/lit/ - Literature

>Dat Redesign

Holyshitwhatsgoingonhere

looking gay,guys

is this TAR's coming out party?

Yippee kai-yay motherfuckers!

that font is actually really fucking nice

>They were both looking right at me and they were still laughing. Tracey was whispering something into June’s ear. It was all too much. I quickly retreated to my room.

I thought of the laughingwhores.jpg

That TAR image might compel me to read my first issue.

I definitely approve of the new design. Much easier to read.

>>2372184
wow i came to post the exact opposite. i fucking hate stupid fucking font when i'm reading.

Very nice work. Came together well.

>>2372194

your taste in typography sux dude idk what to say

Only 5 works of short fiction and 4 works of poetry? Are you guys becoming stricter, or are there simply less contributors?

>>2372201
We had approx. double the amount of submissions this month.

>>2372207
Ah, was last months issue smaller? I haven't seen TAR in a long time, I use to remember quite a heavy amount of works in an issue.

>>2372207
>>2372201
Seemed to be pretty good quality overall.

>>2372216
Actually, I might be referring to whatever the monthly publication was before TAR came about

OFFICIAL TAR POWER RANKINGS

GOD TIER
---
LUCID

GOOD TIER
---
ANDY KAUFMAN SYNDROME
BRUISED BY CREAM
PRESIDENT FOR LIFE

SHIT ON A STICK TIER
---
LEMON SOAP

Aundy Kaufman Syndrome is making me laugh so far, good stuff

>>2372303
>lucid
>not fantasy neckbeard shit
Who likes this stuff?

Wow. I'm honestly impressed. TAR is starting to feel pretty legit.

>Alternations have not been the only thing new this month
Alterations are different than alternations, guys.

Is this something /lit/ has made?

>>2372419
No, it's something like a natural phenomena.

Don't you get any flash fiction submissions? When I'm on the internet I like reading things under 1,000 words, preferably under 500. This might just be to my taste, and if you aren't recieving any of these submissions then there's nothing you can do, but I would really like to see some flash pieces in the future. I hope you aren't discriminating against shorter works.

Kudos on the pdf design. It looks much, much better now. I'd still like to see you host the work on the actual site though. I think pdf/mobi/epub downloads should be extras.

The site is coming along okay too.

>>2372419
It's /lit/'s own literary magazine.

Some good content, you guys. Just keeps getting better.

>brow-brow

i lol'd. the eyebrow thing was a nice touch. odd and charming. the dialogue that followed this was poorly done though, and brought me out of the story. i actually gave up not long after that. i saw some nice things though.

>>2372438

i want flash fiction. lots of it.

>>2372471
Flash fiction is usually really poor in quality.

hey dudes, what did you think of mai story

>>2372438
http://slashlitflash.tumblr.com/

>>2372482

are you talking about the flash fiction that gets written by /lit/ or flash fiction in general? if it's the latter i think you need to read more flash fiction.

>>2372494

oh wow that's a cool idea. also, i lol'd at the about page

>This looks like shit and it still looks better than the TAR page.

very true. tar should just make a fucking tumblr.

>>2372495
But who was phone?

>>2372502

touché

>>2372485
and you are?

I wrote President For Life

Andy Kaufman Syndrome was an ambitious idea that needs some revising. Add more terminology, shorten the testimonials, push for satire.

I have no idea why Lucid won an award. Dull, contrived, and trite, with no evocative... anything.

President For Life is ok. Some of the middle could be cut out. I guessed what was happening when the muggers called him a ghost. There's no tension or suspense the way it's written now, you need more conflict and less exposition. My suggestion is to have the muggers go further before they recognize him, and somebody saves his life and he's found in the hospital or something. Also change that final line, it's shit and doesn't add anything.
It's almost good, but it's not good.

Bruised By Cream is also dull. I have no idea what it's supposed to be conveying.

Lemon Soap is too scatter-shot to be a convincing psychological portrait.

>>2372471

Andrew here.

Thank you for giving it a chance. I feel like it's too long compared to the other ones.

Wow. This is the 4th time I've written for TAR. I...I love you guys :3 TAR keeps me productive.

OH MY GOD I GOT PUBLISHED

Andy Kaufman Syndrome was good humor, though the last testimonial feels out of place and dry. I personally would have preferred this talk about "Andy Kaufman Syndrome" removed, and instead focus placed on the first testimonial which I found the best.

Still, a fun read

>>2372539
>I personally would have preferred this talk about "Andy Kaufman Syndrome" removed
I don't think that would have worked at all.

>>2372543
Why not? A simple story about an awkward kid who found a way to talk to women, but couldn't control his methods when talking to his cousins. This "syndrome" idea did little besides tying the three testimonials together.

>>2372551
You don't understand the gags are based off Kaufman routines? Have you even read the story?

The poetry:

Hemlock is an almost interesting take on impersonality of death, and by extension life. It's not very clear and asserts a symbolism without explaining it, but for a short poem that's not a horrible offense.

Performing January is pretty good. It's intriguing and made me stop and read closer, always a good sign to me. The sexuality that comes out of nowhere is a little off-putting and there's a lack of cohesion in some of it, it's almost like reading two poems mashed together and then edited. It just needs a little cleaning.

The Protective Purple Peacock is either a chilling portrait of a stalker. If it's confessional poetry, seek therapy.

Seven Acts of Mercy is fascinating. Well done.

>>2372553
The humor works by itself, no need to tie it to Andy Kaufman is what I'm saying.

>>2372553
This is the what really made me laugh.
>>2372551
This I wouldn't have found interesting at all.

Even the idea of an Andy Kaufman syndrome I find entertaining, like there's a whole unseen group of people with this affliction.

Wow.. I'm overwhelmed and frankly I don't feel like I deserve it at all. I appreciate the comments, even the negatives, because I do want to improve. This is my first truly completed work. Thank you, TAR.

Speaking of the issue as a whole, it's probably the best (most consistently good) one yet.

>>2372562
maybe it's because I don't know that much about illnesses and syndromes and shit, but it seems like the third girl didn't have it, to me. she had, like, the opposite of aks, where she refused to put on a show, or something

>>2372752

>>2372766

I feel like the poetry you guys have been publishing is much "safer" than the stuff you guys have published before. I'm not sure if that is a side-effect of people shitting on the poetry that doesn't fit traditional style every month "hurr it doesn't rhyme, not poetry, more like a short story hurrrr."

But the stuff in the last two issues has been pretty bad.

TAR should be publishing people who are at least trying to do something "innovative" or unique, not rehashing 20th century carbon copies of their English survey class books.

Don't let the critics silence TAR's propensity for publishing questionable but honest poetry. If I wanted to read stuff like what you published in this issue I would look elsewhere... there are hundreds of "real" lit magazines publishing better, tighter poetry.

I think Prol said a couple months ago he would rather publish stuff from amateur writers before try-hards trying to write like Coleridge. Stick to this.

>>2372858
what do you want?

garbage like tao lin?

i'm pretty sure tar wants to gain in prestige not be some obscure indie mag nobody has heard of and doesn't want to read

the poetry is trash. yikes.

>>2372877
TAR uses /lit/, the slowest board on an "image board" to farm for content and readership. There is nothing wrong with that but TAR really shouldn't take itself so seriously. Publishing bottom of the barrel mainstream poetry is not better than publishing poetry that can be considered, at the least, "creative."

>>2372914
/lit/ is by far the slowest board on 4chan

>>2372920
lol, i meant by far NOT the slowest

>>2372877
Yes Mr High School Student.

>>2372520

it was alright

a little self indulgent

fun to read though, like hemingway

keep working on it.

didnt like the ending btw.

Andy Kaufman Syndrome was hilarious. That's all I got through, but it was funny.

if I had a carbon copy of han solo, well that would be completely sufficient. my carbon footprint is fine as well. it's just that I don't like people who get braincramps about being innovative and stuff. we don't reinvent the wheel, we slam into your face so that you eventually feel quite alive. what is the relationship between literature and intelligence? well I don't know, but it's a recurrent theme on /lit/.

worst things I've ever read

>>2372165
Andy Kaufman Syndrome could have been shorter but just as sweet in my opinion.

Lucid is well-written I see why it won. The story is meh.

President for Life could have been the beginning of a longer piece.

Bruised by Cream have a stylish language and a rather nice concept but it becomes clicé and rather dull.

Lemon Soap is ... I kinda like it but its not good. True memory?

poetry editor here. I appreciate your mental efforts.

poetry editor here. Let's call it a day and write some new poems. In hindsight, all poems are tame, either pertaining to a dionysiac avantgardist tradition, obsessed with mediality and newness, or to an apolliniac transparency of language evoking harmony and bliss. If we are to go beyond this formalist dichotomy (that is, to be on the level of about 1930-1940 at least [Surrealism]), we must closely listen to the quiet spirit of the natural sciences in Kushal Poddar, the voluptuous rapacity in a mad Peacock, the tenaciously contemporary but tentative Seven Acts of Mercy. Playing safe, my dear interstellar companions, is another name for cloaking revolution in an explosive envelope. We're not reinventing the wheel here: it's rather that the poems are Trojan horses that might invade your minds one day. Poetry is an art in time, and its ghosts are to be lived with over time. If the poetry does not achieve that, one might say it has no point at all. Much of today's poetry may be formally innovative, but it's not something I live with, something I am inspired with/by. I am looking forward to your submissions!

>>2373291
For some reason the poetry always gets people really worked up, no matter what gets published. Personally I thought the poetry here was of a lot higher a standard than previously, so well done.

Moreover, The Protective Purple Peacock made me burst out laughing - I'm not sure if that was intentional, but either way I thought it was fucking brilliant. It sort of reminded me of Michael Earl Craig.

>>2372858
I think you are confusing incompetence with innovation.

>>2373319
>>2373319
Beijing go on IRC

>>2373255
A saged critique without any specific reasons nor examples.

You're callow, Anon.

>>2373339
He's not callow. This is the internet version of doorbell ditch: provoke attention and run away.

>>2372165
Like the new layout...
yeah.
That's all I can really say.

This TAR thread is like a lifeboat on a sea of lapping manure (DFW threads) .

>>2373414
Whats with the DFW spam by the way?

>>2373460
Newbies come and think they are part of the culture. It happens with every board eventually.

See: NMH on /mu/
See: Breaking Bad on /tv/
See: actually I don't know other boards.

>>2373485
Breaking Bad is not a "meme", it's just a popular TV show right now, like Lost and Dr. Who before it.

Avatar spam was the closest they ever got to having a ITAOTS, but the hype finally disappeared about a year later.

Prole: What programs do you use to make TAR?

>>2373505
Open office. Then convert to PDF.

Probably not, but it does the job just the same.

love TAR, gonna read this shit right the fuck now

what happened to the noam chomsky essays. that was the only thing worth reading in TAR

>Operating under the belief that the rise of the
internet has allowed the written word to regain parity with mass-media and television...
Until today I thought television and newspapers were both examples of "mass-media". Thanks for putting me straight, reTARds!

:O

>>2373505
The PDF metadata says openoffice.

They're fucking retarded for not using something better.

>>2373906
I am currently operating from a old netbook because my living situation is fleety at the moment. Soon when this is cleared up I will begin designing with InDesign.

>>2373554
TAR accepts essays? Would TAR accept a philosophy of laughter essay?

People are going to assume I'm trolling, given the current situation on the board, but that Kaufman story had DFW references and emulation all over it.

>>2374059
There defintely was an Anne Frank reference about the jewish family hiding their retarded daughter "Anne" up-stairs.

Let's keep the poetry bashing to a maximum, so we can call it a "thing"

>>2374091
It's a surprisingly dense piece.

>>2374127
to lengthy
>>2374125
the poetry was alright, I wish there could have been more poems tho.

Seven acts of mercy, was it inspired by Lovecraftian themes? It was not to my liking.

>>2373954
We most certainly would. Essays of all stripes are welcome.

What 'edgy is referring to here was an earlier policy where TAR was taking expired-copyright material for filler. It was a questionable idea, and didn't last past issue 1. However, we certainly still do accept essays and non-fiction work. TAR sadly just doesn't get much of it.

>>2373505
As everyone else has mentioned, OpenOffice. We're uh, we're going for an edgy anti-corporate appeal or something. We'll get InDesign soon.

You guys are way too incompetent for indesign. Just use LaTeX with a reasonable template.

>>2374455
> implying that InDesign is not waaay more accessible to anyone used to a WYSIWYG interface than LaTeX could ever be

>>2374441
Cool.

>>2374059

It totally did. That girl at the end even has a blog called something like "this is water" which is the title of one of DFWalrus's speeches.

>>2374582
That was a cool shout out.

>>2374582
Are there more stuff like that Andrew?

>>2374637

Nothing intentional, I don't think. There's an Anne Frank reference though.

I know this will sound pretentious, but the biggest influence for me was Borges. I love the idea of writing a fake essay and have wanted to write something like this for a long time. My college sometimes has random essay contests and a part of me is considering revising AKS slightly, adding fake citations, putting it into MLA format and turning it in just for shits and giggles.

>>2373319
A lot of writing just to tell everyone you shouldn't be a poetry editor.

>>2373319

As I read this, all I could hear in my head was Tobias from Arrested Development.

Are you spreading this on R e d d i t as well?
http://www.reddit.com/r/literature/comments/p73pj/i_manage_a_zine_feel_like_reading_the_latest/

Bump.

i think /lit/s interest will decline as it improves because people will feel like it isn't possible to contribute anymore which is one of the main interest points of TAR (pretending to be better than the authors published)

that preface page

>>2375107
Oh well. By this time, TAR won't need /lit/.

Lucky fucks.

>>2373485
A ton of people adore ITAOTS.

>>2375181
I have AIDS.

I hope it continues doing well, I like this issue.

How does TAR feel about the same authors repetitively contributing?

Thanks very much for the comments on my poem so far. To the person who found it amusing, I'm glad, it was supposed to be silly in parts. To the person suggesting I seek help if it's confessional, don't worry, it's not (entirely...).

>>2375270
I've seen pieces by the same guy a few times, so I guess they don't mind.

TAR POETRY is bad.
/lit/ can't poems. EVEN TAO LIN CAN POEMS FOR FUCK SAKE.

>>2375917
Tao Lin can't poem.

Bumping.

How many submissions does this thing usually get? I want to start writing, this seems like a pretty cool place to start. I'm going to try a couple different styles, I think, and see how people respond

By the way, this is really awesome guys. A way for aspiring writers in a community to give feedback on each other's work

>>2376182
Between ten and twenty in each category (prose/poetry), I'd say. Sometimes less, probably never more.

invoking the tao te king again? I'm saving for a spaceship to leave this fucking planet. Hopefully they don't have internet. . .

>>2375107
I think you misunderstand our intention.
We would like to have as little flaws as possible designwise / grammatical or factual.

Because these flaws will get picked up by the community and berated and thus deter from what is most important -- critique of that actual content , prose and poetry.

Love the new issue, the new style and everything. Will try to post for next one.

Bump

>>2377325
A reasonable train of thought. I am excited about this new direction that TAR seems to be headed towards.

>>2375972
Tao Lin's poems are excellent and memorable. Is this a case of 2deep4u?

TAR needs more porn stories and dirty little poems.

bamp

>Munto was escorted inside, his guards carrying AK’s
Who edits this shit?

>>2378229
What's wrong with shortening AK's 47?

>>2378232
I hope you're trolling. This is meant to be a good quality literary review, this kind of error is fucking ridiculous.

>>2378233
I think even if you remove the possession through elision you include the apostrophe still. Though I might be wrong. Which style guide are you using?

None; I don't adhere to a single style guide unless I'm at work. Pretty sure that's wrong though.
>They were carrying their crop of apple's.
Does that read correctly to you?

>>2378243
A better example would be:
>As they walked home they ate their pizza and carried Greg's for him.

>>2378249
That's a poor example. The apostrophe in question is not attached to 'guards', it's attached to 'AK'; to edit your example, it would be
>As they walked home they ate their pizza's.

>>2378253
AK is fine, but AK's 47 can become AK's too. It's a little like McDonalds vs McDonald's.

You can make PDFs from OpenOffice?

>>2378256
I have never seen 'AK's' in my life, it's completely unnecessary.
>Their pizzas.
>Their gloves.
>Their weapons.

Where the fuck is this apostrophe coming from?

>>2378264
AK's 47 is short for Kalashnikov's 1947 Automatic Rifle.

>>2378264
Google it, dumbfuck. Apostrophes are used when pluralizing capital letters. "He had my CD's." And the like.

>>2378264
>>2378284

totally told

>>2378233
>>2378243
I'm surprised anew each day at /lit/'s wowing ability to sound off loudly and idiotically about things they don't know and barely understand.

>>2378258
Yes, its quite easy.
Go to File->Export to PDF.

Your fonts will look much rounder and beautiful in PDF because of antialiasing.

>>2378284
>>2378301
>>2378345
I have googled it, you cretinous shit, it's not apostrophe-d in
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16382648
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-15756279
or http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ex-stanford-exec-to-continue-being-questioned-on-alleged-frau
d-at-texas-financiers-bank/2012/02/03/gIQAJzrGmQ_story.html
[x] told
[x] JRR Toldein
[x] Knights of the Told Republic
[x] Teenage Mutant Ninja Toldles

>>2378284
>>2378965

i'm not claiming to be an expert here, but i used to use apostrophe's and i was told not to, but after a little reading it seemed like there was no real agreement on the issue. i choose to use them personally, but i think it's just personal preferance, unless you have to conform to a certain house style of course.

>>2378974

>apostrophe's

well, that was unfortunate lol please ignore that

So about this shitty issue...

One more bump!

>>2378965

>Teenage Mutant Ninja Toldles

Should be "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtolds". More euphonic or whatevs.

>>2380539
Good point, thanks for raising it.

When TAR stops being something we can complain about, are people even going to read it? I'm under the impression /lit/ never reads more than a few pages of TAR and spends the rest arguing about frivolities

>>2380745
When TAR stops being something to complain about, it will not need /lit/ anymore, and probably will stop advertising here.

>>2380751
Ugh, I really hope that doesn't happen. Even if it is mostly shit, these threads make /lit/ seem more happening.

I can't imagine TAR outgrowing 4chan. The writing market is so insanely overcrowded already that they would be completely indistinguishable from pre-existing organizations. They wouldn't last a minute on their own, no matter how far they've come comparatively in recent months

>>2380745
Hopefully that isn't the case.
>>2380751
I don't ever think there will be a time when /lit/ will stop advertising on /lit/, mostly because we kind of like /lit/, we are however looking to expand our "market"
>>2380784
Hopefully as quality grows with TAR , quality will grow on /lit/ as we both mature.

TAR is a communitybased zine and I have a hard time seeing how we would turn our back to the community. This very board is our content to a large extent. We make no money but rather pay to make this zine for the community. Hopefully people will take their time and write a small submission.

Gosh dang it. I love TAR.

Yes, until we've come up with a strategy for world domination, TAR will stay on /lit/. Or any strategy at all. Like the invasion on Mars as an alternative. (See the spaceship construction process that someone earlier referred to.) Any suggestions on that? By the way, /lit/ is a harder place for TAR than the open market, because the economy of attention here is so much more dynamic...(or, in other words, the attention span is so much more volatile, or, to be blunt, it's so much shorter). Love you all. Was that necessary?

>>2381603

strategy for a successful, reputable zine:

>make a site that looks stylish
>set a date for the first ever issue
>establish a presence on twitter, google plus, facebook etc
>make friends with other writers/editors via social networking
>approach lots of writers via social networking and solicit a piece of flash fiction/poetry for the first issue

you now have an awesome site and a first issue with great material. the way your site looks and the writers that you have published in the first issue and the publicity you have gained from social networks will ensure plenty of quality submissions.

Wow!

I have to say the redesign is pretty fab, it looks like something I would want to read now!

ANNOUNCEMENT:
TAR are looking for Essays on cultural subjects for the next issue. If you have one ready please submit or if you have an idea, start writing.

If you are unsure contact us and maybe we can work out an idea together.

TAR
>the anonymous review
>the androgynous rapist
>the anonymous reposter
>teaparty american republican

>>2381692
can i write an essay on how fascism is the future

Will you accept contributions in other languages than English?

>>2381709
I have a hard time seeing that happen.
Perhaps we could help with a translation.

>>2381710

Even poetry?

>>2381711
Poetry is harder. Ask Beijingwild. But yes, we could try. A first step would be to submit your poetry as early as possible. Then we get more time to work with the translation.

Beijingwild have knowledge in German, English and Russian I think.

I have a limited Knowledge in German and Spanish.
My native language is Swedish -- but I guess that is obvious.

>>2381717
Im swedish myself and the work is in swedish. I could translate it, but i feel it would loose too much from that. This is probably not the place to submit it. But thx for a good monthly read.

>>2381724
Skicka in den så bedömer jag om den är värd eller går att översättas.

Det är kul att få känna sig läst någon gång. Jag har varit med vid några tillfällen i ZWG och TAR en gång under olika namn. Man blir inspirerard att skriva mer -- även om man blir sågad.

>>2381729

Jo, du har rätt, måste nog jobba lite mer på den först dock, innan jag är redo att skicka in den.

How many of you actually read TAR from the first to last page?

>>2381841
I read the fiction section.

I stopped reading the poetry section a long time ago.

The fiction section is usually 80% terrible at it's best. I usually read it out of curiosity.

>>2381841
I only read the poetry section, and occasionally a story if it catches my eye. Moreover, I am not one of those people who simply whines about the quality of the poetry. Fuck those people.

>>2381701
Are you me?

>>2382049
No, i am, why?

bump for TAR!

just started reading. I like the first story so far.

It's odd, I remember someone describing the plot of Andy Kauffman Syndrome a long-ass time ago on /lit/. Maybe the dude went through with writing it.

sage because /lit/ has no good writers and if they do (well they probably do) none of them submitted anything good to this fuckawful magazine

fucking shitty sub-amateur writing

>>2383607
Bump because you are both ignorant and wrong.

Read the magazine or shut the fuuuuuuuck up.

>>2383598
really makes you wonder how much of TAR has already been submitted actually. Several poems in earlier issues I've seen in /lit/ threads as well

Bumping.

Chess here, it's funny that I opened up a can of worms on such a minor mistake. Re-fucking-lax.

>>2385814
AK's is as correct as AKs is.

You're not in error. Many rules of English grammar are sketchy, at best, and this is one of those issues. If you ask 100 strict grammarians about the issue, it'll be very close to 50-50 on the matter.

How about excerpts of novels, will they fly?

>>2385826
How about you quit being a pussy and submit?

>>2384375
The parrot porn story was posted on /lit/ before it went to TAR. There weren't very many corrections or changes it seems. I've posted poetry and sent in one (got rejected).

>>2385814
you must be new here