The Writing Thread

[Commissar Fuklaw]

Only a couple of days until the start of nanowrimo. You blokes keen on doing it this year?

 

[DogZero]

Here is my story for October. The prompt was "write a story about something or someone which a character hates to love"

 

[Pomniman]

Only a couple of days until the start of nanowrimo. You blokes keen on doing it this year?

Never have, never will. I've written a novel of a similar length to that shit in one month on my own once before I even heard of it, but the idea of specifically doing it in November because a bunch of proto-reddit homos in 1999 decided that's the time everyone should do it rubs me the wrong way.

 

[spiritofamermaid]

Only a couple of days until the start of nanowrimo. You blokes keen on doing it this year?

Did it a few times, not sure if I will this year unless I count my editing time. My writing process, I've learned, is fairly chaotic and doesn't flow well with just writing straight through.

@DogZero I won't be able to review it until Monday, but def will then!

 

[Dick Johnson]

This might be a really basic question, but how do you guys actually write? I'm in no short supply of ideas or characters, but the moment I sit down and start writing scenes I become extremely bored by what I'm writing. Either it meanders, or it goes by too quickly, or its just pointless but I need to connect two scenes. I have a very hard time translating premises, characters, outlines into actual written prose.

I'm not usually in the habit of writing, but I want to write a story for a pet project and I'm having issues coming up with a plot. The main isue is I don't have a story I want to tell as much as I have characters I want to write about. I've made a couple of characters and a world for them to live in, wrote a sheet with their personalities, powers and relationships, but I'm struggling to come up with a good story for them. My main document has been a revolving door of plots, it's like worldbuilder's disease but with characters instead of the world.

Both of you seem to have a similar issue: you have characters that you want to write about and worlds you want to write in, but you're not sure what to have these people do in the worlds you've made.

My suggestion is 'explain'. Take a character. What particular traits do they have? Write something that demonstrates one or more traits. Just a scene, or an exchange that illustrates an aspect of their personality. Or something from their background. Is there some element of their character that has something specific that they've seen or done? Did you give something like a job, relationship or education a one-sentence treatment to build them? A formative event in their life that could be summed up in a few words? If so, expand that sentence out to scene-to-story length. A piece of worldbuilding that you really like? Write a scene that shows the stuff that you find interesting about through the eyes of a character that lives in the world.

Maybe you're in the zone and you can knock out a page or more with descriptions and dialogue and action, and that feels pretty great when you do it. Or maybe you start with outlining the specific points that you think are important and interesting and you fill in the spaces between those points, using the knowledge you have of the world and the characters.

As a writing exercise I second Jean d'Arc's suggestion of putting your characters in different situations, then writing how they react. How do they react to someone bumping into them at a bar? How do they react to seeing someone getting robbed? How do they react to a former flame showing up unexpectedly and asking for help?

Specific to She-Beetle: that's just focus. If you want to write it, you're going to have to write it. Read your notes, read your outline, write stuff that turns the notes into an actual story where the characters do things that progress them through your outline points. Maybe writing isn't something you enjoy, though, which is why I suggest writing shorter stuff. Make something that's enjoyable to read as a complete work in a couple of pages. If you like doing that, then maybe try something longer. If you don't like doing that, then you probably won't like trying to write something a hundred times as long.

 

[Pomniman]

Both of you seem to have a similar issue: you have characters that you want to write about and worlds you want to write in, but you're not sure what to have these people do in the worlds you've made.

My suggestion is 'explain'. Take a character. What particular traits do they have? Write something that demonstrates one or more traits. Just a scene, or an exchange that illustrates an aspect of their personality. Or something from their background. Is there some element of their character that has something specific that they've seen or done? Did you give something like a job, relationship or education a one-sentence treatment to build them? A formative event in their life that could be summed up in a few words? If so, expand that sentence out to scene-to-story length. A piece of worldbuilding that you really like? Write a scene that shows the stuff that you find interesting about through the eyes of a character that lives in the world.

Maybe you're in the zone and you can knock out a page or more with descriptions and dialogue and action, and that feels pretty great when you do it. Or maybe you start with outlining the specific points that you think are important and interesting and you fill in the spaces between those points, using the knowledge you have of the world and the characters.

As a writing exercise I second Jean d'Arc's suggestion of putting your characters in different situations, then writing how they react. How do they react to someone bumping into them at a bar? How do they react to seeing someone getting robbed? How do they react to a former flame showing up unexpectedly and asking for help?

Specific to She-Beetle: that's just focus. If you want to write it, you're going to have to write it. Read your notes, read your outline, write stuff that turns the notes into an actual story where the characters do things that progress them through your outline points. Maybe writing isn't something you enjoy, though, which is why I suggest writing shorter stuff. Make something that's enjoyable to read as a complete work in a couple of pages. If you like doing that, then maybe try something longer. If you don't like doing that, then you probably won't like trying to write something a hundred times as long.

As stupid and potentially useless as this is going to sound, at the end of the day you just have to sit down and do it or you'll never learn what works or doesn't work for you. You can have a million word outline and it'll amount to nothing if you only ruminate on it. If you don't like how it turns out once you have, say, a chapter or three, either fix it later or trash the whole thing and try to come up with an idea that feels more "natural" to you once you actually start writing it rather than only outlining it.

The main thing is don't worry about making mistakes or being amateurish/retarded sounding while you're in the middle of writing, especially if you're inexperienced, just write something and judge it later once you have at least a few chapters or short stories or whatever it is you're going for.

 

[Caddo Cobgang]

I have this interesting idea revolving around realms of Gods being inside of Weapons forged by them, think of shit like the Nine Divines having their own planets in Elder Scrolls, but entrapped in powerful forged weapons instead of being out in Space.

 

[Commissar Fuklaw]

That sounds like something I'd read in a manhwa.

 

[Firemalzahn]

So I have always been intrigued by writing and trying my hand at it. Never really published anything. However, I sort of want to try my hand at fantasy writing. Just got inspired cause I just got into The Witcher novels/Witcher 3 and have always been a gow simp.

Anyone have any tips suggestions etc

 

[Commissar Fuklaw]

Ain't nothin' to it but to do it - Ronnie Coleman

Don't fret about anything, just get stuck in and have fun. It's not serious business.

 

[Viper the rappah]

Yo can i post first 7 pages of comic to see if it flows well or not
First 7 are exposition based while almost entirety of comic is just action with few lines in between. Also introduction to this comic's world so i want to see how it reads from reads perspective and how many of you would stay/drop it after introduction

 

[Commissar Fuklaw]

Go for it, no need to ask. Just chuck it under a spoiler.

 

[Viper the rappah]

Go for it, no need to ask. Just chuck it under a spoiler.

Aight
It's bit rough, the ibispaintx has feature where you extract lineart which often roughens up original trad lineart which is why i'll redo it again digitally since it's worthless to make 100 pages only for photoscan to be shit.

Spoiler: DINO TEAM

 

[spiritofamermaid]

Aight
It's bit rough, the ibispaintx has feature where you extract lineart which often roughens up original trad lineart which is why i'll redo it again digitally since it's worthless to make 100 pages only for photoscan to be shit.

Spoiler: DINO TEAM

View attachment 6633580View attachment 6633581View attachment 6633582View attachment 6633583View attachment 6633585
View attachment 6633586
View attachment 6633587

Ayy I thought the text was familiar! You've cleaned it up a lot, nice job. I have some slight critiques with composition but am currently a filthy phoneposter so can't show as of now.

Excited to see the rest.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

I've always wanted to write something, so I've started work on a series of old-school pulpy fuckin' sci-fi short stories.
Very basic, we got a space ranger whose job is to check out planets and moons on various missions across the galaxy and report back. We're talking that pulp shit, because I love pulp sci-fi. The general format I've chosen is like World War Z in that he is dictating his report after the mission and his second in command occasionally chimes in, so far it's been fun to work on.
Our dude is Daniel "Dash" Comet, our resident space woman is Kaede Quasar, and it's inspired by things like A Martian Odyssey and a bunch of stories like that I can't remember the names of.
My first story with them is about a moon entirely made of metal, even down to the plants, and while scouting the landscape for science and potential mining operations Dash get's caught in a windstorm that blow razor-sharp leaves and has to shelter in a cave he found.
How will our hero survive the razor storm? What is in that cave? FIND OUT SOON IN THE TALES OF DASH COMET: SPACE RANGER (title subject to change).

Spoiler: What I've got so far, outline and first part of draft

The Moon of Metal Leaves

1: The reason for being at the Metallic Moon is to observe and collect the unique flora, scouting for valuable resources for a mining operation.
2: Dash gets caught in a massive windstorm that blew around razor sharp metal leaves and has to hide in a cave.
3: In the cave he finds major amounts of what he terms “energy crystals”, they are so powerful that one the size of a fist could power his ship for half a year. However, they are too dangerous to be around for long so he has to brave the storm.
4: He uses his Multitool to fashion together a makeshift suit of armor, like maille, from the leaves that blew inside the cave. He has to run back to his ship, and while he takes damage from the storm his suit holds up long enough for him to survive.​

Kaede Quasar looked up from her screen as Dash walked into the office, none the worse for wear save for quite a few bandages all over his body. “Ready to give the report?” She asked nonchalantly, “How did the med-bot treat you?”
Settling into his favorite chair and sipping his favorite brew, Dash responds with his classic cheeky grin, “Fairly well, I’ve been through worse. Mission Control will be quite pleased with what I’ve found.”
“That you have, and that they will. Transcription, begin.” The ship’s computer begins to record at the order.

I began this mission with all necessary equipment. I came with my Multitool, my comms, my scanner, my blaster, and a packed lunch. The estimated time for completion was one Earth day, actual time for completion was two Earth days. The mission's goal was to scout out Moon 2079 AKA The Metal Moon for mining operations, scientific research, as well as determine what hazards there are on said moon. Goal was achieved, very much so.
I landed in my scouting craft in a flat area half a mile from the location of interest, later dubbed The Metal Forest. As I stepped out onto the planet I realized the nickname “Metal Moon” was an understatement. Everything was metallic in nature. Using my scanner I determined that even the soil, if you could call it that, was a fine powder of mixed common metals. While trekking to the location of interest, I continued to scan. Every last object, every rock I scanned, all metal of different types. I’ll leave it to the nerds in Research -
You have multiple PHDs, Dash.
Hey, I’m giving my report here Kaede.
Just saying.
Fine, fine. Anyways, I’ll leave it to my fellow scientists to explain how such a thing naturally occurs, but it was quite majestic to see. Unending landscapes glittering in the sunlight of this hitherto unexplored solar system, just waiting to be mined. Once I reached the Metal Forest, note that name is new and I made it, I found something extremely interesting. Plant life, though none anyone would have recognized. And an astounding variety of flora, I seemed to have made quite the discovery.
Entirely metallic in composition, scanning indicated that everything from the grass to the trees lived, if you could say that, on some source of energy drawn from the ground. I stood in awe at what I could only compare to an aspen grove, the trunks were not particularly thick, roughly the thickness of one's leg, and the leaves were small, light, and surprisingly sharp around the edges. These trees went on as far as the eye could see. I went to collecting some samples.
The Research Team has determined that the trees were quite similar to aspens. One large organism, drawing on some sort of power from below the surface.
Xenobiology is one of my PHDs, ma’am. Thank you very much.
Already the mission was appearing to be a success, an entire moon made of multiple types of metals, just ripe for the taking. No fauna was found, no signs of fauna was found, and preliminary scans from orbit showed no signs whatsoever of any intelligent or mobile life. With this moon’s resources The Intergalactic Union would have no shortages of construction or manufacturing materials for colonizing this new solar system. Absolutely perfect.
After taking samples, I broke for lunch and made camp in a small clearing. Nothing tastes better than an intergalactic picnic, especially when riding high on expectations of a job well done.
Judging by you being wrapped up like a mummy, I’d assume something happened.
You don’t say?
After a fine lunch, thanks for that by the way Kaede, I noticed a cave beside the clearing. After packing up and checking my watch, I decided I had enough time to see what may be a bit deeper in this magnificent moon. This is around the time a breeze began to stir. A leaf brushed my forearm, cutting a shallow gash as easy as a scalpel. I made for the cave a but quicker, starting to feel uneasy.
I hate feeling uneasy. I’m usually right to feel that way.
Is this when the storm began?
Yes, I should have made back to the ship. I already had the information we needed, but all’s well that ends well.

I work on it more later, I got other less fun shit to write for classes.

 

[Viper the rappah]

I have some slight critiques with composition

First thanks but I have too myself

Og feels like (page one im refering) as two bloated loads of texts stacking on top of eachother which makes viewers eyes feel more tired reading it from my perspective
Im not gonna update every little bit of progress but here is how i decided to
alter/fix it

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Alright, finished the first draft of the first story. I remember reading that while writing The Martian Andy Weir's thought process was about how his dude could survive xyz scenarios with what he had around him, and in all those pulp sci-fi stories I love it's just anything goes.
I'll work on more stuff, I grew up on Asimov magazines and Doctor Who so it was fun to write a short little story about a spaceman. My favorite parts were always about alien landscapes, how shit's just different out there. Screw all the 'muh realism' nonsense, I want bizarre shit.
Maybe later he'll meet aliens.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

I wrote another story for Dash Comet, and found out ChatGPT can take passages and turn them into images so I nerded out and commanded the machine to make me retro sci-fi art. It's actually a lot of fun writing these stories, it's kind of hard to think stuff up but once I make a basic outline of 'beginning, middle, end' it's easier to just go. I'll have to go over them again once I write more stories and polish them, but at least I don't find them offensively bad.
The new story is about a mission to retrieve data from a destroyed drone on an ocean planet, I've always liked things like Subnautica because the ocean is already pretty alien as is.
Critiquing myself, I need to find a way to slow down while maintaining the aspect of Dash relaying the details of his mission verbally. I should probably add more detail about what's around him and what he was thinking, but for now I'm just trying to write down the stories before I go over them again.

Spoiler: images

Moon Of Metal Leaves


Under The Alien Sea

 

[Shaneequa]

Thinking about throwing my hat into the Light-Novel anime-adjacent genre. Equal parts American comic book heroes and Tumblr power-fantasies wrapped in an ez to consume weaboo aesthetic.

Akiko's knuckles throbbed as she ripped the tattered sleeve of her Hello Kitty t-shirt into strips. The salty-metal tang of blood mixed with the lingering sweetness of Juicy Fruit gum on her tongue. She wrapped the makeshift bandage around her scrapes, wincing as the cotton fibers snagged on raw flesh.

Just like issue #27 of Shoujou Samurai, she thought wryly. Except manga cuts never stung this much.

Shouts echoed from the alley below the fire escape where she perched. Akiko peered through the rusty slats, searching for telltale signs of the Demon Boyz crew - spiked leather, neon sneakers, that stupid snake-skull logo Razor always spray-painted everywhere like a dog marking territory.

Instead, a glimpse of purple dreadlocks caught her eye. Mochi? The petite Harajuku girl was supposed to be safe at the Kitty Café serving up bubble tea and J-pop, not wandering sketchy alleys on the wrong side of Shimokitazawa. If Razor's thugs caught Mochi alone...

Akiko shook off the thought. She swung down from the fire escape, Skechers slapping against asphalt as pain shot up her bruised shins. The sooner they got back to Kitty Café, the better. Mochi's worried face peeked out from behind a dumpster, all doe-eyes and glittery lips.

"Akiko! I've been looking everywhere for you! Razor... he..."

A growling Harley engine drowned out the rest of Mochi's words. Akiko whirled around. A battered black motorcycle skidded into the alley, kicking up dust and cigarette butts. The rider wore ripped jeans and a vest with the Demon Boyz snake-skull leering on the back.

Akiko's gut clenched. Not now. Not with Mochi here. She hadn't even told the others about her solo vigilante missions, the crazy risks she'd started taking to feel something again after Hana...

The motorcycle sputtered to a stop. Heavy boots thudded on the pavement. The rider tugged off his helmet, shaking out an electric-blue mohawk.

"Oi, Akiko." Razor's sneer sent a chill down her spine. "You've got some explaining to do."

 

[del_toid]

Here is my story for October. The prompt was "write a story about something or someone which a character hates to love"

Well done! Very relatable to hate a boss for the shit you have to do for him but respect his leadership. I didnt really understand the main characters response to being asked why he fights, can you elaborate?