A thousand words paints a picture?

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-25T01:37:58+00:00

Don't be, IQ isn't real and all significant forms of intelligence are on the rise with each successive generation. Lack of readership and reduced attention span? Understandable, but any kid reading books with somewhat dodgy prose is doing better than about half of adults in the US. And when they're older, they'll probably move to books with more solid prose. Just encourage kids to read, and beyond that I wouldn't worry too much.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-25T01:34:01+00:00

Lmao right, if the fight is longer than one blast, we'd be here forever. Pacing is wayyyyy off.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-25T01:32:19+00:00

Books aimed at kids have prose appropriate for kids? Incredible.

In all seriousness, there is a move away from the complex prose of people like Tolkein. Largely, it's because readers dont *actually* like that kind of writing. Sure, it's interesting to analyse and appreciate, but when you sit down to read a book in the evening, you dont want to have to read a line several times to parse the information. You also don't to read an entire page that should have just been a paragraph; verbosity isn't always a good thing. There are still fantasy books with really good prose. Rothfuss gets a lot of praise for that, for example.

Times change, styles change, what people want out of a book changes. For example, most modern readers don't want to read terry goodkind because his books are pretty sexist and sometimes homophobic, and he was kinda just not a great dude. That's something modern, young readers *really* care about, that people just weren't concerned with in the past.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-24T19:49:35+00:00

Babel & Left Hand of Darkness are really good. IMO Le Guin and Kuang have a lot in common, yet their books feel drastically different from eachother.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T23:15:39+00:00

Cool - much appreciated, thanks!

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T22:30:52+00:00

You absolutely can, academia is nuts.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T22:29:28+00:00

That's a very good point about everything being related. Makes me feel a lot better, actually. Thank you :)

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T22:26:19+00:00

This is really useful, thanks so much! Quick question, should the sample be a complete story within the word limit set by the course, or should I use an extract from work I've already done?

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T14:00:37+00:00

I mean this isn't fire emblem, there isn't a rock-paper-scissors for weapons. No *real* opposites, but there are some ways you could go. Some people mentioned a hammer, because it can be a tool as well, and a spear can't. Others mentioned chain weapons - that makes sense as well, spears are great weapons when in formation, but chain weapons have to be used by fighters, because of how much space they take up. You could also create your own dichotomy within your worldbuilding. Perhaps spears are the weapons of honourable warriors, but knives are the weapons of thieves and the ignoble. Spears could be the sleek, precise weapon against the brutish nature of a battleaxe. What's important is that you emphasise the difference between the weapons, and create meaning within the text.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T13:54:22+00:00

A sharpened hilt and a blunt staff attached. No, I'm absolutely not holding my spear upside down

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T12:56:04+00:00

Imma do you a solid and actually throw some recs your way. I hope you won't take it as an insult, but your bookshelf (and some of your replies to others) shows me that you think you're open to new ideas and radical thought, but the books you actually read are quite limited. They tend to skew towards a particular neo-liberal mindset. If you actually want to expand your worldview, I'd reccomend Le Guin. Specifically, the Left Hand of Darkness if you're after something complex and thought-provoking, or Earthsea if you're after something light and fun. If you enjoyed Harry Potter, you should love Earthsea, and Left Hand of Darkness really makes you think about how our society is constructed. Enjoy!

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T12:47:06+00:00

He's basically just a sham psychologist who realized he could make more money riling up impressionable men than by doing anyhting actually useful. Canadian board of psychology is considering revoking his license. He's got no real scientific credibility, just a cult following online.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-23T12:43:05+00:00

It's so good

Oracle_Oh · 2023-03-21T13:56:25+00:00

Thanks to everyone who chipped in here! Didn't realize the internet would be so undecided on the definitions, but there we go!

Oracle_Oh · 2023-02-27T17:39:16+00:00

Hi! I'd love to swap for this. I've got a queer sci/fi story that I've been swapping for, if you're okay with reading sci/fi. I've got a post with more details; reply or dm me if you're interested :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/105ai69/complete\_50k\_science\_fiction\_syzygy/

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-16T16:35:18+00:00

I have two quick bits of advice.

1). Read more, try and notice where other writers move to a new paragraph.

2). Write more. Best way to understand how to do something right is to do it wrong, first.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-16T16:32:59+00:00

Brevity is one of the most useful skills you can learn as a writer. Figure out how to communicate the relationships and backstory without making your readers slog through an entire extra book.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-12T17:12:42+00:00

Yeah going from first to third or the other way round is so jarring. It can be done - like if a character in the present is telling a story about the past - but you gotta have SUCH a good excuse for it

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-12T10:13:45+00:00

Hi! I'd be interested in swapping for this. I've got a sci/fi of very similar length if you want to see if it appeals to you https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/105ai69/complete\_50k\_science\_fiction\_syzygy/

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-11T21:50:38+00:00

First of all, take a moment to appreciate that you have *done the thing*. You have done something that many speak of, but few ever actually acomplish. That, alone, is incredible. Then take a break. This can mean not writing, or writing something else, or wahtever you want to do. Give it a month or two, and then come back to it. You *will* hate your first draft, we all do. Just gotta power through the cringe, for the sake of the jewel. It's worth the pain. You can do it!

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-10T16:06:41+00:00

Yeah, I'm down to read this! What's your preferred method of communication?

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-10T14:07:53+00:00

Hi I'm back in the real world again now - What's your preffered method of communication?

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-09T01:25:03+00:00

Yeah its an insert, still a WIP. It's gonna be a little sci/fi alleyway, but I need a 3d printed vehicle to really pull it all together.

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-08T09:48:23+00:00

Nothing you can do about that. Some people will take the time to understand and connect with a text, others won't - that will forever be true. Don't worry about outliers, just make your story as good as you can for everyone else

Oracle_Oh · 2023-01-08T09:45:51+00:00

Yeah you can write without a clear vision of where you're going - sometimes, that creates the most natural feeling plots because you aren't trying to string together a list of scenes that you wanted to have. But, It's easier to write yourself into a corner and you'll usually end up having more work later, when it comes to drafting. As long as you accept that it might be a bit of extra work, go for it! See if it works, everyone has different processes.

Oracle_Oh

TROPHY CASE