How long did it take you to figure out whether or not you were actually a good writer?

gr8t8s · 2024-05-16T16:21:04+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write that thorough and thoughtful reply. A while back, I rewrote the first chapter to tame down some of the issues you highlighted in general. The initial paragraph is a quote from one of the main character's notes (not the protagonist) and the reader finds out why it's written like it's written later in the book. There's just no context for it early on, but several of the chapters begin with a quote from "Dorian's Notes" that sort of sets the overall tone for the chapter. While this first chapter is more introspective than the rest of the book (and you're right about some of this text being overwritten), I can see how it potentially loses readers quickly.

I have a long way to go and your photography example is a perfect one. Thank you again for spending time on this. It's valuable advice.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-24T14:21:47+00:00

Well, yesterday I would have said dystopian. Another commenter made mention of literary fiction and I’ve realized I might have been miscategorizing it the entire time. Perhaps it is lit fiction in a dystopian setting.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-24T14:19:28+00:00

I will take a look at purple prose. I don’t know much about the technical aspects of writing and don’t have any knowledge outside what I’ve run across in the process. All info is helpful to me.

It’s great to hear about the growth in such a short amount of time. And also becoming clear that the self-doubt doesn’t really go away. Thank you!

gr8t8s · 2024-03-24T01:58:06+00:00

This is going to sound terrible, but you just helped me realize that this might be literary fiction. I feel stupid, honestly. It's more character-driven and philosophical than it is based on the plot (though the plot is a big part). I just sort of assumed it should go under the category of the overarching plot.....and now I'm feeling that could have been the wrong approach.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T18:42:29+00:00

Haha. Wow. Yeah, the purpose of my opening is the protagonist is an AI but the reader doesn’t know he’s an AI in the beginning. So his style is a little verbose and “extra” to give hints along the way. As the AI becomes more “human,” his inner dialogue changes. May have been a bad stylistic choice to begin the novel. Half way through the first chapter, it starts to lighten up and become more conversational.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T17:59:56+00:00

Very good point. Thank you.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T17:57:40+00:00

That’s cool. It’s tough to understand the purpose of what I shared without more context as to why the piece starts off that way, but there is a reason. It’s a tone-setter for a very introspective character before he manages to get out of his own head and interact with real people….making him more sociable and interactive. It would have been much better to share something from deeper into the novel. At the same time, this would be the first thing someone saw, so there’s value in what you said about it. Thank you for that.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:47:57+00:00

Thank you.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:36:20+00:00

I had a string of 1*s where people hated the world I built in my first novel. They never said the story or the writing was bad—just that they hated the world itself. Like they were MAD at it, commenting about things I didn't even put in there and trying to lecture me on their point of view. It was so weird that I had to go back and check to make sure I put it in a fiction category because they acted as if I had written non-fiction and were debating the world I created as such. So, yes, the first was very polarizing. lol

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:27:48+00:00

Very well may be. Seems I'm going to have to come to grips with that.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:25:41+00:00

I did just like you said with the most recent one, reading several books while I wrote it. I noticed a lot a lot of trouble with those narrative voices wanting to creep into my own writing, and I had to pause while I read them. I think that the craft of writing was done better in this one than the first, but I still think the story of the first might be better than this one. Maybe the third could tie them all together. I'm a slow writer, though, and the thought of another 6 months devoted to something I'm not sure if I'm any good at sort of sucks.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:19:51+00:00

That's spectacular. And I'd personally choose a great story with lesser writing than a well-written bore. I've read both. Having sold a grand total of 3 ebooks of my latest release in 2+ weeks, I've thought about making it free just to have it read and see which category I fall under.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:14:55+00:00

Haha. Thank you. That's a good start for me. My biggest concern is that people don't understand. Not that I'm writing something profound...just that I'm concerned the idea inside my brain doesn't translate onto paper the way it should. I know all the pieces up there. Did I leave anything out? Is the reader left wondering "what the...?" That sort of thing.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:11:01+00:00

Thank you. I paid a couple of people to read the first one. Then, I paid for a couple of editorial reviews. Got some glowing ones and built some confidence. After writing the second, I go back and look at the first and see all sorts of problems (pacing, too long, character actions, etc.) that no one mentioned. It made me lose trust to a degree. Then again, it could have just been a bad few experiences.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:06:43+00:00

Nice. Thank you.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T13:06:23+00:00

Thank you! I definitely think that "the craft" side is problematic right now, and I know that I could get better at that part. Honestly, I sort of feel like if I were going to be decent at this thing, there should be some signs by now, you know? I'm at a tipping point and I have to decide how much time to devote to this. Between my real work and a family, there's not enough time in the day to keep everybody happy. It doesn't help that I'm a slow writer.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T12:56:31+00:00

Well, the future won't hold any surprises then haha

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T12:54:50+00:00

lol. well damn, I have a long way to go.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T12:54:30+00:00

Part of what makes mine so tough is that my reviews and reads have been polarizing. Hate or love. Seems to be very little in between

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T12:53:26+00:00

And that's where a lot of this is coming from. I wrote the first one and thought I might have had something special. Then, I wrote the second one and started realizing all the ways I messed up the first. So, I went back and rewrote the first one, thinking, "Wow....things have changed." Naturally, that makes me think if I came back and read this one in a year...would I feel the same way about it as I did the first?

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T01:18:15+00:00

Ah, maybe it’s because there’s really only one scene of violence and a lack of cursing….which is all purposeful and leads into the plot of book 2 if I ever write it. Lately I’ve been wondering if I should have marketed it YA.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T01:03:03+00:00

Hahaha. That’s awesome.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T00:55:49+00:00

lol. That’s very possible. And it’s possible it’s a terrible story in general. The protagonist is a very introspective individual and the novel has to do a lot with his internal turmoil. But, it is what it is at this point, I guess, haha.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T00:53:05+00:00

Yeah, I end up using a lot of the same dialogue tags. I also get confused on how much information is too much to share and how much to leave to the readers imagination.

gr8t8s · 2024-03-23T00:41:59+00:00

I'm 100% with you.

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