/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.3697946]

I want to become a better writer.

I believe, and quite honestly I have to believe, that I do have at least a small amount of talent for it but I want to get better, much much better. I know the we get asked this question on this board a lot and the general consensus is just to read good books and write more, which I am doing. However, do any of you guys know a place where I can share my writing, get it critiqued, and critique others writing? Like a community where everybody there is dedicated to becoming a better writer. Does such a thing exist, if so, where? If it doesn't exist, would anybody here be interested in starting such a thing?

[Anonymous No.3697956]

scribophile

[Anonymous No.3697966]

>>3697946

There are plenty of sites out there, but most of them are very inactive unfortunately.

[Anonymous No.3697975]

scribophile

[Anonymous No.3698111]

I know you probably won't take this sincerely, but you really don't want to do this. It's not going to short-cut you past making shitty writing mistakes. It's better to study writing overall and learn from the mistakes of everyone, than to wait to make a mistake and try and have it corrected by other amateurs. Read books, study what the authors are saying and how they are conveying what they are saying. Read books on writing, because they'll generally cover all the basics, And practice, practice, practice, and look over your own writing, because you'll be able to see when something isn't working a lot of the time.

/lit/ will tolerate critique threads, especially if they all occur in the same thread (don't start a thread for just critiquing your piece, start a general critique thread) and especially if they are short, and you probably won't need a large sample for someone to determine what problems you are having.

pic related, these books won't waste your time (like a lot of writing books will) but neither are they a requirement.

The most important thing is to practice writing a lot and learning to cut away everything that isn't helping convey the story.

Oh, and get used to outlining and brainstorming, they usually help immensely

[Anonymous No.3698212]

>>3697946
this image is so full of win

[Anonymous No.3698290]

>>3698111
Not OP. While I doubt the veracity of the image, the advice of the text is great. OP, if you're brave and trusting, I advise letting people you know read some of your stuff.

[Anonymous No.3698360]

>>3698290
It's not so much a list of "The best writing books" as a list of all the writing books that were recommended in a /lit thread specifically asking for books that don't waste the reader's time. I personally like the "Between the lines" and "How not to write" but I can't vouch for some of the others, though I'm tracking down copies to check. I'm hoping to refine and add to the list more as we do more writing threads.

[Anonymous No.3698464]

>>3698360
how do we know you know anything whatsoever

[Anonymous No.3698512]

>>3698464
Where did I presume to be an authority?
When did I say I know everything about writing?

I'm just someone who's spent a lot of time studying writing, and a lot of time practicing, enough to go from a state of "Unable to produce anything at all" to a state of "Able to churn out short stories that are still probably shitty but leaps and bounds ahead of how shitty I used to be."

I can't say the books will all help either. But I asked for writing books and this is what /lit contributed. The title is literal. It's not "The Best Books on Writing" It's /Lit on writing.

As to the post when I told OP "don't try to learn writing by going from critique to critique." I know enough from practice, and from studying that it's extremely important to learn how to evaluate your own work, and extremely important, especially in the beginning to have a system of practice and progress that doesn't rely on anyone else, not even anonymous internet help.
It's too easy to get on the wrong track based on a bad critique, or overlook a serious problem because of a good critique.

[Anonymous No.3698550]

>>3698111
One of the nice things about having people read my writing is that it helps motivate me to write

[Anonymous No.3698610]

>>3698111
>>3698360
>>3698512
I second these posts.
I also add that writing is a way to convey thought. If you want to have a deeper understanding of writing and all the "how to"s studying other forms of thought displays is a good idea.
By that I mean listening to famous speeches and philosophers of all ages, some sort of self exploration (as faggotory as it sounds), an interest in music, and maybe even attending poetry readings at local libraries.
I am no god tier writer, if you want real constant advice advance your education. Enroll in creative writing and literature classes at a local community college.