Writing General /wg/

[Anonymous No.16607603]

Tropes are just a tool to be used by the author Edition

Last thread (over 300 posts):
>>16591286

Suggested books on story telling:
>The Weekend Novelist
>Aristotle's Poetics
>Hero With a Thousand Faces
>Save the Cat
>Romance the Beat

Suggested books on getting your fucking work done you lazy piece of shit:
>Deep Work
>Atomic Habits

Other Resources
>General grammar/syntax/editing help
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
> When/where/how should I write?
https://jamesclear.com/daily-routines-writers
> What software should I write with?
https://self-publishingschool.com/book-writing-software-best/
> Amazon Publishing to make that KDP monie
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200635650
> Be like Charles Dickens and write serially
https://www.royalroad.com/

[Anonymous No.16607618]

Is burgerpunk just Voltaire's Candide for the modern man?

[Anonymous No.16607624]

>>16607536
Volcano

[Anonymous No.16607642]

>>16607603
What season was that quote said? I faintly remember it.

[Anonymous No.16607656]

>>16607624
Nah, the most useful disaster is storms. Storms allow a build up of suspense. They give an atmosphere. Their range of destruction can be anything from blowing cars around on the freeway to flooding to hurricanes. To an author, they are the most useful of all natural disaster tropes. They can be fit into any setting at any intensity and can be adjusted believably within the story at any time.

[Anonymous No.16607658]

What's the best natural disaster to use in a story? As in the one with the most dramatic storytelling potential.

>>16607624
Could you explain your reasoning?

[Anonymous No.16607661]

how to cut your own hair

[Anonymous No.16607670]

>>16607661
Get trimmers. Tie top of hair with a hair tie. Use bigger number around head. Use smaller number around neck. Use ear trimming attachment. When satisfied with sides use scissors to even out the top as you like.

[Anonymous No.16607680]

/wg/, I'm trying to write a story inspired by my experiences as a writer with bipolar disorder, but I'm stuck in a weird situation because even though I've been manic many times, every time I've experienced it my life got better rather than worse, and it doesn't seem to be just good luck either so much as an abnormality in my brain

where would I even go with this?

[Anonymous No.16607703]

>>16607624
>>16607656
>Not an asteroid
retards. not only is there room for a long buildup, its impact can literally cause earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, rock slides, fires and storms. it's literally the perfect disaster

[Anonymous No.16607744]

>>16607658
>>16607703
Volcanoes are romantic. They're the settings for tragic love stories, close death encounters, sacrificing yourself for your frens, like Vesuvius and Pompeii

[Anonymous No.16607778]

>>16607603
Anyone else like quotas? How many words do you write a day?
1800 words a day here.

[Anonymous No.16607896]

>>16607778
Not really, because a certain scene may take longer to work on. I wrote for about 6 hours yesterday but only hit 1500 words since it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to write certain things. I could easily double that word count when I'm writing something that is a bit more straightforward. Some days I'll also do a bunch of editing instead of writing anything new

[Anonymous No.16607916]

>>16607656
Storms lack a sudden hit moment. They just build up slowly and the danger just escalates steadily. A good disaster should throw things from order into chaos in a blink and that doesn't exclude the possibility of rising tension, for instance before a a volcano explodes you can have small harmless quakes building up to it.

[Anonymous No.16607952]

>>16607603
why do I get the urge to erase everything I write right after I finish a session?

[Anonymous No.16607953]

>>16607916
>>16607703
Storms create adversity for characters and give them opportunities to overcome challenges in whatever setting is possible. Volcanos and asteroids are both sudden occurrences in which the resulting action takes up the majority of the characters autonomy and ability to act. There isn't any depth to it. It's a before asteroid and volcano and after. It's ham-fisted. Storms can be there the entire time at a variety of intensities. Storms also have sudden hit moments when tornados or hurricanes actually hit. When lightning sets things on fire. When The basement floods. When cars get blown off the road. As far as usefulness to an author a storm has meaning and versatility that lava and space lava just don't. If you write an asteroid or volcano story, it becomes an asteroid or volcano story. Those things are unique and don't happen much. Storms happen all the time and can be believable without taking away the focus of whatever narrative you are trying to tell. You can't be casual about volcanos.

[Anonymous No.16607973]

>>16607952
I felt that way last night, but I looked over it when I woke up and realized that most of it was fine. I'm sure that your stuff is alright, too. We are our own worst critics

[Anonymous No.16607998]

>>16607642
not OP but off the top of my head that was likely after ep90, i'll skim thru my eps later but it was likely in the episode after {spoiler]Wang's death[/spoiler]

[Anonymous No.16608006]

>>16607642

not OP but off the top of my head that was likely after ep90, i'll skim thru my eps later but it was likely in the episode after Wang's death

[Anonymous No.16608025]

>>16607896
A fair approach but I like to write a whole bunch (usually more than the minimum quota) and then start editing the whole story after.

[Anonymous No.16608037]

I got an agent! She’s really excited about my novel. It’s possible, frens. It really is.

[Anonymous No.16608051]

>>16607953
It doesnt fit most stories, but the most dramatic must be Tsunami. They are the best representation of nature force. A tsunami sweeps clean the earth and leaves none behind. What little and vain is the story of men. The endless tides of nature compares to puny man made environment. It's basically God's undo button. While storm or volcano or steroid still leave behind wreckage, they merely destroy things, not a fuck you to human's existence.

[Anonymous No.16608052]

>>16608006
Yeah thought so too, thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.16608087]

>>16608037
how did you achieve this?

[Anonymous No.16608100]

>>16608037
Congrats, anon. Proud of you

[Anonymous No.16608225]

> Outline for next entry in Blackula

Moesha Murray and Lupita Westenra are vacationing together in Whitby, a small town in Yorkshire, England. For the past few days, Lupita has been sleepwalking. Moesha notices that her friend is drawn to the lonely, scary mansion. In the latest sleepwalking episode, Moesha finds Lupita passed out on a bench, with a tall, pale but black man standing over her. He runs away as soon as he sees Moesha. Moesha examines Lupita and finds out has two holes on her neck.

[Anonymous No.16608289]

>>16608087
I have some connections, they thought the book was relevant and an easy sell and I pitched it as a low risk high reward product.

[Anonymous No.16608305]

>>16608037
Fug, now I feel bad for not writing anything for weeks or even thinking about it
I want to write a mystery novel set in the olden dayes when a guy who deserted from the army stumbles on an abandoned inn and starts running it for lack of anything better to do while piecing together what happened to the original owners

[Anonymous No.16608354]

>>16608305
That premise reminds me a lot of The Hateful Eight

[Anonymous No.16608357]

>>16608354
My story wouldn't involve black dicks in white mouths.

[Anonymous No.16608365]

>>16608305
I’d read that.

[Anonymous No.16608410]

>>16608357
Why not?

[Anonymous No.16608548]

>>16608037
way to go anon!
that is wonderful news to hear

[Anonymous No.16608583]

Did anyone save anon's wattpad story about the dude who ran away from home? I can't find a link to it in archives. He'll probably never see this but I hope you didn't give up on it!

[Anonymous No.16608750]

>>16607778
5K, which is my usual word goal for one chapter. But 3K is passable too, if I'm tired and the content is difficult. It's still a fairly sustainable rate that you can do in 6 hours or so and nothing too tiresome. When I started out, I'd write 10K+ per day and then burn out in just three days. Not very smart. Even if you feel inspired, it's better to hold back a little.

[Anonymous No.16608859]

>>16608750
>10k words in a day
This is pretty much unimaginable to me right now. I imagine it gets a little easier with good knowledge of structure and the style you like writing in, though

[Anonymous No.16609054]

Stylistically speaking I feel like I am the natural heir to Chesterton. Hopefully my waistline won't also follow suit. I discovered Chesterton far two late, about two years ago, and immediately experienced an infinitely rare sensation that I was in familiar company. It was if we locked eyes over time and a spectral fire lit in his eyes carried over to me while some indecipherable spiritual language was being spoken in the background.

In any case, I was immediately enraptured by Chesterton's vigorous blend of humorousness and seriousness, levity and cerebralness; it was the proverbial spoon full of sugar for the medicine he was delivering. And here I was lapping it up.

My one fear is that I should seem too slavishly imitative; but if someone was good enough to accurately imitate Chesterton in our current times and era it may give just enough push to save us from extinction. So I take no shame in being labeled a Chesterton knock off.

[Anonymous No.16609074]

Hey trying to write a novella and planning a novel, but I'm still really hung up on writing for prompts. Does anyone have any advice for how you should start submitting to contests or mags? I asked last thread too, someone recommended posting for contests on wattpad which seemed like it might be neat

[Anonymous No.16609214]

>>16608859
>I imagine it gets a little easier with good knowledge of structure and the style you like writing in
You'd be right. I had immense difficulties, before things clicked for me and I found the right style. And the only way to find it is to read.

[Anonymous No.16610034]

>>16609054
Who is Chesterton? Is this gay erotica

[Anonymous No.16610083]

>As the Moor, with powerful fervor burning black inside her, seeping out into her very skin.
This is a line in the novella I'm writing. Will this get my work immediately thrown into the trash can at every left-leaning publisher? It is describing a white character having her skin burnt black to resemble Othello as she performs the role. This could be interpreted as a racist depiction of blackface.

[Anonymous No.16610110]

>>16609054
>It was if we locked eyes over time and a spectral fire lit in his eyes
how romantic! did you kiss, too?

[Anonymous No.16610171]

>>16607603
>in a seemingly perfect, mechanical planet speeding through space, where all your needs are anticipated by tireless servitors, the temple cuts through the core of the planet
>what you ask for in the temple will always be given to you, but there is always a price. nobody speaks of their experiences in there, as it is the only thing you have that makes people feel unique
>when social tensions rise enough, three causes are used to both destress and elevate the populace
>what is responsible for the mysterious temple, the servitors? how did we get here? could it be worth the price for asking for such knowledge in the temple?

[Anonymous No.16610410]

Are there any other /screen/writers here? Anyone who's studied the screenplay format and maybe even began to pen one?
I've written 5.5 feature films so far. The ".5" being a goddamn joke, as the half of a screenplay I've written so far is longer than any of the other five. I started learning French and German for that fucking film, I'm goddamn enamored with it.
Don't usually work on non-screenplay format but I started writing a Novella, a companion work to the .5 screenplay. My frequents are /lang/ and /film/ and I'm looking to expand my horizons. I'd like a place to discuss screenplay theory with bros

[Anonymous No.16610444]

>>16610410
I mean, I don't know enough about the particular prose used in screen writing, but I know enough about the trite series of events and quippy dialogue that I could put something together people would call a movie and eventually greenlight. The whole thing is even more a sell out money making game than books and what's generally discussed here, but I've tried a few times. Some of my writing was originally a dialogue type script that transformed into a series of short stories. But these threads welcome you with open arms, friend. It's all the same hero's journey anyway.

[Anonymous No.16610495]

>>16610444
>trite series of events and quippy dialogue that I could put something together people would call a movie and eventually greenlight
This is really only true if you're already well-established in the industry. If you're talking about summer blockbusters those are almost exclusively written by experienced screenwriters for money. To even break in now you need to have several really good feature scripts, not summer blockbuster trash. Also the best writing is now found in TV (like HBO shows, and to a lesser (but increasing) extent streaming sites like Amazon and Netflix) not movies.

[Anonymous No.16610500]

>>16610444
>but I know enough about the trite series of events and quippy dialogue that I could put something together people would call a movie and eventually greenlight
This is a great way to make loads of money as a writer
But yeah you'll probably have to sell your soul to do it. But F. Scott Fitzgerald did it! And he's still widely regarded as a fantastic writer.
I, however, am not a writer. Only by consequence. I'm writing these screenplays with the intention of directing them. Writers and filmmakers don't really mix.

[Anonymous No.16610509]

>>16610495
>the best writing is now found in TV
Which is why TV has gone down several points in quality the last few years
HBO hasn't released anything worth watching since True Detective. And even that was only good for one season.

[Anonymous No.16610524]

>>16610509
Succession (though on hiatus due to the quarantine) is pretty good.

[Anonymous No.16610548]

>>16610444
My only advice would be to learn the screenplay format. The technical layout of the page. I'm not sure it's true but I've been told that a screenplay will get thrown out if it's not written in Final Draft (or at least looks like it).

[Anonymous No.16610630]

>>16610410
I've started writing a screenplay using Mckee's method (not the theory, the procedure he outlines in the last or penultimate chapter). The most helpful resource I've found is the book The Sequence Approach. It approaches storytelling from the perspective of maintaining human attention (a problem most pronounced in the movies) and the techniques, namely four, to do so. I found it enlightening not only for writing scripts but for understanding the movies and tv episodes I watch. Its principles apply equally to writing and understanding literature (at least the kind which is trying to tell a story).

[Anonymous No.16610686]

>Save the Cat
very cute that the sticky recommends that book
The writer, Blake Snyder, was a seasoned hollywood hack who made loads of cash on a bunch of a screenplays.
Only two of his scripts actually got made. One of them is called "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!" and stars Sylvester Stallone.
The book itself is the worst of the screenwriting books that I recommend every screenwriter reads. It treats you like an idiot, but if you follow his steps exactly, you'll end up with a perfectly marketable screenplay. And maybe even make a lotta money too
Better books on screenwriting are
>Screenplay+The Screenwriter's Workbook by Syd Field
>Story by Robert McKee
And to learn about your status in the industry, read the words of renowned arthouse director Peter Greenaway:
>“This is probably a very unpopular thing to say,” the director Peter Greenaway has said, “but all film writers should be shot.”
https://archive.is/8Gwvq

[Anonymous No.16610712]

>>16610524
Television isn't good when the only emotion it makes you feel is a distinct since of emptiness based on how long the show took you to watch. The emotional impact of Television is false sincerity. It is a rhetorical trick, a twist of the mind. "Good" television has, at most, made me think about a small list of concepts. Television that has set my inner fire ablaze because I don't like it leaves me with a profound sadness that lasts a few days. The fact that these are the only two things watching 20-50 hours of television can do is disappointing to say the least. Are we seriously only here to consume until we die?
>>16610548
Eh, I looked into it once. It's kinda interesting for a format. But I don't want to write for that type of audience.

[Anonymous No.16610753]

>>16607603
How do I write good first person POV stories? At things should one pay attention to when writing in first person when compared to third person?

[Anonymous No.16610763]

>>16610753
Well yeah. In first person, you are only aware of the things the person is aware of. If someone sneaks up behind you and hits you with a baseball bat, in first person it happens suddenly and they don't know what happened, and in third person you can explain it in detail

[Anonymous No.16610766]

>>16610753
First person is more conversational and limited in the things the narrator can know. 1st person can be very useful for stories where you want the narrator to be unreliable, for example. My favorite use of 1st person was in Shadow Over Innsmouth, because the story being related to you after the fact by the person it happened to initially made me think he was never in any real danger, making the "tense" scenes feel less so, but that only served to lull me into a false sense of security so the twist ending landed that much harder.

[Anonymous No.16610785]

>>16610630
I forgot Story had that back there. I read Screenplay before that one. It's pretty rigid in its submission to the three act structure, Syd Field's "paradigm." Story is a much better book because it's more about what a screenplay is than how to write one.
As for "maintaining human attention," I think that's a bad way to put it. A book is a different format, you cab easily go off into some wild tangent and still retain your reader's attention. A film is different. Scorsese once said "Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out." That's true in the writing as well as the camera. For a movie, you must keep things moving. If the story screeches to a halt, the movie is dead, and people withdraw from it. You must boil your ideas down to their most essential components, incubate them, and use them to grow the rest of the screenplay. Any vestigial growths must be cut out. If you don't do it, and the director is too incompetent to do it, the editor will be wise enough to do it. But it's a lot less expensive for you to do it.

[Anonymous No.16610805]

>>16610753
Get a good feel for how your character speaks, talks, and writes. Try to identify unique patterns in speech and prose they have. Or you could just write like you yourself would write, but that might paint you some troubling allusions within the story to your own subconscious.

[Anonymous No.16610855]

>>16610785
>A book is a different format, you cab easily go off into some wild tangent and still retain your reader's attention.
This isn't what I meant by maintaining attention. A movie can do this too (and tv shows do it all the time) and still be ok. What the book talks about is primarily about length and variety. This is stuff that was known since antiquity. Basically, a "sequence" is a series of scenes unified by something (time, location, theme whatever) whose total runtime is 10-20 minutes. 20 minutes because that's the upper limit of human attention. Note that most books are laid out the same way. Books are broken into chapters which take no more than 10-20 minutes to read, by word count. The main difference between a book and a movie though, is that a movie has to be watched all in one sitting so there's a hard upper limit to runtime. 90 minutes to 3 hours (the latter is stretching it). Anything beyond that, and you'll notice that there will usually be an intermission (e.g epics like Ben Hur). Sequences should also be varied, high and low, tense and relaxed, too much or too long of one thing and people stop paying attention. The techniques I was talking about are for keeping attention within the sequence and for creating that forward momentum that makes the reader want to keep watching/reading.

[Anonymous No.16611006]

>>16610855
TV very different to Cinema. A show is more like a novel in that you can afford to go off into tangents, especially in a non-episodic show. Most people will only be paying half-attention to your story anyway, as they browse their phones, only looking up when there's a loud noise. But for cinema, the spector is in a theater, no phones allowed. There's nothing to do but stare at this thing. You have to be concise. Direct. Your aim is to penetrate the subconscious. You can't do it if the viewer's eyes start to droop and he ends up having paid 16.95 for a nice nap.

>90 minutes to 3 hours (the latter is stretching it).
There's one film, Satantango, which is infamous for having a runtime of 8 hours. I haven't seen it yet but I've heard it's good. So it's entierly possible to make a film with a gargantuan runtime.
But yeah, as a screenwriter you're only gonna sell a 3+ hour long specs script if it's headed directly to a ghost writer who will attempt to rend it down into something filmmable. Films are expensive as hell to make, even the cheap ones. Every minute of runtime is money that could've been going into above-the-line's pockets.

[Anonymous No.16611117]

>>16609074
Implying any of us have the courage or work ethic to submit to magazines

[Anonymous No.16611201]

>>16611006
Theaters that aired Satantango had 10 minute intermissions every ~3 hours (which comes to two intermissions for its ~7 hour runtime). More revealing though is how the movie is written, i.e episodically. You could just as easily watch the film over the course of a few days, as a miniseries because of its natural stopping points. The movie also uses all of the techniques for sustaining attention within a sequence (and between sequences) described in the book. So I wouldn't call it an exception.

And you can afford to go off on tangents in movies too. Many arthouse films do this, both at the scene and sequence level (for a scene its more common because you can unify the sequence by theme if not plot, time or location).
I also think truly engaging tv shows can have the same absorbing effect as their cinematic counterpart, sometimes even more so because the longer structure lets you go much deeper and explore more intensely the characters and themes.

>Most people will only be paying half-attention to your story anyway, as they browse their phones, only looking up when there's a loud noise.
I honestly feel its this kind of audience denigration that leads to bad film and tv.

[Anonymous No.16611364]

I'm giving serious thought to joining NaNoWriMo. Is this a mistake?

[Anonymous No.16611370]

>>16610753
>How do I write good first person POV stories? At things should one pay attention to when writing in first person when compared to third person?

An advantage of first person stories is that it's easier to incorporate the main character's thoughts into the story. You can also do this in third person (ex. "It's a door, Susan thought.") but it can sometimes be a bit more clunky. In general third person may be the better option to use, but it depends on the nature of the story. If you were describing someone's internal struggle, it could be better for the story to be in the first person.

You may also find that you work at a better speed with either first or third person compared to the other, though this could depend on what the subject matter is. (Imagine, for instance, you simply writing out an event that happened in your life in the first person versus trying to write it in third person.)

[Anonymous No.16611379]

>>16611364
The mistake isn't you joining NaNoWriMo. The mistake is not writing during all the other months of the year as well.

[Anonymous No.16611384]

>>16611379
But this is special. You can make an account and join their website

[Anonymous No.16611422]

>>16611364
nanowrimofags get the rope

[Anonymous No.16611535]

>>16611379
>>16611422

Except this isn't true at all. They spend several months of the year also giving you tips on how to edit and refine the novel you made, as well as how to pitch it and so on.

The mistake isn't that anons give advice. The mistake is anons giving advice about things they don't know about.

[Anonymous No.16611581]

>>16611535
No. Shit like nanowrimo is faggy shit that women made up because they wanna be """"""""writers""""""" but don't actually like putting in the work. So they turned it into this social game where everyone gets to come together and be happy and supportive and it's all one big circle jerk.

If you're not writing because you can't live without it, then you shouldn't be writing.

[Anonymous No.16611592]

>>16611581
>If you're not writing because you can't live without it, then you shouldn't be writing.

What pretentious nonsense.

[Anonymous No.16611593]

You're not a true writer until you've written one (at least one) female character who lactates.

[Anonymous No.16611597]

>>16611535
>The mistake isn't that anons give advice. The mistake is anons giving advice about things they don't know about.

I was addressing the topic of writing a novel in November generally — like that of not shaving or masturbating during the same month — not the idea of joining a specific writer's group for that purpose. Don't get so hot and bothered about erroneously correcting people.

[Anonymous No.16611605]

>>16611581
Relax, man. Some people write as a hobby. Same way some people garden or play basketball.

[Anonymous No.16611609]

>>16611592
cope harder

[Anonymous No.16611614]

>>16611605
I fucking hate normies. Josh Homme said it best, "Just because everyone could, doesn't mean everyone should"

[Anonymous No.16611616]

>>16611592
Not that guy, but there's probably a bit packed into that statement. Namely, if writing is something that you could live without and feel okay with it, then you likely won't develop the discipline to produce anything worthwhile or make it as a writer. Professional musicians often say similar things about their profession.

[Anonymous No.16611776]

>>16610753
Watch out for writing things that your character wouldn't notice or care about. A character walking through his rainy home town wouldn't need a paragraph about the rain because constantly downpour wouldn't seem worth noting to him. Someone that's played the piano since childhood might always notice the music in a room but someone that doesn't care for music wouldn't be thinking paragraphs about the timbre of every note.

[Anonymous No.16611791]

>get a million ideas every day
>sit down to write
>play video games
every fucking time

[Anonymous No.16611880]

>>16611791
Put on a track and a timer for 5 minutes.
Write whatever comes to mind. If after 5 minutes you don't feel like continuing, then save and play games.

[Anonymous No.16611884]

>>16611880
Will try. thank you.

[Anonymous No.16611913]

>>16611884
Good luck.
Try it for a month and you'll have something to work with.

[Anonymous No.16611917]

>>16611913
I can't wait to write my Amish romance novels

[Anonymous No.16611930]

>>16611917
I can't wait to write my samurai romance novels.

[Anonymous No.16611956]

>>16611930
>samurai
>romance
SHAMEFURU DISPRAY

[Anonymous No.16612036]

>All my ideas are based on downward trending tropes or traits that would get immediately discarded by an agent/editor/publisher (med fantasy, sci-fi space opera, male protagonist, etc..)
>The ones that arent like that are not meaty enough to fill a novel
I guess I'm not cut for this

[Anonymous No.16612064]

>>16611201
People can watch things however they want, but Bela Tarr has expressed that the film is meant to be watched in one sitting, like a normal film. It's a very different experience to shut something down and go do something else before you continue it. Television caters to that sort of viewership. Film does not.
And if they're good, films absolutely do not go off into tangents. It may delve into something that doesn't seem to pertain directly to the main action, but this movement is carefully measured and performs a vital role in the film's underlying cinematic gesture. Because at the heart of cinema is not the writing. A film's story floats at the surface. The film's gesture is the brine that rests underneath.
For the contrast, look at Moby Dick. In one chapter Melville takes a break from the action and gives a lecture on Cetology. It's brilliant in a book, very intellectually stimulating. But if you where to put in the middle of a film adaptation of the book, it would fall apart. "When are they getting back to the good stuff?"
This is a consequence of cinema being a wholly different entity to writing. Where words on a page can only delve into your soul through intellectual stimulation- passing completely through your conscious mind- a film has, through your eyes and ears, a direct route into your subconscious.

>I also think truly engaging tv shows can have the same absorbing effect as their cinematic counterpart, sometimes even more so because the longer structure lets you go much deeper and explore more intensely the characters and themes.
I'm sorry to say it but I absolutely despise this sort of mentality. At the root of it is the notion that "More = Better." With no room left for the endless bounds of human imagination. I don't need to know every conversation, every affair, every conflict in a character's life. I don't need every minute happening within the storyline painstakingly laid out, as if to omit such details would leave me slack-jawed and scratching forehead head like some sniveling moron. I only need what I need. Nothing more, nothing less.
There's a /pol/ meme, and it's mostly carried as an all-purpose catchphrase for shutting down dissidents, but I think it carries some truth; "Brevity is the soul of wit." To quote Terry Davis, an idiot admires complexity, a genius admires simplicity.

[Anonymous No.16612111]

>>16612036
>entire genres will be discarded by agents and publishers
>an entire sex will be discarded by agents and publishers
some of you guys are just insane

[Anonymous No.16612125]

>>16611956
>samurai romance

[Anonymous No.16612162]

>>16612036
Med-fantasy isn't going away

[Anonymous No.16612193]

>start working on a 2nd novel
>it's a lot more interesting and fun to write than the 1st one
>still feel obligated to continue working on the 1st since I'm 20k words in

[Anonymous No.16612274]

>>16612193
Good on ya anon
Personally avoid starting a new project before I finish the last one. Feels like it ends up taking away from both projects

[Anonymous No.16612313]

>>16612274
I decided to do it since I wanted to get some practice in on 1st person narratives, but I didn't anticipate it making me realize just how unoriginal and bland the first novel is

[Anonymous No.16612356]

>>16612313
These emotions sway with the breeze; it's best to silence your mind of unworkable criticisms before it comes time to edit. Or maybe the book really does suck, and the moment you pull yourself away from it you'll be disgusted and be blessed to never think about it again.
But it's always better to have something completed than something half-completed. A finished draft is a full assessment of your skill. A half-finished draft is a void of uncertainty.

[Anonymous No.16612517]

Okay, I have an honest question here, and it's going to sound holier than thou, but I don't mean it to be.

Why the fuck do y'all have such a hard time staying focused? I keep hearing about how people need to turn off the internet and shit, while I'm here like "If I don't go and look up this thing that's in my head I'll never get any writing done" and then I go and look up that one thing and maybe check out one or two other things that are related, then I'm able to get right back to work without that thing bugging me.

Is it just because I've spent so much time on the internet that I've accidentally trained myself to not get sucked into holes anymore, or is it just autism?

[Anonymous No.16612534]

>>16612274
I have a really interesting idea for a short story but am forcing myself to finish the one I'm currently working on, which is almost done. It's kind of annoying though since I feel like I'm just going through the motions almost with the current story, and that also makes it seem like the writing isn't all it could be (also want to come up with a better ending).

Sometimes you just want to start up with a story while you're still excited about the idea. By the time I finish a story I'm usually pretty over it though.

[Anonymous No.16612545]

>tfw thought a short story trilogy would be two days of writing to finish but it ends up being three flash fiction stories instead that totaled 1,922 words
I feel like I should've wrote so much more, but if I added anything it'd just be fluff. They get in and get out like a thief in the night and set up a larger universe I didn't intend to invent. What the fuck just happened in the last 4 hours, guys? I'm scared.

[Anonymous No.16612556]

>>16612313
Honestly, you should finish everything as best you can. Doesn't matter if it's unoriginal, finish it. You'll learn a lot more.

[Anonymous No.16612568]

>>16612534
Writing, like any other artform, is about discipline. You have to put your nose down and finish that shit, otherwise you just end up with a million first pages.

[Anonymous No.16612573]

>>16612534
It's no different than a marriage, you got your honeymoon phase and sometimes a bout of postpartum depression

[Anonymous No.16612586]

>>16612517
>Why the fuck do y'all have such a hard time staying focused?

There are a number of things that may be at play other than mere internet distractions. Maybe you don't have a very clear idea of what you want to write. Maybe writing feels futile because you think you probably can't get it published anywhere, and maybe no one will care about it. Perhaps your writing is less good on one day that it is on another, and you're sitting there stuck with that sort of blank canvas panic, or you doubt your own ability. Maybe you have a story you really need to write—perhaps it's a story about your life, or some problem you've had and you think writing it out will help you work through it—but the material is so depressing that it's difficult to get yourself to work on it. And then add these things to the fact that writing is, by and large, an extraordinarily solitary activity. It's like looking into a mirror, but then you don't like what you see, and so it's easier to look away and distract yourself rather than to keep looking. You can, of course, force yourself to keep grinding away on your writing and develop discipline, but these kinds of thoughts are never very far away.

[Anonymous No.16612621]

>>16611581
>No. Shit like nanowrimo is faggy shit that women made up
I immediately stopped reading your post here. Just wanted to let you know everything else you wrote was wasted.

Stop gatekeeping writing, thanks.

>>16611791
You gotta close the games. Maximize the writing window and just go. Even if you sit at your text editor doing nothing for hours its better than playing games where your brain isn't even trying to produce words.

[Anonymous No.16612646]

>>16611791
Pick an amount of time that you're willing to work on your writing each day and them commit to doing it.

[Anonymous No.16612647]

I need strangers on the internet to give me motivation pls. I've been plugging away at a draft for the last two years, and 400k words later, I'm almost done. It's like limping over the finish line. It's heaving with garbage and plotlines that went nowhere and pointless dialogue that doesn't move the plot but I'm almost done and these last few pushes are fucking miserable. I daydreamed yesterday about just BEING DONE. I'm begging for any stupid little aphorisms or empty encouragement you have, whatever I can slurp up. If I can make it good and publish it one day I'll put "4chan posters who said nice things" or something in the dedications, I promise.

[Anonymous No.16612661]

>>16612647
“Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients. That is, after all, the case. What would you begin writing if you knew you would die soon? What could you say to a dying person that would not enrage by its triviality?”

“Why are we reading, if not in hope of beauty laid bare, life heightened and its deepest mystery probed? Can the writer isolate and vivify all in experience that most deeply engages our intellects and our hearts? Can the writer renew our hope for literary forms? Why are we reading if not in hope that the writer will magnify and dramatize our days, will illuminate and inspire us with wisdom, courage, and the possibility of meaningfulness, and will press upon our minds the deepest mysteries, so that we may feel again their majesty and power? What do we ever know that is higher than that power which, from time to time, seizes our lives, and reveals us startlingly to ourselves as creatures set down here bewildered? Why does death so catch us by surprise, and why love? We still and always want waking.”

[Anonymous No.16612665]

>>16612647
Man, what more motivation do you need? You've already written 400k words. That in itself is a massive achievement, and takes a lot of dedication. All you need to do now is finish it and get to the editing process. You've already done the hard part

[Anonymous No.16612689]

>>16612647
Motivation is the fool's version of determination
Needing to hype yourself up to sit down and write will lead to a snail's pace
If you write a page a day for one month, you've just written more than if you'd spent a few hours feverishly writing fifteenth one day then didn't anything for four weeks.

[Anonymous No.16612732]

>>16612661
It's not really the same thing but I kept this fucking draft alive through some very suicidal moods, I hope it counts as writing "as if I was dying."

>>16612665
But the editing is terrifying, dude. I feel like I'll look back over it and realize how shit 90 percent of it is.

Thank you for your kind words, in another couple of years if you see a book with a cool giant bug on the cover, you'll find your dedications in it.

[Anonymous No.16612747]

>>16612689
I did this, though. I just need a push over the finish line, that's not so counter-productive. I have written nearly every day for two years, with around 40 or so days total so far in which I didn't feel fit to get at the very least 500 words pumped out. I think you need a little burst of excitement sometimes or the discipline just makes your writing sound passionless when it could use a little genuine desperation.

[Anonymous No.16612826]

>>16612747
I think I may have discovered a method for curing this particular ail, but I'm still testing it.

[Anonymous No.16612858]

>>16612747
>in which I didn't feel fit to get at the very least 500 words pumped out.

How long does that usually take you? I'd like to hit 500 words a day, but that would probably take me about 2 1/2 hours (I work 30-60 mins a day).

[Anonymous No.16612891]

>>16612858
It really depends on what I was writing that day. When it was descriptions and scene-building, or surface-level dialogue, it didn't take more than an hour. But some days I really struggled, sometimes because I'd eaten like shit or I just hated the scene I'd gotten wrapped up in. Those days could take like 2 or 3 hours just to get to 500, especially if I'd been distracted all day and hadn't at least subconsciously worked out some "what-ifs."

[Anonymous No.16612921]

>>16610686
Snyder compresses a lot of the ideas in those other books into something short and readable. Also, I want a lot of money. My jewblood sings for it.

[Anonymous No.16612931]

>>16612545
Add more story beats.

[Anonymous No.16613003]

I just sat staring into a blank page for 5 minutes, paralyzed with fear and unable to start writing. I feel ashamed of myself.

[Anonymous No.16613102]

>>16613003
The first sentence is always the hardest

[Anonymous No.16613167]

>>16613102
I want to start a novel, but I am so afraid of doing so. If I do, then it will stop being an idea in my head I am excited about; it will have become a project that I need to take care of for months or even years, and which will be at risk of dying if I ever falter.

[Anonymous No.16613219]

>>16612621
Post tits

[Anonymous No.16613230]

Nanowrimo is Dumb Shit because it promotes bad writing habits. You should be consistently writing throughout the year rather than upping your output in one specific month.

[Anonymous No.16613290]

/wg/, I had an idea for my sequel but it seems really similar to the plot of homestuck. I'm not sure if I should say 'fuck it' or think of something else

[Anonymous No.16613297]

>>16613167
Start with a sentence that contains the message or feeling that you want to express, build the rest of your story around it. This sentence can be the first you write, but doesn't need to be the first in the story. It'll help give you a clearer vision of how to build the rest of your story.

[Anonymous No.16613304]

>>16613290
Do it, it only means you might get some devoted fans out of it. It’s not 2012 anymore. We’re too hold to hate with passion like that anymore.

[Anonymous No.16613315]

>>16613304
I'm more worried it would mean Viz would have a plagiarism suit against my ass

[Anonymous No.16613364]

>>16612647
I know how you feel. Honestly writing is kind of easy now but it's editing that's the real pain. I don't think anyone is 100% in love with every bit of the writing process. You just gotta go through it.

[Anonymous No.16613410]

How do I format my manuscript? How many words should a page average? People say I have to use double space lines when submitting to a publisher but what is the point if they can use the comment fuction in word instead of writing their comment between the lines?

[Anonymous No.16613717]

>>16613410
275 words or so is around the industry standard for a paperback

[Anonymous No.16613925]

>>16613167
This is very destructive mindset. I thought my idea was great when I started and realized it was anemic pretty early. You’ll like it more the more you cultivate the story. Don’t think of it like something you have to maintain. You ever look at the early sketches an artist draws? It’s messy as shit since they started and stopped and redrew individual lines, but in doing so they see the proportions they really want and pick the best lines they put to paper. Your targeting system is going to waver a bit before you get a lock, but when it does, that’s when it feels “real.” You’ll be glad you stuck with it.

[Anonymous No.16613968]

>>16610410
If you want some help with screenwriting, I can recommend:

Save the Cat(Skip his boring stories) Some of the best advice for features. Loglines are very important.

Screenwriting down to the Atoms by Michael Welles Schock

Bill Idelson’s Writing Class. (Great use of conflict)

I would also read screenplays everyday, preferably on an iPad.

The tracking board forums are a great resource for all the new and old screenplays to read.

If you give me your email I will send you the two best examples of scripts you should copy.


I've written about Three feature scripts, several unfinished shit ones, one pilot, and several shorts.

Do not write shorts unless you intend to direct them, they are also far more abstract than features.

Do not waste your time with screenwriting fellowships or contests, they are a money pit.
If you write a great screenplay, there is nothing in the world that can stop it from being made.

[Anonymous No.16613978]

>>16610686
I remember when I held that idea.

McKee is good, but don't be too over reliant on him.

I cannot for the life of me remember what Field had said and I read his book twice.

[Anonymous No.16613993]

Also don't fall into the trap of not writing everyday, keep a journal close by and write down ideas.

You have to come up with your own method to crank out your scripts but here are two great pieces of advice.

Whatever you write is going to be a piece of shit and keep writing.

As I stated before, when you recognize: beats, repeaters, cyclics, mini-cyclics, downbeats, midpoint reverses, challenges(dialogue), and the threshold, then you're on the right track.

[Anonymous No.16613994]

>>16610686
I think the save the cat books are pretty good in general, as sort of a guideline to follow if you want to write bestselling novels/screenplays. My only real issue with the novel writing one was that the author picked some pretty terrible books to break down into plot structures. Stuff like Heart Shaped Box that even normies think is terrible

[Anonymous No.16614002]

>>16613993
Aaron Sorkin doesnt write everyday, he thinks about his idea, which is more important than writing something out and wasting all that effort in making your job harder for yourself.

A screenplay is different from a novel, obvious.

OUTLINE, for the love of god, this makes it all so much easier. I know the Coen Brothers don't do it, but they are the Coen's. You are you.

[Anonymous No.16614052]

>>16612621
tits or gtfo

[Anonymous No.16614053]

>>16614002
I love and hate sorkin so much. What a tool, but god damn does he make you feel smart in the moment. He’s so good at dialogue, but I wish he had something better to say.

[Anonymous No.16614056]

>>16612931
Like I said, adding more would just be fluff.

As an opening chapter to a novel, it's great... But I don't really feel like writing it. at least not yet. Too many other projects I'd rather work on first. Maybe I'd come back later.

[Anonymous No.16614067]

>>16613003
Stop writing for other people and write just for yourself with the assumption that no one other than you is going to read it. Worry about what other people might think during the 3rd draft.

[Anonymous No.16614068]

>>16614053
Sorkin is one of the best screenwriters working today. People rag him on his uni-voice, but he knows structure and conflict.

He is essential in studying screenwriting.

[Anonymous No.16614077]

>>16614068
Screenplay-anon, you're so assertive. What a strange life blood you have brought into this thread. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, just, different.

[Anonymous No.16614082]

>>16613968
>read screenplays
Not him, but where do I find these? Would love to try my hand at screenplays since I've seen WAY more movies than I've read books, but wouldn't know thing one about writing one.

[Anonymous No.16614095]

>>16614082
>writing screenplays when Hollywood is burning to the ground right now
Much like going into theatre right now, that might not be the best idea, chief

[Anonymous No.16614096]

>>16614002
Sorkin is also just a super neurotic jew, but I repeat myself. If you're not jewish, it'll be a lot easier for you.

[Anonymous No.16614101]

>>16614082
Tracking Board.com, Script Shadow(his comments section has someone include a link to the screenplay)

I can give you a couple to know what a great screenplay you should emulate.

[Anonymous No.16614111]

>>16614095
>implying I would sell anything to Hollywood
I want LA to be nuked into the ocean. I just enjoy writing, and I love movies, so combining the two would make me very happy. Maybe one day I'll hook up with some indie director or I'll win the lottery of the stock market and be able to start my own indie film studio and make movies up in Montana or Idaho or something just as an eternal "fuck you" to Hollywood. Idk, I'm just not out to make money.

[Anonymous No.16614113]

>>16614096
I think you can't fall into that trap of trying to write everyday, reading a script and recognize the strengths and weaknesses also helps you get better.

[Anonymous No.16614118]

>>16614077
I'm just trying to make everyone better and save them some money on Bullshit classes.

UCLA extension is a waste of time for screenwriting.

I'm taking a tv writing class but it only cost 100 and it's a good resource while connecting with other people like me.

[Anonymous No.16614119]

Do you need to read a lot to be a writer?

[Anonymous No.16614120]

>>16614111
Well, just let me get out of LA before you nuke it. I'm only here since all the law firms are here

[Anonymous No.16614125]

>>16614119
Yes.

[Anonymous No.16614139]

>>16614113
Obviously taking time to make sure it's right is something anyone should do. But if you watched his MasterClass thing, you can't ignore how fucking neurotic he is about the whole thing. Hell, he pretty much says that himself.

[Anonymous No.16614157]

>>16612621
please be my mommy

[Anonymous No.16614158]

>>16614139
I did and I think it's a great resource, Mamet in the same way.

I'm not disagreeing with you about his neuroticism. I watched the Newsroom, it is the most Sorkin thing I've seen.

When Sorkin has someone to reign him in it can make his scripts great.

On the other hand, anyone handed a Sorkin script can't really fuck it up, unless you're Sorkin directing.

[Anonymous No.16614195]

Is it a good idea to write short stories around your main idea?

[Anonymous No.16614206]

>>16614119
No, just poorly translated light novels and stories on Royal Road/Wattpad

[Anonymous No.16614265]

>>16614195
Honestly, I think before I try and right something I know is going to be long again, I wanna write a few short stories about the characters just to get to know them better. I find that I start writing one story but the characters aren't who I originally thought they were, and it throws the whole thing off track a bit(at least on my end)

[Anonymous No.16614273]

I just realized Edgar Allen Poe probably read Jane Austen at one point, and there's just something really funny about that.

[Anonymous No.16614277]

>>16614195
If you mean what you're trying to say, sure.

Here's one: A loner living in an apartment has a secret crush on the new tenant that moved in. She has weird hours like him and there are weird noises coming from her apartment.

Start from there, can go any route.

What is Fright Night? Rear Window meets Dracula. The same goes for Distrubia, Rear window for the 2000's.

[Anonymous No.16614289]

I wish most of the people here weren't bigoted manchildren 24-7, because now I feel compelled to emphasize a character's transatlantic accent with outdated words that have since become vulgar, and I can't tell if it's actually funny or if it's just you shits rubbing off on me

[Anonymous No.16614317]

Are male protagonists that unfavored by editors and publishers or is it a meme?
Because I have seen that the new hotness is having a strong female protagonist in your novel.

[Anonymous No.16614318]

Any tips for beginner writers? Im just taking up writing as a new hobby. Anything i should know?

[Anonymous No.16614319]

>>16614289
get off 4chan, use meetup.com to socialize.

Do something you never thought you'd try.

Mountain climbing? Pottery, painting, biking.

Whatever you thought about that you said what if I try that.

[Anonymous No.16614330]

>>16614195
I have a few side story prequels centered around my main fiction but they haven't materialized yet.

[Anonymous No.16614340]

>>16614318
Start a journal and write in your voice. How do you talk to another person? Frame it like a one on one conversation, like in a letter.

[Anonymous No.16614347]

>>16614318
Use royal road to motivate yourself

[Anonymous No.16614382]

>>16614317
You know what editors and publishers like?

Good Stories.

If you focus on those buzzwords you won't write anything but crap.

[Anonymous No.16614391]

>>16614056
>i'll write it later
Oh, anon... if it really is any good, kick your discipline into gear and write it now.

[Anonymous No.16614403]

>>16614382
>Good Stories.
Technically false
You just need to catch their attention with a good query

[Anonymous No.16614432]

Mahjong featuring strong rapebait ninja from the Asagi series.

[Anonymous No.16614444]

>>16614391
>any good
This is one of the things I can't tell if it's good, or if I'm just huffing my own farts because it's the kind of extremely niche thing I like. Either way, in order to write the story I'd want would require many conversations with a Catholic priest to learn the theology I'd want to incorporate and color the story.

>discipline into gear
That's not the problem, trust me. 3,000 words or 4 hours worth of writing is my goal each day and I almost always hit it, only taking one or two days off a week.

[Anonymous No.16614576]

>>16614382
>good stories
Now this is just false, anon. They want stories that will sell, but that doesn't always equate to a good story. 50 Shades of Grey is not even remotely close to a competent story, but it still sold a billion copies

[Anonymous No.16614613]

>>16614382
You and I both know that its all about market potential

[Anonymous No.16614694]

Did you know that Royal Road gives achievements, like a game on Steam?

[Anonymous No.16614814]

How long do you guys take to get to your inciting incident in a story? In my outline I want my main character to be a small cog in the machine in the beginning and eventually actually lead the organization and end the conflict. However the thing that starts the conflict is a political debate among institutions that eventually derails into a war, this is where the real story starts. I want to know how long should I take to establish things before starting the conflict?

[Anonymous No.16614828]

>>16614814
Is that your character? She cute

[Anonymous No.16614836]

Is reusing characters in different stories really cringe? Also, what are your thoughts on remaking your own stories?

[Anonymous No.16614873]

>>16614814
I'm 46 chapters now and the first major incident has only now unfolded about 8-9 chapters ago, and I expect this incident to resolve in about 5-6 chapters. It probably won't even be for another 15-20 chapters until the first major overall political incident occurs though.

[Anonymous No.16614891]

>>16614814
Whats your story about? Sounds interesting?

[Anonymous No.16615130]

>>16614694
Yeah, a silly system, but gotta appeal to the zoomers somehow, I guess

[Anonymous No.16615139]

>>16613993
>Also don't fall into the trap of not writing everyday, keep a journal close by and write down ideas.

Maybe I'm just a brainlet, but I have to take 2-3 days a week when I write nothing or I will go literally insane 4chan posts are, of course, ok

[Anonymous No.16615184]

>>16614082
Literally just google "(movie title) script PDF"
If the film came out in the last 30 years you can almost certainly find it this way, but you can also usually find the less obscure older stuff too

[Anonymous No.16615225]

>>16613968
>Do not write shorts unless you intend to direct them
I wouldn't say do NOT write them. They're a good way to exercise your skill. Plus, who knows, you might befriend someone interested in becoming a director but that has no idea how to write. He'd like to have someone with shorts they weren't gonna shoot.
Although for me, that's exactly true, as aside from those 5.5 features I've only ever written two shorts, one of which I directed.
However now I'm thinking about adapting one of my feature scripts into a "proof of concept" short that's shootable on a no-budget. I really want to get that film made.
>>16613978
>>16613993
>As I stated before, when you recognize: beats, repeaters, cyclics, mini-cyclics, downbeats, midpoint reverses, challenges(dialogue), and the threshold
All the big screenwriting book writers would probably scoff at me for saying this, but I'd avoid falling into the trap of becoming too technical. Film is a technical medium, of course, but it's also an art. If you want to create something that penetrates the soul, you've got to penetrate your own soul with it first, and delving into the minutiae of the screenplay's structure might end up distracting from that.

[Anonymous No.16615232]

>>16614318
just start putting words on a page bro

[Anonymous No.16615289]

>>16614836
>reusing characters in different stories
This is what they call a "shared universe." It is indeed cringe, unless you make a conscious effort to destroy any semblance of continuity between the stories so the redditors get their autism triggered over it.
>remaking your own stories
this is what they call "drafting"

[Anonymous No.16615296]

>>16615232
done

[Anonymous No.16615300]

>>16615289
Albert Camus wrote a reference to the events of The Stranger in The Plague, was that cringe?

[Anonymous No.16615301]

>>16615300

[Anonymous No.16615306]

>>16615301
O-okay.

[Anonymous No.16615314]

>>16608037
congrats faggot. post it in these threads when you get published and maybe i'll buy a copy, depending on genre

[Anonymous No.16615324]

>>16609054
on imitation:
"...the problem with forgery is not a lack of originality but the fact that it divorces technique from its proper aim, leading to empty virtuosity."

[Anonymous No.16615328]

>>16610083
Yes, but only because that is not a full sentence

[Anonymous No.16615335]

>>16614119
you owe the gods 10 words read for every word written

[Anonymous No.16615338]

I've failed at drawing so I come here desperate, actually, just how do you get started? Vomit draft that reads like schizo shit and with horrible prose?

[Anonymous No.16615347]

>>16615338
You start like this.

[Anonymous No.16615348]

>>16615338
>failed at drawing
What do you mean by that? Just post your most recent works man. Its probably not even as bad as you think

[Anonymous No.16615378]

>>16615347
You know what? Fine Ill start with this, should be a good laugh
>>16615348
Its /beg/ shit, I just dont have the talent for it

[Anonymous No.16615382]

>>16615378
Based. There's literally no better opening line for a novel.

[Anonymous No.16615463]

>>16615338
>I've failed at drawing
if you have the mentality of a failure, you'll fail at writing too

[Anonymous No.16615467]

>>16614082
start with the ubu plays

[Anonymous No.16615475]

>>16615467
Merde!

[Anonymous No.16615658]

>>16615463
You either have the talent or you dont

[Anonymous No.16615660]

>>16611117
I submitted something to a flash fiction site, I just wanna make it bros, any good places to submit places for a small fish in a big sea like me?

[Anonymous No.16615718]

>>16615658
Talent is a necessary condition but never a sufficient one for any given achievement, and the level of achievement a person is capable of can always be raised with persistent engagement. Talent (something you can't control) and discipline (something you can) both exist on spectra and combine into the level of achievement. It should also be noted that a degree of luck is also necessary, especially for people desirous of recognition from others.

[Anonymous No.16615721]

>>16615475
it's merdre for you my boy

[Anonymous No.16615723]

Moesha Murray woke up with a sudden feeling of panic and emptiness. She looked to her left. Lupita’s bed was empty. Not again!

Moesha put on her black bunny slippers and went downstairs. The door was open and flapping in the wind. She had a hypothesis about where her friend had sleptwalked to. Moesha was a clever and practical Black woman. She changed out of her slippers, grabbed a shawl, put on her walking shoes, lit a lantern, and ran towards the graveyard.

The clock struck one when she reached church. On a bench on a hill overlooking the graveyard was the slumped figure of Lupita Westenra. The silver light of the moon reflected off of her white gown and black skin. A dark figure bent over her.

“Whatever that man is doing, he’s up to no good. I have to help her!” thought Moesha.

Some may think that because of the color of her skin, she would be a natural sprinter, but that was not the case. However, this was not the case. Moesha was not at all athletic. When she was a schoolgirl at a private school for elite Black children, she was always the slowest in her class.

“Lupita!” shouted Moesha with labored breathing. “Stop … fiend …”

The mysterious man watched in amusement as Moesha struggled to jog across the field. By the time she reached the top, the man had left.

Moesha quickly examined the unconscious Lupita. She was breathing, although her breaths were shallow and quick. She gently pulled Lupita towards herself and put a shawl over her friend’s shoulders. As Lupita’s head slumped over, Moesha noticed blood seeping out of two indentions on her throat.

[Anonymous No.16615733]

>>16615658
the more I write the more talented I become, so sick

[Anonymous No.16615736]

Scene changes in a chapter?
How do I go about them? Goddamn I read so much that I never realized I wasn't paying attention to this. Last book I read was Inherent Vice like last week and I believe it didn't have any scene breaks iirc and at the same time I remember other books leaving like a * or some shit. By the way this is for RoyalRoad. Just want to practice my shit and whatnot.

[Anonymous No.16615743]

>>16615736
In my manuscript I leave a # centred with a break in the text

[Anonymous No.16615791]

> Outline for next entry in Blackula

Moesha checks up on her friend Lupita and her odd neck injury and recent sleepwalking habit. Moesha says that she misses her fiance, Jamarcus Harker, but Lupita says to relax and enjoy their vacation to the Namibian Artifacts Museum. These artifacts are legitimately borrowed, not stolen like white British people would do, if they existed in this universe. Lupita suddenly uses some black slang, which she usually never does, but Moesha shrugs it off

[Anonymous No.16615814]

>>16614836
Benito Pérez Galdós did it all the time and he's considered one of the greatest Spanish novelist of the 19th century. You can do it, as long as you don't make it insultingly obvious.

[Anonymous No.16615819]

>>16614873
Jesus Christ.

[Anonymous No.16615825]

>>16615300
It could have been omitted, but it was harmless.

[Anonymous No.16615829]

>>16615736
FYI, there's a dedicated button for that on RR, which adds a page divider element.

I personally just number all the scenes, so that I can better keep track of where I'm going while editing.

[Anonymous No.16615838]

Anyone else ITT writes in another language other than English?

[Anonymous No.16615858]

>>16614814
>this is where the real story starts
Don't waste the reader's time. Start your story when the real story starts.

>>16614873
Hopefully you've got other conflicts going on in your story, otherwise it's unlikely that a reader will stick around that long.

[Anonymous No.16615868]

>>16615838
I started studying German and French for a project.
It's a tough process because it's not like you can just pass things through a translator, you have to really get a feel for how people speak and form their thoughts in the foreign language.

[Anonymous No.16615912]

>>16615838
I've written a mini book in German despite being an intermediate speaker. I got a couple of
> reeeeeee stupid foreigner wrote shitty German with so many errors
1 star reviews

[Anonymous No.16615929]

>>16615838
ESL here who used to write mostly in english. Some months ago I realized how stupid it was and began writing in portuguese again.

[Anonymous No.16615930]

Has anyone considered writing books about a boy wizard at a magic school, but not Harry Potter, just trying to cash in on the HP niche now that Rowling has left it

[Anonymous No.16615957]

>>16615838
I'm esl but I just can't write in my own language. I literally can't. When I think in English, I'm able to imagine all these fun, exotic events and landscapes I've never seen, and come up with all kinds of cool scenarios. But when I think in my own language, all I see is the reality, the way it is. I can't step away from it. I can't write anything I know doesn't exist. When I start writing, I can't process it in terms of "events" but only in terms of "emotion". Obviously, I'd write better prose in my own language, but there's just no story to be told. Words can't describe how awful it is.

[Anonymous No.16615962]

>>16615929
I'm on the same boat as you, but with Spanish. I'm actually kind if rusty and my wording still sounds kind of English even when I don't mean it to.

[Anonymous No.16615978]

>>16615957
That's horrifying. I hope that throught perseverance you'll be able to overcome that limitaton. I recommend you read more books in your own language, try to break that linguistic barrier between reality and fiction.

[Anonymous No.16615988]

>>16608859
The most important obstacles to overcome when it comes to building up a wordcount are 1) consistency (do it every day) and 2) how low you are willing to go quality-wise.
I read Chris Fox's 5000 Words An Hour for a lark and his advice includes everything from writing stream of thought to using text-to-speech.
I found that I'm only willing to sacrifice quality up to a point. My record is around 3200 words an hour, but by that point very little of what I write is salvageable and can't even be said to be useful in terms of getting words on the page, since it doesn't give me time to consider where the story is going with each beat that I add.
Maybe if I planned more this approach would work out better, but right now my sweet spot between efficiency and quality is 1000 words/hour.

[Anonymous No.16616005]

I only have a little over an hour a day to write. Is that acceptable?

[Anonymous No.16616014]

>>16616005
It's fine.

[Anonymous No.16616069]

>>16610171
Nice blerb, but you should probably introduce the main characters between the second and third lines and focus the conflict on them. Also, materializing the danger beyond 'social tensions' would make me more interested in the story.
>Victoria Squarebuns is almost ready to have her greatest wish granted: a great big cock. But when The Order of Genital Purity takes control of the temple, her ambitions hang in the balance. Will Victoria prevail and conquer her loverod? Will she find out who the mysterious servitors are, the temple caretakers? And can she pay the price for all she ever wanted?
>TEMPLE COCK, A VICTORIA SQUAREBUNS NOVEL, preorder now

[Anonymous No.16616075]

>>16615978
>I recommend you read more books in your own language
I've read a lot. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel fiction written by other people in my language is cringey garbage too. It's like they have no self-awareness.

[Anonymous No.16616277]

>>16616075
What language?

[Anonymous No.16616334]

>>16615660
i just go to submittable and test my luck desu. it worked once

[Anonymous No.16616337]

>>16616277
Let's not get to that. Don't want to offend anyone's national spirit.

[Anonymous No.16616353]

>>16616337
Say it anon, I'll not judge

[Anonymous No.16616357]

>>16616334
right there with you right now desu, I don't know if I want money or legitimacy, or if I just want an excuse to keep writing. Maybe I should focus on having fun again

[Anonymous No.16616382]

>>16616337
I was going to say Romanian because I recall an anon from that nationality with a similar complaint to yours

[Anonymous No.16616503]

>>16615838
I write drafts in a mix of Spanish, English and German, and then translate the resulting abomination to a single language, usually English.

[Anonymous No.16616572]

>>16615328
>Believing everything your grade school Grammar teacher taught you
the full context is this
>She deserved much better than that. She deserves to star. As Prospero, wise old ruler of the deserted island. As the great Macbeth, who’s powerful ambition consumed everything around him. As Romeo, who’s burning passion pushed him to cast away God’s greatest gift. As Hamlet. As Caesar. As King Lear. As the Moor, with powerful fervor fuming black inside her, seeping out into her very skin.
I think everything's in order. (I changed one word since the last time I posted)

[Anonymous No.16616578]

>>16616572
Also a bit before that there's
>...those fish-eyed mongrels that make up the dregs of the troupe.
Which could also be interpreted as racist.

[Anonymous No.16616658]

>>16613968
Don't you have to be in LA?

[Anonymous No.16616730]

>finished chapter 12, just under 36k words
>made a commitment that I'd start posting on RR when that happened, 2 chapters to start then 1 more a week
>need to run an editing pass first
>banged out the last 2 chapters in like a week, on a really good pace
>worried I'm going to interrupt my current forward progress by going back and editing
wat do, hold off until I get a bit more done, or make good on that commitment? still need to think of a name for it and cover art, patreon begging account, etc. then start shilling everywhere a few weeks in. sounds like a lot of distractions desu, but its going to have to happen at some point

[Anonymous No.16616750]

>>16608037
holy based, great job fren!

[Anonymous No.16616755]

On an unrelated note, is anyone else having trouble with captchas? They have gotten a lot harder these past couple of days and I'd like to know if anyone else is experiencing this.

[Anonymous No.16616781]

>>16608037
So how much is she charging you?

[Anonymous No.16616954]

>>16615929
>Tfw my vocabulary is richer in english than on my native language
Its sad, but hey, I spend most of my time reading shit in english, so I might aswell write in english

[Anonymous No.16616983]

>>16614891
My main character is part of the largest magic institution in the world. There's also another big institution on the other side of the continent. They have different beliefs on the study and application of magic and they meet to resolve these differences in a sort of First Council of Nicea for their world. This doesn't end well and what ends up happening is they go to war with eachother. Because these magic institutions are so politically centered in their respective governments, they manage to rope the people into the war as well. It's sort of a 30 years war type thing and someone also pointed out it's kind of like Star Wars the clone wars, though I don't know how accurate that one is. Anyway my character grows to realize that the institution she is part of isn't really what it should be. It's an ethical conflict with institutions as well as a bunch of internal stuff with the character I want to figure out as well. The actual war and what not is just going to be a way to teach her lessons throughout, and when she has grown enough she'll be able to overcome this, something she couldn't image of before. I just realized I went really long on that, sorry

[Anonymous No.16616988]

>>16615858
Well I'm going to have stuff for the main character to do, smaller conflicts that maybe build her character and the world. But I want to show that the inciting incident isn't something that just BAM happens, I want it to be a slow realization of what is happening.

[Anonymous No.16617027]

>>16616337
>>16616382
It's the same for most languages without a literary tradition, since without one all you have to consume are contemporary works which are meh in all languages.

What I do is I powered through old history text of my languages, and works I know written or translated to my language by capable people. It works to gain me vocabulary and imagination in my mother language.

[Anonymous No.16617060]

Im about to write wall-e with ghosts
Wish me luck it will either be a boring slog or the next harry potter

[Anonymous No.16617106]

>>16617060
>wall-e with ghosts
How does that work?

[Anonymous No.16617342]

If you are what you eat, and I mostly eat political/legal non-fiction, what the fuck does this do to my prose and fiction projects? Am I bound forever to lack the subtlety of eloquent prose? Am I nothing but an analytical machine doomed to roam to halls of academia and jurisprudence for eternity?

[Anonymous No.16617427]

>>16617342
Judging by your post, yes.

[Anonymous No.16617448]

>>16616730
Sounds too much of a hassle desu. Either write it till the end and send it to a publisher or just post whatever you have ow. You can always edit and make a begging patreon account later when you have a number of followers

[Anonymous No.16617457]

>>16617427
:( I don't wanna keep writing non-fiction rants though. Everyone thinks I'm on my 14th manifesto draft.

[Anonymous No.16617501]

>>16617457
Read more fiction, seriously, you really have to do that if you ever want to write it. A fiction writer who doesn't read fictions is like a gardener who hates plants and can't tell a rose from a lily. What do you think his garden would look like?

[Anonymous No.16617533]

>>16617501
I'll try. It's just going to take quite a while to get my fiction quota to match my non-fiction one. Maybe there's a market for it. If John Grisham can make it, so can I.

[Anonymous No.16617600]

It's another beautiful day mates. Hope you all have had a chance to work on what you need to, and if not that you don't forget to by the day's end.

[Anonymous No.16617604]

>>16617533
Alternate between fiction and non-fiction books, or read one of each at the same time. You can blaze through an engaging novel quicker than you can through dense political theory or academic research pieces or things like that.

[Anonymous No.16617710]

>>16615930
It was after some work into my latest project that I realized it bore a striking resemblance to Harry Potter. It's not a fantasy story, moreso surrealist. But it does follow a girl with a scar on her forehead as she enters into an elite boarding school. Also, she isn't an orphan, but everyone at the school thinks she is because she grew up in an orphanage. My family was very much into the series when I was kid and their popularity was in full swing, so I've read every book and I'm sure they left their mark on my subconscious.
But I'm in love with the project and I refuse to let some trivial allusions to the dullest franchise rob me of my passion.

[Anonymous No.16617715]

>>16617342
If by political/legal non-fiction you mean /pol/ posts then it's probably not helping things

[Anonymous No.16617730]

>>16617106
Not him but I imagine it's about a robot created by an extinct humanity who encounters the ghosts of his fallen predecessors.
If it were a movie, he could get it sold on "Wall-E with ghosts" alone

[Anonymous No.16617787]

>>16617604
I suppose that's true.
>>16617715
Oh no, I mean lawyer/lefty stuff.

[Anonymous No.16617811]

>>16607680

>i want to write something that isn't what i think it's supposed to be so i'm not writing at all

[Anonymous No.16617818]

>>16608037

congratulations!

[Anonymous No.16617845]

>>16608037
Best of luck; I hope the deal goes through.

[Anonymous No.16617881]

>>16612125

why would she say that to him?

[Anonymous No.16617908]

>>16616755

we're on to you AI-non

[Anonymous No.16617927]

>>16608289
based kike

[Anonymous No.16617940]

>>16615930
I think the boy wizard shit is just the facade. The real interest is in Agatha Christie-style mysteries, which are pretty much timeless. Everyone loves a good puzzle: you could disguise it in historical fiction, or wizard fantasy, or space opera, or whatever. Couple that with compelling characters and passable world-building and you've got shit that will sell.

[Anonymous No.16617945]

>>16617710
Based

[Anonymous No.16617952]

>>16617787
I was half-joking. I don't believe what someone consumes bears any indication of what he can put out. Most people who create things are naturally attracted to things similar to what they create. But there are plenty of snobs out there who carry a list of great works they've accumulated, having read them being a substitute for an actual personality. These people consume good stories but usually can't produce anything but self-important drivel lacking any sort of creative spark or personal flare.
So just enjoy whatever you like. And make sure whatever you make is the best it can be.

[Anonymous No.16617953]

>>16614873
how many pages is each chapter?

[Anonymous No.16617998]

>>16617908
I'm mostly certain that I am human. I have just been forced to go through two or more tries even if I get them all right. It's not horrible, but it is a nuisance; I used to be able to crack them in one go.

[Anonymous No.16618016]

>I'm mostly certain that I am human.

[Anonymous No.16618030]

Blackula Anon, are you going to post the completed work here when you're done?

[Anonymous No.16618074]

>blackula anon
>wushu anon
>logh anon
>burgerpunk anon
>screenwriter anon
>AI anon

Am I missing any?

[Anonymous No.16618109]

>>16618074
Me, the anti-isekai anon.

[Anonymous No.16618128]

>>16618109
How could I forget!

[Anonymous No.16618173]

>>16618074
all me

[Anonymous No.16618200]

>>16618074
I guess I need to develop a personality if I'm going to hang out in these threads everyday.

[Anonymous No.16618215]

>>16618200
You are now officially dubs anon.

[Anonymous No.16618221]

I want to write slice of life short fiction. Does anyone have recommendations for that, or just short stories in general? Anyone have tips for writing short fiction? I'd also like some incel fiction too, there was a story I had in mind for it but I want to get a feel of it. This is all new to me so I'd appreciate some guidance from some senpais, please. Thank you.

[Anonymous No.16618230]

>>16618215
>>16618200

00 anon.

[Anonymous No.16618264]

>>16618074
>no gaskun
did he disappear again?

[Anonymous No.16618266]

>>16618230
>kid shows up to school with a runny nose and instead of handing him a tissue he gets called snot boogie for the rest of his life

[Anonymous No.16618271]

>>16618221
Dubliners sounds like the kind of thing you want to write.
As for incel fiction, I recommend "Extension du domain de la lutte". It brings up typical incel talking points way, way before incel was even a word.

[Anonymous No.16618334]

>>16618230
00 anon hasn't even told us what he writes. What the fuck 00 anon.

[Anonymous No.16618377]

>>16617448
Yeah, agreed. Still going strong with the drafting. Will likely continue and not edit until I run out of steam, which hopefully means getting the whole thing done, or at least a big chunk.

[Anonymous No.16618378]

>>16618215
>>16618230
>>16618334
Thanks. I'm working on a novel that's a collection of short stories connected by a central theme, which is a shooting that takes place at a high school in the American midwest. I've written about 85 pages of it so far and am considering attempting to get the different segments published individually before adding more to make it a full book.

[Anonymous No.16618386]

Started with a few hundred words and a sketch of the outline today.
Let's see how this turns out.

[Anonymous No.16618391]

>>16618378
Man, school shooter anon would have been way better than 00 anon. Oh well, now we know for next time.

[Anonymous No.16618392]

>>16618378
sounds like a cool idea. good luck anon!

[Anonymous No.16618404]

>>16618074
I hope one day I can earn a name.

[Anonymous No.16618446]

If i post my novel in royal road, will I get fucked if I ever want to use it for actual publishing? (trad or self)

[Anonymous No.16618456]

>>16618404
You have to have a pet writing project that you hop on here to gripe about every day.

[Anonymous No.16618462]

>>16618404
You need atleast level 3 autism

[Anonymous No.16618478]

>>16618456
I gripe about nanowrimo just about every thread. Does that count?

>>16618462
There's no way I'm not working on a 7

[Anonymous No.16618484]

>>16618446
>trad
Yes
>self
Only if you fuck yourself

[Anonymous No.16618486]

>>16618446
Can't say anything for (((traditional publishing))) but most self publishing platforms are non exclusive, meaning that you can have your work on as many websites and in any form you want

[Anonymous No.16618500]

I'm curious to know when the concept of series started to be a thing for writers. Obviously there were serials, but I count those as separate from, "I'm going to right a seven book epic"

[Anonymous No.16618516]

>>16618446
Copyright-wise, the website at least claims that you own what you write. And if you actually got the opportunity to have it optioned for publishing you could always take it down and erase its existence off the face of the site. Not like it'll become a phenomenon anywhere else through RR (unless it's particularly cringeworthy). But yeah, if the publisher sees your book is available for free on some random website, they probably won't be happy.
As for self-publishing it wouldn't matter at all

[Anonymous No.16618532]

>>16618500
Seems like it's one of the most ancient forms of storytelling. Even back before the written word, people would recite the tales of Gilgamesh and Odysseus for an audience. I think you could count those as series-like.

[Anonymous No.16618551]

https://pastebin.com/634GU1fn

[Anonymous No.16618559]

>>16618500
Most mythos were born of people trying to make a series of stories about a single individual or deified figure.

[Anonymous No.16618570]

>>16618500
Aside from ancient, epic stories like the other anon mentioned, I would say that fiction series as we know them today started in the 1900s. Before then, being a writer and publishing novels wasn't all that profitable, so there wasn't much of a reason to stretch out a story into 4-7 books. If you had a long story, like War and Peace or something, you just made it into one massive volume that you could bludgeon someone to death with if a brawl broke out at the bar

[Anonymous No.16618576]

>>16615232
Dick gray grass hotel pasta between history dogshit katamaran juice fotster child christmas cacaphony.

Thanks, I have a great feeling about this one.

[Anonymous No.16618597]

Even my retarded senator wrote an entire book over the summer, and he's charging fucking $75 for it. I hate famous people. Everything is so easy for them

I spent the summer writing my new book, One Vote Away, on the Supreme Court, telling the inside story of how our constitutional liberties hang in the balance.

But, that’s not the best part. I’ve signed a limited amount of copies, and I’m saving one for YOU.

All you have to do is contribute $75 or more in the NEXT HOUR, and we’ll send you your SIGNED copy of One Vote Away!

[Anonymous No.16618604]

>>16618576
Even random words are better than no words

[Anonymous No.16618640]

>>16618597
He's charging $75 for a signed copy. You can buy a hardcover of the book for $17 on Amazon. He's one of the most popular senators, so the signed price isn't too surprising. It was also more than likely ghost written

[Anonymous No.16618654]

>>16618640
> It was also more than likely ghost written
this
No famous/rich people who aren't writers, actually write their books, they just commission to someone

[Anonymous No.16618690]

>>16618654
What's the difference between that and hiring a ghost writer

[Anonymous No.16618695]

>>16618654
wait, you mean, no famous/rich people, not No. Famous and rich people actually write their books. I'm a brainlet

[Anonymous No.16618782]

I started making an outline for a short story and now I'm trying to transition to writing out the story itself but I keep going back to the outline and adding more details.

[Anonymous No.16618833]

>>16618570
>one massive volume that you could bludgeon someone to death with
I long for the day I write something like this

[Anonymous No.16619061]

>>16618266
A man builds a thousand bridges in his life time and fucks a single goat.
His name isn't Bridge Builder Barry.

[Anonymous No.16619075]

>>16618271
Thank you, I will definitely check them out.

[Anonymous No.16619120]

>>16614873
About the equivalent of 6-8 Google Doc pages I think?

[Anonymous No.16619124]

>>16619120
meant for >>16617953

[Anonymous No.16619139]

https://pastebin.com/eCXtzTA7

[Anonymous No.16619176]

>>16618478
>I gripe about nanowrimo just about every thread. Does that count?

Are you the one who complains about whether he should or shouldn't do nanowrimo or are you the one who complains that nanowrimo is circlejerk bullshit for women?

[Anonymous No.16619186]

My job includes writing and editing, but the subject matter is extremely limited and it's starting to get to me. I try to tell myself that I'm lucky to be able to do this for a living, but it's beginning to bore the living hell out of me and I'm quite tired of the subject matter and just dialing it in all the time. What do?

[Anonymous No.16619274]

>>16619186
Start pushing your own work. You're here, so I assume you have something. You're right at the center of things, a rare position. All you've got to do is start idle chat about your ideas and get a buzz going. You've got to have a bit of ambition in you. Galvanize it, use it to make yourself bold.

[Anonymous No.16619289]

Are erotic scenes cringe by default or is it possible to pen them artfully? Asking for a friend

[Anonymous No.16619356]

>>16619139
Anon, your story is very well-written. I believe very firmly you will go on to do great things, perhaps with this little piece as your jumping-off point. I am also indeed very interested in tracking you down, me being dead sure you're an extremely attractive, bright, stimulating woman.
.
.
...

[Anonymous No.16619421]

>>16616658
No

[Anonymous No.16619449]

>>16619356
^_^

[Anonymous No.16619452]

>>16619289
Yes.

[Anonymous No.16619551]

>>16618551
Not bad at all bro. Could use some cleaning, but that all comes with time. Keep it up

[Anonymous No.16619621]

>>16619289
there better be a good reason for it

[Anonymous No.16619639]

>>16619139
Good depiction of a low impact psycho with no humour and/or believable insufferable neurotic

[Anonymous No.16619902]

>>16619639
I like to believe it's autobiographical, typed by the hands of one such low-impact psycho.

[Anonymous No.16620037]

>mere/merely
>however,
>," X said
>words repeated within the same page
anything else you immediately delete and replace right after you type them out?

[Anonymous No.16620071]

>>16620037
>words repeated within the same page
>not occasionally repeating phrases again within a couple lines, either for emphasis or comedic effect
never gonna make it

[Anonymous No.16620110]

>>16620071
When I've planned them out, I'm okay with it. But when they just happen to appear, I replace them with synonyms. I use a thesaurus a lot, which is probably the mark of a hack.

[Anonymous No.16620145]

I recommend every writer learns at least one foreign language. Really paints you a picture of intricacies in your native tongue contrasted against the other, allowing you better utilize such subtle intricacies.

[Anonymous No.16620275]

>>16620037
>>," X said
Can't believe there are still fuckers out there who don't use said 95% of the time.
>>words repeated within the same page
Trying to find a new word for something like a kettle each time it's mentioned will lead to your text reading like dicks.

[Anonymous No.16620284]

>>16619639
>>16619902
Both of you are correct.

[Anonymous No.16620316]

I have the inciting incident of my story in the third chapter. Should I put it first thing and then spend the next two chapters as a flashback so the reader doesn't get bored? Or should I just keep it as is?

[Anonymous No.16620332]

>>16620316
>his inciting incident isn't in the first paragraph
yawn

[Anonymous No.16620406]

>>16620275
When it comes to verbs like "said," you should definitely mix those up unless you want your prose seeming flat. (which you might!) Same goes with most other words, especially transitions and sentence modifiers, which can get old fast.
When it comes to nouns as simple as "kettle," yeah, it would just be confusing to switch that around. But if you're taking the time to describe every single motion of the kettle in such detail you're probably trying to be repetitive anyway.

[Anonymous No.16620411]

>>16620284
I hope you caught the joke in my review of your story
Your emoticon reply communicated a certain level of effeminate credulity. I'd hate to see a hack walk away not realizing he was being insulted

[Anonymous No.16620487]

>>16620316
do what works

[Anonymous No.16620698]

>>16620406
>When it comes to verbs like "said," you should definitely mix those up unless you want your prose seeming flat.
Do you only read amateur shit from Retard Road? This is the exact opposite of every piece of advice I've seen given on the topic. Nobody even acknowledges "said," but an "announced" will pull them out of the character's dialogue.

Honestly I'd love to see what garbage you're writing if you believe this and aren't trolling.

[Anonymous No.16620785]

Welcome to page ten, here's a new thread
>>16620782
>>16620782
>>16620782

[Anonymous No.16620802]

>>16619176
I'm the circle jerk guy

[Anonymous No.16620858]

>>16620698
I come from screenwriting background, so I usually don't bother with them at all. Quotation marks are enough to indicate dialogue. "Said" just inflates the word count (something I admit is more of a problem in a screenplay than in a novel, so it is just learned instinct driving me away from it).
Anyway, rules are made to be broken, so do whatever the fuck works for you, creatively speaking.