|
Demesne
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2023 19:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 17:18 |
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:Use demesne sebmojo posted:Demesne ty, ty hadn't crossed paths with this one before
|
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2023 02:39
|
|
|
Say 'shrievalty'!!!
|
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2023 19:58
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:Oh actually - read the story out loud. When you're bored or thinking "oh my god do I have to read all this before I get to X", cut. Better yet, get someone else to read it, or use a text to speech app. I hear a TON of stuff I would have missed that way. It also forces my mind into a sort of 3rd person mode so I can hear awkward phrasing and repetitive words.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2023 00:20
|
|
|
I could not stand to hear another person read my work aloud, I've never made it more than a few seconds into the audiobooks  We had to cast a reader for an upcoming book recently and I don't think I made it past two sentences into any of the auditions. I sure hope that sentence was diagnostic!
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2023 07:32
|
|
|
Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2023 17:56
|
|
|
The Sean posted:Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos. https://www.youtube.com/@BookEndsLiterary Book Ends Literary does a discussion topic every week. They are two agents, one named Faust. I like the agency and who they have signed / what they have published.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2023 18:39
|
|
|
The Sean posted:Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos. Youtube is not great for writing advice, IMO. The best, ironically, would be the Sanderson fantasy novel writing course. (You can argue about him as an author, but I'd say he's pretty solid as a teacher of basic stuff.) Other than that, I'd suggest paying for audible and listening to audio versions of recommended writing books.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2023 21:36
|
|
|
The Sean posted:Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos. I find the stuff that the We Are Not Alive (formerly DireGentlemen) channel puts out good for listening to while doing other stuff. They're a bit broader than just fiction writing advice but they've got a specific playlist for their videos discussing writing advice (good and bad, professional and amateur). Professionally I think they focus almost exclusively on script writing (TV, film, radio play podcasts) but you almost wouldn't know it from their videos - it's nearly all medium (format?) agnostic.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2023 23:12
|
|
|
maybe not perfect but I do like OverlySarcasticProduction's Trope Talks.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 02:45
|
|
|
I very much doubt the use of someone called overlysarcasticproduction in a program entitled Trope Talks in creating writing that is worth reading.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 03:28
|
|
|
The Sean posted:Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos. I think Leng has a youtube channel, though its mostly write along sessions.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 06:22
|
|
|
The Sean posted:Does anyone have recs for fiction writing youtubes? I like to listen while I do chores etc but I can really only find screenplay-writing videos. Megazver posted:Youtube is not great for writing advice, IMO. The best, ironically, would be the Sanderson fantasy novel writing course. (You can argue about him as an author, but I'd say he's pretty solid as a teacher of basic stuff.) This. But there are two booktube channels that do good discussions of the mechanics of writing: Unresolved Textual Tension* (run by a group of friends with Actual Degrees in English, they do very in-depth book reviews including hilarious book roasts and rewrites) and A Critical Dragon (a developmental editor and also a beta reader for Steven Erikson). *I love these guys and I agree with most of their takes but sometimes they also completely miss the point because I vociferously disagree with their reviews on a select few books that I enjoyed a lot. DropTheAnvil posted:I think Leng has a youtube channel, though its mostly write along sessions. I do have a YT channel but I do not do writing advice because I do not feel like I am qualified to give writing advice. I have Many Opinions on self-publishing advice though. And also sometimes I run livestreams that are peer critique sessions. So far, it's been blurbs because everybody always has blurbs to critique.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 06:36
|
|
|
I think the best bang for your buck is to just listen to author interviews. George Saunders is frequently interviewed; Ursula K. Le Guin was as well. Podcasts like Bookworm (with Michael Silverblatt) and Between the Covers have a veritable treasure trove of author interviews. Just think of an author you respect and search for "[author name] interview" on youtube or spotify and listen away; they tend to run between 20 minutes to an hour and a half. Not all the interviews are going to blow you away, or even necessarily be directly about the craft of writing, and some authors are better interviewees than others. But listening to authors talk about their own work, or just hearing some of the details of their lives and seeing how it connects to what they write, can be really enlightening and wonderful. Another approach would be using Audible or a free library app like Libby to download audiobooks of books on writing. Lots of authors have a book or two about craft or at least about being a writer. Some recommendations: Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders Daemon Voices by Phillip Pullman On Writing by Stephen King What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann There are also some that are a bit more explicitly how-to books, such as: The Lie That Tells a Truth by John Dufresne Naming the World by Bret Anthony Johnston How to Write Best-Selling Fiction by James Scott Bell Cephas fucked around with this message at 13:19 on Oct 23, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 06:55
|
|
|
OSP is mostly known for their history, mythology, and lit videos. Trope Talks is just Red taking the methods she uses to research myths and literature and applying them to looking up the history and functionality of, well, tropes. I wouldn't say they're all that useful for writing advice but if you were curious about the origins of queer-coding in media thanks to the Hays Code or how you can trace almost the exact decade a work was written based on how its setting conceives of communications technology, or magic where appropriate, Red's got you covered.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 07:02
|
|
|
Cephas posted:I think the best bang for your buck is to just listen to author interviews. George Saunders is frequently interviewed; Ursula K. Le Guin was as well. Podcasts like Bookworm (with Michael Silverblatt) and Between the Covers have a veritable treasure trove of author interviews. Just think of an author you respect and search for "[author name] interview" on youtube or spotify and listen away; they tend to run between 20 minutes to an hour and a half. Not all the interviews are going to blow you away, or even necessarily be directly about the craft of writing, and some authors are better interviewees than others. But listening to authors talk about their own work, or just hearing some of the details of their lives and seeing how it connects to what they write, can be really enlightening and wonderful. I really liked Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook if we're throwing out recommendations. I'm not the biggest fan of his prose but the essays and interviews throughout are very informative
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 13:57
|
|
|
A new one to add in that mix is Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer by J Michael Straczynski. It's an excellent source of advice on things that I've never seen in another book, like what it really means to decide to write, what actually happens behind the scenes (especially in the TV industry), and what things to expect to go sideways and how to deal with it. If you're looking for style and writing nuts and bolts, he purposely ignores those things citing many other great sources (as we have here). There's even a chapter addressed the family/friends/partners of writers. It talks about what a writer goes through, how to support them, and how absolutely necessary writing can be. It's a fantastic thing (yes, after I let me wife read it, I peeked - shame on me). Also there's a collection of Stephen King's essays on fiction and writing, Secret Windows which is more nerdy and deeper than On Writing (which I will pile on with a recommendation as well.) Doctor Zero fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Oct 23, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 16:49
|
|
|
I can't wait for the Patriots to turn on the nanomachines and eradicate the idea of 'tropes' from human discourse
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 16:56
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:I can't wait for the Patriots to turn on the nanomachines and eradicate the idea of 'tropes' from human discourse Belichick no longer holds the keys to the SOP System
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 20:03
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:I can't wait for the Patriots to turn on the nanomachines and eradicate the idea of 'tropes' from human discourse Tropes, Jack. The DNA of the soul. They shape our will. They are the culture — they are everything we pass on.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 20:24
|
|
|
What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues?
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 01:58
|
|
|
DropTheAnvil posted:What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues? I have literally never heard of this “rule” before. Writing is fun.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 02:11
|
|
|
DropTheAnvil posted:What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues? Because it sounds bad to say quote:A gerund he ran down the stairs, three at a time, but it was too late. A gerund the delivery driver had already left. A gerund taking the pizza. A gerund the pre-paid pizza. A gerund with the last of his paycheck. A gerund that was supposed to last three days--and now they'd be fasting days. A gerund again. A gerund gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 02:16
|
|
|
DropTheAnvil posted:What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues? Doing it five times in a row gets annoying, and sometimes it's an easy way to misplace the participle. ("Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me." Grammar nerds would say it's the stairs that are sentient. There are probably sentences where both readings make sense and there's real confusion.)
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 02:21
|
|
|
I don't know what a gerund is and absolutely refuse to learn. That way sounds like a way to learn about bad things that suck rear end.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 02:28
|
|
|
Wungus posted:I don't know what a gerund is and absolutely refuse to learn. That way sounds like a way to learn about bad things that suck rear end. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 02:36
|
|
|
Thranguy posted:Doing it five times in a row gets annoying, and sometimes it's an easy way to misplace the participle. ("Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me." Grammar nerds would say it's the stairs that are sentient. There are probably sentences where both readings make sense and there's real confusion.) 
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 03:34
|
|
|
Thranguy posted:Doing it five times in a row gets annoying, and sometimes it's an easy way to misplace the participle. ("Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me." Grammar nerds would say it's the stairs that are sentient. There are probably sentences where both readings make sense and there's real confusion.) Doesn’t really matter in an example where the subject is so clearly “me” when the stairs are obviously not sentient though. Any argument that requires such a ridiculous premise as “that means the stairs are sentient haha wheeeze” is dumb as hell, and grammar nerds can get in line to be wedgied E. It’s like when some old editor complains about the phrase “threw up his hands” because “teehee did he barf them? hahaha writers are so dumb” when everyone knows exactly what that sentence loving means, come on (Not that I’m yelling at you OP — I’m talking bout thos fukkin nerds) Stuporstar fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Oct 24, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 03:51
|
|
|
If grammar nerds ain't angry at my poo poo then I got more writtin to did
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 04:21
|
|
|
Anything's bad if you overuse it. I had the gerund problem early on, but I was lucky to have a friend proofread it and say it read "ing-ing-ly." So that made me aware of it, and consequently I turned it down a little.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 05:11
|
|
|
DropTheAnvil posted:What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues? Nothing. What's a gerund with you?
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 13:47
|
|
|
DropTheAnvil posted:What's the reason to not start sentences with a gerund? For the life of me I can't remember why people were against it. IIRC, it was that starting with a -ing word can cause some grammar issues? Like every other writing rule it's not "never do that" but rather "know what you're doing, and then do it with/on purpose." Thranguy posted:Doing it five times in a row gets annoying, and sometimes it's an easy way to misplace the participle. ("Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me." Grammar nerds would say it's the stairs that are sentient.) Never heard anyone talk about sentience in relation to this. The issue is with sentences like this: Talking in a low, deep voice, John said "why the gently caress did you, the writer, just tell the reader what a character did before telling them who that character is?" It's putting the action before the actor. Which can be great if you're intentionally loading a sentence with suspense, or purposefully trying to obscure who is doing what. But this gets messier when numerous characters/entities are present in scene. The stairs example above is common in amateur writing and is usually just an accident; often the writer is trying to reduce repetition in their sentence structure/ length/pace, or to give a character a 'fancy' voice. In most cases there are more ideal approaches. Chillmatic fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Oct 24, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 14:11
|
|
|
Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me. It is a refreshing change from the psychotic stairs in my childhood home. Where they became ramps or knives at their whim, based on some sick form of humor, these are more Vulcan than Klingon. They do not throw me out the window. They allow my traversal. I have but a small time to convince them to only promise this safety to me, before the others arrive.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 16:36
|
|
|
Wungus posted:Being of sound mind and body, the stairs in the house are no danger to me. It is a refreshing change from the psychotic stairs in my childhood home. Where they became ramps or knives at their whim, based on some sick form of humor, these are more Vulcan than Klingon. They do not throw me out the window. They allow my traversal. I have but a small time to convince them to only promise this safety to me, before the others arrive. So you’ve experienced my dreams then. However elevators are far more terrifying tricksy beasts
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 16:44
|
|
|
Thanking everyone with a response, he then went back to writing. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 04:00
|
|
|
https://electricliterature.com/we-need-more-non-binary-characters-who-arent-aliens-robots-or-monsters/ Solid piece on how NB rep shouldn't stop at robots, monsters and aliens. Somebody fucked around with this message at 09:35 on Oct 28, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 02:38
|
|
|
There is a NaNoWriMo thread for those who are interested in participating!
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 09:36
|
|
|
Junpei posted:https://electricliterature.com/we-need-more-non-binary-characters-who-arent-aliens-robots-or-monsters/ Hey, thanks for posting this! It also links to an article recommending books with gender-nonconforming characters which is what I'm here to ask about. This was a good start, but these articles are from 2018 and I'm hoping there's been a lot of new stuff since then. The book I'm planning to write next will have a non-binary protagonist and since this identity will come up in the plot (the whole thing is an exploration of liminal states, in which everyone thinks the protag's NB-ness is a liminal state, but, surprise, it isn't!), I want to make sure I handle it well. Does anyone here have recommendations for (spec-fic preferred) books they've read with NB characters they felt did an excellent job of representation? More articles, talks or workshops that discuss handling gender and NB concerns would also be greatly appreciated! For context, I am NB but I have only my own experience that I am most definitely still coming to understand. So I would appreciate learning as much as I can before I go presuming to represent others with a single character.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 13:44
|
|
|
While the use of he/him for the neutral pronoun colors the text, it's somewhat unavoidable for a book that was written in the late 1960s, I highly recommend checking out Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness for a entire planet of gender neutral / non-binary humans reckoning with the freaky (to them) cis guy who comes from space to try and invite the planets civilizations into an interplanetary accord Le Guin never misses.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 14:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 17:18 |
|
|
Yeah the default pronoun thing is a shame but it's very good.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 20:22
|
|