|
snow crash has a pretty confusing car chase scene but thats mostly because of the skating part
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 05:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 13:41 |
|
|
Snow Crash also has one chapter end with the protagonist running out of a town with a bunch of angry people pursuing him, collects his motorbike, and the final line is "...and the rest of it is just a chase scene." Which is quite a neat way of doing it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 07:36
|
|
|
qntm posted:Snow Crash also has one chapter end with the protagonist running out of a town with a bunch of angry people pursuing him, collects his motorbike, and the final line is "...and the rest of it is just a chase scene." Which is quite a neat way of doing it. 1. How do you handle all the changes in dynamic that may occur if you switch a character's gender? 2. What are the signs that tell you when to quit a story?
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 08:07
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:1. How do you handle all the changes in dynamic that may occur if you switch a character's gender? 1. Rewrite all those parts that would be different 2. When you're bored of writing it, because if you're bored with something you yourself made, everyone else is going to be super mega x2 bored with it because they didn't make it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 08:12
|
|
|
Djeser posted:1. Rewrite all those parts that would be different 2. So you shouldn't power through malaise and writer's block?
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 08:16
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:1. How do you handle all the changes in dynamic that may occur if you switch a character's gender? Dr. Kloctopussy posted:There is no set answer to this, but I don't agree that you have to finish EVERYTHING you start. Dr. Kloctopussy posted:I would add to this: figure out WHY you are procrastinating. Chances are it's because you don't know what to write or you aren't that excited about the next thing you are about to write. That means you need to fix those problems. Sithsaber posted:2. So you shouldn't power through malaise and writer's block? Dr. Kloctopussy posted:I agree with Erik Shawn-Bohner that constant false starts can lead to a pretty brutal feeling of failure. But so can refusing to write anything because you can't seem to finish your current story. Sometimes you just have to call something "finished enough for now" and move on. It's not the same as abandonment. For me, they become notes for later. Edit: Dr. Kloctopussy posted:Snowcrash has some pretty anime action scenes. Dr. Kloctopussy fucked around with this message at 08:34 on Jul 4, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 08:17
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:2. So you shouldn't power through malaise and writer's block? Yes and no. If you're fed up with writing a scene, your story probably doesn't need it. If you're fed up with writing, lower your standards and write anyways.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 08:25
|
|
|
The thing that has helped me the most with writers' block when I am working on longer pieces is to analyse why I feel blocked. Is it... 1. Because you can't think of what happens next? 2. Because you know what happens next but you can't think of how to start writing it? 3. Because you've got an ending in mind but you don't like or don't know how you're going to get there? 4. Because you don't want to work on this project anymore? Often times, 1-3 can feel like 4, especially if you don't have a history of working on longer projects. It's easy to fall back on "I must be bored with this idea" or "I'm just not feeling this story anymore" when in all actuality your problems might just be with that part of that story. If you have an ending in mind, ask yourself: are you still looking forward to the end? Do you still think your ending is a good one? Do you feel like your ending will be a satisfying one that ties everything off nicely? It's a little trickier if you don't have an ending in mind yet, but you can kind of apply the reverse: do you still like the beginning/plots/characters/conflicts? If you find yourself still enjoying your idea for how the story ends, chances are your issue isn't with the piece, it's with the scene you're stuck on. This might be contrary to a lot of advice you'll see in books and online, but I have actually had a lot of success with just leaving projects alone for a while and coming back to them later. I had a story a few years ago where I wrote the beginning, the middle, and knew how I wanted it to end, but I was having trouble bridging the end of the second act to the third. Rather than just blasting through it, I deliberately set it aside for two months and forced myself not to think about it at all. Two months later, I read it from the beginning and realised that the second act had gotten too convoluted, and I didn't need to fret over how to bridge into act three, I just had to trim the poo poo out of the second act and ditch an unnecessary subplot that made the ending flow much better. My rule of thumb is that I never take a long break from something I haven't already tried to rekindle my love for. A lot of times, the long break helps. Sometimes it doesn't, but that's okay, too. If you've tried powering through and you've tried taking a break and you've tried rewriting the bit you're stuck on, it's okay to let go. Not all great ideas can become great stories. And at least you'll have learned from the experience.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 09:01
|
|
|
Comma placement question:quote:...blah blah passed by downtown Atlanta enough to recognize the City, and wherever he was going, downtown Atlanta wasn't it. 1. Is this wrong? 2. Should I have written "but wherever he was..." instead of "and wherever"?
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 05:51
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:Comma placement question: Yes that is wrong. I'd have a semicolon instead of 'and'.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 06:38
|
|
|
it looks like the second part is an interjection but the third part isnt a direct continuation of the first part. which is why i think you wrote it like that in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 06:42
|
|
|
LOU BEGAS MUSTACHE posted:it looks like the second part is an interjection but the third part isnt a direct continuation of the first part. which is why i think you wrote it like that in the first place. So...what should I do exactly? I held off on the semicolon because I'd already used one in the same paragraph.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 07:09
|
|
|
Make it two sentences. But if you don't have any intuitions about how that sentence sounds, I'd hazard a guess that your writing has other problems you'd do better to spend your time worrying about.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 07:42
|
|
|
God Over Djinn posted:Make it two sentences. But if you don't have any intuitions about how that sentence sounds, I'd hazard a guess that your writing has other problems you'd do better to spend your time worrying about. Why do you think I'm asking the question?
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 08:08
|
|
|
Are you being sarcastic to people giving you advice because lol
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 08:32
|
|
|
The Saddest Rhino posted:Are you being sarcastic to people giving you advice because lol Obviously I have a lot to learn. Here's the old sentence in full: "Nevertheless, Stephen had passed through the area enough times to recognize the City, and wherever he was headed, Downtown Atlanta wasn't it." I changed the aforementioned mentioned comma into a semicolon. For some reason this breaks the stream of consciousness and metanarrative but whatever. Sithsaber fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Jul 8, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 09:20
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:Obviously I have a lot to learn. This would 100% no foolin' abso-loving-lutely flow better if you just turned it into two sentences. Read it out loud, then read it out loud with a period after "city."
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 10:20
|
|
|
Anomalous Blowout posted:This would 100% no foolin' abso-loving-lutely flow better if you just turned it into two sentences. Read it out loud, then read it out loud with a period after "city."
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 12:02
|
|
|
Anomalous Blowout posted:This would 100% no foolin' abso-loving-lutely flow better if you just turned it into two sentences. Read it out loud, then read it out loud with a period after "city." Never write anything after 4 in the morning.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 14:59
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:Never write anything after 4 in the morning. no, thats the best time to write, just edit when you're wide awake.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 15:24
|
|
|
LOU BEGAS MUSTACHE posted:no, thats the best time to write, just edit when you're wide awake. Really?
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 15:50
|
|
|
its definitely a personal preference thing, but yes. i find the lack of distraction at later hours, along with a sleepy mind, help create a good atmosphere where i dump out a few pages of drivel. its a weird time where my unconscious brain does half the work, but im still awake enough to realize if something is really goddamn stupid. i suppose thats not going to work if you wake up at 6am everyday though. anime was right fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Jul 8, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 15:58
|
|
|
That passage works totally fine with a comma too. Your call.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 16:24
|
|
|
Now I'm confused.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 16:36
|
|
|
I know I haven't been doing anything to contribute to good discussion, but this thread got a whole lot worse when Sithsaber found it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 16:58
|
|
|
blue squares posted:I know I haven't been doing anything to contribute to good discussion, but this thread got a whole lot worse when Sithsaber found it. Someone report this. I always get probated when I tell off the whiners who follow me around. This is a advice thread, genius.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 17:06
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:Now I'm confused. Sorry for being snippy earlier, but what I was hoping to stave off was exactly this. My whole point was: it's not a question that's worth getting confused over. You have a number of good writers telling you that various solutions are all fine, which should suggest that it's largely a matter of context and personal preference. But if you're still at a point where you don't have an 'ear' to choose between multiple technically correct options, then you definitely don't need to be spending this much time and energy on a single relatively uninteresting sentence. You're wasting your own time. Just write. Maybe I'm missing something, because I've never read anything you've written, but your questions in here are very basic, the kind of stuff that you could easily intuit from reading or learn by Googling. The fact that you're asking them makes me guess that your writing has other issues that dwarf 'do I put a comma here?'. That's why (at least) my instinct is to be a bit irritated when I see you asking these things - you're clearly missing the forest for the trees. But I invite you to prove me wrong by posting your writing (or pointing me to where you have).
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 17:08
|
|
|
i agree, please post your writing sithsaber
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 17:09
|
|
|
God Over Djinn posted:Sorry for being snippy earlier, but what I was hoping to stave off was exactly this. My whole point was: it's not a question that's worth getting confused over. You have a number of good writers telling you that various solutions are all fine, which should suggest that it's largely a matter of context and personal preference. But if you're still at a point where you don't have an 'ear' to choose between multiple technically correct options, then you definitely don't need to be spending this much time and energy on a single relatively uninteresting sentence. You're wasting your own time. Just write. 1. I use this thread as a launching point. 2. I nitpick 3. I've been a bit eclectic lately. Right now I'm trying to get over the sloppiness that comes with texting everything, but I'll link a couple things tonight.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 17:16
|
|
|
what's a metanarrative
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 19:32
|
|
|
Sitting Here posted:what's a metanarrative It's not what I thought it was. What I meant was a story that referenced itself and what was being thought about when I got the idea for the story.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 19:37
|
|
|
most style guides recommend using a semicolon or an em dash ONLY if it does not break the metanarrative
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 19:39
|
|
|
God Over Djinn posted:Just write. To that point: I see a lot of people writing about writing, and a lot of people asking abstract questions - and yes, a lot of people critiquing responses to the esoteric challenges of Thunderdome - but I don't see a lot of writing. Not a lot of, "here's a story I wrote, in its entirety. What do you all think?" And that seems odd, because asking that question of that output is the only real question there is at stake. It's the only question that exists in the marketplace, after all. And no, it doesn't belong in this thread but it does belong in CC, and it seems like the writing community here is watching this thread instead of putting themselves out there. This isn't to chastise anyone in any way, but I'm ready to crit as best as I can. So wither the stories, everyone?
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 23:49
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:Someone report this. I always get probated when I tell off the whiners who follow me around. And nothing makes this "advice thread" unhappy like some pompous rear end-jack asking increasingly picayune questions in a transparent attempt to make other people an accessory to procrastination. Punctuation advice? Really? Really. It especially doesn't help that you've got no actual samples up so no one can be sure if you're just blowing smoke up their asses. Personally I have only read your essays on Bioshock and would give them a C- at best. Dull stuff, dull stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 01:59
|
|
|
Oxxidation posted:And nothing makes this "advice thread" unhappy like some pompous rear end-jack asking increasingly picayune questions in a transparent attempt to make other people an accessory to procrastination. Punctuation advice? Really? Really. 1. I had to hold off on the library today. Some of us have jobs. 2. Why wouldn't I ask questions about punctuation? Your whining is stupid. 3. Fandom is basically a different medium. 4. Tomorrow you whiner. I don't have WiFi.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:15
|
|
|
Symptomless Coma posted:To that point: I see a lot of people writing about writing, and a lot of people asking abstract questions - and yes, a lot of people critiquing responses to the esoteric challenges of Thunderdome - but I don't see a lot of writing. Because posting in the Farm is hard and scary.  Speaking of which, it's probably time for a new Farm thread. E: holy poo poo saber people are trying to help and this is how you act when people are understandably annoyed at your cluelessness? gently caress off, you don't deserve this thread.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:21
|
|
|
I'd like to post my stuff in the farm (and would then go and critique others, too, of course) but the things I'm writing now are all things I hope to get published, and I know it's just a dumb forum, but would having it on here affect that? It being possibly considered "previously published online"?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:27
|
|
|
Sithsaber posted:2. Why wouldn't I ask questions about punctuation? Your whining is stupid. quote:3. Fandom is basically a different medium.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:30
|
|
|
blue squares posted:I'd like to post my stuff in the farm (and would then go and critique others, too, of course) but the things I'm writing now are all things I hope to get published, and I know it's just a dumb forum, but would having it on here affect that? It being possibly considered "previously published online"? Put it on a Google Doc. Make a thread and link to it. Then take the link down when you want to submit it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 13:41 |
|
|
Keromaru5 posted:If you're having that much trouble with punctuation, don't come to a bunch of people on a message board. Read The Elements of Style. Once you've gotten the hang of its rules, then you can figure out when and where they're necessary. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal judgment, but judgment built on a solid foundation. That loser was referencing something I texted last month. TEXTED. I even had a disclaimer complaining about how I lost most of it when messing with gmail drafts. The only thing that I've seriously posted here that ended up horrible was Harmonshock, and that was a parody I lost interest in on day one and only completed because I needed to practice following through. (In my head it was a screenplay I never got around to editing) Ps. And tell that other guy that we can both gently caress off. I'm not going to apologize for getting people's take on a sentence I was hung up on. Pps. Thanks for reminding me about that book. I should probably read it before I order Zarathustra. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 02:41
|
|