/wg/ - Writing General

[Anonymous No.19349945]

Pizza Night edition

Previous thread: >>19341470

For Prose:
>The Art of Fiction
>Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
>On Becoming A Novelist
>Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
>How Fiction Works
>The Rhetoric of Fiction
>Steering the Craft
>On Writing, Borges
>Links: https://pastebin.com/i4RLYJEx

For Poetry:
>The Poetry Home Repair Manual
>Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry
>This Craft of Verse, Borges

Related Material:
>What Editors Do
>A Student's Introduction to English Grammar
>Garner's Modern English Usage

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

Traditional publishing
> Formatting manuscript
https://blog.reedsy.com/manuscript-format/
> Write a query
https://www.janefriedman.com/query-letters/
> Track your query
https://querytracker.net/

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 Dickens and write serially
https://www.royalroad.com/
> Basic overview of the Screenplay format
https://screenwriting.info/

[Anonymous No.19349947]

No one here writes.

[Anonymous No.19349954]

Why even bother making this general if no one even writes? It’s all larpers, and just delusional people.

[Anonymous No.19349974]

吾輩は貴方の飼い主である

[Anonymous No.19350035]

ΟΥΤΙΣ

[Anonymous No.19350082]

>>19349954
The Shitkickers is released.
Just because you are pathetic and don't complete projects, doesn't mean others are the same as you.

[Anonymous No.19350098]

>>19349947
>>19349954
Go back to Royal Road and stay there.

[Anonymous No.19350099]

>>19349692
The way time flows is really jerky and unpleasant. His heart pauses but doesn't unpause as he's floating and then he doesn't remember what happened after that, but he's on the ground? He scrambled to draw his gun, but he actually didn't because before he could do that another rock (when was the first one?) hit his head? And nothing "devours" like an "eruption" that doesn't make sense. And then his vision going black had no purpose because time was still tracked and he got his vision back? Pretty messy overall.

[Anonymous No.19350128]

>>19348848
It's not any of those things. I don't think you should cap yourself or aim for a certain word count. I'll just use my personal experience here; my first outline that more or less what many people may call a outline covered events that lasted about 4 chapters long. After everything was said and done on draft 1.5, it balloned up to 2 1/2 books totalling 90 chapters for all three, just from those 4 chapters. I don't think you're going to get a concrete answer—so perhaps you may partially know, but even with a well-thought outline surprises are bound to come up along the way.

[Anonymous No.19350157]

19349727▶
To that anon in the last thread who gave some feedback, it was helpful to hear. Thanks for taking the time.

[Anonymous No.19350158]

Any anons want to form a little discord group or telegram to exchange work, give advice etc?

I write mainly Fantasy some Sci-Fi and horror, and have written some short stories and am working on many little stories and potential novels.

Most of my influences are old Arthurian tales, Dante, Arabian Nights, Dostoevsky, Tolkien, the Bible, parts of Martin, Dickens and Lewis, McCarthy and general History.

Let me know if your tastes are compatible and interested in forming a group.

[Anonymous No.19350162]

>>19350082
Seek help, Jason.

[Anonymous No.19350174]

>>19350099
He didn't say another rock though, he said another blow. The first being the one that knocked him off the bike. He couldn't stand and draw his gun the first time because he got hit, it makes it clear that he wanted to but couldn't.

I agree the vision going black had no purpose, other than to somehow reinforce he got hit hard, but I think that's made clear enough from the fact he got hit in the head by a rock.

I don't agree with what you said about the time feeling messed up, it felt more smooth to me.

[Anonymous No.19350199]

I don't even know what I'm writing.

[Anonymous No.19350250]

Does anyone like that Milicent agent who does a blog on craft and industry?
https://www.annemini.com/
I feel like her writing style is so annoying and narcissistic. Even if she might have good info, somewhere, if it isn't so outdated as to be comedic (paper queries dude?) it's buried in 2000 words of self-masturbation. only a few of her observations have been good. most of it is pointing out boneheaded obvious mistakes.
why is the industry like this?

[Anonymous No.19350309]

>>19350158
YES for fuck's sake I'd kill for a group that isn't full of LBTQ+++ tranny faggots.

[Anonymous No.19350360]

>>19350162
Keep wearing the mask and don't forget your booster!

[Anonymous No.19350363]

>>19350158
>Any anons want to form a little discord group
There's already one, tho?

[Anonymous No.19350364]

>>19350309
I am a member of the LGBFJB community

[Anonymous No.19350380]

>>19350309
>redditscord without LBTQ+++ tranny faggot groomers
I'm sorry that doesn't exist.

[Anonymous No.19350400]

>>19350363
Is it little and whats the link?
>>19350309
Yep only not gay LGBTQers can join. Do you want to join?

[Anonymous No.19350448]

Why does /lit/ tell the only guy to recently release anything to seek help
Seems like a pseud thing to say

[Anonymous No.19350458]

>>19350098
don't people on royal road write?

[Anonymous No.19350467]

>>19350448
Who? Jason? Guy posted in other threads on /lit/ and every time, he undergoes a schizophrenic meltdown when people don’t suck him off and starts acting like he’s some teenage kid talking about when he’s an adult in his 30’s.

[Anonymous No.19350483]

>>19350458
Yes, which is why he told them to go there. Since no one here writes.

[Anonymous No.19350504]

Why did does the quality of Donald Barthelme’s writing vary so greatly from piece to piece? This isn’t a normal 4-9 variance, this is -100-10.

[Anonymous No.19350512]

>>19350199
This is me most days I sit down at my desk. It’s okay, anon, sometimes the output is actually something good.

[Anonymous No.19350527]

>>19350099
>>19350174
Really appreciate both you guys taking a look and taking time to write some feedback. I've posted some action scenes here before and people have told me I need to focus more on the characters so I was trying more of that. but I'll take a look at it again and see.

[Anonymous No.19350531]

>>19350483
Holy fucking samefag

[Anonymous No.19350656]

1400 words today, replaced something weak with something strong. Only one weak spot in the manuscript left and then tidying-up.

[Anonymous No.19350695]

>>19350656
>Only one weak spot in the manuscript left
Somehow I doubt this, weeb.

[Anonymous No.19350733]

>>19350199
Still better than having an exact chart of what you're meant to be writing but not having the mental fortitude for it

[Anonymous No.19350749]

>>19350733
People who do this write shit books, most of the time.

[Anonymous No.19350769]

>>19350695
Why? Weebs are the only ones who write here?

[Anonymous No.19350788]

>>19349945
Have a question for you /wg/. So because of how strenuous work has been by myself, I had to sacrifice my time writing and missed a deadline for my series and i'm completely lost on how to get back into it. Any tips on how to get back into it?

For reference:
>It's a horror series about a supposedly normal man that meets a mysterious woman in a white coat moments before a violent crime happens.
https://old.reddit.com/r/DarkTales/comments/q9jfli/fissures_in_the_psyche/

[Anonymous No.19350800]

The piece was as simple as they come, standing five feet nothing or maybe less, large horizontal rectangular drawers top to bottom, each with its muted grey utilitarian looking semi-elliptical oblong plastic handle. Not remotely memorable if not for the reflective aspect of its varnish, a ruddy chocolate surface of reflective turbid wood, and because of its round corners that smoothly went up and concluded the structure in eye-pleasing curves and arcs of not too daring bending where sharp angles would otherwise be found, it seemed almost like some sort of gelatinous oily block of bronze tinged jelly. It tricked the eye into believing that it would idly and sluggishly jounce its colloid body up and down, that it would ooze and sweat in condensation, or melting of its molasses-built constitution, into generous thick drops that would trickle all the way to the ground. Or that one could extend and shove their hand into it, apprehensively, and discover that it has the tactile quality of molten caramel.

(pic semi related)

[Anonymous No.19350847]

>>19350400
>Is it little and whats the link?
Including me, there are 13 members. Most don't do anything, though.
https://discord.gg/ZAaE7hfa

[Anonymous No.19351048]

>>19350467
Based if you ask me

[Anonymous No.19351077]

>>19349947
>>19349954
We used to write. Then some jerks banned anime.

[Anonymous No.19351289]

I never fully understood what anime writing entails. I think it only applied if people wrote an isekai style story? Do people actually write that in their spare time? It seems dreadful. An isekai is by it’s nature a nakedly nerdy power fantasy. Why write your own Mary Sue story in a genre that’s nothing but Mary Sue the Story?

[Anonymous No.19351347]

Do any of you writers of color feel compelled to integrate your ethnic background into your writing?

[Anonymous No.19351453]

>write a story for your friend's anniversary
>one of your best stories, very well written
>today he randomly says "yeah, you know, i don't like reading" when you talk about books
what if I'm doing it not for him but for myself

[Anonymous No.19351568]

>>19350695
funny enough i'm the only one who isn't doing "anime writing". i just cutepost.

[Anonymous No.19351621]

>>19351347
Not really

[Anonymous No.19351632]

>>19351453
>write a story for your friend's anniversary
thats really cringe dude

[Anonymous No.19351798]

How do I write song lyrics
A girl sings to the moon about her beloved, I just can't do that shit.

[Anonymous No.19351820]

>>19351453
no one could possibly be this self-absorbed

[Anonymous No.19351822]

>>19351820
You're on /wg/

[Anonymous No.19351852]

>>19351798
talk about how the moon was witness to their most intimate moments, or how the moon waxes and wanes like/unlike their love or some saccharine shit like that.

[Anonymous No.19351857]

>>19349945
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGExAtlHdCU
Watch this if you're writing a novel (especially genre)

[Anonymous No.19351874]

>>19351453
just be more direct with wanting to fuck him in the ass, homo

[Anonymous No.19351901]

>>19351857
>Female
>Tattoo
I will not.

[Anonymous No.19351907]

>>19351857
Watching sexually attractive women talk about writing on the internet is not writing

[Anonymous No.19351915]

>>19351857
>You are going to get a swift rejection for writing a trope that is identical to popular books on the market
Something tells me the opposite is true...

[Anonymous No.19351923]

>>19351907
Writing for the sake of it, and without knowing conventional wisdom, isn't good writing.

[Anonymous No.19351927]

>>19351915
She worked in the biz, I think she knows more about it than you.

[Anonymous No.19351931]

>>19351923
>Writing for the sake of it isn't good writing.

[Anonymous No.19351933]

>>19351923
That may be true but everything she mentions is better stated in the books recommended at the top of the thread.

[Anonymous No.19351940]

>>19351927
Then how did there come to be so many books on the market that use the trope?

[Anonymous No.19351941]

>>19351933
In third person, what's a good way to show that the narrator is biased when switching viewpoints often? Is it mainly things like changing the descriptions and comparisons used?

[Anonymous No.19351944]

>>19351933
Dude, the people who mentioned those books in the OP aren't the only resource for you to learn about writing. I doubt many of them are even writing anymore, if they even wrote in the first place. You're just hopelessly and terminally online, so you think 4chan is a fountain of knowledge.

[Anonymous No.19351951]

>>19351940
Fads and crazes. She specifically said that when people write tropes that have been done to death, it's because they read books from the 90s or 2000s. She says there was a time when it was being bought up like hotcakes because people were buying them, but not anymore. Do you have ears?

[Anonymous No.19351952]

>>19351941
Didn't mean to quote

[Anonymous No.19351957]

>>19351944
>if they even wrote in the first place.
You know people here don't write, so why even have doubts.

[Anonymous No.19351960]

>>19351957
Apparently we don't read either

[Anonymous No.19351969]

>>19351951
You still have Harry Potter knockoffs saturating the market 15 years later and Tolkien derivative books 70+ years past him.
Defend her all you want, she will never notice you.

[Anonymous No.19351973]

>>19351852
I can't do it, I'm too retarded for songs. Do you know any easy song examples I can steal and just change the words?

[Anonymous No.19351981]

>>19351960
It's /lit/. We're known for not reading.

[Anonymous No.19352026]

>>19351969
Are you saying just anyone's knockoff of Harry Potter or Tolkien can get readily published? Aren't those works really reworking and reimagining the trope in a fresh new light?

[Anonymous No.19352080]

>>19352026
litrpg and xianxia gets published, anything is possible

[Anonymous No.19352184]

>>19351347
Not really. What would I do, set my stories there? No one would buy it.

[Anonymous No.19352198]

Writing a lot makes you respect the reader's time, in my opinion. Anyone else think that?

[Anonymous No.19352257]

>>19352198
Working on a project of your own definitely gives you a whole new perspective on the whole "producer and consumer" relationship. You need to consider what the average person is willing to put up with and is expecting, and you also learn about what creators have to go there in order to put their work out there.

[Anonymous No.19352260]

litbros i just broke 82k coherent word things today and i was wondering; Should i make one of the main characters homo before i kill him off ?

[Anonymous No.19352338]

Wasting time visualizing my characters instead of writing them

[Anonymous No.19352365]

>>19352338
I do the same buddy, I do the same.
At this point I don't even know if the idea is good, I just, fuck.

[Anonymous No.19352505]

I’ve been writing during my psychosis episodes recently and I want to know if they are as comprehensible to you as they are to me. Feel free to critique further if you get the image.. posting just one for now I’ll check back in the morning

> What jokes are allowed and which jokes are not allowed, what to ask and what not to ask, who am I in your presence and who am I home alone? Sometimes, people have to cross the line a little bit and make friends. Some idiots never cross the line. I am an idiot. I keep an arms length with the people I must see everyday. The ones under the office lights. I stick to the script that I stole, so to speak. The script. The only difference between the idiot and his master is confidence. No difference is the ego, misery, or the script. But whatever. No matter how many observations I make, I’m an idiot. Nobody wants me like a human. Because I sound robotic.

[Patrick Rothfuss No.19352614]

>>19352505
Take your meds and seek help.

[Anonymous No.19352780]

Read the thread. Wow it is bad. Can someone post an excerpt? You guys do write right?

[Anonymous No.19352788]

I want to write a story about a man who works as a sensor technician on a mining ship but I'm not really sure how to start

[Anonymous No.19352792]

>>19352780
>You guys do write right?
We don't.

[Anonymous No.19352915]

>>19352780
Isn't there one right here?>>19352505

[Anonymous No.19353009]

what do you guys think of this? it's painfully fucking bad and the hashtags are ridiculous, yet this still gets ~150 likes each and 20-odd replies saying how great it is
this is painful

[Anonymous No.19353011]

>>19352915
>Isn't there one right here?
>I’ve been writing during my psychosis episodes

I meant prose. Not a schizo diary entry.

[Anonymous No.19353013]

>>19352788
Researching sensor technicianing on mining ships would be a good start. Maybe look through news articles for interesting events in the field.

[Anonymous No.19353016]

>>19353009
How are you supposed to read hashtags? Is it just a pause before the word or do you pronounce it like italics?

[Anonymous No.19353017]

>>19353011
We write either schizo diaries or anime. If you don't like those get off the website, buster.

[Anonymous No.19353021]

>>19352788
Start by describing his routine in excruciating detail.

[Anonymous No.19353030]

>>19353009
this is the greatest thing i've ever read.

>"the evil was in us"
fucking brilliant. was the snuff story about rape? BRAVE.

[Anonymous No.19353039]

>>19353017

[Anonymous No.19353043]

>>19353011
No one writes here. It's all larp.

[Anonymous No.19353046]

>>19353013
Well this is a mining ship that flies through space so I can't base it off of anything
>>19353021
Yeah ok I'll do that thanks anon
Idk what i'll do with the story though, cause I only want him to have to deal with routine errors in the sensors that have a textbook solution that he implements, also he works on night shift so there's not much to see or talk to and so nothing happens in the book

[Anonymous No.19353048]

>>19353039
How is that relevant to the writing general and the FACT that we only write either litrpg anime shit or schizophrenic ramblings about our personal lives

[Anonymous No.19353050]

>>19353046
In space, how does night shift differ from day shift? It's space, there's no natural day-night cycle.

[Anonymous No.19353055]

>>19353046
You could definitely take inspiration from similar tasks on earth and just tinker with it to make it fit the environment. That's why spacecraft are called ships in the first place.

[Anonymous No.19353067]

>>19353046
dont describe in detail, no one would want to read 500 pages of a ship manual like the weebs do in their space robot dramas.

[Anonymous No.19353085]

>>19353067
I'm going to start ever chapter with a paragraph from the manual thanks
Also he likes space ships, he's a shipfan and will have an internal monologue about the ships that he sees about it's specifications and his evaluation of it but they only see them while docked around a planet or station
>>19353055
Yeah I'll look into it, I have a passion for late 19th and early 20th century ships so I could use that for something
>>19353050
It's entirely arbitrary but you're right, thank you anon

[Anonymous No.19353092]

>>19353048
Hey, fuck you. There’s an animefag who’s been writing his web novel for over a year now. He legitimately might be the only writer here, show him some respect.

[Anonymous No.19353095]

>>19353085
post an excerpt pretty please.

[Anonymous No.19353106]

>>19353095
I'm sorry anon, did you read my first post?
I can't write :(

[Anonymous No.19353107]

>>19353092
We also had the army schizo who (supposedly) wrote a novel that was so shit he couldn't get it published

[Anonymous No.19353110]

>>19353107
>wrote a novel that was so shit he couldn't get it published

Isn't that basically all novels though?

[Anonymous No.19353119]

>>19353106
No,
i don't read or right. jk. trust me weeb dont write about nerd space mining. write about real ships. youll get better feedback. just start by actually fucking wriitng.

>>19353092
>his web novel
title?

[Anonymous No.19353124]

>>19353110
No, a lot of novels do in fact get published and that's how you get to read them.

[Anonymous No.19353152]

Is that attitude of people here about writing to make money?
Like they're the next big author who will make it big with their book and they just need to put in the hours to get there?
>>19353119
Ok well I wrote some stuff he has a cat called Percival and he has a mechanical watch with a tourbillon which was printed but he wishes he had one that was hand made but he can't afford it

[Anonymous No.19353155]

>>19353152
Sorry I meant the attitude not that attitude

[Anonymous No.19353209]

>>19351289
>An isekai is by it’s nature a nakedly nerdy power fantasy
No, isekai is just fiction involving inter-world travel at the start. None of it requires it to have a power fantasy. Most are just sad enough to make that the case.

[Anonymous No.19353287]

>>19353119
>>19353092 #
>>his web novel
>title?
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/31062/saga-of-the-cosmic-heroes

[Anonymous No.19353325]

>>19353209
There is one thing in isekai that interests me as a writer: in the west any time somebody is aware that they're in a video game it's always an annoying fourth wall break, but in isekai the characters are self-aware without irony. The veil of simulacrum fantasy is dropped and the characters freely engage with the mechanics of the world through which they express their personalities.
There's a game design concept created by the guys who make Magic: The Gathering where they group players into three categories: Timmy, Johnny and Spike. Essentially Timmy wants to express himself, have fun and do cool stuff; Johnny wants to come up with his own techniques, decks and win conditions; Spike wants to win. The way that people engage with game systems as an extension of their personalities can be very different and in isekai can manifest itself as abilities, stats and motivations.
Of course very few isekai actually lean into any of this.

[Anonymous No.19353399]

Dean Wesley Smith: Is he full of shit? On the one hand he's obviously a grifter that make money selling expensive writing classes to insecure people. He has like 200 books most of which sell like one copy a month on amazon and he openly talks about how he just fires of one every two weeks then doesn't look at them ever again.

On the other hand, his thing about not doing revisions, using only the creative rather than the critical side of the brain feels like it has some merit. I'm on draft six of a book and it's fucking killing me. Getting after it with the microscope is frustrating as shit and I'm certain now that some of my re-writing has indeed made the book worse than the original drafts. How much re-writing do you typically do?

[Anonymous No.19353409]

>>19353399
>draft six
Jesus Christ just throw it away and write anything else

[Anonymous No.19353626]

>>19353399
>1st Draft: riff off outline without stopping
>2nd Draft: check for major plot inconsistencies, adjust characterization and scenes
>3rd Draft: analysis of literary devices to appropriate places
>4th Draft: take in reader feedback then do word by word editing

[Anonymous No.19353709]

>>19353043
Fucking geek.

[Anonymous No.19353715]

"Nobody here writes"

The pseuds SEETHE when people finish their projects.

[Anonymous No.19353718]

What's something my hero can say to a villain pulling the "if you kill me you're just as bad!" card shortly before the villain gets rightfully rekt? I wanted to go with "I can live with that" but it doesn't fit

[Anonymous No.19353722]

>>19353715
Where is the "seek help" guy to insult the only person who is leading by example?

The people here who actually want to write, be inspired, and to finish projects are being flooded with negativity and shill posts discouraging and demoralizing anyone from writing.

These are probably chink shill-farms where they aim to control culture and suppress books like The Shitkickers while uplifting globohomo nonsense to the masses.

[Anonymous No.19353723]

>>19351347
No. But I mostly write about furries anyway

[Anonymous No.19353727]

>>19352260
lol yes

[Anonymous No.19353755]

>>19353718
I know

[Anonymous No.19353760]

>>19353709
How many words is that? Looks pretty big.

[Anonymous No.19353769]

>>19353718
>does that scare you?

[Anonymous No.19353778]

>>19353718
He tells the villain "no u"

[Anonymous No.19353788]

>>19353718
what the fuck is this animu shit? why do you faggots never write?

[Anonymous No.19353849]

>want to write
>don't even read books
I might be retarded

[Anonymous No.19353869]

>>19353788
I'd take a million more animu faggots over you whining shitstains.

[Anonymous No.19353872]

>>19353849
Read one short story every day, it's ez.
If you don't wanna pay just go to project Gutenberg or the library and check out a collection.

[Anonymous No.19354055]

>Schizophrenic who aggressively advertises his crap and suppresses all criticism with "muh culture war" versus talentless weebs who are asshurt no one cares for their shlock so they constantly doompost
I couldn't tell you which is worse but it's certainly entertaining

[Anonymous No.19354089]

>>19354055
Show me where on the doll the anime hurt you

[Anonymous No.19354098]

>>19354055
That's the thing, there is no criticism. There is only shilling against work that hasn't seen a single genuine review.

[Anonymous No.19354106]

>muh culture war
Literally just got spammed with a black Rapunzel advertisement for, you guessed it, Amazon

[Anonymous No.19354156]

https://youtu.be/tSFzosrllVg

[Anonymous No.19354403]

>>19353755
Well? Tell us

[Anonymous No.19354434]

Anime is enemy, writing is friend. That's all Grug needs to know.

[Anonymous No.19354654]

>wrote the entirety of my story 1.5 years ago
>not really satisfied with it at all
>let some time pass without publishing it or thinking about it so I can edit it better
>months later think of something that completely changes one aspect in a way I really like
>happens again, and again, and the story gets clearer and less convoluted every time
>now it actually feels like something I wouldn't be embarrassed to publish and the first draft seems like a joke

But how do I know when to stop, I had another revelation a few minutes ago and it got me thinking how I would've regretted publishing it if I did it just yesterday, I'm pretty happy with the current state but I don't know if things will change

[Anonymous No.19354662]

>>19349945
idk if this is the best place to ask this but i'm looking for a word.

adjective - similar to arboreal but it describes things that grow or live by the riverside. I'm 80% sure it starts with a "c.' This would be a fairly scientific word and probably have greek or latin roots. I came across it several weeks ago as a part of a plant or animal name, I believe. "______ bladderworts are a species of..." something to that effect.

[Anonymous No.19354684]

>>19354654
The tendency to shove everything into one book is what we do with pet projects, but resist that tendency because you will have other books.
There comes a point where you need to lock in the thesis and themes of your book, otherwise it will be diluted and the emphasis might get lost.
>>19354089
I haven't watched anime since I was a teenager but I find anime and incel subculture fascinating. Even if you hate anime, I think the people are hilariously idiosyncratic and could make for a wild character if it's not too flat.

[Anonymous No.19354692]

>>19353626
>word by word editing
im not a writer and browse lit just to troll but fucking hell, is this really a thing.

[Anonymous No.19354730]

>>19354684
Well that's the thing, I'm not shoving anything into it, in fact the rewrites helped make the initial thesis stronger and clearer by removing unnecessary things and combining redundant ones, stuff I arbitrarily put into it to help the plot along is now actually incorporated into the story rather than forcefully tacked on, I'm actually thinking of solutions to problems I delayed dealing with for later etc. It's not like I'm hung up on it, I wrote several short stories I was satisfied with in the meantime and picked up other creative mediums as well. It feels like getting a second shot at something I didn't even screw up in the first place.

[Anonymous No.19354745]

>>19354692
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle actually cite their extensive line editing of "The Mote in God's Eye" as the reason it had such longevity bringing them royalties. A good story can sell, but good writing can bring people back for years.

[Anonymous No.19354810]

i want to play some video games, haven't played in a while
but i will feel like shit, how can i play games instead of reading or writing?

[Anonymous No.19354813]

>>19354662
Arterial, estuarian, fluminous, fluvial, riparious. Personally think fluvial sounds the best if you really want to do that. The other words just don't hit right to me.
You can also refer to the name of the river and use the adjective (Lawrence River to Laurentian, Danube to Danubian).

[Anonymous No.19354914]

I went to an in-person NaNoWriMo event (an unofficial one because face-to-face meetups are forbidden by Nano due to Covid). It was mostly women there, all with some combination of danger hair, tattooes, piercings, and pride stickers on their laptops. Most showed up late and so everyone kept having to reintroduce themselves.
Is this representative of writers in general? Do I have to be an irresponsible faggot to write?

[Anonymous No.19354919]

>>19354914
They don't write just like us.

[Anonymous No.19354949]

>>19354914
You can't exactly have the free time to write by being responsible (being married and raising children)

[Anonymous No.19354954]

>>19354914
No, you can be a based sigma like Vox Day instead.

[Anonymous No.19354970]

>>19354914
NaNoWiMo is one of the ultimate conformist forms of self-expression. What did you expect?

[Anonymous No.19355001]

>>19353043
Not true and you know it.

[Anonymous No.19355016]

>>19354914
actual writers don't go to retarded events
they read and write

[Anonymous No.19355024]

>>19355016
>they read
uh oh bros

[Anonymous No.19355033]

How can I trim down the fat from the project, the pet project? You tell yourself you won't, but you fall in love with it, you refine it, you reconsider only on the things that don't matter and you refuse to be objective with it. Everyday I change the climax, I look at the inspiration and ask myself "What am I not getting?". I don't know what to do.

[Anonymous No.19355036]

>>19353718
>Yes.

[Anonymous No.19355061]

>>19353718
Anime shit like this is my guilty pleasure.
I'd answer with simple
>Yes.

[Anonymous No.19355073]

I wrote a book about two guys named Watermelone McChicken and Ching-Cheng Pagoda who rape a white guy, like in a literature way. The chinese guy rapes his ear because his pee-pee is so small.
Where do I apply for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction?

[Anonymous No.19355080]

>>19355073
Submit it under the name Jaquanda Gibsmedat and say it's a cultural critique of slavery or something

[Anonymous No.19355095]

>>19355001
No one writes anything worth reading.

[Anonymous No.19355103]

>>19355095
We’ll that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

[Anonymous No.19355152]

>>19355103
And it's not much of an opinion at that.

[Anonymous No.19355375]

>>19355024
It'll be alright just read a short story a day stay blessed.

[Anonymous No.19355462]

>>19353718
"I won't know that for certain unless I try"

[Anonymous No.19355499]

>>19353718
Is there any more context you can give us to work with?

[Anonymous No.19355527]

>>19353718
The hero simply kills the bad guy, then says something sarcastic, like "Food for thought", or "you haven't really thought this through, have you", or maybe even "Oops, my finger slipped" or "stop or I'll shoot".

[Anonymous No.19355531]

I’m so high right now:
Since Dread Lords, being wraiths, did not eat, and they had no camaraderie with their servants their banquet rooms were seldom used. There weren’t even tales of Withering Sorrows’ banquet hall since it had been so long since there’d been occasion to use it. As he beheld the room for the first time, Hozza decided that was a shame.
His feet sunk into a carpeting softener than the finest fur he’d felt. The chairs had cushions that tickled his fingertips with their smoothness and were so soft he wondered if they were meant to be slept in. Everywhere was a red like fresh blood splashed against the snow, laced with a brilliant gold that formed intricate shapes and spirals that always seemed on the edge of being something identifiable; a rabbit, a flower, or hills, without being something definite. The ceiling was a deep, warm white reflecting the candle light from grand, snaking chandeliers on to the dining room table as a flickering sunny day in late summer.
Hozza approached the dining room table. A thing of marble and wood it was draped in a red cloth that seemed like its mouth opened in anticipation of the feast about to be laid on it, the lighted candelabras caught in mid air, waiting to fall inside.
T’loran was already seated, next to the table’s head, where the Dread Lord would sit. He opened his mouth in surprise, although it was soundless, as he saw Hozza’s approach. He pulled the chair next to his away from the table.
“No! No! You, orc! You sit over there,” a petulant little goblin in a black suit barked at Hozza. He was storming over in a huff, waving his arms.

[Anonymous No.19355542]

>>19353718
He doesn't need to say anything at all. Convey in another way (facial expression, eye twitch whatever) that the hero clearly thinks for a second, but kills him anyway.

[Anonymous No.19355548]

>>19355531
>A thing of marble and wood it was draped in a red cloth that seemed like its mouth opened in anticipation of the feast about to be laid on it, the lighted candelabras caught in mid air, waiting to fall inside.
I like this line a lot

[Anonymous No.19355566]

>>19353718
he should not say anything and just kiss him on the lips

[Anonymous No.19355587]

>>19353718
>>19355566
this but make them both girls

[Anonymous No.19355645]

Is K.D. Walter a girl? I read the name as Katie.

[Anonymous No.19355646]

>>19354813
I think "riparian" was it. Doesn't feel right, but the definition matches.

[Anonymous No.19355703]

WHY CANT I WRITE BEFORE 4PM
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Anonymous No.19355719]

>>19355703
CUZ YOU GOTTA BLAZE UP AT 4:20, DOOD!!

[Anonymous No.19355989]

>>19355703
My favorite time is 5am to 8am. Dark, quiet and a good time for coffee. I really need to get a more rural home with no neighbors so it can feel like that all the time. I hate dogs like you wouldn't believe.

[Anonymous No.19355994]

>>19355989
>Likes coffee
>Hates dogs
Peak NPC

[Anonymous No.19356003]

>>19353718
>And if I let you live, I would be worse!

[Anonymous No.19356046]

>>19353718
https://youtu.be/ErRAM2wuMJg

[Anonymous No.19356050]

>>19353718
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, mother fucker!

[Anonymous No.19356060]

>>19354055
>talentless weebs who are asshurt no one cares for their shlock so they constantly doompost
lol

[Anonymous No.19356065]

>>19355994
I had a nice sheepdog growing up and he was well-behaved. Every other dog I've seen in my life is loud and poorly trained. A pitbull also killed one of my cousins. There's a reason for everything anon.

[Anonymous No.19356078]

is it true or a meme that people don't write in this gen?

[Anonymous No.19356107]

>>19356078
Anon, just take a look at this thread, and that should tell you that there’s some truth to it.

[Anonymous No.19356140]

>>19356078
bait post but eh, I've shared my work plenty already.

[Anonymous No.19356148]

My character's motivations are cheesy and I can't seem to evolve beyond a teenage writer. I want to have more fleshed out thoughts, but I don't want to be a pretentious dick either..

[Anonymous No.19356246]

>>19356148
What are you characters motivations?

[Anonymous No.19356253]

Before you start writing a story, do you decide beforehand how many chapters you'll have or do you just add them as you go along? Is it better to plan them out first?

[Anonymous No.19356268]

>>19356253
Planning out a story somewhat takes away from the enjoyment of writing, as you aren't discovering new things as you go along and makes you abrasive towards the concept of removing/adding new chapters
Either way has its ups and downs, I tried to get around it by just making a very vague outline
>1. Character leaves city to get thing
>2. Character fights gang members
And so on

[Anonymous No.19356289]

>>19355499
Person you're responding to here. The villain is a malevolent assassin and female, the hero is male, they barely know each other and she just killed a child (under 12 but it's ambiguous) who was the hero's best bud. This happens right at the end after the hero and kid had bonded throughout the entire story which is pretty long.

>>19353769
>>19353778
>>19355036
>>19355061
>>19355462
>>19355527
>>19355542
>>19356003
>>19356046
>>19356050
Thanks for the good ideas bros :)

[Anonymous No.19356296]

>>19349945
>For Prose:
>>The Art of Fiction
>>Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
>>On Becoming A Novelist
>>Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
>>How Fiction Works
>>The Rhetoric of Fiction
>>Steering the Craft
>>On Writing, Borges
None of those are good.

[Anonymous No.19356305]

>>19355989
how? i cant form a coherent thought to save my life that early in the day. its like only a quarter of my brain is awake. and i'm relatively so a "morning person" with healthy sleep habits and all.

wish i could write in the mornings. 4pm-9pm is my magic time. after that i can't think straight anymore either.

[Anonymous No.19356571]

I'm writing a character who seems to be fixated on fame, destructive fame due to having failed at other things before, but I'm not sure just how far I can take this narcissism, now, I don't know if this is corny.
How to gain courage and confidence on my writing? I'm having trouble fleshing her out, because I can but it can also turn into, I'll borrow the expression from someone else, a massive circlejerk of a character, I like the idea so I don't know.

[Anonymous No.19356625]

>>19356571
What's wrong with corny characters?
>How to gain courage and confidence on my writing?
That can only begin with exposing it to other people. From there you can start to set realistic expectations for yourself instead of thinking everything you make has to be perfect.

[Anonymous No.19356668]

>>19353718
Good and evil is an illusion. Might makes right.

[Anonymous No.19356701]

>introductions are easy
>conclusions are fun
>can't write a second act worth shit

[Anonymous No.19356705]

>>19356701
Help me, please.

[Anonymous No.19356709]

>>19356701
this feel
"sagging middle"

[Anonymous No.19356711]

>>19356701
same
sameee

[Anonymous No.19356712]

>>19356625
Nothing wrong with corny characters if that's what you want, if not...
Yeah I know, I'll keep writing, do some short stories before the meat
>>19356701
Same issue.

[Anonymous No.19356719]

>>19356305
Sometimes you just gotta sit down and write. Open up the document and close everything else. People get upset at me a lot but I sometimes won't even know what's going on all day on the weekend.

[Anonymous No.19356726]

>>19356305
don't force yourself to write in the mornings, I'm the same as you, 4pm to a bit after midnight

[Anonymous No.19356729]

>>19356296
Care to give some detailed critiques?

[Anonymous No.19356748]

I've been staring at Word for about five hours now. I used to not have this kind of mental block, but now it feels like I can't produce anything substantial anymore.

[Anonymous No.19356758]

>>19356748
Try typing gibberish for a while. Sometimes getting your fingers moving can get your mind moving.

[Anonymous No.19356759]

>>19356701
Yep.

[Anonymous No.19356768]

>>19356701
The middle can be great. You characters care about things. Let characters discover, let the readers understand why they care. Watch the characters succeed and fail. You get to structure the ebb and flow of action. Watch characters make choices in a dilemma. Weave subplots into main plot to explore characters you didn't realize had depth.

[Anonymous No.19356818]

>>19356748
I'll give the advice I mentioned last thread: if you get stuck, engage it like Question and Answer. There are lots of moving parts of your story so grab ones that are relevant to the scene and think about what can happen next. If you cant answer your questions, either delve further into your question or ask a more simple question. Recently I wasn't sure where my scene would go down an alley or up stairs, so I outlined out several options and it answered to me the pros and cons of each setting.
I used this Q&A process to design the plot of what I'm writing, starting from the question "where does all the search engine data go?" and the questions spiraled into something I thought was cool after navigating it a while. See below for an example for trying to build a scene where a character needs to find something but the author isn't sure what they should look for yet.
>>19348910

[Anonymous No.19357111]

Pink. It’s a color I rarely saw when I was alive, even during the best weather and best of luck. It rarely occurs in nature, but here it seems to be a second alternative.The clouds are pink, light and made of air, while some rocks are pink as well, so deep that even tiny grooves in the stone seemed cavernous. Pink trees in the forest next to Bearing held plump fruits that were put to shame by the plant’s generous boughs.
It was the color of nature, joy and moving skies. It was the color of progress. It was the color of a veteran’s beard.

https://ghostbin.com/4fZM3

[Anonymous No.19357120]

>spent an hour figuring out what species of flower to say something was based on location and the season that scene takes place in
why do plants have to be so fucking complicated. and god forbid you say the wrong one and get a bunch of cunts yakking at you, " nooo that plant wouldn't be blooming in that time of year noooooooo"

[Anonymous No.19357204]

>>19357120
If this is just a background detail I honestly wouldn't bother.
The great Len Kabasinski once said "I don't give a fuck if my actors have different shoes on between scenes.". I thought that was a really arrogant take until I started writing and realized that anyone who picks up on those details aren't actually experiencing your story, they're there to nitpick for attention. Don't build your story around the idea of Doug Walker covering the movie adaptation.

[Anonymous No.19357250]

>>19350035
Pound?

[Anonymous No.19357258]

At roughly 5k words I'm giving up on my current nano. I'm just not nearly as inspired to write it as I thought I was going to be.

[Anonymous No.19357270]

>>19357204
no, it was a thematically important scene. i had to pick a flower that had the correct qualifications for what i wanted. you know, i try not to be lazy with my own work. if i can put in a little extra effort why shouldnt i?

[Anonymous No.19357281]

>>19357204
>Don't build your story around the idea of Doug Walker covering the movie adaptation.
Words to live by

[Anonymous No.19357284]

>>19357258
>nano
i still dont know why people do this shit. just write what you want when you want. if you actually want to write a given novel you'll write it regardless of the calendar.

[Anonymous No.19357288]

>>19357284
Shit advice. People need structure to have accomplishments.

[Anonymous No.19357291]

>>19357258
Did you plot, plant, or pants it?
>>19357284
It's supposed to get writing out there when you have been putting it off. I'm doing it for the sake of writing a novel.

[Anonymous No.19357322]

>>19357291
I tried to pants it in a campaign setting I made

[Anonymous No.19357348]

>>19357322
You should plot it out next time and try not to get burnt out. Spend like 2-3 hours a day planning then 2 hours writing (if you have the time). Otherwise, there's no way to really write it without painting yourself into a corner. You could still finish it this month if you try but you might need to plan ahead first. Do you have a basic emotional character arc to follow like Cinderella or the Old Testament? Try to follow something like that, then everything will fall into place.

[Anonymous No.19357508]

Flash fiction time:

As Annette walked down the alley way she felt a sudden wind come upon her. "It's cold," she said looking up at the tall houses that surrounded her. There were no lights on which was strange because it was not late into the night. "Where is everyone?" she said as she kept on. At the end of the alley she reached the main road where to her left she perceived a group of men playing cards by a nearby stoop. She walked up to them and one of them said to her "Kind of dangerous to be walking out this late, don't yah think? Something could happen to you". She was confused because as she remembered earlier it wasn't late, and she left her house quite early". She looked at her pocket watch but it was broken. She responded to the men by saying "I'm not like the other girls I think I can handle it," she said giving a small smirk to the men. "I'll give you something to handle!" said one of them. Three to four blocks down the road two men heard loud and violent screams, but knowing what kind of neighborhood they were in no rush to investigate. They rushed into a parlor for safety and on the television a reporter could be heard saying "Femme fatale on the loose in the streets! She carries a large knife luring in her victims with her looks! Be on the look out!". The deadly dame strikes again; the one they call the super dangerous blade slashing female man stabbing in the night killer!

The end.

[Anonymous No.19357520]

>>19357508
What?

[Anonymous No.19357551]

>>19357520
>Flash fiction is a fictional work of extreme brevity[1] that still offers character and plot development. Identified varieties, many of them defined by word count, include the six-word story;[2] the 280-character story (also known as "twitterature");[3] the "dribble" (also known as the "minisaga," 50 words);[2] the "drabble" (also known as "microfiction," 100 words);[2] "sudden fiction" (750 words);[4] flash fiction (1,000 words); and "micro-story".[5]

>Some commentators have suggested that flash fiction possesses a unique literary quality in its ability to hint at or imply a larger story.[6

[Anonymous No.19357562]

>>19357551
No, I know what it is. It was just terrible.

[Anonymous No.19357823]

In a murder mystery, how should I go about perspective? I have characters, setting, story beats and such all figured out, but I'm undecided as to how much I should show the reader. I'm leaning more towards having most, if not all scenes, focus on how the detectives uncover clues and events. Yet it feels like this method leaves a lot of the story out. Thoughts?

[Anonymous No.19357831]

>>19357823
not a pro but maybe have the ppl under investigation do things so that the reader has a chance to investigate with ur character?

[Anonymous No.19357603]

>>19357562
Oh yeah? Where's your story? Let me guess you're writing some 100k monster novel about some retard space fairy that uses magic right? Some space mechanic that writes in a journal? Or wait, you're writing about space?

I did this as an exercise not for your entertainment and I've written more in 4 minutes than most anons in years. Post your story!

[Anonymous No.19357612]

>>19357603
The hell is your problem? Chill out you fucking spastic. If you're going to post something I'm free to dislike it and post about how I dislike it.

[Anonymous No.19357629]

>>19357612
I just like to post stupid shit because I'm bored. I wrote it quickly and got lazy with the ending to bait (You)'s. Whatever anon you can do whatever you please.

[Anonymous No.19357652]

>>19357612
"It was terrible" isn't very handy criticism anon
In fact it doesn't count as criticism at all

[Anonymous No.19357657]

>>19357652
Where did I say it was criticism? I said I didn't like it.

[Anonymous No.19357862]

Im trying to write a story called the The Lost Daughter of Aine. Its going to be a manga with he art being based on 80's shoujo/ OVA anime style if you guys know what I'm talking, but the thing is for the story pretty much I'm into a shit load of fucked up things and I want to do a drama/adventure story.

The whole story is inspired by Celtic mythology and the medieval period. There's going to be magic.

My protagonist, named Ashlynn, is a 10 year old girl and is one of the members of the few remaining tribes that were wiped out by the roman equivalent. Im trying to make some comparison's here but Pretty much 2 years earlier her village was wiped out by the enemy tribe trying to plunder and exterminate her tribe for perceived inferior and backwards culture. She was pretty much raped by by one of the soldiers there and was forced to bear a child. It has left her pretty emotionally scared. The saddest part is she was forced to be separated from her child and is raised and taken care of by the enemy tribe.


So the big twist here is that the world is governed by goddesses that rule over specific landmarks, elements. but what's really special about Ashlynn is that she is the reincarnation of the All-Mother Aine.

The goddess Aine is responsible for determining a worthy candidate to receive the power to fully control energy. and i want to make the interactions with Aine and Ashlynn through dreams where Ashlynn is forced to relive the traumatic events.

but also I want this to be a story where she goes off and starts her adventure going after the Enemy tribe which is named the Iken people for revenge and also to rescue her baby.


I think i also want to get supporting members that come along and accompany Ashlynn on her journey. A child sex slave who has a mystical gift to manipulate and control chaotic energy.

and also i want to show the change in Ashlynn from a hero to a Villain protagonist by showing her slowly becoming the All-Mother before she becomes the full on villain of the series.

So any tips with this i really find the whole concept cool and want to improve what i can with this idea.

[Anonymous No.19357670]

>>19357603
Learn to ignore bad critiques, anon. It's not a good look to argue with people that read work you share in a public place.

[Anonymous No.19357869]

>>19357831
Perhaps. It's hard to decide what to show and what not to in that case. If I had scenes which made suspects more suspicious, without the investigators invovled, they'd need to serve some secondary purposee. Otherwise I run the risk of writing a pointlless scene for the sole reason of raising suspicion. If I do that for a character which isn't guilty, it'd be obvious to the reader that I was being deliberately misleading when they find out the facts of the case. On the other hand, if that person was guilty, I'd be undermining the mystery aspect of the story by highlighting the killer. The solution would be to write a sub-plot which makes characters suspicious, but for a good reason which isn't directly linked to the reader. I'm worried that would make for a convoluted plot, but then again, I suppose that's what mystery novels are know for.

[Anonymous No.19357704]

>>19357508
You need to stop using constructions like
>that surrounded her
>which was strange because
It's just very basic and boring to read. You could even rewrite it as
>tall houses surrounding her
>There were no lights on, strangely enough, as it was not that late into the night.
Also, you need punctuation here, like so:
>and one of them said to her, "Kind of dangerous to be walking out this late, don't yah think? Something could happen to you."
Again, stop using "x because y" constructions, it's very boring. Change to:
>She was confused, as it was early in the night, and she left her house quite early.
Omit that fucking speech mark at the end of the sentence, I don't know why you even accidentally put it there. This is boring. Dropped.

[Anonymous No.19357891]

>>19357862
Looks like you've got a collection of story beats, which is good, but what's the journey she's embarking on? Where does it start, where does it lead (what's the goal?) and what happens during it? Get these points down and start writing the beginning. Don't restrict yourself too much with your first draft in case you want to change a lot during your revisions. Sorry, but I'm not sure how to help anon, do you have any specific questions you need answering?

[Anonymous No.19357896]

>>19357862
>and also i want to show the change in Ashlynn from a hero to a Villain protagonist by showing her slowly becoming the All-Mother before she becomes the full on villain of the series.
Why is the All-Mother evil? Is Aine evil and she corrupts Ashlynn, or does Ashlynn simply turn out to be an evil All-Mother because of everything she's seen?

[Anonymous No.19357724]

>>19357670
Dude, you're right. That's deep man. You always find the best advice late at night on the internet. Crazy. I overreacted and I'm sorry.

>>19357704
Oh shit, thanks for the criticism anon. I will take it into consideration when I write my next flash fiction story about a dual pistol wielding time traveler who travels into the future to shoot up the kids of alien invaders.

[Anonymous No.19357739]

Two children build sand castles on a beach under a crimson sky while a man and a woman with drinks in their hands stand among them, smiling, chatting, and observing. Dim rays shine upon the young faces as the boys pack clumps of wet sand together, laughing joyously as their towers grow higher. The tide approaches but the boys are not concerned.

Darkness suddenly consumes the sky. A cool, unsettling wind whips across the sand, blue lightning bolts in the distance crack down upon the sea, and thick, cold beads of rain begin battering the children. One of the boys takes in the new scenery with curiosity as the other child, generally composed and never afraid of the weather, begins sobbing. The parents urge the children to pack their things as they feign composure. Tales of abrupt changes in the sky have been increasingly circulating throughout the town for some years now. The cause of these oddities has not been determined despite the efforts of the greatest scientific minds. Most have heard stories about such events but very few have personally verified them.

[Anonymous No.19357743]

>>19357603
Hey, you got a problem with space mechanic stories? I like that particular layer of plot.

[Anonymous No.19357749]

>>19357603
You got baited hard bro, don't pay attention to trolls and don't lash out at criticism even if its hard.

[Anonymous No.19357923]

>>19357862
>but what's really special about Ashlynn is that she is the reincarnation of the All-Mother Aine.
Why though? If this is the case, why does it take so long for Ashlynn to manifest her evil if it's been with her the whole time? And just a warning, with special characters, or those tied to some sort of destiny or fate, you run the risk of being cliche. Nobody wants to read a story full of tropes, so try your best to give reason to why Ashlynn is the reincarnation of Aine, without simply explaining that she is. Alternatively, you could do the Blade Runner 2049 thing where you lead the audience to believe that Ashlynn is the All-Mother reincarnated, perhaps even convince the character of it, but make it so that in the end, she really just became a shitty person with dellusions of being Aine. She could be the "new Aine/All-Mother" but not because of some convoluted universal happenstance, but because of circumstances related to her decisions and actions.

[Anonymous No.19357926]

>>19357823
I'm doing the same as you but I'm focusing on third person limited, with the main detective as the source for most information. That painting is nice too, what's it from?

[Anonymous No.19357943]

>>19357926
>third person limited
That's probably the way to go, honestly. And I got the on painting on /wg/, it's a suprisingly good board. I recently downgraded to a single monitor to encourage productivity, had to get myself some new wallpapers.

[Anonymous No.19357949]

>>19357943
This water turns me on

[Anonymous No.19357961]

>>19355994
You're out of your fucking mind if you think that every normie npc on the planet doesn't love dogs. Dogs are literally the most common pet on the planet; the preferred choice of every generic background character.

[Anonymous No.19357964]

>>19357961
Then why isn't it called Save the Dog? Checkmate.

[Anonymous No.19357965]

>>19357961
I thought people owned more cats than dogs

[Anonymous No.19358013]

Thanks for the feedback anons Ill answer all of you boys

>>19357923
>>19357896

Yea this is what I've been trying to really tie into. I think the whole reincarnation theme doesn't suit the story Im making and i think the approach you put in is really interesting and isn't just tropes. The whole deal with Ashlynn becoming the All-Mother is because she make a shitload of decisions that ramp up in how irredeemable and fucked up they are due to her hatred of the Iken tribe and also her further beliefs in wiping out the iken people out of existence and it means their culture, history, and civilization. The angle here is that Aine is further influencing her latent abilities and is subtly manipulating Ashlynn's already sociopathic tendencies. For Aine, Ashlynn is the perfect vessel to fulfil her goals of wiping out the Iken, and Ashlynn is fully on board to fully utilize every power there is to get revenge.


So for the reason the All mother is evil, well itis simply because she found a suitable candidate of the tribe which is Ashlynn and is grooming her to be her successor.
>>19357891
As for how the story starts. I'd like to start it off with Ashlynn having a dream and reliving the traumatic event of the ambush. She hasn't been able to get over the events but there is something peculiar in the dream she is having now. I'd like to show off that there is lake in the dream and its how she meets with the all mother for the first time. I don't really know how to really make this encounter interesting or memorable so if yo got any suggestions i would appreciate it.

I just want to figure out a way to establish the all-mother and her connection to Ashlynn and also have it lead to the first villain that Ashlynn has to take on. I think the first villain should be an Iken lord who has been assigned to rule over the village. Maybe he's a cruel lord who's only in it for the money or some shit but i would like to make the guy interesting.

[Anonymous No.19358038]

>>19357943
Just remember that the reader should know all the clues that the detective knows, so it's pretty intuitive to write it third person limited. Also, what are you thoughts on SS Van Dine's rules for mystery fiction? It's good you have a murder because that's what Van Dine says can be essential to a crime mystery story.

[Anonymous No.19358055]

>tfw someone pointed me out that my MC is my self insert

Is it that bad as long I don't go full retard with it?

[Anonymous No.19358059]

My idea. A dual pistol wielding monk who time travels back in time to save Jesus from Judas Iscariot, but it turns out that Judas is a time traveler from the future who also dual pistol wields.

thoughts?

[Anonymous No.19358067]

>>19358059
Sounds pretty good, my girlfriend said she'd read it too.

[Anonymous No.19358076]

>>19358059
Sounds stupid, sorry. Where's the hook?

[Anonymous No.19358144]

>>19358055
The only places where self-inserting is ok is fanfiction and your diary

[Anonymous No.19358148]

>>19358038
>Also, what are you thoughts on SS Van Dine's rules for mystery fiction?
While I don't think there are any absolute rules for fiction writing, all of his points are rational and I tend to agree with them.

[Anonymous No.19358220]

>>19358144
I didn't plan to self insert, hell, Untill it got pointed out with "it reminds me of yourself", It wasn't even a thing on my mind
I just put some of my feelings there fuck

[Anonymous No.19358243]

>>19358055
Well, how does his backstory compare to your own? If it's different, it should've shaped him differently.

[Anonymous No.19358326]

>>19358243
Different backstory, he's a depressed fuck. It's just that I'm a depressed fuck so it's probably just seem similar in that regard
MC had shit parents,I got wonderful parents, etc etc.

So I just wonder if it just "depressed tards sounds the same", especially since he's my creation

[Anonymous No.19359050]

>>19358220
If it wasn't intentional self-inserting, then what is the problem? Every character contains some aspects and feelings of the author and the people you know will always think they see you in them.

[Anonymous No.19359130]

>>19358220
Anyone know what happened to the monkeys? I know one of them starved itself to death.

[Anonymous No.19359162]

>>19359130
I don't think there are any complete records but I know a couple ended up with bad opioid addictions and one actually ended up as a member of parliament, if you can believe that

[Anonymous No.19359218]

My mom likes my writing.

[Anonymous No.19359326]

I dont read much but I still want to write but I dont because I remember that I dont read much then i force myself to start a hard book and I dont complete it then I cry and think of writing but then I remember I am a poser just trying to fit in and then I unironically cry some more because I am tired of my emptiness and non existent personality and indiscipline to do something. This isn't a joke this is a para of my journal I want to cry bye

[Anonymous No.19359339]

A boy kills his mum because she got drunk once and sat on her little daughter to her death. Is this a good plot?I am writing it

[Anonymous No.19359343]

>>19359326
Read short books and short stories.

[Anonymous No.19359350]

>>19359339
If someone asked you the same thing, what would you say? Would you read it?

[Anonymous No.19359354]

>>19359350
Ye seems pretty lit

[Anonymous No.19359368]

>>19359326
See
>>19353872
Go read something now. Here is "Paycheck" by Philip K. Dick.
https://ghostbin.com/K1rDP

[Anonymous No.19359477]

>>19359218
I ain't ever going to show my mom my writing. Her tastes are genuinely shit, she has no critical mental capacity whatsoever.

[Anonymous No.19359478]

What is the source for this photo? Who is this man?

[Anonymous No.19359519]

>>19357603
>Oh yeah? Where's your story? Let me guess you're writing some 100k monster novel about some retard space fairy that uses magic right? Some space mechanic that writes in a journal? Or wait, you're writing about space?
I'm gonna use this line in my book, written from the perspective of the main antagonist right before he gets yeeted out the trash-chute into space

[Anonymous No.19359522]

>>19359478
Some photographer in Toronto saw a man running through a snowstorm into a strip club with a box of pizza. My guess is that he was a bouncer getting pizza for the boys.

[Anonymous No.19359524]

>>19357961
Dogs require active attention and effort, something NPCs are incapable of providing. Cats are the true NPC animal.

[Anonymous No.19359583]

>>19357862
>So the big twist here is that the world is governed by goddesses that rule over specific landmarks, elements. but what's really special about Ashlynn is that she is the reincarnation of the All-Mother Aine.
This isn't a twist at all, its just a bit of information. No one's going to gasp and go "wow!". It will be fairly predictable unless you REALLY throw off the direction of the reader, and will be not very exciting unless there's some real awe that comes with it. Not being an asshole, that's just what I'm seeing right now; a twist is unexpected, but there's nothing unexpected at all about the main character being the chosen one. It's actually 100% expected.
>>19358013
Its dangerously trope-ish, but could be good. I would avoid the "character has good and bad choice, oh no! remember bad thing happen to her! Anger! Make bad choice not good!" It's terribly boring. I would give her choices that are actually morally ambiguous, no-win situation. Choices which the reader would second-guess their own answer on. In the event you have a character go from protagonist to antagonist, you REALLY need the readers to identify heavily with the main character's story arc. The moment she does evil thing because evil thing done to her, you've lost all interest and made a 1D cardboard character. If I identify with the MC, and she makes some really hard choices and I totally get why she made them, and its a slow-drip into a villain, by the time she's revealed to be the villain, I want to struggle with the fact that I totally get why she is the way she is, and not in a "because bad thing happened to her" way; but from the "I would probably have made those decisions too" sort of way. Would be interesting to have a limited perspective where she's the hero from her eyes, but the twist of "something's weird about the way people are treating me" until someone just straight calls her out as the villain and she shockingly realizes it/all the pieces are put in place for the reader: she IS the villain, but you didn't think of it that way.
Maybe. Could be totally different from how you want it to go.
>So for the reason the All mother is evil, well itis simply because she found a suitable candidate of the tribe which is Ashlynn and is grooming her to be her successor.
This doesn't make sense to me.

[Anonymous No.19359763]

What’s marketable but personal these days?

[Anonymous No.19359770]

>>19357862
>Rape and rape baby
I know, I know, this is 4chan and all but goddamn what is wrong with you people sometimes. You'd probably be better off just making this into a rpgmaker porn game to dump on /hgg2d/ or aco or something since a rape premise won't be publishable anywhere outside of your harddrive.

[Anonymous No.19359786]

>>19359770
If you're making a story about war survivors then it would be stranger to not bring up rape

[Anonymous No.19359799]

>>19359786
Nono. That’s too adult. Wars are about slapfights and then everybody has cake later.

[Anonymous No.19359817]

>>19359786
Normally I'd agree, but since you're weeb, I know this is 100% you forcing your sick fetishes on people, and rape probably won't be the only such element in your "story"

[Anonymous No.19359822]

>>19359817
I'm not the writer dude, I'm just calling you out for acting like a blue hair on her period

[Anonymous No.19359825]

>>19359786
I dunno, if I happen to pick up a book about war survivors my first thought isn't going to be about rape victims or implications of rape. You/OP could just... I dunno, change the whole rape thing to something less extreme grimderp. Maybe she has baby brother that was raised in the enemy culture instead? I'm bringing this up now because you're going to be far less welcoming comments about it no matter where you publish it

[Anonymous No.19359832]

>>19359822
Well, surprise, I'm not the first poster you replied to either! What is your next move?

[Anonymous No.19359836]

>>19359770
How about, instead, we make the rape baby into a raped rape baby who rapes?

[Anonymous No.19359845]

>>19359825
For the record I agree, it requires tact and skill to not come off as cringy, I was speaking specifically about >>19359770 who sounded like they were screeching about rape being mentioned at all.

>>19359832
Damn man, you got me

[Anonymous No.19359854]

I’m not high anymore and so all these seems not so good:
Bonnelle stepped into the light. No, the light radiated from her golden dress. Her red hair was piled over her head, exposing her thick neck adorned by sparkling jewels the likes of which could only have come from the most guarded of the Dread Lord’s treasurers. Below that necklace were her shoulders, round and bare, and a chest that pushed the dress’s limits. Her lips were a red that matched the walls of the Dining Hall, deep and delicious. As she glided along the carpet, her hips rolling with each step, her blue eyes caught the light from the chandeliers and sparkled in a way that rivaled even her necklace.
The servants had been warned and steps placed beside her chair, which was set opposite T’loran. With each step she bounced in a way that made Hozza feel as though he were in the far West with the sun bearing on him. Bonnelle sat and beamed at Hozza and T’loran. Ayara was hiding her face from the others, commenting that only Bonnelle has the luck to find a dress that fits her in the Land of Darkness.
The goblin at the front of the room made a dramatic bow, wished everyone happy dining, and retreated to the kitchen.
Her right elbow on the table, Bonnelle rested her head on her hand, the tip of her little finger playing around her lips. “I’m sure the Dread Lord will be here shortly,” she commented to no one in particular.
“Yes. Any moment,” Hozza answered immediately, breathlessly, as he stared at her.
The room was still a moment, the elves holding their breath. Bonnelle, oblivious, began scrutinizing the silverware before her. It was only when Bigrummar asked “is the fight back on” that normalcy returned.
T’loran leaned to Hozza, pulling him closer with a tug on his sleeve. “It’s clear I missed something very important earlier, and I can’t wait to discuss it with you later,” his whisper strained to contain his excitement.

[Anonymous No.19359905]

how do i learn to writ like theis

[Anonymous No.19360021]

>>19359343
>191 pages
That’s short to you? I think anything over 100 is kinda long.

[Anonymous No.19360025]

The great Giga-Anus Omskata hovered in the timeless place, contemplating the unfathomable realms beyond the material veil of our world. He was farting a matrix of 9 dimensional gasses that neither existed or did not exist, that smelled of the most immeasurable unquantifiable stench, but at the same did not smell of anything at all.
'ENTER THE TIMELESS PLACE' he boomed anusly.
Klanius walked into the micro dimension, his cheek steps echoing off the hard floor that wasn't really there. He was simply accustomed to being on a lower level of planar space, and so the micro dimension was reacting to his consciousness and taking the form of a flat surface as he hovered across to the giant podium that was the resting place of the great Omskata. Klanius was himself a supreme Anus, the master Anusform of the Earthbound locality that we call our home dimension, one of the many infinite realms of the multiverse that fell under the governorship of the great Omskata.
'WHAT TROUBLES YOU, ANUSFORM?'
'Gigalord, I seek your guidance. There is an irregularity in my home dimension that lies outside of my power. Something not of my knowledge.'
'HMM, THIS IS MOST DISCONCERTING. SPEAK OF THIS IRREGULARITY.'
'The Humans that are the caretakers of the Earth planet locus, they have....stopped farting.'
'THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE.'
'My lord, I beg of you. This problem is quite real. My power in the Earth plane is fading. The Humans begin to doubt that their Anuses are even real, and without their belief the dimensional connection to the Anusether becomes ever more depleted.'
The Giga-Anus hovered there silently. Klanius knew that for such a high level arch-consciousness to take even a moment to pause his thought process meant that he was having to reference deep chambers of sub reality that even Klanius had no jurisdiction to perceive.
'KLANIUS...'
From the illusion of space above Omskata appeared a glowing white portalform, and a beam of light slowly descended down from it to illuminate the great podium. Omskata began to hover higher and higher upwards toward the portalfrom, clearly intending to journey to a nonspace coordinate even beyond the timeless place.
'...JOIN ME.'

[Anonymous No.19360035]

>>19360021
I read around 700 pages a week so yes.

[Anonymous No.19360060]

>>19359477
same but i show it to her anyways because i love my mom

[Anonymous No.19360072]

>>19360060
My mom watches those shitty Hallmark Christmas romance movies. I wrote most of a novella inspired by those, but still wouldn’t share it with her because that stupid bitch would probably try to read too much into it.

[Anonymous No.19360100]

critique

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47758/the-plague-of-york/chapter/772193/the-arrival-to-york

[Anonymous No.19360102]

How is the quality of this writing, and is it interesting?
(Added more to a previous post that got no replies which may be an indicator of something)

Two children build sand castles on a beach under a crimson sky while a man and a woman with drinks in their hands stand among them, smiling, chatting, and observing. Dim rays shine upon the young faces as the boys pack clumps of wet sand together, laughing joyously as their towers grow taller. The tide approaches but the boys are not concerned.

Suddenly darkness consumes the sky. A cool, unsettling wind whips across the sand, blue lightning bolts in the distance crack down upon the sea, and thick, cold beads of rain begin battering the family. One of the boys takes in the new scenery with curiosity as the other child, generally composed and never afraid of the weather, begins sobbing. The parents urge the children to pack their things as they feign composure. Tales of abrupt changes in the sky have been increasingly circulating throughout the town for some years now. The cause of these oddities has not been determined. Most have heard stories about such events but very few have personally verified them.

As the parents and one of the children scramble to pack their things, the other stands among the chaos, gazing intently towards the blackness of the ocean. The parents look back.

“James, come on! We need to go, now!”

But James doesn’t listen; he’s watching something. The father drops his things and frantically moves towards his son. He clasps the boy’s small wrist in his hand but abruptly stops. The father sees what the boy sees. The color drains from his face and is replaced with sheer horror.

The boy remains still and solemn.

A great blackness encloses the father and son, twisting winds and rain around them ever faster. A small cyclone forms as the sky oozes darkness. Thunder and lightning shake the earth, and the waters crawl further onto the beach. The fabric of nature around them contorts into an unholy crescendo until, suddenly, all the powers at once yield. The hellish scene recedes leaving a wet, messy beach in its wake, again soaking up the rays of dawn. The mother, father, and child stand there motionless and speechless and their panic subsides for a brief moment before hijacking them once again.

“Where’s James?”

James, just moments ago standing next to his father, is no where to be seen. In his place are the indents of his little feet while next to those, where the castles once stood, are small lumps of sand being slowly dragged away by the tide.

[Anonymous No.19360111]

>>19360025
>'ENTER THE TIMELESS PLACE' he boomed anusly
>'WHAT TROUBLES YOU, ANUSFORM?'
>Gigalord, I seek your guidance.

[Anonymous No.19360115]

>>19360035
That’d take me 3-4 hours a day per week to do so that’s reasonable. I just meant that 200 pages feels like a proper novel but a shorter novella is around, or less than, 100 pages.

[Anonymous No.19360127]

>>19360115
The book posted is a novel, didn't imply it wasn't. It's a short book at any rate.

[Anonymous No.19360156]

>>19359339
Yes, because it's one of those things were people actually do things like this in real life despite it sounding so ridiculous, and the anatomy of this disgusting person and their lifestyle, and the sequence of events that leads up to this moment, it all has a lot of potential.

[Anonymous No.19360168]

a question especially to people with experience in publishing: what should I do as an ESL writer hoping to publish a novel? I won some literary contests in the past writing in my native language, but I've been living abroad for so long that I can't use it properly anymore... i would like to start publishing in Anglo-Saxon literary journals etc.

Would something like an online workshop be a good way to establish connections and improve my writing? anything other you recommend? I will soon be finishing my degree in a field unrelated to literature, I have some savings and could quite easily get a well-paid day job (but I'm afraid the latter will distract me from wriitng, that has been the case with my studies for the last few years)
>>19360102
I like how you build up tension but in general it's too descriptive imo and the language is very conservative

[Anonymous No.19360176]

>>19360168
*anything else

I'm also looking for ways to improve my understanding of contemporary literature without actually studying it at the university, it wouldn't make sense financially and I already have degrees in another field

[Anonymous No.19360182]

>>19360168
Thanks for the brief feedback mate, can you expand upon what you mean by the language being descriptive yet conservative?

[Anonymous No.19360207]

>>19360168
I'm not fully sure what you are asking in your posts.
Your English seems really good and your posts are otherwise very clear.
When you say you want to improve your writing, what do you mean? Do you need to improve your informal understanding of English, so that you are comfortable improvising and crafting character speech?

[Anonymous No.19360222]

>>19360207
I want to improve when it comes to writing fiction, I do hope that my English is good enough to write readable fiction haha

ideally I would also like to publish some short stories and ultimately finish and publish a novel, but before I do that I would like to understand (contemporary) literature in a less amateurish way ( I've read a lot of especially classic literature and followed some low level writing workshops years ago, but I don't think that's enough to write a good novel according to 2021 standards)

[Anonymous No.19360224]

>>19360168
>Would something like an online workshop be a good way to establish connections and improve my writing?
Depends if it’s paid or not. Paying out of the arse for that kind of thing isn’t advisable. The workshops I see charge you to 100 euros for a few hours talking with an author. But if you have savings, go for it.

[Anonymous No.19360248]

>>19353709
420 pages

[Anonymous No.19360281]

>>19360182
>Two children build sand castles on a beach under a crimson sky while a man and a woman with drinks in their hands stand among them, smiling, chatting, and observing. Dim rays shine upon the young faces as the boys pack clumps of wet sand together, laughing joyously as their towers grow taller. The tide approaches but the boys are not concerned.

this fragment for example, it's very clear and nicely written but also conservative/ not very creative. You could imagine a more "experimental" author could write it this way (also using the more flowery style to add some "ideological" context which isn't pure description and adds potential interpretation levels to the text):

Joyous laughter fills the air as James, 4, and Tony, 6, build wet-sand castle towers on the beach in the dim sunshine. Smiling and chatting, observing and dotting their parents, Jane and Tom, stand among them - their tall guardians under the crimson sky. Drinks in the adults' hands are filled with alcohol as relaxing as the conventional happiness of the family scene, calm and warm and reassuring like a product of a thousand TV ads. The tide approaches.

[Anonymous No.19360299]

So much feedback eem. Thank you! Im the same anon that's developing "The Lost Daughter of Aine" and so many perspectives on this I'll respond

>>19359583
Yes i agree completely. I've dropped the reincarnation theme and while it may seem clichéd with the backstory being dark. I do think it lies into the execution that will make it truly special.

I think with my protagonist showing the slow burn or slow transformation from a hero to antagonist should be slow with choices that are morally ambiguous and she lets her hatred of the iken tribe govern her decisions. I'd like to see a protagonist go from a hero to a Sociopathic tyrant through her decisions and actions. Ashlynn is a child though and i'd like to see her face forces that force her to make no win choices that will eventually be called the child sex slave. This character will come up later on in the second arc but Ashlynn will give the boy the name Blaine and gradually become close companions with one another.

Also for the allmother explanation I was fuckign tired as hell and I didnt give a more through and concrete explanation here my apologies. I do want to give inspiration for Aine from the Celtic goddess Aine but subvert it through a darker lens. Aine was the goddess of fertility and known as the lady of the lake, but I'm afraid I don't really know how to really communicate what her reasons for corrupting Ashlynn and awakening her magical powers. Perhaps it could be that Aine is jealous and vain Goddess that has a short temper when offended. her influence over the continent was lessening as the result of the Iken tribe's conquest and plundering of the Aelic people which Ashlynn was a member of. And she grew more resentful as her forests, animals, and the fairies were cleaved and wiped out by the Iken, and maybe by seeking a suitable candidate to corrupt and become the hero that Aine will overrun the continent with her vegetation and fairies. Ashlynn is the key component in this as Aine believes that children are malleable and interpret the fantastical more intuitively than adults. So it could be that the beginning I could illustrate the temptations of the lake Aine uses to further manipulate Ashlynn to dive into, and it could serve as the place that will show the developing of Ashlynn's powers.

I hope it makes sense and it comes offas better than the first time around but I'm willing to revise as needed.

>>19359770
I understand the sentiment, but i think in the time period it is in and also the type of stories I want to make, I just really like fucked up shit. I think it all relies on the execution here to truly make a living piece of art and its the type of story i wish i could read more of in my opinion.

[Anonymous No.19360315]

>>19360222
I'm just some random guy who get's a few (You) compliments here and there, but I have music and art skills as well as a writing habit, so I like to think of myself as someone capable of thinking creatively and intuitively understanding the process of making things from nothing.

Ultimately there comes a time where you cross over to the point where you are fit to decide how your pathway of improvement unfolds by yourself. What is right for someone else is perhaps not right for you.
If you have won literary contests already I don't see how anyone else could be qualified to help you advance. Even a famous writer may only be able to give you some experienced tips, but cannot make you stand in their shoes.
The mainstream education system is generally a VERY poor avenue to receive training for creative pursuits.

All I can suggest -
Read a variety of things.
Read some trash, something aimed at kids, something in the best seller list, something very poorly rated, get a book by Andy McNab and then get a book by the most chick-lit author possible.
I'm just thinking that you would absorb a very broad use of English that would develop the subconscious foundation to your writing ability.

Your own sense of artistic taste can be refined so that it is sharp like the scalpel of logic. Step forward and understand that you are already the writer.

[Anonymous No.19360412]

>Have idea for a scene
>Get excited while thinking of it
>Sit down to write it
>Lose all motivation and interest

[Anonymous No.19360446]

>>19353718
"Sometimes, the only way to right wrong is through wrong."
Or
"If I must bear your evil so that the world may rest, then so be it."

[Anonymous No.19360460]

If a character uses the phrase "my friend" in English (ex. "Have a good day my friend"), does that bring to mind any cultural stereotypes? The character is supposed to look ethnically Arabic but not speak with an accent, and I'm wondering if him saying "my friend" will make readers think he sounds Indian or something.

[Anonymous No.19360471]

>>19360460
I wouldn't associate the phrase with either Indian or Arabic people.

[Anonymous No.19360484]

>>19360460
I'd say that's a European or even Mexicant accent thing.

[Anonymous No.19360513]

>>19360281
Ahhh okay I think I understand your point. I have read very little fiction in my life which is likely what's coming through but I've been told I'm a good writer. I'm happy with my style but you're right that's it's rather hollow in content.

[Anonymous No.19360627]

>>19360513
>I have read very little fiction in my life
What have you read? Horse race results? Because that's how it reads. And a man and a woman standing "among" children building sandcastles, drinking booze while "observing" them, comes across as some kind of absurdist satire

[Anonymous No.19360653]

>>19360627
>come across as some kind of absurdist satire
How

[Anonymous No.19360654]

500 words down today.

I only get to write every now and then, maybe I need to start increasing my output or it'll take a long time before I finish anything.

How's it going for everyone else?

[Anonymous No.19360970]

>>19360654
Rough wagie day. Been resting for the last few days writing-wisenafter finishing a two parter chapter that was like 16k words. i might put down a sentences worth when I get home and then drink with friends later.

[Anonymous No.19361165]

I'm using the term anthromorphic flesh slaves to describe these beings which exist purely for sex. They aren't quite human but I dont want to elaborate too much on their nature. Is calling them flesh slaves adequate for a description

[Anonymous No.19361175]

>>19361165
>They aren't quite human
I guess that depends on how not human they actually look.

[Anonymous No.19361226]

>>19361175
Ya its kinda like hell where they're somewhat demonic. What I wrote was
A great feast was being served by tantilizing flesh slaves whose anthromophic bodies conflicted Matt.

[Anonymous No.19361339]

>>19361330
>>19361330
>>19361330
New thread!

[Anonymous No.19361991]

>>19359218
My mum wouldn't like my writing, it's all fetish porn