/lit/ - Literature

>>21484957
>How do you determine a subject? Just wait for a spark of inspiration?

It is best to think through your fingers. Start writing and the inspiration will come. Type without stopping for 15 minutes. Potentially useful starts to sentences:

>I want to write about:
>I do not want to write about:
>my story makes me feel like:

At some point you can hit upon a phrase or an idea while you type that will grab you, and then you refocus on that. So let's say you wrote a list of shit "I want to write about: dogs that attack journalists, or butchers that build secret UFOs with sausages, or people who have too many fingers and live underground" and when you type the last one you think "Oh shit I like those fingers" so you

Make a new paragraph and start writing about people with too many fingers and just exploring that idea, shifting focus as you please, from fingers to thumbs, from the underground to the overground, to space or invisible beings, from the cosmic significance of hands, to certain realities where fingers might be more significant than we realise etc.

You essentially suspend your doubt and write through your bullshit looking for the writing that makes you forget you exist in a temporal reality.

>>21485010
in a current story that I'm working on one of my characters uses has a lot of biased/prejudiced views towards quiet a few things. It's making it kind of difficult to write the story and censor this character. Doing so feels like defeating the purpose of writing in fear of it being seen as "too offensive". Does anyone else have this issue in writing and if so how do you deal with it? Do you say oh well if it offends it offends? Or do you try to find another way around it?

>>21485126
Write it as though you weren't going to censor it. Do what you want with following drafts. In your private space you have to be free to explore anything you wish. When it comes to sharing with other people, you might be wise to hold back certain things or to change them before they are shared. But in your drafting process be honest about what it really is.

I'm so stuck...

I just had my MC have sex with the Villain. Now I don't know how to proceed. The MC has to kill the villain, but how? I'm leaning toward the villain asking the MC to kill him, but that feels so cheesy. The other option is she "kills" him in another way such as telling the villain "they can't be together, you need to love someone else."

or some other cheesy shit

I have been making up shitty little stories constantly to daydream about my entire life and only recently started putting a lot of it to paper. It was absolute shit that nobody liked but after a while, I've realized people overwhelmingly respond better to my work the more depressing and upsetting the subject matter.

Do people just gravitate towards negative content in media or am I just not very good at writing positive stuff?

>>21485265
>The MC has to kill the villain
>but how?
not the right question. why must she kill the villain?
maybe she can change him LOL

>>21485294
most agent profiles say they won't accept depressing stuff and want light hearted romcoms, so you must just suck.
t. writes depressioncore

>>21485294
The point of fiction is to evoke feelings in the reader, and many people are unhappy with their life.
So it sounds like you're doing it right.

My MC rambles a lot about random stuff, usually in a word salad way. He just thinks he is smarter than he actually is. There are talks about love, truth, art, money, sex, soul x spirit, hopscotch, journalists and coincidences. What other topic could be interesting for a pseudo?

>>21485422
Alcohol and Photography. The biggest pseud shit in the world.

>>21485422
If there's a 4chan board for it, you've got plenty of pseud ammunition for the topic.

>>21485464
Nice, thank you.
>>21485497
You're right, I'll explore some other boards.

>>21485422
Politics, money, business, video games and Hitler. Conspiracies would probably be good too.

How do I avoid analysis paralysis? I want to do the story one way but then I change my mind and want to do it another way.

>>21485572
sounds like you're not writing. try doing that

>MC just finished massacring hundreds of thousands of a race.
>Aside from a whiney review still have too many followers.
What sort of atrocities must they commit to reasonable follower reduction?

>>21485265
MC should join the villain

I want to write holistically but this medium really doesn't lend itself to improvisation. The pantser thing is not exactly it

>>21486115
>the medium doesn't lend itself to improvisation
What You've never actually written anything, have you?

>>21486259
Not to my sort of improvisation, it doesnt work out, I cant not make it work as of now

>follow writers on twitter
>they never follow back
SO I'M JUST A JOKE TO YOU HUH!?!?

>>21486374
>twitter

>>21485265
tropebrain mental invalid

>>21485010
blm protests outside the white house?

My novel is about the future marxist collapse of America and the fascist push to reunite it (spoiler: they win)

>>21486470
but is it good literature?

I wrote this story, inspired by a postcard of a sculpture (Untitled (for Francis) by Antony Gormley). The story is short so that I can eventually put it on the back of the postcard.

I would appreciate any thoughts/critique.

>>21486480
nah but im having fun writing it

Writing a full outline of a story actually makes me quit working on it. Anyone feels the same?

>>21486492
Cut 'trepid', it is too much. Consider expanding the fluid image from 'leak' into a bigger image, such as the whispers pooling on the floor. Leak is a strange word for sound, so I think you have to make the image very strong to not make the reader think 'what?' and break their dreaming.

>In a dream, Henry
Sentences are better off avoiding weak words like it, and, he, when possible. Try inverting beginnings like this: "Henry, dreaming" or "Dreaming, Henry" etc.

>the bastard son
Cut 'the'. Not needed, stronger start with 'bastard' alone.

>when he emerged
>would have turned
This sounds wrong to me somehow. Tense shifting? Change to "would BE turned".

>The country has been rife with speculation
So far the writing has been very passive and it is starting to suck momentum and energy at this point. The rest of the writing suffers the same. Consider switching up the sentences, move the subjects/objects around, invert things etc. and try to add variety, because there is a definite feeling of sameness that runs through your sentence construction.

That said, I like it and you are a good writer and doing well, so ignore everything I say and do what you feel like.

>>21485265

Why did she have sex with him if he's the villain? It doesn't really make sense for a woman to bang someone willingly if she sees him as the bad guy.

>>21485010
Reminder that we're all going to make it lads

>>21486566
you need to be at least 18 years old to post on this website

Yeah, I'll just write blind. Much better that way. Outlining everything is a meme.

>>21486563
You may be right about the tense shifting. I did a quick pass to check for that but those cases seem a bit more hidden.

>So far the writing has been very passive and it is starting to suck momentum and energy at this point. The rest of the writing suffers the same. Consider switching up the sentences, move the subjects/objects around, invert things etc. and try to add variety, because there is a definite feeling of sameness that runs through your sentence construction.
I'll give this a go. I notice it in other things that I write as well; when I read them back it generally feels like there's no nice rhythm.

Thank you!

>>21486581

I'm 35, so pretty sure I'm older than you are.

>>21486625
I wish you were, but you're not. Humans are emotional creatures. Yes we're rational, but at base we're emotional. Some women put themselves in stupid positions like trying to reform bad men out of misplaced empathy or simply for the thrill. Another example would be writing letters to serial killers. The most common female sexual fantasy is rape. Note, the fantasy is popular, but the reality doesn't tend to coincide - but people are emotional creatures. Having sex with the "bad" guy isn't out of the norm. It's stupid, but not out of the norm.

>>21485010
Do you guys write smut?

>>21486680
ofc. and you should, too. posting your smut will help break down some self imposed barriers you've put up and serve to elevate your more serious, non smut writing as a result.

>>21486680
no. I don't even want to have romance on my power fantasies.

>>21486662

I'm not saying it is out of the norm, but the examples you're giving are all out of some misguided idea that those women hold that their love can fix this misunderstood soul. If this female MC has sex with the villain -despite- considering him the villain, that's what's not making sense to me, and feels more like self-gratification for the author. Women usually need to feel some kind of emotion or connection in order to have sex with someone, is all I was trying to say.

>>21486680

Yes. I thoroughly enjoy building up to it, but not so much writing the actual act.

>>21486492
A neat idea, but you could trim and rephrase it to make it more effective.

How does the inside of the cast being turned to gold give him a claim to the throne? An odd specification. You could simply say the lead would turn to gold as a sign that he was the rightful king.
There's no need to mention it could be a plot against him, it's sort of implied by the setup itself and the result (and how could his enemies make him see such a dream?)

Also, the cast goes a transformation from lead plaster (which only has a bit of lead oxide mixed in) to lead and on to stone in the end, so it gets confusing what exactly Henry was put in and how.

>>21486563
>This sounds wrong to me somehow

It should be "when he would emerge" to match with "would have turned"

>>21485913
Suggest that birth gender can't be changed.

>>21486470
So, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand?

>>21485361
>>21485799
>>21486259
>>21486625
seethe

>>21486566
>It doesn't really make sense for a woman to bang someone willingly if she sees him as the bad guy.
anon...

>>21486762
In this case it's her lover before he went evil

>>21487128
I've heard women can have the strangest reasons to bang terrible people. Not that I'd know since none of them would bang me for any reason

>>21486448
Tropes sometime just fit. I'm not here to reinvent the wheel, it's a fantasy story. Everything has been done already

Tooky's Mag has just gone live - read, subscribe, and submit! Read our About page for more details.

https://tookys.substack.com/p/malding-by-midnight

>>21487265
Men like Femme Fatales. It's not really that strange.

>>21487747
Men like cute girls that give them attention. That is all.

>>21487111
That might not be a bad idea at all. I've already killed off most of the LGBTQI-E-I-E-I-OH's whilst mind breaking the final one.
Now just have to work it in pseudo-naturally.
You know what? i'll make it so gender is locked by the magic system!
Thanks anon, this should help keep followers down in the double digits for years to come.

Does anybody write and read modern socio-political essays from obscure authors? Not journalist op-eds, but something removed from them? Im writing some and would like to view some of the most popular ones to improve my format.

>>21488028
>double digits
my book gut punches the reader a number of times. I make a big deal about knowing the difference between fantasy and reality and I make it clear that you would need literal magic to change sex. nouns have a gender, humans have a sex. The book is anti abortion, anti circumcision and anti race/species mixing. I recommend suicide as the way out for people who mutilate themselves trying to transition. Some of the monstrous enemies in the book are pretty clearly jews (or reform jews). I still have more followers than double digits, granted for every two followers I gained over the course of the story I ended up losing one due to some political or religious message I included. You're definitely limiting yourself but that doesn't mean you won't break double digits.
At the very least I do hope you're enjoying yourself while writing yours. That's what's most important.

>>4903816
I once wrote a science fiction short story about a war between transhumanists and bio-purists set in a future where Earth had been totally devastated by this war. The Transhumanist faction were simply better at fighting, but they had the critical weakness of requiring a ton of infrastructure in order to function. Silicon, aluminum, lithium, advanced chip manufacturing, these things all have really long supply chains that span multiple continents. So the Bio-Purists, realizing that in direct fighting they would lose, simply started blowing these things up and sabotaging the system. Some guy whose 12% remaining flesh is plugged into a flying death robot can kill a hundred Bios if he finds them--but he can't do shit if there's no electricity to recharge his battery, no replacement parts on hand, and the Swedish-produced immunosuppressants he relies on are at the bottom of the ocean because some guys in a speedboat suicide bombed the tanker transporting them across the Atlantic.

So things turn very asymmetrical, with the remaining Cogs desperately trying to cobble together enough of a functional supply system to avoid being wiped out, and the Bios systematically destroying everything that would make it possible. The story followed a joint-consciousness that is dispassionately (at first) trying to work out how this can be fixed, and slowly realizing that the Bios had argued that the entire transhumanist cause was inherently suicidal specifically because it relied on technology which in turn relied on a fragile ecosystem of production and industry and resources that was inherently unsustainable--and that once you go Cog you can't go back. This entire event wasn't so much a war as an illustration that they were right.

Near the end Pyrrhus (the Gestalt Consciousness) decides that though the Bios were idiots, they had actually intuited correctly that society was not and may not ever be ready for this, and self-destructs to spare itself the Hell-Program tortures that the renegades always used on captives.

And then I lost the fucking draft. Gonna try re-writing it.

I wrote a story about a guy trying to get a girlfriend

‘In the writing state – the state of inspiration – the fictive dream springs up fully alive… This and nothing else is the desperately sought and tragically fragile writer’s process… the fictive dream or vision becoming more and more lucid, until reality, by comparison, seems cold, tedious, and dead. This is the process he must learn to set off at will and to guard against hostile mental forces. Every writer has experienced at least moments of this strange, magical state. Reading student fiction one can spot at once where the power turns on and where it turns off, where the writer wrote from “inspiration”, or deep, flowing vision, and where he had to struggle along on mere intellect. One can write whole novels without once tapping the mysterious center of things, the secret room where dreams prowl… But most stories and novels have at least moments of the real thing… it is this experience of tapping some magic source that makes the writer an addict, willing to give up almost anything for his art, and makes him, if he fails, such a miserable human being.’

--Art of Fiction: John Gardner

>>21488159
Sounds interesting anon, but the overarching premise is not enough to sustain readership over pages. There must be more substance at all levels.

Finished the first short story of the year, 5800 words. Going to write a second one as soon as I think of an idea that's suitable.
Lovely use of the first week of 2023.

>>21488292
I think you are right, which is probably why I feel the need to do it again. The core of the idea is the blindness that people who write and read science fiction have to just how complex modern production is, and how reliant it all is on risk-free trade and transport of goods and materials over huge distances unprotected.

I have a question about my story, but I'm only going to give you a little information. Each time you give me an answer, I'm going to reveal a bit more information about my story that invalidates your answer.

>>21486470
This is a rip-off of Modem Waves.

>>21485010
Is it possible to write a good book without integrating women into it ?

>>21488707
It is a solid backdrop for a great story to take place. With an overarching concept like that may benefit from inner termoil. Perhaps the protagonist for the Bios is dependant on medication or a mineral for survival. A stort where one side is clearly the right side is often boring.

>>21488812
any historical war novel would have very few women. the ones that are there would be nameless and faceless (war spoils or camp followers)

Got so much shit im working on but nothing seems to get finished

Should i just ultra focus on one thing?

>>21488932
How would you know the one thing to work on? Perhaps you have to scatter yourself every day until you find yourself returning to the same image, the same character, the same scenario, again and again until you have to then stop and explore nothing but that.

>my final battle between the hero and villain is a date
Is that cliche?

>>21488971
Only if the villain doesn't offer to split the cheque.

>>21488965
I feel this great anxious urge to finish and publish something

I want to do it before i turn 21 for some reason, i just keep thinking about time

>>21488994
I don't think you will be able to write something good being that young.

>>21488980
Hmmm... A dine and dash would be fun.

>>21489007
Of course not but i gotta do something you know

All the big boys start at around this age

>>21486115
Every time I sit down to write, I treat it as a performance in the same way a jazz musician comps for a bit, takes a solo, plays a lead. I came to writing from music, and one of the things I love most about the medium is the fact that my improvisations are always captured in perfect fidelity, just the way I hear them in my head. If you've just started writing, you can't expect yourself to fully drape your intuition around the medium until you've been at it for a while.

>>21488994
I had that same urge for a long time. I remember feeling it was life and death to write my first novel when I was 25, the same age as Hemingway when he wrote The Sun. I did fuck all for another decade, and lived no life at all in the meantime. I feel like I died when I was 21 and came back to some form of life a few months ago only to find everything in ruins.
I'm not sure if I am rebuilding, relocating, or knocking down the last few walls remaining here.

There's no time but now, and if you live a life without variety, if you let every day become the same, then you lose it all because it turns to mush in your mind, and you look back on a decade or more and wonder what the fuck happened to your life, where did the time go?
Time is the measure of change, and when you have no change in your life, there is no sense of time. A year feels like a day when all you do is go to work each day and return to watch the same old films, or read the same books, in the same room, with your same self, fretting over the same things.

I had that same anxiety to do something, and ended up doing nothing except stoking the fear. Writing or not, I wish I had lived a life worth living, one where each day was not exactly the same as the last, and my life wasn't indistinguishable from season to season and year to year.

>>21489076
Yeah that's exactly the feeling i have and that is exactly what im so desperate to avoid

Too much time already wasted, too many mistakes made. I gotta do something

>>21488815
It would benefit if there was a viewpoint from the biological side at all, it sounds like it's all told from the cold perspective of some kind of weird posthuman AI.

If you had a human perspective alongside it slowly realizing that destroying modern industrial society just to spite the techheads also resulted in billions of people starving to death, it would add a lot of nuance. Is it worth it to bring down the Great Satan if it also involves killing billions of regular people?

>As he allowed his weight to drive him deeper into her crevice he raised on his tip-toe
Is this grammatically correct, or does there need to be a comma after crevice? I feel like this is a run in sentence, but I'm not quite sure.

>>21489206
I didn't really see it as a religious thing, so much as a gut-reaction by people who sense that there's something inherently dangerous about screwing with human consciousness with machines versus people who don't feel that way.
As in, the Bios don't have a problem with replacing a lost limb with a cybernetic prosthetic. That makes sense, we already do that just in a primitive manner. But there's a big difference between giving someone who lost a hand in a steel lathe accident a robot hand, and actively slicing away perfectly good flesh to replace it with steel because they'd be better at their job as a human fork lifter than as a human piloting a fork lifter.

>>21488815
Not sure if it would be cliche, but I'd give bios the conflict of using technology to defeat their opponent because human usage of tools is inherent to their survival. Exploring the line which bios shouldn't cross in regards to technology could be interesting (becoming the demon to defeat demons, that sort of conflict)

>>21489441
Run on. Just write
>He stood on his tiptoe to drive himself deeper into her crevice.

>>21489441
>>21489834
>weight drives him down
>raised on his tiptoe
so is he on top and she's on her back, or are they standing and she's taller than him?

>>21489834
But that sounds way less flowery and pretty. Wouldn't adding a comma be better?
>>21489845
>so is he on top and she's on her back
It's an excerpt from an smut story. The mother is leaning over washing the dishes, and the son comes up behind her and starts to grind into her, eventually coming to put his full weight upon her.
I'll provide the full context of that line:

He arrived in the kitchen at the precise moment his mother rinsed the first cup. Watching his dad carefully as he walked toward the sink, he was convinced his dad's newspaper kept him from seeing anything that was about to occur unless his mother called attention to it. This time Tim lined up directly behind Jill before leaning forward. His aim was flawless. His bone hard cock pressed exactly between his mother's curved flesh. As he allowed his weight to drive him deeper into her crevice he raised on his tip-toes. The resulting movement mocked the fucking action and for a moment he was performing the age-old rhythm against his mother's ass.

I was wondering if it was grammatically correct, because I really dig his prose style. Yeah, it's porn. But if flows really well and I can picture the scene perfectly the way he describes it.

Hey lads. Need to make a map for my book. Like a theme park type deal.

I've got the layout and everything done, it's just the drawing of some individual bits I can't do.

Are there any AI tools I could use for such things like "drawing of a tent"?

>>21490001
https://dezgo.com/

You will probably need to polish anything that comes out though

miniMAG issue27
over half a year of this
been pretty fun and going to keep it flowing
submissions:
minimagsubmissions@gmail.com
archive/website:
minimag.space

>>21490292
first (?) japanese poet featured

>>21490294
>>21486492
pretty. that bastard was equal parts crazy and noble.
couldn’t print it in miniMAG with the actual postcard (it’s still that sculptor’s piece) but could do a facsimile using an AI rendering

>>21490296
minimagsubmissions@gmail.com

send pretty much anything (under 2.5k words)

>>21490298
>>21486543
same. if i do an outline and realize its more story than style I get bored and tend not to write it

>>21490300

>>21490302
>>21489458
now tell me how you really feel about the vaccines

>>21490306
full issues: minimag.space

>>21490308
>>21490001
i don't know if AI art would help that much, maybe a dnd style procedural dungeon map editor

>>21490312

>>21490319
>>21490072
mommy tent- its even unshaved

>>21490321
submissions
minimagsubmissions@gmail.com
website:
minimag.space

>>21487703
checkout tooky if it's gentlemanly or over 2.5k words

>>21490001
Yes. If you have a relatively modern GPU, you can do this locally.
See https://rentry.org/sd-mashup, and follow the threads that are on several forums now.
My favorite is the "AI DEGENERATED ART" thread on >>>/b/ .

>>21490312
then tough it out with inkarnate

>>21485010
What is your opinion on individuals with demonic or celestial ancestry in fiction? And what advice do you have for other writers regarding the best way to handle it?

>>21488111
I haven't been doing it long but yes the fun is abundant. Still hope i don't break double digits.'<more then a hundred people waiting for next fapter really is too much pressure.

>>21491141
>demonic or celestial ancestry
That's as bad as the main character that wears a mask all the time.

>>21491143
>pressure
ah boy, you got it all wrong. you're writing the book for you. they're the ones fortunate enough to get to read it

>be me
>working on my second draft
>current chapter needs a complete rewrite for being an overlong shit show
>spend half a day working on a 7 page scene
>in the evening realize the scene adds nothing new or relevant to the book
>come up with a way to include what happens in the scene into the book by having it occur "off-camera"
>be me now
>writing to /wg/ about this
>next I'm gonna write a better, different scene which mentions what happens in the scrapped scene

>>21486680
I wrote a story about an ambassador to a bug planet who marries and fucks an insectoid noblewoman right in the abdomen. Plenty of horrid shit in it, like snuggling and holding hands.

>stretching out syllables
How do I make a character say "nnnnoooo" without being so terrible at writing?

>>21491637
If you can't figure out it yourself you are a terrible writer and should be allowed to touch neither a pen nor a word processor.
>You: 'Nooo!'

>>21491637
"No." The command intense and insistent. No, you aren't permitted to do [whatever it is]. No, you aren't allowed to [something]. Under no circumstance will that happen.
"blah blah blah," says the other person, and the scene continues.

>>21491655
>Hey guys, do you know any good recipes for an apple pie?
Sure thing, son. This is how to make a pizza.

>>21491661
morelike
>hey guys here's this slop I was thinking about slopping all over. I know people likes it sloppy
well here's some bread you can use to contain some of that slop, to keep your fingers from being covered in sauce that'll bleed through your whole manuscript
"nnnnnnoooooooo!" you ejaculate profusely

>>21491676
The guy is literally asking how should he go about writing someone saying a word [in a dialogue] with a stretched vowel as an exclamation and you say he should write out someone say "No." multiple times. Also he is a fucking retard for coming here for advise when he could just google his question. Do you even understand the difference? I wonder.

>>21491687
"My slop!!!!!! How can this beeeeeeee? Why would I want bread to contain my slop? The more slop that gets slopped around the better the slop will be!

My interpretation was that he had more than one instance of a word stretching out and he was looking at what he wrote and he was wondering why he was such a retard and how to be less of a retard. To the person that first asked the question a one off use of stretching a word out is fine. If it's a bunch of words near each other that's fine if it's a comedy.

>>21491702
I'd be surprised if there was one person in addition to me who didn't write smut or slop.
T. >>21491526

I genuinely do not know why I need other people to read as I write. I write at my best and most freely whenever I know for certain, that within the next minute of posting, someone will read what I write. As such, whenever I’m working on a roughdraft, I struggle with getting out my words in spite of how enjoyable writing is to me, simply because I know that I’m the only one reading it. This is crippling in terms of productivity, and I’d like advice on how to get over it.

>>21491975
>get a friend (impossible) who also writes
>promise to read everything the other person writes
>now you have a sparring partner
In fact, many writers do this.

>>21491647
Stretching out syllables is just terrible in general. "Noo" is just bad writing

>>21492549
>A simple 'no' would have sufficed but alas, typical of those of the fairer sex, she found a point to extend her displeasure onto others.

>>21492625
>>21492549
>>21491702
>>21491687
>>21491676
>>21491661
>>21491655
>>21491647
>>21491637
How about:
>"No!" she wailed.
This way you get to be autistic about grammar and let your reader know its a prolonged cry. It's as clean as I know how to do that. Of course, if your 'Nooo' is not a wail but something else, you need to figure out a proper verb.

Sexual themes keep creeping into my work. Gay stuff too

Not in an erotic coomer way but more in a disgusting horrible fleshy way

>>21492807
>autistic about grammar
It's not about grammar. Fuck grammar. Writing it out like that is just in poor taste. It makes the author seem like a twelve year old girl.

>>21492815
This. The extended syllables make it look like some reject RPG or some shitty anime written by /v/, whose only literary experience comes from the subtitles of voice acted cutscenes.

>>21492807
this is the best answer so far

https://pastebin.com/CmK8PHXS

I have a vague series of events and scenes I'd like to have in my story but I have no clue how to get to them. Did I screw up? Do I have to purge my memory of this story and start over entirely?

>>21493144
Work backwards to build to the scene(s) you have in mind.

>>21491230
Not him, but how do I avoid feeling that way when I start getting followers? I've nuked my profiles in the past because for some reason I instantly attract attention and I hate it.

>>21492807
No.
>>21491637
Copy straight from WNs. Stretch it out. Alternate between capitals and lowercase. Add onomatopoeias. Anything to give it life.

>>21491975
You too, huh? I've been struggling with this for years and I don't understand. It's so fucking barebones when I'm by myself and yet so full and lush when I know someone will be looking at it soon.

>>21493188
I should add this resulted in a depressing arc where I slunk down into ERP solely because I knew for certain I would have someone reading what I wrote. It can be fun.

>>21491637
stop anime writing. read real books.

>>21493225
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is an isekai, anon.

>>21493038
2 drafts and 3 revisions? And it still sucks that bad? Maybe you should take the hint.

>>21493177
Don't comment on the forums. When people make comments on your story be polite, extra polite, but not necessarily friendly. Keep your communications to the point. If you want to make longer comments keep it grounded in your story. If someone criticizes you either ignore it or thank them for the feedback. You may not like what they said, or how they said it, but keep in mind there may be some truth to what they're complaining about.

your personal top 3 general tips for writing anything longform? universal truths, cross-disciplinary guidelines.

How do I stop tying my ego into my writing? I'm crippled by my fear of extreme criticism

I found myself asking myself, twenty minutes ago or so: what do I want from my writing?
It seemed like a tough question, and I went to boil the kettle while I asked myself and chewed it over. I had the answer before it boiled.
I won't tell you, because fuck you, you pissants. I have no respect for any of you. I write this to myself, merely to put my marks down, to see my own chest beating. But you'd profit by the same question, I am sure, if you have the heart to ask it truly.
How fast can you answer the question if you do dare to ask it? Have you ever asked? How confident are you in your answer?
I won't be reading any replies, if you even bother. Very few of you show any talent for living, certainly not enough to recognise the importance of this post among the desperation of the rest of these dreary graves.

>>21494439
I write so that I can pretend I had a girlfriend

I've read my manuscript so much I'm starting to really hate it. That's why other people should edit it for you.

>>21490306
Not really the same parallel, but I'm not vaxxed. I'm 23 years old and I live in the middle of a desert, I see like 5 people a week, it just didn't seem necessary to me. I've heard some whacky conspiracy stuff but whether or not that's true, it's just not a priority out here, nobody got it.

>>21485010
I am currently writing my book, but I wonder if only one person will ever read it

>>21494933

Why isn't your book on this list?

I decided to take the typewriter pill. The satisfaction I get from the distraction-free clackity clack is unmatched. I've achieved a consistently higher page/word count since ditching my laptop, and I care way less if it's literal word vomit, which is extremely freeing.

Any other typewriter fags here? Do you only write first drafts on it, or do you write/edit as many drafts as you can before putting it on a computer?

>>21485010
So my friend wrote a book and I need to hear what strangers with the luxury of blunt, anonymous honesty think of the description. I am not sure how to articulate to him quite how I feel about it's wording. Like, the hook should be stronger somehow. Thoughts?

>>21495054
Oops! Forgot to copy the book description. Again, I am NOT the author.
>Princess Nebati Dar Rasheba must chart her first steps as an adult while a horrific rakshasa brings more death to her already warlike world. At first, she is only her parent's conflicted pawn for a political marriage. As allies around her fall, though, Rasheba embraces a path to real power and her first real lover, Lyrabei: stubborn, sensuous, and primal. Then, given the chance to turn the tide against evil, Rasheba strikes like a storm, but it may not be enough. Unseen enemies want the fires of slaughter to keep burning.

>>21494977
Because whoever made that image didn't include it.

>>21495060
The entire first sentence tells me absolutely nothing. The rest continues the trend. Anything that gives any hints as to what actually happens in the book is just a string of useless cliché that they try very hard to craft uniquely but it just comes across amateurish.

Tell your friend the blurb should make me care about the character, give me a reason to read the first page. This doesn't do it.

>>21495152
This. Tired of /wg/'s anti-Walter posters. David Vallejo is easily top 3 from /lit/.

>>21486571
Woolston, if you're reading this how did you get your books in stores? Is that something you like ask the manager?

>>21485010
lets rock

I want to write comfy, complex psychological slice of life, like the russians, but I'm afraid I'm missing the point and just being boring/pretentious

What's the longest amount of time you've ever spent editing a draft?

>>21494439
>myself asking myself
stopped reading right there

>>21493144
What's the main theme these events and scenes seem to tell? Wish you well.

I really liked watching Sandersen's class lecture on writing. Any other good videos/podcasts for that kind of instruction?

>>21495567
It's honestly a content desert out there. Anything by Shaelinwrites after 2020 is pretty good though.

The passage of time, a relentless and unyielding force, does not invoke within me a feeling of fear. Rather, it is the transient nature of existence, the fleeting and illusory perception of motion that consciousness imbues upon the world, that gives me pause. Aging, though a natural and inevitable process, has never been a source of dread for me, as I have never harbored a desire to remain in a state of perpetual juvenility. Even death, though a universal and inescapable eventuality, does not fill me with terror, though I am not yet fully prepared to confront it.

What truly fills me with an abject sense of foreboding is the prospect of reaching a state of adult maturity, one in which I must toil ceaselessly each day in order to fulfill the demands of taxation, often providing funding for the nefarious endeavors of corrupt politicians, while also procuring the basic necessities of life for my domestic dwelling. I envision returning home, drained and haggard from the day's labors, flipping on the television to the last channel I viewed, a news outlet espousing a similar political ideology to my own, and becoming embittered by the distorted reality they propagate. I cook without enthusiasm, rueing the mistakes of my past and the missed opportunities that haunt me.

I find myself seated in a state of silent despondency, feeling trapped and powerless, ruminating on how every plan I devise ends in failure or a mere scrawl on paper; how each year and each breath seem shorter and less ardent, and how each day brings me closer to the ultimate finality. It is this scenario that keeps me awake at night, overwhelmed by my errors and haunted by my missteps. I fear becoming a mere cog in the machine of society, a slave to the monotony of daily life, a passive witness to my own stagnation. I dread being caught in a cycle of poor decision-making, doomed to suffer the consequences of my mistakes. I am filled with a sense of hopelessness and despair, feeling as though every effort I make is doomed to failure and that my existence is nothing more than a futile and meaningless struggle. The weight of this impending adulthood, with all of its responsibilities and demands, fills me with a sense of overwhelming despondency and despair.


(CONTINUES)

As I contemplate the bleak future that awaits me, I am overwhelmed by a sense of futility and despair. I feel as though I am trapped in a never-ending cycle of monotony and drudgery, condemned to toil endlessly in order to fulfil the demands of a society that seems determined to grind me down. I am plagued by a sense of powerlessness, feeling as though I have no control over my own destiny, and that no matter what I do, I will always be trapped in this cycle of despair.

Even the pleasures and joys of life seem hollow and meaningless to me, as I cannot shake the feeling that everything I do is ultimately futile. The prospect of finding love and companionship feels like a distant dream, and I wonder if I will ever be able to escape the loneliness and isolation that seems to consume me. I am haunted by the mistakes of my past and feel as though I am doomed to repeat them, unable to learn from my errors and move forward.

As the years pass, I find myself becoming more and more disillusioned and cynical, convinced that the world is a cruel and unforgiving place, and that my own happiness and fulfillment are nothing more than an impossible dream. I fear that I will spend the rest of my days trapped in this state of despair, never able to find peace or happiness, and that my life will have been nothing more than a wasted and meaningless existence.
As the weight of my despair and hopelessness grows heavier, I find myself sinking deeper and deeper into a state of despondency. I feel as though I am trapped in a never-ending cycle of misery, and that there is no escape from the darkness that surrounds me. Even the simple pleasures of life, such as reading a book or enjoying a warm meal, seem like distant memories, as I am consumed by a sense of emptiness and despair.

I try to find solace in the company of others, but even the company of friends and loved ones seems unable to lift me out of my despair. I feel as though I am an alien, an outsider in a world that has no place for me, and that no matter how hard I try, I will never truly fit in. I become increasingly isolated and withdrawn, spending my days in solitude, trying to find some way to escape the pain and suffering that seem to be my constant companions.

As the years pass, I begin to wonder if I will ever find happiness and fulfilment, or if I am doomed to spend the rest of my days in this state of despair. I fear that I will never be able to break free from this cycle of misery and that I will be trapped in this darkness forever. I wonder if my life has any meaning or purpose and if there is any hope for me at all.

>>21495609
>>21495615

I'm trying to figure out how to conclude this, any ideas? Apologies for the shitty level of writing and repetitions, I started to journal my thoughts recently and I'm stuck with this, I just want to finish it.

>>21495631
It's a journal entry? It ends when it ends. Seems like you can't continue, so that's the entry.

>>21494977
I don't shill

>>21495656
Kind of... it started off as one but desu I'm proud of it, with some polishing I could make use of it.

>>21495609
>>21495615
made me cry anon, thank you.
the ending sucks ass tho

>>21495615
"Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV." -Morty, "Rick & Morty"
Have a fresh AI-generated image.

>>21485010
Wrote 3k words in like 3 days which I know is nothing compared to some of you anons but to me it's pretty significant. Only problem is, I'm reading it over and sure, it's interesting with things constantly happening but I can't shake the feeling there's too much going on in such a short amount of time. I want to extend it but on the flip side I think the pacing is nice enough that it never misses a beat and I guarantee zoomzooms would love it. What should I do?

what do you guys think about the idea of describing what characters say, instead of actual quotations and dialog? something like
>bob explained to jill what he meant in his letter
as opposed to
>bob: "what I meant was"

>>21495930
Finish the whole thing first, set it down for a couple months, then read it over. You're too close to it right now to catch pacing issues.

>>21495995
I would rather it tell me if the conversation isn't particularly interesting.

>>21496009
Thanks, I'll continue then and just give it a once over when the dust settles.

>my book as been published for a month and no movie deal yet

It's ogre.

How would you guys go about writing bipolar/mania?

>>21496581
Changing subjective descriptions in narration, especially of the same things or people.

>>21496581
Subtly and without ever even once mentioning the words "bipolar" or "mania."

>>21496581
Not to be a meme, but people who have never experienced a psychiatric illness should best leave it to other people to do it. What makes you think you could do it reasonably well when we already have all of Virginia Woolf to read and compare it to?
>>21496206
If, serious despite the joke of it, you want to make a movie, write a movie script. You can even pitch it to people relatively easier than in publishing when getting an agent.
>>21495609
You've been relying a bit on the parenthetical way of speech, to the point it becomes a bit superfluous. You would do better changing up the rhythm, I think, unless there is a point I am missing out on. Perhaps the flow of time contains multitudes of meaning and you are representing that in the punctuation.
>though
It sometimes feels like you are trying to sound a certain way, rather than this flowing or feeling stylistically interesting. Working on variegated diction might work.
>I find myself seated in a state of silent despondency
It would be interesting if you could describe this entire paragraph's worth of genuine misgivings about the present, rather than an outright exposition. I don't mean "show don't tell" (a meme), but it felt a bit lazy to dictate this part in an expository nature. The style seems to *superficially* ornate, as well as repetitive, for this at the moment. Dostoevsky's characters can describe some deep emotions without relying on "I... think this!" etc., even though they can often at times say "I think [xyz]" that is a metaphorical parallel to the thought.
A suggestion might be to be more sparse at first, then build up to the thought about modern life as an adult devoid of a higher meaning.
>>21495615
My critiques feed into this. Over-reliance of the sort of statements I pointed out, e.g., "I find myself in darkness!" is not very evocative since it's a cliche. There's a lot more melancholic fiction and writing that can do so lyrically (Cioran), or in rudimentary yet compelling style (Beckett). It also sounds like someone who has never really read much but just talks about their own state of existence without any backing in the canon. Just having a single landmark in the canon for the feelings presented here would be good, e.g., a poetic allusion to Prometheus bound, in his punishment for bringing fire to Earth, whose liver would be eaten alive by an eagle, which points to the modern state of existence.

Any good videos on writing?

>>21496761
No. There are literally none. Writing is a craft that must be learned but can't be taught.

>>21496769
Besides the one in the OP I mean.

>>21496761
>>21496777
What's this culture of thinking someone else, without any of your hard work, may easily transfer data into your head? What do you think is going to teach you good writing, really? Picking up a fucking book as an example, or watching a video essay from some grifter or (worse) "professor" in creative writing?

>>21496778
This. Put the time in. There are no shortcuts that don't lead you directly back to the beginning.

(I'm who posted >>21496581)

>>21496683
>>21496583
>>21496582

I actually have bipolar I was just curious on your take on it as writers

>>21496778
Why are people so drawn to videos anyway? They're probably the most inefficient method of sharing any information.

>>21496786
Videos provide a more direct avenue for charisma to shine through. People are, in general, more likely to gravitate to charismatics because it's like a backdoor into the human brain. Left unchecked, charisma will happily associate itself with competence, although there is of course no causal link. The irony is that, while video is undoubtedly the premier medium for more basal charisma (incorporating physical appearance, non-verbal communication in general, tone of voice, etc.), the kind of charisma we as writers actually want is probably the one single variant absent in video: writing.

>>21495615
>>21495609
Prose is okay but if you keep too long to the same tone and voice it'll bore the reader. Before long, it starts to become monotonic. Consult "Method Writing" book.

I need an idea for literary short story no longer than 10 pages with a font size 12

>>21497479
Crazy Frog struggling with alcoholism

>>21497551
That would involve gratuoitus nudity

>>21497479
"Stranded on the cannibal island"

>>21497479
Cum and farts

>>21495202
Has Walter actually written anything else?

My book requires schematics, charts, that kind of thing. How do I outsource so:

>it's not a pajeet artist
>it's quality and as I described
>it doesn't cost an arm and a leg for 20+ pictures
>my vision actually gets made

Have any of you anons ran into this dilemma, and how did you get it done? There's gotta be an alternative to ESL pajeets on Fiverr

>>21497906
No, and by the metrics of that infographic, he would rank #17.

>>21498159
Do it yourself

>>21498159
Why not use Stable Diffusion?
See https://rentry.org/sd-mashup for instructions, including running it locally.
You didn't say what kind of schematic, so I generated something off the top of my head.
It took my computer ~10 seconds to come up with this.

Should I put in trigger warnings for my books?

Daily reminder that you don't know how to use a semicolon.

>>21498655
Fuck; you.

just realizing now that there's zero correlation between someone who reads a lot and someone who is good at writing

>>21498261
I'm not good at drawing or rendering images for a high quality visual book, so I wouldn't even know where to start. Not to mention the time commitment for something I would rather outsource.
>>21498290
Thanks anon, I'll toy around with it. Appreciate the link.

>>21498497
doesn't that ruin the surprise element?

>>21498497
go and read shakespeare or dickens or swift or joyce or faulkner or hemmingway or literally any english language author with any reasonably sized body of work. are there any trigger warnings in any of their books? frankly the only acceptable artistic way to use a form of trigger warning would be to censor, literally black out within the text, any words or thoughts that happen to be verboten

>>21498802
Those are written years ago. We are living in 2023. There are a lot of things unacceptable in today's art climate

>>21498850
censorship isn't new, but you know that so I'm just going to call you a nigger.
Nigger

>>21498668
That's bonkers. Of course there's correlation. All good authors read widely, and anyone who has the curiosity and sense for language that would make them a good writer would also naturally enjoy reading. Reading a lot is not a sufficient condition for being good at writing, but it's a necessary one.

>>21498850
Even in contemporary fiction, trigger warnings aren't really a thing outside fanfiction sites. There are no triggers warnings on the cover of an Ottessa Moshfegh book.

To me, this is the ideal writer

I'm scared of criticism. I want praise. I want everyone to like me and my book. That's why I'm scared of bad reviews and cruel comments. I don't think I can take them. What if I never write again because of something someone says? What if my book actually is bad? What if the criticism is true? Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if no one ever read my work, because then no one would attack me

>>21498995
If you can; try to sit on the book/story for a month or two before posting/publishing. You'll be less emotionally invested/attached.

>>21498995
At least you're being honest with yourself, we all fear criticism to some extent. What you've got to understand is that books, or any form of art, are incredibly subjective when it comes to likability. Of course, these things can be reviewed by objective metrics but most people who will attack you, or fail to see any merit in your work, aren't coming at it from such a metric and are instead reacting with emotion. True criticism is balanced, even if your execution is scrambled or poor there will be something worthwhile in your work. And if somebody who's criticising your work can't find a silver lining, I wouldn't take their opinion to heart.
>what if my book is actually bad
It'd be unfortunate and perhaps it's even likely (if it's your first project) but if you can find someone to offer proper and true constructive criticism then that's a good thing. We all start out worse than we'd expect and sometimes you need to fail to succeed. If you find yourself reading criticism and hear it ring true, or maybe it comes from somebody you respect and trust, then take it onboard. Adapt. Learn. It can be a blessing, even if you feel bad about it.
The best advice I can offer is to write for yourself first and foremost, focus on getting your work to where you want it to be and potentially find a confidant whom you can talk with, learning from one another.

>>21495609
>>21495615
I'm the first of the club to arrive. So I sit down at the bar and rest the homemade scanner on the stool beside me, its antennae sticking up like dog ears, its green LEDs dancing.

The place is deserted. Just me, the woman handing me a beer, and the old guy slumped at my side. He raises his head and jabs a finger in my face.

'I do not fear...' he says, jabs again. 'I do not fear the passage of...' But he slumps back onto the counter before he can finish his thought, his bristly cheek in the puddle of melted ice cubes.

'Don't mind him, he's just a very scared old man,' the woman says. She looks like she hasn't changed her hairstyle since she was a teenage Siouxsie and the Banshees fan. She must be in her fifties.

She tops up his glass, and the fumes rouse him.

'I am an alien,' he announces, head fiercely erect, now sounding sober and stony-serious. 'She cannot understand me. She's part of the Monotony Cult.'

'He says that every every night,' she tells me with a wink.

Suddenly I feel his hand grab the pin on my sweater -- a pink UFO on black. 'A sign,' he mutters. Then he leans in close, breath in my face: 'I think you're an alien too. Am I right, kid? You understand me? Or are you another cog?'

'It's the pin of the club,' I explain. 'We search for signs of extraterrestrial life. I'm not a cog, I'm just an astrophysics dropout.'

'You believe that?' says the woman, sounding intrigued. 'Visitors from other worlds?'

'It's not about believing. It's about having a good time, up there, on the hills, in the pines at night. You know, the small pleasures.'

'Small pleasures!' snorts the man, and collapses.

'I've always wondered,' says the woman, a distant dreamy looking in her dark eyes, under the outdated gothic bangs, 'I've always wondered what it would feel like. You know, what it would feel like hooking up with an extraterrestrial?'

Just then the doors swing open and the rest of the club arrive. We get beers and get buzzed and quote Mulder and Scully, and soon we're in our puffy jackets and standing in the clearing on top of the hill. The town below, lit up in the night, is a whole starry universe.

We expect it will be like every other night -- silence on the scanners -- but suddenly all our equipment leaps into bleeping, whirring, flashing life.

The UFO trails pink fire as it falls from the sky. It crashes not far and we hurry towards the glow. It's half-buried in the smoking earth, and out of the open dome rolls a slender, silvery alien pilot.

He lies on the grass, looking up at the stars with black, forlorn eyes. We gather around him in a circle.

'I thought that would kill me for sure,' the alien says. 'Oh well.' He sighs. 'We live for millenia, my species. And every millenia feels worse than the last. It's all fucked. Every planet the same. We're all fucked. We're all alone. We're all just lost in the void.'

'Hey,' I say. 'I know a woman you might want to meet. See that neon martini glass way down below?'

>>21495609
>>21495615
>>21499077
Hey bozo, stop spamming the thread with walls of text. Shove it in a pastebin, an image or something! Jesus Christ.

How do I break into writing for a content mill at half a penny per word? I've got some financial trouble and need to temporarily abandon my personal ambitions for a few extra dollars a day.

>>21499095
There are plenty of other things you could do for extra cash anon. Ruining your passion for writing and burning yourself out isn't recommended. I implore you to consider other avenues, friend.

>>21499086
Listen up, chump. This is me: >>21499077

I was responding to the other guy because I thought his writing was a bad example of how to 'explore a theme' and I wanted to attempt something better instead of just criticising him.

And I genuinely don't understand what bugs you about a long post. Just scroll past it.

>>21499114
Long posts don't bother me often. I'm fine with posts like >>21496683, it's excerpts and such, when one anon takes up half the thread posting a chapter from his book, wanting feedback on his writing, which annoys me. It used to say in the OP to use pastebin or an image to post things like that.
Your post is fine, you're just responding to the other anon and I should've picked up on that, I just saw another long post linked to the previous two and it rubbed me the wrong way.
I apologise, but still, fuck the other guy.

>>21499150
Makes sense. Images are honestly my preferred way to read other people's writing in these threads. (But it's a good exercise to try to fit as much story as you can into the 3000 character limit.)

>>21498497
If your book doesn't trigger something in people it's not worth reading

>>21498497
>trigger warning
If your books are extremely offensive in some way you can allude to that fact in the blurb/foreword/title. This can act as both advertising for people who are into that, and as a deterrent for pussies.
Like a book about a serial killer called "CHILD MUTILATOR" or something has a title that acts as its own trigger warning.

>>21499195
Solid advice. To a point, your audience is responsible for what they choose to read.

>>21499231
>a serial killer called "CHILD MUTILATOR"
or Rabbi

>>21499286

>>21499103
Countless writers worked pounding out copy while trying to make it with their fiction, and many of them credit it for helping polish their craft. My schedule won't let me get a full-on second job, and it would eat up any time that I could dedicate to writing anyway. At least this way I can still spend time at the keyboard instead of giving it up for the next six months.

>>21499324
I suppose it depends on where you end up, but most places will have you writing absolute drivel. You'll become accustomed to slang and buzzwords in addition to having to adapt to some form of "house style", restricting any creativity or joy you currently get from writing. And I, unfortunately, doubt you'll be polishing your craft at all outside of maybe brushing up on perfect grammar. Then again, a job's a job anon. If you need it and want it, that's your decision.

I'm considering rewriting everything to change my protagonist to a woman. The story will be even more unrealistic, but it will increase my chances of getting published.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/55012/almas-dreams-are-default
Updated my story today. There any way I could get added to the pastebin?

>>21499554
Just post your story and you're in. welcome my friend

Here's the plot synopsis for my story as generated by ChatGPT. Ignore the pronouns as they are replaceable

In a world where humans have been at war with the squid-like humanoids known as the Inklings for as long as anyone can remember, a young warrior named Elam is chosen by the god Sol to be the protector of humanity. Elam is skeptical at first, but as he learns more about the ancient prophecy that foretells his destiny, he begins to understand the weight of his responsibilities.
As Elam trains for battle, the Inklings launch a surprise attack on the human kingdom. Elam and his fellow warriors are sent to defend their people, and in the heat of battle, Elam discovers that he has powers beyond his wildest dreams.
With the help of Sol and the ancient relics of Solaria, Elam leads the humans to victory over the Inklings. But the war is far from over, and Elam knows that he must continue to fight to protect his people and fulfill his destiny as the guardian of Solaria.
As Elam and his fellow warriors engage the Inklings in battle, things seem to be going well at first. But the Inklings are a formidable enemy, and they soon turn the tide of the battle. Elam is gravely injured and forced to retreat, leaving his fellow warriors to fight on without him.
As he limps away, badly wounded and alone, Elam begins to have doubts about the Solarian religion and its teachings. He had always believed that the gods had chosen him to be the guardian of humanity, but now he wonders if it was all just a lie.
As he reflects on his life and the countless battles he has fought, Elam realizes that the war with the Inklings has been going on for as long as anyone can remember, and that it is likely to continue for all eternity. The humans and the Inklings are locked in a cycle of violence and hatred, doomed to fight each other until the end of time.
Elam dies knowing that he has failed in his duty as the guardian of Solaria, and that the Solarian religion is nothing more than a tool used to control the masses and keep them fighting. In his final moments, Elam hopes that one day, the humans and the Inklings will find a way to break the cycle of violence and live in peace.

>>21499568
this is a lie. the person who runs the pastebin is a salty bitch

>>21498672
Once you get used to txt2img, you can try img2img.
You'll be able to make a rough sketch (e.g. less than MS Paint meme quality), give it a prompt, and it'll do a fair job of using the major themes of your rough sketch to generate a far higher-quality image!

>my chapters are all mostly only about 2k words...
>Nobody wants to read short chapters.
I fucked up huh?

>>21499537
Write a chapter in which your character transitions into a woman.

Any examples of harems done right? Preferably fantasy.
Also, general tip for writing good harems? Anything to avoid?

>>21499788
>Anything to avoid?
Harems.

>>21499680
What are you talking about? I'm literally the guy who runs the pastebin

>>21499788
Focus it on Ottoman styled harems. Or a prince that believes he needs multiple wives for multiple sons.

>>21499788
Make sure worst girl always wins.

>>21499086
yeah chill the fuck out, someone without any sort of actual writing is a 1000% better than any post without any actual writing

I'm writing a YA fantasy story but the hero kills the villain off screen. Is that bad?

>>21500229
If you have to ask...

>>21488812
yeah, most books about voyages or war

>>21500229
It depends on how you do it
If the reader doesn't get to see the final battle, they'll be mad, but if you're just changing scenes right before the killing blow, you might be okay

/lit/bros...
/tg/ is owning us epically...
what do we do?

>>21498889
image made me laugh. thanks!

What is more important?
>setting
>characters
>plot

>>21498889
h-haha, funny image, anon! could you imagine? someone who writes but has barely read? haha.

>>21500400
It's jealousy, to be a dungeon master is to be a writer with no prose.

If twilight years refers to old age, what is someone in their 20's?

>>21501454
If you honestly need help coming up with this you probably shouldn't be writing.

>>21501476
Oh you're probably right anon, lets see your published book?

>>21501017
Prose

>>21501454
Retarded, without exception.

>>21501478
>guys help! What is the opposite of dusk?!?
No
>Only Brando Sando and Stephen Kang have the right to judge meeeeee
Wrong. If you aren't putting effort into your writing why the fuck should I donate?

>>21493038
I liked this! Can I get more?

>>21493038
>The problem with glove-mounted weapons was they made for lousy gloves.
There's an error in the very first sentence and the word "elf" occurs a nonzero number of times. Stop it.

>>21501512
>Asking for help with thing
>Not putting effort into thing
Now I see the logic, thank you! You're basically gatekeeping when the gate kept you out

>>21501524
NTA, but is it really so incredibly difficult for you to run with the "time of day" metaphor that you need to ask others for help? If old = twilight, then young = ...
>URK uh uhhhhhh young = uhhhhhh... BEES

>>21501536
If it were that easy you could have just typed 1 word and saved yourself the drama of typing out all that anon

>>21501548
No, I wouldn't have. My desire to see my own values reflected in others (most germane here: independence of thought) precludes me from just throwing you a low effort response. I am nearly patholocigally driven to avoid spoonfeeding you a low effort answer in lieu of encouraging your ability to procure that answer yourself... no matter how hard you kick or scream.

>>21485010
Okay, in a setting that I'm working on, each one of the gods rules over both a Heaven and a Hell, with the details of the rewards and torments inside relating to the element that it at the core of what the god embodies, from Wind to Water, Stone to Flame, and Creation to Destruction. How can I make each elemental afterlife more interesting beyond just things like roasting them with Flame in the Fire Hell?

>>21501559
>What is grandiloquence
Alright man, you win I bow down before you. It was just a question, didn't need an autistic outburst

>>21501017
the greater whole

>>21501017
1. characters because you spend a lot of time page by page with them
2. plot because you can have the most basic, done 1000x times already plot with great characters that's great. and then you can have a one of a kind inspired plot with boring characters that isn't so great.
3. setting. largely window dressing, but I mean if you write an explicitly historical novel and the dialogue doesn't fit the time period that would probably bring it down some.

>>21501591
how much time are you going to spend going over the torments of each hell? is this a plot critical detail or just something that's grabbed your fancy for the moment and that the reader won't really care all that much about beyond knowing that bad things happen in each hell place?

How do I write a redemption arc while keeping people engaged to the main character? I want him to start off as a degenerate, a real scumbag, and the narrative would have him grow over time.

>>21501936
I'd argue that everything is derived from the setting. It has an almost unconscious effect on your work as a whole. Your characters are products of their environment and your plot is a result of your characters actions.

I have a character that accidentally killed their parents, what are some techniques I can show for them dealing with their guilt/grief? They'll need to accept and overcome what happened, but I've not had anything that big happen in my life so I don't have the reference point.

>>21502359
Charm and wit are the ways you get people to like awful people. The actions the individual take are more interesting than the cognitive dissonance caused by their unethical moral choices. The cool asshole. The charming chad. The slut seducer. The cunning thief.

>>21500400
lol it's funny because those consoomer trannies do nothing but complain all day long and make shitty bait threads

>have fantasy story in my head for years
>add and add to it
>put part 1 of it about the main villain on paper in a week
>finish first book
>realise to really feel its impact I need to finish the second part and then the conclusion
the second part however, is the most troubling. first off I only had it in my mind for about a year so obviously im not going to write it all in a week like I did with the other one
but the cast is much more complex, and its going to need more character building and thus more generic tropes
Ive gotten about 40 pages worth of material but Im just at a loss
for some reason neurofunk and dark dnb really inspired me for the first part and then some jazz putting it all together.


tldr; artist block, how to fix this instead of waiting for months

regardless what I do though part 2 will always be the weakest, just the way the story is going to go is more cliche but thats kind of intended, its supposed to draw in an audience and I want to release it first

>>21502366
>I'd argue that everything is derived from the setting
I can understand that perspective. if you write a novel that literally takes place in hell, or a city under siege, or a base in the antarctic or whatever, everything that you create with regard to character motivations and plot will be directly or indirectly tied to that. On the other hand if you choose a less impactful setting significantly less will be tied to it.

>>21502615
it sounds more like you don't have your plot worked out for part 2 than anything else
>but the cast is much more complex, and its going to need more character building and thus more generic tropes
what? like, seriously, what? get your plot in order and don't worry about character building for some random dipshits, anon.

>>21502669
the plot involves a lot of traveling, its a tad generic, feel good (except not quite once you get to the ending because most of them die) story about "heroes" banding together to fight a great evil.

I've received nothing but rejections on short stories for the past 2 years. I gave up. The only people who are getting published are those who have the right gender, the right sexuality, the right skin color, or are trannies. There's a rare exception for people with mental disorders, so that way the publisher can look like they give a shit about people with mental disabilities. Otherwise get fucked.

>>21502689
>the plot involves a lot of traveling, its a tad generic. feel good
so change it. at the start your characters are at point A and need to get to point B. your current approach, in my mind, is that you're following them on their little mini adventures along the way. how about you set up 2 or 3 large events that happen during the course of their journey instead, and skip a whole bunch of the intermediate filler crap. if you don't give them obstacles of course it's going to be boring

>>21502706
Just pretend do be a transbian then. It takes zero effort. You could be the next prodigy in the LGBT short story scene, Anonita.

>>21502706
That's why thank daddy beezos for self publishing

>>21502722
I get what youre saying but for example I have a character who will change her personality because of a tragic event, so I need material to show her happiness before that, them doing something sort of meaningless and getting sidetracked a little.
thanks anyway, your general idea is good

>>21501518
The whole book is posted on Scribble Hub. It’s the previous revision, though. The chapters I’ve been posting here are the latest revision.
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/436962/a-hero-among-monsters/

>>21501454
A million things: robust, unmarked face/smoth skinned, etc. Just make up some stupid metaphor about vigor. If it is non-human, then personify it.

>>21501521
Suggestions for a better first sentence? I know you nerds like to see new languages for every book. But really, what would be the point of calling them ichtyacos when they’re just elves?

>>21502359
The king of baby's first stock plot suggests a single moment right off the bat to hike up the empathy. Have your character save the anti-villain or something on page 2 due to one of their redeeming character traits.

>>21502831
Thanks anon, I think I phrased the question badly. I was looking for a colloquial, "in your xxxxxx years" as referring to the 20s
I guess you could say early years but it's not quite right. Maybe I'll just restructure.

>>21502375
Maybe they can have trauma and see unlikely but still possible ways people can accidently die from doing mundane things? Ice-skating? They could slip and slit someone's ankles (go into autistic detail about how you can bleed to death from the write tendons being cut). Taking aspirin for a headache? Actually, I better not, you can overdose that way! Hammer a nail in the wall? Well, maybe later. What if the head of the hammer flew off when I swung it back and hit someone in the head? Accidents happen!

>>21485010
What are the key elements of creating a believable afterlife? What are the most important things to remember and the key things to avoid? And where do you look for inspiration?

>>21502941
>believable afterlife
well it's unbelievable, so really anything is fair game. religious myths contain anything from big fluffy clouds and brimstone to never ending battles and meadhalls. no matter what ambiance you decide on what you should keep in mind is that if there is an afterlife then there should necessarily be a purpose for it. either training as soldiers for the day of ragnarok or eternal suffering because you were a bad goy

>>21494933
>>21494938
>>21494943
shit

>>21485010
>be me
>be 81k into a novel first draft
>finally make progress on the climactic scene
>go back, like an idiot
>the stuff in the middle is shit in every possible way
>spend four hours editing
>still shit
>morale destroyed
Why do I do this to myself?

>>21502390
>Charm and wit
Ah, yes. Character traits I do not have. Any examples of characters like this? Don Quixote comes to mind
>>21502843
>a single moment right off the bat to hike up the empathy
That could work, thanks!

>>21501955
Probably somewhere in the middle of those. It's mainly a backstory detail ATM, but I was thinking that the main characters might travel there at some point near the endgame, so I want it fully fleshed out before then.

>>21503280
>but I was thinking that the main characters might travel there at some point near the endgame
>I want it fully fleshed out before then
No you don't. you're not even remotely close so thinking of specifics right now is a complete waste of time. fire = hot = burny. if you want him to discover that his mother is being branded and raped over and over by lava dicks worry about that when you get to that.
have you started your draft because right now it seems like you're creating reasons not to write.

I'm 40,000 words into a novel with no plot, a perspective that keeps shifting, a style that keeps shifting, 30 or so scenes that are not connected, and tomorrow I am going to change the sex of one of the main characters. This book is going to change my life.

>>21503389
I'm trying to get all my details in line before I do anything major in the setting. Just please tell me that you have some advice for me on the different afterlives.

>>21503541
>I'm trying to get all my details in line before I do anything major in the setting
ngmi. what;s your mc's goal at the beginning of the story and what's the inciting incident?

>>21503581
I'm currently going with "main villain's forces attacks the MC's home, so he's going on a journey stop them" as a motivation and incident. Not sure what that has to do with the afterlife aspect of the setting, though.

>>21503596
A touch uncreative, let's hope your prose can carry such a weak and cliche character motivation and inciting incident.

>>21503596
so johnny everyman is just minding his own business and the main villain sends some flunkies to attack because...? he survives, right? I'm not seeing how the netherworld factors in, here.
here's a question I guess with regard to your potential smorgasbord of afterlifes: would a character rather be alive and in the real world or dead and in the afterlife? I think answering this question will better narrow down what you want to do.

Honestly, and I must say honestly,
For rarely do I speak with honesty,
I do believe in a resolute way
That I merely exist from day to day
And that if I ever were to fall dead
Be it cancer, stroke or wound to the head
And if neither Heaven nor Hell exist
I honestly doubt that I shall be missed;
For I have squandered and wasted and lied
At each and every turn that if I died
Today the coffin would be empty
For Lukas died years ago, and I am empty.

>>21503655
The tortured poet role suits you well, Lukas.

>>21491647
>>21493225
>>21496769
>>21498668
>>21501476
>>21503006
>>21503605
seethe

>>21485010
The cosmos in my setting is divided between Order and Chaos, does anyone have any thoughts on what their respective afterlives might be like? To be clear, both Order and Chaos have positive AND negative aspects, so I don’t want to just give Order the Heaven and Chaos the Hell.

I can't get over how easy writing is

>>21503700
I was being genuine with my comment about prose carrying your story. I have plenty of works with a weak premise or cliche inciting incident. You can work through it, but don't pretend your novel will stand above the rest for any other reason that it'll be well written. You haven't demonstrated anything to make me believe your themes and characters are more interesting than any others. That's fine, just write well.

>>21498889
How am I supposed to have time for writing if I read?

Anyone else reach the phase of editing where you're not actually making any improvements and are just changing things around for the hell of it? What do I do when this happens?

>>21503909
Seek criticism, improve from there.

>>21499766
Make up in quantity with more quantity.
Daily 2k chapters>>>Weekly 6k chapters

>>21499788
Don't listen to /lit/, what the fuck are you doing asking a question like that in this cesspool?

Novellas should make a come back, at least for literary fiction. I hate having to stretch my word count.

>>21494977
I don't talk about my book that often if ever.

>>21503934
Then where should I ask? Reddit?

>>21503708
What is the STORY about? Who are.the characters? I've seen you post about this setting repeatedly, but never mention the actual plot. If you had one in mind already, you wouldn't need to ask for input on the aspects of "heaven and hell".

Whenever I get to a crucial turning point in a story I'm writing I often seize up. I want it to be at least "good enough" before I move on to the rest. I know I'll come back and revise and rewrite anyway but I need it to be strong enough as a support to support the rest of my ideas on. I'm trying to kick the habit because it slows me down too much to make any good progress.

>>21504114
Why ae you focused on the plot? I'm fine there, the afterlives is where I need help with right now.

New thread >>21504225
...because our time is short...

>>21504191
>the afterlives is where I need help
you don't. and afterlives - plural - good lord. what you need to do is hammer out some characters and write a couple chapters. focusing on the most minute of worldbuilding minutia is the absolute last thing you need to be doing right now

>>21504473
And why is that? I feel like I'm going in to get a tuneup on my car and people keep trying to sell me on a new paint job.

>>21504629
it's more like you're asking for a tuneup but the entire drivetrain is missing entirely

>>21485265
Does she love the Villain? Does the villain love her? What makes him a villain?

I have ideas for stories that involve metaphysics. One I particularly like is a sort of Rip Van Winkle derivative set in modern times. Married man with two kids driving home on a freeway in LA. By chance a vanishingly rare phenomena occurs where his car is collides with a momentarily manifesting tear in space-time, completely halting the spin of every atom from the outer layer of the vehicle all the way inside. Including his own. He and the car are completely frozen in time, totally immovable and anchored to the earth below it and possessing a hardness that withstands any force that is applied to it. The incident gains world-wide renown almost instantly. "The Frozen Man" becomes the most famous person on earth. He's voted Time man of the year. Millions of people flock to the spot where his car is frozen to catch a glimpse of him. The man's wife and children are obviously devastated by this. The section of the highway is eventually cordoned off and covered by a large hangar, turning it into a giant lab for research, only accessible by authorized scientific delegations, US intelligence, military and the president...but the Frozen Man's immediate family are also allowed visitation. As years pass, many profound scientific discoveries are made as to the nature of matter. Frozen man's oldest son becomes the most frequent visitor among his family as wife can no longer bear the pain of seeing him. The son is a bit of a prodigy studies in school and eventually grows up to specialize in plasma physics. He becomes a regular researcher at the facility. He comes up with a novel method to observe the frozen matter and eventually dislodge and capture some particles from it using a particle accelerator. These captured particles were found to be capable of seeding a process to create exotic materials, capable of withstanding astoundingly high levels of heat. At year 20 after the freeze, the son is having a coffee break talking to his dad behind the glass and he notices that his dad's hand was slightly off of the steering wheel which wasn't the case. He also observed the beginnings of a squint in his eyes...as if he's about to flinch. Calling an emergency meeting, the scientists take measurements and discover that the frozen vehicle is in fact accelerating exponentially. They calculate that within 3 days, the car and everything in it will hit an inflection point and very rapidly come out of the freeze. They prepare by clearing a path for the vehicle through the hangar and out to a now abandoned section of the freeway.. With the whole world watching and anticipating on the third day, the car starts rolling forward slowly and then suddenly accelerates to 65 MPH and Frozen Man, who was a split second ago driving on a freeway was now driving inside a giant hangar. He pumps the breaks just as his car exits the end of the hangar in full view of news helicopters. His son, and others run out to the car as he steps out into a world that has left him 20 years behind.

>>21505187
This would be the first half of the story. The second half would be how he copes with rejoining the world, reconnecting with his family and all of the difficulties that entails and the effects of the scientific discoveries. I think I have a good framework but i just need to get an idea of how to pace it, length etc.

>>21504874
Okay, but WHY? No one is telling me why it’s so important that I try writing a few chapters, especially with them ignoring the actual question that I came here for.

>Get a couple pages in
>This is a really shit story maybe I should just delete it and start again
Every single time