, and one shithead

>>17375624
is there a reason you want to avoid swearing?

>>17375672
six seems too specific a number for a general statement like that

I can't even do 500 words a night anymore. I'm completely and utterly crashed.

this is why it took me two and half goddamn years to get to the 85% mark of my first draft

>>17375702
Dozen is 12
Half a dozen is 6
It's an exact figure either way
AAAAHHHHHH THIS IS ELDRITCH AND UNSPEAKABLE

>>17375671
I still hold out hope that one day he might self-publish or at least post a link to a pdf or something

>>17375707
damn, I just 338 in a couple of hours. get your weight up.

>>17375697
clearly I'm not, but I don't want to overuse words too, too much. I can probably cut or replace 25% of them with another word that may fit the situation better. that's it. its just a word that rolls so easily off the keyboard for dialogue. certain characters are obviously more foul mouthed than others

>>17375711
I can call it 24/4 if you want

>>17375721
Now that's some real linguistic innovation, approved.

>>17375720
not him but what's your story about? why is "fuck" said so much? military story?

>>17370092

Real people talk with a LOT of filler words (eh, mmm, like, ok... yeah, so, [cough], uh) and also lots of slang and stupid shit.

>>17375745
riverrun, past Eve and Adams, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth, Castle and Environs.

>>17370621

Non-english speaker here, whats the difference??

>>17375753
Speculative fiction is what they used to call sci-fi back when H.G. Wells and Jules Verne were around.

>>17375757

Literary fiction is about real people in real events?

>>17375753
it's the same thing but literary fiction writers like to feel superior to everyone else. the rest of us play along cause it's kinda cute how they think they're people too.

>>17375766
Not at all. Literary fiction can be about anything just as long as it isn't fun or enjoyable on any level, thereby making it a chore to read and thus granting those who engage in it a sense of superiority.

>>17375740
the mc had been in the military before the story starts, not even really a plot point, mentioned tangentially once and then explicitly once.
basically people working in a space colony. new people shipped out every year, but the new recruits are lied to about the situation, cause its a 1 way trip and they're fucked when they get out there. the mc has been there awhile, probably the most hated person there, infamous. involves intrigue and fights, they're finally starting the revolution now in earnest after planning for a bit. I'm hoping to be done by 225k now. at 150k was hoping to be done by 200k and that ain't happening. so 225k may be another hopeful goal that gets surpassed

>>17375775
you don't like fiction? reading fiction is not a chore. maybe you're getting filtered?

>>17374256
>It only tells you what not to do, and when followed literally, leads to overly-wordy plodding shit with predictable outcomes.
But that's wrong. And they're repeated a lot because amateur writers still stubbornly think they're above these principles, even when simply following them makes your story objectively 300% better.

Thoughts? Anything is helpful.

>>17374087
It pretty much writes itself depending on the setting.

As for the specifics, write people first and then consider how their background would affect them in your setting.

Have any of you ever been published outside of being self-published?

>>17376611
I had a story printed anonymously in the Coronameron. Sure that book is still self-published, but I'm not the one who did it so that still counts, right?

>>17376611
just had a poem accepted in the /lit/ quarterly

>>17376748
>people actually getting accepted into the quarterly
>I've been submitting to them since last summer and they never responded
DEATH

back when I used to use discord, i was in this server with some guy who frequently talked about being commissioned to write erotic fiction but was always coy and never gave details about how he was getting clients and where he was advertising his service, but he did mention he got paid well for it. So, how do I get into being commissioned for erotic writing and does it actually pay well? How do I write a good erotic story anyway?

>>17376779
have you been submitting poetry? I'm guessing that the competition for that is less since most anons seem to be writing prose

>>17376809
I don't read poetry, I don't care about poetry, I will never write poetry.

>>17376611
when i was around 10 or so a local author had a poetry competition at my local school and i won. got published in his magazine.

>>17376813
stay unpublished then, proselet

>>17376825
You'll see! I'll make it yet!

>>17376799
You got to make a name for yourself first. Try all the erotic sites that allow erotic works. Here's an example:

>Dennis started unbuttoning his own pants now and pulled them and his boxers off, freeing his rock-hard cock from its confines. He was a large man and his cock matched his overall stature. 9 inches long and as thick as Emma's wrists, it made a new wave of tears flow down her cheeks and her muffled protests got louder.

>Her cousin however just ignored her pleas and spread her legs forcefully to get a good look at her pussy. She was waxed bare, not liking the hassle of constant shaving or the look and feel of hair growing down there. Dennis groaned at the sight of her tight opening, it looked impossibly tiny next to his huge cock and he couldn't wait to sheath himself inside her.

>She was definitely not aroused, however, so he would have to work for a while to get her wet enough to get his monster into her virgin cunt. Ignoring her muffled protests, he started rubbing above her opening, looking for her little pleasure bud. Once he had found her clit as shown by the involuntary bucking of her hips, he applied more and more pressure to it, forcing her towards an orgasm she did not want to experience. Emma was gasping and panting, trying to resist giving in to the tightening coil in her loins but she couldn't help unraveling when he pressed hard on her clit whilst pinching one of her nipples with the other hand. She wasn't one to masturbate regularly and so this orgasm really hit her with its intensity, making her almost forget where and with whom she was right now, it was so good.

>Finding her sufficiently wet after her orgasm, Emma's cousin positioned himself at her entrance and began pushing into her tight pussy. His thick cockhead stretched her opening as he forcefully pressed into her. Emma was protesting against the tape over her mouth at the intrusion and the pain of being stretched so much, and yet only the head of his long rod was actually inside her yet. She also knew that he had not put on a condom and whilst she hadn't thought about what he had said about knocking her up before, only thinking about how she could get him away from her, she knew it was a realistic possibility that he could actually impregnate her.

>>17376851
people pay for this? I can write this

>>17376867
They're sites that allow amateur erotic authors to write and improve. Much like any sites that allow fictional works. The quality varies.

>I lay awake naked on my bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. We were going through another blackout and the air conditioning was dead. The sweltering Bangkok heat was unbearable, even in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep anyway; I was a few months over 18 and my near-uncontrollable sex drive had no outlet. My big cock was a steel pipe that I gripped and pumped in my hand, lubed up with a palm of spit.

>I was frustrated; I was a good-looking white kid from a well-off American expatriate family. I went to a private international high with the sons and daughters of diplomats and rich businessmen. I had a group of friends, same as everyone else, but when it came to girls, I was shy, nervous, and inexperienced. Plenty of guys my age had a steady supply of pussy - mostly the expat chicks we went to class with, but sometimes Thai women - and loved to brag about their conquests when we hung out around the villas after school. I'd smile and try to act cool and lie, all the while trying to figure out how the hell they did it. I wasn't a virgin anymore but I was shit when it came to the opposite sex.

>I jacked off angrily, thinking about a hot girl in my class that I wanted to fuck. Katie Barrows. Some Canadian chick with nice-sized perky breasts and a cute feminine face. Long blonde hair, big blue eyes. Petite and slender, real sexy. I thought about taking her against her desk at school and fucking her with her legs wrapped around me while she wore her preppy school uniform with the pleated skirt hiked up over her hips. Yeah, biting her bottom lip, eyeliner-painted eyes closed in pleasure, naughty fucking bitch...

>I tried not to make too much sound as I pounded my cock in my hand. My snobby parents were sleeping a couple of rooms down and I didn't want them to know what I was doing. It'd be a lot better if I was sitting in front of the family computer watching porn, but the fucking thing was in their bedroom. So it was just me, my hand, and my imagination.

>I closed my eyes and fantasized. My mood wasn't helping so I went harder, going from fantasy to fantasy. Sexy Spice, Christina Aguilera. I started to sweat as my brain became saturated with lust. I lay my head back into my pillow and gritted my teeth as I stroked harder.

>Fucking, fucking, fucking. Video game characters, Lara Croft, Chun-Li, that slut Rogue from Diablo, all flesh and sex in my head as I pleasured myself and got closer to my reptile brain. Getting sucked off by sexy, young Thai sluts. Pounding their little brown skanky farang cock-hungry pussies. Crying for my seed and my big fucking naked dick that was stretching their cunts out so much they would never get satisfaction from anything smaller again. Filling their whore wombs with my spunk so the next time I passed Patpong I'd see them leering with rounded stomachs.

>since yesterday visit subreddit Writing on reddit
>threads about writing "people of colour", diversity, how to add homos and not offend niggers while writing niggers
>"how to add a transexual person?"
>"how to write a woman???"
>"I have an idea for a book, is it good? should I write it or not worth it??"
How do they even exist and survive every day in the real world?

>>17377065
>how to add homos and not offend niggers while writing niggers
>"how to write a woman???"
>"I have an idea for a book, is it good? should I write it or not worth it??"

So exactly like /wg/?

>>17363872
What would some of you say are the characteristics of lovecraftian/surreal style creepypastas or mysterious cryptid stories?

Any random tips would be appreciated too in regards to this type of writing. Am not into gore.

>>17374087
Don't write muh diversity, write diverse stories instead. Make short stories in africa, then china, etc. That's what I would do if I cared about muh diversity and social justice. I wouldn't sell it off so cheaply and artificially. I would study and explore the countries, the culture, history, and make stories happening in those places instead of the overused west.

I've been asking my jamaican friends constantly on and off about what fruit grows in their area and how the texture is, what taboos they have for mental health, what social corruption they deal with, how poorly built their housing is, politics, religion, origins of their slangs, their mindsets, their view of Africa, etc. Not because I originally wanted to write stories about their country, but because I just find every country interesting even though I'm a literal /pol/ tier asshole dick that wants all immigrants deported.

>>17377133
Play on the readers imagination when it comes to descriptions. Keep them vague and confusing; contradictory even. This forces the mind to fill in the gaps and give reason where there is none, giving the 'unknown' a shape.
The complement to this is to give overly detailed description a about a specific but uncommon thing, which add to the effect of strangeness.
Writing horror, specially 'fear of the unknown' horror, is usually a bit of a ballance between vaguely describing some things while driving into too much detail in others.

Maybe a stupid question but is reading a lot a prerequisite to being a good writer?

>>17377283
Yes.

>>17377283
No.

>>17372692
Kek, imagine taking writing advice from Brandon 'how complex is your magic system' Sanderson.

>>17377334
He's a famous and successful writer, while you're an incel on 4chan, maybe his advice ain't so bad...

>>17377283
Absolutely.

>>17377283
Maybe.

>>17376312

Too much description in the beginning 2 paragraphs. The story actually starts in the third paragraph, so just cut the other two. I know you’re going for atmosphere but less is more.

>The neon sign was shrouded in an illuminated cloud of fog, the blue light reflecting softly from the wet cobble stone streets. Vision’s Diner.
The muffled sounds of [insert adjective] conversation, clinking of cutlery and glasses turned sharp for a second or two when the door swung open to let a new soul into the [whatever atmosphere you’re going for]

I’m not saying the above is perfect, just that it’s about as much description you can put in a first paragraph without people skipping to the first sign of conversation. Just my 2 cents.

And yes, you should keep your perspective from either outside or inside, so either walk us into Vision’s or let us look at visions only from inside.

>>17377237
Thank you very much, anon. I always preferred being able to interpret dark stories, too. Any cliches I should avoid?

>>17377349
This is what 4chan was designed for. To make us anonymous. To eliminate individuality. The point is focus on debate/discussion, and not be a bitter retard woman and just uses ad hominems.

The anon made a critique. Fuck off or make real counter arguments arguments. Just because someone is famous doesn't equal good.

I am not agreeing to the anon who hates the video, because it's an ok video. I am just disappointed morons like you can't make a proper argument to save your life.

>>17377454
Not that anon but if you want to be successful, I'm pretty sure you should take advice from famous big shots instead of random anons from anime imageboards.

>>17377454
>made a critique
He said "SANDERSON LOL", that's not any more of a critique than me saying he (You) are an incel. There's no room for arguments on either side here, the anon complaining about Sanderson is doing so because contrarians are supposed to hate popular things and I'm calling him (You) and incel because it amuses me to do so.

>>17377472
That's a proper argument, yes.

>if you want to be successful, I'm pretty sure you should take advice from famous big shots
Yes, if your intention is fame, definately. Learn from others with big names.

>instead of random anons from anime imageboards.
If you want to write for yourself because writing is a passion and don't care for fame, it is also totally fine to take advice on here as well.

Just depends on your intention. Both are good sources for advice.

>>17377488
i want fame and talent so i will listen to both sanderson and /wg/ :)

>>17377474
You do realize that critiques can have humor too and be short, right?

>Brandon 'how complex is your magic system' Sanderson.
He is calling out a trait he doesn't like about the person's works there.

>I'm calling him (You) and incel because it amuses me to do so.
"I-I was just pretending to be mad/stupid".

>>17377506
There was no critique, you only made memes. You're still only making memes. This is all you have, you are seething because Sanderson is beloved, successful and probably a better writer than you will ever be.
Have sex. Please.

>>17377492

I want fame and wisdom so I will listen to both Roger Stone and Spinoza :D

>>17377512
>everyone who disagrees with me is 1 person
Take your meds, schizo. I literally said I liked some of Sanderson's advice in the video. I just hate faggots who can't argue other than "haha no u".

>>17377543
Shh, anon. Shh. You lost. Take the L and kneel.

Why do you people want to be writers? Tell me, is it for the fame? Is it to cope with other failures? Or is it for the pleasure? And if it's the latter, how do you find pleasure in writing?

>>17377613
because I have stories in my head and want to develop and read them

>>17377613
>fame
I'm introverted and don't want any
>cope with other failures
I never tried anything so I've never failed at anything
>pleasure
Yes, I definitely enjoy it.
>how do you find pleasure in writing?
It just feels enjoyable and fun to do. That's why I do it. It doesn't need to be looked for.

>>17377613
I have stories that I want to tell, worlds that I'd like to explore. Emotions that I'd like to convey. With very creative endeavor I can't help but feel the need to create, and writing is just another one. I'm amazed by how artists are capable of making people feel certain ways; how with words or music or imagery they are capable of expressing things that are beyond what seems possible. And I want to do that. Few things are as joyful as being able to get a reaction from someone, of being told 'this really moved me'. Of, after pouring your heart on a scene, being told 'this is really good'.
With writing I believe I found my talent. When people that have no association with me tell me that they like the way I write, despite being ESL and a beginner, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment I never feel with anything else. These are people who have nothing to gain from reading my stuff, nothing to gain from saying a few words, who could just as easily tell me to fuck off. But they still enjoy it enough to say something positive, to tell me to keep writing.
And even if nobody reads it, or they shit on it, writing is still incredibly helpful and entertaining to me. I am terrible expressing my emotions, and writing helps me deal and express them in ways I never expected to.
I suppose many on this board would agree with me.

>>17377613
>fame
I both want to share my work but am too shy. I don't want to ever get well known.

>Is it to cope with other failures?
Hmm, I can't think of anything I failed at that I genuinely tried, other than music.

>Or is it for the pleasure?
This. In English class, 5th grade, I never had more fun than writing class.

>how do you find pleasure in writing?
I always had a wild imagination as a kid. I was diagnosed with ptsd and told I had chronic surreal nightmares and day dreamed 24/7 as a result of that. I used to hallucinate surreal or mythological beings breaking into my home or following me before I went on antidepressants. Why let it go to waste? Why not use it for inspiration? - my mindset anyway.

I'm used to being an artist, but I only enjoy painting rodents and weasels. So I turned to writing since it is limitless. I enjoy writing because I enjoy daydreaming and reliving my thoughts through my written stories. I slightly enjoy entertaining friends too, I guess.

>>17377553
Shut up, Karen.

>>17377777
Seven!

>>17377777
Wasted

>>17364433
>7. Write about characters and not the setting.
why?

>>17365953
You won't finish anything if you do it to own X

>>17366059
Who would want to read a story about the modern world when you can just turn on the news?

quick thoughts?

How do I write something that stands the test of time or at the very least garners a large fanbase

>>17378046
Just bee yourself.

>>17378046
>How do I write something that stands the test of time
You either do or you don’t. Most likely you won’t
> at the very least garners a large fanbase
Practice and be a good marketer, write YA.

>>17378046
Don't whine about modern morals that only exist in the west. I imagine maybe horror stories can be timeless since the same group of nerds will read them obsessively. Maybe find a niche.

>>17378101
Like call of the crocodile?

>>17378145
I don't really read modern books so I don't know. Ask yourself maybe why Poe and Lovecraft names are still so well known? Look up some really really old authors of the 19th, 18th, 17th century and older. Try to find out why they got so big and why they remained known to this day.

>>17377065
I don't browse reddit but I stumbled across r/menwritingwomen and it was full of the dumbest takes ever, like complaining about Holden Caulfield saying something scummy. I added in a couple lines about my female characters' breasts just to piss them off if my novel ever "makes it."

New thread in case people want to switch thread.

>>17378232

>>17378240
Stop making these so long before bump limit, it's pointless

>>17378252
this has been going on for like. half a dozen threads now at least. Keep up, old man.

>>17378261
I said stop! I mean it! Nyeah!

>>17377133
adding on what the other anon said, read "house taken over" by cortazar

>>17378045
Sentences might run a little long.

>tfw rejected. At least i got a lot of positive comments and useful feedback. He said mine was better than most, and to try again.

>>17378707
>He
just cancel him bro

>>17378707
Who said? Tell me who hurt you anon, and I will raise up my great sword and strike him dead where he stands!

>>17378707
Become transsexual and cancel the shit out of them for being transphobic.

Is it bad to base characters for your original story off of characters from other fictional properties?

>>17378045
>His glasses began to feel oppressive to his nose and ears, so he decided to take them off
I don't like this sentence; there isn't really anything wrong with it, it just doesn't really flow well and sounds a little basic.

Overall, it's good.
Needs some work, which will come during the edit, but for a first(?) draft it's good.

>>17379077
>Hey man, can I copy your homework?
>Yeah, just change it around a bit

>>17379077
No. Nothing original under the sun blah blah etc

>>17378252
Why have continued conversation for 20 more posts when you could have another anime picture and a rock hard ego?

>>17376312
I would break the second sentence in half and remove the, "or so it seemed."
Visions' Diner should have quotation marks around it the first time you say it and be capitalized every other time it's brought up.
The second to last sentence of the second paragraph should be broken up;
"...looked like a couple of ghosts. A married couple..."
It should just be "bravest" and not "most bravest." I would break up that same sentence after "individual with fear."
I don't know if this was a stylistic choice, but I would remove the sentence "Their names were Demetri, Skalus, and Mikael" since the dialogue already showed that. I would probably also remove the next sentence as well and just go straight away into describing their one eye.

Overall, I don't think it's bad but I think you should work on "showing not telling." Instead of saying the other diners' hearts were, "filled with fear and confusion" you could say something like, "Every eye was fixed on the new visitors, but no-one else in the diner moved."
Hope this is helpful anon. Sounds like an interesting story.

>>17376748
>/lit/ quarterly
I'm new here anons, what's that?

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to enter a writing competition? I have plenty of time to prepare, but it's my first contest and I'd like to know what I should keep in mind.

>>17377948
because i don't give a shit about the world you've created if you can't give me a reason to care about the people who live in it

I did it. I self published on Amazon.

Now what? What can I do to get to the audience? Do I gift books? Pay for an Amazon marketing campaign? Doesn anyone have experience with that here?

>>17380584
>What can I do to get to the audience?
go write and publish more

>>17380598

Thats a given. I have 2 more books on the oven. Smaller ones. Theyll be ready by summer.

But does marketing work? or is it just about exposure time?

Fuck Im getting nervous now, but it only has been a week.

>>17379077
If you're not planning to make profit, no. Not wrong.

>>17380584
4chan does self-serve ads

>>17380634
Depends on your genre. This you brah?
https://www.amazon.com/Children-Night-Foresthill-Book-2-ebook/dp/B08TJ3DXXZ

What is better? Stream of consciousness or strict planning?

>>17380634
>But does marketing work?
I've heard there's some that spend about a third of their profits on marketing on Amazon. Honestly, I'd wait until you have a few books out there for people to buy before trying that stuff. Why marketing just one book when you can market a few of them.

>>17377543
what a fag you are

>>17380584
Bookfunnel, FB ads, Amazon ads, FB groups, mailing list swaps

>>17380634
Would you want to share a link to it anon?
>>17378045
>None of them were used to wearing official clothing at the best of times
This is just a personal thing, but I don't really care for the "at the best of times," here.
>Smoked cigarettes and puffed out thin circles of smoke
I think the repeated use of smoke in this sentence is just a tad bit awkward.
Other than those two I think it's pretty well written anon.

>>17365804
it'd be kind of funny, but also irritating because I know that the story would be written in a way that makes itself appear as the edgy, counter culture thing when in reality it conforms to all modern tastes. it'd be like writing a story praising the king in x medieval country and the story believes itself to be controversial and against the interests of the king