/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.18011677]

How I do get better at writing? I lacked consistency in my schooling due to moving a lot while growing up. I've always enjoyed reading pretty much anything, but when I feel like putting my own thoughts and opinions into words onto a screen or page, I just get frustrated or absent mindedly produce textual vomit until the length or word limit is reached. I feel as though I greatly overthink things in my head and find it very difficult to correctly say or write what I think or want to tell. Any help or insight would be very much appreciated. Thank you

[Anonymous No.18011711]

I suppose that re-reading my own work and reworking it would help. I just can't get over how my own writing just feels juvenile and reading it over again makes me feel as though its just meaningless garbage that should be crumpled up amd pitched into the nearest garbage can.

[Anonymous No.18011781]

Well it kind of varies depending on what you're trying to write, but the general consensus is that the more you write (and read!) the more you'll see improvement. Here's some ideas though:
1. Journal- Journaling is a good low-stress way to get some practice in writing. You don't have to plan anything out, just let your thoughts flow and try not to worry too much what it sounds like. Get a feel for it.
2. Read like a writer- Learn to read not just for pleasure, but as a writer. Come to understand the science behind writing like plot structures. Take time to pause and appreciate things like dialogue tags or a nicely formatted paragraph and learn what "flows" and what doesn't.
3. Apply what you learn- Try writing a short story or something, or try doing NaNoWriMo. Sit down and think about the story you want to tell and how you want to tell it. Hammer out some details before jumping into things.

After this, just write write write and read read read. You'll look back and cringe but that means you're making progress.

[Frater Asemlen !XS8vrClKs2 No.18011795]

https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysian_imitatio

Make every single great book into a textbook, analyze it deeply, pastiche multiple authors and combine them. This is the ancient way.

You most also write more often, but read, critique and analyze your work, edit it much. Never be satisfied with a first draft.

You must read more, the greatest writers all took from the giants of the past and modernized it, fused it, recombined it. You can’t go 10 lines in paradise lost without finding a reference, quote, inversion or the like to some other great work.

If possible, find other writers and share your work, critiquing each other and not boosting each other’s egos. As harsh as possible. If you can find people who will critique you and you can critique them and they are of a similar level to you? This is best.