Creative Chat Thread

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Exmond: May 31, 2007; Writing is fun!

Sharpest Crayon posted:

Real question: are there really that many right-wing artists and creatives? Seems sort of a redundant classification.

I mean it's possible they exist and I just haven't run into them, kinda like I didn't really believe that you could get an artist without crippling mental health problems before I did a shoutout in the daily doodles thread and found out that there's at least one.

Counterpoint:

https://theoutline.com/post/1433/who-watches-the-men-hillarys-escape?zd=1&zi=sqtl7ypd

# ¿ Jun 22, 2018 17:25

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 05:43

Exmond: May 31, 2007; Writing is fun!

Tollymain posted:

i havent really managed to create anything in years and im hoping starting on adderall gives me enough focus and drive to do thing

As a person who has ADHD, I hope you can find the strength to focus on the things you love without Adderall.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2018 00:21

Exmond: May 31, 2007; Writing is fun!

Antivehicular posted:

Apologies in advance if this post comes off as self-pitying, but: what do people here do to push through creative plateaus?

For the past few months or so, I feel like my writing has been kind of stuck. Not in a writer's-block sense -- I can get ideas and write them -- but in the sense that things don't feel very inspired, and the final product is just kind of... okay. Writing isn't miserable or anything, but the experience and product just feel workmanlike, and it's discouraging to think that I'm just barfing out Okay Words and not writing anything of real value. I know the answer is probably that I'm just on a plateau at the moment and need to keep writing and pushing through it, but I'd appreciate some advice.

I'm pretty sure you dislike me, but here are some words that I hope will help:

It sounds like you are stuck in a rut. I think writers live off of appreciation and hardship, so mix it up. I like SebMojo's idea, get drunk, write a crazy story just for your drunk friends. They will give you a different kind of appreciation.

You could also go down the hardship route, and aim to get published or get an award. I find it focuses me and makes the writing process more enjoyable but also opens up my mind on the difficulties in writing other fiction, which in turn makes me appreciate the writing process even more.

Personally, I think you are an amazing writer, and that you should be published if you aren't already.

Alternatively, if you are looking for inspiration, I would suggest going to either real-life writers meet up, and discussing your work, or expanding your learning opportunities: take classes, go to conferences, network.

If you want, you could also become a slush reader. That is a lot of work, but you can be a meaningful cog in the publication process, and you appreciate what goes into writing a story.

Finally, and the best thing I can recommend is to read your favorite story again. Turn off the critic, turn off whatever little nagging voice is in your head, and enjoy reading. Enjoy this moment, treasure it, and realize that your stories too, will bring that same moment to others.

Exmond fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Nov 26, 2019

# ¿ Nov 26, 2019 17:06

Exmond: May 31, 2007; Writing is fun!

Zamboni Rodeo posted:

Question for the writers. I skimmed through the thread and didn't really see anything like this addressed, so: how do you handle feedback/critiques from beta readers?

I finally got a piece to a finished state after spending the better part of a year beating my head against it, tearing it all down, completely rewriting it, deciding it was poo poo and wondering why the gently caress I was bothering, and then somehow pushing through all of it to come up with something that's actually submittable. I've got some beta readers looking at it and overall I'm getting generally positive feedback with some good critiques.

The problem I'm running into is, how do you keep it from becoming a case of too many cooks spoiling the soup? I could simply shake my head and say "no, this is perfect the way it is, gently caress you, I'm not changing it," but that's not going to give me the strongest possible version of the story (and also not help me grow as a writer). On the other hand, if I took every single person's piece of advice, I'd end up with a very watered-down version of what I started with as a result of trying to please everybody. And let's face it, there's always gonna be someone out there somewhere who hates your work no matter what.

So the question I have is, when it comes to feedback/critiques, how do you determine what reader suggestions might be good to incorporate into a final draft, and what to ignore? For example, if two or three readers mention the same thing, then clearly that's something you should probably address, but if one reader says "well, you said this character's hair was green and I really just think they should have purple hair instead" ... yeah, maybe you can pass on that one. But it's all the other stuff in the middle. How do you determine the signal-to-noise ratio in your feedback and stay true to your original piece?

The most important person to give you feedback is: The person who is buying your book or the person you are writing the book to. Those people trump what other's say.

Next up is what people are reading: If they are reading the start, and they are complaining its boring, then yeah I'd take that to heart. If it's a cooldown scene, midway through your book, and they say they aren't invested, I'll still listen to them, but also keep in mind that this is midway through my novel, where the reader should already be invested in the character.

Audience matters as well, if someone unfamiliar with the genre says your book is refreshing and amazing, I'd let out a cheer and then promptly focus back on what someone familiar with the genre says. As well, if someone familiar with the genre says you are falling into a trope, you may want to embrace that trope or not. Really depends on what you want to do with the piece. How familiar someone is with your genre can impact how you should apply their critique.

Finally, the bit nobody wants to hear, nor should you appear to have this attitude is.. It's your story, and all writers have to be arrogant. There is going to be some point where you have to ignore critique and push forward and share it.

Regardless, the correct way to take critique is to say thank you, and I can tell you the times I haven't followed this advice have cost me.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2019 18:04

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