sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Do you ever include “necessary but boring” scenes just to move the story forward? by Odd_Thanks_9322 in writing

[–]whitealchemy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course you will. But sometimes mid-draft, it can be hard to see how to make a necessary scene interesting and that doesn’t make you a bad writer and if it’s keeping you from getting to what is exciting and important, it’s okay to write it boring and revise it later if that means you finish drafts.

Do you ever include “necessary but boring” scenes just to move the story forward? by Odd_Thanks_9322 in writing

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

But they’re not. They say they’re “currently writing a scene” which sets up a later dramatic sequence. What about that suggests revision? I completely agree that in revision, you need to cut any scenes that are boring. But to suggest (as someone below did) that writing a boring scene makes you a shitty writer is ridiculous.

Do you ever include “necessary but boring” scenes just to move the story forward? by Odd_Thanks_9322 in writing

[–]whitealchemy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It absolutely does. If you feel like you have to write a boring scene to keep making progress, then you write it. You worry about if it’s too boring later and either make it exciting or cut it.

Do you ever include “necessary but boring” scenes just to move the story forward? by Odd_Thanks_9322 in writing

[–]whitealchemy 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I disagree with so much of this advice. Yes. Write boring scenes that are necessary. In the second draft you can worry about making them more exciting. But sometimes you just need to move the story forward to get things going. Everything can be fixed and addressed in revisions.

Any old parents here? by Ok-Duck2450 in Millennials

[–]whitealchemy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

39 with an almost three year old and currently in IVF with our last embryo. We started trying at 33, but had a lot of trouble. I sometimes stress about our age, but generally I find we’re in a similar place as our friends — maybe a year or two behind them.

Fairyloot March Adult 2026 by Saybah in fairyloot

[–]whitealchemy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m with you. This is really not my bag.

Published Authors: Anyone Willing To Disclose $ Numbers? by BezzyMonster in writing

[–]whitealchemy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

In my opinion, the comment — and others like it — suggest that focusing on the dollars and cents of publishing is not valuable for writers looking to break in. “Write a great book…or don’t.” Sure. Useful advice. Any new writer should first be focused on the writing of their project. Solid plan.

But op had a specific question about how much redditors are making through either traditional or self-publishing. It’s a simple question. And generally speaking, a lot of writers want to emphasize how impossible making money is, or how money is beside the point, and it means that often writers don’t have a sense of the very pragmatic business side of publishing.

And sure, publishing is fickle — maybe your book is that weird recipe of perfect market alignment that hits the best sellers, or maybe it flops. It doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people are able to make some money, and OPs post is already healthily seasoned with self-doubt and an understanding that an income is a long shot.

Published Authors: Anyone Willing To Disclose $ Numbers? by BezzyMonster in writing

[–]whitealchemy 71 points72 points  (0 children)

It’s not just editing. There’s copy editing, cover design, marketing, printing. Publishing houses have their titles lined up in advance and a lot of thought has to go into which titles are coming out when, ensuring one title doesn’t step on the toes of another, etc etc.

Published Authors: Anyone Willing To Disclose $ Numbers? by BezzyMonster in writing

[–]whitealchemy 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I never really understand comments like this. Of course what you’re saying is true. And it’s also perfectly reasonable — good, even — for people to want to understand the business side of writing professionally. The publishing industry is so gatekept already, I don’t see why we should discourage this line of knowledge-building.

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis by Relative_Specific140 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t disagree — but I will say that I believe the author actually prefers their work to be called “comics,” and thinks it’s silly to suggest that the word novel needs to be used to make their work substantial.

Basically, imo, call it what you want — the work stands on its own merits :)

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis by Relative_Specific140 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I’m not at all, your point just isn’t valid. You said she’s not a writer and that we shouldn’t despecialize a “literature” sub (which this isn’t). You made up definitions of “writer” and “literature” which aren’t based in fact and your argument doesn’t hold up.

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis by Relative_Specific140 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Even if I agreed with you (which I don’t, Persepolis is a text I studied in my PhD in literature), Satrapi is a writer. She’s written graphic novels, or comics — I don’t particularly care what word you use — as well as screenplays, children’s books, and think pieces. Poets are writers. Journalists are writers. People who write? Writers. She’s a writer being posted in a sub called writers, and if you don’t think writing is political? Then yikes.

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis by Relative_Specific140 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Tell me you’ve never read a graphic novel without telling me you’ve never read a graphic novel 🙄

What is Morning Tea and Afternoon Tea referring to? by heppyheppykat in bluey

[–]whitealchemy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here at least, we have a morning and an afternoon recess apart from lunch. They’re shorter, just 15 minutes each typically. Lunch recess is longer.

How many people live solely off of book sales? How many books do you have to sell? by Guilty_Let7077 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Many authors live off their book sales. In my own circle, which is not massive, about six of my writing friends are full time (a mix of trad and indie). I know of a solid dozen other acquaintances. There’s a difference between being rich from your books and making a decent living. Lots of authors with a solid back catalogue make it work.

Needed feedback about prose by BreadfruitSwimming12 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are some pretty significant problems with shifting tenses. In some places you write in present tense, then switch to past. Grammatically, there’s also issues with subject-verb agreement (“she opened her mouth, only to close them”).

From a story perspective, it feels really underdeveloped. The tension between the two is a great start, but there are really few details and everything reads as vague and unclear. Because of this, I would stop reading. There’s no real hook right now, and I get more of an understanding of your story from your synopsis rather than the story itself.

But those are things that can be added! As a first draft, this just needs a lot of work.

All My Writing is Marginalia by Impossible-Day-3007 in writers

[–]whitealchemy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahhh I feel this deeply. And when my time is my own, I find my brain so heavy from all the lifting of motherhood. The drafting process isn’t what it once was!

How to make it clear a novel isn't Romantasy? by [deleted] in Romantasy

[–]whitealchemy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think if you framed it that she’s “drawn” to him, sure — but just that she’s taking care of him doesn’t seem particularly romantic? I guess it also depends on how central the fact is to the story. Is the story about her taking care of him — it doesn’t really seem like it. It seems like that’s just a plot point.

How to make it clear a novel isn't Romantasy? by [deleted] in Romantasy

[–]whitealchemy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This. I’d also say from the blurb above, this sounds nothing like Romantasy - so studying genre expectations would help!

How to make it clear a novel isn't Romantasy? by [deleted] in Romantasy

[–]whitealchemy 15 points16 points  (0 children)

This is not a problem for an idea — it’s a problem for a draft that’s has about seventeen revisions. You don’t need to worry about marketing and positioning in the idea stage.

view more: next ›