/lit/ - Literature

Force yourself to write like somebody who isn't a pussy nigga with no willpower.

No, I can't do it either.

>>6977929
for me
Outlining>reading>going outside>>>>>>>>4chan

But insert ten million >>> in front of outlining, and you have 'just force yourself to write you pussy nigga'

>>6977992
Writing>Outlining>Internet>Reading>Going Outside

At least atm for me

scare yourself go on a roller coaster, your life has become mundane, a process of visualization, look in your room see a fly, you see it, now imagine yourself outside of yourself and into the fly, you have forgotten who you are, your imagination has become like an empty shoe, put something in it

henry you have to think faggot

>>6977929

Writer's Block is a myth. If you're thinking about what to write next, or what you've already written, that's as good as writing. You can't just squeeze a novel out like a turd.

Massive self destructive amphetamine and vodka binge with the biggest scum bags I can find

>>6977929
For me it's been a slow process of figuring out what makes me depressed, what picks me up, what gets me pumped up and in the mood to write, and what gets me inspired and reminds me why I want to write.

Often times music is my best go to when I get bad writers block, but I need to be in a not depressed mood for it too work. If I feel tired or angry, ain't gonna happen, so I have to get myself in a more positive mood.

From there I go on long walks with music and think about my characters and let the music I'm listening to define the scenes they are playing out in my mind. If it's a slow sad song, it gets me thinking of sad scenes, and vice versa.

Next to that, reading good stories often inspires me because I want to write something that makes someone else feel the way that that author made me feel. Movies have sometimes done that to me to.

So basically for me it's health first, then getting in a good mood, then getting inspired. I write because I enjoy it, and that is my main reason. If I were trying to write for money and ONLY money, I don't think I could do it.

>>6978537
absolutely this.

/thread

>>6978598
That is definitely important, but I think many people consider writers block when you get stuck in a point in the story where you don't know what to write next, or you just don't FEEL like writing for long periods of time. I've done that a lot, even though I might have the characters on my mind. Sometimes the story just doesn't come.

>>6978604
True, but at least for me, that's a large part of the excitement. Sometimes you won't know if something works or not until you try it, right? That's where the beauty lies in writing. You can write pages upon pages only to scrap all of them because a small sequence of events completely flips the outcome and everything directly leading up to it. I don't know, but it's always been fun and exciting for me.

who cares? you're never gonna finish your novel. you're never gonna be published in anything. you'll occasionally type up some random and SUPER DEEP stream of consciousness ramblings into microsoft word, but they'll never amount to anything other a disjointed mess of a story told from the perspective of a jaded, white middle class nobody who's never experienced anything in life yet thinks he has something to say.

>>6978616
Actually, ya I've done that a couple times. It is pretty fun I admit, especially when your reading through a chapter you've done and something in it sparks you to completely change something else-like you said with the outcome- and then WOOM! I'm off writing ten pages!
>>6978619
Why don't you take that and make it into something like a comic?

I know everyone sees this as edgy teenager reading, but I really enjoy the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comics. It doesn't have a consistent story line, but the comedy is still very enjoyable. I think at least.

>>6978619
This is true if this is really: a) what you believe; b) what you actually do. If you truly want to write and get published, you have to write. It sounds basic, but that's really all there is to it. Of course, part of the writing process involves active reading, constant--to the point of obsession--revision and actually getting out and experiencing life, because it's painfully obvious, especially in beginning writers' works, when a story is merely a collection of false notions and supposed abstractions, whereupon the writer wanted to venture outside of what they know to the point of making up bullshit just because it sounds intellectual. Those are the kinds of writers you want to really advise, because more often than not, those are the ones who really want to become better writers but just don't know how to go about it. At least, that's been my experience in workshops and the like.

>>6978660
Huh..do you consider that to be the same with fiction writing? Because I've never been one to read many biographical type things, or reports unless it's on a subject that interests me. Usually though I don't seek out true story/informative writing, but rather fiction stories, and what I've noticed is important to me in fiction is how well I can relate to the character, or at least understand them and their plight. Books that tug my emotions around really get me too, and though I know not many people like Dean koontz on this board, his Odd Thomas stories are like art to me. The character is so relate able to me and I've cried many times from this series so far.

>>6977929
I remind myself that I'll never accomplish my dreams and move on to something worthwhile.

>>6978501
Thank you

>>6978717
>I remind myself that I'll never accomplish my dreams
And that's exactly why you still haven't, anon.

>>6978693
I'm almost exclusively speaking about fiction, but creative writing in any form, including non-fiction, still follows these basic rules, in my opinion. The thing is, the more you experience of the world, the more tangible the word becomes to you, the easier it is for you to turn your feelings, reactions, emotions to that tangibility into words. DFW has a quote I always find myself returning to: "How odd I can have all this inside me and to you it's just words." I love this passage/quote because there's so much to unpack. When you truly think about it, the purpose of fiction (and creative writing in general) it to express in words what cannot normally be expressed. Beautiful writing connects with people in a way that makes them think to themselves and say s/he wrote this book for me.

>>6978751
Well...you just made me basically speechless haha. I totally agree with you. I don't it really clicked in my head, but the last couple years I've been trying really hard to write from experience. And as far as experiencing the world, I don't know if I'll ever be able to do something like travel around the world, but the places I have traveled, I try hard to describe them in my fiction. Not just the way it looked, but how I felt while I was there. I'll take a one of my characters, put him in a similar environment, then take the way I felt there and tweak it to how my CHARACTER might feel in that same place.

>>6978782
That's great, anon. The good news is, stories worth remembering really take character to heart (pun?). Meaning, great fiction is usually character-driven in a way that makes the plot, themes, symbols, etc., naturally flow. That is, in order to write [literary] fiction that's true to the form, it must speak to the human condition in ways that ask open-ended questions that lead us to further discover ourselves, our motivations and aspirations. How you do that as a writer is deeply personal and specific to you; your voice, tone, style are all common elements of successful fiction, yes, but they're also deeply rooted in your experience as an individual, in terms of how you subjectively experience and subsequently view the world. A few years ago I was reading Kerouac's On The Road, and it bothered to me hell and back every time I read "s/he was called [insert name]". I hated the use of "called" as opposed to, say, "named", but after contemplating it for some time, it dawned on me that that simple word choice, although stylistic in nature, also spoke to the specific way Kerouac viewed, experienced and expressed himself, even in ways I could never hypothesize. A simple word choice really helped me have my first real "aha" moment in fiction, a moment in which I was able to begin to notice and appreciate nuances that might otherwise go unnoticed to the less considerate reader. That's why I strongly emphasize close reading/active reading, even when you're reading for "leisure'", because as a writer, it's your job to notice these things and reflect on them as you continue to define and redefine your own writing voice.

As far as experience goes, you need not climb Mount Everest or visit the Pyramids every summers; I think the main point I'm trying to make is to reflect on how even the simplest experiences made you feel and try to put them into words in ways that are uniquely you. It's amazing how mundane real life can be, but haven't you ever noticed how that one friend of yours whom you know blows everything out of proportion and exaggerates the hell out of everything is an amazing storyteller? There's a reason for that, to be sure.

>>6978782
Also, something very important to remember is this: in order to break the rules, you first have to learn them. A bit of "formal" instruction on the craft of creative writing (fiction and/or nonfiction) can really help guide you in terms of learning the proper conventions, that way you can pick and choose and incorporate them in ways that are uniquely you. The best book for this is A Norton Guide to Creative Writing: The Making of a Story. This is the single most important book I own on writing on my bookshelf at any given time. It's a great first stop (and, really, great for any writer of any experience) for a beginning writer, and you'll always find yourself referring back to it time and time again. I strongly suggest you structure your time in a way that allows you to work through in in no longer than 3-4 months or so. It's roughly 16 chapters, so a chapter a week is reasonable enough to allow you the freedom, motivation, determination to put what you've learned into practice. Of course this means doing all of the writing activities and exercises, and most importantly, never throwing any of them away. A good indicator that you're meant to write is when you find yourself indefinitely disappointment by your work. It sound jarring, but trust me, all writers are hypercritical of themselves, and that's usually a strong indication that you're meant to write.

>>6978868
lots of typos, sorry. I hope most of it is at least a little bit comprehensible.

>>6978836
>>6978868
Totally agree with you on all these points. I'll definitely check that book out too.

Also, would probably give you some huge response in return for all that info, but I'm so freakin tired today haha. My brain just won't even.

I know your going under the anon tag, but I hope to see you around on this board more. I've been lurking for a couple months on and off trying to get a feel for the place, but it's rare that these types of threads pop up where you can get some good discussion going.

>>6978868
This is incredibly helpful. Cheers, anon

>>6978905
Glad to help, friend. Do you normally use that tripcode? I'll be around for sure. This is my favorite board. Don't worry about responding to my wall(s) of text, haha. I'm just glad they were of some use. Take care, and see you around.

>>6978942
Happy to help, anon.

I've never really had writers block before. I'm almost done with my second book too. I tend to think, if you get to a point where you can't think of any more ideas for something, then it probably wasn't a good idea to begin with. I find good ideas can breed an almost infinite amount of other good ideas. Most things i write i have to cut out a lot of the mediocre stuff. Never really had the problem of not having enough.

I've gotten hung up a few times, where i just stop writing and fuss over something i'm writing, wanting it to be more or better, but then i eventually reason that it doesn't necessarily have to be, it's always just some transitionary thing anyway, i should just write what i had in mind and them move the fuck on.

>>6977929
>being super
>drinking red label

>>6978945
See ya
>>6978964
>I've gotten hung up a few times, where i just stop writing and fuss over something i'm writing, wanting it to be more or better, but then i eventually reason that it doesn't necessarily have to be, it's always just some transitionary thing anyway, i should just write what i had in mind and them move the fuck on.

This is what I'm currently tackling

>>6978868
pirating the shit out of this rn tbh. thanks for the recommend, anon.

>>6978501
>scare myself

Nigga I'm getting evicted so that's a check.

This has been a helpful thread. Thanks, guys.