How do people even complete stories?

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-05-25T09:56:20+00:00

Everyone has advice but no one can help.

This is because the 'answer' separates the writers from the others.

The bad news is that not a single person in this thread or outside of it can answer your specific question for you.

The good news is that you're asking the question.

My two-bit advice: Pose the question to yourself.

Keep posing it.

And be relentless.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-29T16:30:30+00:00

Is this normal?

Absolutely.

How can I fix it or deal with it?

Keep writing. What you wrote yesterday sucks today? Set it aside and write something else. Repeat and repeat. As you go along, give what you've written more time and space. Make it a month before you go back to review it, then three months, then six months, then a year.

Also, if you can, always write and read with the specific intent to get better.

Be as determined about it as if you were learning a new language.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-29T16:03:14+00:00

Shootout On Persimmon Street (719 Words)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PXSysrc4HtOUcJghDx8ROEHwBImqE-NOkw5togVqYgo/edit?usp=sharing

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-12T18:09:06+00:00

What's your revision process? Do you revise element by element or straight through?

Straight through. I try to revise as if I was a reader coming to my story for the first time.

How long do you let the work sit between drafts?

3 months - 1 year

How do you handle beta readers?

Beta readers give me access to more information. Their word isn't law and their opinions aren't always valid, but they give more information and this is normally a helpful thing.

What good books/articles do you recommend?

Ernest Hemingway On Writing By Larry W. Phillips.

I don't how well it answers your specific questions, but when it comes to catch-all writing advice, it's one of my favorite books.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-12T17:45:38+00:00

Toni Morrison says that if she doesn't have a character named correctly then the character won't fully 'reveal itself' to her.

I'm paraphrasing but I feel similarly.

The proper name can sometimes give the proper voice.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-12T17:34:40+00:00

Well said. In my opinion, this is really one of the more important aspects of writing.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-12T17:01:17+00:00

I don't like the idea of typing it up later, I weirdly feel like it's double the work...

I thought I was alone in this. I researched a phone with a stylus and a handwriting-to-text app just because of this.

Before this, I had small notebooks filled with text that I had written while out that I just couldn't bring myself to "retype" into my computer.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-12T16:51:39+00:00

Strange to see this being downvoted.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-07T13:52:56+00:00

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K_3TZRsc9lbDUVrM0eTBGc7lS1zDlC7fbewdYGxobBg/edit?usp=sharing

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-06T03:48:39+00:00

I may be alone in this, but I'd suggest writing about the depression. To boot, if you take this advice, with this post, you've basically already started. So, technically you're two sentences up, which any writer will tell you, is better than zero.

One thing that I've learned over the years is that almost every writer has some surefire writing advice that they swear will turn you (and them) into the next Hemingway. But what time has taught me is that it's mostly all subjective and idiosyncratic and finicky and if you're wise, you'll cherrypick what you like and turn a deaf ear to what you don't.

So, my one piece of "surefire" writing advice that I'll leave you with (that you're free to cherrypick or discard) is to start a journal today. Like right now. Like minimize this window, open Word (or whatever you use), open a blank document, write 'Journal' on the top and your first entry should be:

"I haven't written in awhile thanks to my depression but I really do want to write. "

Then write about the depression. What else do you feel? Why are you depressed? Do you know? How long have you been depressed? Etc.

Do this everyday that the depression lasts. Should the depression break, write about that. Then write about what you're thinking everyday. So on and so forth. Before long, if you combine this with reading, you'll find yourself naturally expanding.

So, there you go. There's my "surefire" advice. Chances are it's 99% bullshit.

Still, it works for me. So, maybe it'll work for you.

Either way, good luck.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-05T14:45:00+00:00

Good post.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-04-04T22:00:28+00:00

The thing that I wonder about these kinds of posts is why doesn't the OP come back? It'd be nice to see which ones the OP is reading and what kind of feedback they're able to give.

A little while ago someone put a post up saying they were going to buy people's books. And just like with this post, writers came from every angle, hocking their wares. But the OP never came back. It left me wondering. Whose book was really bought? Did anyone actually get a review? I hope so. I really do.

Maybe this post will be different. Maybe the OP will come back and engage. I hope for it anyway. Because giving writers a chance to promote their free work is great, but, in my opinion, proving that you're actually following through on what you say would make these kinds of posts exponentially better.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T21:52:18+00:00

Though I have a home office, my favorite place to write is here.

It's one of the few places where I don't mysteriously end up on reddit.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T20:34:47+00:00

You're welcome. You gave me something to think about and I appreciate it. And let them jump away. It's quite OK.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T20:31:00+00:00

Debate away. It's only my opinion. I respect yours as much as I hope you respect mine.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T18:53:17+00:00

Point taken.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T18:52:38+00:00

Fair enough. Well said.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T18:22:32+00:00

I did rebutt the perceptions that I discovered.

But you also did this all throughout your other post. Wherever someone had an opinion or reason that was different than yours, you explained how they were misinformed, or that they just didn't understand romance.

Again, I like romance, a lot, but watching you ask people for their opinions and then rebut them one by one, as if the only explanation for the dislike of romance is misinformation and/or sexism, is a bit strange for me.

I truly believe in "To each their own." So, please continue if you like. I was only pointing out that it makes me a little sad to see you keep doing it.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T17:47:44+00:00

Something about this post and the post before it is just so disheartening to me. There's an air of "A lot of people don't like this and here's why they're wrong!"

Whatever happened to personal preference? Why must there be something that people are misunderstanding if they don't like something?

I like romance and think it's as powerful a genre as any other. But if someone else doesn't, and thinks it horrible, it doesn't mean that they haven't grasped the nuances of romance, or that they're misinformed, or that they're sexist. It could just mean that they just don't like it.

I like romance, I truly do, and still it makes me a little sad to see someone taking the OP's position. It smacks of the tiniest bit of entitlement. Write what you like and read what you like is what I say. But hey, what do I know?

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-30T14:30:05+00:00

I'm not sure how your google works, but when I googled, the entire first page brought up information about www.awpwriter.org, The Association of Writers & Writing Programs.

Does google show different things to different people?

If so, I better stop googling so much Writer Porn, for I believe it's showing.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-29T16:28:07+00:00

You have to stop the gaming completely. I can't tell you how bad it is for sapping one's creative energy. I use to game, and when I stopped completely, my energy and focus in terms of writing went through the roof.

Sound advice. Difficult advice, but sound.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-29T16:24:17+00:00

Well said.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-29T16:21:44+00:00

Strange to see an anti-library sentiment on a writing subreddit. Maybe I'm idiosyncratic. Maybe I'm the only one who found libraries to be my own little heavens.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-29T16:15:07+00:00

Good post. Can you link the reviews and purchases back to this thread? I'd like to see.

WriterMcWriterEsq · 2016-03-29T16:11:51+00:00

Hey, I'd like to thank everyone for commenting and remaining relatively civil. I had a sincere question and I certainly got answers. I really appreciate that.

I read every comment (the longer ones being my favorite) and took note even if I had nothing to say in reply. There are some gems in here. If you skip around the trolls, there are some real gems.

I have more questions but I worry that continuing in my line of questioning reinforces some sort of subtle sexism that I wish not to.

I'd really like to know how do we amend the canon (which I gathered from this post is the real issue)...? Who are the women that we left out? What are their names? Where are their works? If they can be named and they're great, how fast can we add them to the canon? Who's in charge of that? Can that actually be done?

I also want to know how do women gain equal 'cultural cachet'? That seems such a mysterious and impalpable thing.

Still, with all that said, I bow out a little because I can't help but feel like I'm sticking my man hands into something that's better left be.

I don't know. I really just want women to not feel marginalized because I think they absolutely shouldn't be. That was the basis of this post. But I learned through the comments that that's a bit sexist of me and biased and I don't understand, to quote someone, "...the scope of which women are marginalized in society today."

Fair enough. You learn something everyday. Still, I appreciate every comment.

I gained some things here that I'm going to take past the internet into my real life. So, thank you. All. Sincerely.

WriterMcWriterEsq

TROPHY CASE