"Hemingwrite" editionPrevious: >>24931322/wg/ AUTHORS & FLASH FICTION: https://pastebin.com/ruwQj7xQRESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS: https://pastebin.com/nFxdiQvCPlease limit excerpts to one post.Give advice as much as you receive it to the best of your ability.Follow prompts made below and discuss written works for practice; contribute and you shall receive.If you have not performed a cursory proofread, do not expect to be treated kindly. Edit your work for spelling and grammar before posting.Violent shills, relentless shill-spammers, and grounds keeping prose, should be ignored and reported.(And maybe double-space your WIPs to allow edits if you want 'em.)Simple guides on writing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHdzv1NfZRMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whPnobbck9shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAKcbvioxFkThread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPEBv9Eh9hA
>>24940892A bident is just a fork with two prongs in contrast with a trident
Current projects: a sizeable fantasy story and a philosophical work, tangentially related
Does anyone else keep going back to rewrite the same sections over and over again, rather than just continue on with the story? I feel like every rewrite is better than the last, at least a little bit, so I guess I'm improving my skills... but at some point I need to keep going. I have 15 pages and I need to get to like 400 by end of year.
>>24940938>End of year>Check calendarAnon...
>>24940903>>24940903Be nice to Ranjeet, he just had his asshole violated by Victoria
>>24940979I thought that was Ramdeep
>>24940979You don't have a life. You sit here every thread being a schizo and pointing fingers at the dark.
Should I be less autistic when describing armor?
>>24941061hit a bit close to home didn't he?
>>24940898>that price Do Americans really?
>>24941143You don't have to cut it down if that's your audience. As someone who only knows basics or armor I think I imagined it good enough. Just think about what the utility of what you're writing is.
>>24941417Boring. And cut your first line. Nobody wants to be rickrolled now
>>24941417you don't have to state anything that can be safely assumed, which means most of this can be cut out
Fuck it. All of my main characters are going to have unrequited love now. If I can't be happy, neither should they.
>>24941417>>24941426>>24941431I would go ahead and just cut the whole thing.
>>24941462self indulgence doesn't make for good reading
>>24941469Just let me have this.
In early 2024 I started what was supposed to be a brief project, but I'm only just now finishing it. Need to procrastinate less next time. Still, it's fun to come to the close of something that's been on my mind for some time now. Once I publish the last post, I'm gonna make a poster and put it up in a few coffee shops, and then I'll consider it totally complete.
>>24940958I rewrote two sections today and didn't add a single new line... I'm fucked.
I wrote a shitty poem and wanted to share itEvery cigarette I think of youEvery lucky, a wishAn addiction, that controls my lifeAfter a long day, you are my reliefAfter a meal, you are my companyEvery cigarette I think of youIn every cloud of smoke I see your face There, and now gone.With and without you I can't breathe.You are my oxygen and my poison.An addiction that controls my life.My pick me up in the morning.My peace before rest.Every lucky a wish.I can stop anytime.You can't control me I tell myself. You're hurting me.I made a promise to quit.This time it's it.I'm done.But when my ember has been crushed for good,and my thoughts of you faded to ash... I think of you again.
>>24941462For me, it's killing nearly all the women and leaving what few survived with unrequited love for men who agonize over dead waifus, but one fixes the mc and marries him, the other catches the bouquet when shes not even paying attention.
>>24941489>I wrote a shitty poem and wanted to share itNo thank you, please fuck all the way off and die.
do you ever get feedback that makes it crystal clear the person misread or just flat out skimmed your story? I got some arrogant editor cunt's feedback that said they expected more scenes/dialogues between my protag and "his" ex. The problem is, the ex the editor is referring to is not the protag's ex - the protag never had any contact with her, hasn't spoken a word to her ever. so to claim that it's a flaw the protag doesn't have enough scenes with her, or that there's some nagging expectation for more, is flat out WRONG. god. that's a basic misunderstanding of who's who and how the characters relate to one another. and it's not even a novel or something, it's just a short story with six characters: protag, wife, son. protag's buddy, buddy's ex, buddy's son.
>>24941489Get rid of the ellipses Other than that, it’s okay
>>24941765yeah ellipses are awkward as shit...
>>24941489>Every cigarette I think of youlol
>>24941775It’s the equivalent to stage direction, it doesn’t belong in poetry
>grounds keeping proseI asked ChatGPT and it said that "groundskeeping prose" is boring stuff to help make sure the reader doesn't lose his place in the world and is able to track what's going on. That's what OP means here, right?>>24941308Some might. Good luck to them. I like my iPad enough, and know how to mute notifications when I'm using it.
Asking again since it kinda got buried in the last thread: Are there any kind of helper documents - character sheets, plot outline templates, that sort of thing - that anyone here uses regularly for their projects?>>24941814I'd also like to know what "groundskeeping prose" is.
>>24942242No. This isn't school with a teacher handing out worksheets
I always want to share stuff in these threads but worry that people will make me sad with their scathing critiques.
>>24941308No, it's more of a novelty. I considered getting one but a notebook serves the same purpose if I want to disconnect from everything.While I do like the idea of automatically transferring what I've written from it, retyping it is better because I can go over it for a first revision as I do and I feel that it makes my writing stronger overall. If you're really hellbent on it there are cheaper options and I'm p sure building your own isn't super complex. Might be a fun project to try someday.
>>24942327>CritiquesLol
Just had a really fucking good idea for another novella but I already have 2 on the go and I can't start on another one... But it's so good bros...
Will writing help me clear my anxiety by writing my thoughts or will it increase mental illness?
>>24942327It's not fun but it helps you grow
Where should I punish my short stories? I'm under no illusions about it but what's the best platform if I just want to build a portfolio and hopefully have them read by someone
>>24942551*publish
>>24942551amazon's void
>>24942551pastebinor literotica
>>24942517yes
Thoughts on this short story?https://pastebin.com/j9Rnr7JR
>>24942551>have them read by someoneunless you are published by magazines, nobody will read them. and if you put them on a "platform" you nuke any chance of getting them published
>>24942672Yes what
>write what I want to read>can't enjoy it because I wrote it>go back to looking for what I want to read>no one else is writing itWriters owe me good literature.
>>24942882and even if you publish in mags, the only people who will be reading your stories are lowly filter-readers, sometimes actual editors. if accepted, then you'll have the pleasure of making your family and maybe friends read it, and then hope for some pity-read from a mutual on social media who only pretends anyways and just says something generic "that's great!"
Writing's cathartic and fun and shit, nice to play around with words and characters, but I realized that without having a personal community to talk to about it, get feedback, just shoot the shit about the craft in general, it feels fucking lonely. Social media's hollow for it. This place is better because I don't have to filter myself. IRL friends aren't good for it because none of them read. Fuck.
>>24943035I got a retard uni buddy I thought I was tight with - gifted him a mag I was published in, wrote a fuckin' dedication inside, and the fucker fucked off and it's been more than a month and I guarantee I won't hear a peep about it in at least 2-3 months. And this idiot studied literature with me for three years.
>>24943035in the old days every type of art had a local "scene" that was what you're describing
>>24943029the point of getting published in magazines is not to get the stories read, but to have the cred to get a agent and a book deal. when you have a book out, then you have a chance of being read. it's a long step by step process and even if you are a genius with a magnum opus you cannot skip the steps. they (agents) are extremely resentful of people who think they can do that.
>>24941710>do you ever get feedbackno
>>24942554Punish works.
>>24943004keep going, maybe you'll inspire a good copycat
Just finished this poem I had started this morning. Halfway through reading ulysses and wanted to make something sorta in that style
>>24943360>Just finished this poemKill yourself.
>>24943373Why?
>>24943394These threads are for writing, not for being a faggot.
>>24941765ty yeah Ive never written a poem before I was just drunk and in my feels
>>24941489personally I like it
>>24943004>can't enjoy it because I wrote itSounds more like you don't have the skill to write something enjoyable yet
>>24943403Writing is also kinda gay
Blackwood began as a mining town. When the veins quickly dried up and the enterprise was deemed no longer profitable, the town’s founding officials panicked. Without the mines, Blackwood risked joining the long list of ghost towns scattered across the emerging United States. People were already fleeing in droves, claiming the land was cursed after a string of bizarre murders had taken place. The most gruesome of these involved a woman who had ventured deep into the woods searching for her husband, missing for several days. A search party later found her strung between two trees, her skin flayed away. After that, the community realized it could no longer sustain itself. There was no future here, no safety, no promise of preservation.How is it?
>>24943624Been over 15 years since I did this.
>>24942882>if you put them on a "platform" you nuke any chance of getting them publishedWell what do I do then
>>24940898TIL Hemingway was a soviet spy in WW2
I am Mortified about . . . nothing other than the skin Torn, nowhere, but the flesh . . . Burdened, how? but on my shoulderI grumble? no — Save for my belly, who should churn Tempted? but those are only whispers near my soulYet, winded, I rise — Petrified “Strike and Death, I know her, I do” . . . “That I pass you? — no” Before my eyes, the foot of my morning bed, She Thus, Heav’n a memory? . . . Virtue strange? Ease, a moment? Justice, the knave’s trick? Faith not? even for Love’s fool? . . . Constance, not for men?
>>24942882>and if you put them on a "platform" you nuke any chance of getting them publishedBased optimistic anon assuming we've got any chance of getting published regardless
>can't get published without an audience>can't build an audience without publishing stuffcatch-22
>>24943751You publish things online with the expectation that they're probably not going to be published anywhere, which is exactly the same expectation you should have for the rest of your work.
>>24943823>>24943818the true optimistic understanding is anybody can publish bullshit nowadays, the question is can you sell it, which is now infinite upside with no barriers to publishing.
>>24943751polish it as best you can and submit to applicable magazines in order of highest paying/most prestigious to lowest.when you get rejected either go back to the drawing board and tweak it or post it online for user feedback. generally though i shelf a story if it gets rejected from too many magazines because i haven't found any decent places to post online.
>>24943759Are you really a spy if you never spied?
>>24943624>the town’s founding officials panickedIrrelevant>Blackwood risked joining the long list of ghost towns scattered across the emerging United StatesBlackwood risked becoming a ghost town>a woman who had ventured deep into the woods searching for her husbandLol>A search party later found herNo search party for the husband though>the community realized it could no longer sustain itselfAfter a few murders? I thought it had something to do with the veins drying up. Your writting is all over the place.
>>24943616Writing is gay like two hot drunk girls kissing is gay. Poetry is gay like you came in another dude's ass, sucked it out, then he sucked it out of your mouth, flipped you over, gaped your ass and dribbled it inside of you so you could cum in your own ass is gay.
>>24943060I definitely know I don't wanna engage in my actual local scene because some of the stuff I write is political and I'm liable to get arrested or something. not from the US btw.
>>24943066Well on that front I'm making good progress. I haven't thought about the book publishing side of things because it seems like a fucking rabbit hole, but I do think I'll just start hitting indie publishers and see if anyone bites. Don't think I'm gonna touch agents with my first book, unless I get genuine, stellar feedback.
>>24943823I mean by publishing shit yourself, you're shooting yourself in the foot by guaranteeing no one will publish you. I think it's better to hold out hope on a slim chance than making sure whatever you publish online will never be picked up (first rights/first publication factor).
>>24943842i'd hold off on subbing to premium mags with your best stuff, at least while that stuff's still in the first draft, still like a week-old. your story at that point probably isn't done cooking and those prestige mags will sniff that out and shoot you down. and now you've burned your opportunity at getting that story in there. gotta wait till a story's ripe and the best you can make it, which in and of itself is a huge fucking conundrum - when IS a story ready? if ever? but chances are it's DEFINITELY not ready if it's a day or a week old, even if you think you've polished and edited the shit out of it. btw after how many rejects do you shelf a story?
>>24944111>I think it's better to hold out hope on a slim chance than making sure whatever you publish online will never be picked upOkay, best of luck with that.
>>24940938Nope. Never. I dont rewrite until draft one is done. It's a huge motivator. >>24941489Fuck you. >>24941417Go fuck yourself. >>24941143Eat a dick.>>24941710Yes. I had people tell me my comedy needed more tragedy. >>24942514Outline it, dumbass. >>24942743Try a second draft. >>24943360>:|>>24943624Try again
>>24944126I mean honestly, unless I'm absolutely retarded and naive, it doesn't seem that difficult to get picked up by some Literally Who Press. I see plenty of nobody writers coming out with their shitty little short story collections from this micropress or that micropress. I'm not talking about proper agented books tho
>>24944162Great, you're published. Now what? Literally Who Press isn't going to be much help selling some literal who's book.
>>24944181desu I don't really know what I'm personally aiming for. I don't see myself selling books or anything like that. Just started writing in 2025. But it looks fucking rough from what I've seen. Brutal industry
>>24944189>desu I don't really know what I'm personally aiming for.I can see that.>I don't see myself selling books or anything like that.Then what's the point of being published by Literal Who Press? Bragging rights? So your -parents have a keepsake to remind them that their sacrifice wasn't a complete waste? You should probably identify your goals.>But it looks fucking rough from what I've seen. Brutal industryYeah, it's an absolute nightmare.
It's so strange how much writing advice there is out there whilst also there being so little. For example:>Looking up advice for writing horror>Give characters motivations>Make decisions matterIt's just all generic advice that applies to everything isn't it? Does anyone even think about writing or do we all just go on vibes?
>>24944218highly recommend you check this out. classic Russian short stories broken down in detail by a guy who himself is an expert short-story writer.
https://privatebin.net/?d3a0888d20aa7f48#5f6isnaMj8Axmyw1Df2G6MFGWmQNCkWQtJXt1AjMZ3Xpis writing short stories a good way to practice for writing longer onesif anyone wants to give this a quick skim, what stands out as like the worst thing about itdoes it seem rambling and unfocusedI feel like I did a poor job describing the scene or charactersplus dialogue is hard bc I don't even know how talk to people irl anyway
>>24944264Fuck you
>>24944284what
>>24944264>is writing short stories a good way to practice for writing longer onesof course!i gave your story a way briefer skim than it deserves, so i only have a superficial observation. your overuse a particular construction that lots of beginner writers seem to overuse: tacking on an '-ing' verb after the main clause. it's not bad in itself, but it can become a crutch.
>>24944299thank you for pointing that out, I'll be mindful of that in the future.
>>24944290I don't care to read homosexual pornography
>>24944307oh, that's weird but ok. not much I can do to change that
>>24944222I'll try to articulate my hesitancy regarding "advice" books on writing (and maybe workshops, MFAs). Since I see literary expression as something very personal, I feel some kind of resistance to putting my emotions/visions into someone else's structure. I'm sure there's plenty of very useful advice in a technical sense, regarding grammar, sentence-level structures, narration rules (don't head hop if your story's gonna be close-third person). Idk tho. I'm not after writing stories with a surprise twist ending that reorients everything preceding, so I feel like I don't need to go around reading tutorials about how to properly set up a twist. I should just shut up and read it and see if I find it useful for my stuff. Btw, I've read a bunch of MFA-brained peoples' stories, and they read so incredibly formulaic it hurt my soul. Such cookie-cutter scenes, symbolism, scenarios, dialogues, endings. And these are people who've been through the wringer in terms of getting constant feedback in class, having to take courses about this shit, etc
>>24944299this is what i feel like when i ctrl f a story of mine only to find ten thousand cases where I overuse:>seem/seemed to>feels/felt like>thought>that>as if>perhaps
>>24944195If I'm honest with myself, then I do hope my stories have something of value in them that's not just for polite friends and baked-in approval from family. If I continue writing, which I think I will, I suppose I'll dedicate more time to research wtf is querying, what will be my potential market, all that depressing stuff. And if down the line I realize that my writing is too niche or of little value to people outside of my brain, then that'll be a conclusion as well. I keep thinking of Updike and seething. fucker could lounge around writing short stories and getting paid hefty chunks for it while having multiple kids
>>24944118I write primarily horror so there aren't many magazines I can market to. Usually 2-3 so I don't burn too many bridges. Apex and Story Unlikely are the two most prestigious that I'm aware of (though I'm sure there are others), and I've already burned Apex with my latest because I sent it in when I was super drunk. I have since gone over it a couple more times and there's not much I'm capable of changing at my current experience level (and it was already the most polished story I've written in several months). The betareaders I sent it to really liked it but that doesn't mean a whole lot I don't think. I've still got a few weeks before Apex rejects it and I've considered withdrawing, but I don't think it's worth it. Even if I polished it for a year I don't think it'd ever be Apex quality so I'm not particularly concerned about burning it. The best I can hope for is a personalized rejection which is also unlikely but I've already waited this long.After they reject it I'm gonna look over it again and shoot for somewhere more reasonable. I just roke up btw so if this is likeall over the place forgive me that trespass
>>24944638To clarify a bit, I don't necessarily think that the story I've written is bad and that's why it won't meet their quality standard. Apex just has such a low acceptance rate I can't imagine getting published in there with anything.So it's more of my "Hail Mary" mag.
>>24944638Nah I get you. I'm in a similar spot with my stuff, but I guess I have the luxury of tons of venues, since it's "literary fiction". But yeah, I know the cycle and the wish for at least a personalized rejection. It's also fucking annoying how you might grow at your skill level, and then that makes older pending submissions feel outdated. I recently got a personalized rejection to a story I finished and sent around in September. It boosted my confidence about it because I already automatically decided that September-me wasn't good enough and that I shot my load way too early. The rejection had this wording, which meant the world:"Several editors have carefully read your submission, and while we regret to inform you this piece is not a fit for us, we spent more time discussing your work than most of our other submissions and feel confident this piece will get picked up soon. We sincerely hope you continue to think of us and look forward to reading more from you."
>>24944701I have plenty of those hail mary mags I don't realistically expect to get into. But with some of those I've become disillusioned after comparing stuff they DO publish versus what I sent. when they publish something that seems like crap, it kinda takes away the illusion that they're gatekeepers of high art and some illustrious standard.
>>24944146>I dont rewrite until draft one is done. It's a huge motivator.Damn I wish I could that, I'm too much of a perfectionist and procrastinator though. Maybe I can try and push through on this one though, at least finish the first major section.Can I ask though: do you do absolutely zero editing? Like... not even any changes to the sentence you just wrote? Do you just push on through?
>>24941308How much will this improve my writing? Can it integrate with ChatGPT/
>>24944111whatever you self-publish, you should do it under a pen name. preserve your real name if you are dreaming of getting published for real. agents and publishers want "debut" authors and having a self-published book means they will not consider you a debut author.
>>24944719that's a nice rejection letter, anon. good for you. wish i could get something like that.
>>2---- Solaria ---- 50018Discretion Marlene and I teased a steel executive for drinksIn front of a whole retail panoply. Rosemary followed me home in quite astonishing courtesy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRP9HvIcgq4&list=RDMMOKphC0X82Bk&index=104940898
>>24944638>>24944638I take a certain pleasure in true crime, I suppose because I live where any such is statistically remote. I couldn't write anything close to horror if my life depended on it, but I could make quite a screen spectacle of abandoned and obscure sites.
>>24944719>>24944723Hell yeah, man. I wish you the best out there. We're all gonna make it.
>>24945281Even Victoria anon?
>>24944719For me>Thank you for taking the time to query me! While I love historical fiction, especially as it relates to the telling of reallife stories, I will need to pass. At this time, your query package here is quite underdeveloped and you lost me quite early because of it. My advice would be to do some more thorough research on what needs to be included in your query and how to write a proper synopsis, and you'll have a much better time with agents.Now I have to learn how to query and write a better synopsis
>>24945315You guys must be doing something right. All I've gotten are canned rejection letters.
>>24945313there's multiple of us but yes we will make it
>>24945281>We're all gonna make it.i have the cancer tho
>>24945426Better write faster.
is the ultimate goal to sell the movie rights and cash a big check?
