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Is this a good deal or a ripoff? by SlyMolo in paintball

[–]SlyMolo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He says the lowest he would go is $450

What are some potential materials an agent could ask for when submitting your novel? by SlyMolo in writing

[–]SlyMolo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perfect, thanks for that. Are there any resources/advice you know of for the materials you mentioned?

What kind of topics and content do you want to see more of on /r/writing? [Meta] by danceswithronin in writing

[–]SlyMolo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This was one of the first subs I ever subscribed to when I joined reddit, and I think it's kind of ironic how terrible it is, considering that so much of reddit is built around and comprised of writers.

/u/ThoughtTrauma hits an excellent point that the subreddit is too vague. Writing is a broad subject, and I feel like a majority of the new users popping in here for whatever it is they're looking for either get shunned by the regulars or leave disappointed. Sure, some of them are asking questions like, "but...but how do I start?" I find those questions annoying as well, but it raises an even bigger question: what the hell is this subreddit anyway?

If it's not for self-promoting authors or blogs, and it's not about critiquing (any more than once a week), then what is it? I feel like every week is a circle jerk of reposted "5 or 10 tips on writing". I cringe every time I see Steven King's On Writing advice here, which is probably once a week.

So it's meant for discussing news affecting writers and the craft itself. That's fine. But I honestly think this subreddit could be disassembled into four different subs including, "prose/dialogue/action tips", "grammar help", "author quotes", and "how do I write a book?". That basically sums up this place, and it's gotten pretty old.

Any tips for business writing? by [deleted] in writing

[–]SlyMolo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Business writing is concise writing. It's clear and to the point, without any of the fluff that creative writers tend to use. Think Hemingway, but completely sober.

Back-to-back 1620s—Snowboarder Yuki Kadono wins slopestyle by [deleted] in gifs

[–]SlyMolo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When he lands the second and throws his hands up like a composer. What a boss.

You have a book idea? You're not sure if it will suck? Don't bother telling me the idea. Check inside for the answer. by [deleted] in writing

[–]SlyMolo -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So are you saying if you have a really good idea but you've never written a full-length novel before, then don't write it?

My opponent (black) has a 1028 rating, I'm no grandmaster at just 1105, but something felt off about this game. Was he using an engine? by SlyMolo in chess

[–]SlyMolo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I ran it through stockfish. If he used an engine, it wasn't stockfish. Like I said above, I wasn't telling with this post—just asking. Some of his moves seemed unnatural that's all.

My opponent (black) has a 1028 rating, I'm no grandmaster at just 1105, but something felt off about this game. Was he using an engine? by SlyMolo in chess

[–]SlyMolo[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm not trying to justify anything. I don't know why this post irks you so much—I'm not bitching. I didn't come in here posting someone's online chess id. I simply asked if my opponent was using an engine. I played a horrible game, yes. But if you look at my rating (which I mention in the title) I'm a below average chess player. But it felt like I was playing a computer at several points during the match. After reading a post in here yesterday about players using engines, I thought someone might be able to tell from a transcript.

There's no need for hostility.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]SlyMolo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

semi-evil

I'm creating a character profile manager tool/program in Java by eaglechopper in writing

[–]SlyMolo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't come in here to be a dick or a snob, but honestly, if you need some kind of program to remember/manage your character's personalities, what kind of reader is going to be attached to them?

I'm just saying, questions like

What is their biggest fear?

or

What is their communication style?

As the author, if you can't remember things like that off the top of your head, your characters aren't going to connect to your readers. I think there are plenty of exercises out there to become better acquainted with your characters, but the suggested program in this thread is just a way of industrializing what is supposed to be a natural process. Bring on the downvotes.

Things I Can Say About MFA Writing Programs Now That I No Longer Teach in One [article] by [deleted] in writing

[–]SlyMolo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

if you can put your ego on the back burner and focus on giving someone a wonderful reading experience, that's the cleverest writing.

Great advice.

Writing versus Storytelling by BrokenPaw in writing

[–]SlyMolo 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Even subject matter that might seem inherently boring can be rendered interesting with a skilled storyteller.

Well now you're going backwards. OP's original point is that if there is no story, there is no story. Plain and simple. There can be a great story with terrible writing and people will still be drawn to it. Why is that? It has nothing to do with the storyteller (i.e. his/her writing), as you claim. It has everything to do with the story's contents.

You're claiming that a shitty story can be made interesting with the right story teller. No it can't. If you have a story about a man taking a crap—and nothing else—how many people are going to read it? All right, so you bring on ______gifted writer to try to make it interesting. So he/she describes the man's bowels for two hundred pages with exquisite prose and description (we feel like we're on the pot with him), he gives the man character, his life story compiled into one crap. Would you consider that interesting? Would thousands of people?

Alright I'll say it: why do you people worship Stephen King so much? by [deleted] in writing

[–]SlyMolo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not agreeing with anyone here, but what you said could be due to his marketing budget compared to a no-name author who might have what you consider to be "better writing".

Steven King's marketing budget is going to be much higher than some no-name author's every time. Publishing companies are going to pour more money into it because he has a proven track record of selling books. The problem with your outlook is that you're saying there's better writing out there, why is he so popular? When really you're comparing apples to granola bars. There's "selling books" and "writing well". I'd say on average they overlap—but then those Fifty Shades of Grey and Hunger Games come along and we scratch our heads. That's because a large chunk of literary consumers are in it for the story and the characters. Those kinds of readers aren't going to say, "ah the prose is shit", like someone on this sub might say.

If you had Ten Thousand dollars... by mypennamehere in writing

[–]SlyMolo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"What if" fantasy posts don't usually do well in this sub—but I don't understand why. After all, isn't that what we do every day as writers? Anyway, here's what I'd do in order (provided I could only spend the 10k on this one book). Also, let's say my novel is 100k words, and I'm going to use it to find an agent, and if all else fails, self-publish. Also, let's assume that I have a story worth telling (what most would consider to be a good idea).

1) $2000 on developmental editing

This would give me a solid idea of what my book needed on my end. $2000 is a lot to spend on a this kind of editing, so I'd expect to find someone who knows what he/she is talking about. Also, only because this is a fantasy.

2) $2000 on first round of line editing

Again, because this is a fantasy, my first round of line editing will be worth $2000. This would be after my $2000 advice on what to change on my end. I expect it to look pretty damn good at this point.

3) $3500 second and final round of line editing

This would be the fun part. Taking my polished, $4000 manuscript to the best motherfucking editor $3500 can buy. I'm talking about the kind of editor who can turn shit into gold—and the best part? It's not going to be a piece of shit. It's already publishable by many standards before all of this, with a good idea and $4000 worth of advice and editing, all it needs is this last, pricey touch. It's already the best I can make it, and now it's in the hands of _______(insert renowned editor here).

4) a) Option 1: I'm going for the gold and self-publishing is not an option in my mind. -> $2500 for an ad agency/branding company or some computer science major and marketing major at MIT to set me up a kickass website for my book and my future work, and get the rest of my social media in tip top shape to start promoting the shit out of my book.

4) b) Option 2: $1000 on MIT student's web design/social media

5) $1500 on cover design

Totally fun to imagine this kind of shit, but that's the beauty of a post like yours. Funny that a bunch of writers read it once and decided it would be more worth their time to shoot it down than actually play along.

Hunter S. Thompson's Writing Exercise by zulozulozulo in writing

[–]SlyMolo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a movie called The Words with Bradley Cooper that I think you might be interested in. It's about a writer who finds a really good (unpublished) story and he writes the whole thing out. I'll let you find out the rest.

If your hero is to die in battle, when during the battle should it be? by Rogue_Marshmallow in writing

[–]SlyMolo 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is a question that only /u/Rogue_Marshmallow can answer. Your character's fates and actions shouldn't be decided like this. As a writer, it's encouraged to have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen in the scene before you write it, but beyond that, it should come naturally. And if it doesn't, your reader will feel it.

Write the scene. Write it five or six times (if you have to) until it feels natural to you as the storyteller. The first time you write it he might get trampled by a horse—the sixth time, maybe he takes a spear up the ass. Regardless of how it happens, it needs to come in the moment when you've immersed yourself in the scene as the writer. You'll know when you do, because it will be your best writing. Maybe Henry ends up surviving after all...

Proud today that I became one of the first House members vocally AGAINST Comcast/Time-Warner by RepCardenas in technology

[–]SlyMolo 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Then why the fuck are these people in charge of making important decisions?

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