/lit/ - Literature

Every fucking time.

Almost. Two years ago I went on a streak showing people my stuff and writing for the paper. Got rave reviews. Feels TonytheTiger, man.

it's called editing, man. if you think you're going to produce genius on the first go around that is just delusional thinking

Yes we all do this. Time to re-write old chap.

>later or next day

nigga, the stuff I write just goes on a stack and stays there for days/weeks often.

After that I look over it, edit and correct it and show it to a couple of good friends. If they like it, I'm happy.

>finally spout out one of the many life concepts/philosophical fucks that's been on my mind
>write it out in a notebook, estimate 1500ish words
>enthusiastic etc, finding it pretty interesting developing points
>not long after I've finished, realize what I've written is probably really cringy, pretentious or homo

Typing it up now and it's actually not as bad as I thought it would be upon re-reading as a whole, though it is a little messy. Not sure what to do with it though, whether to store it and carry on writing occasionally as a kind of "mind diary" to keep track of my thoughts, or a blog so I can get feedback/organise/discuss with others.

why does no-one i know like talking about philosophy and shit
am i just an angsty pseudo-philosopher ;_;

Yep. Every time, without fail. I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates everything he writes. Any idea how to fix this?

>>2432407
you must hate what you write. Always question your talent others decide how good you are. Theres no way to fix this ;_;

show your stuff to someone, thats the first way

I hate those guys in dark souls. Hit way too hard for being mushroom people.

>>2432448
normally they are fungi's to be with

I know that feel bro.

Also, that feel when you show your writing to a friend and ask for constructive criticism and all they do is insist that "there's nothing wrong with it". Bitch if I had fragile feelings I wouldn't ask for criticism.

>>2432394

This guy here. So after about 2000 words of philosophical discussion with myself, I seem to have come to a fairly brief conclusion, though through that made a lot of other conclusions and points, expressed in what I think is a logical and understandable "stream of consciousness" way.

Is this even worth sharing? Will others find my observations interesting or discussion-worthy, or is this the kind of thing I should just keep to myself?

Is there any site or something where authors go to show their work and get criticism or feedback from like-minded people?

>>2432348
>remember about it

is that correct english?

wouldn't you just say "remember it"

In my opinion, there are three stages to writing, with accompanying opinions on them.

1. Idea in your head for a novel. Seems great!

2. Write the novel. Still seems pretty good, but doesn't work out quite as you'd hoped and planned.

3. Reread the novel 6 months later. It's pretty bad, and you don't believe this is the same document you worked on ages ago in your head and on your computer.

>>2434456

I think "about it" implies that you're not just remembering the work itself, but the things also relating to it (things that are "about" it), such as your mindset or intentions when writing it, or the events leading up to or involving you writing it.

>>2434389

Same guy here. I'm on about 3000 words. Sorry to use this thread as a diary, but now I've amazed myself by coming to a really interesting conclusion and a humble suggestion for which direction humanity as a whole should take, fully justified as I see it.

I really want to get feedback or criticism for this, so bump and
>Is there any site or something where authors go to show their work and get criticism or feedback from like-minded people?

Would you rather write something and be unable to spot what's wrong with it? A lot of people are like that.

You got a gift, broski.

What's another word for "despairful", which isn't really a word?

google or online thesauruses (thesauri?) didn't really help much, and I don't think it's worth starting a new thread
also, bump

>>2434894

What are you hoping 'despairful' would mean? Full of despair? In that case, 'despairing' or 'in despair' covers it.

>>2434916

Yeah, I realized after posting that "despairing" would probably work, though maybe not as well? Here it is in context:

>A despairing/despairful thought comes to me, and I fear that I have proved it in my inability to clearly answer the question.

>Only wanting to write to show other people how good a writer you are.

And this is why you suck.

Write so honestly that you don't want to show other people.

>>2434948
the thing I'm writing at the moment, if it turns out how I want it I'm never going to show it anyone I know

>>2434948

Writing is, as well as a way of making your thoughts and ideas clear to you, a way of communicating them to others.

>Only wanting to write to show other people how good a writer you are

Not sure where you got that from.

>Only wanting to write to show other people

Would be correct, though. There are few cases where your intention is otherwise unless you're just trying to make your thoughts organized or accessible. You're not showing people you're a good writer, you're showing them your thoughts and ideas. But you have to be a good writer to be able to show them well. Though to be honest for myself and others the topic of what we're writing about is potentially embarrassing or cringey, in my case philosophy, but in others maybe a novel that's not badly written, but just a bad story or concept.

>>2434925
This sucks. If I read it in a book I'd question whether or not English was your first language. Give up writing and get a job.

>>2434974

There's writing for the joy of writing, just like painting for the joy of painting, playing music for the joy of music. Etc.

The idea that you should only partake in an art so that you can show others is pretty sickening. It's understandable in a world where people are connected to the extent that they are today, but it's still sickening.

>>2434991
>implying art hasn't been forever recognized as a form of communication

you have no clue what you're talking about lol

>>2434997

Cool naturalistic fallacy bro.

>>2435001
>implying that was a naturalistic fallacy

do they REQUIRE you to be an imbecile to use a trip?

>>2435006

You implied that because art has always been used as a form of communication that's what it should be. Forgive me if I misinterpreted you.

Personally I believe it should be done for personal pleasure and catharsis.

>>2434977

.. really?

>>2435015

I think he meant that writing is and has been both a form of communication and pleasure. I'd say poetry is more on the pleasure side, and obviously letters / informative non-fiction is more on the communication side (though things like diaries are entirely for self pleasure); but most forms of fiction such as novels are somewhere in between.

tl;dr writing is usually both for self-pleasure and communication/entertainment for others.

even art and music, which you used as examples, which are much less based on communication than writing, are usually shared. people don't usually paint/compose music and never show anyone (unless it's for practice, so they can eventually start showing people).

>>2434991

>The idea that you should only partake in an art so that you can show others is pretty sickening. It's understandable in a world where people are connected to the extent that they are today, but it's still sickening.
>hurr im so artistic and pretentious i dont need other people i do things differently humanity disgusts me i come from a world you may not understand~~

>>2435058

I'm guilty of it myself, but I still think it's true. Art should be practiced first for yourself. If you can then somehow look at it objectively and decide that others need to see it for some reason, then sure, go ahead, but creating it with the intention of selling for capital, be it monetary or social, isn't what art should be.

Apologies if I'm coming across as too idealistic or pretentious.

>>2435072

Fair enough. But I don't think you can refer to (most) writing as exclusively art. I think there's often an important element of communication in there. So a balance of doing it for your own pleasure, and with the intention of using it to provide pleasure/interest for others, is appropriate I think. But writing for the sole purpose of "selling it for capital" I agree is wrong, unless it's sole purpose is also communication (i.e. reports).

I believe writing (as in literature) is a mix of art and communication. Its purpose is a mix of providing self-pleasure, and pleasure for others.

>>2435036
No it doesn't. People are trying to flame you in an anonymous imageboard, what a fucking surprise.

You should be writing for yourself, but if you want to improve sooner or later you'll need to show it to someone else.

If it's good enough, they might ask/tell you to show it to more people.

But it should always be born as something personal.

>>2435081

Oh no, not at all, I'm sure there's plenty of writers that have set out to communicate something. If a writer wants to write well however, I would recommend he writes for himself, and if there is something to communicate, it will come through naturally.

>>2435100

>I would recommend he writes for himself, and if there is something to communicate, it will come through naturally.

that sounds a lot like poetry, what I mentioned as probably the most artful way to write

I agree that you should not expect others to appreciate your work when you write if it is art/fictional etc, and therefore you should write primarily for yourself, but eventually you will be good enough for others to appreciate your work

Which I think translates fairly well into your point.

also, I've asked twice before, but
>>Is there any site or something where authors go to show their work and get criticism or feedback from like-minded people?

I mean, there must be

There's awesome sites for criticism and feedback for all kinds of creative things: art / flash / music

isn't there one for writing?

>>2435117

did some googling and found this website
clicked around to see what the people were like and this is the second profile I came across

>adding a copyright disclaimer to your "about me" description

>>2435153
Jesus christ this site is a goldmine

The thing about writing is that you have to write to get better at it. To think that you are going to be a great writer out of the gate is stupid. You have to just sit down and write. The stuff that you will come out of you at first will suck, more so when you look back on it. The important thing to remember, is to show your work to people that will give you an honest opinion. Not just trash you and say to you that you should just get a gun and blow your brains out. But actually sit down with you and talk through an idea. Beware of assholes.

>>2435185

oh god

what's the word for when people assume that others are going to do something that is bad, and so make themselves seem better by mentioning or predicting it - when they're simply wrong?

a simple example being YOU JUST HATE ME BECAUSE I'M BLACK, implying the person you're speaking to is racist and you're therefore better for being aware of racism

because that person in your picture does that a lot, as well as many people I know, and I don't know how to point it out to them

>i know i'm not the "prettyest" girl but that shouldn't stop u from reading my writing
>if you have negative comments keep them to yourself
(though that also shows that she can't take criticism
>i hate when people say fml there are people a lot worse than you
>WARNING some of my work can be upsetting
(implying she's deep and intelligent for not being upset)

>>2435185
All of those ellipses, holy shit.

>>2435218

just a cheap way to make what she's saying less of a list and better flowing. if she'd put periods instead of ellipses it would have actually made sense, but read like shit

http://www.greatwriting.co.uk/

looks like a pretty bro place, though not with that much traffic

>>2435228

www.protagonize.com also seems awesome

>>2435241

their terms require everything put up to be under a creative commons (free to share or edit, with reference to author) license

idk exactly what that means, but it sounds like if I ever wanted to put the content (short stories / essays / articles etc) in a book or be able to sell it to a magazine or something, I'd have trouble

>>2432348

this had just happened to me yesterday/today

can.. can we turn this into an amateur writing feedback thread? I can't find any others up

does.. does anyone want to read what I've written?

>>2437023
Sure.

But only if you promise not to read what I've written.

>>2437259

hah, well go on and post it, I'd feel bad showing my own work first. don't worry I won't look

also, I finally found a writing community to settle down at: scribophile.com
they have a karma system where you can only post works if you give valuable critiques to other peoples works, and the whole system of sharing and writing feedback is all fair and organised
the community doesn't seem too bad either
+ there's a group system too for circles of people, maybe /lit/ could create one if we have enough people over there, could have fun sharing cynical and hateful (though realistic) feedback

>>2437305
I just signed up, bro.

>>2437305
I have no idea how to critique properly.

>>2437434

Just give them constructive criticism. They make it sound stricter than it is, like what they consider "critique" is a very specific type of writing and you'll get banned if you do it wrong.

But you basically just have to give them useful feedback in any form (that's at least 150 words to get credit).

>>2437359

Cool. What's your username? I think there's a friend system of some sort.

>>2437461
William Rushing.

>>2437305

Im signing up, I like the idea of that

>>2437305
This place sounds good

>>2437305
Where's the /lit/ group?

oh awesome, wasn't expecting this much interest

looked around, and there's a limit to who can create a group, you need 100 "reputation points"

I have 17 currently after writing 2 critiques and posting one work (that hasn't had any attention yet), so I guess it shouldn't take too long

here's my profile URL, there seem to be "like" statistics, so see if there's a way for you guys to be able to suck me off enough so that I can create a group, look for "like" buttons or something:
http://www.scribophile.com/authors/dan-herb/

oh god they're going to discover my cringey awful stream-of-consciousness philosophy writing oh god i am not in my comfort zone right now no-one was ever supposed to see this

GUYZ MY NAME ON SCRIBOPHILE IS:

Sean Kenta

Add me ^__^

(No seriously add me, we should make some kind of group.)

Oh god it's happening

>>2437660
>>2437576
>>2437516
>>2437500
>>2437491
>>2437359
>>2437434

see
>>2437645

>>2437645

also, try writing on my "wall" (aka scratchpad, bottom left of my profile) or looking at my critique's and "liking" them (which is cheap as fuck)

>>2435153

>dem tabs

>>2437645

just found you can get reputation points from people "reacting" to a forum post and marking it as interesting/funny/etc

I know it seems like I'm whoring myself but that's what you gotta do to be able to start a group on this site, so:
http://www.scribophile.com/forums/writing/11072/?page=2#post-266896

I'll try and post on the forums to get my points up, but mark away to speed that process up

add me/favourite me on the site and I'll send a link/invite to the group as soon as I can make it

for anyone new:
we're looking to set up a /lit/ group on a cool writing website with a decent community (only allows 18+) and a very organised and fair system for giving and receiving feedback

Im guessing adding someone to your 'favourites' is the same as being friends on this thing?

>>2437783

Yep, pretty much.

i'm not even enthusiastic about it anymore

bump

If you're interested in joining a /lit/ group on a cool writing website with a decent-looking community and a very organised and fair feedback system, check out scribophile.com and add www.scribophile.com/authors/dan-herb/ when you can, to get an invite/link when the group can be set up (need to have enough "reputation points" to make one)

halfway to having a high enough rating on the site to be able to create a group for /lit/, let's keep this thread alive until then

>sign up on the site
>get a couple friendly welcomes from people on your profile
>that feel when they copy and paste the same thing to every new person to sign up

>>2438364
Sucks for you, a nice dude gave me a cool generic welcome reply.

I made this to use as a profile picture, but am having second thoughts

>>2438437
Go for it man, you're going to join a lit group anyway.

How much longer till the /lit/ group?

>>2438551

I need 100 rating on my profile to be able to make a group, at the moment I have 55. If I spend some time writing critiques and being active tomorrow I should be able to make it then.

If you want to speed it up, gimme some points by "like"ing my forum posts or critiques found here:
http://www.scribophile.com/authors/dan-herb/

Current /lit/ members I believe using the site are:

Dan Herb
Jim M
William Rushing
Sean Kenta

I'm lol'ing at how suspicious my brief insignificant posts look as they gather loads more "likes" than any other post on the page

>>2438641

Here's the list I have, from new accounts that have added me:

Eric Culverano, Alasdair Ramirez, Aryton Silva, Jim M, William Rushing, Sean Kenta, Dan Herb

Hopefully they're indeed all from here

>>2438641
I'm Eric Culverano on that site

http://www.scribophile.com/authors/aryton-silva/

please respond

Okay, im mass inviting some of you so if a Sean Kenta adds you...please respond.

>>2432362
This. Rough drafts are always shit. It's only when the idea is perfected that something of quality is made.

That's the real trouble nowadays. People are not only too lazy to write,but once they write a single thing,they're not happy. You can change it.

>>2438689

>That's the real trouble nowadays.

Yeah, OK grampa - things are so much worse today than they were back in the glory days of your youth in 2008.

last bump before I go sleep

>>2438780

We can just remake a thread when the group gets up and running.

>>2438803
Sounds good

Don't supress it idiot. Think closely about it, what makes it bad to your perception.

Oh dear god... just thinking about this feel. Back in the day I sent my poems to this arsty chick i was pining for. It didn't end up leading anywhere and thinking about it in retrospect just makes me die a little bit inside.

>>2438908
>Expecting women to respect poetry

You crazy

>>2438780

back

on 69 points, 31 more to go

gonna write a couple more critiques for points, "like" them to speed things up

What should the group name and description be?

Nearly able to make it.

group's up

couldn't make it a private group (need premium membership for that), but hopefully people will get the idea

can still edit the name, description, etc for the group if anyone has suggestions

http://www.scribophile.com/groups/4chans-lit/

Another Dan here, guess I'll join this /lit/ group for whatever it's worth. I have no clue how the site works though--and a premium membership? Seems like you can't do shit with a basic account.

>>2438923

It works more often than it fails - as long as you pick the right target, obviously. There's no point sending sonnets to some dance-junkie who works in a supermarket. Hipster bitches go mad for that shit though.

I actually don't hate writerscafe, but then again I was an egotistical 16 year old at the time who got rave reviews for writing semi-decently.
I'll sign up for Scribophile, but I also haven't written in a few years so I can't say for sure that I will ever put anything up, though I'd like to get back into the habit. Any advice on doing so, though, would be greatly appreciated

>>2440830
looks like /lit/ to me

>>2440830
Good ol /lit/

11 Members for the /lit/ group, not bad.

So what have you guys written lately?

Our numbers are increasing.

>>2440685
just write

This is modest as far as /lit/ goes.

bump