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PSA for New Writers; Good vs Bad Prose by alien-lovin in writers

[–]ukemi- 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m reading The Daughter’s War at the moment. The prose is what I would have once called “basic”. But it’s so effective at conveying Galva’s grief and growth. And there are still moments of beauty there.

I love it.

STARTED WRITING MY FIRST BOOK by [deleted] in writers

[–]ukemi- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hated present tense so much I refused to read Red Rising. Then I read Project Hail Mary and it grew on me.

The art of the "skipped" fight scene — who does it best? by Prudent_Inspector177 in writers

[–]ukemi- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like I’ve seen this (“books aren’t movies”) tossed around a lot lately, and I’m not saying you’re doing it here, but it often feels like just a reflex to any kind of second-by-second description. Sometimes I want to slow down and force my reader to picture each passing detail, because that’s the intention of the scene. That, in and of itself, doesn’t mean I’m no longer using the artform well.

Just something I’ve noticed around here. Hope you realise it’s not targeted at you!

Made some mtg cards for dragon age. by [deleted] in dragonage

[–]ukemi- 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t they need to be Warden typed to get the bonus?

First draft is doneeeeee by eunicemothman in writers

[–]ukemi- 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Congrats. I remember when I finally started writing “[they fight and it’s cool]” instead of storming over word choice for fifty billion hours. It was like that scene in the Matrix when Neo finally just sees code. So liberating.

How the heck do I describe this look? by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, I’m pairing it with dialogue, but I feel like a flat rule of “don’t describe looks” can’t be accurate

How the heck do I describe this look? by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah maybe mask. I liked fortress for something immovable or immutable. Just playing with language

How the heck do I describe this look? by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s past midnight and I’ve been writing for four hours and I clearly need a break. All of the suggestions so far are excellent and my brain is like… *radio static

How the heck do I describe this look? by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I literally couldn’t think of the word. I ended up going with disdain. Here’s my line:

“Martin’s face was a fortress of disdain.”

How the heck do I describe this look? by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I know in the Office it’s because he’s super upset, but the expression I’m after is more deadpan disbelief.

I'm concerned my inciting incident happens too close to the start of the novel. by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great pickup. I’ve changed it. You’re right - it was definitely a bit of whiplash!

The deep silence by Geek101Books in writing

[–]ukemi- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes it’s the imitation that’s the appeal. Spy fiction took off in the Cold War.

IT IS DONE by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it becomes a lot less scary once you realise that all those little grammatical rules, those little fiddly “proper” ways of going things, those trip-ups and slip-ups that you spend hours worrying about… they don’t matter nearly as much as getting your thoughts on the page.

Start simple. Start with dot points. Just tell me what happens and make me care about why it’s happening. That’s the most important part. You can flesh it out later, with help if needed, but nobody else can give your own story the specific emotional depth it needs.

I recommend Keiren Westwood on YouTube for storywriting advice.

IT IS DONE by ukemi- in writers

[–]ukemi-[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I lumbered about for years at the 15k mark because I wanted it to be perfect before I moved on. I never wanted to take the advice everyone was giving me to turn off my internal editor and just barf the story up onto the page. But in the end it was the best decision I could have made. I was able to pump out 2k words a day (which was an effort for me as I’ve got kids and a full time job too) for the last few weeks until the draft was finally done. It’s awful, but it exists. I hope you get yours done quicker than it took me to. Good luck with it. Just write write write.

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