/lit/ - Literature

my sister is really quite the talker, and i've showed her some of my writing, so it's sorta unavoidable from time to time. also sometimes my mother. it's very awkward.
i've talked about it with friends whose taste I trust. mostly for being writers themselves.

I won't admit that I write unless I get published.

>>7245754
This.

>>7245719

I talk about it all the time but I make sure to pretend it's not a serious endeavor in order to win at the humility wars

>>7245781

>>7245781
The same, except I admit it's a serious endeavor, but doubt its quality, to win at the humility wars.

I really gotta stop fighting in the humility wars.

I've given copies of some of my novellas to friends before and they seem to enjoy them, enough to ask for more.

My brother, on the other hand, I've tried showing my writing to, and he says "I can't even read this. All I can think is 'wow i could do this better. it's not your book, it's all books, this is why i don't read, it all seems so childish, and i just feel like i could do it better without trying.'

Keep in mind he has never tried creative writing before.

Does /lit/ know anyone like my brother?

>>7245719
Yes. My family is very interested and supportive, and I'm friends with a lot of writers I met in college as well as a few professors. I keep in touch and we read each others work sometimes. I've got a half dozen people lined up to read the first draft of my novel soon.

By the way, if you're good, girls love it if you claim to be some sort of artist. I took one writing workshop in college where I was bringing in by far the most interesting stories, and the way girls responded was actually shocking.

>>7245863
Sounds like he would fit in here.

>>7245863
People that can't or won't create always try and destroy. Keep writing and tell your brother to lick the back of your sack when he says that negative shit

>>7245863
Tom? i mean it, its nothing personal

>>7245924
kid

>>7245863
Your brother sounds like a trailer-dwelling loser. I know plenty of those and he'd fit right in.

>>7245880
>audience pussy is real
thank god

I refuse to acknowledge I am ever writing anything or have written anything. Most people I know don't even have a clue and I want to keep it that way.

Writing is more shameful than masturbation.

I talk about writing. The same way my friend's tell people that they're in a band, or that they're learning French, or that they've got a job washing dishes at restaurant. It's just something that I do. It's not necessarily going to be a lifelong career or come to anything of note, but neither are the bands my mates are in. It's a part of who I am and it's the way I truly express myself. I read, and I write, and I love both activities. There's nothing embarrassing about it. Maybe I'll submit some of my stories to magazines or something soon, maybe not, I don't really care.

i actually don't worry too much about whether or not I have any talent because a pretty well known australian poet (won age book of the year once) lives near me and I've shown him my writing and he likes it. if it wasn't for him reaffirming my talent I'd probably have given up by now

>>7245979
speaking of which tbh knowing people of great taste liking your work feels amazing

>>7245979
>if it wasn't for him reaffirming my talent I'd probably have given up by now
Seriously, contact with established author can be so helpful. I had a professor who was a big name back in his day whose support has kept me going with a seriousness I might not have found otherwise.

>>7245979
tfw when you overhear him talking about how bad it is and how he lied to make you feel better

>>7245916
>People that can't or won't create always try and destroy.
What? Elaborate that sentence.

>>7245761
>>7245754
>>7245959
Why?
>Writing is more shameful than masturbation.
Please explain.

>>7246217
>>>7245916
>>People that can't or won't create always try and destroy.
>What? Elaborate that sentence.

It's just a human universal, but I'd modify it by saying that the same is also true of some subset of creative types as well. There are only two audiences that matter - the people who will actually pay for it, which you can only find on publication, and the judgment of history, which is totally out of your control.

I'm just really careful about who I let see things because my ego is a tiny, fragile thing which easily shrivels up in the sunlight. But for some reason I can accept the harsh judgment of Mr. Market without blinking.

>>7246238
So, the sentence:
>People that can't or won't create always try and destroy.
is just the poor man's defence mechanism against valid criticism?

>>7246468
I don't think it's talking about valid criticism - though it often takes a mature mind to accept valid criticism when it's delivered. The post in question I took to refer to knee-jerk disparagement, which is also a thing.

>>7245754
This tbh

I wouldn't even call myself a writer until I get published.

I also don't know anybody who reads, let alone writes.

>>7246217
>>Writing is more shameful than masturbation.
>Please explain.

Okay, it's basically an act of supreme narcissism. With a painting, someone can spend a few seconds to look at what you made. When you make a movie, there are participants on screen that they can empathize with. When you make a song, it's probably about a few minutes long. When you ask someone to read a novel you wrote, which is around 250-400 words, you're asking them to invest an EXTENDED period of time essentially reading your thoughts. It's egotism in purest form.

>>7246494
But justified and respectable if they're entertained.

There's something vaguely seedy about the unpublished author, it's true, but we've all been him at some point. The metric of non-shame is moving product.

>>7246600

Rats, I meant to put "pages" instead of "words." I really shouldn't multi-task (grading papers and drinking coffee and scanning muh /lit/)

And glad you see what I mean. When I did mention to someone years ago I've written a whole bunch of stuff the other person said, "So what, you sit in a dark room and just write about yourself?" Not exactly, but it's how it sounds.

>>7246494
If the goal of the writer is to entertain the reader then it's not narcissistic.

>>7246468
No It's not a defense mechanism it's truth.

It wasn't valid critsim that his brother was giving him. He didn't say your vocabulary is to expansive or small or your prose is bad he said I can do better without even trying but he never will.

That posters work could and possibly does suck but the only way to get better is to keep writing day in and day out.

This is a fact a lot of posters on lit seem to miss they think your born good or you will forever suck and while in rare instances people can be born great 99% of us have to put in countless hours to do what we want from learning an instrument, language wood working etc etc

Yeah, my endeavors are typically interesting imo and I have some talent

>>7245863
Could I read one?

>>7246807
Fag

>>7246807
You could.
I sell novellas on amazon
But I'd never link them on /lit/

I used to show teachers my writing when I was younger. But I stopped when I realized they were fucking idiots. I realized this when they didn't even attempt to bridge my writing and just said they understand, whereas my peers actually gave me feedback, to my surprise. When your peers at a shit school give you better feedback than the people who are supposed to be teaching you, you get kind of bummed out.
Now I don't write anything because I'm a lunatic and I hate myself and I'm a shit writer anyway. Fucking god dammit. I'm so fucking wired right now I want to fight somebody. What the fuck.

>>7247114
*just said they don't understand

>>7246238
Stop ripping off Fahrenheit 451

>>7247114
What kind of stuff do you write, lunanon?

No. I've had two short stories published in regional reviews and both were under pen-names. People know I read a lot and some know I keep a journal but I never talk about creative writing. Honestly I hardly ever want to.

>>7247133
And yet here you are

>>7247140
two short stories is very small. doing it under a pen-name is even less. under two pen names? so inconsequential it hurts.

that's why he's still here.

>>7245719
Only to certain friends or when people ask.

>>7247129
Weird shit. Quasi fantasy where there was like this kid and his brother went crazy and wants to destroy the world. I was a lot younger, you understand. It's was uncomfortably sexual. There was this friendly cannibal, I just remember this really fucking graphic scene where he eats someone, and "he chews he way up, tearing with his teeth and the skin opens up like on a jagged seam," or something like that. Also something with a tree where the MC gets strangled.

There was another one, and it was an unreliable narrator but in a third person point of view of this girl who falls in love with a boy and makes him her god to the point that she eventually wants to destroy him - but you don't really find out until the end that the boy doesn't really register what's going on until it's too late to escape. Happy end though.

I have this obsession with unhealthy, but happy relationships.

Now I just world build without actually writing any stories.

>>7247166
World-building is half the battle. If a world is vibrant enough, no one would care even if you are a shitty author. I couldn't stand the writing in Malazan, but I read the whole damn series because the world was so well done.

>>7247195
When I world build, I do everything. I drew a topographical map, territory boarders, fucking war plans including important battles, trade routes, water routes and currents, natural occurrences, mythology (details of which change depending on region), social systems, slang, economics, etc, etc. I go full autist.

I just have a problem with names. They're all vaguely asain in that awkward WOW fantasy bullshit way, with the dark elves on the front with Axes. Urg.

I fucking love world building. It's literally all I do. I need a ghost writer, that's what I need.

>>7247236
>I just have a problem with names. They're all vaguely asain in that awkward WOW fantasy bullshit way

I think I've thought of a better way of ding fantasy names. Go back *really* old English, pick some words that could have been used as names but weren't, and also aren't identifiable as English words anymore. Now change their pronunciation in accordance to how phonemes in English has changed. You should have some names that sound like English names but aren't.

If you want the names to sound foreign either pick another, perhaps obscure, language, or imagine that the language changed in different ways.

>>7247265
That's a good idea, thanks.

I used to a lot, to other people and especially myself. Now I really prefer not to.

For me, investigation and analysis of creativity is only harmful to the process.

I've tried to talk to people about it. Most of them shrugged it off, or ignore me when I even begin a sentence with "I have this idea for a short story". A few of my friends are supportive, but I've been trying to find other people in my area that enjoy writing.
Also, my mother and father aren't that supportive. I'm doing my senior project on writing, and I'm trying really hard to get motivated. The only problem is, I don't have anyone to help motivate me, or kick me into gear.

To everyone except for my closest friends. Which sounds backwards. I don't know why. Some of my professors know (duh, kinda, since I'm a Lit major they were bound to find out), mommy and daddy since it is something I was excited about when I was younger, my roommate because it's hard to hide. Every stranger that walks by when I am writing in public. But not my friends. I wonder why.

>>7248637
>I'm trying really hard to get motivated
This might be an edgy statement, because of it's implications: It seems to me that you rely on external motivation for your writing. Why do you write then at all?

>>7247133
I once told a close friend about the fact that I keep a journal. It was a bit cringeworthy. Wouldnevertellanybodyagainaboutmydiarytbh/10.

Bump, because this thread offers insight.

In my shitty room above my computer I have the names of short stories and maybe novels im writing. so whenever a friend comes into my room (which is not often) they ask what that is and I tell them. Sometimes they ask to read what I have and sometimes say nothing more. When they ask to read my writing 90% of the time I tell them its not ready which for the most part is true. But I am afraid they will feel like the horrible shit I write is the true persona of myself which would only hurt me.

My parents read a little and recently told me they didn't even know I still wrote and asked if they could read it sometime. Which would probably be a very bad idea. They were quite innocent and I believe the should stay that way. I love them and don't want to show them vulgarity or sickness created by their son. But sooner or later if I keep going they will see it all.

>Being that guy that has been "working on a novel" forever, and makes sure everyone around you knows it

>>7245719
I do, me and my friends discuss my plotlines sometimes and they influence me. Sometimes I get them to write poems or chapters if I want a certain section to have a different 'feel' to it, like having someone feature on a song.
Stories exist as both written and spoken words and it's important to explore your own writing in both mediums.

Quite a few people at work, most of my friends and a couple of family members know I write. My best friend wants to go into the film industry and his GF is actually really knowledgeable and a decent director.

One of my friends read my 7k word short story and said that he enjoyed it, even though I think it's terribly unfinished and inconsistent.

I'm currently nearly 40k words into my novel and I can't get a single person to take the time to even read a few pages to get some feedback.

Also one of my friend's girlfriends is writing a YA fantasy novel that we all take the piss out of behind her back, as it is legitimately the worst thing I've ever read. She's like 60k words in after 3 years and it's 99% trash.

>>7250861

>Also one of my friend's girlfriends is writing a YA fantasy novel that we all take the piss out of behind her back, as it is legitimately the worst thing I've ever read. She's like 60k words in after 3 years and it's 99% trash.

thats depressing. Tell her that so she stops that shit. Also whats it about?

>>7250861
>One of my friends read my 7k word short story and said that he enjoyed it
Did she lie?
>I'm currently nearly 40k words into my novel and I can't get a single person to take the time to even read a few pages to get some feedback.
Do you want to drop me a mail?

>>7250887

I don't know what it's about, I read the first five chapters and the viewpoint changed multiple times, therefore I have a few bits and pieces of three different storylines.

I wish I had the time to read the whole thing, but I don't want to spend 10 hours reading something terrible. I did give her a lot of feedback, trying not to be completely negative, but I don't know whether she's going to edit it any time soon.

>>7250894
No idea whether he lied, he doesn't read much, so he wasn't the best person to go to for feedback, but it gave me a little hope I'm not completely awful.

And sure, I'll send you a message. If you have anything you'd like looking at I'd be happy to have a read too.

>>7247114

Chill the fuck out, Hemingway.

No, and if for whatever reason I got published it would be under a pen name.

>>7250964

I agree, I'd love the money, the idea people are reading and hopefully enjoying something I created, but I feel like I'd hate the fame.

>>7245719
only told a few people by accident. never went so far as to pretend that I didn't

writing isn't something to be proud of, especially if you've never produced anything worthwhile

>>7251089

I think it's definitely true you shouldn't act like you're proud of it, or like it makes you better than anyone.

Though if anyone says "So you're a writer"/"So you want to be a writer", I'll always say no, because being/wanting to be a writer is just a romanticised fantasy, simply writing is something completely different.

>>7245719
No.
I mean, people know I do it and sometimes I'll talk a little bit about it.
But mostly, I keep it to myself.
No one wants to hear about your stupid book.

>>7247114
Both my peers and my teachers never really gave me any interesting feedback.

>>7250942
I hate Hemingway, too. What a blowhard.

>>7251202
Yeah, I was actually really surprised. One of the girls didn't seem like the kind to read much, and the school was a 3rd rank school for poor people and people who flunked out of the better ones anyway, so I was really surprised and very pleased that she gave me such earnest and involved feedback.

>inb4 idiot
I had moved from out of country, and it was the only class with an immigrant class to catch me up on the language.

>>7247099

>self-publishing

says everything tbh

>>7250927

post an excerpt or ur work here and we'll tell you if it's good m8

>>7250927
>If you have anything you'd like looking at I'd be happy to have a read too.
I'm working on it, but it might take some years.

>>7251379

I post excerpts in critique threads from time to time, to mixed feedback depending on what I post, but I'll pastebin a chapter below as an example.Bearing in mind it's un-edited.(Excuses, excuses)

Here's one of the shortest chapters in the book, enjoy(hopefully):

http://pastebin.com/NKJejhRu

>>7251423
The prose isn't bad but a lot of the content (dialogue, mostly) is pretty cliche. Maybe that's what you're going for, though. Also, if you had someone to edit the writing it'd probably be a lot better, because you already have a base level of writing skill.

Just my opinion though.

>>7251635

Yeah, I'm definitely going to get a lot of feedback where I can and look to finding someone to help me edit when it's done.

My main problem is definitely the dialogue, you're right, I think I suck at it, though I'm trying to improve.