|
the old ceremony posted:you know what? writing is weird and kinda sucks. im writing a scene where a woman of size fucks a polar bear and now i guess i have to watch a bunch of videos of women of size loving polar bears so i can describe it accurately???? 😰 link?
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2017 16:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 10:21 |
|
|
go away shitposters this is our place to shitpost 
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2017 18:47
|
|
|
at least don't repeat the same joke
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2017 20:01
|
|
|
Dr. Kloctopussy posted:at least don't repeat the same joke
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2017 21:00
|
|
|
Dr. Kloctopussy posted:at least don't repeat the same joke seriously.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2017 21:52
|
|
|
do any of yall have any advice on stuff like fantasy/scifi/world cons etc and networking there or anything thanks peace appreciate it has anyone on the planet actually been published through a paid pitch session? (probably, not often, i'm betting)
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 03:06
|
|
|
oh hey! NANO-WRIMO IS COMING UP IN 45 DAYS Y'all better start getting your nummers up. Get ready to do word sprints - 2500 words per day come hell or high water. For me, my word count today is... (mumble mumble counts words in this post) 33. I LOVE Nano. LOVE IT.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 03:13
|
|
|
magnificent7 posted:oh hey! NANO-WRIMO IS COMING UP IN 45 DAYS I'm looking forward to it. Since I did a pantser new novel last year, this time I'm doing a planner rewrite. At least, I plan to. THIS year I'll rewrite Blue Star!
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 04:25
|
|
|
I might include this second chapter in my thread when I get it done, since it's when some of the gears get moving. I don't think it'd be super wise to include much more though, depending on things. Though I suppose I could always delete it if it ever came up later. I'm just a bit worried that it's taking a bit too long for things to get going, and would like a consensus on that if anyone is willing to entertain it. For Nano, I've never been a big fan of it. I hate putting limits on how much I should try to write a day, and trying to force writing is an awful experience for me. When I got my 88000-ish words written for my first version over 4 weeks, I'd go a few days without writing anything, and then have a few days of 5000+ word productivity. Not often in a row, but often enough.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 04:32
|
|
|
NaNo is the closest I'll ever feel to being a regular gym-goer the week after New Years. I don't see why you need a special event to write a book, just write a book. drat.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 05:59
|
|
|
Dr. Kloctopussy posted:'m sure there are monster movies where everyone dies and the emotional payoff is being reminded that the world is a cruel and indifferent place and the thin thread of control you have over your own life could be terminally snipped at any time. Personally I hate this feeling and don't understand why people would seek it out. There is an aspect to horror and other "weird" genres that I've taken to calling "emotional homeostasis," where the catharsis comes from experiencing a work that matches one's internal state. So someone who has a fear that the world is a cruel and indifferent place can deal with it better when they see it externalized by someone else. It's not just horror, I actually started trying to put this into words when I was first getting into Kafka. And, admittedly, reading a lot of/about horror at the time. anime was right posted:do any of yall have any advice on stuff like fantasy/scifi/world cons etc and networking there or anything thanks peace appreciate it I run the Literature/Writing track for my local SF/F con. What, specifically, would you like to know? What type of networking do you want to do, and what are you looking to get out of it?
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 06:05
|
|
|
I found doing NaNo once valuable to help me figure out how fast I could write. at what quality, and what my mental and physical limitations were (I had serious hand pain after the first week). But I discovered writing that fast left me with such a garbage first draft, what I had written had to be rewritten from scratch, and it was full of holes so huge I couldn't even call my effort a first draft. After coming up with five novels worth of material that way, my time's better spent trying to work with what I have over trying to spin more poo poo out at that rate.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 06:59
|
|
|
I'm finally over the bump of writing regularly, which is great. I no longer feel like the barrier is actually getting words to paper. But writing regularly has kind of left me realizing how lovely my writing is quality wise. That's fine, because I feel like a lot of mechanical stuff I can learn to improve, but I feel like I have a deeper problem where my ideas and story concepts don't really go anywhere. They're all pretty half baked and lack much in the way of impact or arc or anything. I alway run with an idea that's intrigues me, then when it doesn't really take off, I tell myself "I'll fix it in the edit" but it doesn't get appreciably better, really. Is this just business as normal for a new writer? Do I just power through and trust that I'll start coming up with better concepts? Is there a way to deliberately improve? I know I'm too in my head, and that's contributing. I was super disappointed with how my TD entry turned out and it's got me second guessing recent stuff I've written.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 07:27
|
|
|
I think we're all in that boat in one way or another. Mind you, I'm no further along than you are. I'd say push ahead with what you're doing, and see what works and what doesn't. I've got a lot of concepts and things I want to try, but I don't know if they'll work or if anyone else will like them. Only thing to do is to just keep swinging. I can absolutely relate on being too in your own head, which I'm trying to break out of myself. I'm currently at 8500 words for my revision on my novel, could break 10,000 but it's nearing 2 AM and while I know what I want to do with chapter 3 it's something best approached with a clear head. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3833927&pagenumber=1#post476575242 My first draft on chapter 2, the latter half written entirely this night. A small chunk of it actually managed to survive from my first version, though with some rewriting. This is actually a great example for what I was talking about, Quantum, at least for my own stuff. I wanted to give Beita a very strange, free form and often times chaotic and jumbled kind of thought pattern, jumping from thought to thought and idea to idea, repeating herself, due to the way her weird alien machine mind works. I don't know how well it READS to other people though because this is an idea that exclusively resides in my own head. Who knows if it works, I sure don't. Didn't stop me from powering through. If it works, great! If it doesn't, I'll rethink what did and revise.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 07:45
|
|
|
After The War posted:I run the Literature/Writing track for my local SF/F con. What, specifically, would you like to know? What type of networking do you want to do, and what are you looking to get out of it? mostly, get to know peers in my group, learn more about the industry, put names to faces in publishing, learn more about my craft outside of sa and resources i find on the internet. that sorta deal.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 08:13
|
|
|
MockingQuantum posted:I'm finally over the bump of writing regularly, which is great. I no longer feel like the barrier is actually getting words to paper. But writing regularly has kind of left me realizing how lovely my writing is quality wise. That's fine, because I feel like a lot of mechanical stuff I can learn to improve, but I feel like I have a deeper problem where my ideas and story concepts don't really go anywhere. They're all pretty half baked and lack much in the way of impact or arc or anything. I alway run with an idea that's intrigues me, then when it doesn't really take off, I tell myself "I'll fix it in the edit" but it doesn't get appreciably better, really. Part of learning to write is learning how to take an idea full circle and make it satisfying to read. So no, you're not struggling with something other people haven't struggled with. A lot of what you're talking about could be down to planning. I know sometimes I'll have an idea for a story in my head, and I know a couple of the beats I want it to hit, and the general shape of it, but I just can't work it into a satisfying shape on the page. Usually that's because I'm thinking about a vague mood I want the story to have, instead of focusing on the character/theme/conflict. Working on stories that have relatively simple plots can help you wrap your head around the mechanics of making something that wraps up to satisfying whole. That's why I'm pretty fond of pulp stories, especially for writers still developing their skill. The plot is simple, but you get practice taking a story through a complete arc and concluding it. Alternatively, you could try spelling out for yourself what you want the structure of your story to be in the beginning. Not every story needs to have the standard "motivation, conflict, resolution" structure, but it's much easier than trying to get experimental with your narrative when you're still trying to figure out how to write effectively. Start with a motivation: what does the character want to have, do, or achieve? Then the conflict: what's in their way? Finally, the resolution: what do they do to overcome that conflict, and is it enough? It's a straightforward structure, but it works if you want to write a story with a satisfying ending.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 10:11
|
|
|
anime was right posted:mostly, get to know peers in my group, learn more about the industry, put names to faces in publishing, learn more about my craft outside of sa and resources i find on the internet. that sorta deal. I can't say enough about the writing track at DragonCon specifically. My wife met so many great people there and they are all really inviting. This year we ran a Writers Meetup that went rather well. Even had Jonathan Maberry and his wife show up between panels. Jody Lynn Nye also runs a 2 day Writing Workshop that is pretty cool even if it really just works out to be a fancy Critique Group (where Jody or her husband Bill Fawcett also read and provide feedback) with guest speakers (Authors, Publishers and Agents) thrown in. There are panels that run the gamut as far as writing, getting published, self publishing, being a small press, and panels with big name authors as well (never not see Jim Butcher). Our local Con in Houston (Comicpalooza) is a little smaller and less developed on the writing side of things but there's still a good group of people that are all enthusiastic and great to talk and network with. Plus the panels are really easy to get into (No Lines!). Find a local group as well if you can or at least a critique group. If nothing else hanging out and associating with other writers can help keep you putting in the Butt In Chair time needed to get something done and out into the world. Talking to published genre authors (not sure about Literary Fiction or others) is a really good way to get that implicit "permission" to actually really believe you can do this thing and to get yourself out of your own way.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 14:50
|
|
|
Djeser posted:Part of learning to write is learning how to take an idea full circle and make it satisfying to read. So no, you're not struggling with something other people haven't struggled with. Thanks for the response, this is really helpful. I think I'm having exactly the problem you're talking about, where I have a couple of scenes or a mood or beats that I want in a story, but lack a larger context for them. I think additionally I have the problem that I really want to write horror, which tends to be so mood dependent, so I get wrapped up in trying to make the story ~*spooky*~ that it doesn't work on a basic storytelling level. I obviously don't know how to write great horror, but I think that may need to come after figuring out how to write a great anything. I think I might revisit my TD entry, pull it apart and expand it, see if I can't turn it into a story that's a little more interesting and satisfying. Maybe I'm off the mark here, but it seems like figuring out how to basically tell a story and make it satisfying might be worth figuring out with short-form work, since jumping into a novel without some foundation in fundamental storytelling is probably an exercise in frustration.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 15:55
|
|
|
hit up any of the regulars for a crit, people will normally be very happy to look at your stuff for you.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 15:59
|
|
|
MockingQuantum posted:Thanks for the response, this is really helpful. I think I'm having exactly the problem you're talking about, where I have a couple of scenes or a mood or beats that I want in a story, but lack a larger context for them. I think additionally I have the problem that I really want to write horror, which tends to be so mood dependent, so I get wrapped up in trying to make the story ~*spooky*~ that it doesn't work on a basic storytelling level. I obviously don't know how to write great horror, but I think that may need to come after figuring out how to write a great anything. I don't know poo poo about horror, so this may be bad advice, but it seems to me like the key is to figure out your main character first, and then figure out what horror is to them. What's scary/creepy to you may not work if the characters aren't moved by it and vice versa. Make sure their horror aligns with the horror of your story and you should be in a good place.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 17:08
|
|
|
Also don't play things too close to the chest as I found out! As it turns out, Sitting Here, at the least, did not pick up that what I was doing with my Thunderdome submission was a black market organ theft kind of deal. I thought I had made that fairly explicit, but apparently I walked the line a bit too much. Do not be afraid to be overt with your stuff. A lot of readers aren't going to read into it with the same level of detail as you will think it through
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 17:17
|
|
|
Burkion posted:Also don't play things too close to the chest as I found out! I thought the organ-selling was really obvious when I read it. -v(ouo)v-
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 17:43
|
|
|
Burkion posted:Also don't play things too close to the chest as I found out! it's a fine balance that everybody fails now and again. better to skirt too close to the line than to make it painfully obvious and on-the-nose. in reality, you'd have many beta readers, and if they weren't getting something you could add a few more hints after, whereas if they're like "omg i know," you have to cut out sometimes large portions of your story, and likely your story is filled with the obvious because you were "worried" and made it terrible.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 18:32
|
|
|
Naerasa posted:I don't know poo poo about horror, so this may be bad advice, but it seems to me like the key is to figure out your main character first, and then figure out what horror is to them. What's scary/creepy to you may not work if the characters aren't moved by it and vice versa. Make sure their horror aligns with the horror of your story and you should be in a good place. Burkion posted:Also don't play things too close to the chest as I found out! These are both great thoughts, thanks! I've been mulling on this a lot, trying to figure out what it is that makes horror good. Not necessarily scary, just good. The moments where I read horror, even really great stuff, and actually have a physical creep-out reaction is pretty rare, so I think it's a high bar to shoot for and obviously really subjective. But I think these are both key ideas that I'm going to focus on. I'm reading The Elementals right now, and the actual scares aren't that creepy unto themselves, it's more the characters and their own uneasiness about whats happening that lends it this undercurrent of dread. sebmojo posted:hit up any of the regulars for a crit, people will normally be very happy to look at your stuff for you. Oh, cool, I think I will definitely do that. I'm still at a place in my writing where I need to do some serious self-schooling, and I'm finding it can be very easy to overlook obvious issues in your own writing until you know what to look for.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 21:57
|
|
|
Burkion posted:Also don't play things too close to the chest as I found out! Yeah, it was obvious in retrospect but (and I know I already said this) the tone of the story was a p big barrier for me, so I wasn't all that interested in sorting it out. I think if the story hadn't been written in a cloying folksy tone I would've picked up on the obvious.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2017 22:13
|
|
|
anime was right posted:mostly, get to know peers in my group, learn more about the industry, put names to faces in publishing, learn more about my craft outside of sa and resources i find on the internet. that sorta deal. Zaepho covers a lot of it, so I'll just add a few things. First, there's a difference between "literary/general" and "media" cons, so you'll want to look at the guest list and programming to see what they're going for. Not that you can't meet some cool folks and learn things at a media con, but the environment is surprisingly different. If you have options, try to go for whatever has the highest percentage of published authors and editors. If you don't, go to what you can. Start local. Panels can vary pretty wildly (I got the job because I complained about the writing panels one too many times), but if you don't see what you want covered, talk to the folks putting on the event. We really do listen. And go up to authors afterwards, if they're not rushing off to their next event, you'll have a lot easier time holding a conversation than you will in the dealer's rooms. There will be people there of all experience levels - not only in writing skill, but the range of their interaction as well, so be ready for that. We had just finished up a "how to get better" panel where every panelist siad "you're going to start off lovely, just keep at it" in one way or another, and were taking questions. One guy stood up and said "You way we all start off bad, but I shared my first story with the 1632 fan community and they said I was great, so what do you say about that?"  So you'll meet all types. But talk to authors, ask specific questions (especially of editors and publishers), smile and accept their swag when they give it out (you will never want for a bookmark again), and even buy a couple of their books if you like what they're doing. And go to a "Tales from the Slushpile" if they're having one, you'll feel a lot better about your work (and sanity) afterwards.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 05:43
|
|
|
Dumb novel revision update 3343 words written today on it, nearing the end of chapter 3, 11798 words total. It's shaping up! I think this opening is a lot stronger than what I had before, but it's also a lot slower in a few respects. This is likely going to be a fair bit longer than the first attempt.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 07:38
|
|
|
If I'm just getting into writing (like within the last few weeks), would it be wise to sign up for the Thunderdome even though my writing skills probably have as much polish as week old cow pie?
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 15:44
|
|
|
Xelkelvos posted:If I'm just getting into writing (like within the last few weeks), would it be wise to sign up for the Thunderdome even though my writing skills probably have as much polish as week old cow pie? If it's something that appeals to you, go for it. It can only help you improve, and hey, worst case scenario, you get a nifty avatar.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 15:50
|
|
|
Xelkelvos posted:If I'm just getting into writing (like within the last few weeks), would it be wise to sign up for the Thunderdome even though my writing skills probably have as much polish as week old cow pie? I'm still very new to this and just did my first TD entry. It was a really good motivator, and you get some good crits in the thread, though they don't really treat anyone with kid gloves. Personally that's what I was looking for, my writer friends give decent feedback but they're terrified of being honest where it hurts.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 16:31
|
|
|
After The War posted:And go to a "Tales from the Slushpile" if they're having one, you'll feel a lot better about your work (and sanity) afterwards. yeah i read a lot of stuff about like... what people submit and i go "okay, i've probably cleared 50% of the minefield already..." ill probably make some really boneheaded mistake somewhere along the line though in my submission period. thanks for the tips (and thats to both zaepho and you). is there a good list of local literary stuff (obviously filtered by like, state or something) by any chance? i live right outside of nyc so i can attend that kind of stuff on weekends in that circle too. anime was right fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Sep 21, 2017 |
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 17:54
|
|
|
After The War posted:There will be people there of all experience levels - not only in writing skill, but the range of their interaction as well, so be ready for that. We had just finished up a "how to get better" panel where every panelist siad "you're going to start off lovely, just keep at it" in one way or another, and were taking questions. One guy stood up and said "You way we all start off bad, but I shared my first story with the 1632 fan community and they said I was great, so what do you say about that?" I really want to read this guy's story.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 18:15
|
|
|
Naerasa posted:I really want to read this guy's story. you're not ready for its genius
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 18:36
|
|
|
the old ceremony posted:you know what? writing is weird and kinda sucks. im writing a scene where a woman of size fucks a polar bear and now i guess i have to watch a bunch of videos of women of size loving polar bears so i can describe it accurately???? 😰 wow my post has been turned into a substitution meme. im flattered really. this must be what being published feels like #blessed
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 18:37
|
|
|
fridge corn posted:wow my post has been turned into a substitution meme. im flattered really. this must be what being published feels like #blessed Good artists copy, great artists steal
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 18:44
|
|
|
brag to your writing group about becoming a meme on the something's awful creative commons forum
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 18:51
|
|
|
anime was right posted:you're not ready for its genius I'll probably never be ready...
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 20:38
|
|
|
So I'm conflicted on this. I am very, very serious about trying to get my project published, and I want to get it as good as I can possibly take it. Should I just keep posting chapters as I get them done to my thread? Get proper critiques from people that bother to look them over? I should be able to remove them later on if it, hopefully!, becomes an issue. but I'm not sure anyone would really want that. I think I'm on the right track but I am so loving in my own headspace with the story it's kind of hard to say for certain.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 21:10
|
|
|
Burkion posted:So I'm conflicted on this. I would find a few people willing to read the whole thing, and share it with them privately. If you can afford it, a freelance editor is also worth looking into.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 21:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 10:21 |
|
|
Naerasa posted:I really want to read this guy's story. I'm sure you can, and a million like it, but once you venture into the 1632 hole, you can never return. I'm sure publishing historians will look back on the strata of submitters who thought they were hot poo poo because they were in the "Grantsville Gazette" and shudder. Although I do love that this is the first thing you see if you look the series up on Wikipdia: 
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2017 21:31
|
|