/lit/ - Literature

OP here, starting this thread off with a few questions for anyone who wants to answer them.

>how do I write dialogue well?
>are there other places to post writing online to get feedback?
>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
>what are some good writing exercises?
>how do I develop an eye for good writing?

Yes, I know I'm a faggot. Yes, this general sucks ass.

have yourselves a merry lil thread, anons

>>18782132
>>18782154
can't you just let this general fucking die already

Is the Hemingway app any good for editing fantasy? I don't really think making sentences short and concise is good for old-school sword and sorcery-style literature, where there should be some indulgence in purple prose.

>>18782154
>how do I write dialogue well?
Read more, watch more, listen more. Get a feel for how people talk, what they say, how they say it.
>are there other places to post writing online to get feedback?
I don't know, I'm still looking.
>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
Some do, some don't. Generally speaking though they don't really appreciate replies to rejection letters unless stated.
>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
Look around for local workshops/writing groups, especially in major urban areas where there's a larger chance of a member who was actually published.
>what are some good writing exercises?
Just keep writing! When you get an idea, flesh it out, roll with it, see where it goes. The more you do it the easier it gets and the better you get at it.
>how do I develop an eye for good writing?
I don't know, other than that you'll know it when you see it.

>>18782358
Wow, anon, such riveting and well answered questions. They will truly help people with the questions.

>>18782358
>Is the Hemingway app any good for editing fantasy?
On PC at least it only highlights things so for me it isn't useful. Never really cared too much about things like adverbs or such anyway.

>>18782380
Better than nothing. The point is that writing is a sort of holistic skill. Learning to write isn't like learning to play an instrument or a sport or whatever, it's something that develops organically through life experience.

>>18782403
I get that clarity is an important focus, but I feel like more elaborate, winding prose can be more atmospheric in the style of Clark Ashton Smith, though Hemingway notably lists my prose as simpler than his.

>mfw I realized my novel is literally anime
it's over bros, isn't it?

>>18782579
Financially? No. You could make big weeb bux.
Artistically? Yeah, it's over, no one worth anything will take you seriously.

>>18782479
>Better than nothing
No, nothing was literally better than the answers you gave.

>>18782579
Why? The only writers that used to come to /wg/ were animefags.

I know many people here don’t like fantasy/sci-fi, but if you do, here’s the first two chapters of my story about the exploration of alien oceans and Catholics interacting with alien religions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10LkV1_D--VqSGHzit_gfRasnfb1YZ5foTA4re5lIhJk/edit

>>18782154
>how do I write dialogue well?
Make it sound natural and true to the characters. Don't overthink it though.
>are there other places to post writing online to get feedback?
I dunno.
>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
I dunno. I don't think asking very nicely would hurt though.
>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
I guess /wg/ or do your own research
>what are some good writing exercises?
Try your best read guides or interviews about writing.
>how do I develop an eye for good writing?
Read/watch/play books/manga/movies/tv shows/anime/games with good and bad writing and find the differences.

>>18782579
>>18782587
What's wrong with anime?

>>18782638
I’m very new to writing, this story is basically a practice run to practice prose and storytelling for another story I’ve been planning out

>>18782579
Depends, are you writing genre fic or literary fic? Because if you're doing the former that's a big W, anime stuff fucking sells like hotcakes.

>>18782649
Pseuds hate it for some reason

>>18782638
I'm taking a shit right now. This labor of my body is a long, tenuous affair, and my excrement are a tax given to my porcelain jew john; during this expenditure I will read your story.

>>18782154
>>how do I write dialogue well?
Watch movies with good dialogue. Tarantino, Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson are three good directors with reasonable breadth of material to find things you like watching. Just never forget that movies are a visual medium and books rely on a certain amount of tell that movies can avoid by having you make inferences from just watching.
Read books that are more dialogue than prose. Clive Cussler is at least one example I can think of off the top of my head. I thought Catch-22 had great dialogue too.
>>are there other places to post writing online to get feedback?
Plenty of Discords and forums. I recommend a writer exchange with another author, someone who writes a little above your level whom you can learn from on a personal basis. I did this a few years back and the criticism helped a lot.
>>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
Your agent should always be giving you feedback if they're shopping your writing around. Publications, if you're in with them, should also be giving you access to editors who want you to succeed from at least a monetary perspective. Set up a monthly meeting at least to talk development.
>>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
An editor who understands the full extent of the story you're telling, who you are, and what you're trying to convey.
>>what are some good writing exercises?
Bradbury "stream of consciousness" writing.
Word association about five to eight times, then writing a drabble
Five senses writing. Pick a single word to describe a smell, a sound, a sight, a taste, and a touch, then write a drabble based on that
If you're a barebones writer, try to be purposefully descriptive as you can. Start with easy stuff like a landscape. Then move into a moment between people, then a moment for a single person.
>>how do I develop an eye for good writing?
An eye for good prose is best cultivated by reading a lot of books from a lot of authors. An eye for good storytelling is best cultivated by the same, and supplementing with NOT pseud movies.

>>18782666
holy satanic trips
it's alternate history fantasy

>>18782930
>alternate history fantasy
Based

>>18782930
Then you're in the clear, anime is good for that.

>>18782154
>how do I write dialogue well?
make it into an argument or a joke.
>are there other places to post writing online to get feedback?
yes, plenty. for sci-fi fantasy check out critters specifically. scribophile and critique circle for everything else.
>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
generally no, unless your work is near publication quality. you're better off hiring an editor.
>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
your favorite books. extract passages that address some weakness you have (e.g handling dialogue and action) and play mad-libs with the structure. you can do this for higher levels of structure by extracting an outline.
>what are some good writing exercises?
see above. it's literally the only exercise you'll ever need. i recommend the people in these threads focus on transition between scene and summary and the creation of images (and organizing them for effect).
>how do I develop an eye for good writing?
get yourself a reading list of classic works, read them, decide which ones you like, then do the above exercise to learn how they did it.

Thoughts on Nier's text adventure writing?

>>18782649
NGE is an artistic masterpiece.

My book actually feels great. I feel good reading that. It's good. It's good, what the hell?

This thread needs to die. All self-pubber pseud losers.

>>18783123
Self-publishing doesn't exist in my country, you can only send it to publishers and lick their asses.

>>18783123
>False flagging pseud.

>>18783029
Post it

>>18783123
Why the hate on self publishing?
I would rather self pubby and sell four copies than go to a publisher who asks me to change my story to something it’s not and have that botched book become a bestseller

>>18782992
Plz respond

>two chapters left to go of my silly farce comedy book
>mfw wrote the entire first 75% of it without knowing exactly what kind of comedy i wanted to write, and now i finally know
Bros I have so much HOPE

>>18783278
Post it

It feels off to me (only in my own writing), when I have long stretches of dialogue with no prose in between, and by "long" I mean maybe a page or a page and a half, what I mean is
>'X'
>'Y'
>'X'
>'Y'
>'X'
>'Y'
So I usually throw in some things like
>he remarked without paying any further attention
just brief prose like that, but when I showed this to a friend he told me that prose like that interrupts the flow and distracts the reader without any necessity
which approach is right?

>>18783240
Self publishing is for losers. Straight up. If you want to be an author, you will humble yourself and begin taking creativity writing, communications, and history lessons. Go get a MA, at least, so you have a worldly view. Listen to your professors who know more than you about good literature.

Self-pubbers are delusional losers rolling around in their own shit and calling it a perfume. Fucking complete pseuds living in a fantasy in their head that they're "writers" when anyone with an education knows they should be on medication and working at Wal-Mart. Fucking losers.

>>18783337
It's not done. But it's about a bowling alley technician who gets misidentified as a galactic conqueror by an alien race.
>>18783373
I get lost usually. If the conversation is short and fast, don't bother with tags. If it's involved and serious, use tags every 5-7 paragraphs or so just to break the monotony.
@18783392
Man what the fuck are you doing here, did you get tired of no one replying to you in the other threads you're melting down in?

>>18783430
We are pushing the self-pubber trash off this board. It is the only way we're going to lure back the actually intelligent, high-IQ and well-educated authors to show us the craft. Every self-pubber that posts here degrades this board further and, for whatever reason, the writing gets WORSE here as the self-pubbers seem to enjoy dropping their pants and embarrassing themselves on a regular basis. Fucking pseuds think anyone wants to read their trash, pathetic.

>>18783392
>>18783462
Stop being such a psued.

>>18783471
I dare you to go back through the last 10+ /wg/ and find a single "writer" worth their life? I wouldn't waste toilet paper for their fucking pathetic "prose" if you can even call it that. Reads like a toddler threw a bunch or words on a sheet while pissing themselves, "look what I made mommy" the kid says while filling a diaper.
>n
>g
>m
>i
The sooner we buck break these losers into going to University, studying for 10+ years, submitting work to OTHER educated people for review, the sooner we will get better literature again. These amateur schizo ramblings are fucking pathetic and it is our duty to chase these people off the board and into the local community college. They can start with short stories they can read to grandma while working at Wal-Mart part time. Keep their SHIT off this fucking board.

/wg/ is for trad pub authors only. NOT self-pubber trash.

>>18783430
Post it you self-pubber trash, I can't wait to tear it apart and show you why you need to apply at McDonald's and throw that shit in the trash. Write 1000 short stories and start taking courses. You will NEVER make it.

>>18783506
God, I miss the days where we had an anime pic in the OP. It would filtered your pseudo-intellectual bullshit so hard.

@18783462
>We are pushing the self-pubber trash off this board. It is the only way we're going to lure back the actually intelligent, high-IQ and well-educated authors to show us the craft.
Hahahahhahahahahhah holy shit you have to be trolling. "Lure back" the actually intelligent, high IQ and well educated authors oh my god lol. What's with your obsession with education? Mad you can't get a job with your useless meme degree bro?
>Every self-pubber that posts here degrades this board further and, for whatever reason, the writing gets WORSE here as the self-pubbers seem to enjoy dropping their pants and embarrassing themselves on a regular basis. Fucking pseuds think anyone wants to read their trash, pathetic
Hahahaha
@18783506
>I dare you to go back through the last 10+ /wg/ and find a single "writer" worth their life? I wouldn't waste toilet paper for their fucking pathetic "prose" if you can even call it that. Reads like a toddler threw a bunch or words on a sheet while pissing themselves, "look what I made mommy" the kid says while filling a diaper.
Guess we know what you get off to, lmao. So you're an educated guy working at a slightly better job than Walmart which is why you look down on it, a sense of serious superiority hahahahaha
>The sooner we buck break these losers into going to University, studying for 10+ years, submitting work to OTHER educated people for review, the sooner we will get better literature again. These amateur schizo ramblings are fucking pathetic and it is our duty to chase these people off the board and into the local community college. They can start with short stories they can read to grandma while working at Wal-Mart part time. Keep their SHIT off this fucking board.
Oh my god these appeals to authority are fucking LOL
>/wg/ is for trad pub authors only. NOT self-pubber trash.
So post your trad published works
@18783522
>Post it you self-pubber trash, I can't wait to tear it apart and show you why you need to apply at McDonald's and throw that shit in the trash. Write 1000 short stories and start taking courses. You will NEVER make it.
Hahahahahaha you think short stories are anything like writing a novel? Lmao go back to school you overeducated scat fetishist working a low wage job barely above Walmart you fucking pseud hahahahaha

>>18783536
Fuck off self-pubber trash. Back to your job at Wal-Mart you delusional fuck. Go to University and spare us your narcissistic drivel. Nobody cares what you write, who you are, or what "story" you want to tell in your confused and meandering gutter prose.

KYS.
>n
>g
>m
>i

>>18783536
This

>18783506
>he sooner we buck break these losers into going to University, studying for 10+ years,

>>18783548
Unlike you, I know I don't have the depth and creative vision of today's literary award winners. There are so many amazing BIPOC and LGBT2SQA+ people creating works of art to replace the drudgery of pre-postmodern lit. Soon we will be studying a new generation of liberated voices, and that is amazing for us all. Finally, through well-selected books and sweeping cultural recognition, collectively the west will finally have to admit that the age of the stuffy colonial cultural paradigm is over.

I actually do something useful with my life, I just acquired my 4th rental property. I provide homes for many families, and they pay my mortgage. I actually create this space for them to live in, and I generously allow them to use all of my appliances that I trust them with. A self-pubber does nothing. They sit in their delusions, writing crap, thinking anyone wants to hear their voice? Laughable.

KYS, fucking useless pseuds. Nobody cares what you're writing. Unless you go to University and have your stuff reviewed by equally-intelligent peers, you are a loser in a basement. Go ask mommy how great your writing is.
>"Yes Gradner, your crocodile book is going to be a hit!"
HAHAHAHAHAHA
KYS

>>18783583
>landlord
>doing something useful with their life

pick one lmfao

>>18783590
Jealous renting self-pubber trash. You'll rent forever and NOBODY will EVER buy your books.

I'm trying to describe the basic layout of a city here. Does it make sense or is it too long/convoluted?
>First are maps of the city, satellite and graphical. The cartoony fish shape of Scott’s Rock is pretty obvious when looking at the latter representation: Newark Hill pinches the fish’s “tail fin” from the north, curves in the Vermilion shape its belly in the south, while Wayne Lake (named that because John Wayne took a dip there once, allegedly) acts as its eye.

>>18783660
man you are platinum mad

>>18783717
Aren't you? Look what the self-pub garbage has done to the /wg/ and the rest of this board. Fucking trash everywhere.

@18783583
>Unlike you, I know I don't have the depth and creative vision of today's literary award winners.
So you're a retard, alright hahaha thanks for admitting it
>There are so many amazing BIPOC and LGBT2SQA+ people creating works of art to replace the drudgery of pre-postmodern lit. Soon we will be studying a new generation of liberated voices, and that is amazing for us all. Finally, through well-selected books and sweeping cultural recognition, collectively the west will finally have to admit that the age of the stuffy colonial cultural paradigm is over.
So you're an indoctrinated left wing retard who thinks identity politics is worth valuing in writing hahahaha thanks for admitting it
>I actually do something useful with my life, I just acquired my 4th rental property. I provide homes for many families, and they pay my mortgage. I actually create this space for them to live in,
>>I actually create this space for them to live in,
Damn dude you build the houses too? That's insane, that's crazy. So you've also got a savior complex too, good to know
>and I generously allow them to use all of my appliances that I trust them with. A self-pubber does nothing. They sit in their delusions, writing crap, thinking anyone wants to hear their voice? Laughable.
God damn what are you so bitter about hahahah
>KYS, fucking useless pseuds. Nobody cares what you're writing. Unless you go to University and have your stuff reviewed by equally-intelligent peers, you are a loser in a basement. Go ask mommy how great your writing is.
More appeals to authority lololol you are so fucking pseudointellectual it hurts oh my god
>>"Yes Gradner, your crocodile book is going to be a hit!"
>HAHAHAHAHAHA
>KYS
Is that what you're upset about? You're melting down over fucking GARDNER? Holy shit mate you have to get a life
>>18783706
It's a little confusing. I'd prefer a simple explanation of the shape first, then the major landmarks marking the details.

>>18783660
>NOBODY will EVER buy your books
But they did.
see https://www.amazon.com/Burgeoning-Sinful-Grimm-Dalton-Garrett-ebook/dp/B00JCH1OM0/

>>18783739
So? I like trash.

PSEUDS OUT

>>18783753
Well, I applaud you doxxing yourself if that's you. I love that Amazon profile.

My therapist wants me to try and get my novel published. Sadly, I don't have a Master's Degree, have no online presence, and know shit about marketing. I've thought about self-publishing but I don't know shit about that either.

>>18783784
idk how it works in your country but here you just spam publishers' mailboxes

>>18783750
>I'd prefer a simple explanation of the shape first, then the major landmarks marking the details.
Ah, thanks.
Pic related was what I was roughly going for

>>18782154
>how do I write dialogue well?
read
>what's the best place to get advice if you're not in college anymore?
read
>what are some good writing exercises?
read
>how do I develop an eye for good writing?
read

Seriously. Why do you want to write? Anyone with a real passion for writing will have gained that passion from the pleasure they get from reading. You want to make your readers experience what your favorite authors made you experience. You have people you look up to, and there's no better way to learn to write what and how you want then by studying the people who've inspired you.

Go critically re-read your favorite books. What makes them so appealing to you? What about the dialogue, plot, narration, etc., sets them apart? An actual writing exercise which will help you analyze the technique of your favorite authors is to read a short story a few times, wait a couple days, and then attempt to re-write it yourself without referencing the original story.

Chapter 42 released.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/40361/erased
Remember, getting your work out there to be read is infinitely more valuable than joining the slush pile because your characters aren't checking off enough demographic boxes. But even more valuable? Writing for yourself and enjoying the process. Hope you're all enjoying getting your stories out.

and forgot the picture. picture related.

>>18783947
>https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/40361/erased
How's mom's basement?
Enjoying your Wal-Mart job?
LMFAO

What's a good way to actually practice writing before I take on some of my better book ideas? I need some kind of process where I'm constantly writing and getting feedback.

I actually think my old works before I began to read a lot were much better written than now. Even had prettier prose. What the fuck.

Anon, why are you on 4chan right now? Didn't you say you wanted to "make it"? Why aren't you writing?

>>18784059
Maybe you strangled your prose too much in an effort to cut down on "purple" prose. I did that and now I am el skeletor de la "action and dialogue only" mode, and it sucks. I'm actively trying to write myself OUT of it.

>>18784066
Nobody here is going to be successful at writing.
Nobody.
>n
>g
>m
>i
At least most of the people in /wg/ are like me, waiting for actual writers of talent to re-grace this place once more. Pushing out the self-pubber trash should be #1 priority to encourage writers of substance and acclaim to reclaim the space.

We don't need Gradners here.

>>18784092
That's exactly what I did. My old works were poetic, now it's only action and I struggle with writing something prettier.

>>18783986
I'm pleased with how I'm doing. Thank you. But now you've made me curious, I really want to see what you've been working on. Mind sharing your writing?

>>18784059
Hey bro, use livingwriter.com and you can duplicate your entire draft with a couple clicks, rename it like "drunk edit April 20" and you'll always have a timeline of all of your edits and you can go back and read your stuff later.

Right now I'm in the editing process still, some of the harsh critique here helped me go back with a more refined lens. I started to read aloud and see if it flows off the tongue, or if it sounds unnatural. With all of the character's problems with alcohol and crippling mental illness, the chapters stopping and beginning with new states of awareness feels susceptible to cliche, but fitting for the character's mental state.

edit 1:
>character sees the bowl of hot soup coming, the waiter puts it on the table, looking like they are as hungry as he is, she walks away and he digs into the coriander-scented meal

edit 2:
A trail of steam is seen coming from across the restaurant, the piping hot bowl of thai noodles placed in front of him. The waitress, her eyes lingering on the bowl, wishes him a "bon appetit," and struts away. Character's gaze falling on the swishing of the waitress's short skirt; his nose being hooked by the coriander-scented noodles, yanking his attention back to sustenance.

Trouble is, you can go through your entire draft and find so many things you can turn from a sentence into 2-3 paragraphs of flowery description. Got to find the balance between too much flower and not enough plot.

>>18784217
Seek help

>>18784195
It's hard when your current projects are before you realized you had a problem, so the tone and tenor of them make it antithetical to filling the lines with prose unless you want to change the whole tone of the book. Maybe my next project I'll start with that in mind.

>>18783998
Bumping this. I really don't know how to get into writing. I want to make it as a self published success one day.

>>18784261

When did this place get so mean?

>>18784312
When we stopped having anime OP pics.

>>18784348
And now he's the guy making the "Write What's On Your Mind" threads.
>>18784261
Join a community and start with writing prompts. Or just write your ideas. The more you write, the better you get.

>>18784418
>Or just write your ideas. The more you write, the better you get.
This is such terrible advice. How can you even type this shit in good faith.

>>18784446
People here don't know what they're talking about. Coming here for help is such a terrible idea.

>>18784446
>>18784450
What's your advice then? Just think about writing? If I thought about sculpting marble all my life, I'm sure the first time I pick up a chisel I'd make David, right?

>>18784066
I have two monitors one of which is placed horizontal for discord and browser, and I wrote some 100 words today for the last chap of the volume I'm working on, so there's no rush since I've decided to go on full hiatus once I'm done with it. I'm playing Tarkov and want to relax before I write anymore for the day.

>>18784457
>getting this defensive
Jesus Christ…

>>18783947
You'd do better shilling this in a place where people actually read this type of thing. It's pretty clear that the majority of posters in this thread think that they're above Royal Road despite not having anything to show for it.

>>18784554
Honestly I'm not even posting it to shill it here. Most people that frequent these threads have already seen it. I'm more posting it as a means of showing my progress and hopefully inspiring people. I enjoy these threads but the percentage of humorless dolts seems to keep rising. Newsflash: writing is supposed to be enjoyable ya dinguses.

I've shilled it exactly once on leddit's litrpg board at chapter like 30 and got around 10 followers doing that, despite it having very little litrpg elements. The next place I'm going to shill it is the progressionfantasy board. I suppose I could do review swaps on royalroad, but I'm not all that keen on that - despite the way the system over there works you don't even show up on the trending list until you have 25 reviews. Maybe I'll do that when I release chapter 45 which is the marker point for the end of the 3rd portion of the book.

sometimes i sit here and read to myself out loud all the posts and giggle to myself. u know ur all idiots right?

>>18784659
ur an idiot check these dubs

>>18784224
Why?

Why is this place so toxic?

Google docs is telling me “cranked it loud and sung hymns proud” is improper grammar. But I don’t want to use “sang”, I want to use sung. Stupid computer

>>18784711
Guy is delusional if he thinks he's going to make it as a 50 year old failed writer after abandoning his son. Self-pubber losers have to learn the hard way I guess. Once his shit book fails, he'll be back to fulfilling my Mickey D's drive thru orders. Yes, I'll take fries with that, going to eat them and watch the rent pour in for my 4 properties. Enjoy the basement suite and minimum wage, pseuds.

>>18784736
keeps normies away. which is the same reason /pol/ retards are actually good for this board

>>18784736
Pseuds who don't write will try to bring down others.

Is there much benefit to studying stories of films, television series, anime, manga, theatrical performances, whatever non-novel mediums for the prose novelist?

>>18785032
no

>>18783998
I’ve been working on kind of low brow light novels. They’re not exactly what I want to write but they’re good for learning, I think, and the way I see it, they’re like our generation’s short story. In the past, you used to be able to submit all kinds of short stories for publications, get some practice, and make some money. You can use short stories for practice now but you can’t really get them published easily and you can’t really make much money easily. And besides, these things are fun and that’s easily the most important thing to keep me writing. I’m tired of not enjoying my life and especially my passion. I have to keep it fun.

>>18784891
Self-pubbers need to be brought down. They are living in the clouds if they think their dreams will EVER come true. Wal-Mart is hiring, nobody is reading their shit.
>n
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>i
Either step up like a man and do the University years required for the craft, or fuck off.

>>18785060
Alright pseud, your kind already killed /wg/

>>18785072
Legit wonder how many top writers by % are formally trained or have a uni degree?

>>18785047
Legit every book in my local mini library always says
>a new york times bestseller

Every single one says that, have to wonder if all these paperbacks and all these publishers are one giant entity filtered through big book

New story. Call me gay.

https://awfiction.wordpress.com/2021/08/05/auto/

>>18785105
>https://awfiction.wordpress.com/2021/08/05/auto/
That's awesome! I was only disappointed where you didn't add that the car felt its alignment off whenever she was around, or that its AC just couldn't keep its cool. Maybe the way the parking lights mysteriously flashed whenever she touched the shift knob? Hahaha!

Nice work!

I wish I could write fast enough and draw well enough to tell all my stories. Instead I spent 3 years slowly chipping away at the first in a series of doorstoppers during which time I've lost at least 5 big novel ideas

>>18782154
>>do publications/agents give feedback if you ask them? is it rude to ask them?
Not rude, just naive. The explanation you'll see most often is that editors/agents are really busy, but the truth is that some people will take anything other than a clear, flat "no" as a "maybe" and endlessly pester you for further advice/chances of publication. When you finally get fed up and tell them to fuck off, they'll act like you intentionally strung them along for a sick laugh. I once briefly ran an online magazine which paid nothing for submissions and even then people were acting as if they could suck my dick to get their big break. Writing attracts a lot of lunatics.

However! You can get feedback, you just need to be very specific about what you want and make it very clear that you understand what "not interested" means. Here's an example which once got me a helpful response (this was attached to the end of the submission letter):
>When I post this story on various online writing forums, I tend to get a lot of praise (and these writing forums tend to be highly critical) but so far no publications have been interested in purchasing it. I would be extremely grateful if you could take a moment to share your thoughts on the reason behind that.
If you're curious, the response was that the first 90% of my story was realistic, grounded sci-fi, but the ending was highly allegorical and esoteric and the sudden shift in tone was jarring and unsatisfying. It was incredibly flattering to finally get a "real" editor's attention, and it was even more tempting to ask their advice on how I might reconcile my vision with the reality of the audience's taste, but I suppressed the urge and simply said "Thank you" and moved on with my life.

>>18782358
>oh gee, I have no fucking clue!
The post you responded to was a request for advice, not a survey, dipshit.

>>18785032
Yes, absolutely. But make sure you study the right kind of stuff. And read more than you watch.

>>18784107
>Gradners
First of all you dumb nigger, it's Gardner. Second of all, you rope yourself. All you're capable of is whining about self-publishers because you got cucked by one. You will never be a writer, you will never be capable of writing anything because you lack any sort of spirit and would rather lambast your peers than encourage writing. But ultimately, I feel sorry for you, because I know it isn't really your fault. The HRT is filling your body with estrogen which makes men hyper-aggressive; it's really not your fault. The medical community failed you and one day I hope you'll realize that you're not a woman.

Also for anyone not in the know, Call of the Kangaroo has been released! It's cheap and free with Kindle Unlimited, so get your copy today and support /lit/ authors.

>>18785512
That guy has shid up like dozens of posts with negativity.

Pretty damn good week for me so far. Almost done editing my short story and it's about time to look for publishers.

Yes, I'm done now. I was never going to become the next Faulkner, the next Nabokov or the next Joyce, but I hid behind the language barrier to avoid criticism for months, maintaining an illusion that was fun to live in while it lasted. I had thought my country's education system to be topmost in the world, but this turned out to be utter bollocks. A child of 18, a person ten years my junior, has a greater vocabulary than I, who had to look up the word “topiary”, and no one likes the expression theory of art anymore, I am likened to a long lost dinosaur.
This will be my final post on /lit/. I've been humiliated and exposed as a fraud. My writing is pretentious, infantile, banal drivel. My observations are dull, my language grade school level. My tenses are mixed up; I use colloquialisms, ellipses and onomatopoeia. I mix tired and trite idioms together to obfuscate their unoriginality with a veneer of irony; I have continued to recite ornate Jewish chimpanzee parables with diminishing returns. The parable seemed very clearly to me to be asking me whether or not the now-grown-adult can choose. I say yes, of course, but that's not my issue.
I was never cut out for writing. I began writing my "book" on January 6th. Since then I've produced 134 thousand words for it. These words are a tide of garbage without value, without insight, without form. The themes of time, space, infinity, memory and pointless duelling are not present in my work. It was never real writing, it was anime and weebshit!
Story arcs, character arcs, narrative arcs, these are all outdated terms. You say what you hear, and only the anime fandom uses the term “arc” anymore. I am a toad! Look how many words I wrote, because apparently literature is bodybuilding and just aimlessly typing will somehow improve my writing. My appetites grew as I wrote, I set a goal of a 100 thousand words when I began, only for the cancerous growth to demand a 137 thousand words soon enough to be completed, and still I don't even know what genre it is that I'm writing. Is it autofiction? A comedy? A picaresque? Am I merely shitposting edgelord-triggering diarrhea in neo-emo gothic revivalist gestalt?
Regardless, I have failed, and even in my failure I have merely imitated how people who think they write well but write poorly write, and I couldn't even do that well. "Oh I can do that anytime if I wanted to" I thought, but no. I have put down my pen. Never again will my fingers click-clack across the keyboard. No more outlines, no more characters. Goodbye. I will take my own advice and go to the rope. Why live if you can't be a great writer, or even a passable one? And why write at all, anyway, if no one is reading anymore and Harold Bloom isn't around to insert us into the Canon? Learn from me! Learn from me!

How the fuck do I use an em dash

>>18786195
Have you tried google?

Anyone wanna read my shit and give me feedback?

>>18786220
no

>>18786220
Sure but I will call you out for being dogniggershit if it is dogniggershit

>>18782579
>it's over bros, isn't it?
yes, why would i read your crap when i can watch anime instead

Just reposting from the last Write What's On Your Mind:

Does anybody else remember the Go For A Punch creepypasta?
Apparently, there were a bunch of lazy Discord trannies that wanted to make an anime out of it. As expected, that never happened, because they're a bunch of lazy Discord trannies.
But I do think there is some untapped potential into this story.

Instead of the untitled schoolgirls, I'm thinking about a "vocaloid/anime girl hell" of decadence and debauchery that takes the form of an endless series of concrete bathrooms, prison cells and loos. Basically an everlasting dumpster with techno-garbage everywhere and black goo dripping from the walls. Vocaloids are trapped here after their momentum in the spotlight is gone, and all of them are left to kill themselves in bloody ways. Some vocaloids that couldn't fit in (homosexuality, depression, body dismorphia, mental illnesses, murder) are also condemn to spend the rest of their lives inside of this hellhole.

Vocaloids that don't kill themselves are left wondering eternally inside of this cold, austere place. And this is where we introduce the character of Saki and her punished "friends".

TL;DR : I have plans for writing a creepyasta-based book, that would mix Perfect Blue, Bitches Brew, Pynchon's aesthetics, Kinbaku-bi, Sartre/Heidegger, and Chris Cunningham-tier body horror. Lots of reflection about the Asian consumerist bug mentality too.

>>18786250
Yikes. You will quickly learn it is not the idea that matters, but your writing ability. Any idea works and, conversely, one idea has no substantial advantage over another. It's about your prose quality and the quality of your plot, characters, etc.
Posting on here asking whether your idea is cool quickly outs you as an absolute beginner. I would say good luck but 99% of people give up at your current state or shortly thereafter (when they write the first page).

I'm rereading and analysing Stoner. How the author describes things, people, sounds, and when. It's full of action, every paragraph gives you something interesting. This action is filled with pretty but simple descriptions. Easy to read for everyone, even kids. I guess in today's times this is the best style to have?

>>18782185
No, because containment.

>>18783029
Good job anon! chances are that if you like it, someone else will too!

>>18785512
I actually read Hunger of the Kangaroo and Jigoku. Really good. I have a feeling you're not really him and just memeing. But I was impressed by just how imaginative they were.

>>18783506
> /wg/ is for trad pub authors only.
Come back when you have been published. Until then, please fuck off. this is according to your own criteria

>>18783506
>/wg/ is for trad pub authors only. NOT self-pubber trash.

Too bad. The bar is set at F. Gardner as he's the most successful writer from WG.

>>18786266
I screencaped your post.
I wanted some feedback on the OG plot, but yeah, it all depends on how it comes out.
That’s also how I feel about Kojima. Good ideas, but terrible execution.

>>18783583
I like how uninformed you are about intelligence and how you relate it to university studies. I have 8 years in academia divided between psychology, philosophy and literature studies and what i can tell you is that education does not equate intelligence, and neither does IQ, unless you use intelligence in a very narrow definition. I know you’re just here to shitpost for shits and giggles, but i honestly think you are misinformed about the things you are stating as important for being a good writer.

The short of it is: literature academically won’t induce creativity, only inspire the one you hopefully have.
IQ is a measurement of problem solving in measurable problems. Since most problems in real life aren’t linearly increasing in difficulty but rather need solutions that require imagination and a lot of skills/talents that aren’t measurable or perhaps even definable, IQ is the best we have, but it is nowhere near a good measure of what will make a good writer.
work with administering IQ tests as part of my job.
Please stick to pestering your tenants about rent inxreases rather than spewing ignorance here.

The following is a quotation from literary fiction subtitled Shut Up And Jam Gaiden.

???: Tell me, Charles Barkley, what is a b-ball?

Barkley: What? Who are you?

???: Just humor me, tell me what a b-ball is.

Barkley: It's... it's an orange ball with black lines on it. It bounces well, but it's easy to hold and throw, perfect for slams and shots.

???: That was good, Charles. Tell me more about the lines on a b-ball. The black lines.

Cyberdwarf: Charles...

Barkley: What about the lines? They're black. They divide the ball into little segments and they improve grip.

???: Ah, the segments. Did you know those lines are the reason I got in this business?

Barkley: What do you mean? What are you talking about...

???: It's true. You see, those lines, they mean different things to you than they do to me. You mentioned that the lines divide the ball into segments. I believe you are wrong, Charles Barkley. I believe that the lines are in fact a symbol of unity, that they are the only things holding the ball together. Have you ever considered that even though the lines all go in different directions, they all have the exact same point of origin and end? Have you ever considered that without those lines, you'd be staring at a bunch of strips of leather and rubber and not a basketball? They bring the ball together. That is why I made basketballs, Charles Barkley. To bring people together, to show them that the lines on a b-ball do not divide it, but hold it together. I suppose I failed.

Balthios: Scott H. Creelman...

Scott H. Creelman: Yes, that was my name before the Purge, back when I was CEO of a company called Spalding, back when we had a dream... Heh, the only dreams I have now are nightmares.

>>18786855
I like it.

Is it possible to learn how to write humor like in Xavier or does it require inherent wit and IQ

>>18785384
What’s “the right kind of stuff”?

>think of a cool premise with no regard to substance
>tack on depth and themes later
It's that simple

>fantasy adventure party journey
>except half the party are the moral hero and his companions and the other half are the villain and his closest underlings
>through circumstances they are forced to work and journey together in order to preserve a common goal whose outcome can only be determined when they arrive at it
Where has it been done well before

>>18786195
Replace commas, semicolons, colons, and periods with it at your leisure.

>>18786312
I'd be interested in reading an analysis of Stoner. Hell I'd be interested in rereading Stoner.
>>18787045
This works surprisingly well for silly books that don't try to take themselves seriously.