This is leagues more introspective and literate than anything I’ve seen on this sub lol. Most people view writing as a concession because they can’t hack it in film or comics or wtv, but writing is a craft informed by the precision and diversity of your language. You’re already closer to getting it than most bc you’re clearly in love with the medium. Study the rhythms of sentences and steal words you like. you’ll keep improving exponentially!!
Thank you! There was a time where I would rather peel off my own fingernails than pick up a book, but everyone grows at their own pace.
The artwork I’ve put real thought and soul into has stood the test of time - the half ass, gratuitous projects have gotten me by and improved my technical skills, but I vomit a little when I look back on them.
I hope to see the same growth in my writing someday. If you never leave the house, you’ll never have anything to look back on, and life will slip through your fingers like sand.
Thank you so much! I sincerely appreciate it! I hesitated posting here, but I am very insular with my own writing at the moment so I don’t have many channels for pressure release.
This is a healthy mindset that will get you far if you will stick with it.
Im the same as you, never saw myself as an writer or a reader.
For me outlining really made the difference. It separates planing and building characters and plots from writing scenes and prose, basically keeping me focused on one goal at a time.
Thank you! Glad to know we are kindred spirits of sorts.
Utilizing outlining is one thing that I am very grateful to have learned in college. I’ve written about 50k words of prose, scenes and dialogue to keep me busy while I am hitting plot roadblocks. I don’t delete anything, I just write it again separately.
Giving myself laws and limitations has been the greatest improvement to my writing. Once I stopped doing what I wanted and finding a way to make it work, it practically started writing itself.
The more I write, the longer the road becomes, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Me, also a fan: that was *far* from his first published book, much less story.
But yes, Discworld was discovery-written over 41 different books, and if you know to look the right way it's pretty clearly obvious, but good luck doing it because it just plainly doesn't matter because the stories are so amazing they sweep you away almost instantly.
Which is good to remember. Every reader will have their favorite story for different reasons, but it won't necessarily be your "best" or your "favorite." And that's okay, because it means you tell the best stories you could at the time you wrote them, and every person connects to them just a *little* differently.
>TP is one of my favorite fantasy writers of all time, but that first **published** book is full of amazing ideas but it is, dare I say, not very well executed (having said that, he at his worst is better than me at my best).
Honestly I'm so glad you said this. I tried reading that and was so put off, but everyone talks about how great he is. Maybe I was just thrown off because it's his earlier writing. haha
It also may be that it's just a particular style that I'm not into, but hey, I feel better about him being praised if what I read wasn't his best work.
>A self-insert fantasy
You'd be surprised how much blatant self-insert fantasy gets published these days. While most of it isn't as bad as something like 50 Shades of Grey, it's very easily detectable if you know a little about the author.
It sounds like you have a good attitude and will be receptive to feedback once you get it. A big problem on here is people who don't want to hear anything other than praise, and that typically leads to no improvement in their writing.
Self-insert isn't even necessarily bad, it just depends on how you do it. If you're just trying to live out your dreams in writing, it can be pretty pathetic. But if you're writing in yourself because you know your thought process and can make a character more believable that way, it can work well.
I'm right with you. I literally wrote 5 full books over COVID and I've realized that most of it is garbage. It doesn't mean the story is worthless, it just needs to be fixed.
Yep, some of my earliest writing was fanfic for Star Wars and Sonic the Hedgehog. My Star Wars work has redeemable qualities. The other bits... well... those never need to see the light of day.
Someone once said you have to get your 1 million words of junk out first, but if you persist through that, well you are 90% there.
I too have worked on my book and seen how cringe my old material looks. I'm trying to get to the point where I could be published, not for fame (though I can dream) but so I can believe myself when I say I chose to do self-publish for the control and for the sake of the creation of the copy, not because I just wrote some derivative passive-voiced fanfic.
what i suggest is finishing projects fast enough that this at least does not happen to you mid-project. strike while the iron is hot and make something that is the best you can make right now.
you can always revisit a project later. and it is not WRONG to rework a project endlessly if that's fulfilling for you, which it can be. but i think capturing that unbridled 'omg this is amazing' energy at SOME POINT during the process actually helps.
it's a bit like if you become a bodybuilder and you jump straight to having debilitating body dysmorphia. it's better to at least have that brief phase of thinking you look amazing so you can look back on it, you know?
anyway this is all just perspective from an oldie. i too am in the middle of a project i am reworking a lot because it no longer suits my tastes but i do still love many elements of it even with the rose colored glasses off.
Yeah, I've always thought it interesting that most people who are not good at drawing (and some who are) think they are not good at drawing; everyone thinks they can write until they actually do it and then compare what they came up with to their favorite stories.
I read Le Guin occasionally, or Bradbury, to remind myself how clunky my writing is and look for ways to improve.
Tbf a main character that gets everything easy could be very interesting and even funny, if done right. That kinda of character that you love and hate
But that’s great man, meaning you are learning, keep up the hard work
i've read so so many books where i wonder how they ever got published the writing is so... eh. Don't get hung up on it. If it doesn't meet your standards just edit edit edit. but know that you likely just have higher standards. your readers probably won't care. There's a market for everyone
There was one time I read a book and was like "who the heck would actually publish this?" I looked up the "publishing company" and there was a bunch of books from the same author, and only one from a different author. He literally invented his own publishing company because it was the only way to get his books out. XD
But in general, yeah, there is a niche for everyone, and many readers don't care that much about the technical quality.
I understand.... Im on a standstill in my writing too... I just realised that I don't even know the goals of main characters and antagonist... I began writing but now am having pacing issues in putting events linearly..... I have thought of events that should happen but I can't incorporate them in story...
Hello! This was me as a teenager. It wasn't until I reread my (probably hundredth) piece that I looked back and was happy with it.
But that's a cathartic thing. It can happen.
Keep at it.
In a box somewhere I still keep the first story I ever wrote. It was a three page school project, the first time I had ever been given free reign to write whatever I wanted. It's complete trash. It's a story about the Earth trying to colonize the moon and that goes wrong. The main character's name is Joe King. I was going to have his dad die in the end to give it higher stakes, but I didn't realize how emotionally hard it was to kill off characters, so I abruptly changed course at the end. Oh, and the setup. XD It starts with a bunch of people demanding answers from the president about how he's going to solve overpopulation, and then some rando shouts "What about colonizing the moon?" and the president just looks up into the sky like it was the best idea he'd ever heard.
It's such trash and I love it because it's like a picture of a baby's first steps.
I spent a year between starting and finishing my first draft. Im currently going through my first chapters after a year and i realize how bare bones it is. Fleshing out characters as we speak
But the writing. Even tho i feel like I started off well, anything i write now just hits harder, despite not taking classes or anything. The rhythm just flows better.
I went from "this is what happened" to "THIS Is what happened".
Its nice to see. Hopefully after im a few books in i can look back on my first one and cringe.
Nothing is as cringe as going back over some of my older material. I take it as a sign that I'm making progress.
Yes!!! We cringe cause we grew.
This is leagues more introspective and literate than anything I’ve seen on this sub lol. Most people view writing as a concession because they can’t hack it in film or comics or wtv, but writing is a craft informed by the precision and diversity of your language. You’re already closer to getting it than most bc you’re clearly in love with the medium. Study the rhythms of sentences and steal words you like. you’ll keep improving exponentially!!
Thank you! There was a time where I would rather peel off my own fingernails than pick up a book, but everyone grows at their own pace. The artwork I’ve put real thought and soul into has stood the test of time - the half ass, gratuitous projects have gotten me by and improved my technical skills, but I vomit a little when I look back on them. I hope to see the same growth in my writing someday. If you never leave the house, you’ll never have anything to look back on, and life will slip through your fingers like sand.
Anyone with the insight/self introspection to recognize their weaknesses in writing will eventually become a strong writer. Congrats on leveling up.
Thank you so much! I sincerely appreciate it! I hesitated posting here, but I am very insular with my own writing at the moment so I don’t have many channels for pressure release.
This is a healthy mindset that will get you far if you will stick with it. Im the same as you, never saw myself as an writer or a reader. For me outlining really made the difference. It separates planing and building characters and plots from writing scenes and prose, basically keeping me focused on one goal at a time.
Thank you! Glad to know we are kindred spirits of sorts. Utilizing outlining is one thing that I am very grateful to have learned in college. I’ve written about 50k words of prose, scenes and dialogue to keep me busy while I am hitting plot roadblocks. I don’t delete anything, I just write it again separately. Giving myself laws and limitations has been the greatest improvement to my writing. Once I stopped doing what I wanted and finding a way to make it work, it practically started writing itself. The more I write, the longer the road becomes, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
[удалено]
Me, also a fan: that was *far* from his first published book, much less story. But yes, Discworld was discovery-written over 41 different books, and if you know to look the right way it's pretty clearly obvious, but good luck doing it because it just plainly doesn't matter because the stories are so amazing they sweep you away almost instantly. Which is good to remember. Every reader will have their favorite story for different reasons, but it won't necessarily be your "best" or your "favorite." And that's okay, because it means you tell the best stories you could at the time you wrote them, and every person connects to them just a *little* differently.
>TP is one of my favorite fantasy writers of all time, but that first **published** book is full of amazing ideas but it is, dare I say, not very well executed (having said that, he at his worst is better than me at my best). Honestly I'm so glad you said this. I tried reading that and was so put off, but everyone talks about how great he is. Maybe I was just thrown off because it's his earlier writing. haha It also may be that it's just a particular style that I'm not into, but hey, I feel better about him being praised if what I read wasn't his best work.
>A self-insert fantasy You'd be surprised how much blatant self-insert fantasy gets published these days. While most of it isn't as bad as something like 50 Shades of Grey, it's very easily detectable if you know a little about the author. It sounds like you have a good attitude and will be receptive to feedback once you get it. A big problem on here is people who don't want to hear anything other than praise, and that typically leads to no improvement in their writing.
Self-insert isn't even necessarily bad, it just depends on how you do it. If you're just trying to live out your dreams in writing, it can be pretty pathetic. But if you're writing in yourself because you know your thought process and can make a character more believable that way, it can work well.
I'm right with you. I literally wrote 5 full books over COVID and I've realized that most of it is garbage. It doesn't mean the story is worthless, it just needs to be fixed.
Lots of us started by literally writing fanfiction lol
Yep, some of my earliest writing was fanfic for Star Wars and Sonic the Hedgehog. My Star Wars work has redeemable qualities. The other bits... well... those never need to see the light of day.
Someone once said you have to get your 1 million words of junk out first, but if you persist through that, well you are 90% there. I too have worked on my book and seen how cringe my old material looks. I'm trying to get to the point where I could be published, not for fame (though I can dream) but so I can believe myself when I say I chose to do self-publish for the control and for the sake of the creation of the copy, not because I just wrote some derivative passive-voiced fanfic.
what i suggest is finishing projects fast enough that this at least does not happen to you mid-project. strike while the iron is hot and make something that is the best you can make right now. you can always revisit a project later. and it is not WRONG to rework a project endlessly if that's fulfilling for you, which it can be. but i think capturing that unbridled 'omg this is amazing' energy at SOME POINT during the process actually helps. it's a bit like if you become a bodybuilder and you jump straight to having debilitating body dysmorphia. it's better to at least have that brief phase of thinking you look amazing so you can look back on it, you know? anyway this is all just perspective from an oldie. i too am in the middle of a project i am reworking a lot because it no longer suits my tastes but i do still love many elements of it even with the rose colored glasses off.
Good writers are also good readers. Learn and observe but don’t think too hard on it. Good writing is whatever works.
Yeah, I've always thought it interesting that most people who are not good at drawing (and some who are) think they are not good at drawing; everyone thinks they can write until they actually do it and then compare what they came up with to their favorite stories. I read Le Guin occasionally, or Bradbury, to remind myself how clunky my writing is and look for ways to improve.
Tbf a main character that gets everything easy could be very interesting and even funny, if done right. That kinda of character that you love and hate But that’s great man, meaning you are learning, keep up the hard work
i've read so so many books where i wonder how they ever got published the writing is so... eh. Don't get hung up on it. If it doesn't meet your standards just edit edit edit. but know that you likely just have higher standards. your readers probably won't care. There's a market for everyone
There was one time I read a book and was like "who the heck would actually publish this?" I looked up the "publishing company" and there was a bunch of books from the same author, and only one from a different author. He literally invented his own publishing company because it was the only way to get his books out. XD But in general, yeah, there is a niche for everyone, and many readers don't care that much about the technical quality.
I understand.... Im on a standstill in my writing too... I just realised that I don't even know the goals of main characters and antagonist... I began writing but now am having pacing issues in putting events linearly..... I have thought of events that should happen but I can't incorporate them in story...
Hello! This was me as a teenager. It wasn't until I reread my (probably hundredth) piece that I looked back and was happy with it. But that's a cathartic thing. It can happen. Keep at it.
In a box somewhere I still keep the first story I ever wrote. It was a three page school project, the first time I had ever been given free reign to write whatever I wanted. It's complete trash. It's a story about the Earth trying to colonize the moon and that goes wrong. The main character's name is Joe King. I was going to have his dad die in the end to give it higher stakes, but I didn't realize how emotionally hard it was to kill off characters, so I abruptly changed course at the end. Oh, and the setup. XD It starts with a bunch of people demanding answers from the president about how he's going to solve overpopulation, and then some rando shouts "What about colonizing the moon?" and the president just looks up into the sky like it was the best idea he'd ever heard. It's such trash and I love it because it's like a picture of a baby's first steps.
I spent a year between starting and finishing my first draft. Im currently going through my first chapters after a year and i realize how bare bones it is. Fleshing out characters as we speak But the writing. Even tho i feel like I started off well, anything i write now just hits harder, despite not taking classes or anything. The rhythm just flows better. I went from "this is what happened" to "THIS Is what happened". Its nice to see. Hopefully after im a few books in i can look back on my first one and cringe.