/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.7046746]

Anyone here a writer of some kind?
Have you had any/much success in writing, can you live off it or is it more of a hobbie for you?

[Anonymous No.7047034]

>>7046746
I've written 1.8 books, about a dozen short stories, haven't had a lick of success in any way shape or form.

But....i keep on plugging away at it.

[Anonymous No.7047047]

>>7046746
Does anyone else feel like they can write generally well, EXCEPT when it comes to dialogue?
I feel like the second dialogue comes up, my writing shifts to utter shit. Anyone else know this feel?

[Anonymous No.7047061]

>>7047047
No....i have the opposite problem. I struggle without dialogue. Everyone's who's read my shit says i'm great at that, but i know i tend to be rambling and incoherent when i'm just trying to describe something.

I have to edit my shit, re-write it pretty heavily to get around this. But dialog is always easy as pussy pie.

[Anonymous No.7047073]

>>7047061
Can you post an example of yours?
I always get caught up with using, x says, etc.
Because I don't want to use every syllable out there, fuck that.
But I also feel like it's being repetitive.
I'll often leave it off in a conversation but I worry it isn't clear who is who to a reader.
This isn't even considering writing believable conversations. That I am unsure of in general

[Anonymous No.7047097]

>>7047073
(not him)
I almost always drop the verbs when writing dialogue, very shortly after it begins. I used to worry about that to, but I looked at most books, and nearly every writer does that.

>ave you had any/much success in writing, can you live off it or is it more of a hobbie for you?

I'm a published poet in my country. Working on my second poetry book as of now. My first book made some money, but there is no way I could ever live off of it. (unless, somehow, my poetry alone will make the entire field 5 times as popular.)

[Anonymous No.7047098]

>>7047073
Oh!” Mike exclaimed. He had actually found something that might be useful to her. “Hey, uh, Miss Gagner-”
Juli's hands wrenched her steering wheel. Her teeth clenched. In the distance she saw the liquid waves of heat floating up from the road like on hot summer days. If you told her it was a cold winter morning, she still would have seen it. He pronounced it “Gag-ner”. Julie's gagging on-
“It's not Gag-ner you faggot!” Juli shrieked. One road over, a dog lifted its ear and stuck its head out of its house, trying to ascertain what that sudden burst of violence meant.
“Uh,” Mike was speechless.
Juli tried to lose herself in the waves.
“Your license is expired,” Mike said, meekly.
“What?” Juli snapped her arm out the window, snatching her license from his hands, holding it a few inches from her face to study it. “What'd you do?” she asked.
“Me? No. They just expire on their own, I didn't do anything.”
“Well fix it!” Juli thrust the license back to him.
“Fix it? No, that's the BMV that does that. That's uh....” Mike wasn’t sure what else to say.
Juli retracted her arms back and looked at her flowing liquid road ahead. She tossed the license over her shoulder, into the back seat, and sighed.
“Is everything Ok?” Mike asked.
“Yes, wonderful.”
“I mean, I'm just asking if everything is ok with you.”
Juli looked ahead, to the now shimmering and sparkling road, she didn't answer.
“You seem upset.”
“You've made me upset,” Juli answered with accusing venom.
“Ok. Well....” Mike looked up at the road and back to his car, knowing that it was time for him to retreat but delaying it. “Just get your license renewed, I won't bother writing you up for something that stupid.”
Juli didn’t respond.
“Uh, well I guess I'll get going then. I'll see you at the gym, I suppose.” Mike studied Juli's face for any reaction.
Juli didn't answer, or even show signs of hearing Mike.
“My name's Mike by the way.”
“May I go?” Juli asked, her head slumped, her voice tired and weak.

(a little out of context, but there.)

[I'm not a robot No.7047103]

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>slash literature page 4 chan

[Anonymous No.7047112]

I wrote a short story and a novel and published them on Amazon. Sometimes I make them free just to have some downloads, but overall, I just had one sale.

Now I'm studying journalism, so it kinda helped.

[Anonymous No.7047116]

>>7047098
Shit man.
P good.
I just can't get dialogue to flow like that ( I don't think).
If I'm writing dialogue it's mostly just that.
Where as your passage is like half conversational, and the rest the scene at hand.
If I'm writing s dialogue my characters are usually just talking. There's just not enough going on in the scenes to describe otherwise and I guess I just don't use it properly. I don't know.

[Anonymous No.7047139]

I've written two novels, been rejected 3 times. Editing again to re-submit both sometime this fall to new places. I figure I'll always need a normal job.

[Anonymous No.7047145]

>>7047116
Well....people talking, "dialogue," can be as descriptive as descriptive text. I think it's easier actually, as you got a live person there, ready to just make thing easy and say the things, rather than have to invent some disembodied person to describe it.

You just listen to how people speak, and you write that. Seems pretty easy to me, at least.

[Anonymous No.7047147]

>>7046746
Hobby as of right now. Hoping to start making some money with it in the next few years though.

>>7047047
Read some Nabokov, buddy. He helped me a lot with dialogue.
>>7047112
How many downloads did you have?

[Anonymous No.7047158]

>>7047098
Juli sounds like a bitch

[Anonymous No.7047162]

>>7047158
Yup. very.

[Anonymous No.7047163]

>>7047147
I had about 50-60 overall when they were free, because I assumed someone would like and talk to other people about it. One guy in India even bought one, but it didn't help.
Now I'm trying to write in my actual native language, portuguese, which I seem to have more difficulties, due to not being familiar with too many portuguese or brazilian authors.

[Anonymous No.7047196]

>>7047116
You know, to practice i used to write pieces that are all dialog, you could try that. Doesn't have to be good, just try...

Jesse threw her keys next to the register, snatched the phone out of the reciever and said, "Dave, some drunk puked in one of the display barbeques, get somebody to clean it up!" She hung the phone up, not waiting for a response. She punched her numbers into the register to activate it, it had a till warning but she punched her manager's code in to ignore it. It was the least of her problems, even though she was sure to be yelled at when she came in tomorrow for ignoring it.
"You're still here?" a dumb sounding voice asked from behind her.
"Yeah, Rhonda's late, no shit I'm still here!" she said, not bothering to look to see who spoke; it didn't matter, they were all basically the same idiot.
"Whatever," the dejected voice mumbled.
The phone rang, before it finished the first series of rings, Jesse snatched it up. "Clubs Hardware," she greeted.
"Well hello! This is Norma Jean Welsh calling, is this the hardware store?" the voice asked.
"Yeah," Jesse said.
"Whom am I speaking to?"
"Jesse."
"Oh, dear, is there any way I can talk to a manager?"
"I'm the manager," Jesse said.
"Oh! You are the manager! In my day, well....anyway, I was calling because I had been interested in buying an apple corer for quite some time now-
As Norma spoke, Jesse heard a loud clanging noise, like something metal slammed into something concrete, and a commotion in the back of the store. "Go see what that is!" she ordered the idiot standing behind her.
"Are you listening, dear?" Norma asked.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Ok, like I was saying, I was in the market for an apple corer, and I checked the prices at several stores. At Rightway they wanted eight dollars, at Shopmart it was seven and a half, at crafts store over by Hebron, do you know where that is, dear?”
“Yeah,” Jesse lied.
“Well they wanted twelve dollars for one there, can you believe that?”
“Uh huh,” Jesse grunted.
“I couldn't believe it! An apple corer for twelve dollars!”
“Uh huh.”
“Then I was about to go buy the one from Shopmart and I thought of your store, because I buy potting soil from you sometimes and I like your price on pot scrubbers, do you know what the supermarket charges for those dear?”
“No.”

[Anonymous No.7047205]

>>7047163
Did you advertise them in any way?

Saudações lusitanas

[Anonymous No.7047206]

>>7047196
“I can't remember, but it's just outrageous!” Norma giggled, hoping Jesse would reciprocate in laughter, but Jesse remained silent. “Anyhow, I remember my husband had gone to your store at one point and he made the comment to me that you sold apple corers.”
A large man with the red work uniform appeared in front of Jesse. “I need your signature,” he stated, setting a clipboard in front of her.
“What the fuck is this?” Jesse demanded.
“Invoice for the hospital order.”
“Why's there two of everything?” Jesse asked.
“I don't know,” he shrugged.
“Did this already go out?”
“Yep.”
“Great, you assholes sent double of everything!” Jesse said.
“Oh,” the man said, disappearing.
“Dear, are you there?” Norma asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse said.
“Oh, honey I don't think you should use such language. In my day-
“That wasn't me,” Jesse cut her off.
“Oh, well still, people in your store to be using such language...”
“It was some customers, I kicked them out.”
“Oh, well good for you! Good to see some people have some values these days!”
“Uh huh, well is that all I can do for you today?” Jesse asked, getting ready to hang up the phone.
“Well no, actually. I still haven't gotten to why I called,” Norma said.
“Uh huh.”
“Well, now, where was I? Uh, I had gone to several stores in the area, looking at prices for a-
“You wanted to know about an apple corer?” Jesse cut in.
“Yes dear, that's right. And my husband had told me-
“Yeah, we stock those.” Jesse said.
“Do you? Ok, wonderful. Do you know what price you charge for those?”
“Hang on,” Jesse said, jabbing her finger at a button on the phone, “Price check on an apple corer,” she said, hitting the button again. “I sent somebody to check, can you hold?”
“Uh,” Norma hesitated, “You couldn't find out the price?”
“I sent somebody to check,” Jesse repeated, “Can you hold?”
“No, no, dear. I don't think my phone can do that,” Norma said.
Jesse's eyebrows lowered, her face turning sour at that statement.
“You see dear, I ask because I had wanted to buy an apple corer for quite a while now, but I wanted to get something that was reasonably priced because my husband and I are only on social security now and we don't have much income, you understand.”
“Uh huh.”
“Of course, my husband does have his retirement, but he won't allow me to spend any of his money.”
A younger idiot wearing the red store uniform appeared in front of Jesse. “Dave hit the new kid with the forklift,” he said.
“Is he ok?” Jesse asked.
“I don't think so. His head is bleeding a lot, I think I can see his brains.”
“Did you call an ambulance?” Jesse asked.
“No, that's why I came to you.”

[Anonymous No.7047212]

>>7047206
“You don't need me to call an ambulance! One of you fucking idiots call one from your cell phone!” The red shirted idiot wordlessly disappeared.
Norma said, “Dear, I don't think-
A button on the phone lit up, Jesse jabbed it. “Yeah?”
“Uh, Jesse, what's an apple corer?” a dim voice asked.
“Its a little hand tool to dig out the core of an apple, seasonal, go look!”
“Uh, Ok. Hey, the new kid got hurt back here too.”
“I know, call an ambulance!” Jesse said, jabbing the button again.
“I just heard a click, are you there dear?” Norma asked.
“Uh huh.”
“Oh! I wasn't sure what happened there, I thought I had gotten cut off!”
“Uh huh.”
Norma laughed. “Oh this technology, I just don't know how it works! How can you understand it?”
“Uh huh,” Jesse grunted, looking over the register, to the back of the store, scanning for any sign of purposeful movement from her idiots. There was none.
“My nephew got me a computer, but I don't even know how to turn it on! The cat's been sleeping on it.”
Jesse jabbed another lit up button. “Yeah?”
“These apple corers are $5.49. I think-
“Good, call an ambulance!” Jesse jabbed the button.
“Dear, did it-
“The apple corers are $5.49, we have them in stock!”
“$5.49? Let me check...yes, that's the price my husband said that they were.” Norma said.
“Uh huh.”
“Now dear, I like to save money, but when I see a price that low, I have to ask: is that a quality model?”
“Um...”
“Because when I was a child, this was in 1932 when my sister was born, we had bought an apple corer for fifteen cents, which was a lot of money then, we had to save up quite a while for that.”
“Uh huh.”
“But wouldn't you know it, in 1947 when my sister graduated junior high, that apple corer broke. It had only lasted fifteen years!”
“Uh huh.”
“So I don't want to ever go through that again, times were tough in those days and we didn't need to add any on top of it.”
“Uh huh.”
“So, then in the 1983 when I bought my first VCR, I figured I'd go to the store and buy another apple corer, because I thought technology would be able to build a much better one by now. Well it cost a dollar and a half back then, which was reasonably priced, and I took it home and used it and I just loved it, dear.”
“Uh huh.”
“It worked wonderful and it never broke, I still have it around here somewhere.”
Another red shirted idiot appeared in front of Jesse.
“Did you call an ambulance?” Jesse asked.
“Nah, Dave said the kid's dead, so he went to clean some puke out of a grill.”

[Anonymous No.7047217]

>>7047212
“Even if he's dead, you still have to call an ambulance!”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah!”
“Oh, alright. I didn't think you had to if they were dead, but ok.” The idiot disappeared.
Jesse sighed.
“Dear, are you there?”
“Yeah, they're in stock, they're $5.49” Jesse said.
A sound of rustling and thumping came through the phone. “Are you there dear, did I lose you?”
“I'm here.”
“Oh, my cat knocked the phone out of my hand, can you believe that?” Norma chuckled.
“Uh huh.”
“Now, um, you say it's it stock and it's $4.59?”
“Uh huh.”
“Ok, very good. Now do you stock those regularly?” Norma asked.
“I think only in autumn.”
“Why would you only stock them in autumn, dear?”
“That's when the apple harvest is.”
“Yes, but you can buy apples from the grocery store all year round.”
“Uh huh.”
“See, you didn't think of that, did you dear?”
“Uh huh.”
“Ok, so anyways, it was a dollar and a half, and you have those in stock?”
“Uh huh.”
“Or....wait a minute. My notes are all mixed up here, dear. Are you sure it's a dollar and a half?”
“I don't fucking know,” Jesse said, looking at the floor and shaking her head.
“Oh, well can you please go check?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jesse said, still shaking her head at the floor.
A man in a white and black uniform appeared in front of Jesse. “Where's he at?” he asked.
Jesse looked up and recognized his EMT uniform. “That was quick,” she said.
“We were just next door,” he said.
“No hurry. I guess he's dead anyway.” Jesse said.
“Oh, well why'd you call us?”
“I don't fucking know,” Jesse shrugged, “Here, take this, it's for you.” She handed him the phone. “I'm going home,” she said, snatching up her keys and stomping out to the parking lot.

[Anonymous No.7047228]

>>7047206
I'm glad the other guy likes this but it reads awkward as fuck to me. Too much "X said, Y asked, X demanded". Stop signposting that shit. Don't underestimate your reader. Here;

A large man with the red work uniform appeared in front of Jesse, setting a clipboard in front of her.
“I need your signature,”
“What the fuck is this?” Jesse demanded.
“Invoice for the hospital order.”
“Why's there two of everything?”
“I don't know.” the man shrugged.
“Did this already go out?”
“Yep.”
“Great, you assholes sent double of everything!” But the man was already gone.

“Dear, are you there?” came Norma's voice on the phone.
“Yeah,”
“Oh, honey I don't think you should use such language. In my day-
“That wasn't me,”
“Oh, well still, people in your store to be using such language...”
“It was some customers, I kicked them out.”
“Oh, well good for you! Good to see some people have some values these days!”
“Uh huh, well is that all I can do for you today?”, his hand hovering over the end call button.
“Well no, actually. I still haven't gotten to why I called,”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, now, where was I? Uh, I had gone to several stores in the area, looking at prices for a-
“You wanted to know about an apple corer?”

[Anonymous No.7047232]

>>7047163
Link, confrade?

Saudações tupiniquins.

[Anonymous No.7047235]

>>7047205
Not at all. I expected things to work by themselves.

Não funcionou do jeito que pensei.

[Anonymous No.7047236]

>>7047228
Well you should also notice that i said "It doesn't have to be good,". I only posted that here because it isn't very good, and in first draft form. It was just a writing exercise.

[Anonymous No.7047238]

>>7047232
http://www.amazon.com.br/Silent-Prayer-Deaf-God-English-ebook/dp/B00NI7GB2S/

If you're interested I can make it free tomorrow, so people can download it.

[Anonymous No.7047240]

>>7047228
>>7047206
In fact I'd remove this too.
>Jesse demanded.
And about 90% of the conversation. Why are these people talking about this shit? Even if you're writing a play you should try to be more succinct. You shouldn't need to write out entire conversations as they would happen in real life. Nobody wants to read or hear that. It's not progressing your plot or giving us any interesting insights into the characters, it's just dull fluff.

[Anonymous No.7047245]

>>7047236
Why would you deliberately exercise in bad form? You'll damage your muscles that way, and make it harder to learn to do it better. Don't practice bad habits.

[Anonymous No.7047246]

>>7047238
Nevermind. I can't make it free, according to Amazon. Oh well. I'll just put it for free somewhere else then.

[Anonymous No.7047248]

>>7047240
refer to:>>7047236

Just showing an example of trying an all dialogue thing. Wasn't edited, and abandoned the second i finished a first draft.

[Anonymous No.7047253]

>>7047245
Everybody exercises bad form when you write a first draft. That's why you go over about a dozen times before it becomes something real.

[Anonymous No.7047255]

>>7047248
refer to:>>7047245

[Anonymous No.7047261]

>>7047253
Alright, whatever. We'll see who publishes first.

[Anonymous No.7047263]

>>7047235
Go to reddit and post it on those self-promotion or free e-books subreddits. I don't think you'll have much luck with word of mouth, especially with the thousands and thousands of books avaiable.

Boa sorte

[Anonymous No.7047266]

>>7047255
refer to>>7047253

[Anonymous No.7047269]

>>7047263
Good idea. I'll do that. It's on Kindle Unlimited anyway.

Muito obrigado.

[Anonymous No.7047277]

Every "writer" in this thread is trash.

[Anonymous No.7047278]

>>7047261
when did this become a competition? I was just trying to show somebody and example of something

[Anonymous No.7047288]

>>7047246
Pastebin it someday, mate. We need more Luso threads in /lit/, so it'll come in handy.

Ademais, desejo-lhe boa sorte em seus intentos. Bona fortuna, amicum.

[Anonymous No.7047291]

>>7047277
Says Mr. "Critic" himself.

[Anonymous No.7047299]

>>7047277
Meh, there's plenty of trash writers who sell books.

[Anonymous No.7047324]

>>7047278
He was asking for help with dialogue, you said dialogue was easy then posted a large excerpt of bad dialogue as an example.
Is it a first draft or a writing exercise? You don't seem to be sure. I'm not trying to tear you down, I just think that writing reams of meandering conversation isn't a very good way to get better at well-written dialogue.

[Anonymous No.7047333]

>>7047324
I was just showing him how you would write a piece that's entirely dialog.

Why can't a writing exercise be a first draft? If i gave a shit about it, i'd work more on it, i don't.

Why am i suddenly involved in a dick waving contest with you. How about you go fuck yourself, generally. I'll stop posting if you don't like my shit so much, that's fine by me.

[Anonymous No.7047756]

>>7047034
Well that isn't much for a pro writer anon though it's a good start, you'll need to write twice as much before you really know what you're doing.

Source, I'm Thomas Pynchon.

[Anonymous No.7047758]

>>7047756
alright, cool.

[Anonymous No.7047833]

>my stories kept getting rejected for "racism"
>write a story pandering to political correctness just to see if it gets through
>gets accepted
>its the title piece of the next edition of Harpers

[Anonymous No.7047845]

>>7047833
Could you post some of your racism?

[Anonymous No.7047857]

>>7047845
I lost my copy but I once wrote a story about a half German half Japanese guy who was the greatest engineer who ever lived. I originally wrote it for school. I got an F

[Anonymous No.7049386]

>>7046746
Yes, I'm a technical writer. I usually write for commissions or contracts. It's my job, so yes I live off it.

I have also written magazine articles and so on, but that is really just a hobby and not my main line of work.