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Nitrousoxide posted:How much do you prep before starting writing? Like I have some general themes and ideas for the characters of a story, but the story arcs and locations of the book are not set at all. Should I have an outline of all the chapters before I starting writing the first word of the introduction? The answer is: it depends. Not only from author to author, but even from book to book. Every novel I've written has been planned and executed differently; you just have to go with what works, not only for you, but for each individual project. Like neongrey said, you'll just have to start with one or the other, and adjust as your needs and workflow beome more apparent. quote:I also have a problem with throwing out pretty much every idea because it's not loving groundbreaking Issac Asimov stuff. I know you don't need to be a goddamn genre bending genius to write a book, but I feel like if I'm not doing mind-blowing poo poo I should just go home. A terrible idea that gets parlayed into an actual, complete novel has a real chance at being successful. (We've all seen them.) A "brilliant" idea has no value--and no chance of success--so long as it only floats around in your brain. Don't worry about the quality of your 'ideas'. Sit down and do the work.
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Mar 2, 2014 07:49
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWYCTwGZBm0&feature=youtu.be&t=2m31s
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Mar 19, 2014 06:15
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Elfdude, take from the following post what you will, but know that I'm not going to go back and forth with you. You've already wasted everyone else's time as it is. elfdude posted:On the other hand telling me that I suck as a writer offers me no clear steps to improve. You might as well tell me to go back to school or replace my brain. I read a few of your stories and found them to be of very poor quality. You have received critiques with great advice on how to improve, and your time would be better spent in applying these suggestions, as it does you no good to spend so much time here informing us of how difficult it is to offend you because of your many accomplishments. I will not tell you to go back to school, and I will not tell you to replace your brain--but I will tell you that your writing is weak and ineffectual; this is not a judgment of you as a person, but rather of your ability as a writer. From what you have posted here, your biggest flaw--in addition to what you've already been told by others--is your usage of flimsy rhetoric. It is difficult to parse what you mean to say, because you employ a pretentious and mannered style that doesn't say anything. The disease present in your writing has no more visible symptom than the following four words (taken from your last post): elfdude posted:I'd agree with this. You would agree with it? Based on what? Do you or don't you agree? What is wrong with saying "I agree with this"? Do you understand how flimsy and obnoxious this is? Your posts and stories are littered with this, and readers do not take kindly to unclear authors, especially those overmuch in love with meaningless words. elfdude posted:I would agree with you. elfdude posted:I suppose if I had to characterize how he hates himself I would say it'd be a sense of not valuing himself. elfdude posted:Yeah, I would agree with that. I would attribute nearly all of my grammar understanding to reading. There are ten more examples of this annoying tic from this thread alone. As JuniperCakes and many others have noted, you say things you don't intend, and fail to say things you apparently meant to say. That is the output of weak rhetoric, of flabby sentences stuffed to the brim with a great deal of nothing. Know what you want to say, and then write something plain. Use simple, declarative sentences. Learn to talk before you try to sing.
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Mar 19, 2014 09:08
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Sithsaber posted:I was thinking that tiny doses of run on sentences instead of periods and semicolons quickly express my roaming train of thought. All too often, some people attempt to make an argument by attacking and insulting those who hold opposing views. Mr. Sithsaber's remonstrations are a perfect example. Before I launch into my main topic, I want to make a few matters crystal-clear: (1) Sithsaber brandishes the word “crystallographically” as a kind of up-to-date jack-o'-lantern to scare children, and (2) as a result of that, the world would be a much better place to live if Sithsaber just stopped trying to feed us ever-larger doses of his lies and crackpot assumptions. Now that you know where I stand on those issues, I can safely say that I want to thank him for his surmises. They give me an excellent opportunity to illustrate just how feral Sithsaber can be. Life isn't fair. We've all known this since the beginning of time, so why is he so compelled to complain about situations over which he has no control? The complete answer to that question is a long, sad story. I've answered parts of that question in several of my previous letters, and I'll answer other parts in future ones. For now, I'll just say that it's easy enough to hate him any day of the week on general principles. But now I'll tell you about some very specific things that he is up to, things that ought to make a real Sithsaber-hater out of you. First off, he has a well-exercised contempt for other cultures. The mere mention of that fact guarantees that this letter will never get published in any mass-circulation periodical over which Sithsaber has any control. But that's inconsequential because honor means nothing to Sithsaber. Principles mean nothing to Sithsaber. All he cares about is how best to use our weaknesses to his advantage. Whenever there's an argument about Sithsaber's devotion to principles and to freedom, all one has to do is point out that we have our work cut out for us. That should settle the argument pretty quickly. When I hear Sithsaber's blackshirts parrot the party line—that our elected officials should be available for purchase by special-interest groups—I see them not as people but as machines. The appropriate noises are coming out of their larynges, but their brains are not involved as they would be if they were thinking about how Sithsaber surely wants me to develop an eating disorder. If I did, I'm sure the chortles from Sithsaber and his band would be rich and prolonged, especially given how Sithsaber adamantly maintains that Man's eternal search for Truth is a challenge to be avoided at all costs. Such beliefs would be entirely factual if it weren't for reality. As it stands, Sithsaber's notions are destructive. They're morally destructive, socially destructive—even intellectually destructive. And, as if that weren't enough, Sithsaber makes a living out of Maoism. I call this tactic of his “entrepreneurial Maoism”. Sithsaber and his toadies have indubitably raised entrepreneurial Maoism to a fine art by using it to establish a world government complete with a world army, a world parliament, a world court, and numerous other agencies that subvert time-tested societal norms. We must stop tiptoeing and begin marching boldly and forthrightly towards our goal, which is to lead us all toward a better, brighter future. Double standards are always domineering. Nevertheless, I can state with absolute certainty that I call upon Sithsaber to stop his oppression, lies, immorality, and debauchery. I call upon him to be a man of manners, principles, honour, and purity. And finally, I call upon him to forgo his desire to let advanced weaponry fall into the hands of the worst sorts of loud snobs there are. If anything, he is squarely in favor of antagonism and its propensity to let antisocial lowbrows serve as our overlords. This is so typical of Sithsaber: he condemns bigotry and injustice except when it benefits him personally. While he has been beating the drums of communism, I've been trying to take stock of what we know, identify areas for further research, and provide a useful starting point for debate on his unforgiving projects. In doing so, I've learned that Sithsaber says that he would sooner give up money, fame, power, and happiness than perform a horny act. Although Sithsaber indeed cut that statement out of whole cloth, it's easy for us to shake our heads at his foolishness and cowardice. It's easy for us to exclaim that we should bring important information about his hectoring writings into the limelight. It's easy for us to say, “From the very beginning, rotten, cruel mob bosses have labored to recruit into their ranks the sons and daughters of the powerful, famous, and rich.” The point is that it's easy for us to say these things because there is something grievously wrong with those wily publicity hounds who demand special treatment that, in many cases, borders on the ridiculous. Shame on the lot of them! Sithsaber has been trying for some time to convince people that he has been robbed of all he does not possess. Don't believe his hype! Sithsaber has just been offering that line as a means to oppose the visceral views of 98 percent of the nation's citizens. I hereby publicly condemn his Pecksniffian, tartarean activities. In doing so, I publicly proclaim that it's undoubtedly astounding that Sithsaber has somehow found a way to work the words “interparenthetically” and “archaeopterygiformes” into his policies. However, you may find it even more astounding that he claims that the Scriptures are responsible for his infernal thoughts and fancies. This eisegetical fantasy is not only foolish, but it fails to consider that I hate it when people get their facts utterly wrong. For instance, whenever I hear some corporate fat cat make noises about how the cure for evil is more evil, I can't help but think that in my observations upon sciolism, I have expressed no opinion thus far of the mode of its extinguishment or melioration. I will note, however, though I still have nothing to propose, that I must admit that I've read only a small fraction of Sithsaber's writings. (As a well-known aphorism states, it is not necessary to eat all of an apple to learn that it is rotten.) Nevertheless, I've read enough of Sithsaber's writings to know that my goal is to get Sithsaber to realize that his warnings are as appealing as braces, acne, and a wooden leg at the senior prom. Of course, if he insists on remaining an ignorant, uninformed, and ill-informed spiv, that's his prerogative. Don't kid yourself: I'm sure Sithsaber wouldn't want me to eavesdrop on his secret conversations. So why does he want to shock and stampede the public into accepting total fascist tyranny? He doesn't want you to know the answer to that question; he wants to ensure you don't reach the broadest possible audience with the message that this is an exceptionally convincing illustration of the power wielded by Sithsaber and of the destructive way in which he uses that power. Is it any wonder that juxtaposed to this is the idea that he is bound to have a rude awakening when he finally realizes how few people approve of his militant, ribald bromides? He has already begun lowering scholastic standards. I wish I were joking, but I'm not. What's more, finding the best way to test the assumptions that underlie Sithsaber's philippics is a challenging problem indeed. We must therefore tackle this problem with more determination, more tenacity, and more fanaticism than it has ever been tackled before. Only then will people realize that there appears to be some disagreement in the community regarding the number of times that Sithsaber has been seen emptying the meaning of such concepts as “self,” “justice,” “freedom,” and other profundities. Some say once; some say five times; some say a dozen times or more. The point is not to quibble over numbers or anything like that but rather to clarify that Sithsaber's bilious plans for the future are anchored in the divisiveness of the past. Have you noticed that that hasn't been covered at all by the mainstream media? Maybe they're afraid that Sithsaber will retaliate by tricking our children into adopting unconventional, disapproved-of opinions and ways of life. Impolitic scofflaws have increasingly been practicing human sacrifice on a grand scale in some sort of sappy death cult. Sithsaber has a lot to answer for in regard to that. His “I'm right and you're wrong” attitude is querulous because it leaves no room for compromise. To give the devil his due, I'm impressed with how efficiently Sithsaber manages to sully a profession that's already held in low esteem, especially given that the implications of this are obvious. To spell it out, though, if today we don't issue a call to conscience and reason, then tomorrow we'll have to put up with him changing children's values from those taught in the home to those considered chic by garrulous dopeheads. Let me go on record as saying that he has nothing but contempt for you, and you don't even know it. That's why I feel obligated to inform you that he has no fixed ethical principles. I put that observation into this letter just to let you see that to get even the simplest message into the consciousness of invidious, narrow-minded phlyarologists it has to be repeated at least fifty times. Now, I don't want to insult your intelligence by telling you the following fifty times, but in his quest to persecute the innocent and let the guilty go unpunished he has left no destructive scheme unutilized. I'm not a psychiatrist. Sometimes, though, I wish I were, so that I could better understand what makes people like Sithsaber want to take over society's eyes, ears, mind, and spirit. Given the doolally political rhetoric of our times, he is out to foster suspicion—if not hatred—of “outsiders”. And when we play his game, we become accomplices. Sithsaber's servitors have been staggering around like punch-drunk fighters hit too many times—stunned, confused, betrayed, and trying desperately to rationalize Sithsaber's heartless, unmannerly cajoleries. It is not a pretty sight. I once told Sithsaber that he bases his announcements on the belief that one hallmark of an advanced culture is the rejection of rationalism. How did he respond to that? He proceeded to curse me off using a number of colorful expletives not befitting this letter, which serves only to show that we need to hinder the power of feckless backstabbers like Sithsaber. Why? Because of what's at stake: literally everything. Sithsaber has indicated that if we don't let him dress up his profit motive in the cloak of selfless altruism then he'll be forced to silence any criticism of the brainwashing and double standards that he has increasingly been practicing. That's like putting rabid attack dogs in silk suits. In other words, Sithsaber has issued us a thinly veiled threat that's intended primarily to scare us away from the realization that many of us are too naïve and trusting. It takes a lot of convincing to get us to see a person as inherently appalling or inherently squalid. Alas, Sithsaber is doing all he can to provide us with unmistakable proof that he is inherently both. For instance, Sithsaber is addicted to the feeling of power, to the idea of controlling people. Sadly, he has no real concern for the welfare or the destiny of the people he desires to lead. Given that this was true long before the latest scandal broke, he is presumptively eager to promote mediocrity over merit. Socrates was condemned to death by the city of Athens for his views. I hope I don't receive the same treatment for saying that some oppressive, headstrong demagogues are actually considering helping Sithsaber distract attention from more important issues. How quickly such people forget that they were lied to, made fun of, and ridiculed by Sithsaber on numerous occasions. Knowledge is the key that unlocks the shackles of bondage. That's why it's important for you to know that I don't see how Sithsaber can build a workable policy around wishful thinking draped over a morass of confusion (and also, as we'll see below, historical illiteracy), then impose it willy-nilly on a population by force. I'm not saying that it can't possibly be done but rather that Sithsaber should think about how his outbursts lead noxious, insufferable curmudgeons to change the course of history. If Sithsaber doesn't want to think that hard, perhaps he should just keep quiet. All right, I think I've said enough about how you'll never hear Mr. Sithsaber admit he made a mistake. I'd be curious to see if Sithsaber has a persuasive rebuttal.
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Jul 9, 2014 06:51
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Chairchucker posted:What Chillmatic posted reads a lot like one of those auto generated insults You're right, it did! quote:and adds nothing to the thread. You're right, it didn't! Oxxidation posted:But yeah, that appears to be a c/p'd EVE Online rant with Sithsaber's name dropped into it, which raises disquieting questions about EVE players. I don't know what EVE is, but  http://www.pakin.org/complaint/
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Jul 9, 2014 14:44
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Sithsaber posted:My crazy joke was just me poking fun at how quickly that guy withdrew his critique once I revealed my skin color. Your writing is bad and you suck a lot.
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Jul 15, 2014 04:54
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Dear Author, We greatly enjoyed reading your submitted MS, entitled "gently caress This Gay Earth". Unfortunately we believe the market saturation for 'Gay Earth' type novels to be currently beyond our target goals for this fiscal year. Would you be willing to work with one of our editor-interns and resubmit this as a "Darn this dumb earth" young adult 3-book dystopian series? We believe this could be a great fit. Sincerely, all the dicks, a million dicks per second, The Editors of All Things Published.
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Aug 25, 2014 04:06
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PoshAlligator posted:I feel for the first time in a long while that my confidence in a project is waning, but it's the furthest through a novel project I've ever been. Is this just normal? It's absolutely normal. At this stage it can be very difficult to maintain the right balance of perspective and reality, but you have to believe in what you're doing and continue on. Novel-length projects are rough on self-esteem and confidence; there's no way around that. Once you're finished with the first draft, you can better evaluate where you're at and decide whether or not this is something you want to refine and push forward with. Hang in there--and for what it's worth... quote:It's a sort of Victoriana alternate history (like steampunky) detective novel. ...I'd read that.
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Aug 26, 2014 05:25
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TheRamblingSoul posted:When is it appropriate to focus on describing nature or weather in a story? I've read advice saying that you should by-and-large avoid describing or writing about nature or weather since it is really cliche, but what about like with Grapes of Wrath where Steinbeck spends several pages (the first chapter?) describing the clouds passing over Oklahoma before getting to the Joad family? A long time ago, authors included a lot of description of seemingly mundane settings in their work simply because books were a cheap form of travel. Most of Steinbeck's readers wouldn't have ever been to Oklahoma, and so a detailed description would have been fascinating to them. Usually the older a book is, the 'worse' it is in this regard. Today the world is smaller and this no longer applies. People travel more, and in addition can quickly and easily look up a picture of Oklahoma if they're really curious to see what it looks like. (Which I can't ever imagine happening in this case, but y'know) People today know what rain looks like, what clouds look like, and what jungles and cities and deserts and faraway mountains look like. Everyone's advice is spot-on: try to include only information that tells the reader something interesting about either the world itself or, more importantly, how a character sees it. If your book takes place in a truly unique scifi/fantasy setting, then you'll naturally need to give more detail about it--but the rule still applies. Green mountains with purple snow are not that much more interesting than regular mountains with regular snow. Sitting Here posted:Q: I'm writing a story in past tense, but there is about a page where the narrator is reflecting on a previous event in past-perfect tense (like, "he had waited" instead of "he waited"). Without seeing an example, I can't really imagine another way to do it. Sometimes you can soften the ear-fatigue brought on by 'had' by using contractions i.e. "He'd gone to the store; they'd been arguing" etc. Chillmatic fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Sep 9, 2014 |
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Sep 9, 2014 00:43
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