Is it bad to admit on a writer's forum that ever since my schooldays I've hated reading poetry?
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What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?
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Nah, you like what you like. It's also not necessary, just a bonus I reckon.
But equally I don't put too much stock in school experience. I disliked almost all the poetry introduced in school, and thought I hated it till uni, when that began to change. Epic poetry is totally different, for example, and a great deal of fun indeed. Seeing Keats in Dan Simmon's 'Hyperion' gave me an inroad into that as well; a kind of reinterpretation. Eliot posits a lot of interesting metaphysical concepts in his stuff; it's a little bit SF in its way. And so on.
But equally I don't put too much stock in school experience. I disliked almost all the poetry introduced in school, and thought I hated it till uni, when that began to change. Epic poetry is totally different, for example, and a great deal of fun indeed. Seeing Keats in Dan Simmon's 'Hyperion' gave me an inroad into that as well; a kind of reinterpretation. Eliot posits a lot of interesting metaphysical concepts in his stuff; it's a little bit SF in its way. And so on.
To be honest I've never bothered going back to poetry to see if it was just the way it was taught that turned me off it or not. Maybe I'll give it a look-in.
I think the only poem I can claim to really like right now is a cliché one to name, and it's 'The Raven'
I think the only poem I can claim to really like right now is a cliché one to name, and it's 'The Raven'
It's unfortunate, but I'm so overcome with the Block on the chapter that I've been working on since the early part of October that I've decided to work on it on a later date. I feel defeated, and a little bit like a failure, for not being able to work in chronological order with this story; the last time I stopped working on a chapter, and became so bogged down over not being able to finish or work further on it, was in 2013... and that's the year that I decided to get more serious with my writing.
I'll try to move on to doing the next four, then return to the one that I couldn't edit and try again with it. One way or another, it >>WILL<< be edited and then completed.
I'll try to move on to doing the next four, then return to the one that I couldn't edit and try again with it. One way or another, it >>WILL<< be edited and then completed.
I'm wondering out loud. Does it really have to be called a memoir when it can be categorized as a series of personal essays. Yes, there's an arc, why I left, why we sailed across the Atlantic, how this became a search to find another home. But shouldn't each essay, instead of each chapter, be able to live and breathe on its very own? And then be categorized as an essay?
My day job has been kicking my tail right and left lately, and will do so until late January. My novel has suffered almost as much as I have; I haven't touched it in more than two weeks, and most of the time I'm too damn tired even to think about it.
But, driving home from work Friday night, I suddenly had a little idea for a short story, and yesterday I wrote a draft of it. 2000 words in about two and a half hours; I wish my novel would come out so readily. Anyway, unlike any given 2000 words of the novel, I'm rather pleased with the short story, and overcame my usual crippling bashfulness to show it to a friend. We had a good conversation about it and I'm full of ideas for a revision.
Of course, I have to go work today, and I'm not sure when I'll actually get to revising the story. But it's there, and so are the ideas. And since it came out of the same brain, maybe the novel might get to be as good, some day.
But, driving home from work Friday night, I suddenly had a little idea for a short story, and yesterday I wrote a draft of it. 2000 words in about two and a half hours; I wish my novel would come out so readily. Anyway, unlike any given 2000 words of the novel, I'm rather pleased with the short story, and overcame my usual crippling bashfulness to show it to a friend. We had a good conversation about it and I'm full of ideas for a revision.
Of course, I have to go work today, and I'm not sure when I'll actually get to revising the story. But it's there, and so are the ideas. And since it came out of the same brain, maybe the novel might get to be as good, some day.
Writer's block. I have no idea what to do with the next scene in my story. 
I feel like the protagonist needs to acknowledge a particular character and something he did to help her, before going on to the next "big event" in the story, but I don't have any idea how to execute this.
I feel like the protagonist needs to acknowledge a particular character and something he did to help her, before going on to the next "big event" in the story, but I don't have any idea how to execute this.
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FrauleinCiano
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Weaving in important backstory. I'm trying hard to get it in there organically. I don't want to just put in a big ol' flashback, but the little pieces I'm trying to pepper in, at least according to our only beta so far, is just far too subtle. Thinking more and more that a prologue with that important scene might be required. It's driving me batty.
1) No such thing
2) I haven't worked with beta readers in a while, but I'd always made it a thing not to commit to any one piece of feedback until I'd heard from at least 3 people
If every single one of them says the same thing, then you should probably do it, but if one person says one thing and two people say another, then you're in a better position to decide which viewpoint is better for you.
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Folks, I am really pleased with this story I’ve put together. I’ve got a second draft now that is a little more substantial than the first, but not as taut - my focus in the third draft will have to be on trimming it back down to recover the crispness while holding on to the added substance. When the third draft is done perhaps I’ll post it in SYW. I do need a stranger to read it; the only reader I’ve had so far is a friend who knows what it’s about.
I wish I could get the novel to come this easily, and be this satisfied with its promise. There used to be parts of it that would flow like this, but it’s been an awful while since that’s happened.
I wish I could get the novel to come this easily, and be this satisfied with its promise. There used to be parts of it that would flow like this, but it’s been an awful while since that’s happened.
I was watching SNL last night, and the "Skanky Babysitter" sketch gave me a horrible idea - what would a magic system look like that was based on "porn logic"?
Been there. For me it was Chapter One. Finally I went forward, finished the book, went back and struggled some more. I rewrote that chapter more times than I can count. Now, if I read it, I wonder what was so damn hard about it. I'm glad to hear you've decided to go forward.
How does not being able to work in chronological order make you a failure? Huh? It seems to me that writers spend/waste a lot of time stressing over what what we perceive to be our incompetencies, time that would be better spent writing.
May I suggest you just move on to the aforementioned big event. Later, if you still deem it necessary — keep in mind that sometimes what seems absolutely essential at one point turns out to be a nothing burger — you will have a better idea of how to work the acknowledgement in.Writer's block. I have no idea what to do with the next scene in my story.
It seems to me that writers spend/waste a lot of time stressing over what amounts to a few paragraphs of text in a sea of words that make up our lovely novels.
Just read the threads. I love betas. They are always helpful. Two are better than one. Three is a better number. Simpson 1786 gave you a wonderful answer.
When I read your post, my thought was, if the beta "got it", maybe it wasn't too subtle. I had a similar problem with one of my books and the answer to this question helped me find my way. Do I need the backstory because it is important for the readers to know what happened, or is the backstory the whole foundation of the book?
One more thing. Keep in mind that many people do not read prologues.
It seems to me that writers spend/waste a lot of time stressing over one person's opinion, time that would be better spent writing.
Just read the threads.Uh oh.I was watching SNL last night, and the "Skanky Babysitter" sketch gave me a horrible idea - what would a magic system look like that was based on "porn logic"?
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Still writing the next book in my series, but also started writing a movie script for another project out of nowhere.
Does anyone have experience in script/screenplay writing?
Does anyone have experience in script/screenplay writing?
FrauleinCiano
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Thanks, Simpson and WriteMinded. It's good to hear reinforcement that, yes, it's just one person's opinion so there can be no consensus. Logical brain understands this. Anxiety brain is a whole other matter. Doesn't help that the co-author and I sent out the first 50-ish pages to our betas a month ago to get them started, and no one except for her hubby has even opened the docs. Itching to get those other opinions, ya know?
And people not reading prologues is precisely why I haven't just gone ahead and done it, heh.
Will Collins, I learned a fair amount about screen writing back in college. Might be a little rusty, but depending on what you need advice/opinions on, I may be able to help?
And people not reading prologues is precisely why I haven't just gone ahead and done it, heh.
Will Collins, I learned a fair amount about screen writing back in college. Might be a little rusty, but depending on what you need advice/opinions on, I may be able to help?
There's a board for it, somewhere. In addition to Fraulein above, sideshowdarb also writes screenplays, I think.
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I'm currently attempting Nanowrimo with a story that's a mystery. I'm trying to make the middle of the story interesting but everything feels so bland. I kind of want Nano to be over so I don't have to write the story anymore because I'm not enjoying and mainly because I feel insecure. I'm doubting my writing skill as I write it. I don't know, I just want to write but I want to be passionate about what I'm writing.
The middle of the story is often tough to get past. It's where all the plot holes come to die! I know it's easy to say, but don't worry about it. Just get the words out. First drafts are meant to be messy.
when i was a kid, people who lived in the country had burn barrels, where they'd burn their trash in their side yards or backyards. i have so many novels in progress, etc, and i've wondered if i dumped all of them into a burn barrel, if at the end, in the ashes would be what i have been really trying to write. lean over the barrel, smell the smoke, and see it. by god, there it is.
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Yay! Got the characters, science, environment, and politics fairly well set. Started on the plot outline today.
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I guess it's just the stress over not being able to edit the damn chapter that makes me feel like a failure. I've yet to be able to work on this story. The final 4 chapters to part 1, and I'm at a complete stall. I went through a similar issue to this when I was working on chapter 13, but I kicked myself merrily and got it done then moved on; in this instant, I just can't do that. I've rewritten this chapter more than 25 times, and have asked for help on it numerous times, and have yet to find the key to get past it. While some of me says it all adds up to me thinking too much on the chapter's subject matter, another part of me says its just me who's stopping me from editing. When I started working on this chapter, it was late October; I'm heading into December and I've yet to be happy with it.
I'm getting a migraine just trying to keep myself from working on the chapter, and it's not the first time I've gotten one based on this situation either.
Moving on to working on chapter 23 is out of the question, though I have given it a try more than three times now. I feel that I need to finish working on chapter 22 before working on the following chapters; the question on how is what burdens me.