The Writing Thread

[madethistocomment]

WTF is a faceclaim?

It's an actor or model or just someone who looks like what you have in mind for your character. Kind of like a dream cast, I guess? They're not for everyone, but I use them because it's nice for me to have an actual face attatched to a character rather than just some nebulous traits floating around in my noggin.

 

[Coelacanth]

So I have a question for those of you who've managed to get beyond completing a first draft: how many drafts do you make before seeking out beta readers? I'll admit I've never gotten this far writing wise so to have a good idea of what to do before I get there would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BrunoMattei]

So I have a question for those of you who've managed to get beyond completing a first draft: how many drafts do you make before seeking out beta readers? I'll admit I've never gotten this far writing wise so to have a good idea of what to do before I get there would be greatly appreciated!

Until it's done. There's no set pattern of how many drafts it takes.

 

[Pomniman]

So I have a question for those of you who've managed to get beyond completing a first draft: how many drafts do you make before seeking out beta readers? I'll admit I've never gotten this far writing wise so to have a good idea of what to do before I get there would be greatly appreciated!

There's no magic number but it depends on what you're going for. More drafts are better if you're trying to "smooth" the writing out, less if you want the finished work to be more "rough".

 

[Kaiser Wilhelm's Ghost]

So I have a question for those of you who've managed to get beyond completing a first draft: how many drafts do you make before seeking out beta readers? I'll admit I've never gotten this far writing wise so to have a good idea of what to do before I get there would be greatly appreciated!

It depends entirely on the writer and the philosophy of the writer.

The best approach I've found is to just get the story onto paper in the first draft with the understanding that it's gonna be full of mistakes, plot holes, etc, and I'm OK with that. Second draft comes with the expansion of the story, details, ideas, motivations, and being able to try and make things more cohesive. 3rd draft is the removal of the weakest elements and maybe some tweaks here and there, but that's when I have someone generally read it.

A good way to break things down is to write the chapters in scenes, approach it from a movie lens perspective and write out the general flow and dialogue of the scene, then afterwards add in other details. Some writers get so caught up in useless description and don't actually add to the story. Another good thing to remember is the the three acts breakdown. Each chapter should have a general outline of start, rising action, finish, or a mini story within a story.

Characters are made interesting by conflict. It doesn't need to be 100% conflict all the time and it doesn't need to be extreme, but it has to have enough to help serve the characters, and it needs to serve the story. A human mind is a reflection of light and dark, good and evil, right and wrong, and this is what makes them interesting.

The other bit of best advice that I can give is, have a document that is your discard pile, because you can then cut stuff with impunity and go back to it and maybe use it for something else. But you must not be afraid to cut something if it doesn't work, there is no point in being precious about these things.

 

[Coelacanth]

Until it's done. There's no set pattern of how many drafts it takes.

There's no magic number but it depends on what you're going for. More drafts are better if you're trying to "smooth" the writing out, less if you want the finished work to be more "rough".

It depends entirely on the writer and the philosophy of the writer.

The best approach I've found is to just get the story onto paper in the first draft with the understanding that it's gonna be full of mistakes, plot holes, etc, and I'm OK with that. Second draft comes with the expansion of the story, details, ideas, motivations, and being able to try and make things more cohesive. 3rd draft is the removal of the weakest elements and maybe some tweaks here and there, but that's when I have someone generally read it.

A good way to break things down is to write the chapters in scenes, approach it from a movie lens perspective and write out the general flow and dialogue of the scene, then afterwards add in other details. Some writers get so caught up in useless description and don't actually add to the story. Another good thing to remember is the the three acts breakdown. Each chapter should have a general outline of start, rising action, finish, or a mini story within a story.

Characters are made interesting by conflict. It doesn't need to be 100% conflict all the time and it doesn't need to be extreme, but it has to have enough to help serve the characters, and it needs to serve the story. A human mind is a reflection of light and dark, good and evil, right and wrong, and this is what makes them interesting.

The other bit of best advice that I can give is, have a document that is your discard pile, because you can then cut stuff with impunity and go back to it and maybe use it for something else. But you must not be afraid to cut something if it doesn't work, there is no point in being precious about these things.

Great, thank you three for your thoughts! I'll certainly be taking notes from all of this.

I suppose I have the philosophy of having smooth writing and story contents perfectly balanced so every time I sit down to write now my inner perfectionist just screams constantly to me. One of the habits I'm actually trying to develop is to not give in to the urge to go back and edit what I've written immediately, which is far far easier said than done, but it appears to be working - I've probably written more in the past two weeks (alongside working on Housebound, which I'm also trying to approach with the same mentality) than I have in a month and it feels like I'm actually getting somewhere with my hobbies.

 

[BrunoMattei]

It's perfectly normal to keep re-writing until it reaches perfection in your mind.

 

[madethistocomment]

Wrote this today

The Fallen Soldier
I found you in the square today
was creeping where i shouldn't have been
your eyes stared up at the sky
and poppies bloomed on your chest

I have to wonder
what did you fight for?
what did you die for?

Your leg was at a weird angle
and a dandelion bloomed by your feet
i put it on your garden chest
i didn't know what else to do.

Your hair was messy but i fixed it
put it back where it should have been
but you shouldn't have been here either
bleeding for someone who doesn't even know your name

Who did you fight for?
who did you die for?

I sat with you a while
watched the clouds drift by like you
i told you i was sorry
i didn't know what else to do.

 

[Mr. Skeltal]

What's the consensus on writing dialogue?
I've read short stories that do away with quotation punctuation in favor of italics vs non-italics, stories that separate dialogue from non dialogue, stories that keep dialogue tags to a minimum, etc.

 

[FitBitch]

What's the consensus on writing dialogue?
I've read short stories that do away with quotation punctuation in favor of italics vs non-italics, stories that separate dialogue from non dialogue, stories that keep dialogue tags to a minimum, etc.

Don't do shit that unnecessarily confuses your reader, it forces them to slow down or lose interest. Just use the quotation marks and make a new paragraph for each different speaker. It's the rules we were taught, what readers expect, and not difficult to do. Why fix what isn't broken?

 

[Pomniman]

You can do whatever you want, but the reality is that the more you deviate from the norm the less opportunities you'll have for the most part.

 

[BrunoMattei]

It then becomes a question of just how readable it is

 

[Justtocheck]

What's the consensus on writing dialogue?
I've read short stories that do away with quotation punctuation in favor of italics vs non-italics, stories that separate dialogue from non dialogue, stories that keep dialogue tags to a minimum, etc.

"Here's my dog Sarah, Do you like it?" Tom asked.

"This dog is beautiful." Sarah said, while caressing the fur.

"I agree."

"Thank you for this opportunity!"

"No problem!"

---Generally speaking I use up to 5 pieces of dialogue without a narrative intervention. I find it's a good balance so it doesn't become a script but enough dialogue to avoid it being a narration.

And, althought I use "he/she said" I try only to say it once in a dialogue prompt, or avoid it if contextually the dialogue can be understood. But if there is a chance that dialogue might confuse the readers on who said it, I'll try to make it more contextual or add at the end a physical action that helps it clarify.

 

[Teadrinkr]

I'm finishing off old wattpad fanfiction because bored and want to complete them so I can say I did something--cause I'm autistic like that. I'm actually enjoying it tbh. Only downside is that website is fucking weird now.
Writing practice is writing practice I guess. It clears my mind at least.

 

[Coelacanth]

I've been spending a lot of time in isolation going back and working on elements of Housebound's plot/characters that I'm not happy with. Now I actually know where I'm going with this demented story at least.

 

[LetterlandMafia]

Trying to write a story for the first time in a while, but really not sure how to begin it. Basic premise: guy goes to fantasy world, gets arrested for being human, only way to avoid execution is to do certain tasks. The problem is my vehicle for getting him to the fantasy world was that he was sick of his life, and so he gets singled out by someone who sends him there against his will. Problem is: if the guy doesn't want to live, why would he choose life over death when he gets presented with that opportunity while locked up? I'm not sure how better to do this, as I want him to be unsatisfied with his existence because it plays into the overarching theme. Any idea how I can straddle the line between 'hopeless but not too hopeless'?

 

[BrunoMattei]

Trying to write a story for the first time in a while, but really not sure how to begin it. Basic premise: guy goes to fantasy world, gets arrested for being human, only way to avoid execution is to do certain tasks. The problem is my vehicle for getting him to the fantasy world was that he was sick of his life, and so he gets singled out by someone who sends him there against his will. Problem is: if the guy doesn't want to live, why would he choose life over death when he gets presented with that opportunity while locked up? I'm not sure how better to do this, as I want him to be unsatisfied with his existence because it plays into the overarching theme. Any idea how I can straddle the line between 'hopeless but not too hopeless'?

Just write and fix it later. Have a skeleton of a story in place then just go and see where it takes you.

 

[Dave.]

Writing a space opera and I've gotten some of the exposition down. I wanted to go for a style where the main character talks to the reader in a casual way like you're sitting at a bar or you're at a dinner party. Here's what I've got so far.

 

[Sekirodiealot]

I would like to write an isekai story where the setting isn't a fantasy video game world, but the setting is some wild west steampunk world

 

[The Great Chandler]

Thought of a story about a WW2 German soldier who is downtrodden with guilt and loss of his family. However, he comes across a old, Gypsy sorceress who offers him a second chance. The two travel across the mythical pantheons and the world of the post-war era as he learns to forgive himself as he becomes an emissary of two worlds. From a man of rage to a warrior of peace.