/lit/ - Literature

I start with a sentence, and then go from there.

Well, that's being facetious. But generally my planning is thinking of a protagonist, coming up with some broad setting details (when, where, why/how if it's more speculative) and then starting to write. I plan as I go, in my head, and only broadly. It means sometimes my writing can be wildly inconsistent; it means sometimes it can make an idea go to much more interesting places than otherwise.

I don't know if this is supposed to be the joke, but the shadow on that girl's inner thigh looks like a massive dong. Just thought I'd point this out.

As for the thread, no idea; I've only ever written shorts. Usually I plan out my shorts in my head pretty extensively. I think it depends on the length really. With something short like a novella, I don't think it matters so much; but it really shows when you hit the old door-stoppers. I don't know if Marquez planned out A Hundred Years extensively, but I'm reading it now, and it certainly seems that way.

On a semi-related tangent, I'm starting a new chapter in my life so I decided to collate all the shorts I'd written in the past few years. I found putting them all together they end up telling a surprisingly-coherent incest narrative which was never really my intention, but it made me laugh.

sage not out of disapproval but for myself posting OT.

>>4001587
>Is this a good way to go about it?
If it works for you then sure, why not. There is no definitive absolute when it comes to creating something like a novel.

Personally, I tend to take a different approach to every piece of writing that I start. Sometimes I'll meticulously brainstorm and detail every significant and insignificant thing about my characters and plot, other times I'll just start writing without a particular plan in mind and see where it takes me.

I would say though, that I have found it quite useful to have at least a rough idea of the ending. This enables me to stay focused and to the point. It may not be necessary for everyone though, and others may benefit from having a freedom away from strict confines.

tl;dr: do what ever works best for you.

>>4001644
>can't unsee

>>4001644
>a surprisingly-coherent incest narrative
Do share?

>>4001663
I won't bore you with the actual thing, since it doesn't really become obvious until you've read about an hour and a half of into it all, but in short: most of the stories I wrote were about bad things happening to women--ruined dreams/rape/prostitution/marriage/etc (I wasn't really trying to make that the theme, it was just what I happened to write about when I was in college). That's all good and well, I mean I think that's what a lot of sappy-colleged-aged stories tend to be about anyway, but one of the stories (the first story I ever wrote) was also about a hypothetical little-sister dying. It was also the only story written in a first-person narrative. You combine this with the general themes of broken women, failed relationships, and a smattering of pedophilia references (again, just a coincidence), and it looks like the whole thing is an allegory for trying to find/fuck my dead sister. I mean, there was one story I wrote about shooting an endangered bird, because I thought that in itself is a sad thing, but the writing is so unclear/ambiguous, in light of the sister, you'd probably think I was talking about her failed ambitions or something.

But I never had a little sister of course, just the first time I ever felt compelled to write something I was like "hey, you know what would be deep, a little sister's funeral." Herp.

>>4001682
Publish it as a collection dedicated to "[Girls name] [Your surname], 1990-1997"

>>4001704
Did I do this right?

>>4001587
Im just beginning to write seriously. What I have are 2-5 characters that are fully fleshed out. I have been mainly writing short stories about different times in their lives. The backstory of the characters and their hometown are largely based on unique people I have met and my own hometown. As far as setting up each short story, since I already know the characters so well in my head, if something piques my interest, say Halloween, I just wonder what happened to these characters on halloween in their first year of college and start writing. I always have to remember other stories though and keep consistencies. Something like that.

>>4001741
Hello Basil.

>>4001587
What the hell is going on in that image

this bitch is busted

>>4001587
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HER FEET AND LEGS?

>>4002665
She's digitigrade. And the camera fucked up her legs somehow.

why do you need to write your novel in a dedicated month?

>>4002670
and how can it be proven?

some advice, OP: never make the picture more interesting than the post.

anyways, when i outline a novel I-... HOLY SHIT IT'S A PENIS!!! THAT WOMAN HAS A NEEDLE DICK! OH GOOD LORD!

I'd suck that chick's penis all night long

>>4001587
Is that shopped?
Does she even eat?
Why would you want to be skin and bones then go for a boob job?

>outlining a novel
>not letting its twists and turns rise naturally from your thoughts as you write for an organic narrative
i never understood this

>>4002991
>Does she even eat?
Go away, fat enabler.

>>4003047
i'm so glad that i'm gay and don't have to deal with shit like this

>>4003062
So gay people don't have bodies?

>>4001644
>I don't know if this is supposed to be the joke, but the shadow on that girl's inner thigh looks like a massive dong. Just thought I'd point this out.

>tfw I'm not imaginative/analytical enough to notice those things by myself

>>4003065
No, it's just a lot easier to avoid stupid body-image obsessed gay guys than it is to avoid stupid body-image obsessed women.

Stop posting hot bitches, please. It's really distracting.

>>4003037
That's why situation writers who wing it end up having a writer's block. These novels suffer from problems (such as The Stand) which could have been prevented with outlining.

>>4003067
>it's just a lot easier to avoid stupid body-image obsessed gay guys
I usually find gay guys are the worse than straight girls and guys combined.

>>4003067
Haha, are you kidding? That's all gay guys are; body-image obsessed men. Sometimes far worse than straight girls.

>>4003074
>>4003075
>not avoiding gym bunnies and twinks and meeting actual gay people
this is like if you went to a nightclub and believed that the women you meet there are a representative sample of femininity.

>>4003077
I'm just saying that both men and women have a good amount of people obsessed with body image.

>>4003077
>not avoiding gym bunnies and twinks and meeting actual gay people

How do you guys meet? Do you use those phone apps, or approach random men and hope they are gay too?

>>4003082
Correct! But I find that it's easier to discern between the two when you're talking about gay men. Thus, they're easier to avoid.
>>4003083
Either? I use gay apps, but mostly because I'm better in text than in person. Most people I know meet through mutual acquaintances or LGBT groups.

>>4003067
>it's just a lot easier to avoid stupid body-image obsessed...

What's wrong with spending a little time in the gym and sculpting the body you want?

>>4003074
what awful shorts

>>4003083
yes answer this please yes

>>4003085
There's nothing wrong with being physically fit. Lord knows I'm not, but there's a difference between 'being healthy/having the body you want' and being obsessed with image and physical fitness.

>>4001644
that's a shadow
what

>>4003088
It's not an obsession. I see it as more of a hobby.

I started working out, going to the gym twice a week, and liked the results I was getting. So I started paying attention to my diet, and working a PP split 3x a week. I was making better progress, really enjoying it, so I started tracking my macro intake and ensuring I got over 160g of protein a day.

Then I started tracking everything I eat with a phone app, working each muscle group once every 72 of 48 hours depending on the muscle type, and devoting a set portion of my time to developing my body.

Some people would think I'm obsessed, but I don't see it like that. Improving my body is a constant activity that I love doing. It doesn't interfere with the rest of my life, and it's a 'hobby' that I enjoy giving a lot of attention too.

>>4003088
"In every demand, therefore, which can be laid upon the body it is much better that it should be in the best condition; since, even where you might imagine the claims upon the body to be slightest—in the act of reasoning—who does not know the terrible stumbles which are made through being out of health?

It is a base thing for a man to wax old in careless self-neglect before he has lifted up his eyes and seen what manner of man he was made to be, in the full perfection of bodily strength and beauty. But these glories are withheld from him who is guilty of self-neglect, for they are not wont to blaze forth unbidden."

>>4003115
That's why Socrates squatted ATG three times a week.

>>4003068
>hot bitches
>Fucking toothpicks
WTF

>>4003145
hambeast detected.

>>4003145
Beggars can't be choosers.

>>4001644
OP subconciously likes traps, it's all right we all do...right??

>>4003185
Who said i begging?
My hand and the internet are doing fine.
I am not into prepubescent boys if that is your thing... i am not judging.

If i am a "fat enabler" for wanting this, then so be it.

>>4003203
>subconsciously
I dated one.

>>4003238
Yes, that is disgusting, and a result of a decadent, overeating, fast-food society. A body fat percentage like that is vile - all that excess fat tissue hanging around the body.. uugh.

You, sir, are a fat enabler, and should be castrated.

>>4003264
>implying a body like that is natural
that skinny bitch couldn't outrun a bear
meanwhile, the beautiful fertile goddess linked above could mother sixteen children and have the energy reserves to survive a harsh winter with little food
you are denying your primal biology

>>4003272
In this modern day and age being overweight as a female is synonymous of belonging to a lower class, especially in youth. As a woman being in shape denotes an avaliability of time and resources with which to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

>>4003272
>that skinny bitch couldn't outrun a bear
She could outrun the landwhale you posted, who would who stop to wheeze against a tree.

>could mother sixteen children and have the energy reserves to survive a harsh winter with little food
So not only do you want a fat wife, you want her to breed sixteen little fat kids too?

>you are denying your primal biology
This body is what the female form looks like. This is what the cave-woman, living on berries and nuts and devouring a deer once a month looks like - this is the primal woman in a shaven state. Yours has a body sculpted by mountain dew and doritos, exercised only by the laboured wobble across the room to turn the television on.

>>4003302
>no fat reserves
have fun during the cold months
i didn't post the above picture, by the way. i'm gay.

>>4003313
What cold months? It's the goddamn 21st century. If you have the money for the PC you've typed that on, you should have the money to afford something as basic as fucking central heating. It's not even an issue.

>>4003326
The other guy was talking about cavewomen.

>>4003330
Crap. Missed that.
But it's still not relevant today, so I don't know why we're arguing about it or why I even got involved in the first place.

>>4003332
why does /lit/ argue about anything?
we're all autistic.

>>4003326

I'm going to agree with the gay guy, and I'm not gay

Clearly you've never had a girlfriend. Enjoy your vapid cunt whose no better than a cum sock.

And yes, chubbier women are better. They no doubtfully have a better self image than those cumdumpsters who starve themselves just to fit in

>>4003264
>a result of a decadent, overeating, fast-food society
Actually, it's a scientifically proven fact that men from overeating societies like skinny girls more.

>>4003367
>And yes, chubbier women are better. They no doubtfully have a better self image than those cumdumpsters who starve themselves just to fit in

MUH ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE

>>4003404
>>>/pol/

>>4003404
>MUH EVERYTHING IS ABOUT ME COMPLEX

settle down squirt

>>4003367
>Clearly you've never had a girlfriend.
What a baseless attack. This is probably the second worst of the empty 4chan arguments after "you must be a virgin".

>>4003420
You must be a virgin

>>4003367
>And yes, chubbier women are better.
Facebook agrees.

Chubby girls and skinny girls are both great, okay?

>>4003431
>not liking chubby women
>not acknowledging that physical fitness is a good thing
both of these things are bad

>>4003434
NO

>>4003444
>associating being fat with being a horrible person
c'mon man, you're better than this

>>4003449
Fatness is indicative of gluttony - an altogether repulsive and degenerative trait that demonstrates poor moral fiber.

>>4003444
chubby != fat

>>4003434
Christina Hendricks' size is the chubbiest I'll go. I simply have no attraction to women larger.

>>4003449
I honestly think there is a strong correlation. someone who refuses to take care of their body, is less likely to take care of their mind. It just shows idleness and zero motivation.

>>4003454
Yeah, just because you've read classic philosophy doesn't make it or you right.

>>4003367
>implying you're not some fatty women

>>4003404
>>4003420

Fags detected. I bet you think the faggot on the left looks better than the man on the right as well right?

Stop being a stupid animal and stop thinking with your dick. Muscle and fat are good

>>4003457
Chubby is fat.

>>4003462
As a gay dude? Yeah, I'd totally fuck the guy on the left. Guy on the right is far too muscular for my tastes.

>>4003460
The gluttonous lack proper self-restraint, turn the human form into something ugly, and often are riddled with any number of nauseating hygienic complications.

The fat should be imprisoned until all of the Crisco is sweated through their pores.

>>4003462
They are men, and the guy on the right is sub 15% body fat.

If their thighs touch, they should lose weight.

>>4003431
>Facebook agrees.

>>4003462
Guy on the right has an unaesthetic face, making the guy on the left more attractive.

>>4003479
>Guy on the left takes off his goggles
>Eyes are crossed and touching nose

Mine is about a man who wakes up in a mysterious cafe and the customers represent different parts of his psyche. The MC ends up helping the customers deal with their problems while conquering his own.

>>4001587
I just start writing until I've got a first draft finished. Then I work on fleshing it out and formatting it into a sequence however I see fit. It never turns out the way I envisioned if I have a defined plan to begin with anyway, so I figure the sooner I have something concrete to work on refining, the better.

>>4003476
>It's my body...
The think is, it has an huge effect on me. 35.9% of the population are obese, and 66% are overweight. The obese can consume upwards of 10,000kcal a day. Ignoring the food demand, your overeating fat-ass is a burden on my health service. Now you have obesity as a disease, your insurance covers treatment, and my insurance costs rocket.

You are unpleasant to look at, you use and waste more than you need, you use up medical treatment unnecessarily, you raise my insurance, you use more fuel to move around, you require more land to be farmed, you're slow, fat, lazy, ugly, disgusting pieces of shit... Not only is your greed a hazard to yourself, it's a hazard to me and the rest of the world.

>>4003508
>fascist
Fucking libs today throw that word around without knowing what it means.

>>4003499
Eh, I have one 75k draft I wrote without outlining, and it feels too laborious to rewrite it into something better. I just started on another project, this time outlining... I will sooner or later do something with the first manuscript, just don't know what I want it to be like, yet.

>>4003547
Just what I was thinking. When words are used without proper thought, they become meaningless. Hence Fascist is now totally disconnected (at least in America) from the ethno-Nationalist corporatist organic state. This cannot be beneficial.

>>4003508
You realize that those economic impacts are all immaterial right?

>>4003589
That's usually how I handle it as well. I usually let my first drafts sit for a while before getting back to work on them. Helps me parse all of the ideas that I got during the initial writing process.

>>4003459
I'm not so sure about that. I think it's a good bet when it comes to obese people like the one pictured, but I've met tons of those lame, BodyBuilding.com dudes IRL who talk the "mind and body" schpiel but are just braindead douchebags who believe in a fratboy version of New Age philosophy.

>>4003508
I wanted to remain neutral on this stupid discussion but I agree with this.

>>4003367
Current girlfriend weighs 130 lbs. Sorry bro.
Clearly you don't know shit about people.

>have written a few short stories
>feel negatively about them
>drag my heels when actually sitting down and writing
>have tons of stories in my head

I can't bring myself to sit down and write them out. I hate myself and get frustrated as I write and don't even feel good when I'm done. I just want to forget about all these characters, events and places in my head.

Help.

>>4003936
check out charts 7 and 8, about women and self-confidence. Results are a bit surprising...

http://blog.okcupid.com/

>>4005354
I'll just post the graph from here for y'all. This is from self-reported data. This means, women 30 years and older who label themselves curvy also report being more confident than girls who label themselves thin.

>>4005365
There is a big difference between curvy and fat.
A lot of fucks calling girls with belly folds and lap over bellies "thicK" and "curvy".
Curvy is when you have a flast stomach and meat in the right places i.e. ass, thighs, hips, many boobs. Anywhere else got extra you fat.

>>4005224
So just write a few images down, I can't stand writing characters as if I know how somebody would ever act.

>>4005365
doesn't necessarily mean that they are

>>4001587
The shadow on her leg looks like a massive penis.

>>4007658
see
>>4001644

>>4001644
Are you gonna publish your collection anywhere. I would be interested in it, maybe give a sample.