The Writing Thread

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I would choose the left under almost any circumstance. I like the magic in D&D, how it is explained and reasoned. Where it “comes from” so to speak.

An example of an OK-tier of background lore might be Harry Potter where you have to use a wand to “weave signs” like in Naruto. I find that limiting but the implications of a piece of wood = more power would be a huge plot hole. Suppose you used an entire tree to conduct a spell. Might have the power of a 105mm howitzer shell.

And speaking of Naruto, if someone had told me that “jutsu” is just their world’s word for “magic” I would have tolerated that show at least a little bit. So absurd having swords and using spells instead.

Anyway that’s my Cole Smithey review of fantasy nobody asked for
 
Another update:

I got a decent way through rough drafting everything before I hit a mental block again. I feel like its a combo of having worked on this thing for so long and that it's such a complex morally grey story that I'm still trying to figure the direction of.

I ended up getting another idea for a different story that's more like a hero's journey based in an alternate world that focuses on naval combat. I've made more progress on it in 4 days than I did with the other story in a year. I even wrote the script for a speech scene already.

I think I might work on this new story for a bit and switch off between the two when I get a mental block. Probably not the most efficent way of doing it but fuck it.
 
Im reposting this from the Castlevania thread since, well, I think this thread is better suited for my "creative" episodes, which I tend to have sometimes as those that see my posts will tend to notice.

So screw it, I'll leave most of what I "come up" here.

Anyway...


I always said that a telling of Simon Belmont's story should mostly be centered during the events of the sequel instead of the original. Blasphemy, I know but the original never had much of to explore in terms of creative possibilities, Simon came, he fought and he won. So it is far more interesting to follow the aftermath of Simon's victory and how a good man can fall but rise above all adversity when duty calls, even with all the odds stacked against him.

My "pitch" is to follow Simon 7 years after the events of C1, with the land becoming free of Dracula and his evil ever since. Simon has become a legend among his already legendary family, people cheer his name wherever he goes, ladies passing out at the mere sight of him. If the Belmonts were spat at wherever they went in the past, now it is the otherway around, they are extremely beloved heroes. And Simon knew he deserved it all, I mean, he did kill Dracula, it wasnt an easy task. So why not allow himself some freedom and joy now that his goal was fulfilled?

And just like a rockstar in his prime, Simon embraced it all. And just like a rockstar when out of his prime, we follow Simon 7 years later, older, tired, somewhat out of shape and with a mysterious growing pain in his back, accompanied by a dark necrotic looking stain that only becomes more prominent with time. He is still very much beloved but not only he has ruined some of his reputation through bad choices in these 7 years but he has become a recluse when it was becoming clear his health was failing him and neither science or magic could explain it. He thought he was at the prime of his life and there was time to eventually settle down and start a family but he has failed to achieve that, instead wasting time with a hedonistic style brought through him buying into his own hype. He is Simon Belmont and he deserved it. He is Simon Belmont and he deserves what he has now. Soon enough, he was Simon Belmont.

Eventually he visits the grave of his ancestors during a particularly foggy night, believing he has failed the bloodline. That is when a mysterous woman speaks to him, from among the fog. Simon reactively pulls out the Vampire Killer, ready to show that ,even in his weakened state, he was still the night's bane. She assures him that she doesnt come as an enemy but to warn him of what is going on.

This is where we get the woman explaining that Dracula, in a new scheme to destroy the land AND the Belmont bloodline in a swift strike, weaponized his own defeat so that 5 parts of his body are spread far and wide across the world, all with the intention to poison and corrupt the land with all the temptations and vices it can bring to the world of man. And to make matters worse, Simon's body is dying as well, with one of the sadistic effects of the curse being his infertility, meaning a Belmont cant carry the torch onwards...and by the time Dracula returns, the land will be dead and rotten, all according to his desire...with whoever is left standing no chance to stop him.

Simon seems more disappointed at himself for allowing this to happen but he asks if there is a way to stop this, perhaps destroying the pieces? The woman explains it is not so simple, the destruction of the pieces will not alone stop the curse but only by only bringing them together to where it all started...


"Castlevania"


Where they will come together to bring forward the count once again.

Simon is shocked and believes he is being tricked...him, a Belmont, bringing back Dracula? The woman reassures him that the intention is not to bring the lord of darkness back, instead to give the curse itself flesh to burn and destroy. Thats the only way of ending the very roots of this corruption. He must face his old enemy once again, or he will perish in a year.

Simon is quiet, so much doubt in his mind. He wasnt sure if could defeat Dracula again in this current state. He wasnt sure if he could trust this woman. Which leads to him asking...

"If you are truly on my side, answer me then, who are you?"

Her answer is vague

"The woman that is with every Belmont, in every battle. I was with your answers and Im here with you. For it is in this place, at this time, when the pale moon is high, when I can speak with the living...and feel the touch of my beloved once again."

We see a figure of a man standing behind the woman and he hugs her from behind. Simon's eyes widen as he could swear he recognized the man. He mutters the name to himself.

"Leon..."

Both figures slowly fade into the fog as Simon lifts his hand towards them, asking for more guidance.

"Wait, I have so much to ask! Come back!"

Simon falls on his knees as he sees he is alone among the graves of his ancestors, a place he knows he cannot join just yet, he has a job to do.

And the plot would follow Simon's Quest (heh) in the search for Dracula's body parts, which are acting like a malignant corrupting growth, wickening the hearts of men, poisoning the land and empowering monsters, with the nights becoming almost too dangerous to travel for mere men*.

As to why its a worldwide adventure? Well, I kind of dig the idea of Simon meeting new locations, cultures and, of course, the monsters natural to said places so we do get a lot of visual and enemy variety. We also are suppose to see Simon seeking to solve the problems of the people he meets (often influenced if not caused by the cursed piece of Dracula)-


- Because, again, he is a good man that has fallen off the right path but is seeking to get back straight away on it, for a world that may not see him the same way anymore, especially when its clear he is in some deranged quest to bring back Dracula's body parts and, fuck, resurrect him? The Belmont has snapped, obviously, or showed where his true alliance is. Either way, Simon wont always just be against beasts but against men too, some allies now against him even...

Ah yes, I even imagined sort of a meta moment where someone comments how Simon doesnt look like how he was described.

"I thought you were bigger and more, you know, muscular."

"Actually I thought he had red hair."

"Are you out of your mind? That was clearly his hair covered in blood."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, when it comes to these things, the people can never really settle on a singular way to describe me, they always go for something grander in their eyes. Tho I do admit I have slacked off a bit..."

Just a small wink over just how Simon Belmont had many redesigns over the years

But thats just kind of a "pitch" or a "concept" of what a telling of Simon Belmont's story, one that deserves reverence and proper care

* Yes, this is to give in universe nod towards the classic "What a horrible night to have a curse" quote as its not Simon that is just cursed but the very land itself.
 
After futzing around with editing nonsense and formatting, after sitting on my document for like a year of procrastination because FUCK formatting it's boring, I sent out my gay-ass book to Amazon to be published. I may have fucked up the copyright but I assume they’ll yell at me and tell me how to fix it but I don’t care as copyright is fake and gay. I set the price to the minimum plus a dollar for print and five bucks for Kindle, I set the author name to just a last name, all I want is a physical copy I can either set on my shelf or burn depending on my mood.
I did it just to say that I did, I am a pooblished authoor now mom.
I do want to write another one that’s not just short stories, I have a few ideas I like, but there’s no words written down yet I’m just daydreaming about how it should go. My first idea, the one that would be the hardest, is a novel about a guy who picks up MMA training and it would be about what it's actually like at the low level. Working your way up, getting your ass beat, meeting people, balancing training and jobs and relationships, the actual reality of the fight world in a relatively modern setting. Write what you know, I suppose.
The other idea is about a boy learning the true history of his sci-fi colony, and seeing how the actual people who made things the way they are in that colony got defied into actual pagan gods and we would contrast the mythological legends with the equally badass real stories. For this I would pull from a bunch of different myths and legends, the main theme being that the lessons gleaned from these stories can be more important to a civilization than just getting the facts right.
Either way, lots of planning would be involved as opposed to short stories novels need to stay on one track.
 
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After futzing around with editing nonsense and formatting, after sitting on my document for like a year of procrastination because FUCK formatting it's boring, I sent out my gay-ass book to Amazon to be published. I may have fucked up the copyright but I assume they’ll yell at me and tell me how to fix it but I don’t care as copyright is fake and gay. I set the price to the minimum plus a dollar for print and five bucks for Kindle, I set the author name to just a last name, all I want is a physical copy I can either set on my shelf or burn depending on my mood.
I did it just to say that I did, I am a pooblished authoor now mom.
I do want to write another one that’s not just short stories, I have a few ideas I like, but there’s no words written down yet I’m just daydreaming about how it should go. My first idea, the one that would be the hardest, is a novel about a guy who picks up MMA training and it would be about what it's actually like at the low level. Working your way up, getting your ass beat, meeting people, balancing training and jobs and relationships, the actual reality of the fight world in a relatively modern setting. Write what you know, I suppose.
The other idea is about a boy learning the true history of his sci-fi colony, and seeing how the actual people who made things the way they are in that colony got defied into actual pagan gods and we would contrast the mythological legends with the equally badass real stories. For this I would pull from a bunch of different myths and legends, the main theme being that the lessons gleaned from these stories can be more important to a civilization than just getting the facts right.
Either way, lots of planning would be involved as opposed to short stories novels need to stay on one track.
It's live, I somehow didn't fuck anything up (I think), and I got some author copies coming in the mail. There is literally one dude I know IRL who would appreciate this dogshit, possibly two, if only due to our comradery and particular brand of autism.
Everyone else, don't read or look for it it's SHIT lmao. I genuinely removed any hint of an author's name, because fuck you Bezos your platform is for me to spew my garbage now and you can't stop me baldie.
 
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gg4zFh9mgHcThe guy actually put out a new video a few hours ago. Today, we learn how to write a convincing Dystopian society!
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Heh, if you want to write a dystopia just look at America.
 
Last night I manically outlined the characters, setting, and important set pieces of my sports novel. I decided to not go with MMA and instead BJJ as I’m more familiar with that world overall, and I have the beginning worked out (why our main is even going to the gym), the cast of characters and what they represent, the final scenes, and the various scenes I know I want to happen as the story progresses. Not to toot my own horn here, but I know a thing or two about grappling arts and have been around the block once or twice, so I feel confident I can make a decent enough story about it.
It’s a martial arts story, and it’s about our main guy trying to find his way and the supporting cast representing various ways and philosophies. In my mind, the reason martial arts stories like Garouden or Baki or Ippo or Joe work is because the characters (who represent various viewpoints and histories) are by necessity in conflict even if that conflict isn’t animosity.
Just have to sit down and write it, but I’m glad to have the outline in a serviceable state because that makes life easier.
 
It's live, I somehow didn't fuck anything up (I think), and I got some author copies coming in the mail. There is literally one dude I know IRL who would appreciate this dogshit, possibly two, if only due to our comradery and particular brand of autism.
Everyone else, don't read or look for it it's SHIT lmao. I genuinely removed any hint of an author's name, because fuck you Bezos your platform is for me to spew my garbage now and you can't stop me baldie.
Don't be a pussy, if you're already posting about it here just go balls to the walls and link it.
 
How This Will Work
As a collaborative project focused on free expression, simply send in a piece of your work by the deadline it will be included in the magazine so long as it’s not just a shitpost. All I ask is an honest effort, perceived quality is secondary, as well as subjective, and free artistic expression is the main goal of this project.
Depending on the amount of interest and submissions the time frame may change, as we’re testing things out right now, but I think a two month period from deadline to deadline will work to start and the finished magazine should be out for download a week or so after the deadline.
The download for the finished issues will be in this post.

What We’re Looking For For Content
Short stories, poetry, comics, visual art, flash fiction, and any other type of creative work that can be included in a printed medium.
Fiction only.

What We Need
Writers and visual artists to provide content.
A good name for the magazine.
If possible, someone who knows how to distribute physical copies but that is a whole other can of worms to hash out later.

The Rules
1. If you have a piece you wish to submit to the magazine, either DM it to me OR post ITT. You do NOT need to provide a name or user name if you wish for your work to be included anonymously.
2. Any and all genres welcome.
3. Have fun.
I’m trying to put together a collaborative Kiwifarms fiction digital zine collection type situation, and any submissions would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.
This thread is great, but I also love the aesthetic and experience of things such as those old pulp magazines and I think it would be a fun project to make our own, given how many creatives we have around here.
If you want to throw your hat in, that would be greatly appreciated
 
Progress report:
This is day 120 of writing my heckin epic scifi novelerino.
Word count is 181,000
I might be...60% done?
I just have to see where this goes.
This is day 180 of writing my scifi book. I still haven't missed a single day writing, I'm still doing 1000 words/day minimum as a goal to get it done. I just want to get something done, bros, and my rules are working for me.
Current word count is 274,000. I am in the home stretch, it's just the climax and wrap up at this point.
Even though my original plan was to finish in 90 days with a book around 100K words, I'm still pretty happy with it. I did not expect the book to be this long. All my expectations have been way off, but I'm now probably going to end up with around 300K when done. (hopefully not too much more.) Then the revision phase will begin.
 
hi. i haven't written since i was 19 and i would like to change that.
every time i try to write, i feel like a retard and quickly lose motivation.
i have written before, with my opus being a 160,000 word long fanfiction that i hated within 2 months of writing it (also done at 19,) which was received well by the community and gained multiple fanarts. i would like this sort of community again, but find myself struggling horrifically with replicating the extent of my past work. i get out about 1-2k and then i burn out for a month, rinse and repeat.

does anybody have any advice? i've been dabbling in less formal works (such as long essay-style rants) but find this not helping. i have also bought books for leisure but find myself rapidly bored and disinterested.
 
hi. i haven't written since i was 19 and i would like to change that.
every time i try to write, i feel like a retard and quickly lose motivation.
i have written before, with my opus being a 160,000 word long fanfiction that i hated within 2 months of writing it (also done at 19,) which was received well by the community and gained multiple fanarts. i would like this sort of community again, but find myself struggling horrifically with replicating the extent of my past work. i get out about 1-2k and then i burn out for a month, rinse and repeat.

does anybody have any advice? i've been dabbling in less formal works (such as long essay-style rants) but find this not helping. i have also bought books for leisure but find myself rapidly bored and disinterested.
Honestly, sitting down and reading more is probably the most important thing overall. In order to get ideas, increase your focus, and build a mental library of material to pull from, you should be reading more. I recommend replacing a different form of media consumption, like TV or social media or fucking around online, with reading books that intrest you.
The other thing is just to care less about what you write. You can and should revise later, that's what editing is for, but just lowering your standards for what is literally your rough draft is how you can write more, consistently, and just not worry about how it looks until later. I bet you that when you were writing fanfiction, as many actual writers started with, you had lower standards than you do today and that's the point of practice.
 
My venture into superheroes and what I want them to be has taken on a life of its own.

The POV of an absurdly powerful “flying brick” was hard to get used to and I’m trying to avoid the “smart character written by idiot” thing that happens often with beings in-theory way smarter than their writers.

But writing a “Superman” who doesn’t kneel, doesn’t back down and doesn’t waste time extolling hollow words about “a better tomorrow” is actually helping ease my cynicism. He just……… acts then fucks off because he’s completely abandoned any idea of being a human.

Surrender to duty and purpose, brought on by power so completly supreme that trying to be a man would be forcing a mirror on a man with no face.
 
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hi. i haven't written since i was 19 and i would like to change that.
every time i try to write, i feel like a retard and quickly lose motivation.
i have written before, with my opus being a 160,000 word long fanfiction that i hated within 2 months of writing it (also done at 19,) which was received well by the community and gained multiple fanarts. i would like this sort of community again, but find myself struggling horrifically with replicating the extent of my past work. i get out about 1-2k and then i burn out for a month, rinse and repeat.

does anybody have any advice? i've been dabbling in less formal works (such as long essay-style rants) but find this not helping. i have also bought books for leisure but find myself rapidly bored and disinterested.
The first step is to get into the habit of reading and writing regularly. A reading habit is gold for building a sense for what makes good writing. Set a timer to read for 5 minutes every night. Then 10. Then 15. So on. Try to build to an hour. If something is shit/boring, drop it and replace it with something else. But make sure it's the content that's the problem and not your attention span. If you want to write fiction, read fiction. Read within your genre but every fourth or fifth book, venture outside of your genre.

If you liked the feedback and community of fanfiction, start there. Write some short oneshot fics. Try to write one every two weeks, then one a week. If able, prioritize fandoms you know have a lot of activity so you get that positive feedback.
 
hi. i haven't written since i was 19 and i would like to change that.
every time i try to write, i feel like a retard and quickly lose motivation.
i have written before, with my opus being a 160,000 word long fanfiction that i hated within 2 months of writing it (also done at 19,) which was received well by the community and gained multiple fanarts. i would like this sort of community again, but find myself struggling horrifically with replicating the extent of my past work. i get out about 1-2k and then i burn out for a month, rinse and repeat.

does anybody have any advice? i've been dabbling in less formal works (such as long essay-style rants) but find this not helping. i have also bought books for leisure but find myself rapidly bored and disinterested.
You're bored because you're more invested in the idea that these things will connect you to a "community" than actually doing them for their own sake.
 
The first step is to get into the habit of reading and writing regularly. A reading habit is gold for building a sense for what makes good writing. Set a timer to read for 5 minutes every night. Then 10. Then 15. So on. Try to build to an hour. If something is shit/boring, drop it and replace it with something else. But make sure it's the content that's the problem and not your attention span.
Silly question perhaps, but do you have any tips on getting the good old attention span back to functional? Sitting myself down to just read is awfully hard nowadays even though I've got a few interesting (sounding) books lying around.
 
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