Current Events > Writing topic part 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

No trolls allowed this time.

Anyway, about to hit 5,000 words in my newest project. Pretty excited about this one.

What's everyone working on?
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Also, what's everyone reading?

I'm almost finished with Swann's Way, then I've got Brave New World, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and Frankenstein.
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who posted
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Someone quote whoever posted. I kind of ignored like 10 people from the other topic.
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I'm working on a novel but it's going really slowly

Reading Schopenhauer right now, it's ok
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catboy0_0 posted...

who posted

When should you start writing?

When you have life experience? Education? Travelled to many places?
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MedeaLysistrata posted...

I'm working on a novel but it's going really slowly

Reading Schopenhauer right now, it's ok

Nice. Progress is progress! I don't anticipate finishing this one for the rest of the year. Going to take my time and make it exactly what I want it to be.
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LightningAce11 posted...

When should you start writing?

When you have life experience? Education? Travelled to many places?

I'd say life experience and being well read helps. I remember when I started writing at 14 I had no idea how a book should be structured really. At almost 28 it's a lot more apparent, and I feel I have more to say depending on the subject.
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Goggalor can you give us a sample of your writing
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_Goggalor_ posted...

No trolls allowed this time.

Then why are you here?
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Currently still editing/re-writing my book.

I am the writer, editor, and all that good stuff rolled into one.

This project started 3 years ago to complete the first draft(Its technically 2 books total), and I've been working on and off by writing another full novel and started another four writing projects during the six month vacation from the original draft of my first book one of which is a poetry book. Then after the break I went back to write the second book as well as get in some editing for the first book.
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This is part of the first chapter of one of my novellas. It's a horror story sort of influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft:

Nervous. So terribly nervous I have been these past few days, you, my closest friend. And yet, how can I be blamed? I would give the world for a pittance if I could but steady my hand and see the thing through. Oh, I know it all sounds so awful and quite dreary, and for that I do apologize. I neednt involve you in such personal matters, I suppose, and yet, to keep the truth locked inside simply will not do. No, not at all. And so I come to the matter of contention with which I find myself so vexed, my ever faithful companion: I killed her.

I burned the body afterwards so as to leave no trace of my misdeeds, if misdeeds they shall turn out to be. I scattered the ashes on a southerly breeze and there felt my soul in solid relief. Do not be so hasty in your judgement of my character just yet though, for I tell you in earnest and with nothing but the truth on my tongue that the horror she would have wrought was grave and not to be abided. Most grave indeed. Please, permit me to explain myself further, and perhaps I may yet be exonerated in your eyes.

The first of many oddities began in the dulcet and sweltering Georgian summertime, when the whippoorwills punctuated the cool, silent breeze and Johnson and Stern were at the height of their influence. Surely you must recall the day the gaudy dining room table and rickety chairs were brought into the manor, on the fifteenth of June. I say you must remember because the uproar among the household that day was quite severe. Charlotte always was a rather peculiar woman, you see, and the help certainly made their disdain known to all that would listen. Oh, she meant well, my friend. You know how things are, though. The exorbitant will always scoff at the underwhelming. Social castes exist for a reason, I suppose, although you and I both know these arbitrary dividers are not always correctly placed. I know for a fact that the elder Thomas sister had her way with the bellhop down on Clarence Drive, and Mr. Treadway, well, I neednt remind you of Mr. Treadways nasty little habit of chewing tobacco and strong whiskey.
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MACisBack posted...

Currently still editing/re-writing my book.

I am the writer, editor, and all that good stuff rolled into one.

This project started 3 years ago to complete the first draft(Its technically 2 books total), and I've been working on and off by writing another full novel and started another four writing projects during the six month vacation from the original draft of my first book one of which is a poetry book. Then after the break I went back to write the second book as well as get in some editing for the first book.

Nice! Sounds like you're pretty busy. I wish I could rent a cabin and just live there while I write my current book. Get away from the internet and any distractions.
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_Goggalor_ posted...

Nice! Sounds like you're pretty busy. I wish I could rent a cabin and just live there while I write my current book. Get away from the internet and any distractions.

Thanks, and I wish for that quiet place to, but I have a family, full time job, and a house. So, I try to squeeze my writing in when I can or just free flow late at night during the weekends or early mornings.
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So uh, how do you decide what to write? At a sentence level
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stop masturbating on your keyboard
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MedeaLysistrata posted...

So uh, how do you decide what to write? At a sentence level

Depends on what the story is. First sentences are usually meant to try to grab the reader's attention, and the next to inform them of the events leading up to the current story. I try to expound upon the characters and their traits/mannerisms/lives while moving the story along at the same time.

First person narratives I try to go with more of a stream of consciousness style, as I feel it's easier to write. I also try to pick words that flow well together (while also obviously making sense) and give the sentence a sort of rhythm or musicality.
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MACisBack posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

Nice! Sounds like you're pretty busy. I wish I could rent a cabin and just live there while I write my current book. Get away from the internet and any distractions.

Thanks, and I wish for that quiet place to, but I have a family, full time job, and a house. So, I try to squeeze my writing in when I can or just free flow late at night during the weekends or early mornings.

EDIT: What types of books do you write or is your favorite kind to write?

I like sci-fi, horror, adventure. My favorite writing style is kind of Victorian, like an aristocratic narrative with lots of pauses and interspersed sentence structure. Longish, then short, with a sort of "distinguished" air to the narrator.
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Having a life outside writing makes me wonder how great thinkers of old created their masterpieces. Did they just stay single and shun company? Like Proust's In Search of lost time is 7 books long and super dense, Brothers Karamazov is 700+pages of dense characterization, with each character even given their own sort of method of speech that doesn't translate well to English apparently, and it took him 2 years to write it (not that books haven't taken longer, but still).
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Who posted?
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dont feed him
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C_Pain posted...

dont feed him

Oh, is it some troll?

Well, anyways, I'm pretty happy with my current project. Wrote almost 2,000 words today.
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That's one thing I did like from Stephen King's memoir about writing. Setting a word count goal for each day. Once you get started, 2,000 words isn't that much.
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Bump.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

MACisBack posted...

Currently still editing/re-writing my book.

I am the writer, editor, and all that good stuff rolled into one.

This project started 3 years ago to complete the first draft(Its technically 2 books total), and I've been working on and off by writing another full novel and started another four writing projects during the six month vacation from the original draft of my first book one of which is a poetry book. Then after the break I went back to write the second book as well as get in some editing for the first book.

i'm kinda just repeating part of what i said in my above post to LightningAce11 ace, but there is no replacement for getting a professional edit done on your manuscript. unless you are a professional editor yourself with the relevant qualifications and experience, editing your manuscript yourself is not enough. even then, it's probably still not enough, since you personally will always be too close to your own work to judge it subjectively. by all means, be as diligent in your self-editing process as you are able to and as you care to be, but don't have it be a replacement for a professional edit if you are serious about publishing or getting published. 99.99% of household name books out there by recognized authors were put through a professional edit. the chances of you ever finding success or an audience or even self satisfaction without putting your manuscript through a professional edit are extremely low.

Appreciate the advice.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

Who posted?

wow, and i was one of the only people in the other thread who was actually trying to give this dude some constructive advice

but whatever

I took you off ignore, sorry, didn't know it was you. You weren't one of the trolls.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

That's one thing I did like from Stephen King's memoir about writing. Setting a word count goal for each day. Once you get started, 2,000 words isn't that much.

a word count goal works for some people, but tbh getting to a specific amount can be kind of daunting for some, and can force subpar writing with others. a great alternate method of forcing yourself to get into a daily writing habit is to set a time goal instead of a word count goal. say, one hour or two hours a day, or more if that suits you.

Agreed. I like word counts, but sometimes it can be more stressful than it needs to be.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

I took you off ignore, sorry, didn't know it was you. You weren't one of the trolls.

well thank you for that. if you want some feedback on the excerpt of your work you posted, i have some thoughts i'm willing to share.

Sure, although it's already published and selling a few copies per week, which is nice for a change lol. I did more advertising than usual this time.
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And I kind of just started ignoring users in that other topic wholesale tbh, didn't look at who they were too closely. I don't respond kindly to bullies.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

Nervous, I tell ya. You, closest friend. So terribly nervous I have been these past few days. And yet, how can I be blamed? I would give the world for a pittance if I could but steady my hand and see the thing through. Oh, I know it all sounds so awful and dreary, and for that I do apologize. I neednt involve you in such personal matters, I suppose - and yet, to keep the truth locked inside simply will not do. No, not at all. And so, my ever faithful companion, I come to the matter of contention with which I find myself so vexed: I killed her.

I burned the body afterwards so as to leave no trace of my misdeeds, if misdeeds they should turn out to be. I scattered the ashes on a southerly breeze and there felt my soul unburden in cathartic relief. Do not be so hasty in your judgement of my character just yet, however - for I tell you in earnest, and with nothing but the truth on my tongue, that the horror she would have wrought was most grave indeed and not to be abided. Please, permit me to explain myself further, and perhaps I may yet be exonerated in your eyes.

The first of many oddities began in the sweltering yet dulcet Georgian summertime, when the whippoorwills punctuated the cool, otherwise silent breeze, and when Johnson and Stern were at the height of their influence. Surely you must recall the day when that gaudy dining room table and those rickety chairs were brought into the manor. I say you must remember because the uproar among the household that day was quite severe. Charlotte always was a rather peculiar woman, you see, and the help certainly made their disdain known to all that would listen. Oh, she meant well, my friend. You know how things are, though. The ostentatious will always scoff at the underwhelming. Social castes exist for a reason, I suppose, although you and I both know these arbitrary dividers are not always correctly placed. I know for a fact that the elder Thomas sister had her way with the bellhop down on Clarence Drive, and Mr. Treadway - well, I neednt remind you of Mr. Treadways nasty little habits of chewing tobacco and strong whiskey.

Thanks, but I don't agree with the changes all that much. Exorbitant can describe a person's position, and shall is just fine as a word choice. It's supposed to be verbose and old fashioned. Simplifying sentences would serve no purpose other than to subvert the style I'm going for tbh. I get that they disrupt the flow for you, but for me I find words like "quite" and "rather" add to the manner of the speaker.

Though your re-write isn't bad. I don't dislike it beyond a few those few omissions. I like the idea of the dash I suppose.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

Exorbitant can describe a person's position

it really can't. or at least no one else ever uses it that way. it's up to you, but it's just not something that is done.

_Goggalor_ posted...

and shall is just fine as a word choice

it's fine, but again, if you are going for uncertain probability, should is just a better choice

_Goggalor_ posted...

It's supposed to be verbose and old fashioned. Simplifying sentences would serve no purpose other than to subvert the style I'm going for tbh.

i wouldn't say that i simplified any sentences. i was working mostly to improve on clarity and questionable diction and structure. i don't believe my suggestions disrupted any of the style you were going for.

_Goggalor_ posted...

I get that they disrupt the flow for you, but for me I find words like "quite" and "rather" add to the manner of the speaker.

they definitely can add to the manner of an informal first person speaker when used well, but i don't believe the one instance of quite i pointed out was used well. i had no issue with the other instance, or with any of the instances of rather. please reconsider this.

Fair enough. I still disagree on exorbitant, but that's neither here nor there. On the whole though, give me your general consensus on the writing itself if you would be so kind.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

_Goggalor_ posted...

Fair enough. I still disagree on exorbitant, but that's neither here nor there.

yes. well i'm just glad you respectfully took the time to read and consider my suggestions.

_Goggalor_ posted...

On the whole though, give me your general consensus on the writing itself if you would be so kind.

once the clarity and structure of it is re-examined a bit, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the writing itself. the framing of the narrative is great, with the biased and probably unreliable narrator pleading his case to the intended listener being the vehicle for relaying the events. it's a great technique for controlling the dissemination of information to the reader and, as you already mentioned, for building up a particular kind of style that is reflective of the narrator's voice. i just used the technique similarly in my entry for the creative writing prompt thread in an effort to evoke a sense of nostalgia, wonderment and ex-post-facto reflection on childhood innocence and naivet.

Nice, thank you. I realize I'm a bit stubborn and I'd do well to take constructive criticism more readily. I suppose that's just out of love for the stories I try to tell. As you said, it's easy to be blinded by those things when you yourself penned the narrative and are attached to it. And nice, I'll have to go and read your story. I wrote this one in that style because I love Poe specifically, and I wanted to do a sort of "Tell tale heart" style book set in the 1920's.
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I almost feel motivated to get back to actual writing and not just sitting and thinking about all the ideas I want to put down on paper, then forgetting about them and making no real progress.

LightningAce11 posted...

When you have life experience? Education? Travelled to many places?

When you have something to say.
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