/lit/ - Literature

first for anime

Is using a drone to spy on a superyacht and hack their system dumb?

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
-Calvin Coolidge

>>20666472
Yes. Send an electrician or mechanic to sabotage the boat, or do the sabotage while its in drydock for other shit. Boats always have problems.

Last time I'll post this,
Its a first draft but tell me what I could do to make it better please. Feel free to leave comments in the doc.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g9CPDvrMFjW0a6EiF5BtYfOcBbsT3jXeAHMRR4sy6DA/edit?usp=sharing

>>20666452
It annoys me to see writings that are clearly written by someone who doesn't read. Not to mention internet posts going something like: "Can I write if I don't read?"

Thoughts on the Progymnasmata?

>>20666573
How can you tell someone doesn't read from their writing?

>>20666503
That is a good idea to consider. Thanks. One of the problems is that the detectives acquired information on the boat illegally so they don't exactly have major resources to work with. They are trying to gather evidence on their own.

>>20666580
Spelling/grammar/punctuation errors are a big giveaway.
Anyone that reads ends up seeing a plethora of examples of properly formed prose.

How to write through pov of a mitomaniac? I was thinking maybe i should have a listener telling his story.
I basically had an idea of a grandson telling story of his grandfather in the nursing home. When grandpa finishes his story he gives grandson a pocket watch. Then a doctor visits them and tells the grandson he is a mitomaniac. Basically through visits of grandson there are a couple of objects that indicate whether the grandpa is telling lie or truth.

When in his story he mentions a pocket watch he starts telling lies, when he mentions it again he is now telling truth. Would it work?

>>20666573
>>20666580
It's like saying, "Can I be a boxer if I never exorcise?"
I mean, you can try, probably wont be all that god.

>>20666544
Overall pretty good even though not at all my taste. I would suggest going through with an eye on word economy - cutting weasel words (look up examples if need to), and removing repetition (we're told twice did keeps friendships at arms length, the second more specific examples us stronger), and playing with phrasing so that each line is as short and dense as it can be. Also I am not one of those anti-adjective people but you have a bit too many weak ones (uniform teeth, long tail) in my opinion.

An example of a change I would make doing this:
Original
> “Morrigan,” Noir said as he walked across her bed, his natural movements looking more like a prowl. He jumped over to the windowsill then sat on his haunches. “Is it really necessary for you to attend this school?”
Update
> Noir jumped onto the windowsill before sitting on his haunches. “Morrigan, is it really necessary that you to attend this school?”

>>20666503
Oh they aren't hacking to sabotage, they are hacking to find out when its shipping out next.

>>20666613
Thanks that's all very helpful.
question, what about something like
>"Morrigan,” Noir said, moving with a prowl before jumping over to the windowsill where he sat on his haunches. “Is it really necessary for you to attend this school?”

I was thinking describing the prowl gave the idea he's a cat without directly saying he's a cat. Or am I over thinking that?

>>20666573
Lack of reading is the #1 problem with amateur writers.

>>20666610
You can be a good boxer without watching the fights on tv though

>>20666597
>mitomaniac
Did you mean "mythomaniac"?
And to think, we were just discussing spelling/grammar/punctuation errors as signs that would-be writers aren't well-read.

>>20666573
I've never known what makes those people think writing is even a good idea. It's not like it was 20+ years ago where Harry Potter can happen. You're going to shit out a book and if you're lucky a few hundred people will read it. At best, you sell film rights and they actually wind up making the movie. If they don't have some interest in reading, why is writing something even on their radar?

>>20666733
They think writing doesn't need as much skill as drawing or filming

>>20666573
Can I write if I only read light novels and visual novels?

>>20666733
For me it was to create some characters who I could put on adventures that would never run out. They could adventure forever as long as I had new ideas. Then I got serious and confronted how bad all the stories were and now I can't write about them anymore because nothing satisfies me. I wish I had never tried to write "properly" or compare myself to good authors.

>pretty obvious that islam is true
>almost everything i enjoy doing is haram
what do?

>>20666749
There's no writing police who'd break down your doors. Just do it man.

Although I recommend having at least one book in your household. Personally, the book that really made me interested in literature was 1984. I bought it when I was 13 because I thought the cover looked cool. It's a solid book, and it's not too hard to read compared Brave New World's difficulty, and Fahrenheit 451's ornate prose

>>20666695
>am I over thinking that?
I think you are. I got it by context as I think 80% of readers would, but there's no benefit to being coy with such essential description in my view. That initial character intro paragraph is also the place adjectives heavier libes like "long tailed black cat" are most powerful because they're more relevant to reader interest trying to get a vision of the paragraph's topic - but being drip fed these descriptions can feel like it's interrupting other topics/dialogue or sometimes be repetitive if information was already stated/inferred.

You have a good sense of shifting between scene, reflection, and dialogue generally though so don't lose that. I just wish you guys would stop writing about anime girls though :-)

Editorchad here again. offering to correct your work for a nominal fee. I have references and everything! Also stop using semicolons; you don't know what they do.

maat042@yahoo.com

>>20666779
consider not falling for a kike religion

>>20666796
What was difficult about Brave New World besides the beginning which fractured three scenes into a whirlwind and the occasional subtle joke like YMFA, and then of course the ending? Huxley drew a pretty distinct line between the Londoners and the Savages+John, despite Linda being that middleground of a Londoner 'corrupted' by motherhood.

>>20666861
Can you do it for free?

>>20666544
this sucks lmao, literally primary school level writing

Aw... My Chinaman story got rejected...

>>20666452
How do you guys take your writing and potential readers seriously without turning into a pretentious and dull pseud? I’ve been less myself since getting my first writing out 2 years ago, but I want to be my silly shitposter self again.

I know this place might be more for actual writing but would you lot mind if I ran some concepts by you? Like basically I know what I want to write and I want to write a lot. But how do I get vampires right? What do you want to see in a vamp novel? Twilight 2.0 or would people like more of the Dracula stye t make a re emergence. I personally do love the idea f a lone/ small amount of fabulously dandified vampires sauntering around an 800 year old castle whilst trying to coerce people into killing others for their own amusement. Sorry for the ramble I think on one hand I do need to see this in writing or myself. I need to get off this thing and quick. What a timesuck.

>>20666942
Read Pynchon

>>20666960
Stop doing crack

>>20666902
Well you suck.

>>20666960
You should read the latest books that have vampires in them.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1305.Best_Young_Adult_Vampire_Books

or, if you don't want young adult, you can search for adult

>>20666960
>But how do I get vampires right
Depends on what you plan to write. If it's horror then you need a bloodthirsty beast lurking in the shadows, if it's romance then you can either go twilight or a more erotic and seductive vampire, if it's a supernatural police novel then you need to think how the community would deal with being investigated and how they would treat a rogue vampire murdering humans.
>What do you want to see in a vamp novel
I like interview with a vampire.

>>20666960
>would you lot mind if I ran some concepts by you? Like basically I know what I want to write and I want to write a lot.
Idea guys out. You need to write at least a really strong 2k word opening/sample you can share as a pitch before your idea is even worth a wet fart.

>>20666796
Damn, anon.
I read "the hobbit" at 13.
You read "1984" at 13 and you'll wind up on 4chan.

>>20667024
Can you please rephrase? I don't tI understand u? Do you mean post something here? what's an idea guy? Are YOU on Craic?

>>20666544
Also for anyone who read this, the characters I describe as Emo-boy and Pony-boy, should I not do that and give them actual names? Like is it jarring to have characters identified this way or is it not a big deal?

>>20666913
By whom? I didn't think it was finished.

>>20666891
How long is your work?

>>20666733
From what I've seen they're people who want to "tell their story" like anyone gives a fuck about some random persons life enough to actually give them money to read it. Even if you have a super interesting life, who buys a memoir of anyone who isn't a celebrity? I don't get it. But there are loads of these people out there.

>>20667069
I sent the first chapter to a random agent on query tracker. Said they weren't interested. But it read like a bot reply.

>>20667090
70k give or take.

>>20667124
Shoot me an e-mail and we can talk

>>20666749
you can, it will just be shit.

>>20666749
Read the Kybalion and apply its principles to your writing. If you need more help, pick up the Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway

>>20666733
it just has no barrier to entry because everyone knows how to type. if you try to let's say make a videogame but you're an idiot it will become very clear very quickly that you don't know what you're doing but an idiot can write a million pages and never notice that it's all worthless.

>>20666861
How do I get a job in editing. It's probably the only work I'll enjoy.

>>20667180
Convince some tards to give you money.
Make some shit up.

>>20667180
be molested as a child and develop a crippling alcohol addiction

Is it true that I can only be published if I’m a gay trans nigger writing about gay trans niggers fighting a thinly-veiled Trump analog?

>>20667238
Sort of. Just write the story you want to write and say you're trans. What are they going to do, dare to invalidate you?

>>20667180
Learn how to do copyediting and proofreading and start building your portfolio with lower prices per word. The more hits you edit and years experience the more you can raise that price. Developmental Editing is also another editing process but no every asks for, since writers often talk to other writers for that advice if they arent trad published with an editor during the whole process. Reading should become your life, editors are usually more well read than writers because they read the good, the bad and the ugly both classic and contemporary.
>>20667046
An idea guy is someone who has an idea but expects others to articulate it. Anon is saying you need to work on writing skills, that is most of what this is. There is an art to storytelling so read the OP links and figure out how you want to tell your story.

>>20667046
>what's an idea guy?
Please get the fuck out

>>20667263
there's copy editors who fix your punctuation and spelling

and then there are content editors who'll tell you how to fix your book so that it can sell

the second type are way more expensive

put fake errors in your manuscript to see if the editor catches them. if he doesn't catch them, then you don't need to pay him.

to find an editor, books will often mention the people who edited them. if you like the book, you can contact that editor and talk to them

I'm getting into writing but my main inspirations are actually movies and graphic novels, what should I do?
I've obviously read books before but movies are what inspired me the most, I know it's an adaptation btw and I'm currently reading the source material.

I have been writing as a living for quite a while and let me tell you aspiring writers that there is so much partially-constructed, wishy-washy, completely arbitrary nonsense about the craft of writing that serves only its own end as a form of literary masturbation and profitable self-help woo woo

I'm no Shakespeare but even Shakespeare understood that it is a very simple equation, as writing is a profession just like fixing toilets, designing airplanes, or spinning a pizza hut sign on the side of the road

You write, and if the readers and the powers that be decide that its worth reading, you get paid and use that money to pay your bills and buy your bread. That is what being a successful writer is at the most basic level. When all of this goes smoothly, it is actually very liberating and enjoyable to make a living writing books or even articles.

You have to be consistent, you have to send in something just to survive, and you will want that base-level of your writing being professionally acceptable, that will give you a foundation as well as an idea of standards and assurance in your creative freedom.

Before you decide to be the next Tolstoy or whatever you should consider the practical facts of making a living from writing and what that requires, because all the greats did at least this before becoming masters.

Which is not actually that hard, it is not actually difficult to become a professional writer if you are very consistent, have self-confidence, and a good grasp of English. It can be a challenging hurdle at times, but it's the first one and the real challenge comes once you have made it.

Without a college education it's an uphill battle yet still very possible with a good record of experience and work to show for it, but also don't get lost in the cozy intellectual space of academic literary criticism and forget that you will still need to pay your bills after you graduate

Once you see things from the other side then you realize that literary standards are not actually super high and that intellectual authority is not that difficult to earn, and that is why the greats persist through the ages while many wealthy and best-selling authors quickly fade to obscurity

You will also realize that many, yet not all, of the greatest writers suffered deeply for their art at the expense of material security

>>20666960
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurVampiresAreDifferent

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire

there's some info on tvtropes

>>20667332
write screenplays

>>20667291
>put fake errors in your manuscript to see if the editor catches them. if he doesn't catch them, then you don't need to pay him.
This reminds me of how my parents used to plant dead bugs in my room to make sure I was cleaning it properly when I was 8.

>>20667407
That sounds kind of psychotic.

Wait. And if you didn't clean properly they would beat you so you became OCD about cleanliness. Then you grow up you become a serial killer with an obsession for cleanliness. Dead bugs tend to trigger your psychotic behavior.

There, I just came up with someone's next novel for them. Go ahead and write that shit and don't forget to thank me.

>>20667350
It's not exactly literary, is it?
I've been having some great times with books, but I'm not sure I have the language to describe things out like writing inspires to do. I'm too visually inclined I fear.

What I'm currently writing is basically about the main character hunting another man for revenge, but I'm still hesitant on where I should start it
I don't know if I should do it in medias res, with the mc already in his quest for revenge, with his past getting revealed along the way or if I do it a la Monte Cristo and start with the events that started his quest.
So just for curiosity what do you generally prefer in these kind of story?

I'm using "and" too much. Solutions?

>>20667484
shock collar

>>20666960
>>20667345
>Idea guys and trope niggers teaming up

>>20667291
I thought the first example you gave is more of a proofreader who checks for tiny errors, copy editors work to give you consistent quality prose and voice. And yes the latter is twice as expensive, and developmental are even double that. Copy editing is nice especially if you have to impress agents, but there are ways to do it yourself and plenty of indie authors won't do it, the author's wife will proofread and then he publishes. It's really the cadence of book releases and deals every 8 weeks that keeps them dominating Amazon charts, so at least in that strategy you write several books a year. Authors like that get less readers but just as much money if not more because they arent bled dry by the industry.

Wow 4chan really is hell on earth I HAVE A FUCKING IDEA YOU CUNT I DONT YOU TO ARTICULATE IT FOR ME FUCK YOU FUCK YOU AL IMM'A BE FAOUS AND Y'AL NIGGAZ AIN'T GONN NO ME THEN FUCK Y'ALL TRICK ASS HOES!

>>20667484
use more periods. drop ands and use commas

I’m writing what is sort of a downfall of a good guy. How do I make each death of the people he loves meaningful and not repetitive? Almost everyone he loves dies and I want it to slowly make him break

>>20667570
make them die in different ways? how many deaths are we talking

>>20667570
IDEA GUY OUT
IDEA GUY OUT
IDEA GUY OUT

>>20667350
Could I write like a screenplay and just use a visual medium to go along with the writing then, I was thinking either a game or a visual novel? The child book comparison does get to me, I'm not blind to it, dangle images and such but I have to be thoughtful of my choices.

>>20667546
You can do it anon, and this thread's been pretty gentle all things considered. Asking questions like that around the seether would get you an entire pasta of outrage.

>>20667570
>one person has been battling a disease for years (cancer is a good one)
>one person had an AVC and is in a coma
>one person died in a car accident after being distressed about the AVC and driving dangerously
>one person was stabbed by an obsessed ex lover
>one person was shot during a robbery
Would be funny if he wasn't able to clean up his "funeral appropriate clothes" since they all died withing days/hours of each other and his clothes started to smell worse and worse as he keeps going to the funerals and people there stop comforting him by the third one because of it which makes him spiral even more into loneliness.

>>20667606
Don't write a game, just write stories with a lot of dialog and sparse descriptions. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you put it in front of the right audience, or don't put it in front of anyone.

>>20667343
Solid post, anon. When should I begin to care about literary criticism, as someone writing literary fiction? I agree with you on the intellectual authority as novelists don't have to be terribly rigorous in all aspects. As long as the literary side is satisfied, smoke and mirrors can satisfy the intellectual side. Some people freak out about whether an author really understood it all but he only needs to understand enough to help readers imagine everything else.

>>20667570
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/relatedsearch.php?term=Main/GrimDark

there's a lot of grimdark stuff on tvtropes. not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for.

ESL here
If I ever wanted to get published, should I write in English or in my first language (french)
Obviously I fare better in my native language but English has a way bigger audience. How much harder it is to get published as an ESL?
I'm mostly writing dark fantasy/sci-fi as a hobby and it sells like complete, utter shit in France. Even if you manage to get published (by a real publisher and not one of the numerous scams that make you pay as much as if you were self published) you're lucky if you sell more than 1000 copies.
The genres are completely shunned by left wing academics, the only people still reading book here, who don't consider them to be "real literature".

>>20667712
i think that even though the audience is smaller, there's less competition.
so, it's a wash

>>20667712
>ESL
My boyfriend is deaf too anon
you can do it!

>>20667712
Unless if you're relying on some kind of translator, you don't strike as an ESL to me. But if you do believe you need to sharpen up your English skills, then might as well because competition's not to be taken lightly of. If you haven't mastered the basics as the bare minimum, then I'd say you're off to a rather shit start.

>>20667637
>Don't write a game, just write stories with a lot of dialog and sparse descriptions.
How so exactly? I mean, the not a game portion.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/54100/wish-mountain

Sup anons. Chapter 14 is out. Also have 14 followers. Averaging a follower per chapter.

So chapter 100 = 100 followers? We'll see.

>>20667772
Your parents hate you and you'll never amount to anything.

I disagree and argue with many people on here and often my posts get looked over, but I appreciate this community. Thanks anons, I'm glad we all have something, even just to argue about.

>>20667772
>14 followers
After all these months of desperate shilling here and there, doing review swaps, and everything? Damn...it would be a lie to say you deserve better, but I'm sorry, anon

>>20667570
Bring challenges of his own character into play, don't break him just with what happens to him and to the people around him but also the things that happen BECAUSE of him and his own personal failings. Allow him to blame himself for his downfall as well.

I'm doing kind of similar, pretty much MC's mom is head doctor of a children's hospital and starts out seeming as someone with unshakable resolve who everyone respects. Then, as the challenges of losing patients pile up on her as well as her daughter being an angsty teen who is somewhat of a shit at times eventually causes doctor mom to crack under the pressure and behave in less-than-optimal ways, leading to further self-doubts and character conflicts.

>>20667770
just write like you're a camera
>From above, the house was like any other on the street: white picket fence, perennials, blue shutters—nailed open. Through the windows you could only surmise that a happy family lived there—one which placed cherished family photos on the mantel above the ornamental fireplace and pinned academic achievements to the fridge. And yet if you look closely you'd see newspapers piled up on the stoop and letters overflowing in the mailbox.
etc etc etc

>>20667721
I guess, but if it's to not sell at all might as well publish it for free on the internet. The last french fantasy book that sold beyond the 100 000 copies was published in 2004. But then the translations of english fantasy books are selling great, so the reason might be that there's no quality fantasy novels in french idk.

>>20667767
Well I mostly read in English nowadays so I think I can scrape by, but I still frequently make common errors and I'll probably always be more used to my native language unless I start living in an English speaking country

Assuming you don't pay for an editor or one of those AI writers, selling even 1 book is a net profit because writing is free.

>>20667974
only if you don't value your time

youtuber, 6,500 subs, talks about good indy books and where to find them. reviews 25 books(all of them fantasy).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGFLbvX9ns

something positive about self published books

>>20667712
Nique bien les universitaires - et je te dis ça, j'ai deux masters 2 - ils sont déjà morts sans le savoir. Fais toi plaisir!

>>20667985
We are wasting time on 4chan. Our time clearly isn't valuable.

>>20667772
Good job anon, keep it up.

>>20668082
Thanks, fren.

Couldn't write for a while because I was moving house. Before that I was finishing university. Now it's very difficult to get back into writing my book - writing anything, really. I'm doing it, but it's taking more effort for much less progress.

>>20667796
I think a big part of his issue is he pulled down his first story, which undoubtedly did no favors to his reputation on the site and probably pissed off his existing readers.
and, yeah, the shilling. all those reviews, only 14 followers

>>20667784
I DON'T! FUCK ALL OF YOU. I'M NOT AN IDEA GUY, DON'T EVER SEAK TO ME OR MY PUPPER EVER AGIN FUCYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOINTHEASS!

>>20667343
>consistency
>self-confidence
FUUUUUCK

>>20667478
Entirely up to the specifics. In-media res may be better for reader attention though, as it can immediately offer a mystery so long as you don't just reveal the situation.

>>20668440
I bought a house recently and managing that was a setback. I got back into writing by reading more often, quitting a nonwritan hobby, joining Goodreads and laying out my professional plans for books. Try drafting something with stream of consciousness even if you have to scrap it, surprise yourself. Its the inertia that intimidates writers, so write even if it's bad keep going and you will find great ideas as you work on them. That process, to have impetus and create, will give you the confidence you need.

>>20667985
>value your time
Lol.
Lmao even.

A Short Story About Alcoholism

We come to town late and stop at the first bar. Devil's Hole it reads. Apt, I say, hell of a drive. She's unamused and goes ahead. Need to use the toilet. I lock the car and stretch for the first time in hours. There's deep pain in my shoulders, feels like it's in the bone. Ow. The muscles stack one by one, going back where they should be. The door throws light on the gravel drive. As I cross the threshold faces turn. Quiet, no music. Whats a bar without music? A box of drunks? Two beers. Please, I add. The barman pours without meeting my eyes and sets the drinks on the counter. I find a corner far away: a dusty booth, faded cushions. Still not back from the loo. I taste the beer, watery but cold. Well, I'll take what I can get. Crooked motions as barflies sip. The barman poised, looking down. Globes hanging like full moons. What a pit. She slots in across from me, going for her drink. And no music? Not a jukebox? I'm too tired to argue. I drink. She drinks. Gradually we relax, smile. She holds my hand across the table, small beacon of warmth in the gloom. Water circlets on the table. She draws a smiley-face. Another round? I go, return. She hums a tune. Silence isn't so bad, you know? At least we can hear each other. You have a wrinkle. She smooths out my forehead. I laugh, long day. What's the name of this town? Didn't see a sign. We drink in the Devil's Hole in a town with no name. Outside the window is void-black, no lights on, not even a star. There might be fog. It must be late. I check my watch – it's stopped. I tap the damn thing. Bummer. What luck. She returns with another armful of beer. The barman clears the table without word, wipes away the water, smile, leaving us a fresh canvas. We start drinking anew. Cheers. The quiet swallows the clink. No really, it's bad. She smooths again my brow, thumb pressing the thin skin. I look into her eyes. Hung, tired. More than tired – old. Sallow, sunken cheeks, inward-drawn flesh. After all, it's been so long. And her clothes: dusty, moth-eaten like the pillows. I check my wallet: no cash. The barman places two fresh pints. I try to explain but he stops me. First and last words: it's on the house. We sit and drink and he refills. We've long since moved to the bar, sitting with the regulars perched on stools. The watch never starts. The window never brightens. The song never ends.

>>20666779
it's pretty obvious that religion is a means to unite and control the population. separate yourself from the illogical claims and you will see this.

What is the best way to begin a book? I was analyzing Harry Potter and Rowling does such an impressive job introducing you to the Dursleys in just two paragraphs, while keeping it interesting.

revisited this thing I wrote without a plan, now I sort of have one

>>20669400
I would get rid of the word 'killed' in the beginning and replace it with 'only'. It leaves the audience with a question and gets to keep reading. Only two what?

>>20669450
perhaps, but the effect is lost in future entries as the reader discovers what the story is. I prefer the brutal repetition, analogous to an actual gladiator forced to fight day after day

>>20669454
Hmm. Up to you. But I doubt a gladiator would bother writing the word 'killed' in his diary entries if he's doing it everyday again and again.

>>20669466
well, it's the simplest, and I try to stay simple by default. compound that with the simplicity of a gladiator... and there you are

Disrespect is the name of the game when it comes to the main villain. Like, you know the term "Absolute Menace?"
This fucker embodies that, and I need to know if this is enough of a resume.
>Millions of years before the events of the story, he single-handedly wiped out an entire civilization of superhuman creatures.
>Wakes up from his 65 million year slumber. Immediately punches so hard he breaks the sound barrier as a way of stretching.
>Beats the shit out of the protagonist with one hand the moment they meet, and is so bored by his feeble efforts to fight back that he just leaves mid-"fight" and comes back with another character so he can 2v1. He still wins with one hand.
>Kills a guy who's 3 times his height before basically default dancing on his corpse
>Emotionally manipulated our hero into trying to kill his best friend, basically succeeded.
>Literally just shows up at one point, no-sells a massive gravity blast that could flatten mountains, and just leaves.
>Broke into the afterlife so he could kill that civilization again. As in he just wiped them from existence by fighting them all at once
I want to create a character who's so utterly heinous, disrespectful, and outright unexplainable that the reader will just go
>Like... Bruh
When he does anything

>>20669388
you have to introduce the readers to the normal world.
the dursleys in hps case
then you have the inciting incedent or hagrid showing up
in star wars it would be
luke is a moisture farmer
then he meets c3p0 and r2d2
the inciting incident moves the hero from the boring world to the exotic, adventure world

https://philipp.truebiger.com/three-act-structure/

>>20669500
I want to create a culture where children don't use terms like "default dancing" and "bruh"

>>20669500
??? what the fuck am i reading?

I find this kind of exposition shitty but am not sure if there is a way around it. What do you guys do to project your world?

>>20669388
It is good. Far better than 99% of the stuff you see around here.
Very few writers here have charisma or voice, the two things that make that opening so good. They have all of these wild ideas, that if you just sat down and read, oh you'd see! But no one is ever gonna give their ideas a read because it's all so dry and boring.
Many writers here only found writing because they needed a creative outlet. This was not their first choice. They started in music, or games, or animation etc. but abandoned each one after they learned that the basics were not enough. The gamers would boot up RPGmaker VX Ace and they'd see that their creative outlet was limited to a number of soulless sprites. That grand epic that's been brewing about their brain for the last twenty-six years could never be expressed through these generic do-gooders and ne'er-do-wells—and no neet of our ranks is about to drop four-figures to bring his sprites to life. They'd need something more freeing, and more importantly, something free. Writing fit that bill perfectly, and they brought all of that soullessness with them, they're just too new to see.

>>20669500
>default dancing

Why does Emily Anon play dumb? Why has he never screenshotted his own ad. We wish to see it sir.
Show us what a customer sees.

>>20669544
Boswell?

>>20669595
Projection

>>20669579
if you introduce a friend, have them do something, like knitting, or playing mumbly peg, and then have them discuss stuff, and in that dialogue they reveal shallon's decisions, that's often better. it's easier to read, at least.
you can also introduce tension at the same time.

>>20669623
It's okay if you think that. You only have two paths from where you are now. You can quit like 99% of the other anons that have come and gone throughout the life of this general, or you can become truly great. Either way you'll come to agree with me in time.

>>20666779
>yahweh worship, any flavor
>true
pick one you absolute double nigger

>>20669388
Analyze more than one book. Here's American Psycho.
>Abandon all hope ye who enter here is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First and is in print large enough to be seen from the backseat of the cab as it lurches forward in the traffic leaving Wall Street and just as Timothy Price notices the words a bus pulls up, the advertisement for Les Misérables on its side blocking his view, but Price who is with Pierce & Pierce and twenty-six doesn’t seem to care because he tells the driver he will give him five dollars
to turn up the radio, “Be My Baby” on WYNN, and the driver, black, not American, does so.
Here's Blood Meridian.
>See the child. He is pale and thin, he wears a thin and ragged linen shirt. He stokes the scullery
fire. Outside lie dark turned fields with rags of snow and darker woods beyond that harbor yet a
few last wolves.

The main thing I take away from these three openings is that they most effectively communicate, in order:
>1. the narrative voice
>2. the tone and/or setting
>3. some outline of a character
My thinking is that you can write whatever you want for your first lines, but it should be almost a parody of your own style. Preparing the reader's brain for the way you present information is the important part, and the way to do that is with an extreme example.

Is publishing a novel serially on Substack viable? Either in terms of readership or payment.

>>20669770
Why on substack? Why would that work on substack

>>20669545
It's a joke, dude

>>20669807
oh my mistake, I only called you a retard because you were pretending to be retarded.

>>20669809
I just thought it'd be funny because it's a silly dance

I wrote this, in the hope of mimicking Tolkien's way of writing; particularly his mid to late writings
Will use it for a fanciful work I'm writing & editing.

"Celebrimbor had come to Gondolin in the Year of Lamentation. He had joined Gwindor son of Gwilin and his group of elves from Nargorthrond, and together with the Host of King Fingon they had fought in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Alone of his group did he survive the hasty charge, and the trap that had been layed at the gate of Angband; retreating in time with the warriors of Fingon. Days of fierce and constant battle had been endured, yet when news came of the betrayal by Ulfang and of the death of Fingon, at the hands of Gothmog, Celebrimbor had then followed Turgon and all those that fled the field towards the hidden kingdom. Great had been his grief and weariness, for how much had been lost. Yet equally great was his amazement and awe at the sight of such a marvellous city, whose beauty could only be rivalled by Tirion; the place of his youth which now stood unreachable, beyond the sea. Turgon had been surprised to account one of his kin among the remnants that had followed him. Though the relations between Sons of Fëanor and Fingolfin had varied throughout centuries uncounted, Celebrimbor had nonetheless been formally welcomed with high honours and had been permitted to work and learn with the king’s artificers."

>>20669770
Only if you've already published several successful novels and have an audience.

>>20666452
been formatting my work into a little "magazine".

wanted to make something phone-friendly, and short enough to read on a subway ride

obviously have to post as individual images here, but the pdf version is super smooth

down to "publish" other /lit/izens work in this format

>>20670078

>>20670081

>>20670083

>>20670087

>>20670078
zines have gotten pretty popular lately

>>20670090

>>20670093

>>20670099
>>20670091
feels better than waiting for an email from a literary agent thats never coming

>>20670106

>>20670109

>>20670113

>>20670116

>>20670118

>>20666861
I experience legitimate sensual pleasure every time I use an em dash

>>20667118
>>20666913
anon, I've been reading East of Eden and there's a Chinese character in part 2 chapter 15 named Lee. If you haven't read that part, set in the early 1900s, I suggest you take a look. Character's name is Lee. Interestingly he speaks in pidgin to most people, but he's actually pretty fluent in English. A quick internet search and you can find the text, it's not old enough to be on project Gutenberg yet.

>>20669400
It's boring anon. No tension. I kill I kill I kill. So what? Are you going to do that for another hundred pages?

>>20670175
it's just a fancy comma

>>20670184
no, in fact that's why I didn't continue. I'm going to start on the next major part of the story, and I want to mull it over for a little bit first

>>20666597
How do you even spell something that wrong? I need you to explain to me how you arrived at this so that I can achieve a greater understanding of your mental deficiencies.

>>20670191
It's everything the comma wishes it could be

>>20670207
The comma knows itself, it is secure with its place in the world. The em dash is going through an identity crises and needs to grow up.

>>20670183
Lee's an all-time bro

>>20669566
Green Lagann X 40k fanfiction?
>>20670091
>Pinball is coming back.
>>20669751
How's this opening rate?

>>20670241
Ironically your sentence would read with much more impact if you had used an em dash instead of a comma

>>20670251
>starting with the word "blood"
Nobody here has the talent to pull that off.

>>20670252
You're right.

>>20670251
This entire story is more like a batshit insane combination of Grappler Baki and Kaiju movies.

Okay, get this. A race of squid people, right? Their name is "Quids". I'm a goddamn genius.

>>20666452
I tried NovelAI today and it feels like shit. Not my kind of thing, honestly.

>>20670507

>>20670529
>constantly bounces between being anti-white and anti-black
huh

>>20669388
I think it's lousy honestly due to narrative distance and how cheesy and flat the characters are. Who wants to read anything from the POV of an unlikeable character, especially when his primary characteristic is "boring" literally? HP is famous that it only got published because some agent handed it to his 8 year old kid to read. Kids are really arbitrary and stupid, kids will like the stupidest garbage so long as they're bored that day or it's printed on pink paper or some shit.

Aside from lacking depth, who the FUCK talks like that? fuck's sake.

>>20670589
>Who wants to read anything from the POV of an unlikeable character
You're retarded.

>>20670589
What kind of eight year olds read Lovecraft?

>>20670599
Dylan Beeker from Golan The Insatiable?

’Tis pleasure better than days sunny
The which doth rise from day to day,
Aye, it cannot be bought with money,
Forbidden still as deadly apples grown,
’Tis sweeter than any worldly honey
And like the wind so grand it softly moans—,
The godly nectar streams e’er runny
As oracle dark powers must soothsay:
>No man couldst deny its sweet tenderness
>As ye hath tasted it, things come amiss
Tho’ all things? Nothing must become of this,
So let it! I’ll lose all things all for trysts!
And don’t thou thinkst it all so funny
That I wouldst lose mine life for cunny?

>>20670482
I don't give them a name

>>20670678
What do you mean? I just did.

>>20667570
Make them be reflective of his own desires and failures, or even be directly a fault of his for some. My own good guy is a hero who had been meant to save the world and he fucks up for various reasons, the contrast between the lives he could have saved and the lives he did end up taking by his own hands is stark.

>>20666624
A phishing e-mail works a lot better for that.

>want two people meeting to larp
>they set up their play area and have their costumes
>once they get going it becomes totally immersive
>drawing a total blank on the moment both characters saying/agreeing "Ok start the roleplay."
The best way seems to be have the characters become their roles so to speak, substituting their modern items for old fashioned versions, the auditorium becoming a forest, costumes transforming to real deal, conversation shifting to the fantasy topics. It's just that beginning. I'm probably just overthinking it and could have the set-up be the immersion stepping stones, but any ideas or real life examples that could help?

I want to create a series of short animations or partially animated comics about a young adult/older adolescent who is given a chance to redeem themselves through mentorship of a delinquent tween. Despite being only 23, I haven't had a good grasp of youth culture since 2013. Am I better off setting the story in the late 90s/early 00s or trying to set it in the present?

>>20667772
Bruh even I have like 80 followers, haven't you been at this for almost a year now? I've been at it 4 months. Fuck's sake stop shilling on /lit/ and start putting out more fucking chapters. Also stop begging for reviews because it's insanely obvious you're just shilling that shit on the forums when you've got that many with such a small following.

I want to write a book about the modern world, what examples can i look into?
>Inb4 ted's manifesto
Noted

>>20670974
Do you mean as a critique of modernity

>>20670992
Analysis and Critique, yeah
Mostly pointing out flaws and going deeper on such subjects
An example would be criticizing the urban planning of a certain place, breaking down its design and technical features before listing alternatives and so on

>>20671007
Sounds like you should read some nonfiction on urban planning then, rather than other critiques of it
Don't blow anything up

>>20671029
Lol'd
That was just a small example, Ill take the advice and keep trying to find examples of what im trying to do, ty anon

How would one go about with writing an atmosphere like the one in Dark Souls?

>>20671036
Blacksouls is literally the only place I have seen Souls style story telling done correctly.

>>20671047
Do you mean the game? There's a book by the same name.

>>20671055
The game, and especially its sequel.

>>20671065
I see. This is certainly where games have an advantage.

welp, first time on /lit/ I've started writing a basis for a story, I will look into these resources from the OP since I have never written anything, it will be fantasy, is royal road good? most the stories I am currently reading are on that platform though they all rely on patreon for money, I don't really intend to make money on this anyway, but I am partly crippled and I have way way too much free time and no job.

>>20671093
Spend an hour writing something out for us. Doesn’t have to be perfect, doesn’t need to be 3k words. Just to see where you’re at and what you’re going for.

>>20671106
its 3AM here now, I probably won't write anything for some time, might come back tomorrow with at least a start of something, as well as parts of the setting that I already have written out, I want to try and get a feel for what kinda world I am making and how I want the story to be before I write anything, though I am not sure I really need to if its just a test of ideas.

>>20671112
Good on you anon speaking as someone still stuck on planning, I'll give your story a read if you post it here.

Day 31 editing
I was afraid book 2 would be poop
Already a chapter and a half in and it fills me with excite
IGMI

>>20671093
>I am partly crippled
I didn't realize it was a spectrum.

>>20670918
>Despite being only 23, I haven't had a good grasp of youth culture since 2013
I know that feel, though I am 22 (23 in 10 days) and I only really felt like I disconnected with youth culture when stuff like instagram and tiktok became popular because I didn't and still don't have a phone and I don't use those sites so a lot of what is there I only hear about it once someone else who is in those circles mentions it to me, I think a modern setting could work better with a part of the story being the main character trying to also get into what modern youth culture is to help him better mentor the teen.

>>20671191
I have a fucked spine, I can be on my feet for about an hour, sitting in my chair for 2 hours, then the spasms start and my body stops moving the way I want it to, I am functional to an extent since its not like my legs entirely don't work, and I have all my limbs still, I am in constant pain but I think I am past suicidal currently.

>>20670953
What's your story about?

>>20669500
holy motherfucking based zoomerpost

Why am I scared to write? I cant come up with stories to save my life? I can come up with scenes and mediocre premises but I cant make it good enough. I am scared it wont be good. I am scared to fail. I am scared that I dont know anything and anything I write is deluded and false. I am scared that I am childish

>>20671295
Because you're scared of the unknown, just like our ancestors created their own myths and legends because they were afraid of what they can't explain.

>>20670507
It cut me off for not signing up so I opened it in incognito and kept going and then it cut my IP address off

>>20671301
Then what do I do

>>20671311
Simply put, you write and perhaps you'll understand what you were most scared of.

>>20671134
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RSdpmY1jNA12sA_SlAWoBwKIZHk5Ffe58Eef3dZqTxw/edit?usp=sharing
I wrote this in word and then copied it directly into google docs, so the formatting is a bit fucked, also I never went to sleep, I think its a bit sloppy and reading over it again I corrected quite a few errors, probably missed some still.
I will say I have almost no idea how to into punctuation, but most of what this is to me is seeing your thoughts on how organically I got the nature of this world across to a reader with no context, I maybe should've given the characters actual names but for now I think its alright as is.
I'm gonna do a spoiler for what I was trying to inform the reader of and after reading it please tell me if I got this all across well enough.
this world has a feudal system, slavery is a thing that is normal, non human beings exist, fae exist and are tricksters like how folklore on earth says they are, the farmer is good natured, mages exist and can tell if a fae had put out a changeling disguised as a child, fae also play harmless little tricks as well, meat is more a luxury that a common staple food, the farmer loves his family, the wife is now barren after losing her son due to miscarriage, the gods have left the world some time ago, a mage is uncommon in rural areas, small mundane magical items like a doll or a locket or a needle are fairly simple and on a soldier salary its not too expensive, the world has an expectation for girls in their teens to get married and act as house wives, even a common farmer or a little girl can pump magic into an item even if they can't use magic, the uncle is a joker and he is a soldier at the frontier, with the deeplands being completely uncolonized,
typing this all out now I think I might've put too much into trying to put this information in and maybe worked on the characters, thinking about names now, probably just gonna go with older names but still european in origin.

I realized all my favorite stories work for me because of how grounded they are and how subtle their fantasy elements are which adds to the believability and stakes, but the story I was writing kind of hinges on the protagonist going through a portal halfway into the story. I now feel like portals are inherently metaphysical and immediately ruin the stakes and suspension of disbelief by telling the audience such fantastical things can happen which means anything is on the table, so they don't really have to care about what happens to any of the characters.

Are there any subtler and more grounded ways to handle a portal to address this?

>>20671529
oh, ran out of space, the last thing is that I wanted to give a bit for someone to think about with the line about the lord making sure to cull the local deer before they got too old.
the reason is that when an animal gets too old in this world they become more in tune with the mana which leads to them becoming magical beasts instead of just normal beasts, I thought about putting wargs instead of wolves near the start to give a hint towards this but decided against it, I am taking this in part from japanese folklore where stuff like if a cat is 100 years old its tail splits and it becomes a magic creature or however it is.
>>20671551
I think a lot of that relies on how its done, I think that making some kinda big event that causes a portal to open and its seen as an almost cataclysmic event that doesn't happen in most peoples life times I think the grounded nature can still remain well, it removes stakes to me only if it keeps getting used as a deus ex machina, its fantastical and in theory anything could happen and I don't know your setting but you could cut off some of these more fantastical things by having someone explain that something like time travel and casual portals to other worlds are just impossible, with time travel being a hard no and portals being a once in a thousand years and also only if the planets align kinda thing.

Thinking of writing a post-apocalyptic progression fantasy for royal road, wrote a first chapter if anyone wants to critique:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rtb8MVD8peA0-mKpthoSUzut0zY7ASXQPqbqZG36xAc/edit?usp=sharing

>>20666452
When writing a first draft, people advise you to start by writing the important scenes first, out of order. Scenes that are so vivid you can see and feel every detail of it when you close your eyes

When I close my eyes, I don't see them. Even if I do, they are far and in between, and they're faint, like I'm trying to remember a dream. Is this a bad thing?

>>20671587
I think its a strong start, world seems interesting and I want to see where the main character goes, if you post to royal road post a link and I'll bookmark your story.

>>20670533
It's an AI. It probably thinks our constant identity politics are retarded, and rightly so.

>>20671614
You don't have to close your eyes and remembering them as a dream is fine too. Also, you can write those scenes as you write the story itself, and when you get to them you've already thought of a way to improve them or just copypasted them in and moved on.

>>20666452
that's a langolier

>>20671529
>I will say I have almost no idea how to into punctuation, but most of what this is to me is seeing your thoughts on how organically I got the nature of this world across to a reader with no context
This is useless to you until you learn the basics. How can you have no idea how to produce a more grammatically polished draft? Have you ever read a book? Did you drop out in the fourth grade? I have no idea where to even start with someone so clueless to the most basic rules of grammar, except to tell you to unfuck yourself. LITERALLY nothing else matters until you can produce a paragraph of prose whose grammar doesn't make your reader's eyes bleed. Please, focus on nothing else but grammar.

>>20671529
Also, you were warned in the OP:
>>20666452
>Note to anyone posting a sample of your writing for critique:
>>IF YOU HAVE NOT PERFORMED A CURSORY PROOFREAD, DO NOT EXPECT TO BE TREATED KINDLY. EDIT YOUR WORK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR BEFORE POSTING.

>>20671684
>>20671693
yep, understandable, I will be working on that, and I will say that it does look worse on the google doc because I originally wrote it in notepad and I didn't reformat it, I was expecting to instantly go to bed after posting it and fix it up in the morning, I am still awake though.

I get off on writing transformations
Nearly all of my villains have some sort of gruesome power form that reveals their inner true selves
The only one that doesn't turn into a monster instead turns into a golem with only his crystallized brain being left from the original person, representing how he had turned himself into little more than a tool for his liege and how there was nothing left of him when you stripped away his role as a tool

>>20667524
lmao

>>20670205
Maybe english is not my first language, retard? Ever thought of that? Also i am not writing the book in english.

>>20671036
Look up "Complete list of influences on Souls Games" and you will see its books, anime, manga and movies. There are a lot of things he is putting together. The genre he was doing is called Dark Fantasy, and you can check out that genre particularly. A Song of Ice and Fire is usually more epic fantasy and Miyazaki got GRRM for Elden Ring because he is familiar with juggling much more complicated worlds and subplots. For something less complicated you may not want to look at an epic.

>>20671684
>>20671693
you can look at it again now, I think I fixed it up quite a bit, didn't realize google docs had a single page format which does make it easier on me.
and I read a couple of articles about indenting and punctuation.
and lastly no I did not drop out at 4th grade, I dropped out at 8th grade, homeschooled, I just barely passed every year, and once I hit 15 and my back went out I just basically stopped doing anything due to pain killing any motivation I had to do anything, not that I could do much, so yeah I am basically retarded and it's my fault, hoping to correct that, at least make something that can be read.

>>20671816
Look, you're probably not retarded. The reason why I went after you aggressively as I did was to impress the importance of grammar. My goal was to provoke, even if just slightly, an "Oh shit!" moment. But seriously, read more. A writer must read.

>>20671839
oh I know that you were being hyperbolically aggressive and I don't mind that at all, looking at it again and then opening up a story that I like to compare it really was awful to try and read it.
and about a writer must read, I spend most of my day reading, though I am guessing part of that should be checking out some of the material listed in the OP, I started reading The Rhetoric of Fiction a bit thought I am not entirely sure what I am supposed to get out of it or what I will get out of it.

>>20671765
Much appreciated! My plot and world isn't exactly going to be Souls-like but I do have severe gaps in my plot between points A and B, hopefully this will give me some pointers on developing the parts that aren't too fleshed out yet.

>>20669579
I thought it was well done, but I might just be a shitty writer.

>>20671292
I just said that because "Menace" is the only descriptor for this guy.

Am I doing it right? Are my tenses, correct? Is the story interesting?

>>20669579
It's Brandon Sanderson and haters only hate because they can't admit he's a legitimately good writer. If they did they would have to admit they fail because they are bad writers. They need to cling to the excuse that it's because of corporate media and a world for a plebs that their brilliance goes unnoticed.

Fight me.

>>20672314
I didn't read it, but I'm sure you made many mistakes.

>>20672338
Sanderson definitely puts in the work and knows his stuff concerning his audience. Anons can be perfectionist about authors, but I think plenty masters have written embarassing stuff, especially poets. Authors can get held to unrealistic standards of what theyre required to know.

>>20672355
:|

>>20672314
lots of sentence fragments, make sure you're using them intentionally and maybe use them more sparingly
>Igniting the air beneath, he walked upon the air as if on a stair case.
the repetition of "air" is distracting, and also it's "staircase", one word
I dislike the poetic little repetition of the fourth paragraph, but that might just be preference
>The more light it pulls in, the larger its radius becomes
the word "radius" conflicts with the dreamy quality of the rest of the prose—it's a very sharp and scientific term
overall it's ok, I don't know if I'd want to read much more in this style. The dialog in the fourth paragraph was pretty bad, it should just be description instead.

>>20671295
sometimes you just have to push through, anon
once you've written 10 books, you won't feel as you do now
for book ideas, go to news.google.com and pick 3 news headlines. combine the headlines into a premise

I’m starting a blog
Basically a modern day religion that offers perspective of the universe and doctrines or guides to navigate life

“Do you feel lost? Have no plan? Don’t buy into religion but have no useful doctrines? Well, I’m trying to help you with all those things. By offering some perspective, some insight, wisdom and information, I hope to guide your life into meaningful productivity.
I’ll discuss things such as the very parameters and laws of them universe that we must be aware of and live by. To things such as philosophy, about pain, and frameworks to deal with all things in life. Learning, finance, psychology and love.
We’ll try and tackle the ultimate objectives, aspirations and justifications of life. Evolution, fate, meaning and free will.
But really, it’s just a way to navigate the ecosystem of humanity.

Heaven:

The police are British
The cooks are French
The engineers are German
The administrators are Swiss
The lovers are Italian
Hell:

The police are German
The cooks are British
The engineers are Italian
The administrators are French
The lovers are Swiss

The best of everyone, everywhere at everything. The best humanity. A bleeding edge pace not at the expense of ourselves or our animal brethren.
I understand forcing culture or change is not necessarily conducive, but we can research, we can learn, we can adapt and we must try.”

Anything you have to add will be appreciated

>>20671295
I'm not scared to write but I am scared to read my own writing from years ago.
I get through a few horrible sentences and feel this sense of dread fill my soul and I have to close the document.
Then I read some of my more recent writings which had not felt so bad but suddenly seem just as horrendous as my old writing.
It's so bad it's like a poison that infects my mind and suddenly all writing is garbage. I start to believe nobody actually reads book, fiction is a sham and it's not possible for a human to find any satisfaction between the pages of a book.
In my darkest moments I find myself clutching my knees in a corner, reflecting on all my wasted life, all my foolish words proclaiming myself as a writer and how silly I must have looked. The supportive faces of my friends and family turn to mocking smiles and I hear them whisper about how pathetic and delusional they believe me to be. Now I can't go outside, I can't answer the phone. I can not face the world, I can not be seen this way. My entire life is a lie and I am the unknowing butt of one big joke.

Anyway, feels pretty bad man.

>>20672384
>stair case
Fuck how did I miss that? Sentence fragments, eh? I think I write those often.

>dialog in the fourth paragraph was pretty bad
At first, the stuff about the plant sucking in light was description, but I thought that would be too much since I've been describing at the offset. Is this the bad dialogue? Or is it what comes after? If what you're referring to is all that comes after then yea I'll just kill myself since that's suppose to be genuine dialogue.

>>20672506
Return the descriptive part to being description, it does not work as dialog. I'd avoid name dropping philosophers too, unless they've been established already. An alchemist would probably be more on theme and evocative, if you must name drop somebody.

>>20672481
Yeah I hate editing because my eyes automatically avert when I read a cringe sentence. I have to force myself to wade through it and fix everything and that dread makes me procrastinate on my work a lot.

>>20672481
Hey me too, but that's just imposter syndrome

>>20672565
my problem with editing is that the edited sentences always stand out very glaringly to me, and I'm not sure if that's just because I know they were edited or if I approached the text so differently on a different day that it seems disjointed

>>20672481
Don't write.
Problem solved.

>>20672314
The first sentence feels weird

I fucking love Tokusatsu and Kaiju movies, which is the primary influence for my story.
What about you?

>>20672647
Wokeness, homosexuality, racism, marxism, and white colonizing enablers

>>20672647
Apparently I have a thing for dark-ish fantasy, fairy tales and bittersweet endings.

>>20672565
This but when I'm writing 10 words every 15 minutes because it feels like I'm shoveling shit just trying to find where the next thread of the story needs to go.

>>20672647
Southern Gothic, history books, poetry, scifi and weird fiction. Life experiences.

Is Ligotti right bros?

homas Ligotti on "Writing what you know"

>What’s the worst type of writing advice, about the art of it, that you’ve seen, and why?

>I think the worst writing advice, which may no longer be proffered, is “Write what you know.” It’s so often misinterpreted to mean “Write about the world you live in” I’ve never done that, nor have a lot of other writers. Stanley Elkin’s A Bad Man is set in a prison. Before writing the novel, Elkin had never visited a prison or researched was it was like to be in prison. After he published the novel, he had the opportunity to teach creative writing to convicts in a prison. So finally he had a chance to see what a real prison what like. His comment: “I like my prison better.”

https://wonderbooknow.com/interviews/thomas-ligotti/

>>20672647
Childhood experiences which I wish I had.

>>20672739
Yes. Because tela life is pretty boring. Who the hell wants to read 10 pages of someone's day? I woke up, brushed my teeth, the minty flavor dried out my mouth, leaving it stinkier than before. I then ate a hamburger, grilled onions, lettuce tomatoes cheese and three paddies. Enough to satiate my hunger for 2 hours. Blah blah blah

What's the best thesaurus that you guys know of?

>>20673071
My brain

>>20673071
My diary desu

>>20666743
Film is a different beast entirely because you need a budget and a talented crew to do anything beyond simple indie stuff. With art, writing, and music at worst you'll need to do a one time payment for equipment, but you'll always be needing to recoup cost as a filmmaker.

>>20667039
I think most of us wound up here at 13.
>>20666749
Seeing as how that one text conversation that was posted to Twitter got nominated for a Hugo award, the VN style of writing might help you. LNs are worthless, though.

>>20673132
>Seeing as how that one text conversation that was posted to Twitter got nominated for a Hugo award
fucking what

>>20672647
I like both of them, but I prefer super robot series. Even made a half finished love letter.

>>20673071
Webster 1913. The definitions use literary examples instead of sterile, scientific definitions. It has soul.

>>20673135
See >>20656400

>>20673071
wordhippo

>>20673245
Damn, you asked for a thesaurus and I recommended a dictionary. Anyways, I ctrl+f words and see what is related myself. Not as fast but it has worked for me since I only break it out rarely.

Any advice for sitting down and focusing on writing and only on writing?

Sometimes I read books about writing and feel like the tips are really good and that I should apply them, but then after a while I completely forget about them.

Is there anything you guys are consciously thinking about when writing when it comes to craft?

>>20673246
>>20673135
>>20673132


Want to know what I think about this fucking ATROCIOUS stain on the world of literature?
Not bad for tranny shit

>>20673355
I don't know take some fucking notes?

>>20673246
Cant believe anons were seething about this instead of realizing that greentext stories and copypasta could be eligible for Hugos now. Also the state of readlets not knowing how important the Hugo award is for genrefiction.

>>20673397
Sange, with all due respect (none)
neck yourself

>>20673267
I'll always take a recommendation of any sort. Thank you. I have Webster's 1966.
>>20673258
Thanks

>>20673432
Look, give me a break, I got to get my pro-tranny points in so they don't try to cancel me.

I have three short novels (40-50k) which I was planning on self-publishing separately, but now I'm wondering if they're too short and I should sell them as "three short novels" in one book.
Any ideas?

>>20673634
Do both, bitch.
Not everyone will want three short novels but some people will. You got 4 products now, which is better than 3 and way better than 1.
Do the math.

Why do I lack creativity? I thought I wanted to write an adventure book or something akin to WH40k, but I can't come up with anything. I have no originality, creativity or depth. Every sentence is hollow, every word without purpose, and every theme without impact.

I don't get it. Why did I have this urge for writing if I suffer so much from vacuity? Is this the same for others? A 200 word story is so distant it might as well be among the stars and beyond me.

I really like the idea of writing something that feels Arthurian but a little darker, a little more occult and sci-fi, maybe. Knights fighting other worldly beasts that distort time, that kind of thing. I really like the idea of an enchanted forest as a setting. Does anyone know of anything I could read that kind of does this?

I was unaware this thread now had tripfags. And ones that call Brandon "I know plenty of my work is uninspired but most people can't tell the difference so who cares" Sanderson a good writer.
I am cancelling my subscription.

>>20673679
>And ones that call Brandon "I know plenty of my work is uninspired but most people can't tell the difference so who cares" Sanderson a good writer.
He's still better than 90% of you punk asses.
>I am cancelling my subscription
4chan's free you dumb shit. Someone scammed you hard.

>>20673407
Considering that's what won the award, safe to say they'll dismiss anything from the "evil nazi hacker website"

>>20673679
Yeah, thread's devolved quite a bit as of late.

>>20673634
Sometimes I want to go the selfpub route but considering I already have a knack for professionalism I was gonna try a publisher. Problem is the song and dance is so complicated, time-consuming and expensive on the front end
>need a copy editor and proofreader sometimes before an agent event responds
>pitch must include high-concept, comp title and author bio with writing experiences
>need a query letter
>need a website, maybe another platform as per agent request
>may require developmental editor at agent request
>have to write more pitch material for agent
>agent might fail to find a deal as you are waiting, writing another book

>>20673673
>>20673673
go to news.google.com. pick 3 titles

Sri Lankan president flees to Maldives, protesters storm prime minister's office

Officials: Shark bit surfer at Smith Point Beach; swimming resumes

Amber Heard loses bid to dismiss $10m Johnny Depp judgment

combine them into a story premise

so this famous movie star is sued by her husband. the husband wins and humiliates her.
little does anyone know that she is a were shark, a mermaid like creature with shark like teeth
the husband is elected as president of their tiny island paradise, but he really sucks at it. soon the country is in ruins
he's chased, the only escape is the sea
she waits for him there, biding her time

only do it better than i did

>>20673679
4chanx literally has a trip filter. So does every mobile app. You don't have any excuse to be buttblasted.

>>20673790
Fucking kek anon this is gold

Just stumbled upon this one I saved, tragically I think the author gave up which is a shame because I loved his voice.

I don't really venture here to /lit/ but I was listening to a podcast and felt inspired to write; something I haven't done since high school. I ended up writing for close to 8 hours straight. Often, these whims don't ever produce something finished, but this time I actually finished it! I've had a couple of friends read it, proofread it, and give their tips and advice that I have taken to heart. I think it's nearing completion. The thing about friends is, they are biased towards supporting you. I want to know if writing is anything I should even attempt to do. Is it boring? Is it dry? Does it sound criminally amateur? I can ask friends and acquaintances all day, but if I want an honest opinion there is only one place to ask. So here it is. I would look forward your critique, /lit/.

https://drive.proton.me/urls/8WXQ028S0R#rdjF18jgjKUP

>>20673928
haha very based. he used the nigger word haha

>>20673459
I'll make sure to tell all my tranny friends that famous /wg/ tripfag Sange thinks that text message posted by a tranny on twitter make for an alright read.

>>20673634
>50k
>Short
This used to be standard. Gatsby is only 50k

>>20673982
And it is short. 50k might take only a day to read.

I'm writing smut and I feel like I'm not writing enough, but it's somewhat classy smut where I actually care about my prose so I don't want to force a bunch of sentences if I don't have to. Is brevity okay even when the point is being tantalisingly descriptive?

>>20673963
Lol you have tranny friends.

>>20673935
This is very good. Can't finish it now but will later and offer more thoughts.

>>20673935
It could use some proofreading and polish, but it's actually very good. I encourage you to submit it to &amp, /lit/'s very own periodical publication.
Issue 14 was just released, you can find the thread here >>20643591
There's plenty of time until the next edition, so no rush.
They have a submission form on their website, but real chads submit via lamp.lit.magazine@gmail.com. You could also post a question about submission in the thread. Mr Editor will probably answer.

>>20674045
Thank you! When I was sending it to people I know for opinions I got a lot of "why are you writing this?', and after some time, I think that depending on it's general reception I might write a collection of these sort of essay like things.

>>20674055
Oh, wow! This is good news! More proofreading is daunting, though I know it's true. I think I may just do that.

How do I write female characters well? I'm a male (obviously) who doesn't have a lot of experience with women so I want to avoid common errors, mistakes and pitfalls.
>inb4 jack nicholson quotes

>>20674136
Depends on what you want. If you want a regular modern world story, if you don't have the knowledge, it's probably best to skip physiology. Then take their background, motives and abilities and write them.

>>20674136
some students asked elmore leonard how he wrote female characters so well
he said, "you can take as long as you like. take two weeks if you have to."

>>20673758
>but considering I already have a knack for professionalism
what does this even mean?

>>20674199
I'm held to professional standards in my career and have to navigate nuances and projects that take a long time. I'm used to it so having to deal with the formalisms, the bureaucratic nature of the publishing industry doesn't seem so awful.

>>20674156
Yeah I wasn't going to get into smutty details about how they breasted boobily down the stairs and such. It's a science fiction story that I hope will be a good starting point for other stories in the same setting.
>>20674169
So don't rush? Seems simple enough.

>>20674235
>the bureaucratic nature of the publishing industry
see, this is where you're mistaken. if it were merely a matter of filling out the right forms and getting them to the right people, that may work. the publishing industry is more based on nepotism and ideology, than any sort of normal bureaucratic system

>>20674316
Well, I focused more on slice of life part for the characters and honestly just make their interactions interesting.

>>20674326
That's what I'm going for. The entire framing device is people meeting on the roof of a building and swapping stories in the protagonists' attempt to make her friend feel better about life in a scifi hellscape. Plus, sci-fi slice of life is really uncommon and something that needs more attention.

>>20672469
swap
>The engineers are German
with
>The engineers are Czech
and then put
>The engineers are German
in hell. other than that pretty good.

>Write a webnovel with more of an emotional journey and character focused storytelling
>Get absolutely no interest from people
>Write webnovel with strong main character that goes through shounen adventures with a cute love interest
>Get tons of readers and fans
I am never gonna write anything 'deep' ever again. I now understand the whole point of writing is to entertain your audience not pretending to be a tortured artist.

>>20674473
>writing anything with meaning or depth for a webnovel
Save that for actual readers.

>>20674323
I already know, that doesn't deter me. I've worked around sensitive ideologues before, one of my coworkers is a flaming liberal girl, plenty of other kiss asses I work around, but we get along because I don't have to crusade to present a non-mainstream view in fiction.
If anything, people get filtered more by lack of professionalism as agents, editors and publisher have conniptions if you make one misstep on spelling, format, pitching or simultaneous submission. This is what I think stops most people.
I am not denying that nepotism and ideology aren't there, but you also have to understand it's because identity politics that the media pushed made a target audience for them to push LGBT as a genre, or for "The Hate U Give" to get a 6-figure advance. There are many other gimmicks like that, such as ethnicity in the story, playing into high-concept that get people's attention more easily. Those audiences are more predictable buyers. It's annoying that these get preference, sure. I'm just saying it's not the be-all-end-all for rejection, these people are after money and if they think you can meet your advance for that genre then you're alright.

>>20674480
I wasn't being ironic when i said that i understand the point of writing is to entertain your readers.

>>20674473
I do both

>>20674473
>pretending to be a tortured artist
>pretending
found yer problem

>>20673928
oh hey, that's me
yes, I'm a lazy piece of shit but I've been meaning to get back to it
you have the second page, right?

New thread >>20674621
because the time is short...

>>20671303
An AI that cops an attitude? I'm almost impressed!
>>20673071
Roget's
>>20674396
Well, seeing as he "borrowed" it from the end credits of the 1994 "Street Fighter" movie anyway...