/lit/ - Literature

>>20050034
No one writes in /wg/.

INCLUDE A WRITING PROMPT

whats more interesting, a full scale war between two sprawling empires, one militant and assimilative and one authoritarian and puritan, or a free for all threeway war between two puritan factions and a third faction that arises from refugees and survivors of the other two factions? will the goals get muddied? will it be harder to focus on the real antagonists if i have a third faction just kinda dicking around? how do i make it work?
>>20049794
thats kinda the problem, im not entirely sure, and thats why i ask if it muddies the main antagonists. basically the third group all have visions and dreams and their shamans gather, and a consortium of various races agrees to destroy humanity for the good of the universe. originally i was going to have the antagonists gather these different races together but the antagonists are supposed to be warlike savages who stole their technology and ships from a more advanced race and decorate their armored in skins and scalps, so it makes a little questionable that any other race would side with these guys besides savages like them. but theyre a better alternative to the humans in this universe who have basically fucked the galaxy on an apocalyptic scale, would that be reason enough you think?
>>20049866
both, i try to focus on the plot drafts first but if i have good ideas, good lines or dialogues in my head i try to write them as soon as they come because its harder to remember it later
>>20049888
its going to be very large in scale and take point of view from multiple protagonists but im trying to avoid a detached top down view like its just dnd or warhammer lore, i want the core cast to be relatable even if very weird and broad
sorry to repost i have been doing nothing but writing for 2 weeks i am obsessed lately
>>20050041
only you dont

>>20050034
I'm bored and on painkillers. I'll read the work of the first five people to reply and attempt to give a thoughtful response. Nothing too long; don't be a dick.

>>20050073

The trail was snowed in. He sat in the car looking at the foot of snow and considered going back down. He tasted nicotine on his fingers and fingered his pack. Three left. He crushed the one he was smoking in the cup holder. Fuck it, I want to see the lake. The engine died and he pushed out the door. A tar spattered jacket from the backseat. Concrete caked boots from the trunk. A long walk through ankle deep snow. Time passed. There were no birds. No sounds save the click of his lighter. Inhale smoke. Exhale fatigue. Some leaves still remained. Heavy green, scattered oranges. Pretty. He could see the water through the bare spots. The sun was hidden behind rough clouds. The snow ended as he neared the lake. Replaced with frozen stone and sand. He sat on his ass and stretched his leg out in front of him. The lake was still, encompassed on all sides by dark wet trees. Another cigarette found itself between his lips.

Post your novel ideas. It's not like they're going anywhere.

>>20050034
What's the point of writing if some fat nerd who writes formulaic, marketable stories makes more than you'll ever make in your life time?

>>20050084
art is not about money, its about constructing myths and images that will resonate with the people and brighten their souls. his formulaic trash will be forgotten in a decade. its your job to write something that will last for centuries like cervantes or milton

>>20050078
Not the guy you replied to but SHEESH, please vary your sentence length. It's so difficult to and head-ache inducing to read!

Like imagine. I always talk like this. Damn. I'm writing a 4chan post. I post it. I smile.

>>20050084
>fat
Honestly for a fantasy author he looks pretty healthy

>>20050105
Explode into a cloud of pretty red things

>>20050105
Thanks for the critique but I enjoy doing it that way. it's how i think in my mind.

>>20050084
idk don't care, I just wanna write tragic PTSD space lesbians

>>20050041
I used to get angry at these types of posts but now I realize they are true

>>20050122
didnt they already do that? its called neon genesis evangelion

>>20050120
You do you but it's not just me who feels that way. Your readers will be bored out of their minds and you're under-utilizing the ability sentence length can have with tension and tone.

>>20050079
People wake up in a massive circular copper city that surrounds a black lake, around the city there is a great circular area full of snowy fields with some farms and hamlets, on the furthest edges there are red mountains and a fog filled with monsters, attempting to climb the mountains or cross the fog is impossible. A massive dome of impenetrable glass surrounds the city, so exiting is also impossible.

Citizens are immortal, some are millennia old, if they die they become ice, shatter and their bodies are recreated in the last place where they fell asleep in. Some poor folk are constantly dying of hunger or illness, some prisoners are punished by endless drowning or being buried alive. Some people take dying better than others, some people even go as far as killing themselves after a hard work day just to go home faster, whereas other go completely mad.

Another side effect of immortality is that citizens have levels of depravity unseen anywhere else, specially if they are rich and powerful.

Turns out that there's a way of leaving the city, a few people have managed to do so already, but nobody is truly sure of how is done.

>I can spoil the secret of the city if you guys are interested.

>>20050131
I appreciate the advice but I don't write for readers. This is just me masturbating. I find it enjoyable. In what corrupted dying world would I modify my thoughts, emotions or behavior for someone else's enjoyment? Dumb.

>>20050139
Then why are you here

>>20050130
no

>>20050141
The other anon offered a thoughtful response. Bored, I chose to embrace his offer. I understand my writing isn't top notch or publishable. I write because its a method of expression. Why not post something you've written? Getting advice can't hurt. You can always discard it.

Once more!

>>20050163
FYI im not asking you to change your writing voice, purpose, and feelings into your writing. Actually varying your sentence length can help you achieve the emotions you actually want to achieve.

Like let's say you want to draw something dark. You use crayons. You achieved your goal of making something dark that you feel is close to you. But is it really your full potential? Could you use markers or a digital pen to make it look better? Yes.

>>20050188
Good point, I was mostly being obtuse to provoke you. I do vary my sentence length in other work I've written. But I was serious about posting some of your own work. These threads only flourish if there's input from various anons.

>>20044786
Here's my attempt at the exercise.

https://pastebin.com/qZLy4Ky3

>>20050078

First impressions: other Anon is right. It needs more texture. I'm a fan of terse, minimalist prose but even Hemingway and Haruf knew when to let their writing breathe a little. Mostly, if you're going to write like this every single sentence has to land 100%. You have some beautiful images, and I like the way the prose is attempting to mimic the stark landscape.


Line by line.

>The trail was snowed in. He sat in the car looking at the foot of snow and considered going back down.

Establishes setting and character. Solid, but not brilliant.

>He tasted nicotine on his fingers and fingered his pack.

You started two consecutive sentences with “he”. Consider a restructure. What does nicotine taste like? Describe actual taste. I actually like the rhythm caused by repetition of 'finger'.

>Three left. He crushed the one he was smoking in the cup holder.

Nice. I understand it's his thoughts. Crush is a good muscular verb.

>Fuck it, I want to see the lake.

Nice. Rolls off of preceding sentence.

>The engine died and he pushed out the door.

This is where it begins to feel constipated to me. One too many terse sentences in a row IMO

>A tar spattered jacket from the backseat. Concrete caked boots from the trunk.

See above. It was not immediately obvious to me these two sentences were him donning these items. Had to reread these two sentences after I hit the next sentence. The assonance and alliteration are a mouthful. These two lines just didn't work for me

>A long walk through ankle deep snow. Time passed.

Let these lines breathe. Too terse.

>There were no birds.

Good line. This is the one that should stand on its own.

>No sounds save the click of his lighter. Inhale smoke. Exhale fatigue.

Too tight once again. Perhaps combine last two sentences.

>Some leaves still remained. Heavy green, scattered oranges.

I guess this is fine but could do more. I was imagining mid-winter until this point. I like scattered orange.

>Pretty.

I know this is him thinking it. Not sure you need it.

>He could see the water through the bare spots.

Weak.

>The sun was hidden behind rough clouds.

Rough clouds doesn't do it for me. You're stretching too hard for the internal rhyme.

>The snow ended as he neared the lake. Replaced with frozen stone and sand.

You're using two sentences to describe one thought.

>He sat on his ass

Everyone sits on their ass. The ass is implied.

>and stretched his leg out in front of him.

One leg?

>The lake was still, encompassed on all sides by dark wet trees.

Love this. Encompassed could be replaced with a more specific verb for your tone.

>Another cigarette found itself between his lips.

I wanted some sort of conclusion besides “he smoked, and then he smoked some more”. I want more of the character. How he describes the scenery needs to characterize him more vividly. Every sentence needs to be doing double or triple work. Perfect aesthetic unity is the goal here.

>>20050137
>copper city, black lake, snowy fields, red mountains, and then monster fog. oh and a massive impenetrable glass dome
yes, I see
>I can spoil the secret of the city if you guys are interested
no thanks
I suppose they only stay alive based on cannibalism? inb4 there's magically replenishing sources of food but these are super secret and the secret never gets out because, uh, reasons. the same reasons people still go to work in this society

>>20050323
Only people are inmortal, people catch fish in the lake, farm in the fields, and hunt in the outer edges... but yes, cannibalism is somewhat normalised.

>>20050291
Thanks. I have no idea what prose or any of these things mean; I'm fairly ignorant of proper writing form or terms. But I think I get what you are saying about "too tight". I had the same thought but wasn't sure how to fix that.

There is a style in Bret Easton Ellis Less Than Zero and Hemingway For Whom The Bell Tolls that I find enjoyable. There are passages from both authors that really hit the mark.

>People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.
>We pass the billboard on Sunset. Disappear Here. Wonder if he's for sale.

I wanted to write where every line is spot on just like this. One after another that builds to nothing, the way Haikus do. Also there is no character. If I could remove all references to he or I in my writing I would.

Thanks for the thoughts anon. First time anyone's read my work.

>>20050369
I'm sure you weren't looking for a in-depth critique. Sorry. That's just usually what people on these threads want. Keep developing your voice. You've got some beautiful still-frames in there.

>>20050079
>A coal miner in debt to the company store flees from his debts. He is pursued by a ruthless company collector and an eager bounty hunter
Thought of this in the shower just now

>>20050369
>If I could remove all references to he or I in my writing I would.
Easily done but readers won't like it. And I won't blame them for not liking it. No characters, no tension. Maybe the only way to do that would be a robot cataloging a post-apocalyptic world, but the robot is a character and without discovering what exactly happened the reader won't really like that its just descriptions without any payoff.
People like reading about people or people like things. That's just how it is.

>>20050411
maybe add in that he stole something (which he may not know also contains something more valuable than he knows) or he caused some sort of catastrophic accident that requires chasing after him for vengeance.

>>20050417
I know. I just find any writing with "Characters", they always feels a cliche. If I remove character development, except via the current events unfolding, it feels less cliche. Don't know if that makes.

>>20050410
Nah I appreciate your thoughts. They mirror my own, I just never knew the proper words to describe these flaws were. I always shy away from actually writing programs, advice or guides. It feels like failing, to rely on others when I should be able to write my way through.

>>20050073
Is 2k words too long?
https://pastebin.com/XzGjZWMU

>>20050429
The base idea I had was the corporation was so corrupt it wouldn't let even one miner get away from paying back the debts. I guess that's enough to warrant the debt collector. The bounty hunter angle would need an extra boost, like stealing or a catastrophic accident like you said. I'm picturing some accident that begets a scene like Daniel Day Lewis from There Will Be Blood chewing on his pipe. Satisfied and smug.

Can I get some crit for the first chapter of a story I'm working on, before I post it? 2.7k words. I got a three day ban for spamming 50% of the most powerful gamer word on another board, and used it to get some writing done instead of shitposting, but now it's finally expired.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b7uomNYKUftojp6BSo4G9x0reMqW4YhaH2sluccV1IE/edit?usp=sharing

I'm particularly interested in fixing any persistent mistakes I keep making.

>>20050073
Thanks, anon. If you don't want to read the entire chapter, even the first section would help.

>>20050469
I really like it! Some of the similes and descriptions in here felt like publication grade writing. I liked
>curtains drawn tighter than life
>shadows of his grimace
>The shadows creased the wrinkles on her face and she seemed very hooded and ominous where she slept, tucked beneath woolen covers ancient as her
>limbs seemed heavy as swamp trunks
>like ships through berg water

The descriptions are unique and uncanny, but really landed for me. There was some awkward phrasing, like I wasn't sure what
>The rest of us were left to perform our prior machinations in the halls
was supposed to mean.
>I went last year and I held no confidence for this one.
Is also very awkward phrasing. I can't tell if that is the awkward language of the narrator or of the author. Is English actually your second language?

The structure is perfect and it doesn't have any parts that feel like a waste of space. I really like the birthday scene with the abuela and how it reinforces the feeling of gloom and impending doom. My one critique is that except for the abuelita and Tio Martin, the other people in the story don't feel very real. Perhaps you could spare a couple sentences here and there so we can have a better working picture of the other kids and adults. Honestly really strong writing overall. Thanks for sharing.

>>20050792
post via pastebin please.

>>20050792
This is what playing videogames does to you. This is terminally boring. Nothing happens. The character has no drive, goals or conflicts. Every character speaks with the same perky voice and only say platitudes to lead to the worldbuilding you've spent so much time in instead of creating live characters. I would tell you the story begins at "It was close to sunset, maybe a bit before" because everything before is pointless but nothing actually happens after that. It's the most tedious depiction of a tedious day.

Are you guys building an audience before you release or just pissing into the wind and hoping for gold?

>>20050888
The awkward language is intentional, showing how english isn't the narrator's first language; sort of aping Hemingway a little there, as well as the way some of my first generation relatives speak. I'll clean up the bits you pointed out as being egregrious, wouldn't want it to be awkward in a confusing way of course. You're very fair in your critique anon, thank you

>>20050079
A small team is sent by a pharmaceutical company to investigate why a drug is suddenly killing some of its users and where the tainting of the supply is happening in the manufacturing/shipping process. The pharma company is doing this investigation secretly to cover up the deaths and our characters must confront the fact that they work for morally dubious cause. Could be almost like a detective story?

>>20050079
Isekai. People get transported to a tutorial where they have all rank 0 skills available so you can experiment with basic skills. All rank 0 skills can evolve to rank 1. MC gets fucked and spends his entire tutorial time casting the same (trash) skill until he sees the evolved form which is quite good.
He picks that skill after the tutorial and it becomes a normal isekai with him against other people with "hidden" skills and against people who just decided their skills based on popular builds from people who were isekaied first.

>>20050899
https://pastebin.com/SbQ8Q5LR

>>20050903
> This is terminally boring. Nothing happens. The character has no drive, goals or conflicts.
Yeah, fair enough. As I was editing it I thought "fuck, basically nothing happens between the actual characters, it's all exposition." I wasn't sure how to introduce small conflicts without muddying the next chapter, when the caravan he just joined gets ambushed by the lizards.

What do you think about rewriting it to have a 5-10k word arc of minor drama at the start? Or would it be better to have a confrontation with the eventual antagonists in the trading post, rather than just hinting that they'll be plot-relevant?

>Every character speaks with the same perky voice and only say platitudes
Voice is really hard for me, and every character comes out speaking like I do. I'll go read a bunch of fiction with good dialogue and try to analyse how it works. Any tips on how to improve?

>>20050937
>piss in your hands and then you have gold

-Socrates

>>20051042
u sure that wasnt diogenes

>>20051016
Whoever the antagonists are or reaching the next action scene is not "interesting". Character inner life is. I don't care about the plot, at this point you have to make me care about the players first. For starters, I'd cut all of the first chapter. People say Shakespeare always started on "Act 2" of his stories. Don't tell it from the beginning, tell it from where it gets interesting.

How does one write a heroic sacrifice?
Context is
>Enemy that's BTFOing most of the main cast and has actually killed a recurring character
>The old guy in the cast, who feels purposeless considering his nemesis is dead, marches into battle alone to face this fucker
>He gives it his all and actually manages to kill the enemy, but his body gives out afterwards as the sun rises.
How does one frame this? Keep in mind, these two are two of the big guys, only matched by a select few characters, and their battle literally makes Carson City look like a 50 megaton bomb struck it dead on.
Many characters look up to this guy as sort of the leader, and I need to think of a way to turn on the waterworks.

>>20051170
If this is an isekai you already have everything ready.

>>20051170
>feels purposeless considering his nemesis is dead
I would die of embarrassment just writing this crap.

>>20051170
>Enemy that's BTFOing most of the main cast and has actually killed a recurring character

Why doesn't the enemy just kill the entire main cast? I find this shit too often. Super big boss baddy is curb stomping the hero. Instead of snapping the hero's neck, he decides to monologue and wait for the hero's back up to save him.

JUST KILL THE HERO. It's refreshing.

>>20051170
serious answer is that it's not about the old guy dying, it's about your protagonist's reaction to the old guy dying. you're describing the same scenario as when ben kenobi sacrifices himself to darth vader. it's a trope that's been done time and time again.
Take the mentor and turn him into a motivation. simple as that.

>>20051182
hate to agree but yea its a tad edgy, you need a better reason for a suicide charge. like when eomer sees his sisters broken body on the battlefields and goes into a frenzy charge with zero regards for his own life

>>20050079
I’ll give you some of my titles and you can tell me if they’re good.
>The City of Silence
>A Warm Memory of Vapour
>The Distant Soul
>Our Burning Bodies
>The Clouds Will Never Come Down

>>20051188
Except these characters don’t speak

>>20051188
Funny thing is, most of the cast is dead by the end.
Every death has purpose behind it though. NOBODY jobs in this series.

>>20051224
generic fruity shit but theyre serviceable. best one is warm memory of vapor

>>20051225
doesn't matter. its the same shit dude and you know it is. If the big baddass can kill one character while beating several other grown men then why would the addition of an old man make a difference? it doesn't make sense. it's anime cartoon nonsense.

>>20051232
>every death has a purpose behind it
But thats so unrealistic and overdone. People die meaningless deaths all the time.

>>20051243
Death means something to someone else, and that’s what I’m on about

>>20051178
It’s not. It’s something a lot weirder

What about the opposite of a heroic sacrifice? The antagonist knows he's lost so he takes out as many people with him out of spite. I know I've seen this done a lot before but I can't remember any examples.

>>20051279
That sounds like a regular fight.

>>20051282
Lol I guess you're kinda right actually but I was thinking more like they cast aside their dastardly plans to just kill.

>>20051243
Actually, let me elaborate this so it makes more sense.
These characters going out like chumps makes even less sense considering what they are in the story. They're not human, they're giant monsters. There's about 50-something of them, and if they go out, they're going to go out to another giant monster.

>>20051293
If they're both giants then they are no diff than two humans fighting

>>20051293
That doesn't explain why the addition of an old man would make a difference.

>>20051303
Exactly. But if you think they're going to die a meaningless death, you're retarded.
The others are powerful enough to survive this guy, but not enough to beat him. Until we get to the old fucker

>>20051310
Does it really matter if he's one of the only characters who can stand head to head with this guy?

>>20051311
That makes no sense

Being old means you are less effective at physical combat. Stop believing "geezer strength" anime shit

>>20050034
any advice anons, for when unfortunate circumstances keep cropping up in your life and dampening your spirits and hope?
I get and do work out when not feeling it, but writing when not feeling it is a whole different beast. Much easier to pump iron than make something

>>20051323
He's not human, why should he obey human biology?
You do know how some animals don't weaken with age, right?

Why doesn't anyone write stand alone fantasy series anymore? it's always encyclopedia tomes of arcs.

>>20051342
Legit, because it's more fun that way

>>20050792
>Thanks, anon. If you don't want to read the entire chapter, even the first section would help.
Ok, I'm done. I kinda took a machete to your writing in the google docs. Don't be discouraged. Overall I enjoyed reading it!

The good:
>Many of your physical descriptions are clear and vivid. Your setting is beautiful and I want to see, hear, smell and feel more of it.
>The setting is fantastic and I can tell you've put in a great deal of thought about it. The post-apocalyptic western has been done before but this still feels fresh interesting. I certainly would want to explore more of your world.

Areas to improve
>Dialogue is flat and unrealistic. None of your characters (including Mac the MC) sound like real people. Dialogue is hard. Listen to how people talk irl
>Expository dumps:
You have some sections where the narrator or postmaster just shit out a huge info dump onto the page. You need to weave this information naturally into the narration and dialogue. It's OK if we don't have absolutely everything explained to us up front.
>Cliches:
You have a few cliches in your writing. Get rid of them. Find a unique way to say the same thing. This is the future! What new folksy sayings do they use in the future?
>Characters:
Your main character is flat. It's ok if we don't know exactly what he wants right off the bat but he needs to have a personality and a clear motive. Is he young and naive? Jaded and cynical? Kind? Selfish? Smart? Dumb? What does he care about? What does he value?

You seem pretty young from your writing. I think it's a fantastic world you've got. If you re-write this chapter, focus on making your main character feel as real as possible. How your character describes everything around him is a great way for you to build the character and his world at the same time. You've got your world, now breathe some life into the people living there.

Good work, Anon.

>>20051342
Depends on what kind of fantasy you mean. Once and Future King is a single tome historical fantasy.

>>20051330
Okay fine. In your world as the giants age they get stronger. Yet this 1 bad guy giant is able to take on the getors party alone, but loses to old giant. Explain that. Is he even older and stronger? Why doesn't the old man fight from the start?

is it okay for my character to masturbate before going to work? Or is that just pointless filler?

Tackling another 3AM one tonight. Will post for crits shortly.
>>20051401
I find I don't have time in the mornings to beat off before work. You could have them think about it and do it in their car on their lunch break, or in their office when no one is around. I've done that a few times.

>>20051401
is it filler if your character showers? if he brushes his teeth? you define the important and non important

>>20051401
I would probably just stop reading if that happened.

>>20051386
I should clarify something. These characters do NOT all come from the same thing. Some are mutants, some are magic, some are evolution, some are robots, some are aliens, the whole package.

>>20051350
Holy shit, that's a lot of feedback! Thanks, anon. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to give directed critique like that.

I'll probably leave a copy of the chapter somewhere so I can use the infodumps as worldbuilding notes, run through a few exercises over the next week to work on natural dialogue and three-dimensional characters, then rewrite from the ground up with some of the physical descriptions added back in.

Thanks again.

>>20051437
Is the bad guy Skeletor?

>>20051454
Nah. I'd more compare him to Yujiro Hanma.

>>20051437

>big bad guy is outnumbered (lets say 7 to 1)
>big bad guy kills one making it 6 to 1
>heroes party of six is still somehow able to contend with this beast of an enemy, this ferocious behemoth but they can't kill him for some reason.
>old man giant alien arrives (apparently he was just watching as his friends got slaughtered, maybe deciding if he had anything to live for)
>the rest of the heroes party goes and sits down because old man is here
>the old man giant alien is strong enough to 1v1 big bad guy but not strong enough to kill him or keep from getting killed
>so old man dies
>this death gives the hero and his friends a magical second wind of DETERMINATION and FRIENDSHIP
>the rest of the heros party decides to get off their asses and defeats the big bad guy (who they couldn't harm before when they had more teammates and were fresh to the fight)

Did I understand it right? If you want to do some anime ass pull story go for it.

How do I get my readers to have violent arguments about who is the best girl out of my litrpg cast for the sake of publicity?

>>20051468
No.
Firstly, they're fought 1v1, and the old guy goes on a collision course

>>20051473
Do what every government does. Provoke false flags and publish propaganda.

>>20051481
So the good guys 1v1 this guy, one after another, even having one of their party die? A series of duels? For honors sake right? Bc they're the good guys and it's what good guys do. And the bad guy allows this honorable challenge, despite being a bad guy and despite being strong enough to fight a series of duels to a draw? Then the old man decides haha fuck this guy I'm gonna interrupt the duels and tackle him? Nice. Really demonstrates the inherent righteousness of the team. Good luck with the story

>>20051401
it's ok to do anything in the right context
if you want a sexual or masturbatory undercurrent, if you've previously followed the biological functions of your character and/or if you want to titillate your reader, then go ahead
manchette does this in "fatale" to start chapter 4:
>AFTER leaving the real-estate office, Aimée rode back to her studio on her Raleigh along streets with such names as Kennedy, Churchill, and Wilson, and others called Magellan, Jacques Cartier, or Bougainville.[1] She stopped twice along the way, once at a pharmacy to check her weight on an automatic scale and once at a bookstore, where she bought a crime novel. In her clothes, she weighed 46.7 kilos. Without heels, she was 1.61 meters tall. On the scale was an enameled plaque bearing the message KEEP YOUR TOWN CLEAN!
>As Aimée was going back to her studio apartment she noticed that a door some twenty meters farther down the corridor was ajar; peering out curiously from it was a little old lady, wearing a great deal of jewelry, who disappeared as Aimée entered her own room and closed herself in.
>Once inside, Aimée drew the predominantly red plaid curtains and stripped naked. For nearly an hour she did exercises standing up and lying down on the floor, toning her muscles and making use in particular of her chest expanders. She streamed with sweat. She took out a thick piece of corkboard, placed it on the bed, and struck it repeatedly with the edge of first her right and then her left hand, likewise with each of her elbows. Setting aside the corkboard, she picked up a foam cylinder twenty centimeters long and twelve in diameter. Holding it in one hand, she adopted the lotus position. After a moment of relaxation, she kneaded it for a few minutes. Then, with both hands, she squeezed the cylinder tightly, reducing its diameter to just a few centimeters at the points where she was grasping it; she locked her muscles in this position and stayed quite still. A nervous twitch tugged at the sweaty skin at the corner of her mouth. Finally she put everything away and took a bath.
>Lying in her hot bath, she opened the crime novel she had bought. She read ten pages. It took her six or seven minutes. She put the book down, masturbated, washed, and got out of the water. For a moment, in the bathroom mirror, she looked at her slim, seductive body. She dressed carefully; she aimed to please.

>>20051440
glad to help

>>20051505
Fuck it, let me clarify.
>Alien fucker who has electromagnetic wave powers comes to terraform the planet
>He decides to basically get the dominant species out of the way first
>He just starts beating the shit out of the others one by one, but spares them when they refuse to fight anymore
>One of them refuses to give up, and is killed for his trouble
>The old beast, who had a lot of respect for the dead one, decides to actually head for the alien directly.
And there's no "Honorable duels" or "Teams." These guys are scattered on different parts of the fucking planet.

>write a line about a couple making love, make it as simple as possible
>instantly get horny
Am I seriously this much of Der Coomer? It has only been 4 months since I last fucked

>>20051524
There’s no one in this thread who is so consistently awful. Keep it up.

>>20051541
>4 months
it's been 10 years for me.........

>>20051532
>He decides to basically get the dominant species out of the way first
>He just starts beating the shit out of the others one by one, but spares them when they refuse to fight anymore

I feel old, Magnetron thought as he stroked his beard with his electrical tentacle. All this traveling between stars, destroying worlds and remaking them to suit me is so tiresome. But I need to do it once more because I just love having countless planets to live on. He braced his leg tentacles against the ground and spun his chair about. When he slowed to a stop his finger tentacle landed on a distant planet. Here. This planet would be a good place to call home. But first I have to make it livable he thought .And to do that I must slaughter the dominate species. No, on second thought I'll just punch them alot. Yeah killing is overrated. It was ironic, by sparing their lives in combat, he only allowed them to die a more cruel death when he permanently changed their ecosystem. The devilishness of his actions escaped Magnetron.

How's that? Can I help co write?

>>20051547
Divorceebro...

>>20051555
His name is Episkeptis. He didn't come in a spaceship, he does this for the sake of his species, and he's clearly a rational mind, albeit a mute one.

>>20051565
Oh, and how could I forget. The monsters, like our lives, vary wildly in tone. Some are sad, some are scary, some are kind of badass, and some are outright comedic.

>>20051565
So if he's doing it for his species, why doesn't he actually do his best for them? Why wouldn't he slaughter his enemies to his best ability?

>Pvt we need you to make this planet safe for the settlers. That includes killing all dangerous species present.
>Can I just punch them alot instead?

This one wasn't as hard as the last one. I can tell I need most help on my POV writing as I'm really getting challenged by the ones in these sections. Crit, feedback, hate, or praise welcome please.
>THE ROYAL WE. Write a first-person-plural narration of an event from the POV of a very close-knit couple. This means the narrative should sound something like this: We found the body in the outhouse, and Jenny got the can of gasoline from the garage while Benjamin removed all the toilet paper rolls stacked up on the door shelves (no sense wasting them). Jenny and Benjamin are the we at the beginning of this brief narrative. The reader should be unable to discern which of the two is telling the story. Do not use the first-person pronoun I in this exercise. 600 words

>>20051597
His goal is to make them not a threat. Making them submit is easier than killing them for someone like him, who doesn't enjoy the task.

>>20051613
That's dumb. Is this his first time? Any first wave soldier (as in someone completing a task for the betterment of his nation) know the only good enemy is a dead one. If it's not his first time, how has he not realized that a species of similar sized monsters don't pose a threat?

>>20051617
He mostly considers them an annoyance, that's why. The one who dies is the one who really puts up a fight.

>>20051625
But that's not logical. And if he's from a space faring colonizing species he should be logical to some degree. Especially if he's trusted as the first wave

There must be so much more - pink turns blue

>>20051632
Would you go out of your way to kill a fly who happened to be annoying you, but left as soon as you shooed it away?

>>20051635
those aren't comparable situations. this Magnatron is orderd by his people/creators/w.e. to make Planet X habitable. he has a duty. he is clearly trusted to complete this duty, seeing as how he is the first and only member of his species to be sent to Planet X. If he is trusted by this intelligent space faring species, he is clearly skilled and deserving of that trust. Therefore he is logical.

When he arrives, he finds creatures his size. Giants as you call them. This is clearly important; if Magnatron is a giant, and these creatures are giants, that implies they are outliers. A giant is only a giant if the normal creatures are smaller sized.

Therefore the risk is greater now. Yet Magnatron doesn't react to this greater risk with any escalation of force.

It doesn't make sense. While my magnatron story I wrote above does. You have my permission to use that one

>>20051648
I was considering having him actually kill every monster he fights until he has the misfortune of "Fighting" the ultimate OP of this world, who utterly fucking destroys him while mocking him nonverbally before beating him to near death and then scaring him into retreat.

>>20051667
the only way to make your original concept work, is to make the Magnatron cruel. He beats them till they are broken because he knows the teraforming will hurt them worse. It explains away why he doesn't kill his enemies. Particularly if Magnatron has been doing this for a while and has learned to crave the absolute destruction this new method causes. A weary man who's become a bit more sadistic as the centuries pass.

>>20051691
Why do you keep calling him that

>another 1k words today.
>my will is manifesting brothers.

>>20051700
Nice digits. It amuses me. I'm thinking about rewriting your story as my own. But naming him Magnatron. And then if you ever publish, I'll call you a plagiarist and sue and win.

>>20051727
Except I have a document that predates this conversation by several months

>>20051730
I'll see you in court Magnatron

>>20051731
Except I didn't give you the whole story.
In fact, what we've discussed is but one part of the narrative.

>>20051734
My small friend, if you can't tell I've been baiting you this entire discussion, perhaps you should lurk a bit more.

>>20051741
Do you think I know you're baiting me? Thankfully I'm retarded and just like to write cool characters.

>>20051749
Do you think that I think?

What would /wg/ recommend? Self-publishing or dicking around with literary agents?

>>20051760
If you want to make money and do the whole marketing yourself as a brand thing, self-publishing works well.
If you don't want to make money and still do the whole marketing yourself as a brand thing, but this time with prestige of a national book award given to you by a literary group made two weeks ago, talk to literary agents.

>>20051751
Yes.
It's not really a story but more of a universe/setting.

>>20051770
Would you recommend getting an editor if you plan on self-publishing?

>>20051780
It can only help. You should be competent enough to avoid line-deep mistakes. A professional editor can really draw out the nuances of your story you might not be experienced enough to see. There's this guy I like, Rob Dircks. He has a great article in Entrepreneur about how he made a successful showing of his self-publishing career. If you're going that route, it's worth a read.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279385

>>20051779
the universe of magnatron

>>20051786
No, it's got it's own name already.

>>20051488
unironically good advice

>>20051792
It makes surprisingly good plot too, when distilled correctly.

>>20051786
Funny thing is, this guy isn't even the most major player.
There's a lot of characters that I try to be creative with.

>>20051806
He is now. Your book will now be about his exploits. Traveling through space in a one man space ship with a wheelie chair. Beating up small creatures. Using his tentacles to begin terraforming of planets. Returning home every few decades for upgrades and new orders. A life of travel and adventure and isolation. Magnetron! Magnetron! Look out it's Magnetron!

>>20051816
I really can't tell if you're taking the piss

This is the most autistic I've seen this general yet.

>>20051822
Not anymore. The plot writes itself. We could even do a /lit/ write along.

Mangatron scratched his balls and stared at the ceiling of his rocketship. Small and tidy. He briefly considered opening the roller shade over the small window. But then he would have to get up, and right now his knees didn't have the heart. Funny. It seemed like yesterday he was crushing those blue dickheads on XTGS4. Getting old he whispered to the bare metal walls. Getting real old.

>>20051836
I mean, the alien I had in mind was this God Warrior looking motherfucker

>>20051833
Were you not here 18 months ago when everyone was frogposting about how they'd never made it and this was a huge whiny hugbox with a bunch of primadonna faggots?

>>20051850
Did any of them ever make it?

>>20051838
Descriptions are overrated. Magnetron just is. Also we're stealing ray Bradburys rocketship designs. Simple is best.

The rocket drifted down to the planet like dandelion fluff. Water landings were always the smoothest. Magnetron pushed through the portal and swam to the surface. The water was salty. Damn
He'd have to scour his suit when he got back to his rocketship.

>>20051852
I made it out alright. I've finished 4 books and published 3 of them. I've got a website I post works on and people engage with it a little bit. The /wg/ of the present is so many leagues ahead of the old /wg/ it's actually pretty uplifting. People here really dragged this thing up from the dregs of the board.

Does anyone else think Stephan king is an overrated hack with 3 good stories?

>>20051859
post a link, I'll give you a read

>>20051867
I do. I'm honestly not sure why he gets so much praise besides, "I read his books when I was 10". He has a few decent books and ideas, but I feel like if you play the odds and write near 70+ stories you'll probably stumble onto a good idea at some point

>>20051872
I've got my real name tied to everything, so I can't hand that off just yet. But I do try to post things here so I can improve, and I'm trying to post more often so the thread gets engagement. I post flash fictions to my website on the weekend and write my normal books during the week. >>20051602 I wrote this earlier tonight. I'm struggling to break an addiction to senseless dialogue because I don't really want to be a screenwriter, I want to be a novelist. Some feedback on this would be appreciated.

>>20051875
His story ideas are cool. But then he makes the book 700pages of bad writing and shit characters and a giant clown spider gets them at the end.

>write a story
>realize i wrote a contradiction from earlier
>chapters prior
>can't for the life of me find the contradiction

Can i just ignore this and just shrug my shoulder?

>>20051602
>>20051893
Cute and cozy/10. The execution of the plural first person felt weird, like there was sometimes a ghost floating between the couple, but you made the prompt work. Characters are solid. They each get a great characterizing moment. You clearly have loads of experience and maybe some formal training writing. It reads a lot like of stories I've read in literary mags.

I suppose, based on this sample, your next growstep might be to find a unique voice. This passage was a delight to read, but it could have been written by just about anyone with an MFA.

>>20051875
I tried reading Despwrration and it was honestly awful. Didn’t bother going past the first chapter.
I tried IT and it was ok, but who would read a 1000+ page book that’s just ok?

What do you all think about writing dialogue verbatim from real life? If I’m quoting someone’s shitpost observations from Discord because I find resonance in them and adapt them to my story and change enough so that it is ultimately my voice or coming from my unique characters, then is this problematic or ‘plagerizing’? I just hear and read things all the time that are very random but significant, but they are technically not invented by me. Thoughts?

>>20052010
I do it all the time. As a writer, it's your duty to listen to people and steal the things they say and do for your art.

>>20052008
Thanks for your thoughts and praise, anon. You're very kind. I've had similar replies telling me the unique voice should be my next step, so I'm trying to read a lot more and try experiments like the prompts to shake me out of my comfort zone. Along the way, hopefully this year, I can get my voice ironed out.

>>20052015
Thanks anon that helps

>>20052024
I’m working on my unique voice as well. I’m definitely absorbing from my favorite authors by osmosis and not trying to out too much thought into it and just write. An exercise you might find helpful is to just write stream of consciousness about literally whatever comes to mind at the beginning of every day. When you’re writing about your own life and experiences, then that voice can start to come to the surface!

>>20052010
In theory, if the other faggots on fagcord realize you've quoted them, they can sue you and present the chat log as proof of plagiarism. Because when something is printed (on paper or digitally), the author has ownership over it. You could ask for permission, if you want to be sure it won't come back to bite you in the ass.

In reality, of course, no one gives a single fuck about what you do.

>>20052024
No problem. Keep up the hard work. Do you mind if I ask where you get your writing prompts from?

>>20052088
Yeah so this is what I’m wondering: is it even plagiarism since they are not writing their thoughts with any creative intent. Just because it is written and not spoken, there’s still no reason to claim ‘hey that’s my work’ imo because it’s nothing other than ramblings.

>>20052157
If I said something funny and somebody stole it verbatim and made money off it I'd be a little sore. It's a moot point because you'll never make it, but how hard is it to come up with your own words? That is literally your one job as a writer.

>>20052157
>is it even plagiarism since they are not writing their thoughts with any creative intent
Yes, because the presence of "creative intent" or lack thereof is impossible to prove. It was written, ie created, that's all it takes.

Can I post something that I posted on the last thread yesterday? Since no one said anything, I guess it might have been uninteresting, but I’d like feedback

>>20052564
No, as the ruler this thread I say you’re not allowed to without some oblation. Post your feet and I’ll think about it.

I always hit a writing’s block wall when I get to around 15k words. I still have 2-3 months until I wanna meet the deadline, but it’s annoying that I’m already stifled one or two weeks in. I’m not even sure what made me think I could write well either, but if I compare it to others in my writing group, I know I put more effort into not being repetitive or bland.

>>20052585
Astagfirullah

I woke up and dreamt a great scene. There's vague memories. How do I write a sex scene with my mom?

>>20053024
Your mom knows you best. Go ask her and describe the dream in vivid detail, do it with a raging boner to add more emphasis

>>20053024
>dream as inspiration
That’s how Lovecraft wrote his stories. Read him to see how he did it.

>>20050034
What do you think of tortured protagonists/tragic heroes?

>>20053174
Personally, I like them. I like them a lot

My favourite is when a spry, sparky and idealistic hero in training faces real hardships. Like losing the people they love. And from there, they go down a downward spiral. Turning into an edgelord

I had a weird dream last night about a futuristic king who goes back in time to influence the past in order to win a war in the present.
I can barely remember it but I remember it was fucking amazing. It's also given me a pretty interesting book idea for when I finish my current one.

>>20053174
Fun when done right outright idiotic when done wrong.

I personally prefer clueless heroes. They're dumb, have no idea what they're doing, just trying to live life to the best of their abilities and completely failing

>>20050079
Thriller about a guy who brings a gun to school to commit a shooting, ends up using it to kill another kid who was gonna do the same, hailed as a hero and the cop who suspects the truth.

>>20053255
I could unironically read that anon

What do you guys think of books that have a decent section of their story (one third) take place in a setting similar to a very popular series of books (magical school) however this would be more medieval setting and the purpose of the setting would be to worldbuild, establish characters and relationships and provide insights into the magic system

>>20053276
Regardless of your shitty lack of originality, which I don't care about, any book that dedicates a third of its length to wordlbuild and "provide insights into the magic system" instead of develop characters is a no.

Friendly reminder to put back 40% of your writing income for taxes.

>>20053191
I'm actually doing this. Our protagonist develops from a reluctant fighter to a true warrior, but at the cost of everything

>>20053306
you can't divide zero

>>20053261
Just got the premise for now but if you post your home address I'll send you a signed copy when it's published.

>>20053284
This, your worldbuilding and magic should be extended throughout the book as should your character development. Every idea has been done a hundred times before so don't worry about that part, just do it well.

Just a quick question about a theme I had in mind. Specifically about this common expression which I have an interest in, but can't quite yet conceptualize.
What does it mean to you when someone says ''(he/she) holds the world on their shoulder'' or ''he's got the world on their shoulder''.
What does it actually mean, in a real context? What could you gather from it if you were told that about someone? Is it that the person has a high sense of personal responsibility? I can't quite put my finger on it, from a practical standpoint. I get the metaphor, the grand idea itself. But in real life, where might it ever come up that someone may act like that?

>>20051648
That does make sense, but I feel that I'm leaving out a lot of context to what's going on here. There's a ton of monsters from everywhere in the world.

>>20053388
Someone who has an almost overwhelming amount of responsibility.
Think of a leader in a war or the chosen one who must defeat the big bad

>>20053433
okay thanks for those analogies, I visualize it better now, but if I may abuse your kindness a bit longer...I am a bit curious as to how it may surface in a ''normal life'' settings. Without particularly ''heroic'' responsibilities. But rather, the expected amount. The only example that I can think of is that of a mother taking care of a lot of children, by herself. Or something like that. I'm trying to view it more in a realistic way.
Do you have any circumstances in your personal life where you met someone ''with a lot of responsibilities'' albeit mundane ones?

>fantasy readers are mostly young teenage girls
How do I appeal to them?

>>20053452
A single father with two kids, working two jobs to make ends meet.

A company owner with 5 employees who all have families and mortgages, business hasn't been too good and the company is barely making it by month to month but he has to find a way or these people will lose their livelihood

>>20053456
Ham-fisted sex scenes, bisexual characters but no man on man sex, detailed descriptions of bodies and horny reactions from the female mc

>>20053465
Thanks. I appreciate the examples. It really helps me flesh out my understanding, from a psychological standpoint. I want to write something on the subject of responsibilities, I guess. I don't know quite yet how to approach it. But it's been resonating with me. That expression, and also the image of Atlas.

>>20053483
It's a good thing to write about, everybody has struggled with responsibility to some extent and people enjoy reading about exaggerations of things they have experienced

>>20053488
Yes. If I may bother you a bit longer...I want to exorcise a few preconceived ideas I might have about it. Personally, I've grown to dread the heroic journey, formulaic ''deroulement de situation''. I'm not above it, but I'd rather return to something of more substance, and real pregnance in people's live. Lately I've been having visions of scenes, street side, common events of the mundane, the automatic and sub-consciously seen...Dog fights, a man peeling an orange. Some sights like these which I believe hold some intrinsic, esoteric substance to them.
But I suppose the feeling is also deeply impregnated with this need to testify, and some sense of responsibility to ''describe'' it.
I've always enjoyed description but have continuously had a hard time to pick my subjects, or objects. As I've matured, I've started to see more and more value, or beauty in describing the mundane, as it is, for what it once was. Does that make me an objectivist?
I want to write something that encapsulates that. A testament to the real, and its responsibilities. Perhaps to bury the dreamer I once was. Any thoughts or advice?

>>20053504
Gain experience, go places, meet people, do things. Write about it all. Long and short and expand on what you experience . If you see someone on a street selling fruit, imagine his life, what he does before and after, how he came to be doing that, what his hopes and dreams are.
Ultimately you will need a fertile and active imagination if you wish to write fiction regardless of how much it is rooted in reality.

>>20053474
What if the detail description of bodies is her dad?

>>20053521
Ah...It's good advice but in my case, I don't really want to use my imagination. I don't want to leave it at that. I guess it's sort of naturalist, in a way. I don't want to rely on extrapolation anymore. I just want to report, and describe as a witness. But it poses a problem, I need to experience something I can share thoroughly.
There's a few things, as I said. Things I saw.
I suppose I could really only speak for myself, when it comes to characterization. I rarely spend time with other people. I just want to speak about truth, the truth. Nothing fantasized, or even guessed, even with best intentions. It could serve as aggrandization, and go bad both ways.
Do you trust your own imagination? What sort of measure do you go by to assess whether something you ''approximate'' is decent enough? Is it belief or realism? How would you go about judging whether an idea purely imagined, is good enough to pose as ''real'' if only in fiction? I'm very curious to hear your process.

>>20053547
WTF are you babbling about? He told you to go out then describe shit. You then said your imagination isn't good and you're a naturalist. He literally told you how to deal with your lack of imagination. What the fuck? Go talk to the fruit stall guy then

>>20053552
I'm sorry, I'm interested in discussing the process.
I never said my imagination is bad per se, I just wanted to talk about the fact that the older I get, the less I am able to trust it, or even know by what measure what I write of my own inspirations can be considered ''good'', and what values would I even use to assess the work of my imagination, like ''realistic'' or ''believable'' etc. etc.
It's hard for me to explain how I feel about it, or why I feel so compelled to write about mundane situations now, but I guess there's a sense of intellectual or moral safety in only telling the truth? Maybe that's cowardice on my part, I don't know...I just want to talk about it with other people who write.

>>20053572
Trust your eyes.

>>20053547
It sounds like your time would be better spent as a journalist or a biographer or even a scholar. If you want fiction and realism you will need to research but most authors do this anyway.

If you want to make something real within your own world you need to establish believability for it within your writing. You can't just pull out people get around by flying without establishing that people can fly or some form of rules for the flying.

>>20053572
This is "How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren't real" tier.

>>20053609
Jaden Smith, truly the Socrates of our time

>>20053582
You know what? It's actually a principle that I've been applying a lot lately, and also...I mention Saint Thomas ''I have to see to believe'' quite regularly in daily life, regarding information, or media in general.
This, I would say is an idea that I'm already very much a follower of.

>>20053586
Still very good advice. I do want to write a fiction. Or perhaps some truths posing as fiction. The real re-arranged into the factitious.
Strings of true stories, scenes and sceneries.

I also have a question about factuality in fiction. Is it ever ethical for a writer to tell a lie in a work of fiction? Can I say something wrong, for the sake of the work? I suspect nothing a writer ever says in their work is ever wrong in their own eyes. But it's subjective.
To me, piecing things out of my imagination has gradually become equated more and more with telling a lie. I feel a sense of shame, and craftiness from it. I don't know why I think like that. I've also been tainted by the current creative content climate, in media/politics etc.
I guess I've grown tired of ''narrative'' as a literary concept itself.

>>20053533
then the readers wouldn't be able to relate. they might get horny though

>>20053609
categories of judgment and categorical values for assessing the objective value or making moral judgment upon something like ''good'' or ''bad'' etc is actually a Kantian conception.
It's okay to ask ''I don't know what defines good or bad anymore'' when it comes to writing.
It doesn't make you a loser, just someone looking for answers.

>>20053621
Writing is lying. Language is a lie. You can't make the truth from it because language only creates itself, language is for new realities, not existing ones. Even what you wrote there, you write it thinking you are expressing something within you, but you did no such thing, it's all bullshit, the words just made your whole world for you and you just fucking lapped it up. You don't even know what you are fucking saying or feeling until you've named it and adopted those words as the real thing.

>>20053621
You can never lie in fiction. Even one's based in reality, fiction is false by definition and everything you write will not be taken as gospel, you have to change how you think, don't think of it as lying, think of it as creating.

Say you have have a kid, is that child a lie because it didn't previously exist in reality? No it's just something new that has been created and now exists in the world, the same applies to fiction within a genuine world just because it may not fit people's preconceived notions or what they know to be true in an alternate reality does not mean it is any less genuine.

>>20053623
What else appeals to teenage girls?

>>20053630
I do like this reality forming take on it.

>>20053630
That's an interesting new ground. I feel like I heard something similar before in a treaty about the limitations of language. I guess the notion of memory sort of negates this idea of a perpetual void though? I do feel drawn to an expressive void sometimes, as if words or thoughts came out as intuitions from an ether. But that's something which itself I can't quite decipher, as to the workings of it. So can we even say that, that process itself is a lie? It can be considered new, a creation, I admit that.
I don't know why I'm so hung up on writing something real. I feel like maybe I have lost touch with reality. Why does it feel wrong to write something I'd only imagined? Similarly, when I follow the same process of writing my own thoughts here about the very process, I feel no shame in it. Then why, is there a difference there? I guess I'm afraid of wrongly mirroring, or unfaithfully portraying reality.
What can I do about this?

>>20053642
as vile and disgusting as it is, gay male romance

>>20053642
Beastiality. Usually dangerous monsters they can tame using their pussy

>>20052010
I steal from /wg/ regularly, it's fine.

>>20053654
Have you ever thought about seeing a psychiatrist?

>>20053680
Don't steal my Adah story please.

>>20053640
I have circumspections about the process of creation itself. I think I get paralyzed in my imagination by the fear of anticipated regrets. Not necessarily out of egoistic intent, say being afraid to speak my own thoughts, or more personal ideas like desires, intimate convictions etc. But more so about releasing some sort of Lovecraftian Frankenstein literary creation into a world where word is will or intention. I guess on some level I am terribly afraid of manifesting some sort of ''it is written'' destiny. A ''manifesto'' of some sort, in the more literal old fashioned sense of the word.
Is there ever any ways one could remain neutral, without any personal parti-pris when writing? I want to do just that. Sit at the margins, on the sideline of intentions.
There must be some genre where I could find my marks, in the field of fiction itself. I need some recommendations.

>>20053684
Unless you're the guy who said he was making a story about a cat and a giant bug, don't worry

>>20053683
No, it would only dim my lights. I'd rather keep the rough edges in, it's what defines me. Moreover, I'm quite well adjusted, and even high achieving, on other aspects of my life.
I just like to explore theoretical aspects of thought, especially in literature, because it's my hobby. I'm just an inquisitive person.

>>20053456
Make your characters prime material for fan fiction.

>>20053694
>I just like to explore theoretical aspects of thought, especially in literature, because it's my hobby.
So what's the longest story you've ever written?

>>20053680
>>20053687
i steal jokes from here but never actual ideas

how can a wannabe writer be that creatively bankrupt?

>>20053685
No. Karl Marx already opened Pandora's box hellbent on destroying the world

>>20053705
It's hard to tell because I rarely keep track.
I discard almost all of it after the fact.
I used to write on paper, in A5 notebooks, and would complete the 96 pages in a few days.
I have bouts. I go through periods of intense writing. Then completely forget about it for a while.
I also used to write collaboratively with other writers, in dual narration stories. I suspect I have a good few hundred pages there, although the burden is shared.
I also used to write a few periodic stories on amateur literature websites, for personal reader's enjoyment.
One of my issues with writing, is also my ability to commit or dedicate myself fully to it. I suspect that's a common plight. I tend to rush into things, consummate the passion if in idea only quite quickly, and move on to the next flight of fancy.
But my most prolific writings were in poetry. I have perhaps a few thousand pages of poetry. That is, if I hadn't deleted all of it, in progressive attempts at self-erasing myself.
As I said, I struggle with the idea of creation. But I'm not averse to conversation. About it.

>>20053533
NYT bestseller.

>>20053715
Surely there is at least one piece of fiction where the narrator is at best, uninvolved? I want to study the skill of self-erasure, or literary de-composition. Is there such thing as anti-narration? I'm just making ideas up, but surely they've been thought up, and executed before?

>>20052090
This is delayed but I've been using The 3AM Epiphany by Brian Kiteley. It got recommended two threads ago. You can nab an epub from libgen and read it using a Chrome browser extension.

How are you guys making sure you find your intended audience with your book cover, name, blurb, etc?

>>20053756
Start a YouTube channel reviewing indie books then "review" my own claiming it's good.

>>20053729
>It's hard to tell because I rarely keep track.
>I discard almost all of it after the fact.
You sound fairly hopeless. You're like a woman who kills every child she conceives. Stop doing that. It'll be a million times more useful than your masturbatory navelgazing about the process of creation.

>>20053741
Final Fantasy 6.

Seriously. The main character is completely detached from the story.
Things happen around her and to her, but never takes initiative. She ends up being a side character until the end where she finally finds resolve to help her friends.

>>20053761
Listen to how bad this is
You’re going to start an entire youtube channel to review 500+ books, then review your own book, NOT PIN THE VIDEO, because that would be obvious and hope that people flock to the book instead of HONESTLY owning the book as your own?
Your idea is both unrealistically inefficient and disingenuous, the worst of both worlds.

>>20053706
I only steal jokes

>>20053763
I don't know if it's hopeless. By what standards? I never said my goal was to be read, or sold. I just like to write. I think I do it for myself. For cathartic release. It doesn't forbid me from discussing it though.
It's like you equate it with the ''tree falls in the wood'' parable. I don't necessarily need for it to be read ever again, to gather something from it.
Maybe I am more dedicated to the creation itself, than someone who is more invested in the posthumous exhumation of the word itself in reading, collecting or reproducing in a commercial environment.

I hardly think it's navel gazing. I think it's more so like scratching at a blind spot in the back of my creative mind which I can't quite reach, by virtue of hardly exercising it.
I appreciate the advice though. I needed some external insight.

>>20053772
I'm going to look into it. Would you recommend a format in particular? Book, or movie, or video game (and associated script) you would recommend? I want to explore that stylistic choice.

>>20053789
Just play the video game

>>20053805
Okay, thanks for the tip. It sounds very promising. And to some extent, quite relatable and accurate as per the sentiment I'm trying to figuratively exorcise.
I think deconstruction is a phase every writer goes through. It's perhaps like learning the disassembly process of a tool, if only to remove or maintain/inspect some elements of it.
I really appreciate the recommendation. I'm going to see how it's done in FF6.

>>20053789
> never said my goal was to be read, or sold. I just like to write
If you never edit your drafts you are doing yourself a disservice as a writer. I mean seriously editing them. Going back later with a chainsaw and pail of bondo. Going back later still with a scalpel and a little bottle of glue. And again with some fine grit sandpaper. You're missing out on a critical aspect of the writing process.

>>20052024
>I've had similar replies telling me the unique voice should be my next step

I have no idea how to go about this. I know what I like. I can think of effects in literature that I admire and would like to emulate in my fiction. But voice? It's intimidating to think about. I encounter authors quite often who are incredibly distinct and idiosyncratic, usually either because of their punctuation, unusual word choices, or perhaps 'psychic distance'. A recent example of an author with an unusual and distinct style I have read and enjoyed is Gary Lutz. This guy even speaks how he writes in interviews. His style is clearly his own. Not every author does that though, I mean, McCarthy doesn't sound like his authorial voice. In some instances it would be stupid. What's my point? Well I guess my point is I can't even necessarily rely on my usual, conversational or writing style as my 'voice'. I am lost.

I wrote this >>20050247 yesterday. It has a style, I suppose. It's not really my usual, it is more sombre, more self-serious, perhaps more purple. I tried out some unusual punctuation too in the vein of Wolfgang Hildbig who litters his writing with archaic punctuation, which is his style. Do I just keep trying on hats until something feels good? And then I run with that forever? To be honest, when I see other idiosyncratic authors like Jon Fosse or Krasznahorkai use the same style in every work I feel there is some dishonesty in their process. Does every story naturally come to them in a single unbroken sentence? I doubt it. And then I think, is their whole bit a marketing gimmick?

I rambled a fair bit here. But authorial voice and style, finding it, it's a mysterious thing for me.

>>20053820
It's true. I rarely have edited anything I've wrote. And if I ever did, it was always only the writings which I wished to share with others. Which brings the question, if there was ever a notion of missing substance or impure essence in the first draft. Did I really ever need to distill the writing, if I only ever did it with others' considerations in mind? Perhaps that is a personal problem of mine. Or was. I haven't published or shared anything in close to two years now.
Can I ask you something? What can the edition process bring to a writer, personally? Taking out the equation of external criticism, what is it exactly that would make it a valuable part of the process? And how do I reconcile this second wind with the feeling that I am defacing what could be considered, my initial and purest intentions?
It's hard for me to think of changing anything. And if I do, it's only at the cost of a horrible sensation of dishonesty, or craftiness.

>>20053845
Learn to hate yourself, so that when you destroy your own ideas it turns you on.

>>20051468
>>20051188
There's a part where the main villain beats the shit out of every character and spares them if they submit to him. Our MC doesn't do so, and is seemingly killed for his trouble.
However, in the following days, something terrifying happens. His corpse vanishes and the other monsters who were forced to obey the big bad start going off the radar one by one.
Long story short, our protagonist's genetically modified nature has reared it's ugly head, and he's awoken from his death-like state as a nearly mindless force of destruction who kills 6 monsters in a row before confronting the big bad, killing a monster right in front of him.

>>20050079
>Book starts with first-person prologue of chosen hero confronting and dying to the big evil thing
>Two characters hero was in a love triangle with witness said death and flee, each having taken some weird magic 'thing' from the hero that winds up retaining his consciousness, albeit split in two
>Story switches to third-person narration and swaps between the two other characters, with framing device of the hero telling this story to somebody, so occasional footnotes in first-person would be a thing
>Have some flashbacks in first-person about the hero's journey back to the start of the prologue mixed in too
Honestly it's mostly just concepts and I'm sure it's a messy idea. The only real progression I have from there is "two survivors independently try to become powerful enough to fight evil thing" and the eventual reveal that the hero lost on purpose.

>>20053845
>Perhaps that is a personal problem of mine.
Yes. You have committed one of the worst sins as a writer, one of the worst sins as a creator: writing for the sake of your audience instead of yourself. Does that mean you shouldn't reflect upon their honest praise and criticisms when they give it? Of course not, there is wisdom in crowds. But your should write for your own sake and amusement first and foremost. If you want to share it with them so that they may be touched by the same emotions you cultivating when writing it, by all means do so. But you should never write with the audience in mind unless you are planning on playing little jokes on the reader when they read it.
>It's hard for me to think of changing anything. And if I do, it's only at the cost of a horrible sensation of dishonesty, or craftiness.
You're a child with a child's understanding. Go and build something by hand, a wooden bench, something. You'll invariably find that you make mistakes while doing so, but since you have the concrete end goal in mind you can see them and fix them. So too with your writing.

>>20053861
Interesting process of writing. I already have some elements of self-criticism in my personal life. I do tend to victimize myself in some aspects of my writing, and I certainly tended in the past to display a certain stylistic simulacra of performative martyr, in order to sacralize my personal struggles.
I'm not sure whether I've moved past that, or my mind's abstractions have rendered me cognitively blind to self-insertion enough that I no longer notice the pattern of self-flagellation I may have in my writings.
As I've been saying, recently my obsession has been towards self-erasure in the narrative process, in so much as I wish to remove the pathological aspects of my own egotistic expressions. I'm trying to avoid past onanistic tendencies of personal expression, and focus more so on selfless description.
That can also be argued as a form of high concept self-hatred. I'm not sure, the lines between love and hate have been long blurred for me. There's only strength left to assess a definite determination, in terms of my personal perception. It can go all kinds of ways.
Just trying to explore, and find new grounds.

>>20053885
Please spare me the sermon. As I said, I hardly ever shared my writings, and also hardly if ever edit them. I know exactly whom I write for. On the scale of self-interest, I might be just about the most egotistic there is, no harm intended.
I've only mentioned that if I ever did, it came at the cost of my own integrity. You agree, harshly intent on disagreeing with me.
And to follow on from the sermon, with the child allegory, well let's just say you might have not made quite a good priest, but perhaps a better carpenter.
I'm quite sorry if I as well offer criticism, but I horribly despise pontificating discourse, whether it be about rules, regulations and other codifications which frankly, I couldn't be fucked caring about. The whole tone of your response seemed highly offensive, way too authoritative for the question I asked.
You know nothing of my understanding of writing. On the staircase of abstract literary logic and proportions Escher has drawn up, you believe you are up, and I am down.
I on the other hand, approached only to seek a description of a different perspective. Not belittling talk.

Is there a word for a "Dark Knight"? Basically the antonym for Paladin.

>>20053919
>Please spare me the sermon.
Okay, to be short, stop masturbating. You have produced nothing and that which you have produced you have thrown away or destroyed by your own admission.
Faggot retard.

>>20053831
I think I usually approach writing from a engineering perspective. I see it as a final system that I'm trying to use as a way to communicate emotions and feelings, so I get deep in the feeling and overlay it on the characters to see how it affects and changes them. Unfortunately that means the feeling is usually well conveyed, but there's no agency or fervor in it. It comes across less like liquid prose and more like well directed filmography, which I've said before is something I've been told would work well with my writing style. Finding out how to channel what I have to say uniquely is my roadblock.

>>20053930
Dark Knight, Black Knight, Blackguard, Villain

>>20053930
Doing some quick research, a paladin is based on Charlemagne and his empire. So the natural enemy has to be the Holy Roman Empire.
What's the word for evil in German?

I tried posting this excerpt of a poorly written story I tried to make in the previous thread but got no real advice on how to make my writing better. Here I go again.

>Monday.
>Recess had just started and the students roamed the pale playground. The sky was grey and cloudy, there had been no sun for the whole weekend. The slides were rusted and the seesaw was bent. The merry-go-round made a horrible grating noise when it was spun and could barely move at all. There was barely any color anywhere, even the children appeared grey and lifeless. Most of the kids just sat around and did nothing. There was no joy, no laughter, no emotion.

>>20053938
>You have produced nothing and that which you have produced you have thrown away or destroyed by your own admission.
And I'm quite content with that. I've always drawn my satisfaction from the act of writing itself. Not so much in the collection of my work.
I believe what I am doing is still an adequate form of literary production. Again, the tree in the forest...

>stop masturbating.
Please absolve me of the guilt. With one hand you shield and defend the interests of the author, and with the author you slap and reprimand those who are too personally invested in their craft.
What are you? Jealous? You wish I would share? Is it curiosity...what is it with the notion of personal property that seems to irritate you?
Does the invisibility of the writer as a concept repulse you? Here I'll serve you with a similar reprimand...Stop peeping, then.

>>20053930
>>20053959
a dark knight is a black knight. black knights were mercenaries, not pure villains because life isn't a comic book. they were akin to ronin. dishonourable but not evil.

>>20053971
Fair enough, but they're still not paladins. Black Knight sounds so generic. There has to be a word that sounds like a title like Paladin. We don't call paladins white knights or light knights. They're given a specific word. Black/Dark knights has to have something similar

>>20053969
Can I offer the same text in my own style? I rarely criticize people's work. Just offer them my view into their world. Does that interest you?

>>20053988
That is exactly the response I was hoping for, you can totally do that.

>>20053863
That's just SnK but worse because the villain did't ensure he was dead of his own volition.

>>20053986
Do you still want it to be religious? Inquisitor or Overseer could apply to a paladin who's more morally dubious.

>>20053986
Maybe you can use the term Sarrasin, or Saracens, implying that the character is of a dark complexion which may affect his demeanor? Sort of a historical approximation for a swarthy, foreigner type of swordsman/knight whom is little to be trusted?
What do you think?

genre faggots and marketeers should have their own thread. i hate you,

>>20053919
Are you a woman by any chance?

>>20053930
Negrin.

>>20054003
I like using this a lot. Completely forgot about the middle east empires.

>>20054001
He's not breathing, not moving, not reacting, and his heart has stopped. Sounds dead to me.

>>20053969
>Recess had just started and students roamed the playground. The sky grey and cloudy, there had been no sun for the entire weekend. The slides were rusted, the seesaw bent, and the merry-go-round made a horrible grating noise when it tried, and failed, to spin. There was no color anywhere. Even the children drifted about grey and lifeless, but most sat around doing nothing. There was no joy, no laughter, no emotion.

The problem as far as a story goes is this is just setting the scene. This little paragraph could be distilled even smaller and have no real impact on the story as a whole.
>Monday.
>Things were sad.

>>20053969
Some words are superfluous, and some information is repeated. Try cutting parts of phrases to see if you like them better. Just removing text, I can get this:
>The students roamed the pale playground. The sky was grey and cloudy, there had been no sun for the whole weekend. The slides were rusted and the seesaw was bent. The merry-go-round made a horrible grating noise when it was spun and could barely move at all. Even the children appeared grey and lifeless. Kids just sat around and did nothing. There was no joy, no laughter, no emotion.
I'm not sure all those removals are for the best, but they are all possible. "Recess" is implied by "students" and "playground". "Even the children" implies that everything else is also grey and lifeless. "Most of the" is a qualifier you may not need.
Now we'll compress things:
>The students roamed the pale playground. The sky was grey and cloudy, as it had been all weekend. The slides were rusted, the seesaw bent. The merry-go-round made a horrible grating noise when it was spun, then ground to a halt. Even the children appeared grey and lifeless. They just sat around and did nothing. There was no joy, no laughter, no emotion.
"No sun" is a repetition of "grey and cloudy", so we can drop it. The line about slides and seesaws has two halfs, both with the same structure, and we can compress that. "Could barely move" repeats "when it was spun". "Kids" can become "They".
Treat it like a puzzle. The pieces don't stand alone. You can change them to get a more pleasing fit. Expect to make these tweaks as part of editing, not to write it seamlessly the first time around.

>>20053988
>>20053997
Stop asking questions and just fucking do it. You don't need to ask permission to post something. This isn't Reddit or Facebook.

>>20054033
>Stop asking questions and just fucking do it. You don't need to ask permission to post something. This isn't Reddit or Facebook.

Halt your unnecessary disquisition and promptly engage with the aforementioned actions. Thou art too soft and genteel by half and these womanly remonstrations need not cause you to falter. This is not the public house or the communal lavatory.

>>20053969
>>20053997

There was little light that weekend. My eyes scrubbed the playground and searched for a point of anchor. There, a seesaw bent out of shape, a protruding mast of rotten iron, indicating the wreck of what once was a school yard. Stains of ochre, the shades of rich warm woods rotting away in variations of green-tinted copper, or sunken ancient goldm as the rust gnawed and ate at the slides, provided for some dis-coloration, in this otherwise flat affected, and muted rainy day.
A disenchanted melody, the stacchato sonata of bolts and chains, unfastened by a meagre wind, let slip the dreadful strings of grated metal, to anyone with but tin ears. Soft, and lifeless, the excitation had left even the children's faces.
The scene seemed almost half erased, as children sat, as if absent shadows, or immobile recollections, like statues of wax. No senses, no emotion could display, or seem to betray, during recess, but a single sign of life.

What’s the point of a writing general that actively discourages writing?

>>20054071
If it's supposed to be discouraging it's not working, it got me to write

>>20054071
To filter those who would be broken by the cruelty of the real world.

>>20054058
Maybe it should be. It's the same two niggers in every thread asking if they can post something or rewrite something. Just do it. Don't ask. That's a pointless waste of a post.

Yay I just finished chapter 3 of my adahfag story. But the pacing seems so slow.

>>20054064
This is awesome, I could never write like this.

Kaijuanon here. Does this sound like a good roster of monsters so far? I try to be creative and give them as much variety with backstories and concepts as I can.
>A genetically modified frog who is, for the first time, experiencing higher thought processes. (Japan)
>A highly evolved descendant of Titanaboa that just wants to live. (Brazil)
>An agonized wolf that's been infested with an alien parasite (Russia)
>A pair of giant rabbits that were an accident by a GMO firm (Ireland)
>A cyborg mantis who actually has respect for humanity and shit (Japan again)
>An unfrozen dinosaur who's the strongest thing on the planet and has pure, undiluted Black Air Force Energy coursing through his veins. (Spain)
>A giant raven with ties to the local Native American population and a love for her offspring (Canada)
>A enormous sea monster that wanders the world and causes all kinds of maritime accidents (India)
>A massive tree that intentionally protects and sustains those who inhabit it's area (Africa)
>A statue of an armored lady with a big sword and pure love for the people of her country. (Germany)
>Bigfoot, but angrier, bigger, and from China. (China)
>An electromagnetic alien who is trying to terraform the planet (Greece)
>A mutant armadillo who's a scourge of the commoners (Mexico)
>A massive gremlin who's just kind of a dick, playing "Pranks" on everyone in order to ruin their lives for fun (Sweden)
>A big ass robot who's entire purpose is to beat the fuck out of the monsters (The world governments made it)
>A Frankenstein-like hyena monster made by some bastard who wanted to play god (Africa)
>A swarm of car sized rats who lived in some aussie's basement (Australia)
>A guardian spirit who has been twisted into an eldritch abomination by the collective fear of humanity (Japan, again)
>An incredibly old lifeform who wants to protect others, probably because he's old enough to care (Serbia)
>A massive zombie created as the result of the Yakuza dumping a dead body into the waters of Fukashima (Japan, again)
>A massive armored skeleton who, back when he was alive, fought dragons and is really intent on doing so in the modern day. (Nobody knows where he came from)
>A genetically modified swarm of attack hornets who can use the powers of other insects (Thailand)
>An ancient Native American bear god who has an Ultraman-like bond with an elderly Haida woman (British Columbia)
>A massive albino tiger that terrorizes the monasteries of Nepal (Nepal)
>A guy with such severe gigantism that he needs to wear a special suit to support his organs and bones (USA)
>A big lizard who evolved to integrate gems and rocks into it's body who came up from the earth looking for more food (The Congo)
>A huge alligator who formed a symbiotic bond with the gangs of NYC, to the point that it has the N word pass. It's also a very good mom (NYC)
>A literal dragon who wants to commit genocide on the entire planet for letting his species die off (Europe)
(Continued)

>>20054022
If he's not decapitated he's not dead.

>>20054108
Sure. We all know 90% of them will die in the first 3 chapters. Just stick with 2-5 of your favorite

>>20054108
Continued
>A fucking adorable glowing bug thing that floats above Paris and is filled with love and wonder for the strange new world she has encountered (France)
>A weird giant man clad in WW1 hazmat gear who came out of the sky and is exploring/investigating the world (Czechoslovakia)
>A bull that some farmers selectively bred until he was the size of a Kaiju (Mexico)
>A walking weapons platform that acts as a deterrent (Germany)
>A poor, poor Canadian youth who inexplicably gained the uncontrollable ability to turn into a massive, plasma powered humanoid (Canada)
>A massive, protective mermaid who might be linked to the protagonist and can imitate the powers of all sea life (The Sea)

>>20054107
actually, let me ''edit'' a few things.

There was little light that weekend. My eyes scrubbed the playground and searched for a point of anchor. There, a seesaw bent out of shape, a protruding mast of rotten iron, indicating the wreck of what once was a school yard. Stains of ochre, the shades of rich warm woods rotting away in variations of green-tinted copper, or sunken ancient goldm as the rust gnawed and ate at the slides, provided for some dis-coloration, in this otherwise flat affected, and muted rainy day.
A disaffected cacophony, the stacchato sonata of bolts and chains, unfastened by a meagre wind, let slip the dreadful strings of grated metal, to anyone with but tin ears. Soft, and lifeless, and all around the merry-go-round, the excitation had left even the children's faces.
The scene seemed almost half erased, as children sat, as if absent shadows, or immobile recollections, like statues of wax. No senses, no emotion could display, or seem to betray, during recess, but a single sign of life.

changed :
>disenchanted melody
for : disaffected cacophony

> added, as I forgot to mention it :
and all around the merry-go-round,

>>20054120
You think they're introduced all at once? They're not.

>>20054108
>>20054131
Sounds like you've got a lot of content. Weird only the Alligator gets an N word pass. Is this serialized by chapter or are you going for a Godzilla type novel series?

>>20054115
I think having your jaw ripped off and your neck snapped is "Dead"

>>20054131
>A poor, poor Canadian youth who inexplicably gained the uncontrollable ability to turn into a massive, plasma powered humanoid (Canada)
this is me. this is literally so me bro

>>20054139
Oh, by the way, do you have any suggestions on what the story I was going to write could be about? I had almost no idea what story I was going to make when I wrote that paragraph, something involving what was basically Children of the Corn in the setting of Making Fiends.

>>20054146
Clearly not. Anyway I don't think it's a good idea to pull that if it's not the start of your story.

>>20054155
Well...Off the top of my head...And I do not have any framework to build on as I don't know the references you mentioned. If you asked me for a blank idea feedback, I would say it could be about a war of children. A war being led by children, discussed and portrayed in a very serious adult tone, wherein infant concerns, and troubles would take grand, and dangerous proportions.
I figured the narrator may be an external omniscient point of view. I'm not sure you would even need to involve adults into it. Maybe animals, like pets and/or posing as war beasts.
It feels very gloomy, and nihilistic.
I can see children waging war in factions, in the battleground of a ruined town, where all adults have vanished, perhaps as a result of a real war. With only children left, the only hope humanity has, is for them to find it within themselves to understand the notion, and value of peace. But some of them hold grudges. Childish grudges, yet still no lesser than adult ones.
Just an idea.

>>20054108
FOOL YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE ME. BUT IT IS I MAGNATRON! HAHAHAHA!

>>20054145
The latter. It's not really a novel as much as it is a story.

>>20054170
It's not the start. It's a major point in the story, and is the turning point for how our MC becomes increasingly vicious and overall less innocent

>>20054145
I do have a lot of content. I've been working on this thing ever since November last year.

>>20054202
whatever you do, don't kill off the big french bug

>>20054214
I fully intend to not do that.

>>20054177
So, Lord of the Flies in a gloomy abandoned city? I like that. Maybe another thing is that all the adults have disappeared for an actually unknown reason, and the children don’t want to mention it. I’m not sure if I’ll use your concept but I’ll think about it.

>>20054183
I'll second this, Kaiju anon. Magnatron would be a fine addition to your roster.

>>20054248
I mean, a magnetic alien who hates the other magnetic alien because of a whole "I was here first" gig?

Any advice on writing lyrics? No experience with this

>>20054303
Listen to music of thr genre you're thinking about.

>>20054303
Don’t, it’s so cringe.

>>20054303
Lyrics are shit, I only listen to instrumental because my brain is big.

>>20054261
No. The Magnatron that subverted the orignal guys story. My magnatron is much better.

I've been wearing the same underwear for 4-5 weeks now and I've been masturbating heavily into them. They smell quite strongly now but I am struggling to adequately describe the scent. All I can settle on so far is 'sweet'. How can I learn how to describe smells more effectively?

Think I'm gonna pull the trigger today lads. On starting research into a new story, that is. I've got three coal mining documentaries downloading now.

>>20054514
fred dibnah. not coal mining per se but still a necessary part of the culture.

>>20054510
Adjectives are nice, but verbs are better. For example, the smell of the underwear could assaulting your nose. Or maybe in your case it's caressing.

>>20054510
musk/piss/old piss/old cum/putrid/sweet/turned vanilla/smoked milk curds/

>>20054474
It's funnier that way

the bump limit on this board should be at least double. it feels like we only get into a rhythm half way through these threads.

>>20054785
The fact that we're going through a thread a day is actually pretty impressive. Offset by the fact that half the thread was two people going back and forth stealing ideas for big bad evil guys

would it be cliche to end a novel with the morally irredeemably protagonist on the gallows

>>20054183
Also, may I explain something? When I say "Magnetic powers" I don't mean that he manipulates metal like he's Magneto or something. His power is something far, far more destructive, and if you understand what I'm alluding to, you'll understand why

>>20054822
no, I'd read that book*

*If it was well written

>>20054822
My take is something's only cliche if the execution is dull, and it's only there because "that's what you do here" and not because you genuinely want it there.

>>20054822
asking stupid misspelt questions on /lit/ is a cliché

Anyone try the #booktok thing? Is TikTok any good to shill my books?

>planning document just hit 30,000 words
>Excel spreadsheet has five unique worksheets
>got a whole notebook of "outline thinking" ideas where i logic and reason through events to make sure they are airtight when they occur
I just wanted to write a historical fantasy story about two kings fighting over a girl and having adventures. Now I might be on the path to writing something on the length of fucking Malazan. Ain't nobody gonna stay invested for 20 years while I finish this shit.

>>20055013
People are still invested in Game of Thrones. Never underestimate fanboys

>>20054131
>>20054108
Also, and this is key now, the sizes of the monsters range drastically. Most commonly they stay somewhere under 100 meters, though.

>>20050079
1968

The Tet Offensive is a bigger failure for the North Vietnamese. Causalities remain low for American forces. A butterfly effect begins and the timeline shifts. Changes like LBJ running and winning another term term getting to focus on the great society instead of Vietnam, MLK assassination being avoided, the Beatles never breaking up and various other changes to the timeline.

The story follows a high school junior cheerleader in the alternate reality of 2016 awakening in our reality. She has to deal with a post 9/11 world coming from a world without mass surveillance.

>>20055013
Scale it back, see what's necessary for your core story. Create more stories that while related aren't necessarily sequels to deal with the abundant stuff you've made.

>>20050079
pige

>>20055013
Stop worldbuilding and start story telling.Begin with short stories around your setting, work your way up. World building is honestly the least important part of a sellable novel

>>20055142
Generally it's easier to have a world that SEEMS complete. A hollow iceberg is better than no iceberg.

>>20055091
anyone got any input?

>>20055142
It is storytelling. That's the problem. Everything I've written so far is directly related to the plot. Right now I'm working out the step-by-step dynamics of how importing a foreign labor force can lead to a war with the foreign country even though the importation was agreed upon by both sides.

>>20055150
You don't have to be super in-depth. For a plot beat like that, you just need a reason that's believable enough for the reader. Have the foreign force contain spies, have them be unjustly treated by the country they're in, there's more than enough reasons to justify a war from that set-up.

>>20054986
If it’s romance or YA, yeah

>>20055191
I don't see why romance can't work there. Trying to find human connection in a terrible situation. Stakes are high because the two partners want to save each other from the aliens or monsters or whatever.

>>20055013
>planning document just hit 30,000 words
>Now I might be on the path to writing something on the length of fucking Malazan
don't worry, you'll never actually get around to writing it. enjoy your planning tho. it can go on and on

>>20055161
I'm actually going for the unjust treatment angle. I want everything to follow a logical pattern so we're not going from "Oh yeah, foreigners are working our quarries they do good" to "Man fuck those lazy foreigners, all they do is complain we don't pay them enough" too suddenly. It's given me a few ideas for intermittent plot details. Focusing deep into the conflict would be a bad idea; it should be naturally seen as part of the setting in the world. Maybe I overreacted earlier. The hope is that this gets organically distilled such that everything appears as a natural course of the nation's history, even if there's a throwaway line somewhere to keep the idea in the reader's head.
>>20055210
I'm 92k into the first book. The planning doc spans all the way through the last scene of the last book

>>20055201
thanks lol I deleted my post because I thought it was stupid!

>>20055218
If you want to write a long-running series, go for it, but a general rule is you want the first book to at least feel largely complete. Not so complete it can't go anywhere, but don't leave too much unfinished.

>nearly at 70k words
>can't decide on a title
when and how do you bros pick a title. is this something you're able to decide on early/easily?

>>20055278
It depends. Sometimes the title can be the first thing, if the title is central enough to the themes or story, sometimes it's the last thing when it's just "Oh what to actually call this thing". Personally, my vague story concept I'm working on has a working title that I made real early based on the broad story concept and overall theme, along with a relatively fun double-meaning. But sometimes a title can be irrelevant, and just be a title.

>>20055278
I've had weird problems with titles. My first two titles came to me naturally before I was finished writing them. Every other title after that has been a pain trying to figure out. It has to be unique and searchable while also capturing the essence of the narrative

someone make a new thread, this one is sinking

>>20055278
I'm just really good at coming up at titles. It'd be great if I could spend the rest of my days coming up with sick titles bro, but then I'd have a bunch of covers with empty pages.

>>20055329
There's probably some people who can't come up with a title for their story that could just give you a brief synopsis and see what you give them.

>>20055293
>>20055296
thank you for the input. i think i just have to say fuck it and make a choice.
>>20055329
go on then let's hear some of your most alluring titles. make me want to read your fake books.

>>20055329
I'm sure i've seen a book that was nothing but the titles of potential books before . . . or heard of a guy that wrote a bunch of titles and then over the years filled them in with stories . . .

>>20055340
well there's millions of writing prompts out there, that's basically the same thing, no?

>>20055344
no.

>>20055368
oh ok

>>20055340
Just titles feels a little empty. Titles as writing prompts could be kind of neat.

>>20051203
Except there's no motivation. In this case, the mentor actually fucking kills the big bad for realsies at the cost of his own life. His reasoning as to why is because he's old enough to have seen multiple mass extinctions, and so he's not gonna let another one happen

>>20055689
Okay. Then that's an inherently dissatisfying way to kill a character because it doesn't leave any loose ends for someone else to pick up. Don't end the conflict if you're not ready to end the story.

I made a thread but fucked up. I forgot to put the title on it

>>20055711
>>20055711

Came here from /ic/ looking to get into writing on the side - how come the resources listed here are not talking about the fundamentals at all? English isn't my first language, but even I can tell that plenty of posts itt have strange phrasings, don't have proper punctuation, or are otherwise weirdly formatted.
There's plenty of recommended books on plotting and worldbuilding and the like, but when it comes right down to it, shouldn't there be at least some resources in there for developing solid foundations as well?

>>20054829
he does now. i'm thiking about giving him a skin tight suit underneath his metallic tentacle space suit

>>20054708
thanks b

>>20053349
>dox yourself on 4chan bro

Would you live your life differently if, every time you reminded yourself of your own existence, you reminded yourself of nothing but a big bald ape?

write 500 words based on this prompt. you must say the opposite of what you feel at all times, as though you faced the punishment of death for any misstep. imagine this was the voice of your mother waking you for school and you were embarking on a long awaiting journey after her wakeup call. you may not use any pejoratives in your work and you must include at least one hug.

https://voca.ro/1lbvnd8yEqoz

Royal Road bandwagoner here.
What do you guys think of putting images on your chapters?

>>20056632
what kind of fucking dog shit prompt is this