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Bad Seafood posted:I wouldn't mind typing one up. My Wednesday's clear (Gaecheonjeol), so I should have the time in between packing up my apartment. Go for sir. I should have copied turn OP from last year and used it as a base for this years thread.
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Oct 2, 2012 21:10
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Does anybody know of a decent way to just sort of ask the Internet general questions, for research purposes? My googling skills suck, but I'm writing a short story set in 19th century Australia, and in the last half hour I've spent maybe five minutes on actual writing and twenty-five minutes researching: - What was Federation Day in Sydney like? - How long would it take to get a train from Sydney to Dubbo in 1901? - How much would a revolver cost in 1901? - What are some monsters in the folklore of the Wiradjuri people? etc. I know you can ask the Wikipedia reference desk questions, but I feel like all this poo poo would clog it up. Never mind, I suppose this is more a whinge about how hard writing historical stuff is than an actual question.
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Oct 3, 2012 03:47
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freebooter posted:Does anybody know of a decent way to just sort of ask the Internet general questions, for research purposes? My googling skills suck, but I'm writing a short story set in 19th century Australia, and in the last half hour I've spent maybe five minutes on actual writing and twenty-five minutes researching: It truthfully comes down to how much you're willing to compromise. Writing something believable versus writing something accurate. You can probably get a good idea of what Federation Day is like through Googling and careful sourcing. The same can be said for for the other ones too. You'll have to make a compromise though. You'll probably have a good idea of what those things were like but you'll have to fill in gaps with your own stuff, just use a little inductive reasoning. Get the broad strokes correct and people will forgive a few crooked lines. In college my publishing professor said that the main things you have to get right in fiction are guns, horses, and cars. Everything else can be fudged, even history. Although if you're writing historical fiction your audience is obviously going to be a little bit more nitpicky than the average reader. freebooter posted:I've spent maybe five minutes on actual writing and twenty-five minutes researching This is the important bit here. I assume you're writing fiction. The key word there is FICTION. You can make stuff up. Don't over research, just get a good idea and write. After you're done writing, go back and correct it to whatever level of accuracy you desire but when you are barely getting words on the page you need to stop researching and write. HiddenGecko fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Oct 3, 2012 |
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Oct 3, 2012 04:29
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Every interview I've read about a (good) writer of historical fiction has involved an enormous amount of research. Like way way more information than made it into the book. They usually come off as people who are interested in history or actual historians rather than "writer who had a cool idea about X time period". Anyway, seeing this is a short story and not a novel, you probably shouldn't spend forever researching. Prioritize what's important. Ballparking the cost of the gun and travel time is probably fine and also exact numbers would be very difficult to find. It's the other two that seem important. I'm assuming the story is about Federation Day or it figures in heavily, in which case, why not go to the library and find a couple books on Australian history and read their perspectives on it? As for the Wiradjuri, you always have to be careful writing about marginalized people and make the effort to get correct information. That said, gently caress, man, just googling a little bit seems like there is not much information out there and I don't even know how you'd verify it. There's some rare as hell book about them out there that you could try to find, but I don't really have an answer. I'm not Australian, are you? Are there like cultural centers you could visit or something?
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Oct 3, 2012 17:54
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So it's been a long time since I've been around here. But I am working on a piece that's pretty well scripted out. Only issue is that I really feel like it should be done in First Person, but that point of view has always felt terribly unnatural for me to write in and my attempts feel very awkward. Normally I stick to third person limited.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:22
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Read and write more first person. Post it in the daily writing thread or whatever. We can help you identify your problem, but then we need to read how you write.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:28
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I have been pretty much reading first person and things that would interest the character (trying to get a feel for who she is). I worked pretty hard to get a sense for the character, but I feel like even with all of this background the words just roll out in third person and they aren't there in first. I guess I can find something to write about in first and then post some examples of my third person stuff.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:45
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Why do you want to put it in first person if the words are rolling out in third? There's nothing wrong about third person, so why fight it? (Alternately, write it in third and edit it to first later)
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Oct 4, 2012 02:05
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:Why do you want to put it in first person if the words are rolling out in third? There's nothing wrong about third person, so why fight it? Yeah I am starting to think I might just be doing it in third. No reason to fight it.
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Oct 4, 2012 03:11
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ultrachrist posted:Anyway, seeing this is a short story and not a novel, you probably shouldn't spend forever researching. Prioritize what's important. Ballparking the cost of the gun and travel time is probably fine and also exact numbers would be very difficult to find. Yeah, I ended up doing this after a bit more googling. It's tedious, but as you pointed out, there's a limit to how much research is really necessary for a short story. Was having a whinge, disregard.
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Oct 5, 2012 02:38
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EDIT: wrong thread. I am an idiot.
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Oct 5, 2012 05:18
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I was inspired to read some first person written from a female perspective and just give this one more go. Right now I'm reading Dan Wells's Hollow City and I am thinking of going off the suggestion of a friend to try Meg Cabot's All American Girl.
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Oct 5, 2012 06:51
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For me, the community is what makes NaNo awesome. I know there are plenty of detractors, but I started ignoring them about two or three years ago. Everyone has their own reason for doing NaNo - for many it's that jump start they need to get their lazy asses doing what they've said they wanted to do all year round, which pisses off "true writers". For me it's the idea that I'm writing a novel (or in my case a partial novel) with hundreds of thousands of other people. Here at SA you guys helped me through my last novel and were there for me during the year before. I failed two years ago (was writing my attempt at a horror fantasy but it became wayyyy too much Game of Thrones) and I won for the first time last year (which I blame on you guys - people really wanted to see my Wild West fantasy with gunslingers dueling hex slingers). I never did finish my novel, though I've worked and been researching for it in the entire last year since. It's still my first priority, but I want to do NaNo right and do something fresh. This year I am very doubtful I'll win again - last year I was an unemployed Mr. Mom and had three hours a day to write in the afternoons (during naptime) and four-five hours a night after my wife and son went to sleep. Now I'm working 10 hours a day, my kid doesn't nap when I'm home, and I can't write at night because of family things that I won't get into here. That said, I know I'm not going to win, but if I can get anywhere near the halfway mark (25k) I'll be happy - and I'll probably be writing a huge portion of it by hand...literally. This year I have three ideas: 1) a Stephen King meets Richard Matheson meets Ray Bradbury "pre-apocalyptic" horror story set in a very small town as supplies start to dwindle. There's a huge twist that you'll get right away that gives a very different perspective on the end of the world. 2) a YA novel that it's basically "steampunk gothic". 3) my dream project - a sci-fi alternate history disguised as a typical epic high fantasy. It's Robert E. Howard meets Chaucer meets Jules Verne set in the pre-historic Great Plains of America. I might wait on this until after NaNo because I'm still doing research for it, though I may be ready by Nov. 1st. I've never been excited for three ideas before. I'm not giving too much away as not to ruin the really cool elements and twists to the stories.
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Oct 6, 2012 19:28
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I may spit something out soon, but I doubt it'll be within the confines of NaNo. Never could get to involved in the community there. I sometimes contribute to the Reference Desk, just because there's always some pre-teen going 'hi, I want my character to be bi-polar, but not bi-polar until her best friend wins prom queen and takes her boyfriend. But not, like, seriously bipolar. Not until she's shot five times in the head and lives through it, but her mom dies of amnesia.' Sorry, I really can't help myself when I see one of those. And there's a few since the forums just went through their wipe for this year.
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Oct 6, 2012 19:46
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bengraven posted:For me, the community is what makes NaNo awesome. Well get on over to the thread then! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3509907 Also, I just noticed the October writing thread, so now I feel guilty and I'll get right on that.
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Oct 6, 2012 19:52
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Going to ignore Nano like I do every year. I can't afford to wait for November.
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Oct 7, 2012 06:07
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Black Griffon posted:Well get on over to the thread then! Ooooh poo poo, it's on now...
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Oct 7, 2012 20:53
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CB_Tube_Knight posted:Going to ignore Nano like I do every year. I can't afford to wait for November. I'm tempted to do it just for the novelty of it, but to be honest, 50,000 seems a little short for me, in terms of a monthly goal. I may participate solely for the challenge of working on one thing at a time.
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Oct 7, 2012 21:01
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Hey there! I've just posted a new version of the rules for review, and I'd appreciate it if you all could take a moment to give it a read.
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Oct 10, 2012 15:28
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I'm currently getting ready for NaNoWriMo and I'm doing well so far, however I have one question. I'm writing a story about a man who finds out that he's a father of a fifteen year old girl and now has to raise her on his own. I'm currently splitting the the chapters between her, her father and the two of them together. Is this going to work in the long run or should I change what I'm doing all together so that it doesn't get messed up?
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Oct 10, 2012 15:54
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screenwritersblues posted:I'm writing a story about a man who finds out that he's a father of a fifteen year old girl and now has to raise her on his own. I'm currently splitting the the chapters between her, her father and the two of them together. Is this going to work in the long run or should I change what I'm doing all together so that it doesn't get messed up? Are you asking if writing different parts of the story from different perspectives can work? If so, the answer is yes. Or are you saying that some chapters are about each of them doing things not involving the other and some chapters are about them doing things together? That's fine as well. Lots of stories do both those things. 
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Oct 10, 2012 16:08
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Tiggum posted:Are you asking if writing different parts of the story from different perspectives can work? If so, the answer is yes. The second one was what I was shooting for. I normally used to single style character narrator, so this is a first time that I'm trying something like this. It starts off focusing on the main character and then turns into splitting between the two characters.
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Oct 10, 2012 16:55
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Please don't turn this thread into gun-talk again but I have a gun-related question (I'm a terrible person). What is a man who styles himself as a modern knight going to use? Strict code, unyielding, somewhat fanatical but convinced he's the good guy because he's on some higher mission to clean the streets. Something flashy but not too flashy and something that's trying to shout "I'm the good guy" while being a little frightening beneath it all. EDIT: on that note, what sort of car would be drive? SurreptitiousMuffin fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 00:01
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A Peacemaker and a Chevelle. Alternately, a Taser and a Prius.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:18
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I don't think there are "good guy guns" and "bad guy guns," except that maybe automatic weapons are more often "bad guy guns." But if a good guy was fighting bad guys with automatic weapons, it wouldn't be wrong for him to carry one other. The morals one fights for have little to do with how one fights (except maybe requiring you to fight fair.) Here are some inputs into gun choice: 1) What are you going to do with it? (sneaky assassinations? sniping? barging into heavily fortified buildings? "shoot people," okay, what kind? Do they have body armor? Do you care if you hit bystanders or if your bullets go through walls?) 2) How are you going to carry it/what restrictions do you have on carrying it? (does it have to fit in a pocket? in a boot? a violin case?) 3) How much are you ("your character") willing to spend? How much can they really afford to spend? 4) What feels right in your hand? This one's personal, so you can just make something up, but if it's a big dude or a tiny dude, you might check out some forums where people talk about how guns fit them (I have tiny hands and prefer totally different guns than my big-handed friends). 5) How many shots do you want before you reload? (Revolvers have 5-6, pistols have more, plus you can get extended magazines) 6) Aesthetics: what looks cool? Edit: all that said if you're just looking for a gun to use real quick, and prefer a pistol, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol is a classic. Same kind of questions on the car, though cost and personal taste are going to be the most important. What KIND of flashy? BMW flashy or Chevelle flashy? New? Used? busted? perfectly maintained? pimped? riced? lowered? raised? is he hauling bodies? If so, trunk size matters. Personally, I'd use my old 1995 Toyota Camry if I was trying to clean the streets, because I'd probably be running away a lot and that's a super common car. Dr. Kloctopussy fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 01:35
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:What is a man who styles himself as a modern knight going to use? Just like those Lone Ranger shows he used to watch.
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Oct 11, 2012 05:52
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After months of fighting with the edits and deciding to rewrite pieces of my novel from scratch, I'm thinking it's time to just shelve it and work on something else. Right now I'm not sure I even want it to go out there with my name on it when so many of my other ideas are so very different from it. Even though it was only a few years ago when I started working on the concept, since then I've changed so much in who I am and what I enjoy reading, watching and creating that I feel like this just isn't me anymore. Anyone else have this sort of existential crisis with their work? I suppose it makes sense that an idea I loved when I was still married and thought I'd live in this house for the rest of my life wouldn't resonate with me once I've gotten divorced and have decided to move across the country, but it's still hard to let the novel die when I've put so much time and effort into it. On the plus side, I'm really excited about my new ideas and am anxious to get started on them. I also suppose that just like an old lover, I can always rekindle things in the future if time and circumstance allow.
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Oct 13, 2012 21:57
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Some time away probably wouldn't hurt, but don't be afraid to come back a while later and look at it fresh. It's definitely common to get sick of something you've worked on for too long, and the answer is usually to let it lie fallow and work on something else (if you can- i.e. if you don't have to have the draft in by Thursday.) This may be more severe, but generally, if you can cleanse the palate, then later you can look rationally at whatever was giving you problems before. This also works with crossword puzzles.
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Oct 14, 2012 02:58
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I'm taking time off right now for reading, I am trying to read more first person and just in general to get a feel for the kind of thing I want to write.
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Oct 14, 2012 04:42
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Colt 1911 custom job with rosewood grips and chrome finish. Chevelle SS, red with black racing stripes. Nobody uses Peacemakers anymore, haven't for a hundred years or so, and none of you guys even really know what they are anyway. If he wants a cowboy gun give him a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I might start boycotting HTC now that I know Ruger isn't already a known autocorrect word and I had to teach it to the phone. HTC clearly hates America, freedom, and the freedom and safety of American children.  E: oh and Benegain - thanks for the Parker novel rec, dude(ette?). I finally started reading The Hunter last night and it's loving awesome. Gonna be writing up a storm when I finally get home and back to my Das Ultimate S. Martello fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Oct 14, 2012 |
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Oct 14, 2012 19:54
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What's the consensus on quotation marks? I rarely use them anymore. I started doing this shortly after going on a McCarthy binge and haven't really stopped. He discussed it briefly when Oprah interviewed him saying he didn't want to "block the page up with weird little marks. If you write properly, you shouldn't have to punctuate." He also cautions with, "You really have to be aware that there are no quotation marks to guide people, and write in such a way that it won't be confusing as to who is speaking." I think it's easier to read that way, and it seems somewhat minimalistic to me, which I like. He's definitely correct in saying that you need to make sure it's clear who's speaking. However, I think this is a good thing from a writing perspective. I find it forces me to write better dialogue. At times I can be somewhat lazy with dialogue, but this forces me to pay more attention to it.
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Oct 15, 2012 20:48
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I Am Hydrogen posted:What's the consensus on quotation marks? I can see it becoming a really annoying affectation from a bad writer, though. But if you like the minimalism and find you write better dialogue why not? Just check with your beta readers to make sure it comes over as minimalist rather than illiterate.
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Oct 15, 2012 21:37
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I hate quotation marks. I find them unreasonably silly and unnatural-- most of the time. For a time I tried setting dialogue off with an m-dash, Dubliners style. Now they're just gone most of the time. I regretted putting them in my September contest entry. They just gunked things up. There is a danger of dropping their use to disguise poor / unclear writing. I knew someone who said that they left them out because they wanted the dialogue to be ambiguous sometimes. Nope. What I really hate, though, are the guillemets you get here in France. << How this looks good to anyone, I'll never know. >>
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Oct 15, 2012 21:53
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I think it's a highly risky and most often a highly stupid strategy. Most readers read quoted dialogue in their heads much differently than they do everything else, to the extent of changing their internal pitch and reading the voice as they believe that character to sound. If you remove the quotations, you get an extremely muted and isolating effect, which can work well for some types of fiction, sure- but for the vast majority of the stuff out there, it'd make what you've written come off as excessively dull. In any case I refer back to the rule of cool. There's an inverse relationship with how much convention you must maintain vs. how awesome and engaging your story and characters are. If you're confident that you've written something that anybody on the street will want to read, go nuts and do whatever you want. But if you can't make words dance like McCarthy can, you're crippling yourself right out of the gate.
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Oct 15, 2012 22:13
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I think it's a mistake made by a lot of writers who are trying to make their fiction seem more "literary," second only to writing in present tense.
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Oct 16, 2012 10:36
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I will say that I find the single quote much easier on the eye. It still sets speech apart, but doesn't turn into a visual hurdle. I was beaten into British punctuation during my degree, and maybe it's just Stockholm Syndrome, but I kind of like it. I do not agree with McCarthy's lack of apostrophes. With regard to present tense-- is this now a thing? One that is done to purposely be 'literary'? I haven't really paid much attention to tense lately, aside from finding the present tense in The Night Circus really annoying.
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Oct 16, 2012 11:17
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Runcible Cat posted:I can see it becoming a really annoying affectation from a bad writer, though. But if you like the minimalism and find you write better dialogue why not? Just check with your beta readers to make sure it comes over as minimalist rather than illiterate. This is pretty much what I've been doing. I've only used it in short stories so far. Whenever I have someone read a story they never make a comment about the lack of quotation marks, but when I've asked directly later on about their opinion about not using quotation marks in general it's usually met with opposition. It's kind of interesting. Chillmatic posted:I think it's a highly risky and most often a highly stupid strategy. I agree that it's a risky and often stupid strategy, but it's something I wanted to try out since I prefer reading dialogue without quotation marks. As for reading dialogue differently without them, I think it's true at first but like a lot of things (if they're done well) it becomes second nature after a couple pages. I'm confident in my writing. My writing style is a different than McCarthy's and I definitely don't think I'm on his level, but I also don't think it's crippling my writing. Then again, I haven't submitted anything that doesn't have quotation marks, so the jury is still out. I'm working on a novel right now and my plan is to write it without quotation marks and have some people beta read it. If it doesn't bother them then I plan to keep it that way. If it does then I'll begin the tedious process of adding them into the story. It's worth a try for the sake of experimentation and forcing stronger dialogue.
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Oct 16, 2012 13:25
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I've never even heard of someone not using quotation marks unless they were writing a play. I think it is probably one of the stupidest, most pretentious things I've ever heard though. You'd be better off, instead of harping on little marks around the page worrying about the things between those marks and before and after them.
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Oct 16, 2012 18:11
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I really wish I could just emptyquote CB Tube Knight, because that sums up exactly how I feel about not using quotation marks. McCarthy is one of my favorite authors, he's a pioneer and a genius and a virtuoso, and it's still loving stupid that he doesn't use quotation marks. Try not using any punctuation at all or no capitals or printing your story in white text on black paper if you really need to be Special. Or don't do any of those things and write using standard conventions so people know what the gently caress is going on in the story and aren't distracted by your pretentious attempt to be "literary." If quotation marks are a "visual hurdle" then I don't even know what to say to you.
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Oct 16, 2012 18:30
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Martello posted:I really wish I could just emptyquote CB Tube Knight, because that sums up exactly how I feel about not using quotation marks. McCarthy is one of my favorite authors, he's a pioneer and a genius and a virtuoso, and it's still loving stupid that he doesn't use quotation marks. Try not using any punctuation at all or no capitals or printing your story in white text on black paper if you really need to be Special. Or don't do any of those things and write using standard conventions so people know what the gently caress is going on in the story and aren't distracted by your pretentious attempt to be "literary." If quotation marks are a "visual hurdle" then I don't even know what to say to you. I like your ideas. Is it okay if I use them? I really touched a nerve here apparently. I never said they were a visual hurdle. I asked a question and got some feedback.
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Oct 16, 2012 18:35
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