Writer's Forum

#42
Lol, thanks. Well, lately no one's discussing much about writing. Hmm...

Actually, I've got a question for you people: Do you think cliches are bad?

Personally I don't see why people look down on cliches so much. I mean, the only reason why they were used to the point that they became cliched was because they were good to begin with. I believe that one can execute a cliched story that is good at the same time.
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#43
Hmm well I like it if a writing can suprise me XD

But I do have to say I love the cliche stories very much as snack for inbetween the ehm more complicated books. So yeah I don't really look down on them but i totally love something if it's good and unpredictable ^^

Yep cliches aren't bad, you're right about a cliche being born because it works XD and if it works then it works ^^
 
#44
Lol, thanks. Well, lately no one's discussing much about writing. Hmm...

Actually, I've got a question for you people: Do you think cliches are bad?

Personally I don't see why people look down on cliches so much. I mean, the only reason why they were used to the point that they became cliched was because they were good to begin with. I believe that one can execute a cliched story that is good at the same time.
I've always avoided them.

My high school English teacher used to say over and over "it weakens the prose!"

Sometimes I find spots where they are ideal, though.

Oh and hello everyone. I'm Dienekes. . . I love to write fantasy/scifi. I've written about 600 pages of fanfiction (albeit, quite poorly). From then on, I realized that I wanted to be a writer, but that my main obstacle was my poor form.

I have great difficulty describing scenes and characters fluidly. . . and I also have great difficulty writing transition scenes where multiple actions are incorporated as the setting changes. Trying to improve on both those counts.

I've been closely reading the work of my favorite authors, comparing their strengths to my weaknesses.

I am also trying to force myself to write for at least a few hours per day. I've entered the WOTF competition and I'm looking to improve my writing as much as possible. (I know the rules say to be nice to entries, but I would appreciate it if the superior writers here SLAUGHTERED my entry. I know I need to improve and I want to improve asap so I can get started on my own work.)

Nice to meet you all. Hope to be criticized extensively!
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#45
Hello Dienekes ^^
Eheh we've met before, didn't know you were a writer ^^ You can open up a gallery for your writings to get feedback ^^

I don't know any better way to approve than to look at your own work and of the work of your ideals and figure out what you dislike about your own work and love about other person's work ^^
I do that with every thing I do, drawing, filming, voice-acting, writing, making music ^^

And to practice describing things... why not grab a random photo from the internet and describe it as if to practice... you know that's something you can really see, if you can describe if you really see it than it must get easier to describe something that's only there in your head :)

I have to say though describing things is not really my forte either.. that way script making is easier, mainly conversations the rest can just stick in my head till I start filming XD

Uhm well the rules are to keep being nice... that means dont say: this really sucks, how can you call this a writing, but you really need to improve on how you form your sentences or it might be better if you dont try to make it rhyme but just let it flow. Eh yeah random examples.

The rule isnt made to prevend people from giving tips, more to give the tips and tricks in a non-offensive manner and in a clear way, so the writer can do something with it ^^ Also playing nice is to also tell what you do like of a piece, there is always something even if it's just the name of the main character XD

But it's great that you're gonna join the WOTF ^^ always nice to have some new writers :D



Eheh I myself also love to write fantasy/scifi ^^ but I guess I can write about anything, just that I like those most because you're free to write whatever you want, to create any kind of world you have in your head.
Oh I really hate to write about things that really happened before... what about you guys?
 
#46
Hello Dienekes ^^
Eheh we've met before, didn't know you were a writer ^^ You can open up a gallery for your writings to get feedback ^^
I improved with each piece I wrote. . . so by the time I start a new piece, I look back on my old ones and cringe.

I do not want to post my flawed works. >_> But I am working on another fanfiction currently and I can post that here.

And to practice describing things... why not grab a random photo from the internet and describe it as if to practice... you know that's something you can really see, if you can describe if you really see it than it must get easier to describe something that's only there in your head :)
Wow. What a fantastic piece of advice! Thanks Nisa!

Eheh I myself also love to write fantasy/scifi ^^ but I guess I can write about anything, just that I like those most because you're free to write whatever you want, to create any kind of world you have in your head.
Oh I really hate to write about things that really happened before... what about you guys?
I've heard fiction described as "A lie in order to convey a greater truth." That is how I see fiction.

There are some stories which are just tremendous in their own right like the suicide of Cato or the battle of Thermopylae. But aside from some spectacular events in history, I prefer having the freedom to lie in order to convey the greater truth.

What do you guys think about slipping into character PoVs when the characters are entirely unlike you. Do you have any strategies?
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#47
Uhm wel for characters that are complelty unlike me, I either picture a character of a movie or book I read before (and got to know because of the book or movie) and picture them moving around, so I don't really see them as my characters but really as the characters that just exist (like other people in a rp) Well only if they fit the purpose ofcourse. When I capture a character in a movie or book I just pay close attention to how they move how they talk, what they think. So its like I really know the character.

Or I look at real life people, that might resemble them a bit. Then I canjust ask them, how would you react if... *state scenario* <-- you can ask that to anyone you know btw just to see how different people react to different scenario's it's kinda fun ^^

What always helps for me anyway is to make-up short stories about each and every character's past. THe past is what forms them to be the way they are. So if a character went through some terrible situation like everyone misleading him, it's only logical he has problems trusting people.
So yeah I kinda make sure that there is some story behind his or her character, so that I would never write against their personality. Hmm I sure hope I explained this well, it's kinda the key for me XD To write keeping in mind what they went through or what they want to achieve, rather than to write using the personality. Because someone can be always grumpy because all happiness is taken away from him (so he'll be less grumpy when something makes him happy) or he can be grumpy because he's uncomfortable being around other people for who knows what reason you make up.


Ehm I hope this answered your question :huuh:
Lol oh and don't think I'm all pro now, I'm just telling you how I practice or do things, my writings aren't perfect lol >.>" I really am not a perfect wirter XD Surely not in English... I'm a grammar failure OTL Oh well it was still worth a 60 out of 100 on the cambridge exam xD (such contrast with my other marks though xD)


Oh I forgot to say, you can also learn from the rp's, in some sense it's just like normal writing just htat you control only one chara. But you can see how other people write for the opposites of you ^^ and you can try to write an opposite being aswell XD
 
#48
I was thinking of joining an RP, tbh. I've RP'ed quite a bit and this website seems to have an active section.

I like fantasy RP's. . . worlds with a great amount of freedom where writers can be creative within the world.
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#49
Hmm well then Wolf Mountain or Bloody Tears should bejust fine for you~~ ^^ though Wolf Mountain is the most free one ^^ what I've seen till now then... Bloody tears does have sort of plot, the one of wolf mountain I have yet to discover XD
 

Prince

Earth's Blessing
Staff member
#50
Ow hey guys ~!
I was running around the forum exploring things and I suddenly pop-ed in this thread ^^'
I see that you guys love writing, like I do and Dienekes is also a Sci-fi/Fantasy fan >u<
Well I don't blame him, I love writing to my hearts content, or to the point where my mind goes beyond the capacity of thinking and just drops on the desk and
decided to imprint my face on it ...
For me coming up with new ideas of what to write is not a problem, since there was a time when i wrote a piece that was over 70k words long. I managed to write
it in 5 days ~!
The main problem that I'm facing is that I don't know when to stop ~! It might seem weird but its true...Y.Y
Whenever I start to work on a new piece, I get into it so much , that I start to describe every little detail and such, causing the story to go off its original purpose
You might find my latest work that I'm currently working on, in the Writer's Diaries entitled "Wingless - The Heart of Darkness"
It is the first of the 5 books making the Wingless series , and by the time I complete the last book, I hope to become a better writer and also
let the reader enjoy the series and have the best time of their life >u<
 
#51
Wow, I'm a fan of sci-fi/fantasy writing as well - sci-fi because the human emotional aspect of it is so much more pronounced, and fantasy because it allows me to come up with a large variety of settings and characters.

And [MENTION=2961]Prince[/MENTION], you wrote 70,000 words in 5 days? That's epic! I've been working on a series of light novels myself over the past year, though lately I've been too busy to write. I've got about 35,000 words down so far, and I intend to post it here once I've sorted out some plot issues.

Ahh, it's so nice to see more writers around ;hello;

What do you folks think of joining this year's NaNiWriMo?

[MENTION=3035]Dienekes[/MENTION]
[MENTION=60]HappyNisa[/MENTION]
 
#52
Wow, I'm a fan of sci-fi/fantasy writing as well - sci-fi because the human emotional aspect of it is so much more pronounced, and fantasy because it allows me to come up with a large variety of settings and characters.

And [MENTION=2961]Prince[/MENTION], you wrote 70,000 words in 5 days? That's epic! I've been working on a series of light novels myself over the past year, though lately I've been too busy to write. I've got about 35,000 words down so far, and I intend to post it here once I've sorted out some plot issues.

Ahh, it's so nice to see more writers around ;hello;

What do you folks think of joining this year's NaNiWriMo?

[MENTION=3035]Dienekes[/MENTION]
[MENTION=60]HappyNisa[/MENTION]
Depends on what a NaNiWriMo is, I guess xD
 
#53
Dienekes said:
Depends on what a NaNiWriMo is, I guess xD
Whoops, it's "NaNoWriMo", not "NaNiWriMo". My bad.

It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it falls from 1st November to 30th November. Participants are supposed to write a brand new 50,000 word novel in 1 month and submit it in.

More details: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
 
#54
Whoops, it's "NaNoWriMo", not "NaNiWriMo". My bad.

It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it falls from 1st November to 30th November. Participants are supposed to write a brand new 50,000 word novel in 1 month and submit it in.

More details: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Wow!

What an amazing challenge!

50k in a month. Man. . . that sounds hard. I've done 35k in a month before when I was writing fanfiction, and I remember working on that pretty heavy.

I don't think I'm ready for something like that. Not yet anyhow. The writing doesn't flow out of me smooth yet. I won't lie, though. It sounds really cool.

How do they keep someone from cheating and submitting a work they worked on all year?
 
#55
Dienekes said:
Wow!

What an amazing challenge!

50k in a month. Man. . . that sounds hard. I've done 35k in a month before when I was writing fanfiction, and I remember working on that pretty heavy.

I don't think I'm ready for something like that. Not yet anyhow. The writing doesn't flow out of me smooth yet. I won't lie, though. It sounds really cool.

How do they keep someone from cheating and submitting a work they worked on all year?
Well, the rules explicitly state that your story doesn't have to be solid or even flow well. They just want you to write as your thoughts guide you. It's not so much about winning, but more about the experience.

And I'm not sure how they counter cheating though.
 
#56
Wow!

What an amazing challenge!

50k in a month. Man. . . that sounds hard. I've done 35k in a month before when I was writing fanfiction, and I remember working on that pretty heavy.

I don't think I'm ready for something like that. Not yet anyhow. The writing doesn't flow out of me smooth yet. I won't lie, though. It sounds really cool.

How do they keep someone from cheating and submitting a work they worked on all year?
I have a difficult problem ahead of me before I can start writing on that scale. I do not write well. The ideas and story telling I can accomplish at an astonishing level. Sadly, my the comprehensive writing skills will always hold me back.
 
#57
Denuo Prince said:
I have a difficult problem ahead of me before I can start writing on that scale. I do not write well. The ideas and story telling I can accomplish at an astonishing level. Sadly, my the comprehensive writing skills will always hold me back.
Well, I'd suggest you write in layers. First start with a simple recount of the plot, then slowly add more and more layers, and in the end it should be fine!
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#58
Oh I joined NanoWriMo Last year ^^ and I did it~~~ :D (was close call though >.< My testweeks were like in november OTL and we went on a weekend away in November) all and all it was a close call but i managed to write 50.000 words, I'd share the story with you alll, but I wrote it in Dutch ^^"

Ahah no they even said that if you wrote hello hello 50 000 times they couldn't check it ^^ but hey it's for yourself to achieve right ^^

LAst year I won uhm something with which you could make your own real copy of your story in like real book form ? but... 50.000 words...was not the end of my story, I ended up not being able to make the deadline for turing your story in a book (was two months later) I didnt even manage to finish it because in the end I was not satisfied about the story XD Such a pity actually but oh well, I'll survive ^^ and I wouldnt have wanted to have my own book being a book I didnt like
 

Prince

Earth's Blessing
Staff member
#59
Wow NaNoWriMo sounds like my kinda thing >u<
Writing the 50.000 words won't be a problem for me, if we have like a month since i can do like 8-10k words a day, up to 15k if I work on it from morning to evening.
The real problem is that last time when i wrote down 70k in 5 days i had to buy a new keyboard after the 3rd day cause the one i used broke down xD
The exhaustion was the worst part. I slept pretty much the entire day after I was done, and my mind was blank for the next month. It was horrible.
I say we gather up a team of writers and we try it >=3