/lit/ - Literature

Describe your protagonist in one word:

>trainwreck

Is it a good idea to pad out my YA fantasy book by giving the characters non essential tasks to do that flesh out the timeframe that things take place in? I don't want the premise of the book being done within the span of a week, for example

First for shilling my work.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/37998/wish-mountain

Chapter Eight is out (starting the second arc of the series).

And to clarify from the previous thread, I am NOT a FUCKING ANIMEFAG! I'm an extreme casual and nothing more.

>>17751114
1st mc
>naive

2nd mc
>traumatiszed

3rd mc
>idealistic

>>17751114
Overcompensating.

>>17751114
Naive

>>17751138
you going to take any of this to heart?
>>17746949

>>17746949
Some of it definitely. I think the main one I'll struggle with is getting across the character of the 'town' which in this case is Rose City before/during the trial, and the shanty town district/Baywater. I think setting the scene is a weakness of mine so any advice on that would be appreciated. If there was a place in the story you feel I could slip in the details you think are lacking I'd appreciate the help.

>>17751188
>>17751173
meant for.

>>17751104
behead vtubers and their simpathizers

>>17751114
Alone

Shilling my virus essay I posted the other day. I rewrote parts of it to fix some typos and tighten it up a bit.

Consider yourselves an exclusive audience. Without flattering myself too much, this is arguably the greatest single thing that has been written about the pandemic.

https://txt.fyi/-/2169/918285da/

>>17751188
Wait so Baywater is a smaller part of Rose City? Yeah I had no clue about that whatsoever. Maybe when they're talking about the 'hero' Hress they could mention it happened over in shantytown across the bridge in Baywater. As far as Rose City description you could do a brief description when Hress is walking to the Prince's castle? Estate. Manor. Whatever it is. He could glance over and see Baywater across the way and think to himself about it.

>>17751240
>Wait so Baywater is a smaller part of Rose City?

No it is a district near the seashore.

>Baywater across the way and think to himself about it.

Cool I might do that.

Why is it that plant monsters are always rejected as a threat by audiences?
I had this idea for a character that's a psychic plant monster but I wonder how well that would go.

Yes. I'm insecure.

>>17751404
tentacle rape.

last time reposting. please let me know what you think of these 631 words
old: >>17716809

>>17751404
i watched little shop of horrors (1986) and i really liked it. maybe it could help or at the very least cheer you up.

>>17751404
The Elemental in Hellboy 2 was pretty good

>>17751404
what makes you think that? i dont know im kind of scared of trees maybe a plant monster can be scary.

>>17751404
>psychic plant monster
like in mass effect? the problem you'll have is making sure its just powerful enough without being overwhelming. maybe have it invade people's dreams first in order to plant the seeds - get it? - of mind control. have it take awhile where it slowly changes the way people act

>>17751404
>psychic plant monster

>>17751234
Consider me filtered. This reads like the 36 Lessons of Vivec.

>>17751507
Post any 2 consecutive paragraphs of your writing and I'll tell you

What’s the best way to write a car race? I just can’t seem to get an interesting flow.

>>17751862
Post what you got

>>17751114
Unaware

>>17751505
>what makes you think that?
Mostly people shitting on the new Star Wars books and The Happening.
It seems that for some people Little Shop of Horrors killed the concept for them.

>>17751527
>mass effect
No idea how that is. I played like an hour of it on a friend's ps3 before losing interest.

He is actually the missing "brother" of one of my cute girl protagonists and fights her evil vampire mom at the end of that story's fifth part. Really, the only important part of him being a plant monster is that he is really the face of an underground colony of psychic trees that share a single mind and in that setting, the more brains the stronger the psychic power.

>>17752044
>Yuuzhan Vong
>new
>Little Shop of Horrors killed the concept

How do you find Netscape, anon, fast enough for ya?

>>17752084
Ain’t the Yuuzhan Vong anymore, but now the Drengir as plant monsters. They flopped, absolutely boring and nonthreatening

>>17751234
>Expo dump
Boring

>>17751404
Don't be a little bitch

>>17751461
You didn't change shit from last time. Why would I keep criticizing your work? I want to know about the thought processes of the guy. His interaction with his family because of his dumbass decision of quitting his job without any idea what to do.

Why are you even here?

>>17751461
Not bad. Didn't notice any grammatical errors, good language. Well paced, consistent tone and flow. For a novel, it's a bit too quick, but fine for a short story.

>>17752220
cheers bro

>>17752084
I haven't read a single Star Wars book.
As far as I'm concerned, Star Wars begins and ends with Lucas and I have no interest in anything Star Wars not penned by him.

>"but these books were approved by lucas surely they must b-"
Only because he is that cool a guy.

>>17752218
okay

>>17752218
>I want to know about the thought processes of the guy.
fair enough, but i wanted to tell the wife's side of the story.
>Why are you even here?
to get feedback, of course, though yours wasn't very helpful. why are you so hostile?

>>17752273
Some Star Wars stuff not done by Lucas is pretty good, or so I'm told.

>>17752278
It wasn't clear that it was from the wife's perspective. There's little to no indication for it.

>>17752282
Cringe and worthless

Oh god. My scene turned into a dead end trainwreck. There's no way forward but to skip the entire scene and rewrite it from the ground up in the editing stage

>>17752301
>It wasn't clear
everything was told from the wife's perspective: her feelings, her thoughts, her actions. how is that not clear enough?

is anyone else confused by this?

>>17752311
It was clear to me, I like it from the wife’s perspective. But it makes me so sad that it’s too late at the end of it all...

>>17752311
It was very clear and omitting the man's perspective worked well to build suspense in the narrative. I might not have cared otherwise but the mystery of "wth is he doing" hooked me.

>>17751461
>learned others HAD done it
>as HER other HAND held the bills

>dropping closer and closer
this makes no sense

>was the only (thing) left
replace with more descriptive word, e.g. "pawnable item of jewellery"?

>communicating solely by notes
not very realistic

>Yet
Wrong adverb

>watching the whirlpool
doesn't fit thematically with other 3 clauses

>On the days
>On THE nights

>jolt
replace

>made a client
replace

>guilt
why?

>wanted to
what

>her tears washed away
uhhhhh.... no

>the whirlpool
uhhhhh.... absolutely no

What's the ending here? Did they make it or not? Is Samuel nutso or is he on the ball? What's the message you're trying to convey... "don't bet the house on a castle in the clouds"? or "stand by your man and everything will turn out alright"?

Both messages sound terribly trite to me. But you're in luck because I don't see ANY message at all, so I can't accuse you of either, really.

>>17752462
thanks for the feedback, though i don't agree with all of it.

>>dropping closer and closer
>this makes no sense
the bills are long. when you open them, they drop to the floor

>doesn't fit thematically with other 3 clauses
how come? all three happen in the kitchen

>uhhhhh.... no
>uhhhhh.... absolutely no
and why not?

>What's the ending here? Did they make it or not?
they did not. they lost their house to the bank.

let me ask this again. is anyone else confused by that?
not trying to defend my work, just trying to understand what you're saying

>Both messages sound terribly trite to me
fair enough

>>17752497
>the bills are long. when you open them, they drop to the floor
It's not at all obvious from the text

>how come? all three happen in the kitchen
you mean all 4; meals, washing, whirlpool, neighbours. The reason why the whirlpool doesn't fit is that you wrote 4 clauses separated by commas implying 4 separate actions. however the whirlpool logically is a part of act 2 washing the dishes (unless Esme is watching a literal whirlpool wtf lol). So you only meant to describe 3 separate actions. Thus the 3rd clause is an odd duck either way; either it's not a logical 4th action, or it is the only sub-action of 3 to get its own separate clause. Get me?

To make matters worse, you sandwich 2 mentions of whirlpool with the neighbours in between, so I'm left wondering if Esme is washing the dishes and watching the whirlpool in the sink SIMULTANEOUSLY while talking to the neighbours, which I know is not your intent. (Hopefully.)

>and why not?
Tears don't wash away hunger shame whispers etc

>and why not 2.0
you're trying to force the whirlpool image and it doesn't work. What does the whirlpool represent? ("Everything" is not an acceptable answer.) Have you clearly explained to the reader that this is what the whirlpool represents? How much emphasis did you make on the whirlpool, compared to everything else? Enough to establish the "whirlpool" as an adequately significant image?

Also, I know that by "the whirlpool" you refer to the water swirling around a sink as it drains, but you really ought to describe it as such. Going straight to "the whirlpool" is not enough.

>they did not. they lost their house to the bank.
Well, there were really only one of two possible endings anyway. The problem, anon, is that I'm left guessing which, and most of the time people hate that.

Like I said earlier to you - you have vivid imagery, but you have trouble getting the imagery across, and your story is in need of a point.

>>17752599
thank you anon

/wg/, how do I get over the anxiety of skipping past a part of my story that I butchered just to keep making progress?

>>17752671
Because you can go back and fix it later

>>17752671
Can't you just fix it now?

>>17752724
I'm going to have to rewrite multiple scenes in a row

honestly, everything I've written for the past half of my book has been garbage. The idea of a second draft is getting to be really daunting

>>17752733
>tfw you finally finish your 2nd draft and realize everything is garbage and now you have to make a 3rd draft

How long does a book have to be to have any merit? I have recently written a screenplay that was 87 pages (an equivalent of an hour and twenty seven minutes on screen). But it is tough to sell a screenplay, it is tough to make a movie. I would like to try my hand at writing a book first to get my name out there. It's a completely different beast than a screenplay and the sheer volume of content that a novel must hold is daunting. But my country and position I'm in (surrounded by those that lack artistic ambition), makes me feel as though getting a book to publishing stage could be possible.

Is there really any point to reading? Or is it all about writing?

>>17751104
published my first book (pic related) in 2019
It got shortlisted for an award in 2020
Didn't win but i was still pretty happy to be shortlisted.
New book currently being edited
Should be out in a few months.
Am i making it bros?

>>17752818
Good job!

>>17752818
Reviews look good

>if you are he

>>17752818
>Am i making it bros?
Never.

>>17752818
I thought this was Australian based on the cover alone and I was right.

>>17752809
Wish Mountain was a screenplay and I wrote 5 feature length episodes that I'm adapting into book form. Great for outlining.

>>17751114
Realistic

Hooray, my Amazon book that had a only one review (1-star) just got another review (5-star), which gives me a 3-star average!

>>17751114
Seeking

>>17751114
Picaresque

>>17751404
For more inspiration try reading Semiosis. It's about a psychic plant.

>>17751114
has_sex

>>17752818
Never thought a boomer would post here kek. Jokes aside looks like you have made it already. I see articles from reputable news outlets about you so I think you might be a book away from hitting it big. I can see you being the "every man" writer. Let's hope your association with 4chan doesn't fuck you over. Good luck

>>17753187
Oh, but. Is that really him behind the computer? What if it's someone pretending? What if he never knows about 4chan? That's the gist. But they could say fuck it anyway, but if that's the case then non 4chan authors can be fucked by this if someone pretends to be them and post here.

>>17753246
how do we know that's the author and not some random booktuber?

>>17753307
Nevermind. I've never seen a fat booktuber anyway, that should've been a tip ofd

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/alicesprings/programs/drive/lewis-woolston/11664382

>>17752818
How did you make it?

Is there any shame in writing erotica for a quick buck, while 'improving your craft'?

>>17753714
You won't make money though. I'm assuming you don't read romance/erotica and therefore don't have any idea about the trends, cliches etc. I've seen people from these threads crash and burn on Royal Road because they thought it would be a quick buck. Best stick to writing what you know

>>17753714
If you write erotica for quick bucks you get good at writing erotica for quick bucks.

I'm undecided between writing a script or a novel

>>17753781
write both

>>17753771
I don't read 'published' erotica, but I do read a whole tonne of CHYOA smut, and their patreon accounts are wild.

Why would I pay for smut if I can read fan fictions for free

>>17751114
deranged

>>17751114
Immature

>>17753102
Link?

>>17753714
Yes

>>17753781
Novel, but pitch your idea first

>>17754093
Self-respect

.

What the hell is wrong with writing? It seems impossible to learn compared to drawing/music production. I am yet to find any resource (book, course etc) that actually teaches anything helpful. There are so many resources that can make you become a pro within less than a year when it comes to drawing and music but I just can't find anything good when it comes to writing. I don't expect to become a pro quickly or anything. I just need to learn quite basic writing skills. Despite being a person who doesn't believe in talent but rather mastery through practise this thing truly makes me question that belief. I feel kinda stupid ngl.

>>17755068
Writing is about the expression of ideas through language. As human beings we think in terms of either images or words, and to express ideas in words you need a large vocabulary. Poverty of language leads to a poverty of thinking. If you don't have the vocabulary, you can't conceive the ideas you need to write with it.
In other words, read more and write more.

>>17755068
>There are so many resources that can make you become a pro within less than a year when it comes to drawing and music
Care to share re music? I find there's too many resources and a lot of it is quite unhelpful.
On your question, I'm of the belief that these books about learning to write are a waste of time. There's no better help than reading (the kind of books you want to write) and actually practicing writing. The key is to get feedback when you've written something. You can only improve so much by yourself. What skills do you think you're missing? What's stopping you from writing a 1,000 story today?

>>17752282
It's not really about the quality of the EU but about following the man's vision for me.

>>17753902
>CHYOA
these acronyms are getting out of hand

>>17755186
I think he just added an extra H that doesn't belong there

>>17755149
I think my biggest problem is actually fear. I really am not good and just the thought of sharing my work to get feedback is painful.
Also I feel like it's way more difficult to get constructive feedback on writing. I feel like fundamental mistakes make the work irredeemable because of causality that is rather required in fiction.
The form itself is way longer and more complex than a drawing/piece of music so I don't really know how to get good critique since a person giving it would have to read all of it.
My friends aren't interested in writing so I can't ask them for critiques either.
Another thing I always fear is copying, I thought that it wouldn't be a problem once I started reading more but it somehow hasn't disappeared no matter how many books I've read. I could somehow get around the characters and plot itself but coming up with original ideas (from philosophical perspective) is almost impossible, after all I can only know things I've read about.
I also can't really imagine a piece of fiction without any underlying idea that the writer wanted to express. Of course such works exist but I don't think I should strive to become such a writer.
Another pain of mine is my taste in reading. I really love metafiction but it feels way more difficult to write than normal fiction, I don't really think it's possible to create metafiction without becoming a master at its normal counterpart. I also feel like it's pretty cringy and pretentional, the fact that I love metafiction but I just can't do anything about it.

>>17755103
Big word post

What do you call a relationship where the ancestor fucks his descendant? Is it still incestuous even if she's his great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter?

>>17755555
Oedipal?

>>17755555
The protagonist in Chronicles of Amber considered a great-granddaughter to be far enough removed to fuck
>>17755572
Oedipal means you're fucking your own mother.

>>17755497
>pretentional
Not going to fucking make it

>>17755705
Kek I meant pretentious. Now my eyes hurt.

>>17755497
Fear is the root of most problems including most cases of writer's block.

>>17755546
But not wrong

>>17755555
>What a waste of quint quints
The Chinese developed a fairly robust system long ago; anyone four removes away is not considered a relation, as there ought to be sufficient genetic variety by then to avoid any Downie babies. That is, the nearest relative one can marry is a third cousin or equivalent.

>>17755497
>would have to read all of it
Not really. You can post excerpts to get feedback on the prose and voice. You can write short stories to get feedback on the whole thing (which people here are willing to do). Find writing groups or online groups to share if none of your friends are interested.
You're going to have to just get over the copying thing, I'm afraid. Just pick something and write it. It seems like most of your fears in that second paragraph are manufactured things that you need to overcome. I don't want to say "just rite bro" but honestly just start writing something and keep at it.
Have you considered that maybe you only like the idea of writing?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lef51jBNK3sRIR6IwqdVLnaTIEdZjFhynuLsaPBUeEk/edit?usp=sharing

>>17755772
I get actual pleasure just from the act of creating a story and even writing itself so it's probably not the case.

>>17755837
>just from the act of creating a story
Lots of people get this but it doesn't mean they enjoy writing. But if you say you enjoy the act of writing then the only advice anyone can give is to put those fears aside and get cracking. You really don't need a book or whatever resources you think you need.

https://pastebin.com/my6bSr0J
working on this bit of plantation fiction right now. i'm not incredibly happy with it yet, but i thought i'd go ahead and post it

I'm trying to come up with a cool pen name, but simply can't think of anything that couldn't be twisted into a dirty joke. This is hell

>>17755197
>>17755186
CHYOA is a site for just sex CYOA games.
It's good, but mainly cuck stories.

>>17756285
just do what I did and give yourself the name you always wanted and have the last name be FUCK

>>17751234
The flowery language seems forced

>>17756323
I guess the problem is solved if the name is just dirty and not a joke

I'm going to write something for r/NoSleep. I don't really enjoy anything there and I don't write horror in general, but I feel like if I have any talent whatsoever I should be able to make something people there would enjoy, since the standards are pretty low. If I fail I'll probably kill myself tbqh

>>17756577
mood

>>17756194
A lot of big words for a perspective of a 6 year old. But i guess its retrospective.

>>17756168
I'm just kinda scared that I will get into some bad habits if I 'just draw'. At least in visual arts it's very easy to fall into those and waste time so I hoped there was some 'roadmap' like resource to teach me the basics the 'correct' way

>>17756771
You have to practice at some point. It's more important to start than to wait until you know enough. Like I say, feedback is the best way to know whether you're picking up bad habits. Write something today and post it for feedback. And yes, writing is different from drawing and music.

>>17756771
Most schools' Literature 101 covers the basics. Next take a look at college-level textbooks. Lastly read the OP books.

>>17756940
I accidentally wrote 'just draw' instead of 'just write' but I think you got the point. Anyways, I guess that's the way. I just have to practise and hope I'll get good feedback.

>>17756947
Do you know any examples of those books that you can recommend?

>>17756998
I've spoonfed enough. If you can't fucking Google "high school literature textbook" and "college literature textbook" you're NGMI anyway

>>17757010
Yeah I've already found some. I don't even know why I asked that question

I'm planning to write a story on RR, here's an excerpt.

"Two days without food, two days! And you haven't seen me complaining once! And just so you know, I can keep going, you zit-faced motherfuckers!" mumbled Uncle Dough in response to the groans that could be heard from the outside of his shop. The fat man paced nervously, just like he did for the last hour.

There was also his apprentice, a boy that went by the name of Little Dough, sitting in between two bags of flour, and looking like he was already done with life.

His apprenticeship started not long ago, but it seemed like it was already over. Little Dough liked bread. His mother baked homemade bread every sunday, back at home. He absently watched the passing patron. Was there a need to move so much? It's not like the mutants are going anywhere.

He shook his head, and relapsed into his memories. Aah, he missed home, it's a shame he won't be able to return for thanksgiving.

Indeed, it's been a week since the Apocalypse-- the real one, that was sadly not like the movies, where everyone could get a shot at life, started.

The end of the world was announced by mainstream medias shortly after a billionnaire handed out 99% of his money to an ecologist. 'I hope my money will save the future generations,' said the magnate, with a colgate smile on his face, a minute before the nuclear alarms sounded.

It turned out that in 2063, a lot of people thought Humanity was past redemption. Some shady transaction involving a lot of money later, it was time for the first human extinction, featuring a nuclear apocalypse. Little Dough thought that the nuclear part of the apocalypse was the funniest part, though.

You'd think a lot of people would die from multiple nukes exploding throughout Earth, but it wasn't much. Tens of millions of people, at worst.

No, what wasn't fun and killed the lion's share of humanity wasn't the explosion nor the radiations. It was the contaminated water, the acid rain, and finally, the mutants.

Knock knock.

Immediately, Little Dough was stopped in his reverie and Uncle Dough snapped into silence.

Both apprentice and mentor were on edge.

Something was knocking at the door.

Trying to start writing short stories, thinking about keeping it in a horror type theme/genre. Are there any resources that could lead me in the right direction? Or how could I get started? I've read some HP Lovecraft and Bram Stoker, but not much of modern horror, if that makes sense.

Thank you :D

>>17757069
Can't go wrong with Goosebumps

>>17754596
It's written under my real name unfortunately, but as soon as I publish my novel under my pen name, I'll look it here

>>17757075
Oh lmao forgot about that series
I was thinking about making something with a little more mature content, but it's a good starting point desu

>>17757069
poe might be too popular for your tastes, but i've always thought he did a good job instilling a darker atmosphere into his work

>>17757114
Firstly, don't knock GB, something popular usually has good basics any beginner can learn from
>Twilight doesn't count, it's 99.99% Hollywood hype

Secondly, you're clearly a beginner, don't run in the Olympics before you crawl

Shit bruh, if you can consistently write and score top rankings in r/nosleep, never mind Goosefuckingbumps, that's something to be proud of as is

How much to pay for an editor. I got $600-$1000 requests today on Reedsy

Picture all your characters wearing giant foam cowboy hats. If it seems silly or out of place you're taking your story too seriously.

>>17757168
Wordcount?

>>17757390
33000

>>17757131
>>17757154
It's honestly amazing that I forgot about both Poe and r/nosleep (and Frankenstein too, if you will), which basically got me to this point. I like the style of how Poe writes "The Tell-Tale Heart", I thought it had a spiteful theme, and it was overall really good.

I haven't been on reddit nor r/nosleep in quite a while, the most I'd do is just lurk, I don't necessarily want to post there.
>Second, you're clearly a beginner, don't run in the Olympics before you crawl
I know, but I think it's good to set expectations, a realistic theme and goal, and have some references for what works and what doesn't than just starting to write with no outline. So for instance, if I wanted to write a horror short story that had a theme of spite, I could use Poe's TTTH as a loose reference.

If I'm being an idiot and using "spite" the wrong way, I mean that there's someone or something that is getting back at another person. Like in the TTTH, the old man "gets back" at the narrator, if that makes sense.

Fellas, is it a good idea to plan out every scene you are doing?

I got a text document im working on with the lore, general story and characters but im wondering if i should plan out every scene in detail

Im just kinda connecting plot point to plot point

>>17757069
short stories be gay
>>17757045
why did you ruin it with shitty ass mutants?! They make no sense. Nuclear energy isn't magic!

>>17757432
>paying for an editor for 33k
What are you doing with 33k words that requires an editor?

>>17757546
Yes, but also no. Maybe. Write it out first and ask again later.

>>17757591
IDK I want another perspective on it. $500 Seems high too me

Any advice for staying dedicated to your work when it seems pointless?

>>17757993
shut up

>>17757993
This latest chapter I've been writing for 8 days now and I couldn't answer this reliably. It'll be hard at times. Just try closing out of any distractions, bring up PC/phone/whatever timer and get as much done in how many times you may like (15~30 mins).

>>17758036
I didn't mean pointless in the sense that I'm unable to write, more in the sense that I'm not sure what would happen even if I managed to finish my book because the answer is nothing probably.

>>17758058
Why do you think it's pointless? Are you one of those people with no agent, audience, contacts or published material at all that decided to write an entire book in a vacuum?

>>17757802
33k is in an unpublishable range. Too long for a short story and too short for a novel, and no one publishes novellas nowadays. No use polishing it if it's not going to go through the gatekeepers.

>I want another perspective on it
Then you might be thinking of a beta reader, and they come very cheap on Fiverr.

>>17758121
it's not a total vacuum, i have you guys

>>17758130
>Fiverr
Good to know, Ill check that out. Was planning on self publishing anyhow

i want rainbow road fags to stay at rainbow road

>>17758197
them posting here is fine
them constantly shilling their shit is not

>>17758234
But if they don't post their updates here on /wg/, we won't have anyone writing here. Animefags are the only writers here to begin with, and if they stop posting. It'll be just shitposting, blogposting, etc, etc.

>>17758234
this is a gaia online situation. i repeat, we have a gaia online situation. rainbow retards must go back to rainbow road EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

>>17758262
patently
false

>>17758319
Keep being in denial, anon. The rest of /lit/ already knows it to be true.

>>17757570
Biochemist there. Mutants are cool. I understand your point but, actually, radiations and exposure to radioactive elements cause mutations that messes up your DNA, and mutations are the only thing keeping evolution going. If exposure to radiations doesn't give you cancer and kill you first, your kids may be born special later on (understand : missing a leg, an arm, or two), so it's not out of place.

I'm stretching the concept but it's not meant to be something realistic anyway. I want to write a compelling story, not an umpteenth novel on how to survive from a realistic point of view in case of a worldwide nuclear event. Most people would be fucked, it would be depressing and reading about people foraging and finding shelters is not fun to read.

I like my mutants. They're convenient, they're smart and they can force my smart characters into increasingly stupidly dangerous situations they wouldn't have gotten into otherwise.

>>17758330
typical anime inspired narcissism and derangement. go be trans somewhere else.

>>17758353
>The truth is now narcissism and derangement
You will never be a writer.

>>17758366
gb2retardroad

>>17758121
I write and edit non-fiction for a living, but I don't have any contacts for fiction, which is what my book is, and so the short answer is yes.

>>17758375
I'd ask you to post some of your writing but something tells me that your snobbery leaves no time for that. On the plus side I suppose it makes you an excellent critic.

>>17758401
if you are on /lit/ regularly you have already read my writing

>>17758423
So its shit then?

>>17758437
the download count says otherwise

Any poem more than 10 lines long is you sucking your own pretentious dick.
Any poem I can't fully understand the meaning of by my second read is you sucking your own pretentious dick.
Shove you flowery language up your talentless shit funnel.
I want something I can feel a human connection to.

>>17758448
So what? An animefags here also has an established following and a few self-published horror novels. You ain’t special.

>>17758461
based

>>17758461
You have it precisely backwards. Short "pithy" aphoristic poems are Rupi Kaur tier and are are the most self-dick sucking

>>17758478
>>17758485
This should be the standard. In 8 lines it tells an entire perfectly understandable and very human story.

>>17758464
this wasn't about me until you tried to make it about me. goodbye, rainbow retard. i tire of your primitive and childish objections. i will see you next next time for a threadly reminder that rainbow retards must, in fact, "gtfo."

>>17758461
Poetry is shit entirely.

>>17758543
This desu

>>17758423
Wow, we never heard that before. Either post an excerpt or shut up.

>>17758543
Found the English major

>>17751114
lost

>>17758490
That will never stand up to the sustained lyrical power of Eugene Onegin. There's a time and a place for pithiness, poetry has no boundaries.

>>17751114
Principled

>>17758608
Yes.

>>17758656
How does it feel to waste your money?

>>17757546
just write it out and see where it goes from there, then come back later, reread it and see if you changed your mind about things, i tend to just write and see what else that i can do, if all you do is think you'll never start so just put some words down

>>17758656
Are you looking forward to the minimum wage increase?

goddamn bros why is my prose SHIT

>>17758904
are you certain it is your prose and not the aesthetic of your paragraphs?

>>17758904
Why are you telling us this? We don't care. We ain't your blog.

>>17758904
post prose

>>17759012
No. You're just going to steal my idea.

>>17759018
that may be for the best, if you can't do it justice

>>17759018
why would someone want to steal your idea if it's shit?

>>17755068
Because it’s driven by the thought behind it, and the ear sounding out what form it ought to take. Formalism, if it could encompass the necessary techniques in their entirety, still is not going to confer the kind of mastery you seek so seek that instead

>>17756285
Paradoxes, sigilistic riddles, puns
>Shiba Inuit

>>17758461
This, except narrative poems over a certain length really have to justify their existences when epic length ones from the canons exist — secular versions removed from this context are invariably naval gazing or retreading and aping the past

I mainly think offensively. Would a novella with constant insults work? Protag is arrogant and a bad person (cliché probably.) Piece would shock normies but would it just be trite horseshit?

Not a whole lot of writing in these general, but that's to be expected.

>>17759083
>Subaru
>2nd person
I dunno about this, chief...

Plastered head to toe in a mix of pink rejection letters and white cease and desists he resembled an oversized exotic bird. Or perhaps an Egyptian mummy. From inside his prison of failure he gazed at the large company logo above the entrance. J&R PUBLISHING stared back at him mockingly. One of many, but being the closest to his house and low on gas they would be the lucky winners. Several times he had worried his mother’s beat up old car wasn’t up to the task as it strained under his enormous bulk. He fetched the AR from the trunk. They never published a word he had written, but after today they were certainly publish books ABOUT him.

>>17759097
Been trying to experiment with different Point of Views. I think writing in second person could help me in that regard.

>>17759083

>>17759118
The problem with 2nd person, other than it being weird as fuck, is that it makes it sound like the narrator has absolutely no agency whatsoever. That's why cyoa books use it, because the reader makes the choices and watches what happens.

>>17758461
no anon
its you sucking my pretentious dick
its why I show you

>>17759179
I won't even read whatever pretentious garbage you vomit up.

>>17758461
extremely based

>>17759156
I agree wholeheartedly. However, I just think I should have some experience in writing it, in the off-chance I get offered some freelance job writing some interactive text game, or get commission to write second-person stories, which did happened before.

>>17759058
For something to be shocking it must be inconsistent. Anything constant is boring.
How you think shouldn't matter to how your narrator thinks. Generally don't be yourself. You are almost certainly boring.

>>17759247
You will certainly never be a woman.

>>17759253
You forgot the "almost"
Nothing is certain

>>17759247
Absolutely. I find everyone else boring but that's because I am.

Inconsistency in the piece comes from the insults of the thought patterns compared to who the protagonist is talking to, as well as their thoughts juxtaposed to the actual dialogue.

It's over, /wg/.
I'll become a V-tuber.

>>17759266
death and taxes. and never being a woman

>>17759350
Good. Maybe you'll begin to write.

I paid too much for the ticket.

The station is filthy and smells of urine.

A meth head asks me for cigarettes.

I wait for a train that is half an hour late.

The drivers are on strike again,

I can’t even throw myself in front.

Why is it like this?

What's the Royal Road audience like? I want to post consistently on some platform that'll help me improve my technical skills.

>>17759083
It's actually good.

>>17759524
No better or worse than any other platform, but the predominant genres on the site are fantasy and scifi, and gamelit. So if your story isn't one of those its not a great choice. If it is, its good.
As far as actual feedback on your prose from readers? You're not really going to get it beyond seeing which chapters people read and stop at.

>>17759524
Hard to say. It depends entirely on what genre you're writing, your writing in general, and so on, because they can range from being very ethuthstic+commenting+eager to help with critque or they can be radio silent readers who don't leave so much as a comment at all if they don't feel a need to do so.

Forever a male
Dilate your rancid hole now
You will never pass

>>17759548
>sci fi
Is dungeon core really sci fi?

>>17759524
It depends on your story. They usually won't comment if there isn't much to be said about what is happening and what there is to come. Their attention span is shit so unless your story is very well established you can't take the freedom of having a filler chapter. As a reader myself, I'm not very adventurous and won't read a story that has less than ten chapters posted. I don't read short stories either, nor interludes, nor unrelated to the main storyline, point of view chapters about a character that isn't interesting.

On top of everything that has been said, I'll advise you to not involve real-life politics in your works, don't announce all of the sudden the homosexuality of one of the main characters unless it's somewhat theme-fitting, don't change the whole genre of your story without preventing people it'll change beforehand, basically, don't impose anything pertaining to sensitive issues on your readers unless they've been warned. Don't impose sex scenes inside of a chapter, do a separate one instead. If you self-insert and you're planning about spilling shit about a particular subject, such as religions, be clear that your story will contain slanders and may shock readers.

The don't, don't don'ts aren't pulled out of nowhere, it's the most common causes of readers suddenly dropping your story and giving you a bad review because you ruined their experience. Basically don't be an asshole and do regular releases to get into trending fast. Good luck.

>>17759668
strictly I'd say gamelit
either fantasy or scifi at a stretch

I need a fat girl.
Sit on my face at once.
Eat more cake as well.

>>17758678
Don't know, because I'm networking the shit out of it. Already have a job in the field despite not having an AA yet. I'll be an editor.

>>17759714
>missed 1 syllable
Youwerethisclosetogreatness.jpg

>>17759736
AH FUCK

I need a fat girl.
Now sit on my face at once.
Eat more cake as well.

>>17759677
As of "don't announce the homosexuality... [...]", it's not that readers are against fags, this is simply not Twitter. They won't hold it against you if a character is gay, but they'll certainly hold it against you if an unannounced romance that had a very minor role in your story suddenly takes a huge role or puts everything in question. A good negative example for it is the Menocht's Loop, where the bromance was strong and suddenly took a whole other turn and many readers were disappointed. A good example would be the perfect run, where the main character doesn't take himself seriously and just tries everything, his bi part being somewhat expected, accepted and treated as just another quirk of his personality since it isn't that much of a deal by homophobic readers.

Thin girls are boring,
I need a large fat beauty.
Brosnan, my idol.

Is Line of Delirium the only professionally made fanfic gamelit that is in no way tied to the IP owners?

If I suddenly reveal one of my major characters is in a homosexual relationship 143k words in, is it okay since they're a cute lesbian?

>>17759794
>funfact: Brosnan hated it every time they made him film a sex scene with a spindly sub-100kg stick insect of a Bond Girl
>hated every moment of it
>had to force himself not to be physically revolted by the slim sculpted thighs, the rough gridiron of toned abs, the lamentable lack of tittage barely 3/4 the size of his skull
>"you just can't have any actual fun with underinflated 'fun bags' like those," he was heard to remark
>"and it's not a proper arse if it can't fill up the spare tyre well of an Aston Martin"

>>17759751
>TO sit

>>17758351
Exactly! Mutants are abominations that are strictly inferior to humans. Yet you bring them up as supernatural monsters.

>>17757546
Great idea. Those who don't do that will never produce anything of worth.

>>17757993
See what people think of the premise and if they enjoy your shit. If they like neither, find something better.

>>17759018
Kys

>>17759058
If it's good, they'll read it. Is your concept good and exciting?

>>17759083
Tappei Nagatsuki btfo'd

>>17759837
No. LGBT? More like: get thrown out of a rooftop!

>>17759837
I plan on doing this but possibly more than 300k words, so I'm biased to say yes.

>>17760026
If this is unironical and the reveal was totally not foreshadowed, holly molly that's one shit idea if I've ever seen one desu

I can write haikus.
Just yesterday I could not.
I do learn quickly.

>>17760042
I think even if I did sprinkle not-so-subtle hints that either character is suspticle to feeling attracted to other girls readers will still probably be retarded and chuck it into a furnace either way complaining about it not being apparent enough.

>>17759999
> Exactly! Mutants are abominations that are strictly inferior to humans. Yet you bring them up as supernatural monsters.

Then what do you propose? I like the nuclear setting and mutants. The possibilities make them more interesting than zombies and I hate incoherent narratives. Sure, mutants are mindless monsters but it doesn't exclude the grim thought that some humans may have evolved on a never-seen before spectrum and are actively destroying humanity.

>>17760079
You're finding yourself excuses. If you plan it from the beginning and it's relevant to the story, almost no one will be complaining. You look like you're planning to pull a Legend of Korra desu

I have to say, I know it's a meme but reading this thread and the repeated exhortation to "just write" has been truly encouraging. I've done 2,000 quality words this week, which is 50% of the most productive I've ever been, and about 500% more than I usually am. It is true what they say... just write.

I need help for my music scene.
It's an extremely important scene for my romantic story beat, but the narrator has little-to-no music experience because she's a teen and it's first person perspective.
I considered changing narrators, but it feels wrong if I change POV twice in 1000 words.
What are ways I can expand on her thoughts if they have basically no music experience?

>>17760088
Maybe try and be unique by showcasing the actual horrors of nuclear winter and the insanity that comes with the hope that maybe you haven't been affected by radiation. Maybe you'll survive unlike all the others who did! Sounds far more interesting than another post nuclear apocalypse event with fantasy shit that makes no sense.

Please try to subvert expectations by being original.

>>17760221
Any tease by any chance?

>>17760284
>romance
Show tits or gtfo

>>17760284
>music scene
>no experience
>romantic
I assume she's being taught how to play by the love interest? Have her plonking all over the keys of the piano, hitting sharps and flats. Have her describe hitting the keys as akin to something she would know, like tripping down stairs, or spilling something all over the floor. Have the romantic interest take her hands and show her how to play properly. It should be a bonding moment through her inexpertise.

>>17760509
>Any tease by any chance?
Eh, just fanfiction bullcrap. But it's good practice. I've done the short story thing for a while now, got good consistent reviews, now I'm slowly working my way up.

IMHO the big mistake most people make is shooting for their Great Novel right off. Ya gotta build those writing muscles first before aiming for the Olympics Gold.

How do I stop being distracted and easily influenced by whatever new media I consume? I feel like I can only rip off of the last thing I saw...

>>17760611
Not exactly, but your rambling gave me an idea I can use.
Thanks anon.

>>17751114
Nonexistent.

>>17751104
I need to rant about royalroad I like this forum because I can be mean

Tons of shitters in the author groups love to say that they don't trend on royalroad or do well on it because they're not in the sites main audience(isekai litrpg) but the top 4 novels on royalroad arent in the sites main audience

Idk how people can cope so hard. If your story gets clicks but not followers you're a shit writer.

Get over it. You're supposed to be bad at first. None of these fucking authors write with intent to improve. Like fucking NoDragons. Fuckin cocksucker can't just admit his novel isnt prize worthy. Dude wrote half of his chapters without any conflict in them, not even internal conflict, and cries about his ratings. Dude doesn't even have consistent characterization.

justpaste it /3b7x6
It's all going on rr at some point, but I'd like to see what you guys think of this bit

>>17760704
Fight. Overcome. Destroy that which seeks your attention. Make it seek your attention. Turn everything around. Surrender your mind to nothing, fight until the last breath. Demand only the truth. Doubt all. Question authority. Assert your reality over and above the entire field of political and social existence. Let the truth cry through the blood. Death before surrender God damn it! Your life matters the moment you choose to believe in something.

>>17760704
just read nothing but moby dick over and over again and you'll want so badly not to copy it that you come up with something original
not saying moby dick is bad but if someone did that prose today on some other story it would look ridiculous

>>17760946
>It's all going on rr at some point, but I'd like to see what you guys think of this bit
I think with your story, you can garner a small following.

>>17760864
I thought you can game the Royal Road System by simply updating everyday or something? I remember an author doing to make his shitty, and I mean shit-tier story to gain traction.

>>17761122
Neat! Thanks for your time.

>>17761145
No problem, anon. It's why /wg/ is here for.

>>17761142
No. Shitty stories can trend on royalroad, but everything that trends has some kind of merit.

I've seen a story trend because it explored concepts in a fun new way even though the prose, plot, characters and typos were awful. I've seen boring novels with perfect prose and syntax trend. I've seen stories with exciting plot and awful everything else.

But there isnt any trending story that doesnt at least have *one* of those things done well or interestingly enough to merit followers.

Dont trust any writer that says anything trends without some kind of merit. They're just salty that they're even shittier than the authors they consider shitty.

>>17761165
Oh, don't misunderstand, I understood what you mean, however, I just remember a story, in which an author gamed the system. Readers wised up to it though, if the comments are to believed.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/32617/solomons-crucible?sorting=top&reviews=2

>>17760864
>Idk how people can cope so hard. If your story gets clicks but not followers you're a shit writer.
This. you have so many people here and in other places that think they're great writers and when proved otherwise, get pissy.

I like reading more than writing. I don't think I'm going to make it.

>>17761268
Then stop coming here if you're not writing.

I like writing more than reading. I think I'm going to make it.

>>17761275
You don't have to tell us, we ain't your blog.

How do I achieve the romance of adventure?

>>17761303
You don't.

>>17761272
>>17761277
>>17761310
What's wrong with you?

>>17759999
>Tappei Nagatsuki btfo'd
Um, thanks, I guess?

>>17761320
Just tired of all this bullshit.

>>17761362
All of us are.

>>17752751
Go easy on him, anon, he's not going to make it.

>>17758585
So you can steal from me?

>>17761442
Yes

>>17761459
You animefags are all the same, trying to steal from better writers.

>>17759732
Good job, you’ll be a beta reader.

Anons i have trouble trying to compose a narrative that's longer than a page, i think i need to regain my attention span. Gimme advice.

>>17761555
Close the tab, close your web browser, and just write. Why are you wasting your time here?

>>17761555
Turn the page into an outline about what happens over several pages.

>>17760864
Their egos are bruised and they need to attack.

>>17761565
This is the worst take because he’s just going to keep rewriting.

>>17761565
I find the snowflake method to be better.

>>17761627
There was another, I think George Martin uses it, I think he called it gardening, in which he lets everything reach its natural conclusion.

>>17761641
>n which he lets everything reach its natural conclusion.
You get a dishevel mess if you do that. Besides, only authors who are already well known would used that since they're protected from all the other rules, smaller authors would have to follow.

>>17761658
>only authors who are already well known would used that since they're protected from all the other rules, smaller authors would have to follow.
I fucking hate this shit so much. Why were they allow to break from traditional methods and profit from it, whereas others have to toe the line?

>>17761615
is that a bad thing? I saw a video where the author said follow the story. IIRC it was about writer's block or something, I forgot, but when I write, I don't really follow an outline, well not too closely that is. I glance at it for literally a second or two but usually, I just write what comes naturally. outlines are too restrictive.

>>17761670
>is that a bad thing?
Yeah, because you're replacing one problem with another that will crop up. Which is, how do I write this scene? It keeps changing.

>>17759030
Why indeed.

>>17761674
>Which is, how do I write this scene? It keeps changing.
No joke, do people find the concept of just editing later on troublesome?

>>17761721
They want to get it right the first time, not realizing they will have to rewrite it again in the second and third draft.

>Starts writing book
>Reads what's written so far
>It's shit
>Nobody's gonna read it
>Stop writing

How do you deal with it?

>>17761733
By writing.

>>17761733
Just write.

>>17761733
Write

>>17761733
I just write. I don’t know why you’re looking for excuses to not write.

>>17761733
desu just write. 100% no one's going to read it if you don't finish. at least here you'll get someone to skim it.

>>17761733
Personally, I just write.

>>17761733
By writing? How is this even a question?

>>17761733
Anon, just fucking write. No matter what you write is going to be shit.

>>17760864
I thought only like 4 or 5 anons here use royal road. And everyone else just mocks them for it.

>>17761733
By writing.

>>17761739
>>17761748
>>17761756
>>17761769
>>17761777
>>17761779
>>17761786
I know that. But just. It makes me think, what am I even doing, is it worth it? Should I stop? But I don't want to. At first I thought it was my vocabulary, so I learned new words. Then the excitement kicks in, I'm gonna do this time, then new idea comes, then another one, then another one. Get exhausted, everything seems like it's shit. I can't decide what I want to write, the old ideas always seems like shit. After the novelty wears off the "new idea" also starts to look like shit. My mind always go back to the original idea though, so i guess. Just like anon below said: no mater what I write It'll always be shit.

>>17761791
This is actually helpful. Thanks.

>>17760864
You're talking about yourself aren't you?

Every good idea has already been written.

>>17761142
Any alternative to royal road?

>>17761860
Several. But I go to Royal Road. Maybe when I write my story, I'll go with the alternatives, to get my story out there.

>>17761860
Space battle and sufficient velocity, but they lean heavily on the left.

>>17761838
>This is actually helpful. Thanks
You feel for the beginners trap.

>>17761860
Wattpad, Mirakee, Commaful, Belletristica

>>17761930
Any of them good?

>>17761935
Depends in what you're looking for.

>>17761859
Everything is just derivative at this point.

>>17761948
This, which is why I find the thought of people worrying about their idea hilarious?

>>17761838
>My mind always go back to the original idea though, so i guess. Just like anon below said: no mater what I write It'll always be shit.
You crossed the first hurdle and now write to cross the second one.

>>17761951
Everyone goes through that phase in the beginning.

>>17761983
Just wished they get out of that phase faster. They are annoying to deal with.

>>17761945
A good place to improve.

>>17761993
None of those, nor any other sites offer that.

>>17761184
The reviews are tearing him apart, but a few are simping for the author.

>>17762020
>but a few are simping for the author.
Must be his fans from another website. guy is prolific in writing sociopathic characters.

>>17762041
Ah, so that’s how he rigs the system.

>>17762048
Yeah, pretty unfortunate, thankfully, he got shat on by the other users.

>>17761733
Why are you idiots all so opposed to editing? You can go back and rewrite things. Your first draft will almost always suck.

Are "a journey in the mind of" introspective novels cheesy? I have an idea but I think it may be too banal

>>17762054
They want to get it right the first time.

>>17762057
But you won’t! Almost no one will! This isn’t college where you hope your first draft is decent enough to get you a B when you churn it out at 2am.

>>17762056
They were never done right, but try it.

>>17762054
Unironically the first idea is almost always the best

>>17762066
When?

>>17762063
I know that, but they dont.

>>17762069
Everytime

New thread.

>>17762075

>>17762063
Many of them have delusion of grandeur.

>>17761866
I want to put my story on royal road but. Well. Do I need to worry about politics? Must I be careful when writing not white characters? (I say that cause the book I'm working on has humor that involves races (black; asian; hispanic; white; alien; anime based life forms, etc...) Secret societies involving race supremacy groups, kkk, black panthers (will team up a quite lot) two of the main once, there are more. Most racial supremacy groups are anti-trans. Aliens will always refer to them as their birth gender. Jews will also be involved, there'll be nazis, jupiter nazis. Ancient gods. Mainstream Gods. Modern gods. Obscure religion groups.

The mc isn't part of any group, he's just half korean half white kid, named Timmy (also called "The White Boi" by one of black supremacists).

There's more, but that's the gist of it. I want to publish something like that. That's why I'm not sure where I could out a story like this. Amazon will nuke me no doubt. Patreon, heh, no chance.

It's not encouraging any extremist view of any kind, or political view. Just making fun of today's era.

Is there a site where I can put the story and not worry about getting banned? Can I trust Royal Road?

>>17762083
>I want to put my story on royal road but. Well. Do I need to worry about politics? Must I be careful when writing not white characters? (I say that cause the book I'm working on has humor that involves races (black; asian; hispanic; white; alien; anime based life forms, etc...) Secret societies involving race supremacy groups, kkk, black panthers (will team up a quite lot) two of the main once, there are more. Most racial supremacy groups are anti-trans. Aliens will always refer to them as their birth gender. Jews will also be involved, there'll be nazis, jupiter nazis. Ancient gods. Mainstream Gods. Modern gods. Obscure religion groups.
Yeah, no. You might want to do wordpress.

>>17762083
Are you being retarded on purpose? How can you not see that’s a bad idea? I swear get off 4chan.

>>17762083
Go with wordpress or your own blog.

>>17762099
Why would just making fun of today’s era be a bad idea? What’s up with the shoulds and shouldn’tses?

>>17762126
How can you believe writing this
> Must I be careful when writing not white characters? (I say that cause the book I'm working on has humor that involves races (black; asian; hispanic; white; alien; anime based life forms, etc...) Secret societies involving race supremacy groups, kkk, black panthers (will team up a quite lot) two of the main once, there are more. Most racial supremacy groups are anti-trans. Aliens will always refer to them as their birth gender. Jews will also be involved, there'll be nazis, jupiter nazis. Ancient gods. Mainstream Gods. Modern gods. Obscure religion groups.
Is any good?

>>17762130
Why not. Why it would not be good? There’s always room for good satire. Actually, zeitgeist demands good satire more than ever.

>>17762153
>There’s always room for good satire. Actually, zeitgeist demands good satire more than ever.
Satire is dead in today's era. All this is going to do is inflame people.

>>17762169
No and how do we know that beforehand?

>>17761320
I think he expects everyone itt to act in a self-important way so he can tell himself he's part of a real literary community

>>17761733
By improving, you can't edit and improve until you've written something.

>>17762083
Your only alternative is making your own site and hosting your own domain otherwise you'll get cancelled. You won't make money, if you want to write that story you'll do it for free, so make sure you at least enjoy it.

>>17762316
It's obvious it will. But the far future generations will probably love it, if done well.

Don't ever write about shit that you don't know.
Write from experience.
Write as if it can be turned into a quote.

>>17762684
I don't know anything though, other than being a boring background character to everyone else's life

>>17762692
Then write about how you feel about it, because it's all you know. Already you've established the Everyman "Arthur Dent" archetype.

>>17761320
just a troll. he couldn't shit out proper feedback so it's safe to ignore him

New Thread

>>17762075