#questions about writing

[elshells]

Here's a question for y'all (asking for myself):

Do any of my writer friends have some words of advice on how to pitch their WIPs to people IRL? I'm starting to have friends and family asking me to tell them about 'my book,' and it's like. I want to. But when I'm actually trying to give someone an elevator pitch face-to-face, I have no idea what to say. I usually just end up stuttering and stumbling over my words until I finally spit out some lame, nondescript premise with the promise of, "it's a lot better than it sounds!"

It's not for a lack of confidence in my work; it's more of I don't know what to include and still keep it short and sweet. I don't want to over-simplify the plot, but I also don't want to thrust a whole new world upon my listener with zero context. For example, if I'm trying to explain the plot of Agent Ace to someone who's never read it, they're not going know anything about the Watch, the Guard, the vigilante subculture, etc. Yet all of that is integral to the story. How does one sum up an entire culture and system of government in just a few words, especially one that's different from real life?

Also, just to clarify—I'm not asking anyone to write up a summary of my own story, because as the author, that's my job. I just don't have experience with actually talking about my ideas with the people I know, and at the moment I'm not fully prepared to come up with a story pitch on the spot when they ask. Both are skills I need to improve if I hope to publish.

Any advice helps! :)

[thelasthoursareamazing09]

If I were to—hypothetically—write a book, could I use a name for something and use it as I please? Like Changeling. I really like that name and it fits the story better than what I had originally thought but the concept of a changeling doesn’t exist in this world.

[beyourghost]

and obviously you find yourself thinking oh i do wish i could get severed to do this one thing. would you actually maybe not. but you do wish you didn't have to undergo medical procedures you do wish you didn't have to do the things that give you anxiety you do wish you didn't have to do tedious tasks that barely even require you to be present for them. it's tempting. that's why the premise works. but the premise is also that somebody has to do it. somebody has to go to the dentist and somebody has to get on that plane and somebody has to write those thank you notes. just like somebody has to clean the house and somebody has to harvest the food you eat and somebody has to make the clothes you wear. you can't eliminate inconvenience you can only delegate it. you can't eliminate suffering you can only delegate it. and always the easiest way to live with this is to see that somebody as less than. less than you less than people. and if that somebody has to wear your body to do it well maybe it's not all that different. they're not a person. you are. it's capitalism all the way down baby

[armageddon-is-light-after-dark]

On writing

So, in my original fiction I have a made up word for monsters but how would I pluralize it, is a question I'm trying to figure out.

And I ran into this interesting difference between me and the world. Most people have to have an idea of how it works pronounced, or they won't like the material it's in. I just memorized the shape of the word and move on

How much does the ability to pronounce affect your writing?

@othernaut @serena-darrin @yubsie @breakfastteatime @azems-familiar

[inkskinned]

this is just my opinion but i think any good media needs obsession behind it. it needs passion, the kind of passion that's no longer "gentle scented candle" and is now "oh shit the house caught on fire". it needs a creator that's biting the floorboards and gnawing the story off their skin. creators are supposed to be wild animals. they are supposed to want to tell a story with the ferocity of eating a good stone fruit while standing over the sink. the same protective, strange instinct as being 7 and making mud potions in pink teacups: you gotta get weird with it.

good media needs unhinged, googling-at-midnight kind of energy. it needs "what kind of seams are invented on this planet" energy and "im just gonna trust the audience to roll with me about this" energy. it needs one person (at least) screaming into the void with so much drive and energy that it forces the story to be real.

sometimes people are baffled when fanfic has some stunning jaw-dropping tattoo-it-on-you lines. and i'm like - well, i don't go here, but that makes sense to me. of fucking course people who have this amount of passion are going to create something good. they moved from a place of genuine love and enjoyment.

so yeah, duh! saturday cartoons have banger lines. random street art is sometimes the most precious heart-wrenching shit you've ever seen. someone singing on tiktok ends up creating your next favorite song. youtubers are giving us 5 hours of carefully researched content. all of this is the impossible equation to latestage capitalism. like, you can't force something to be good. AI cannot make it good. no amount of focus-group testing or market research. what makes a story worth listening to is that someone cares so much about telling it - through dance, art, music, whatever it takes - that they are just a little unhinged about it.

one time my friend told me he stayed up all night researching how many ways there are to peel an orange. he wrote me a poem that made me cry on public transportation. the love came through it like pith, you know? the words all came apart in my hands. it tasted like breakfast.

[incognitopolls]

This poll is asking about voluntary use of generative AI. For the purposes of this poll, do not count instances where you were required to use generative AI (e.g. for a school assignment, job required it, etc).

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[zombiemollusk]

"i'm sorry there's so much dialogue here, i should write less dialo-" shhhhhhhhh. shhh. sh. no. none of that. i like the dialogue. Let The Dorks Speak.

[creative-writing-shit]

~•○{Questions}○•~

In this section, I think I'm going to answer questions that may come up on the topic of writing, being an author, etc. If I get any questions in Asks, I'll likely respond to them in this section as well!

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

This is a loaded question and one that there is no wrong answer to. It all depends on the person and their way of writing.

For me, I tend to get my ideas through observation of what's going on around me at the time.

For example, you may have noticed the main event of my WIP novel - Final Moments of Hope - is a deadly disease foing around. When did I start writing this novel? November of 2020. Can we then easily determine what inspired this novel? Yes, Covid.

That's not the only example, though! Most of the time, they aren't as identifiable by other people, either. Another WIP novel that I'm writing (that has yet to be given even a temporary title), is inspired by a book that I read and enjoyed years back. Did I realize that's what was going on at the time? Of course not. It was only once I read through things that I realized, "hey, I think I used --- as inspiration here".

That's another thing, too. There is no harm in using something as inspiration, it just shouldn't be a carbon copy. Be sure to make things your own even if there is inspiration behind something.

Other ideas may be inspired by something not-so-obvious!

An example of this may be that another one of my WIP novels (also not given a title yet) is based around some of my own personal feelings at the time.

You could even give light to the fact that I come up with names for characters 90% of the time by looking at objects around me and combining the letters from various objects to create a name that both looks and sounds neat. Or I toy with the spelling of generic names to make them look or sound more unique/cool. (Like my own name - I didn't like the look of the generic spelling of Jason and instead decided to go through spellings until I settled on what I though fit me best ~ Jaysyn).

There are also times where I develop a character as an OC first wayyyy before I create a story, and then I become so invested in their overall life story and background that I decide to turn it into a novel. This is what happened with Nick Riviera in The Life of a Scientist. I developed Nick as a character years before I started to write his official story, and then when I got so invested in his character, I started to write it in the style of an official novel.

Inspiration of ideas in a general sense can come from anywhere. A lot of the time, for me, it comes from observation of my special interests, events going on around me, events revolving around other people's lives, or even other stories that I personally took a liking to.

You just have to find the things that make your brain spark. It may take time, but be patient with yourself because that is a key factor in all aspects of writing.

Now that you know my secrets, please don't hesitate to ask more questions of ask for clarification or focus on a particular topic, even if it was already briefly mentioned! I enjoy answering anything ♡

Also, feel free to mention where you get some of your ideas from! I always find it fascinating to see how people differ in these ways.

Post Divider Credit: @saradika

[holylulusworld]

hi! when you do a series, you make an character profile or just write?

Hi! Do you mean a profile for Y/N/the reader?

Most of the time I know before I start writing the story if the reader is feisty/strong-headed, shy, clumsy, etc. It helps me develop their storyline.

Sometimes Y/N is shy/weak in the beginning but her character develops throughout the story.

Sometimes I add a talent, a streak, or a quirk while writing the story. Maybe the reader likes to knit or is forgetful.

If you mean the characters from fandoms, I decide in the beginning if they are going to act like in canon or if it's in the canon universe but they act out of character. E. g. Lloyd is a nice guy in my story.

[unifybullseye]

Nights after the engine room

[cozylittleartblog]

Columbo and the Knight (1984)

put me in the universe where Columbo ran through the 1980s and had a crossover episode with Knight Rider. I think they deserved it, and I am not just saying that because they're my two favorite Old Shows. @telebeast wrote a little fanfic blurb about it and I HAD to visualize it into a comic (which is also the longest comic I have finished thus far at five pages...), so writing credit goes to them.

Autism W!

[trickstersaint]

i want to introduce you all to a project that is very close to my heart... or lack of one. anyway. for anyone who has ever wanted to play a poem. i'd like you to meet aromanticism

(link opens itch.io - she'll run on html in your browser! please be nice to her!)

[bluerosefox]

Call Meeting Interuptions

Thinking about another funny DeadTired AU idea.

Deaged Dani and Dan btw.

So does anyone remember that one video of a guy doing a interview and his kids come in the room.

Imagine secretly married DeadTired. Tim is out of Gotham at the moment but in a video call with the Bats or maybe during a WE meeting (Bruce is in the call as well) when out of nowhere the door behind him opens and a Deaged Dani (Ellie), who comes in with a smile and walks in like she owns the place and not long after her in a baby walker Dante (Dan) comes in too, Tim is trying to keep a straight face but inside is panicking when he realizes he didn't lock his office door (which is coated with anti-ecto paint that only work when its locked and it keeps the kids out) knows there is no way to keep them a secret anymore.

Then Danny comes sliding in, grabs the kids, whisper/shouts a "Sorry Tim!" and gets them out.

Tim is silent for a moment, takes a breath and tries to resume the talk.

[wroniec]

Galadriel