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/lit/ - Literature

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7048507 No.7048507 [Reply] [Original]

How's that book coming along, /lit/?

>> No.7048546 [DELETED] 

Its coming along fine. I just dont know if their is a market for svottish alt lit about lifting weoghts and workong a dead end job.
>write what you know they said.

>> No.7048548

I just finished my first 24-page comic book script. It's amateur, but it's coming off as pretty commercial. It's meant to get more complex and "Morrisonian" as time goes on. Problem is, comics thrive on brevity and I am not a brief person. Most good comix writers can do about 7 word bubbles/captions a page, and I'm averaging about 12. Granted I have to both introduce a character, a world, and have a conflict set up and resolved all in 24 pages, so you can't blame me. I know this is /co/ shit, so I'm spoilering it, don't mind me.

>> No.7048557

>>7048548
>having.trouble.writting 24 pages.
Bro. I had to do 6 pages each for my 2 future shocks for 2000ad. I could wrote.a.series on 24 pages.

>> No.7048578

Still stuck with nothing more than a three page outline I made of what I want to do with this book.

Every time I sit down to write, I get maybe a page out before my self-conscious gets worked out and I delete it and go back to bed.

>> No.7048586

I have a chunk of chapters I've written out of order and some notes. Just continuing and continuing. Learning to not get so pissy when I hit a roadblock.

>> No.7048592

>>7048507
How do I learn how to write? Is it just like with photography where you can just pick up a camera and take a good photo by luck/intuition or like playing an insrument where you have to practice a lot and keep learning theory to 'improve'? Both? Neither? Its just that suddenly the idea of writing a book doesn't seem that ridiculous anymore.

>> No.7048599
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7048599

>got an idea
>wrote down a bunch a notes for a few characters
What do I do from here?

>> No.7048604
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7048604

finally starting to come out of a long depression and brought the draft to 25k words this week. it's a potboiler young adult thing and i wanna ask someone for money already

>> No.7048610

>>7048599
what do these characters want
how do they get what they want
what prevents them from getting what they want
how do they circumvent circumstance to get what they want

>> No.7048616

>>7048610
Thanks!

>> No.7048619

>>7048592
read different authors from different genres. write short little stories or descriptions of things after you read. your power increases as you practice both

>>7048599
try outlining the story scene by scene, or make timelines for the characters

>> No.7048622
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7048622

Is anyone here published?

>> No.7048644

>>7048622
Yeah, I've got three novels published. One of them won a small local award which feels nice, hoping I go national with my next novel.

>> No.7048653

>>7048644
Nice
What books? I wouldnt mind seeing what /lit/ has to offer

How does one get published?

>> No.7048775

>>7048507

I fucking deleted it by accident seriously I don't even know what happened, one minute it was there the next it wasn't. I had like 10 pages (that started being like 30) but they were pretty decent and I'm fucking mad af. I'm so mad I just scrapped the whole idea altogether.

>> No.7048780
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7048780

>>7048507
>Recently spend $59 on 46 books at my library's annual book sale, all of them used for research on the fictional universe I'm developing.
>Intend to make marginal notes and highlight interesting passages and sentences, as long as they're not too rare or old.
>All of them are of varying ages and rarity, doing it to a book made before 1980 makes me feel bad.
>Before I go through them, check the dates of each book.
>Find out that Virgil's Aeneid is from 1950, another book is from 1960-something and a Medieval Myths pocket book is from 1970.
>Don't want to desecrate good old books that have survived in good condition this long.

Nobody knows what it's like,
To feel bad, man...

>> No.7048782
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7048782

>>7048507
>tfw start writing fictionalised biographies so I don't have to worry about coming up with a story myself and can instead focus on technique

>> No.7048783

>>7048775
>not creating a back up after every chapter

>> No.7048790

>>7048780
Just take notes on a separate sheet of paper then...

>> No.7048794

>>7048790
Alright. Seems more tedious, but I don't wanna ruin those old books.

>> No.7048798

>>7048794
It'll save you a good headache as long as you organize it properly

>> No.7048812

I was writing poetry before the semester started, but that has ground to a screeching halt.

>> No.7048814

>>7048782
>implying plot isnt a technique on its own

>> No.7048832

>>7048783

I thought I was. I seriously don't know what the fuck happened I don't even remember deleting anything. I had several different files with different stages of editing and they all disappeared suddenly. I don't want to say they were stolen because it wasn't THAT good.

>> No.7048945

>>7048557
Don't make me hate myself any more than I already do. 24 pages is already a cut down from the 26 in the rough draft, and there's still a page I feel I need to ADD. Nothing but respect for 2000AD.

>> No.7048966
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7048966

>started the main parts of my story I plan to sell to Hollywood and live of the merchandising

>> No.7048998
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7048998

>>7048578
>3 page outline

>> No.7049115

>>7048507
Not fast enough.

>> No.7049126

I feel as if I have somthing huge to say and neither my thought nor my words can really wrap themselves around it.

>> No.7049131

>>7048794
Use post-its

>> No.7049135

I've got a great beginning and a great end and absolutely nothing to tie them together.

This happens way too often.

>> No.7049137

>>7048507
38.5k words out of planned 75k. Drafting/plotting process finished, onto filling, then editing. Hoping to be done before christmas.

>> No.7049138

>>7049135

I've got great middles and absolutely nothing to start or finish them with.

We should collaborate.

>> No.7049139

I gave-up. I'll write short stories. No patience for a novel, and certeanly, not enough substance.

>> No.7049156

>>7049138
My style is inspired by McCarthy, but set in modern Britain. I am trying to write a book backwards in order to find the "middle" by constantly thinking "and how did this happen...and how did they get here..." And so on.

It works up to a point but is horrendously inefficient.

>> No.7049310

I've got I think 6k words down, but haven't worked on it in a while due to a combination of reading a lot and my little bluetooth keyboard dying, meaning I can't surreptitiously work on it at my job, when I'm most motivated to do so.

>> No.7050083

>>7048578
try not deleting, instead admit its shit and keep going. i was the same way, but you have to learn to seperate the writer you and the critic you

>> No.7050090

>>7048599
any scenes that seem like theyd be fun to write? do one of those

>> No.7050361

>>7048782
the sad part is that she'll never be taken seriously as an actress

>> No.7050373

>>7048783
>writing chronologically

>> No.7050380

>>7049126
It's probably trite anyway

>> No.7050420

I don't read or write I just come here to troll

>> No.7050425

>tfw you doubt fiction's efficacy to say what you want to say

>> No.7050450

My manuscript is ready and edited but I'm still waiting on the chick I commissioned to fix my query letter to get back to me.

Query is below:

Hi. I’m (anon), and I saw your name in the October issue of Writers Digest’s article “38 Agents Seeking Writers Now.” After reading about your specific fiction interests, I wanted to contact you about my novel (book title). (Book title) is a science fantasy space opera novel set in 22nd century Oklahoma, revolving around the life of 15 year old Fennius Taylor and the struggles he faces in becoming the youngest amateur contender in the 300+mph hovercraft global racing circuit.

In addition to adapting to what the media calls “the suicide sport,” Fennius must navigate the allure and pitfalls of sudden fame and recognition. Moving through his new world, he soon realizes the people he does business with may be as treacherous as the sport he loves. To make things more complicated, he’s attracted the eye of Akiko Chiyo, the perpetually 16 year old, sentient, hologram popstar with a billion fans behind her. As their relationship heats up, the stakes are raised again when the prestigious Tatsunoka Corporation, the company that makes the best hovercrafts and signs only the best racers, suddenly take an interest in Fennius. As the power struggle between his feelings for Akiko and his passion for racing play out, he’ll discover that the connection he’s made with Akiko will set into motion a chain of events that will affect not only them but the rest of the universe. (Book title) is approximately 101,000 words long and is available immediately for consideration.

I’m an imaginative and prolific writer. Writing or editing are part of my daily routine and will be for years to come. For the past year and a half, my writing has been focused on refining and editing (book title), after it made the quarterfinalist’s list for the Amazon.com Breakthough Novel Award in 2013. This is my first venture into professional publishing and you’re the first agent I’ve seen in a while who is specifically requesting (epic fantasy/space opera) what I have to offer.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Anon

>> No.7050605

I've considered going into harlequin romance (or some other popular genre) in order to make cash on the side. I'm a good writer but I'm mainly interested in making money. Is the genre over-saturated?

>> No.7050628

Still working on my short stories.

>> No.7051049

>>7050361
Why is that sad?

>> No.7051207

>>7048622
>got a book review published in the los angeles review of books

it counts, r-right guys?

>> No.7051222
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7051222

>tfw can't figure out what I want to write because I can't even figure out what kind of person I am

>> No.7051231

>>7051222
You are not a real person yet. You must make more mistakes.

>> No.7051248

>>7048507
About 7 pages of actual writing and 20 of notes. The story is set to have no named characters. Rather it is just a great series of happenings, each eclipsing the previous set of happenings. I'm shooting for something with the impersonality, beauty, and violence of Blood Meridian, but with a more directly surreal aspect. Also minus alot of McCarthy's quirks that honestly are just distracting from hist work (adding in my own of course).

I keep getting stressed out because what I am putting out is so far from what I want the final product to be. My verbal imagination feels like it keeps coming and going. I've started journaling just to not stop writing and keep the creativity flowing even if it has no relevance to the work.

>> No.7051252

>>7051222
You're gay. Just accept it.

>> No.7051266

40000 in and I realized its not the story I wanted to tell.

>> No.7051272

About 80% done with a first draft of my second book. No luck selling my first book yet.

>> No.7051488
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7051488

3700 words in on something that's my first longer piece of fiction...not sure if it's a short story or a novel or neither.

I've submitted chunks of it to critique threads and most of you seemed to like it/would keep reading.

Excited for where it will take me while I apply for MFA's and continue creating. Thanks /lit/.

>> No.7051502

About 60% through my second draft of a novel--first draft is ~120K words. I'm going to get through what I'm doing here and do some short fiction for a while because that seems like the only real way to get a toehold. Fuck, writing your novel is the easy part.

>> No.7051588

25,000 words through the first draft. About a quarter of what I achieved with my last novel project, which I abandoned. This one seems more promising, but in many ways I am limited by my inability to match its scope. It's a deterring process quite often, but today was nice, like some other days, and I wrote something essential. Most days it's the act of taking a shit so it doesn't hurt my stomach all day, it seems like. I don't know how well I can do with it, but I'm going to keep going until the bloody end.

>> No.7051601

>>7051488
why not apply to maths ph.d programs instead...

>> No.7052558
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7052558

I've done some pretty good world building and character notes

Am I supposed to write the actual book on yWriter? Or is that just for outlines and notes?

How do I start my novel? So far that seems to be the hardest thing

I dont even know what the book is about. I just got the characters and world down

It's a Neo-Noir cyberpunk thriller

I'm trying to avoid cliches and I'm avoiding being too similar to Electric Sheep

>> No.7052723
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7052723

When I'm finally ready to write my book, am I supposed to use word or something?
Do I just write shit down like a college essay?
I dont wanna fuck up after writing the whole thing

>> No.7052727

>>7048507
I have like a dozen I've started and forgotten over the years.
My most recent endeavor I feel pretty good about.
Looking back at my old shit it is much better written.
However whether or not it is up to snuff no idea.
People seem pretty divided when I post excerpts. Though usually the negative is less about it being terrible and more practices of mine they aren't a fan of.
Also have a couple short stories going.
Have a lot of ideas that have come to me in the past few weeks that I have not done anything with either.
Might incorporate them into my current shit or just make them into new things.

I also have a screenplay I've been working on since last year. It is kind of a back burner for me.
Been slowly working on it every couple weeks.

>> No.7052749

>>7048507
It's a post modern satirical cyberpunk erotic critique of modern society. So it's going great

>> No.7052774

Good. The editing process is slow, but that's the price paid for good fiction.

>> No.7052793
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7052793

Finished and pretty deep into the editing process. Just started writing and sending out query letters. Not sure if I should be shopping out to agents or straight to publishers, but it probably doesn't even matter with how much fucking luck is involved.

I remembered that I don't have a resume which shits up my chances of being noticed even more so I've been trying to get some short stories published.

>> No.7052805
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7052805

>>7048507
it's not coming along
I haven't finished a book in like 2 years, I've run out of motivation
I just stay here because I get the references and I know enough for it all to make sense

>> No.7053384

>>7052558
PLEASE RESPOND

>> No.7053418
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7053418

>>7048507
I've finished the first draft and going through editing. Realised my style and skill has changed from when I fist started writing.
I also have too many similies starting with "like" which is distracting and pleb.
I still have a few "cutaway" chapters/scenes to write (think steinbeck's grapes of wrath) but yeah they'll come to me eventually.
Feels good having stacks of annotated drafts around my desk tbh. Feel like a real writer

>> No.7053561

>>7052723
Use what's most comfortable.
Seeing how you're using the internet, that'd probably be Word.
Don't forget to make backups/store it in some cloud.