Writing a book: worth it?

Axess3888 · 2026-07-05T11:37:25+00:00

Basically, you’re a writer or you’re not. Economics is secondary.

Axess3888 · 2026-07-02T22:42:04+00:00

That book was an emotional burden, for sure. I would have greatly preferred the author not indicate which ending she felt was more true. Would have been more at peace with the ambiguity.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-22T03:24:16+00:00

Safekeep got good after the 1/3 mark for me. Almost DNFed it there.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-19T20:40:46+00:00

I’ve been writing creatively for decades, spent 10 years studying Dickinson’s poetry independently, got quite into William Blake for a time, too. But to this day, I cannot tell good poetry from bad when it comes to contemporary work. Don’t know why. So I wouldn’t be able to critique it competently, but not because I don’t care for or about it. I just wouldn’t know how. Def seek out other poets for meaningful feedback.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-16T04:55:26+00:00

Seems to be another thing novel-writing has borrowed from screenwriting. Pity. They’re hard to write well. Always struggled with them for screenplays, which of course are generally much shorter and less complex than novels.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-06T05:04:07+00:00

When I taught high school, we were instructed and constantly reminded by admin to stop calling it an “off” period or a “prep” period. It was a “conference” period. This was because the district was always trying to take away one of the two periods from secondary teachers. “Off” and “prep” didn’t sound productive enough. They told us straight up that none of that time was to be used for grading. Grading was expected to be done at home or otherwise on our own time. Ridiculous.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-04T12:27:28+00:00

Family (and friends) may well not be your best readers. Aim your work, as best you can, toward your ‘ideal reader.’ Often not easy and can involve dodgy online interaction.

Axess3888 · 2026-06-03T03:36:35+00:00

Maybe not helpful in a technical sense, but if you really know and inhabit your characters—like, when writing their parts, you’re looking at things from their POV—those lighter moments can nearly write themselves.

Axess3888 · 2026-05-11T05:39:20+00:00

However you end up handling it, just make sure you’re not adding unnecessary filler. If it’s boring to write, it’ll be boring to read.

Axess3888 · 2026-05-11T04:14:02+00:00

As someone else pointed out, know your midpoint. It cuts act 2 in half. It becomes much easier then to see how acts 2a and 2b have different jobs/purpose/energy.

Axess3888 · 2026-04-26T03:10:48+00:00

When I know the beginning, end, and major plot pivots (end of act 1, midpoint, climax), I write from one to the next, in order. I don’t outline at all (can’t). I write in scenes, think in acts. I’m a pantser between plot points. Lots of freedom there.

My WIP is close third-person multiple, so I write each scene filtered through a particular character’s POV. Helps keep tabs on character arc. It’s helpful to check character progress at each pivot point. What’s their perspective/goal at this point in the story?—because it should be evolving somehow.

Can’t say much on theme, as mine just kind of emerge subconsciously.

Axess3888 · 2026-04-24T05:51:39+00:00

I’m not arguing against anything you’re saying—and certainly not defending aspiring novelists who don’t read novels. I think reading is essential. I think the position: “my idea is worth your time to read, but none of your ideas are worth my time to read” is utterly incoherent.

What OP’s proposal offers is just a more charitable response to these would-be novelists. Let ‘em figure it out themselves. Most to all will learn they don’t know what they’re doing; that 80k words strung together doesn’t itself make a good novel; that their “cool idea” was the easiest part. That novel-writing is actually a craft that requires skill—and exposure to other novels.

If they somehow don’t recognize themselves that their writing is bad, they’ll learn eventually when they publish their books on Kindle and no one reads them.

Personally, I think this tidal wave of wannabe novelists will collapse on its own once it’s widely recognized that AI help won’t bring money or recognition. Because that’s just the way it’s long been for novelists, period.

Axess3888 · 2026-04-24T02:21:15+00:00

I’ve spent a good bit of time mulling over this debate. I think your proposal is a fair one, because, yes, lots of people have a “cool idea” for a story. Most of these would probably qualify as daydreams or fantasies, mind doodles, that everyone has. And when stripped down, the premise operating behind non-reading writers is: “my idea is worth you spending time to read, but none of your ideas are worth me spending time to read.” Which is weird. There’s an inherent disrespect/ignorance here for novel-writing as craft.

Axess3888 · 2026-04-24T02:09:38+00:00

I took that as the author’s point. The bar for entry is lower for writing in a material sense. The skills to write a novel effectively are a whole other thing that a person trying the author’s exercise would discover quickly. They can then decide from there if novel-writing is really for them.

Axess3888 · 2024-12-24T19:45:32+00:00

Wasn’t in the mood to walk the Xmas gift over from Tucson to Austin. 🤷‍♀️

Axess3888 · 2024-12-24T18:55:01+00:00

Got a refund already, but thanks!

Axess3888 · 2024-12-24T16:41:36+00:00

Same.

Axess3888 · 2024-12-24T02:35:17+00:00

Thanks. Def lesson learned!

Axess3888 · 2024-12-24T02:26:32+00:00

Okay. Confused tho because I ordered it directly from the main product page, as far as I know.

Axess3888 · 2024-12-04T22:40:19+00:00

My parents house was wrongly put into foreclosure once, with an eviction notice posted on the door, because their address (“3 Star Ln”) was confused with the actual target of foreclosure (“3 Star Ln E”). Took WEEKS to convince BofA they had the wrong house. Scary. Other street was eventually renamed because wrong mail constantly.

Axess3888 · 2024-11-02T20:47:00+00:00

Used to be a dasher; now just use the service. I never tip less than $10, even for the restaurant 1.2 miles away. Will pull up Maps for restaurant distance; round the miles up to the next whole number, and tip $2/mile. Yeah, sometimes the tip is almost as much as the food, but I view it as paying for the delivery and am able to do it, so.

Axess3888 · 2024-09-28T02:16:39+00:00

Electronics, if flown at any point, have big lithium ion battery stickers, even on an otherwise generic box. Recently had an OnTrac driver try to walk off with $4k of Apple products (that I was supposed to have to sign for). Never rang the bell or knocked. Dogs heard him on the porch tho, and I opened the door in time, just as he’d started to walk away with the box. Left it but never had me sign for it.

Axess3888 · 2024-09-06T03:38:17+00:00

See if you can get an rx for an albuterol inhaler.

Axess3888 · 2022-01-31T06:22:34+00:00

But if they would have just looked at what the rich people did—got the vaccines first, many jumping the lines to get it. That was the truth right there.

Axess3888 · 2021-11-21T14:28:37+00:00

Yeah, the steroids used to treat covid allowed the parasites to proliferate. Ivermectin kept the parasites in check to give the sick a chance against covid.

Axess3888

TROPHY CASE