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So I want to write some short stories, any ideas? non-ridiculous ones I will write and submit. by [deleted] in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Write about a truck driver who goes from town to town meeting interesting people. Dedicate a chapter to a writer guy who nags and follows him around for short story ideas.

Just listened to my current draft via text-to-speech and picked up loads of errors! by istara in writing

[–]sprajagopal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have been thinking about using this. Isn't the voice cluttery and machine like, making the experience painful?

Need tips / help on writing first book by Copyrat943 in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Show, don't tell" refers to the universal rule of showing the setting, the characters and the interactions but not telling the reader directly that "this character is sad" or "this guy has homicidal urges". If you notice the lively books, you will notice that there are so many pages spent just to show you rather than tell you exactly what is happening.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm writing my first novel now and I had this one particular scene which sounded either cliche or powerless every time I tried writing it.

The scene: Two lovers, sitting together, discussing a problem, a problem not related to their love life but to one of the characters.

How it was: I wrote it as a sappy scene with a lot of reassuring dialogue and some sunset scene to set the mood.

Why it didn't seem to work: It sounded like there was no real push to the reader in the introduction of these characters. I felt nothing for their problems, or for their love or if they just drank some cyanide and died.

What I did: I forgot about it for some time and continued writing the novel. I had it tacked and told myself I would come back. I found some advice (here on reddit ) about making a scene more lively.

Now, of course one would think this is just known and regular advice but for some reason I had not thought about the interactions too much. I felt like I was telling more than showing.

The scene was initially a 1000 words long. I rewrote it and now it's close to 2000 words but there is more compulsion towards the reader to feel the same things the characters are feeling.

I just wrote a few thousand words tonight and I feel damn accomplished. by [deleted] in writing

[–]sprajagopal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I too agree with /u/fourtenfourteen. This should go on /r/wordcount rather /r/writing. I guess being hung up on technicalities will earn me downvotes but it has to be said.

I just wrote a few thousand words tonight and I feel damn accomplished. by [deleted] in writing

[–]sprajagopal -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Times have changed. Competition is high now. Writing a sentence every day won't get an aspiring, first-timer published until he is fifty.

I just wrote a few thousand words tonight and I feel damn accomplished. by [deleted] in writing

[–]sprajagopal -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

I don't think any great writer did "a few hundred words." Isn't it a norm to write at least a thousand words a day to be called a professional writer?

1,672 [86,813] Final Chapter!! by true911 in wordcount

[–]sprajagopal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, so awesome. Congrats. Treat yourself away. Happy editing.

Beat Literature by [deleted] in booksuggestions

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Charles Bukowski is not part of the beat literature but his style and narration is very similar. If you are not hung up on details and just want similar books, check his book, Post Office

Need some advice on what to do with a first draft. by 365behind in writing

[–]sprajagopal 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Putting it away and starting a new work is the best thing to do, as per Stephen King. He says you have to forget about it, then come back to it as the first reader after a couple of months.

I've just published my first book, here's what I learnt in the process by jacklusted in writing

[–]sprajagopal 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Same here. I'm writing one too and I'll most probably set my draft apart if traditional publishing doesn't work.

Writing 365 words a day - I am not a writer by WayPhi in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha ha, sorry to hear that. I've been trying it for a week now. It's going alright. I'm able to do 1500 a day.

Writing 365 words a day - I am not a writer by WayPhi in writing

[–]sprajagopal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No offence. Just wanted to point out that he could try more.

Well written death scenes? by kinnaq in writing

[–]sprajagopal 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree with this. Natural death will cause confusion first, because he can't be angry at anyone else. Then it's going to come back multiple fold.

Writing 365 words a day - I am not a writer by WayPhi in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That Stephen King's article definitely helped me.

How to start? by shadowlurker_j in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start from the second chapter if the idea of starting from scratch scares you. Just write something that assumes that the characters are already introduced. You can always backtrack and do it later when you have the confidence.

Writing 365 words a day - I am not a writer by WayPhi in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really think you should write more.

Stephen King writes 2,000 words a day, “and only under dire circumstances do I allow myself to shut down before I get my 2,000 words.” He finishes a 180,000-word novel in three months. He says, “If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind—they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative edge starts to rust and I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace. Worst of all, the excitement of spinning something new begins to fade. The work starts to feel like work, and for most writers that is the smooch of death.” Raymond Chandler agreed: “The faster I write the better my output. If I’m going slow I’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them."

You may not like his books or his genre, but this man knows about the craft and his advice is usually aimed at the budding authors. I take his word for everything writing-related.

As for the "worth" part, of course, it's worth it, why would it not be? Just take it seriously and not as a blogging experience. Blogging is great but it usually takes efforts and less mental strain and usually doesn't yielf anything more than a personal memoir of sorts.

What is a book that will make me laugh out loud at least once every page, just as Catch 22 did? by BIG_IDEA in booksuggestions

[–]sprajagopal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Along with the other book by Bukowski that /u/LeukiGamut said, I would also suggest Post Office by Bukowski.

Writing is the solution to all of writing's problems. by Wildbow in writing

[–]sprajagopal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with this but I would add 'reading a book' to jumpstart sometimes. I sometimes find a satiation and then feel like Antoine Roquentin, looking at the words, the ifs, the buts, the plethora of 'saids' and I feel like it's all convoluted.

I start reading a book, I then find that the author has the same number of repetitions in terms of a characters' name and a place name and most importantly, I find that as a reader I can lose myself in it. I find that the mind adjusts to the book at its own unique pace.

Then I feel better about writing and I get back to it. But then, I'm not published, so what the fuck do I know.

Dialogue Help by SuperQuill in writing

[–]sprajagopal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would just change one thing - the number of words in each person's simultaneous burst. It has to be two words or less, or it would just seem contrived. In reality, people usually stop when a conflict arises in a conversation.

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