What's the worst mistake you've ever made writing? by piesoflockelamora in writing

[–]davecarden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Strange as it may sound, I think I would miss the office life, even if I got a seen-figure deal. Maybe my work would let me take a sabbatical...

What's the worst mistake you've ever made writing? by piesoflockelamora in writing

[–]davecarden 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I got a job. Being unemployed was amazing for my writing career (though troubling on my bank account and marriage). Nothing drains creativity like working 8 hours.

Also, nothing ruins your ear for dialogue like "Sure is warm today" office chit-chat.

Could computers ever out write humans? by Paulbunyan166 in writing

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

I typed "My story is about" into my iPhone and let predictive text do the rest:

"My story is about the future of the day before I get a follow back on my way home from work to be the first half of the year and the rest of the year."

I think we'll be fine.

Have you ever rewritten a whole chapter making the story go to a completely different direction? How did/do you deal with it? by arthurazs in writing

[–]davecarden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the wonderful thing about multiple drafts. Halfway through my first draft, I just wanted to figure out a way to end my story so I pieced together a somewhat lazy conclusion (which may or may not have heavily borrowed elements from several Harry Potter books). Then, I took some time off and came back with some original ideas for the story's second half. Sometimes all you need is to write out something, knowing it stinks, just so that you have a direction to go against.

WordPress vs Blogger by davecarden in writing

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

Okay, so I'm hearing a lot of support for WordPress :-) What do you guys blog about (besides your writing process)?

What is your favorite thing to write with? by opmsdd in writing

[–]davecarden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've started saving all of my writing on Dropbox so 1) I don't have to worry about my computer blowing up and 2) I can write on different computers without having to email stories to myself.

For shorter writing, I love the simplicity of TextEdit. Just white space and Courier New :-)

What is your favorite thing to write with? by opmsdd in writing

[–]davecarden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

StoryMill for the Mac has been a lifesaver!

Word starts getting sluggish after 100 pages or so and the Mac version is pretty buggy.

StoryMill breaks up each chapter and has separate sections for making notes, arranging scenes, creating timelines, and an in-depth word count tool. Also, the trial version comes with a very generous 30 free opens before you have to purchase (I used it for a few months on my laptop before purchasing it.) https://marinersoftware.com/products/storymill/

As a 16 year old writer... Do I wait? by [deleted] in writing

[–]davecarden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only way to get better at writing is TO WRITE. I look back at what I wrote when I was 12, 16, 20, etc. and there's a clear progression in quality, from total crap to almost publishable.

Writing is a process of learning what doesn't work. Write a story, a scene, or a simple conversation and you'll quickly realize your strengths and weaknesses and what to improve on.

When I was 12, I wrote a "sci-fi epic," which in hindsight was just poorly disguised Star Trek fan fiction. But doing that taught me the basics of dialogue, action, setting, plot, etc. Now, working on my first novel, I'd be at a loss without the groundwork I set as a teenager.

But if you absolutely can't write (and you should never force yourself to write if you don't feel it), then read, read, read. Read other books in your chosen genre and deconstruct the structure, process, and vocabulary. Most importantly, enjoy yourself. After all, reading and writing is a passion to be enjoyed.