/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.4161981]

Hey /lit/

For fun (since I'm finishing uni and committed to not working hard at my career), I want to write a short story, possibly a novella. The problem is, whilst I can use very verbose, descriptive languages (I got A's for year 7 creative writing), I'm by no means a "good" writer and I doubt anything I write would be interesting, even if I have a few interesting ideas. Another problem is that I haven't read a fiction novel from start to finish since I was a teenager, mostly because whenever I start I wonder if there's something more important and substantial I could be reading (maybe about philosophy or science).

Is there any hope for me? I'd have assumed good writers are also avid readers. Surely it's like music in that you need inspiration from other works, right?

Pic unrelated, but I'm sure it'll cause an argument.

[Anonymous No.4161987]

>(I got A's for year 7 creative writing)
>Thinks he can learn how to write in a classroom

Writing comes from experience, your first 100k words will be unreadable shit, the first 1 million will be barely enjoyable. After that you might be able to produce something appropriate.

Just keep writing and don't worry about being "Good" or "Bad". If you have the talent the skill will come as you work.

[Anonymous No.4161994]

That image will forever be the immobile rock against which my rage batters.

[Anonymous No.4161995]

>>4161987
I'm gonna write the word "a" a billion times, then I can just start spitting masterpieces!
Thanks for the advice, bro, I'll dedicate my first bestseller to you

[Anonymous No.4162002]

>>4161981

>Pic unrelated, but I'm sure it'll cause an argument.

Nope.

Anyone who actually reads can easily tell that it was made by some normalfag casual reader who is terrified of any degree of poetic abstraction, so they sheepishly write it off to feel better about their inadequacies.

If you take that graphic seriously then you're a moron. Truly.

[Anonymous No.4162014]

>>4162002
Though some of the time people attempt to pull things out of events that are not meant to be symbolic and merely plot advancing. Lots of things are symbolic, but other things are not as well.

[Anonymous No.4162018]

>>4162014
>meant

it's almost like you think authorial intent matters

[Anonymous No.4162019]

>>4162018

Reader-Response theory or what?

[Anonymous No.4162020]

>>4162018

[Anonymous No.4162027]

>>4162019
well duh
I mean, trying to understand what the author intended is definitely a worthwhile exercise
but privileging that intent over alternative interpretations is definitely dumb

[Anonymous No.4162036]

Just fucking write. You are going to suck, but you will get better eventually, just keep writing.

[Anonymous No.4162053]

>>4161981
(too image)

>implying the author knows what the fuck they're doing and that there's some sort of correct meaning
>both your author and the teacher are right depending on context
>they're also both ultimately wrong
>I'm a faggot

[Anonymous No.4162061]

>>4162053
I like making peepee and doodoo in my pants

[Anonymous No.4162062]

>>4161994
>>4162002
>>4162053

I'm so glad I'm not alone here. all those FB posts of "lol the author wanted to say that the sky is blue xD le rage" rustled some serious jimmies.

[Anonymous No.4162083]

To be fair, OP, you get A's in creative writing for trying hard and proving you can write well mechanically, not for being any good, so I wouldn't go around bragging about that, at any rate.

And I'll repeat what most knowledgeable people have said about being a writer: you are unqualified to write if you do not read.

[Anonymous No.4162094]

>>4161995
OP here, that's not me. Actually, fuck you anon.

>>4161987
Thanks for the harsh words, so experience > inspiration? The problem I have with that is that I might not know if what I'm writing is "good" or bad, if I was to write it, I'd be reliant on my ideas rather than my writing ability. I have an incredibly good imagination, for better or for worse.

>>4162083
We got A's for using long words and being incredibly descriptive and verbose. Creative writing teachers seemed to ignore anything about themes, ideas, storyline structure, character development, etc, because they assumed children are idiots who can't use those techniques. My entire high school education was one pretentious, elitist dumbfuck with a sociology degree telling me I'm an idiot after another.

>you are unqualified to write if you do not read.
Well, maybe I should read a few books from the genre I like in the mean time then. I like hard sci-fi, so I'll hunt for some Asimov.

[Anonymous No.4162096]

>>4161981
One of the things I'd like to imagine when writing is that I'll write something that I'd like to read myself. If you don't read any fiction, you clearly can't.

[Anonymous No.4162099]

>>4161981

>taking "creative writing"
>ever

Nothing but glorified babysitting.

[Anonymous No.4162107]

>>4162099
I was 13, I wasn't allowed to choose which English course to do until I was 17. I was forced to do creative writing, which in year 7 was pretty much "what's the longest, most exotic word you can find?" I probably got A's because I wrote the damn things using a thesaurus.

By 15/16, creative writing was all about feminists asking about our "feelings" and then having us write pages justifying our feelings, to which they'd mark whoever had the most valid feelings highest. It was very difficult for boys to excel, but a rumour that I was gay seemed to help.

A few years later, in year 12, creative writing got really complex. You had to clusterfuck as many "techniques" they taught you as possible, whether they fit or not was irrelevant, and the more of them you used the higher your mark.

High school is a very mechanical learning process.

[Anonymous No.4162143]

>>4162096
this is an excellent point.

[Anonymous No.4162235]

>tfw the reader's lack of intelligence and understanding does not negate the authorial intent


FB pls

[Anonymous No.4162596]

>>4162107
jesuschristhowhorrifying.jpg

[Anonymous No.4162633]

>>4162094
Read with as much variation as humanly possible.

[Anonymous No.4162638]

>>4161981
>I can use very verbose, descriptive languages (I got A's for year 7 creative writing)

aww, americans and the way they think 'I got an A in my test/ My IQ is X / I got a GPA of Z, I'm good at it, check my numbers' are so cute

[Anonymous No.4162644]

>>4162638
In that same sentence, he says he's still not a very good writer, you pretentious gasbag.

[Anonymous No.4162646]

>>4162638
Look at this nerd. I bet you had horrible grades even though you could do better if you'd have tried. Everyone who got an A probably cheated or sucked the teacher off.
We're so talented, but dont show it :)

[Anonymous No.4162651]

>>4162638
OP is clearly not american, so why are you singling out americans?

[Anonymous No.4162652]

>immense depression and lack of will to carry on

[Anonymous No.4162658]

>>4162638
Sorry that we actually back up the things we say.