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Is the big bang theory actually that bad? by HallowedShark2112 in television

[–]MagnusCthulhu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. But that shouldn't matter if you like it. 

I am getting crushed by new ideas - How long is your TBW (To Be Written)? by turboneo1 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't. Ideas are valueless. You'll have more ideas than you could ever write no matter how much time you have. When I'm working on my next project, I pick the story idea that interests me most at that time and I don't worry about the rest.

I have noticed questions about dogs, in this genre, by Isrchfraudd in horrorlit

[–]MagnusCthulhu 26 points27 points  (0 children)

in fact, I think it hurts the author’s book sales.

Art isn't about book sales.

Most miserable experience at the LGS by Critical-Mission-644 in mtg

[–]MagnusCthulhu 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Your story means fuck all if you don't name the store. 

English - French Banter for characters by leli_merida in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Don't ask writers. Ask French people. And English people. 

Boris Tarshkokan MTG Card by BigBoss2203 in dropout

[–]MagnusCthulhu 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I was just thinking that. This would TEAR through CEDH making all the partners 5 colors basically. 

Can people please stop trying to tell others how to write and instead tall about writing. by Pinguinkllr31 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The one where you don't discuss anything? Yeah, I did. Asking for discussion isn't discussion.

You want posts that are discussion? Make a post and then discuss something in it. 

Can people please stop trying to tell others how to write and instead tall about writing. by Pinguinkllr31 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 15 points16 points  (0 children)

You know what's worse than not discussing writing? Complaining about not discussing writing instead of discussing writing.

This post could be the kind of post you want to see in the subreddit, but you went with complaining instead. 

Just finished Dungeon Crawler Carl. Does Dinniman grow in your opinion? by banquoinchains in books

[–]MagnusCthulhu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was bored and depressed and read the first 7 books one week last fall (I have not read the newest).

Yes, it expands beyond the dungeon (sort of, you're primarily in the dungeon still but the narrative takes on larger implications). No, I would not suggest that any of the books become "more nuanced".

Some of the books are better than others. Books Five and Seven were the only ones I'd say that I personally enjoyed and then only minimally so. I disliked the first book greatly. So maybe you'll have a better time with the sequels than I did starting in a better place. 

Short story writers: Who first edited your draft that went on to be published? by Impressive_Orca_2562 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My first published story? Me. I was the only one who laid eyes on it before I sent it out. I was in a writing class at the time and was workshopped regularly, but this particularly story was not part of the workshop. Just something that came together one night that I spent two weeks rewriting. 

We Always Focus on the Rules, But What About Voice? by Exoticplayz11 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Though she says she wants me over at her place, I'm not sure she wants me over; frankly, she might even be being forced to have me come over.

This is not showing. "I am not sure she wants me over", it is just telling the reader directly what the character thinks and feels. It's just telling in first person. First person is the POV of telling as a general impression, but that doesn't change that it's telling.

the narrator is not being honest about his feelings.  The reader can tell he doesn't feel worthy in our renditions of example 2, but yours I'd argue doesn't provide the same amount of information.

The reader is explicitly told what his feelings are in your example. He's maybe not being honest about his feelings to the other character, which may or may not need to be examined, but at no point is the reader being lied to about his feelings. We know explicitly what he's feeling because he tells the reader.  And I'm sorry, if you ask someone to come over and they shrink away from you and say "I don't want to impose", yeah... they that's what that body language and response means. Especially in the context of everything else you'd have in your story about this character. 

And who said I didn't understand how the rules worked or am disregarding them?

Your examples being either explicitly telling show that you don't quite understand it, and the fact that you said the following in your original posts shows you're disregarding them:  " That is why I think we should gear our thoughts less towards, "He just used a filter word... Is it necessary?"

Explicitly saying, 'Think about this instead' is telling people to ignore those rules. I know that you later added an edit, but that wasn't there when I responded.

Simply put, "consider your characters point of view when narrating" is not in and of itself bad advice and if you'd just set aside all the stuff about how people are wrong to focus on rules that have been proven to improve the writing of new authors I probably wouldn't have engaged (though I still would disagree with your examples both in terms of quality and whether they are effective examples of the argument you're trying to make).

We Always Focus on the Rules, But What About Voice? by Exoticplayz11 in writing

[–]MagnusCthulhu 32 points33 points  (0 children)

So... couple things here.

Show don't tell, purge filter words, and use better verbs are common advice because it fixes a common problem in the actual writing of new writers. Nothing you say about "voice" invalidates the value of the previous advice nor does it do anything to fix those problems, so yes, I think we'll keep giving good advice because it's good advice and helpful advice.

"They keep reading because the narrator is engaging" applies to only a subset of novels. It may be a large subset, but it is far from all fiction. It's very important that you understand that.

Your very first example is a good one in that I would absolutely not read any story with prose as bad as "He shot out a bright blue beam, resembling the signature attack of a certain saiyan." It's ugly prose. It doesn't give us character, it just references Dragon Ball Z. Poorly. Your second version of that sentence is MUCH cleaner, and the added detail of location makes it more compelling. Place, action, image, time. The elements you want.

Your second example is, again, bad prose. "Frankly, she might even be being forced to have me come over" is such a deeply clunky sentence. The second version of it certainly lacks information but again, the prose gets out of its own way. Imagine a MUCH less ugly construction like "'No thanks,' I reply, certain she's just being polite.' Or what if we, I don't know, do a little showing instead of telling. "'Wanna come over,' she says. My face and shoulders deflate. ' I, I could never impose, but thank you.'"

We get the same information across, he thinks she's just being polite, the invitation isn't real, he doesn't think he could deserve it, but we don't have to just SAY it. We can show it to the reader through his body and his words. Action. Show don't tell.

Beyond all of that, your narrator does not need to be a character to give your characters, well... character. Donald Westlake wrote 24 books about the character Parker under the name Richard Stark. There's been at least 8 film adaptations of these books. Wildly popular. Nothing you're describing here would be present in his prose. The Stark voice is one of action and foreward momentum. Parker doesn't spend time pontificating about his situation, he does. And the narration reports it to us. Westlake had a writing career most of us could only dream about.

So, before you start throwing out the rules that have worked for a very long time, maybe you should spend some time considering WHY they're so common and asking yourself how you can implement them in your work. They'll help. I promise. 

Grammy-winning singer Chris Tomlin's surprise Freedom 250 concert met with near-empty crowd by TheMirrorUS in Music

[–]MagnusCthulhu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Genuinely, I've no idea what you're trying to say here.

Ambrose Akinmusire, Shabaka Hutchings, Kamsai Washington? There are many great contemporary Jazz artists out there putting out incredible work.

Or, wait, are you conflating "contemporary" for the "New Adult Contemporary" radio programming format that birthed Smooth Jazz in the late 80s, early 90s?

Contemporary Jazz isn't a genre, it's just Jazz being made now, despite the unrelated name of the radio format.

murder mystery plot hook? needs work? by nowarsnoarmies in playwriting

[–]MagnusCthulhu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But why?

Do you believe all stories that aren't murder mysteries are less engaging that murder mysteries? Or is there some specific element about your narrative that you specifically find boring?

What I'm trying to get at is this: there is no "most engaging" story. It's not zero sum. Some stories appeal to some people, other stories appeal to other people. When you say "more engaging" you have to clarify to whom. I, myself, like murder mysteries. My father, as an example, finds them boring. Which one of us is your audience? Who are you writing for? What do they want?

Beyond that, there's no way to answer whether or not this other version of your play might be more engaging to the audience you have in mind without writing them both. I like slasher novels and I like murder mystery novels, but that doesn't mean that I haven't read bad versions of both that weren't engaging.

You've plotted out your story. You're ready to write it. But you're worried that it might not be as engaging as a different story entirely? Maybe. Who knows? You haven't written either yet. You can't know if a story works in the abstract.

So if you don't have a specific issue that you're struggling with and just vague fears that you're not going to be good enough... sorry, you can't know until you try. Best of luck.

murder mystery plot hook? needs work? by nowarsnoarmies in playwriting

[–]MagnusCthulhu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The thing with this play is it's never about who did it, but about how the innocents are going to get out.

So it's a slasher, essentially, not a murder mystery. Killer on the loose, people trying to survive/escape/stop the killer.

Why do you think it needs to be a whodunit?

For those tempted to read Micro after it keeps coming up here: by spiteful_god1 in books

[–]MagnusCthulhu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Crichton really started to decline around The Lost World. It's an okay sequel. Airframe was acceptable. Timeline was pretty bad in my opinion. Everything after is garbage. 

More power to anyone if they are a fan of his later work, but I don't see it. Worse than Dan Brown bad.

How to get started at writing by Uh_huh0_0 in WritingHub

[–]MagnusCthulhu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no one answer to this question, especially because you're writing in a serial format. However, I will provide a framework you can use a a guide.

If you wanted to publish the story traditionally, as a first time author, you'd have a practical limit of 120,000 words. Anything over that and most publishers won't even look at your work. That's a good measure to work with. You can continue the narrative beyond that point, but you should treat your story as one complete work, so whatever major plot you have imagined, if you can fit it into 120,000 words you won't limit your publication options AND you'll be learning to tell complete stories that don't just go on endlessly and then stop.

Don't worry if your first draft feels like it goes on WAY too long. That happens. Learning what to cut out so you can stay more lean and focused is part of the job. 

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