/wg/-Writing General

[Anonymous No.18379462]

Any progress on your novels?

Previous thread:>>18370210

For Prose:
>The Art of Fiction
>Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
>On Becoming A Novelist
>Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
>How Fiction Works
>The Rhetoric of Fiction
>Steering the Craft
>On Writing, Borges

For Poetry:
>The Poetry Home Repair Manual
>Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry
>This Craft of Verse, Borges

Related Material:
>What Editors Do
>A Student's Introduction to English Grammar
>Garner's Modern English Usage

Suggested books on storytelling:
>The Weekend Novelist
>Aristotle's Poetics
>Hero With a Thousand Faces
>Romance the Beat

Suggested books on getting your fucking work done you lazy piece of shit:
>Deep Work
>Atomic Habits

Traditional publishing
> Formatting manuscript
https://blog.reedsy.com/manuscript-format/
> Write a query
https://www.janefriedman.com/query-letters/
> Track your query
https://querytracker.net/

Other Resources
>General grammar/syntax/editing help
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
> When/where/how should I write?
https://jamesclear.com/daily-routines-writers
> What software should I write with?
https://self-publishingschool.com/book-writing-software-best/
> Amazon Publishing to make that KDP monie
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200635650
> Be like Charles Dickens and write serially
https://www.royalroad.com/
> Basic overview of the Screenplay format
https://screenwriting.info/

[Anonymous No.18379497]

Reminder that, if you are asking for advice, present an excerpt if possible so people can better understand what the problem is.

[Anonymous No.18379523]

I emerged from the nightmare, frightened, looked around, and when I didn't recognize anything, neither the room nor the furniture, I started to scream - and haven't stopped since. My brain must have suffered terrible damage that night. The memories of my previous life, my life before the illness, are fragmentary - an image from childhood here and there, mostly smells, but nothing coherent, only particulars emerging from the fog and disappearing again. Write a poem about it, compare my memory to clouds and open graves. But hush now. There is a knock on my hospital room - not behind the door - behind the window.

The later it got, the more people were on drugs. In that respect, the party seemed to be going well. If I'd had a girlfriend on my arm, it would have been even better, of course, but I made do with a passing joint. We sat on the balcony, outside the city at night, the starless sky - I wanted to think of something poetic, but found my head as so often without suitable content...

To unlock the whole story, subscribe to my patreon account fpr only 1$ per month.

[Anonymous No.18379569]

>>18379497
But if I write how do I know I’m not copying myself? Is character development just a reflection of my own personal self actualization?

[Anonymous No.18379657]

“Are you familiar with Nosferatu?” asked Van Hassain.

Jamarcus and Moesha Harker shook their heads.

Abrafo Van Hassain explained, “Count Blackula is a member of the Nosferatu race. They are similar to what you call vampires. Immortal beings, undead, and very powerful. They possess superhuman strength, superhuman speed, can climb up buildings, cast no reflection, and can transform into bats and dogs.”

By this time, all the African cassava biscuits were eaten, and the rooibos herbal teapot had been refilled twice.

“I am convinced that Lupita is not dead,” continued Van Hassain. “Count Blackula has bitten her, and she has become a vampiress.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Jamarcus.

Moesha said, “Count Blackula did purchase real estate in Whitby. The timeline for Lupita’s sudden decline in health and the count’s move to Yorkshire match up.”

“That’s so sad for poor Lupita,” said Jamarcus. “Well, thank you for telling us, Dr. Van Hassain. I’ll see you out.”

“Jamarcus!” said Moesha. “Lupita is my best friend. We have to help her. Doctor, what should we pack for our trip to Whitby?”

“No, I will return to Whitby by myself,” said the doctor. “It is too dangerous for you to hunt vampires.”

“See, Moesha?” said Jamarcus. “It’s too dangerous and the doctor can handle it himself.”

But Moesha would not be swayed.

“If Count Blackula is as dangerous as you say he is, you’ll need help. I may not be as strong as a man, but I can be useful in other ways. And I know that Jamarcus is more courageous than he let’s on. Let us come with you.”

“You’re right. The more people who fight Count Blackula, the more likely we’ll succeed,” said Van Hassain. “I’ll also telegram Dr. Seward, so he knows of our plan.”

The three new friends stood up. Moesha gathered notes and documents, Jamarcus packed clothes and supplies, and Dr. Van Hassain waited by the window.

“Our journey will end in death if we are unprepared,” said Van Hassain. “We must go to my home in the Netherlands, where I have all my vampire hunting supplies. Pack, quickly!”

[Anonymous No.18379664]

>>18379470
I wanna write more but I have a lot of school work and I'm the type of person that cant multitask. I think Ill start again in september or something

[Anonymous No.18379689]

>>18379657
what happened to having the dialogue be in ebonics? I thought this whole project was for the sake of worshipping the 'nobility' of blacks or some shit
gutted and soulless

[Anonymous No.18379701]

>>18379664
ngmi

15 minutes = 250 wordss, 4 times a day, 30 days a month. finished product in three month. dont fucking lie to me. you got a free hour every day.

[Anonymous No.18379708]

>>18379689
1. It's not ebonics, it's AAVE
2. Only people that Blackula bites speak in aave. Normal humans speak standard English. When the Harkers and Van Helsing hunt vampire Lucy, they'll immediately know that she's a vampires because she speaks like the people on r/BlackPeopleTwitter

[Anonymous No.18379717]

>>18379701
its not about the time. whenever Im not study i keep stressing about it and i cant be productive until i do it

[Anonymous No.18379727]

>>18379701
>15 minutes = 250 wordss
>tfw 250 words are like 2-3 words for me

[Anonymous No.18379730]

>>18379523
I emerged from the nightmare and, unable to recognize the room I was in or the furniture around me, I started to scream. I haven't stopped since. My mind must have suffered terribly that night. What I remember of my life before the illness, is fragmented. Childhood is a fog of mostly smells.
Be quiet.
someone's knocking on the big window.

[Anonymous No.18379737]

>>18379708
I hate you for your supremacist racism but i'm glad you're sticking to your guns

[Anonymous No.18379742]

>>18379717
good. the stress will make you write your 250 faster. if you dont do this, you are fucking dead to me. you let me down, bro.

[Anonymous No.18379746]

>>18379523
don't forget to comment, like, and hit that bell! Make sure to check out my mech store where I have t shirts, mugs, and phone covers for all my best readers

[Anonymous No.18379754]

>>18379657
It's not 'bad', but it's extremly unengaging. It's so straightforward. Everything is delivered through dialogue. No one tells stories of great evil vampires. A scene with three people dramatically discussing things is given dramatic effect by the pacing and description of little reactions and feelings and details. This gives me nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that everyone is black, and that joke gets tiring after the fourth line. It reads like a script and less like a novel, but the dialogue isn't interesting enough on it's own to merit it being a script. It's exposition dumping through stilted dialogue. So much and so little is accomplished. If the goal is to get to the next set piece, then sure, but if the goal is to flesh any character out to be more than a joke at the expense of blacks and vampires, it does not accomplish it. I don't mean to be down on you at all anon, you have continued to post in these threads and push the envelope of 'stupid joke must become a completed project' and that's fine, but I'm just not feeling it. It could be because I feel nothing for these characters and this is something that is said far after all the events of whatever have occurred and thus, if I'm this far, I feel for them and it is dramatic. Or maybe the entire thing is nothing but constant whiplash and action and I'm looking at it through the wrong lens.

[Anonymous No.18379758]

>>18379742
Thanks bro I needed this. If I finish reaching 2 recorded lectures tomorrow Ill put more time in

[Anonymous No.18379760]

>>18379742
why are you encouraging him to write homo erotica? this is one case that we should discourage a writer

[Anonymous No.18379768]

>>18379760
>>18379734
does this make it better?

[Anonymous No.18379773]

>>18379727
meant 2-3 hours

[Anonymous No.18379786]

>>18379768
no, because the ending is only 1% of the book. The other 99% is gay guys being gay

[Anonymous No.18379791]

>>18379773
The medium is the message. I've written 1k words explaining things to anons on /lit/ in the span of 20 minutes. I've been saving them recently because all my shitposts could become autistic or drunk dialogue. On the opposite side of the coin I can stare at a blank word doc for 8 hours and write nothing.

[Anonymous No.18379821]

>>18379754
Yes, that is a weakness that I'm aware of. I'm not good at writing scenery like real writers, so I do my best with straightforward dialogue. I'm not exactly sure how to address this problem though. Maybe I need to take a class or join a real life writers' group. I looked at my local library but there's only one for teenagers

[Anonymous No.18379828]

>>18379760
if i have to read anon's gay novella, i will. the written word is beyond good and evil.

[Anonymous No.18379843]

>>18379730
I reject your modernist ways.

[Anonymous No.18379858]

>>18379821
Try bolting sentences onto dialogue. For every line someone speaks attach a reaction or image.

>"I like cats," he said.
>He stared wistfully into the open sea through the window, his cheek nuzzled into his palm. "I like cats," he said.

Or something like that. Like, what would an actor do if they were given that line to speak aloud.

[Anonymous No.18379898]

>>18379858
hmm, interdasting. I'm going to try this with my next chapter.

[Anonymous No.18379900]

>>18379462
None of the instruments have any depth and thus the fingers look like garbage. Also NONE OF THEM ARE FORMING ANY FUCKING CHORD SHAPE. GOD DAMN IT. NOTHING HAS ANY STRAPS. HOW ARE THEY HOLDING ONTO THE GUITARS. NOTHING IS PLUGGED IN. I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. WHAT A FUCKING AWFUL SIMULATION OF A SIMULATION. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

[Anonymous No.18379908]

>>18379821
Have you tried this:
1) Imagine the scenery.
2) Imagine a friend sitting in front of you.
3) How would you paint your friend a picture of that scenery?
4) Write that down.
Don't think to about what words to use. Just write them down as they come. You can always edit later. Don't try to hit a "certain voice" with your descriptions. Describe the scenerey like you would in conversation.

[Anonymous No.18379919]

>>18379900
I have seen VR bands. Most of them don't plug their instruments in. Neither do they form chord shapes, move their lips accurately or use straps. The picture perfectly captures the reality of VR bands.

[Anonymous No.18379943]

>>18379908
I've tried this method, but when I tell a story to a friend, I don't describe the scenery, yes? You never see greentext stories about scenery. It's just he did this, she said that, I felt this, they reacted that. In real life, I'd probably tell the story to my roommate like this
> hey, remember that girl whose funeral we went to last week?
> Van Helsing told me at lunch break that she's come back to life. No, not a zombie, a vampire. A fucking vampire
> yeah he says he saw these distinctive twin bite marks on her neck and she's grown fangs or something, but he doesn't have definitive proof yet
> he and these two britbongs are going to Van Helsing's old house to get all this vampire hunting equipment and raid Lucy's grave later

[Anonymous No.18379951]

>>18379919
What's the point in simulating something if you don't do it correctly? There will be autistic little artists that have never gone to a live show perpetuating this commodified garbage. Am I just getting old? Is this how the old people felt? Or am I justified in my hate because of how rapid the onset of technology has become?

[Anonymous No.18379953]

>>18379858
well intentioned, potentially harmful advice
adding action and scenery around dialogue is fine. forcing these descriptions around sentences is how you get the beginner+ problem of dialogue being overworked
if there's too much dialogue, cut some

>He watched the sea past his window. Something brushed his dangling hand. Reflexively, he pushed his fingers through fur, scratching tenderly. The resulting purring didn't instantly summon a smile onto his face but rather caused a calmness to diffuse through his features, leaving a smile in its wake.

show don't tell basically

[Anonymous No.18379960]

>>18379701
>15 minutes = 250 wordss
>wordss
I'm starting to see why you can write that fast

[Anonymous No.18379968]

>>18379943
Ok, so imagine your friend is interrupting your story and asks for some scenerey. "Jeez, anon, I'm really not getting a mental picture right now. Could you maybe describe the room a little bit?" What would you do then? How would you do it? Write it done.

[Anonymous No.18379972]

>>18379951
art isn't always a depiction of reality
especially anime. it's more about making you feel the way you'd feel if you were looking at cute band girls
sounds like you're out of touch with your whimsical feelings

[Anonymous No.18379975]

"Show don't tell!" He said about a non-visual medium.

[Anonymous No.18379987]

>>18379972
not him
it just looks like shit
the fact that it's a bunch of amerislut vtubers only makes it worse

[Anonymous No.18379997]

>>18379951
They simulated "it" correctly, only "it" is not what you want it to be. You are like a mirror version of that guy in the last thread talking about phonetics while the plot and the characters of his story are garbage. This piece of art works regardless of unplugged instruments, because the cute faces and dresses are nice – the plot an character are good, the unplugged instruments are only phonetics.

[Anonymous No.18380010]

>>18379975
>inb4 the threadly show don't tell shit storm
such a cursed phrase, I only said it for the benefit of blacked.com anon
tell is writing the conclusion
show is writing the evidence for the conclusion
to the inevitable read-lets and stephen king parroters

[Anonymous No.18380024]

>>18379953
>BELLOWING TUTOFROS WHIRL WHIPPLES IN BOXES SET DOZEN OF FOXES PURLORLORLOR GLIBT THE FOUR FOOT FIVE FEELINE FAR FEATHERED FANATICS FAINTLY FESTER UPON SUCH GILDED PLACE FOR FINGERS FINELY FELL FLAT UPON THE FELINES FUR PORQUARARAH WAS HEARD BUT NEVER DISTURBED

[Anonymous No.18380025]

>>18379968
then I'd say
> I don't know man, they're in a regular house
> and he says he's got a crossbow that shoots arrows tipped with silver
> after he's killed Lucy maybe we can all go over to his house and take a look at it

I don't think the "explain the scenery to a friend" advice is working. For me, it'd end up with me describing a normal things that no one cares about. The other guy's idea of bolting actions to dialogue like an actor is more intuitive and interesting

[Anonymous No.18380060]

>>18379997
Motherfucker, K-on had their instruments plugged in you little faggot. I have no whimsy because reality is manufactured by institutions that just want you to cooonsoom. This piece of art is symbols created to elicit specific subconscious emotional mechanisms with the goal of giving the corporation that runs Vtuber shit more of your time and money. It's not a dive into the human condition. It isn't answering what it is to be human. It isn't showing the power of love or fear. It's poorly slapped together symbols and tracing to impress upon your specifically articulated and studied visual rhetoric. Fuck your whimsy.

[Anonymous No.18380065]

>>18380024
>more words bad
to your credit, your post pseud shizo prose is still leagues ahead of blackulas writing

[Anonymous No.18380069]

>>18380025
One last step: Imagine your friend asking you "What do you mean: 'regular house'? Like one of those red brick houses or what?"
He's asking you for details. Just describe what you see. The minutae, a glint of light on broken glass. And if you don't see anything: try harder. And if the house you are seeing is boring, then imagine a more interesting place.

[Anonymous No.18380075]

>>18380065
It was supposed to be ironic at first but then I kinda got into it. Sorry anon. I've read a few thunderwords in my day.

[Anonymous No.18380076]

Working on my novel, I've come to realize that I enjoy the process of editing more fun than actually writing. Anyone else?

[Anonymous No.18380088]

>>18380060
Yeah, sure buddy, or maybe they're just saving money instead of spending it on stuff only autists care for. Something you should consider, too! (I'm just kidding, cuz.)

[Anonymous No.18380091]

>>18380069
anon I write using the same method and I don't think your helping here
it's just not really compatible with what he's writing

[Anonymous No.18380093]

>>18379900
>NOTHING HAS ANY STRAPS.
Look closer

[Anonymous No.18380102]

>>18380069
Red bricks? Seems like an exercise for school that even the teacher doesn't even want to read. Besides, if it is a normal house, and it has no bearing to the plot and none of the characters care about the house, I don't see why it's important to write the scenery for it. If I got a book like this and it written the way you're advising, I'd dnf it at chapter 1 and move on to another book

The other anon's advice seems better, because every time someone says something, it's accompanied by something else that's important (theoretically, don't know how well I'll execute it)

[Anonymous No.18380114]

>>18380093
Oh my god the girl has half a strap on and the guitar isn't in the place a guitar with that kind of strap at that length would hang. Oh my god the perspective is so fucked up, a band that close together would never look like that. It's like she cropped 5 different photos together because that's the way someone would draw that on stream. Oh god it just gets worse look at that mic stand on the keyboard. Oh god the scale of it all is so bad. Look at the bass ukulele. fuck. What the fuck. And the lead bass player's pants. How did this get past QA.

[Anonymous No.18380126]

>>18380102
Red is my favorite colour, though.
>>18380091
Yeah, he basically said so himself. Just a tool I wanted to propose. It helped me greatly.

[Anonymous No.18380142]

how do pictures like OP's even get made? Did someone commission an artist on deviant art and pay $100 for a picture of 5 random anime girls.

[Anonymous No.18380153]

>>18380142
simps do it for free

[Anonymous No.18380175]

>>18380102
>It was one of those brick houses, like the ones you see out in the old neighborhoods. Built back when people had to keep their shit in a box and toss it out the window. Sure, those old houses get bugs in 'em. Sure they aren't so warm in the winter. But they've got some kind of charm right? Not this one. This one was only imitating those old houses, only had the looks about it. On the inside it wall wrong.
seems like a fine writing exercise to me

[Anonymous No.18380182]

>>18380126
whenever I see a long paragraph of scenery setting, I tend to skim once I get the point. The last book I read had a really good method, where the character would "action" over the scenery. For example, he'd drive past the shuttered shops, steal a cola from a mini fridge with smudged glass, try to ignore the scared glances.

[Anonymous No.18380186]

>>18380175
yeah, that'd be one of those skim paragraphs because I got the point by sentence 1 ..... sorry

[Anonymous No.18380205]

>>18380142
Artists who stream and draw have to break projects down into viable chunks they get done on stream. The picture is of Vtuber streamers, so the audience of an artist to make something like this is already there. They already draw the actual anime girl rough sketch because that's the only part that takes concentration and shows actual artistic skill (which is why this one in particular looks so weird) the rest of what they do on stream is a bunch of photoshop processing and repetitious tasks they can do while in stream pretending to be nice to everyone (just look at how their eyes are all the exact same) and 'avoiding politics' and just 'chilling' so the artist makes money from the comission (that was probably secretly done by the corporation taht funds all this vtuber shit) and they make money from streaming the process. This makes the end result a pile of shit covered on gold, but the actual quality of the work itself doesn't matter. The process of making it is what made money and more content. The end result of the art is just a biproduct from the actual commodified processes at play.

[Anonymous No.18380213]

>>18380186
maybe i'm being delusional but that strikes me as strange. it's a quick passage that hurries along fairly well
if I'm being a deluded schizo someone let me know, but maybe your issue (assuming your blackula anon) is that your reading sensibilities are weird? your writing is so sparse that it might as well be script and dialogue

[Anonymous No.18380218]

>>18380213
You are a deluded schizo, yes.

[Anonymous No.18380226]

>>18380213
It's like what DFW said. We are a generation that has been raised in the visual medium and thus our stories suffer as we are not nearly as immersed in the written word as we are in the visual one. So when we go try to write something, it emulates what we know the most: TV, anime, movies, youtube. Blackula anon is basically writing down what he hears from the movie Blackula going on in his head, but to him, the setting is just the backdrop for what his subconscious sees as the most important thing: the dialogue. He thinks of himself as the writer of the movie, not the cinematographer.

[Anonymous No.18380237]

>>18380213
>>18380213
I've never talked about or compared my reading habits with other people, so I don't know if it's the norm or not. I just know that when I see a paragraph like that in real books, I don't think, "oh yeah, that's the stuff, that's real literature." When I think back to my favorite books, I don't remember static descriptions of the trees. I remember things that actually happen

[Anonymous No.18380252]

>>18380226
yeah, I got the same impression. someone trying to write who has a shallow background in reading
not that there's anything wrong with wanting to get into a medium you're unfamiliar with, just that these sorts of people usually all have the same issues in their writing. which would be solved by reading of course

[Anonymous No.18380275]

>>18380237
Depictions of trees immerse you in the writing. They aren't the things you are supposed to remember. I'm not a guy who jerks off over beautiful prose, but I do understand that particular writing tropes are used for a reason. The depictions of things prolong your stay in that world, the longer you stay the more real it becomes, the more fleshed out and alive in your mind it is, and if the world is alive then your characters are able to inhabit it and if characters can actual live and aren't two dimensional then those characters can have actual honest to god development, and if your characters are developed then they actual have consequences to their actions, and if their actions constitute the plot, then the things that happen will actually emotionally resonate with the reader. All because you described a tree.

[Anonymous No.18380283]

>>18380275
ehhh

[Anonymous No.18380288]

>>18380226
>He thinks of himself as the writer of the movie, not the cinematographer
Great comparison. I've noticed this exact issue with many newfag posts, especially here. They never seem to be cognizant of what they're placing into the readers mind, just kind of throwing everything out and hoping the reader does the work of constructing something from the pieces

[Anonymous No.18380299]

>>18380283
anon phrased it in a fruity way but he's right
you don't seem like much of a writer. did you want to write a comic but decided to write instead because writing is easier?

[Anonymous No.18380310]

>>18379462
Hi, I can't write at all.

[Anonymous No.18380320]

>>18380310
Did candlejack write your post for y

[Anonymous No.18380343]

/wg/ has taught me that any writing group needs a minimum books read requirement

[Anonymous No.18380385]

What do you guys use for page breaks?

[Anonymous No.18380389]

>>18380385
ctrl+Enter

[Anonymous No.18380431]

>>18380385
You should only be using # in manuscripts. You are writing a manuscript with the intention of sending it to agents, right? You're not a stinky Royal Retard, right?

[Anonymous No.18380435]

>>18380431
Stop with the hate on Royal Road already, its annoying,

[Anonymous No.18380444]

>>18380431
Using numbers?

[Anonymous No.18380524]

>>18380385
Not page breaks specifically, but I use *** for scene breaks. On RR and scriblehub I change them to horizontal lines included on the sites.

[Anonymous No.18380548]

>>18380524
I meant to say scene breaks, not page breaks.

[Anonymous No.18380587]

>>18380385
>page breaks
No, I start a new chapter, as it should always be.

[Anonymous No.18380599]

I was thinking of using a time stamp as my scene/chapter breaks in the book about it all being one night at a bar. Maybe even rearranging them near the end to show how drunk everyone gets. Is that too Infinite Jest?

[Anonymous No.18380606]

>>18380599
Just copy the format from Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and stop overcomplicating things.

[Anonymous No.18380635]

>>18380606
What is the formatting of that book like. The wiki just says it was written like a reporter wrote it. What do you mean exactly? Also what's wrong with complicated?

[Anonymous No.18380646]

>>18380606
>Just copy the...

Retard detected

[Anonymous No.18380709]

>>18380635
>What is the formatting of that book like
Google it. There’s samples online that you can read.

[Anonymous No.18380761]

Repost from previous thread

How do you guys write terrible stuff to your characters? I'm trying to write crime and make my writing a little darker, but it grips my guts some to kill, rape or maim those main characters that I've come to love. Side characters are okay, but I can't get over doing this stuff to MCs and I think I need to.

>>18374514
>you want your children to grow up right and that won't happen if you shelter them from hardship
Yeah, but permanent disabilities like maiming is hard to put them through

I don't know, am I an utter pussy for feeling this?

[Anonymous No.18380770]

>>18380761
You already got your answers in the last thread. Either go with those or don’t. But stop this shit.

[Anonymous No.18380810]

>>18380770
Just wondered if there were any more opinions

Seriously, no one else feels this way? Am I really the odd one out? All the rest of you are utter GRRMs who can dispassionately skull-fuck their way through all your favourite characters?

[Anonymous No.18380833]

>>18380761
Your characters are undoubtably an extension of yourself. You hate yourself. You deserve to suffer. Thus, your characters do too.

[Anonymous No.18380859]

>>18380761
Like I said, make them deserve it. Don't just have something bad happen at random. Deus ex machinas don't have to always be good for the characters. I think the problem here is that your characters are just too pure-hearted (not going to say the M.S. word), and you don't think they need to be taken down a notch. My main character is a massive dick so it felt satisfying to see him turned into a sobbing mess at the end of the book.

[Anonymous No.18380869]

>>18380810
>any more opinions
this may come as a shock, but your characters aren't real
>but I really like my characters
fine. but they're not real, and if the plot demands that disaster befalls the characters, well, that's what happens. simple as. the end.

[Anonymous No.18380900]

>>18380299
I've read books but I haven't read manga since middle school. There was always a huge waitlist for every manga at the library so I couldn't read the comics in sequence. Maybe that's why it was an unpleasant experience for me. I didn't know who the characters were or what the main plot was

[Anonymous No.18380914]

>>18380761
your character's goal means nothing if they didn't have to overcome hardship to achieve it. Sometimes people got to get hurt. Sometimes people got to die and another character has to pick up where they left off.
Bad things are going to happen. The intensity is up to your discretion.

[Anonymous No.18380938]

>>18380859
I think my problem is finding balance, or intensity as >>18380914 puts it. How bad do I punish them in order to make them learn so I can reward them?

So lets talk specifics. The big 3 I have problems with are 1 rape, 2 permanent disability eg loss of limbs, and 3 death, usually of a loved one. What lesson can my characters learn from these things, that makes it all worth the while?

Or, the same question on a more meta level; what kind of catharsis do readers expect from reading this stuff, and how do I bring that about?

I dunno. As I get older, it seems to me my stomach for suffering has declined. I'm no longer on a level where GRRM's "lmao dumbfuck got his head split open welp end character arc" is amusing any more.

[Anonymous No.18380950]

>>18380938
You're also thinking of it as a punishment. Really, you are a God and your characters are your creations. Put them through trials that they must overcome. Give your characters the chance to prove to you that they are more than mere words written on the page.
Sometimes they will fail.

[Anonymous No.18380957]

>>18380938
where would you even publish this? Amazon and Wattpad take a dim view of rape and violence. Maybe Royal Road allows it with trigger warnings, but I don't know their content guidelines

[Anonymous No.18380972]

>>18380957
Trigger warnings are common, and detective and thriller novels have plenty of this stuff.

But hey. I'm just a hack like the rest of us, so whether publishing or not, I need practice in this stuff to hone my skills. There's also 2 other major issues like losing a hand* and killing off a main character.

*like, permanently and irreparably, unlike e.g. Luke Skywalker, cause that robot hand's a bit of a cop-out

>>18380950
>Sometimes they will fail
Harsh...

[Anonymous No.18380973]

>>18380938
>amusing
books elicit many more emotions than feelgood happy times. I certainly hope you don't feel good making bad things happen to your characters. but the plot is the plot

[Anonymous No.18380994]

>>18380938
>1 rape
Rape as a generic suffering should be avoided, and I'm not speaking from an SJW standpoint (please, hear me out before you accuse me of that brand of wrongthink). It's most often used as a cheap way to heap suffering upon a character or to establish someone as evil. The audience will be able to tell that you're trying to shock them into feeling bad for your characters if you have them get randomly dicked by an orc.

I'm even a bit of a hypocrite for saying this. I have actually used it in my plot's backstory, but it was the only way to introduce a fuckton of bastard children in my plot, which was fundamental for the setting since it deals with complicated succession issues. But I didn't use it as characterization, since the guy isn't even a character in the story until a brief scene in the middle of book 3/4.

[Anonymous No.18381032]

>>18380994
>Rape as a generic suffering should be avoided, and I'm not speaking from an SJW standpoint (please, hear me out
No no, your concern is quite understandable, Rape As Drama is a longstanding article on TVTropes for damn good reason. I'm not coming at it for that reason, but because I do want to tackle it as the central theme of a plot. Ditto murder and so on.

(Also because I did read a good rape the other day and boy it cramps my guts. I HAVE gotten soft I think.)

Anyway. I will think more about this.

[Anonymous No.18381074]

>>18380761
Because I know things will work out in the end. For some of them, at least.

[Anonymous No.18381091]

>>18380994
To expand on that I think that the bad things that happen to a character should reflect their personality, their goals, or anything else that's relevant to their growth.
The conflict reflects the character it happens to.

[Anonymous No.18381138]

>>18381091
Maybe he watched too much Games of Thrones and feels like he needs to put naked women, sex, rape, and gratuitous violence everywhere all the time every chapter

[Anonymous No.18381158]

>>18381091
That IS a helpful way of thinking about it.

>>18381138
Not quite.

[Anonymous No.18381185]

>>18380810
>Just wondered if there were any more opinions
No.

[Anonymous No.18381264]

>>18380938
>dunno. As I get older, it seems to me my stomach for suffering has declined. I'm no longer on a level where GRRM's "lmao dumbfuck got his head split open welp end character arc" is amusing any more.
Jesus, stop being such a fucking fag and just write.

[Anonymous No.18381281]

>>18381264
ah yes, /wg/ and the cult of wordcount

and then you wonder why so much utter drivel gets posted

[Anonymous No.18381287]

>>18381281
it's not about word count it's about getting more familiar with your own style of writing. you dont know whether or not you can pull an idea off until you've put it on the page.

[Anonymous No.18381296]

>>18381287
Yeah that guy should definitely write a lot of rape and limb dismemberment prose just to see how well he does it

[Anonymous No.18381305]

>>18381287
I have wordcount, I just did a nice 15k last month, decent number of hits and likes, now I'm looking to expand my horizons a tad

>>18381296
Badly at the moment, I can assure you

[Anonymous No.18381307]

>>18381296
Yes.

[Anonymous No.18381328]

>>18381296
Yeah, how else would you know otherwise? Practice makes perfect.

[Anonymous No.18381332]

jannie doesn't like the anime girl band

[Anonymous No.18381346]

>>18381332
Mods have been increasingly more faggots than usual this time around. Wonder if something happened in their personal lives that they’re taking it out on us?

[Anonymous No.18381366]

>>18381346
Then again, when I think about it, when haven’t mods been faggots?

[Anonymous No.18381389]

somebody post the janny poem, it's been a while

[Anonymous No.18381392]

Is there some sort of easy to skim database of really brief summaries(like a couple paragraphs at most) of the most popular fables, proverbs, folktales, myths..?
I think it would make for a good starting point picking the underlying idea from one of those stories as a framework and adapt it into a complex narrative.

For example, a story with the basics of Little Red Riding Hood:
>Hero's sent on a mission under a strict guideline
>Along the way hero finds someone who tempts them into defying instructions
>Tragic unintended consequences ensue due to hero's disobedience
Such a basic but effective premise with lots of potential to explore, twist and flesh out.

Sure you can jump around selecting each story 1 at a time with wikipedia but I was hoping for a more effective resource where you could pretty much just scroll down an index and get the gist of each entry.

[Anonymous No.18381393]

>>18381346
>>18381366
They also deleted my story like two threads ago. So I’ve been afraid to post stories ever since.

[Anonymous No.18381399]

if I want to populate both the inside and the outside of a dyson sphere, how can I achieve the same gravity on the inside and outside?
if I compose it of two spheres, should the inside sphere rotate faster?

[Anonymous No.18381400]

>>18381392
Yes, there is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne%E2%80%93Thompson%E2%80%93Uther_Index

[Anonymous No.18381403]

>>18381389
What we need is a song for /lit/ mods, like /so/ did for theirs.
https://youtu.be/Us3_8FxoAls

[Anonymous No.18381408]

>>18381399
Don't spend too much time about it. Focus on the plot and characters.

[Anonymous No.18381417]

>>18381332
>jannie doesn't like the anime girl band
Why? It wasn't lewd nor was it pornographic?

[Anonymous No.18381419]

>>18381400
Uh, thank you, but where can I actually access it?

[Anonymous No.18381425]

>>18381419
You could, I dunno, fucking scroll down to the bottom of the page and look at the External Links section? Maybe do that after you get off the potty and mum wipes your ass for you

[Anonymous No.18381447]

>>18381425
You don't have to be so rude about it.

[Anonymous No.18381474]

>>18381447
>4ch
>You don't have to be so rude
You could have done some basic research or even fucking read the given page top to bottom before asking to be spoon-fed

[Anonymous No.18381476]

>>18381425
not really giving me what I wanted, lists are just story titles you need to click on which gets you lengthy transcriptions of each tale. not much different from browsing wikipedia 1 thing at a time.

pity

[Anonymous No.18381482]

>>18381474
>You could have done some basic research
Already asking way too much for anons here.

[Anonymous No.18381489]

>>18381482
Indeed, what was I thinking...

[Anonymous No.18381509]

What would be a good gimmick for a v-tuber, /wg/?

[Anonymous No.18381523]

>>18380587
Wait, you start a new chapter every page?

[Anonymous No.18381530]

>>18381332
Aw. I like them and they make it more comfy to write.

[Anonymous No.18381557]

>>18381530
It has to be Kiara. She started saying anti-SJW and the mods starting deleting pictures of her.

[Anonymous No.18381567]

>>18381425
usually id just be grateful anyway but since you're being a cunt I dont feel bad telling you that next time you want to "help" someone at least try to provide something close to what was asked rather than, like I said >>18381476, the exact opposite the requester specifically wanted to avoid

cheers

[Anonymous No.18381588]

>>18381557
I was lurking around that bit. Jokes on them I write while watching those streamers and make solid progress, and that "roastie" makes my heart toasty.
Being against the mainstream is so goth too, I'm down with it.

[Anonymous No.18381613]

>>18381567
passive aggressive know nothing retards like yourself are a prime example of the futility of casting pearls before swine. In case you don't understand that reference, its from this book called the bible. you should give it a read, you may find all sorts of story ideas inside.

ciao. faggot.

[Anonymous No.18381653]

>>18381509
>good gimmick for a v-tuber
I think breaking the trend that Hololive and nijisanji set. Also, discussion literature

[Anonymous No.18381688]

>>18381588
Same. Kinda hilarious the mods are that assblasted.

[Anonymous No.18381702]

>>18381653
>I think breaking the trend that Hololive and nijisanji set.
What was that? I only watch Pekora clips because I don't have the time to watch streams.

[Anonymous No.18381705]

>>18381702
Hololive is on the Idol side of the industry, whereas Nijisanji is more of a streamler/gamer side of things.

[Anonymous No.18381751]

>>18381705
I see, I see.
Thanks.

[Anonymous No.18381769]

>>18381702
>What was that?
Kinda hard to figure out since those companies have branches that specialize on their locality.
Check moona and on the Indonesian branch

https://youtu.be/lUr2S28midA

[Anonymous No.18381812]

>think of a setting idea that might be cool
>try to write a story for it
>struggle to come up with something compelling
>think that maybe the setting itself needs to be written about first
>fail at that too
>lose interest in original idea
>repeat
wtf is wrong with me?

[Anonymous No.18381825]

>>18381812
You can’t write.

[Anonymous No.18381841]

>>18381812
It gets easier after you've lost your "completed novel" virginity. Complete something one time, even if it's only 40k words, and the next times will come easier.

[Anonymous No.18381867]

>>18381812
Are you one of those anons who cannot visualize scenes in their head as they read it?

[Anonymous No.18381913]

>>18381867
Those type of people exist?

[Anonymous No.18381957]

>>18381812
I have a friend who constantly just thinks up plots and settings for fiction, but never acts on them. Acting on motivation is arguably the hardest part

[Anonymous No.18381963]

>>18381812
>>18381957
Is writing really that hard? I understand if writing the first chapter is hard, do to the need in enticing the reader, but in general?

[Anonymous No.18381974]

>>18381963
sometimes I'll write some stuff but then I'll feel like no one will care about it and lose all energy to keep writing

[Anonymous No.18381979]

>>18381974
>I'll feel like no one will care about it and lose all energy to keep writing
So you only write for validation.

[Anonymous No.18381992]

>>18381567
>waaah you didn't spoon-feed me so I will simply do my own research waaah
Fine by me

[Anonymous No.18381998]

Kids these days, can't even read fucking Wikipedia let alone use google let alone do basic research, NGMI for sure

[Anonymous No.18382000]

>>18381998
Why do all of that when I can ask the questions here?

[Anonymous No.18382047]

I'm out here trying anons. It's probably shit, but each day I'm getting words down.

[Anonymous No.18382055]

>>18382047
>Being proud of those numbers
Well, at least you're trying. That's all that matters in the end.

[Anonymous No.18382059]

>>18382047
Do pay some attention to quality as well

[Anonymous No.18382063]

>>18382055
I'd be damn proud of those numbers.

[Anonymous No.18382064]

>>18382047
Ignore what this >>18382059 anon says. Focus on writing your rough draft first. Then focus on quality as you redraft it on your second and third, etc.

[Anonymous No.18382065]

>>18382055
The small numbers are after the clocked rolled over midnight. It's my first novel so I think having 5k days is a good start.

[Anonymous No.18382073]

>>18382059
Sort of. I trying to get as close as I can. Sometimes I'll change wording if I really don't like it. Just trying to get it all out now then spend time correcting things on the second draft.

[Anonymous No.18382077]

>>18382073
Post extracts if you can

5k words a day is phenomenal, so, let's see how the quality really is.

[Anonymous No.18382082]

>>18382063
Thanks anon. I love the nights when everything is flowing.

>>18382064
Yea thats what I'm trying to do. Trying to write what comes first and not overthinking any particular parts. If I get to much in my head I get up and walk around for a bit lol

[Anonymous No.18382086]

>>18382077
>Post extracts if you can
Oof I donno. Read some posts on here about posting extracts and how that might be a bad idea if people try to get published.

[Anonymous No.18382089]

>>18382086
Fair enough. I don't post here either.

[Anonymous No.18382100]

>>18382086
>if people try to get published
Enjoy your royalty rate of: 5% to 10%, depending on how much some 24 year old who only got the job because her aunt works at a publishing house likes you

[Anonymous No.18382103]

>>18382089
But I did just read back through some from the beginning. I only cringed a little haha

[Anonymous No.18382110]

>>18382100
Thanks. I have always enjoyed writing. So I'd be happy if others just enjoyed my writing too. At most I know it would be supplemental income, which is alright with me.

[Anonymous No.18382120]

>>18382110
Might as well self-publish on Royal Road or other sites similar to it.

[Anonymous No.18382124]

How slow pace can a story be, before the readers thinks I’m just padding, or doing nothing with the story?

Trying to write a psychological capepunk story, and I feel like the earlier chapters or arcs, have to be incredibly slow pace to build up to the climax to the story. With pic related being related to the story.

[Anonymous No.18382132]

>>18382120
Yea I was think of doing RR once I complete the second draft. It's the first one after all. And if I get a following there that would be the bee's tits.

[Anonymous No.18382154]

>>18382124
I'd rather a story move quick with a smaller climax than too slow and I get bored and put it down. I still remember that damn beach from The Drawing Of The Three.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » No.18382158]

>>18382124

[Anonymous No.18382165]

>>18382124
i personally would write it exactly like you wanted it the first time around, then have some beta readers give you feedback, then maybe alter it if they felt it was only filler. If you're good enough at portraying characters perhaps your writing will be engaging enough that the reader won't get bored even if it's not related to some obvious "main plot". Chances are the climax kinda comes as a plot twist though, if you're too good at derailing your own story. Just hint at the suspense now and then i guess. First just once and make the reader think they're reading into things, then more often but still vaguely... yeah, something like that.

[Anonymous No.18382180]

best way to share a chapter here? I know people do pastebin but is there a better way that might preserve formatting?

[Anonymous No.18382195]

>>18382165
The first arc isn’t that long, just five chapters in total, except for the sixth chapter, which is nothing more than gateway for the second arc, but it’s literally my MC stuck in a room with another character. I know /wg/ will balk at that, but it’s literally the building blocks of my MC’s character arc and characterization.

[Anonymous No.18382211]

>>18382180
>better way that might preserve formatting?
No, unless you want to take a screenshot of your work.

[Anonymous No.18382261]

>>18382180
He used the snipping tool on his word document and carefully cut the two pages displayed in word. He adjusted the corners ever so slightly to cut off the word count. Shame washed over him, but it was less shame than the pitiful word count the document displayed. He quickly saved it as a jpeg to his desktop. Clicking the bubble and picking the file he attached it to his shitpost. His palms sweating as he tried to solve the captcha. Boats. He had to pick boats. But every boat he picked another boat would slowly take his place. He continued clicking on boats. Boat after boat. How many would it take. How many boats did he have to click before he was released from this prison. Wave after wave of boats. His mind was racing. Was his writing even worth this many boats? Would anons even bother responding? Would the critique be of a high quality? Was the picture enough of his writing to have anons understand the context and style of his prose, or would they tell him it lacked soul and sounded ESL? More boats. Why did he even write. It’s just words. More boats. What meaning did his writing even provide? Boat. Was it for himself? Was it for the anons? Was it for an audience it would never reach? There were no more boats. He hit post.

[Anonymous No.18382276]

>>18382261
What's the story on this? You having another schizo episode?

[Anonymous No.18382286]

>>18382276
I took what would be a simple response to a question and added a little bit of narration to it. Just a fun little writing exercise.

[Anonymous No.18382291]

>>18382286
You could have helped that anon instead of just shitposting.

[Anonymous No.18382293]

I found an amazing tool for generating stories - base them on a proverb.

Such a powerful prompt, it instantly grants you a relatable theme that is guaranteed to resonate emotionally(otherwise it wouldn't have been powerful enough to spread into an ubiquitous belief) and you can quick and easily figure out what the main conflicting character agents should be like and the kind of action they must go through to demonstrate(and test) the proverb in practice and reaffirm or dismantle it's "truth".

Thoughts? Is this common knowledge and I was just too stupid to figure it out until now?

[Anonymous No.18382299]

>>18382291
Dude just use the snipping tool and post an image of the text editor.

[Anonymous No.18382301]

>>18382293
common knowledge

[Anonymous No.18382307]

>>18382293
here's a bigger secret - write your own proverb and apply that method to it

[Anonymous No.18382314]

>>18382293
it's better if you find two proverbs with opposite meanings and pit them against eachother

[Anonymous No.18382316]

>>18367604
>>18368042
>>18368324
It's been some days but here you go, have at it
https://pastebin.com/LV8wyGus
I really ought to finish my (hopefully) last big edit, I'm already past halfway done and then I just need to set it aside for a while longer before going back through another time. This story (the first part/volume) anyways is already mostly complete.

It's fantasy genre fiction just so anyone bothering to look knows what they're getting into.

It's something I should have done some time ago but I may as well ask how do you guys go about finding beta readers? My understanding is just writing circles and helping one another out, though obviously it'd be lame to plop a mostly complete novel down and ask others to give feedback, but for future reference of course. Finding beta readers is such a challenge for me.
>>18382211
Unfortunate I tried to make it a bit more readable

Thanks for the snipping advice but I was mostly done by the time it was given, next time I'll do that since it's a bit late

[Anonymous No.18382322]

>>18382316
>https://pastebin.com/LV8wyGus
It's shit, anon, but that's too be expected. Still good on you finishing.

[Anonymous No.18382339]

>>18382316
Work on your punctuation. It's terrible.

[Anonymous No.18382366]

>>18382316
What’s going on with this writing? Why does it feel like two kids in a trench coat? Like, it’s vocabulary is strong and threatening and attempting to be ominous, but the construction that holds them together is... autistic/childish/ESL? It’s as choppy as the water it tries to describe. What is missing from it to make it flow?

[Anonymous No.18382402]

>>18382366
I thought he said he was a. Esl

[Anonymous No.18382420]

>>18382158
That butterfly name should be ban worthy.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » No.18382449]

>>18382420
No, you.

[Anonymous No.18382457]

>>18382449
God, just fuck off already.

[Anonymous No.18382472]

>>18382449
>>18382457
She's not the real Butterfly, don't worry :3

[Anonymous No.18382492]

>>18382472
It’s still cancerous.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » No.18382503]

>>18382492
Reacting to that horrible page of manga, it all could have stopped there.
You said fuck off, and again, it could have stopped there, but now you’re bantering with this troll and claiming one of the only living cells a cancer.
You don’t know what a cancer is?
Just shut up already

[Anonymous No.18382508]

>>18382503
You forgot to remove your trip, you fag.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » !!bGBGaUpA8kS No.18382518]

>>18382508
You sound like an eight year old

[Anonymous No.18382526]

hey /wg/, you ever work on several novels at the same time? how does that work out? i am currently writing a really long narrative which more or less imitates an epic poem and requires all my commitment, i have been writing it for the past two years, but a week ago i had this idea for a short satirical play which i just can't get out of my mind, it's not dissimilar in the subjects explored but still if i were to write it it'd be a different book altogether. i can't stop thinking about it, at the same time i feel like i am "betraying" my primary narrative, which is in more advanced stages of development. i feel like if i don't focus on the "epic" entirely, there'll be no cohesiveness in my work. i want to write the shorter play, but i don't want to, but the ideas come to me and i can't help it, as a result i'm repressing it and overthinking super hard and i can feel my brain fucking frying as i type this, anyone got some advice for me before i go completely manic?

[Anonymous No.18382537]

>>18382518
Though you killed yourself for making writes on your mind all about yourself, since you’re a raging narcissist.

[Anonymous No.18382688]

>>18380385
>page breaks

[Anonymous No.18382697]

>>18381346
>>18381332
How about you just fuck off, dumb animefag

[Anonymous No.18382701]

>>18380385
The text starts on the next page automatically though

[Anonymous No.18382709]

>>18380385
Just a squiggly
~

[Anonymous No.18382711]

>>18382366
>two kids in a trenchcoat
Dude, my coffee is all over my keyboard now. Thanks!

[Anonymous No.18382720]

>>18382316
I agree with what >>18382366 said. The way you wrote this is weird, like the language is really solid and it depicts powerful imagery but you're emphasizing on the wrong things. Like the opening scene you only slightly mention a whirlpool then there's this whole epic bit of your character trashing and fighting against it. You can build the setting and atmosphere much better than that. But one of the things that throws me off is that the rest of it reads like different person wrote it. You switch to this constant passive voice that's much more flowery and overly flourished before changing it again at the end. There's also a dickton of grammar and punctuation issues but I hope you can atleast figure those out on your own. I think there's some real solid potential in there but imho if the rest of your manuscript reads like that then you've got more rewrites to do than you've probably anticipated.

[Anonymous No.18382743]

>>18382314
I like no honor among thieves and thick as thieves. Aladdin 3 used was about that. The #2 big thief betrayed everyone but #1 thief, who was Aladdin's father, showed everyone the value of loyalty and family

[Anonymous No.18382806]

>>18382047
5k is good numbers. Usually I aim for 8 pages on a free day (4k), and 3 pages on a day where I worked eight hours

[Anonymous No.18382818]

>>18382526
I'm the opposite, I can't possibly dedicate myself entirely to one work all the time, not even with reading books. Usually I have 3 that I read a few pages from every day or every other day. Same with writing, I'm writing on a fiction novel, a non-fiction guide, and a foreign language grug tier book

[Anonymous No.18382825]

>>18382526
>>18382818
The disadvantage of this is that you make less progress with each project per day. Some days it's just adding 10 words to the page. But I take the Duolingo approach of even a little effort each day counts

[Anonymous No.18382993]

>>18382697
No, we do most of the writing here.

[Anonymous No.18383026]

Where do your ideas start at?

[Anonymous No.18383084]

>>18383026
Ether.

[Anonymous No.18383222]

Do you think it's an issue if your chapters are wildly variant in length?

[Anonymous No.18383310]

>>18383084
this

[Anonymous No.18383485]

I was counting on getting a career, non-wagie job for money and keeping writing a hobby, but now it looks like coronavirus delta variation is resistant to vaccines. God damn it, I do not want to depend on Patreon welfarebucks and Amazon royalty monies for my primary income

[Anonymous No.18383525]

>>18382993
You do nothing

[Anonymous No.18383604]

I just deleted the story I was working in, it was a supernatural/paranormal novel. I gave up for several reasons. I hated the way I began the story, and realized that I don't like writing "combat" scenes, it makes my wiring appear pulpy. At any rate, I am nevertheless grateful for the practice it afforded me. There were parts of it that I thought were genuinely good. Lastly, it has made me consider writing short stories instead of a single novel, as this is not the first time I have scrapped something like this.

[Anonymous No.18383619]

>>18383604
>Lastly

Write whatever you want anon. Just don't ever use 'lastly' again. Ever.

[Anonymous No.18383663]

>>18383619
but i want to write 'lastly'

[Anonymous No.18383664]

>>18383619
Yeah sorry, my 4chan posts are worded badly, I made a bunch of spelling errors as well. I don't think I included 'lastly' in my fiction writing, but noted for the future

[Anonymous No.18383686]

>https://pastebin.com/M9nhkiD5
Paste related is my first attempt at writing an action/horror scene, but I feel like it's neither all that spooky nor very action packed. It also feels a bit disjointed and hard to follow.
Any suggestions on how to improve it?

[Anonymous No.18383758]

>>18383663
Then become a grade school teacher.

>>18383664
>I don't think I included 'lastly' in my fiction writing
Phew, that was close.

[Anonymous No.18383769]

>>18382806
Nice. Yea my starting goal was 1500 words/day. I am trying to take it slow. But someday I feel like I could type forever. I am now writing during lunch at work (I do intermittent fasting so I don't eat) then write at home once the wife and kid are asleep.

[Anonymous No.18383772]

>>18383686
It is disjointed but I get the feeling it's due to ESLness

[Anonymous No.18383940]

>>18379462
You could make a coping a seethe,
And a based a cringe,
You could make a dilate not a bang but a whimper!
O' dreck be thy name, e-girl simper...

[Anonymous No.18384069]

>>18383940
"a cope a seethe" would be better anon

[Anonymous No.18384122]

>>18381523
>>18380587
Based Dan Brown chapters

[Anonymous No.18384136]

>>18383222
Only if it's extremely short or long. My chapters average around 3k words. With the shortest being a 800 word intermission and the longest being 6k words.

[Anonymous No.18384150]

>>18382720
>>18382366
>>18382339
Thanks, I'll try to be extra mindful to the grammar, punctuation, and voice. I've been thinking of doing away with the very first paragraph entirely. The first chapter has been a struggle for me that has gone through easily the most editing. It's been both in an effort to make it more engaging and move things along, because previous and quite different versions of it were regarding as dragging on. The rest of the story flows a lot more naturally after that. After it's all done I intend to get it professionally edited so hopefully I learn a lot from that.

[Frater Asemlen !XS8vrClKs2 No.18384710]

Here’s a short story, almost two pages I believe.

https://pastebin.com/hTVwUKgU

[Anonymous No.18384865]

>>18381957
>Acting on motivation is arguably the hardest part
its the only part. you can have a rehash of a rehash of a rehash of an idea, and if you actually put words to paper you've accomplished something. ideas themselves are a dime a dozen

[Anonymous No.18384872]

>>18384865
>ideas themselves are a dime a dozen
nooo not my heckin idearinos

[Anonymous No.18384951]

Why is first person present tense the absolute worst and makes me want to put a bullet through my head? Why would anyone write this garbage?

[Anonymous No.18384977]

>>18384951
all depends on the novel. first person, past tense, present tense, whatever, I find to be really hit or miss depending on the voice. that doesn't make it bad, just my, and your, personal taste. I'd suggest writing some yourself

[Anonymous No.18385047]

can't stand writers that religiously follow rules rather than understanding why they exist.
"nooo that's a deus ex machina" ok, there's a reason they're so prevalent that the greek theater had a word for them during the oldest formalized storytelling, because the triumphant deus ex machina has dramatic merit and power. does an asspull risk to spoil a scene because the tension can be suddenly dismissed? yes, but not every story needs to be build on tension, or prioritize it over what a deus ex machina moment can bring, it is neither good nor bad, it is just a tool that one can use to create certain effects, and like anything else it can be misused.
mary sue is even worse, it was a term specifically meant to critcize power fantasy self inserts, but is used by pseud critics to feel smug whenever they see any hypercompetent character, but there's no reason a hypercompetent character shouldn't be interesting to explore, much legitimately great literature has hypercompetent leads, yet people will dismiss stories that contain it because they've been lead to understand that this is bad without at all forming their own opinion.

[Anonymous No.18385069]

>>18385047
how's bout you show instead of tell

[Anonymous No.18385106]

>>18385069
sometimes telling is ok, another stupid little dogmatism that people need to understand the context of instead of obeying instinctually.

[Anonymous No.18385139]

>>18385106
rarely is telling not showing proper, but yeah I feel you

I think it's more that following conventional rules is important for inexperienced writers because unless you know what you're doing, you won't be breaking the rules in any meaningful ways

[Anonymous No.18385195]

>>18385047
If people are complaining about deus ex and mary sues in your writing then there are much more fundamental issues with the content you are producing than using trite plot devices.

[Anonymous No.18385207]

>>18384872
Shutup

[Anonymous No.18385243]

Hummm... Sooo...

What exactly constitutes a good story?

[Anonymous No.18385249]

>>18385139
>rarely is telling not showing proper
That depends on which of the umptillion meanings of those two vague-as-hell words you're using

[Anonymous No.18385250]

>>18385243
A meaningful fantasy well-told.

[Anonymous No.18385264]

>>18385243
It being interesting. You can master all the fancy prose and other literally devices to make your work as pretty as possible. If there's no soul, no hook, nothing to actually keep you reading, then it's pointless.

[Anonymous No.18385295]

>>18385243
emotional resonance

[Anonymous No.18385378]

>>18385243
if it communicates something. if it compels the reader to read it
anyone who says it's all or the other is either a pseud or a non-reader

[Anonymous No.18385399]

as someone who has spent his life consuming media primarily in the form of anime and video games, how do I keep geekdom and weebshit from unduly influencing my writing? what are some red flags I should watch out for?

[Anonymous No.18385405]

>>18385399
you won't and that's ok

[Anonymous No.18385410]

>>18385399
embrace it

[Anonymous No.18385422]

>>18385399
include things because you want it in your story and not because you think that's how a story should be

[Anonymous No.18385424]

>>18385399
Your writing will never be genuine if you deny that part of yourself, or any other part.

[Anonymous No.18385460]

>>18385405
>>18385410
>>18385422
>>18385424
you're making me emotional
thank you frens

[Anonymous No.18385468]

>>18385399
balance it out by consooming more classical literature

then you're in a position to combine the best of both worlds

[Anonymous No.18385484]

>>18385399
It's fine using anime tropes like giant robots, stylized superpowers, and big titties in your writing (except maybe avoid the latter if you want to get past the idpol gatekeepers of the medium).

It isn't fine writing your story like it IS an anime or manga. Most young writers nowadays hate novels and wish they were making an anime or manga, which they don't have the skills or resources to actually do. If you are writing a novel, aim for a word count which your genre usually demands, not as if you're writing for a twelve episode season or manga arc.

Also, read traditionally published books and avoid web novels, amateur translations, and fanfiction.

[Anonymous No.18385486]

Can you legally reference song lyrics if you don't just copy and paste it word for word? Like the opening lines of Lose Yourself for example, could you get away with writing something like

Joe's palms were sweaty. His knees were weak and his arms were heavy. "Shouldn't have eaten that plate of spaghetti," he thought to himself.

[Anonymous No.18385590]

>>18385486
TLDR can't do shit other than mention the song title

[Anonymous No.18385620]

Any of you actually making any sort of income from your writing? If so, share tips.

[Anonymous No.18385663]

>>18385195
It's not about my work, though

[Anonymous No.18385874]

>>18385620
>write smut
>start patreon

[Anonymous No.18385922]

>>18385484
>tfw I've done nothing hing but read Miraculous Ladybug fanfic the last two months

[Anonymous No.18386005]

“You look like shit!” Fayn yelled at her after studying her face, “When did you last sleep? Or eat?”

Ragna shook herself free from Fayn’s grasp.

“Sleep? I don’t know, three days ago?” she said, annoyed, “What day is it? Who needs sleep anyway. I’ve finally managed to isolate the active ingredient in Yayo leaves, you know, the popular elven herb for stamina relief? It packs a punch, I tell ya! Makes you not need sleep or food at all! Here, try some!”

Ragna pulled out a small leather pouch wound with string from a coat pocket and tossed it to Aniki. Inside was a pure, white powder that glittered slightly in the moonlight.

“You can eat it, but it works better if you inhale it through your nostrils!” Ragna remarked, wiping the inside of one of the mugs with a corner of her coat. “I call it ‘Neverest’! You think it’ll sell?”

Aniki dipped a finger into the pouch and took a bit of the powder up to his nose. After inhaling, he raised his eyebrows, nodding slightly at Ragna in approval. Natty dipped his own finger into the pouch and put a bit of residue on the tip of his tongue.

“This is cocaine.” Natty stated.

“’Neverest’!” Ragna corrected him.

“Yeah, okay, listen, fantastic seeing you alive and, erh, ‘well’, Ragna, but you really need to stop taking this stuff and get a meal and some sleep. You look like a skeleton.” Natty said with care in his voice.

“But...” Ragna started.

“No buts!” Fayn yelled, angrier than Natty had ever seen her before. Fayn picked up Ragna by her coat and threw her over her shoulder, holding her tight so she couldn’t escape. “You’re coming with us to a tavern, and that’s final!”

Fayn stomped out of the room, Ragna complaining from the top of her lungs the entire way.

“My experiments! My books! My peaceful solitude! My ‘Neverest’! Noooo…” Her voice trailed off as Fayn walked down the corridor.

Natty leaped over a few piles and turned off the burner, checking the room for other open flames before heading out as well. Aniki pocketed the pouch and followed, closing the door to the laboratory behind him.

I've written 35k words so far of this ginormous shitpost for /fit/

[Anonymous No.18386024]

>>18385620
Teenagers who are too ugly to become Instagram influencers are now self-publishing books on Amazon KDP. As for whether anyone besides their parents and teachers buy the books, that's that's another matter.

[Anonymous No.18386039]

How do I write about people becoming friends?

[Anonymous No.18386040]

>>18385620
You'll never write your best unless you free yourself of all monetary and moral responsibilities in regards to what you produce. I solely publish on AO3 for that reason.

[Anonymous No.18386050]

Writer's blooooooooock

Quick give me random occupations that a background character might have. I keep overthinking it.

[Anonymous No.18386060]

>>18386050
Bartender who spends all his money on whores, and therefore knows every prostitute in the city on first name basis.

[Anonymous No.18386070]

>>18386050
Line chef at a taco place. Plays bass in a shitty cover band on the weekends. Only finished half of college before dropping out.

[Anonymous No.18386073]

>>18386040
The only time I see writers use Archive of our Own is to host erotica that the mainstream websites wouldn't accept

[Anonymous No.18386079]

>>18385620
Write for yourself first. If people like it great, if not, you have an outlet for life's boring existence. If you write for the purpose of publishing and money making you'll write shit that wont sell. It's the same for most art forms.

[Anonymous No.18386083]

>>18386073
I use it for my /fit/ metahumor isekai adventure due to the wish for anonymity and my profound usage of the word "faggot".

[Nursingrecruitment No.18386092]

>>18386050
Nurse.

[Anonymous No.18386102]

>>18383604
Never delete shit. You never know if you'll wanna go back and work on it in a year or two or rip shit out and apply it to another story.

[Anonymous No.18386108]

>>18386039
Have them share interests and opinions, preferably in some problem setting.

[Anonymous No.18386134]

>>18386005
>“This is cocaine.” Natty stated.

[Anonymous No.18386153]

>>18386134
Natty is his name, you nonce.

[Anonymous No.18386164]

>>18386153
Retard

[Anonymous No.18386168]

>>18386164
OK faggot

[Anonymous No.18386172]

>>18386153
in order to enlarge an image on 4channel.org you have to first place your cursor over the image and then click your left mouse button
after doing so, read the fucking text

[Anonymous No.18386177]

>>18386039
People become friends because of proximity, spontaneity, and history.

Make your characters interact in the same spaces (same chat rooms, same coffee shop, same village, work together)

Make your characters do things together (go to the movies, date the same girl, go to school or work together in the same field, both trying to slay the same dragon)

Make them do this repeatedly so that a history builds from it.

This is how all relationships work.

[Anonymous No.18386181]

>>18386134
We're writers, not editors.

[Anonymous No.18386191]

>>18386181
Editors are there to fix the problems your eyes overlooked, not the ones your brain can't fix.

[Anonymous No.18386194]

>>18386134
Quality image, but I hate those rules. If the dude is done talking it should be a period, period.

[Anonymous No.18386200]

>>18386172
I did. He might be right, but his delivery is too crass, elevating it from justfiably smug to just plain rude. So ignored lole

[Anonymous No.18386219]

>>18386200
newfag
90% of posts here are by illiterate crossboarders like yourself who don't know the first thing about their native language
dialogue tag anon might be autistic but considering his shtick is making people learn grade school level grammar, you should probably take the advice

[Anonymous No.18386224]

>>18386219
I'm ESL, so idc

[Anonymous No.18386245]

>>18386224
then why are you writing in english
stick to your native language or you're going to make many more embarrassing errors

[Anonymous No.18386255]

>>18386060
Damn this one is good.

>>18386070
I like the line chef donno bout the other stuff

>>18386092
I've thought nurse toom medical knowledge would be helpful. Maybe a secret opioid addiction that causes some real shit later.

[Anonymous No.18386256]

>>18386245
Because English is fun to write in, and I care more about having fun writing than I do making errors.

[Anonymous No.18386267]

>>18386255
>donno bout the other stuff
You've never met a taco line chef then.

[Anonymous No.18386269]

>>18386256
fair enough, just don't whine when we point those errors out every time you share with us

[Anonymous No.18386277]

>>18386269
Maybe offer some critique other than a image, and I won't.

[Anonymous No.18386290]

>>18386277
Try reading the image again.
>You do not deserve critique yet.

[Anonymous No.18386291]

>>18386269
Autistic screeching doesn't phase me, the rude delivery did.

[Anonymous No.18386293]

>>18386277
okay. learn dialogue tags

[Anonymous No.18386296]

>>18386277
then don't make errors so common they can be addressed by a template image you crybaby spic

[Anonymous No.18386311]

>>18386277
The only way to have someone critique your work in the way you want is to not have editing or grammar problems. They are the things that stand out and make the writing difficult and unpleasant to read. Why should you put 10 minutes into writing something that then takes us two hours to rework? Why should I attempt to focus on the material content when the errors are so blatant that my interpretation of the core principles of the story might not even contextually be correct? If you aren't going to CARE about your writing, why should we? If a musician couldn't keep a 4/4 time and can't play 3 chord changes, why should we critique his ability beyond the fact that he can't manage the fundamentals? I'm not going to be looking at that guy's melody or lyrical content or arrangement when he sucks dick at the very basics of musicianship.

[Anonymous No.18386358]

The reasons why /lit/ never produces any writing of value are becoming evident in this thread.

[Anonymous No.18386388]

>>18386358
Any community with no skill bar for entry is going to be 90% filled with crap. That's just a fact of life.

[Anonymous No.18386406]

>>18386358
Where have you been, anon? These threads have never produced anything of value because those that do 'make it' don't share with the group, perpetuating the underlying idea that we are all sad sacks on 4chan. The people that do share work are chasing dopamine highs and will never finish anything. It's been like this since this newest round of these threads started. Because of publishing fears the PYW /ic/ meme doesn't work, and thus no one is held accountable to their given skill in the medium. Also because it's just words words words newbies don't particularly think it's a difficult thing to do. Drawing physically manifests your inabilities right in front of you. With writing, no one thinks their thoughts are 'bad' and thus it is more difficult to separate the skillsets from the creator and we have shit like ESL dialogue tag anon or autism anon, all the while LoGH anon keeps publishing like a champ.

[Anonymous No.18386411]

>>18386388
Writing requires creativity and freedom, first and foremost. Proper punctuation isn't talent.

[Anonymous No.18386423]

>>18386358
Speak for yourself. I'm constantly updating my story.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/31062/saga-of-the-cosmic-heroes

[Anonymous No.18386467]

>>18386406
>Drawing physically manifests your inabilities right in front of you
I've never understood this. Doesn't writing manifest your inabilities? Shoudn't you be able to read what you've written and immediately realize that it's shit? Even if people were so illiterate that they didn't have anything to compare their own writing to, they should be using language 24/7 through internal monologue and conversations with people. How is that not enough to realize that what's in front of them is trash

Completely insane how common this mentality is
>I want a creative outlet but everythings so hard
>I guess I'll just write, that's easy

[Anonymous No.18386483]

>>18386411
Cute platitudes.
>Proper punctuation isn't talent.
It's a precursor to talent.

[Anonymous No.18386507]

>>18386358
People with value are aiming for traditional publishing, and putting your work on 4chan is asking to be cancelled.

[Anonymous No.18386517]

>>18386467
Hey, I agree with you, but it is what it is. For some reason people see writing as a simple and easy creative outlet in which everything they make is gold. Of course there are exceptions. Like the people that can actually see how bad everything they write is because it isn't as good as the things they have read. And maybe that's the key. People who are full of baseless pride don't read anything 'good'.

[Anonymous No.18386519]

>>18386507
>People with value are aiming for traditional publishing,
Why are you always lying? That's literally the biggest excuses and cop-outs on these threads.

[Anonymous No.18386521]

>>18386467
Your own errors are extremely hard to see in regards to grammar etc. because when you're working on large amounts of words and going through passages you're already familiar with, you can easily end up skimming and missing mistakes.

That's why it there is conventional wisdom that after you finishing a draft or an edit, to actually catch those mistakes yourself you set it aside for some time and go back through.

The ability to acknowledge what you may have written is shit varies from person to person. Some people need to hear its shit from someone else, and on the flip side someone may just perpetually feel their writing is shit and have to hear from another it isn't. And someone might think it's shit but another person thinks its a gem, it can be up to taste even if something is technically fine.

[Anonymous No.18386632]

>>18386521
You can't even write a post correctly.

[Anonymous No.18386634]

>>18386483
I wouldn't say it's a precursor to talent, but it's certainly a foundation.
Like, you can have perfect punctuation and have no talent. It's easy to memorize. But for that same reason, have loads of talent and don't put any energy into learning proper punctuation, and no one is gonna take you seriously.

[Anonymous No.18386641]

>>18386423
I love women with scars.

[Anonymous No.18386681]

The invitation surprised me. It was the beginning of this story. I was just a simple doctor. I earned relatively well and my patients were not worse off than others. It was in the spring of last year. I had a hard day's work behind me and wanted to get home quickly, take a shower and throw myself into bed, maybe read a bit and fall asleep soon. In my mind I was already tasting the pleasures that awaited me, the hot water, the warm bed, the cool, fresh air from the open window - when I noticed a letter lying on the edge of my desk. I wondered why I had overlooked it for so long, and which of my staff members had left it for me without comment - I would have to address the matter the following day. I slipped the letter into my briefcase, threw on my coat, and turned off the light.

That evening, I had showered and eaten and was just about to go to bed and read the Bible for a while, when I remembered the letter still lying unread in my briefcase on the living room sofa. It could be something important, I thought, on my way to the living room. The moon shone through the window, but was not visible itself. I moved slowly through the semi-darkness, careful not to bump my knees against one of the little tables, of which I had too many. My briefcase was a mess. I had made it a habit to let my laziness get the better of me after closing time, with the result that I threw the bits and pieces flying around that I would still need at home into the briefcase without an orderly system. Now, in the darkness of the living room, I had to pay the bill of my previous laziness and rummaged around in the jumble with both hands, however, I could not find the letter. The unsuccessfulness of my search aroused in me a disproportionate anger. I took the bag, rushed into the kitchen (on the way there I bumped my knee) and dumped the entire contents on the dining table.

[Anonymous No.18386683]

>>18386519
Ignore him.

[Anonymous No.18386690]

New thread
>>18386688

[Anonymous No.18386851]

>>18385243
Builds into satisfying action sequences through contextualization or emotional charging. Action in this case can be violence, sex, moments of grace, epiphany, and other stuff.