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[Freeza Under The Shower]

Your advice to fiction and screenwriters who are stuck trying to craft their words to perfection is to take up poetry?!

as someone who can't "read" poetry, it certainly saves me from thinking I can't write for shit. As any poet, aside from those who want to be actually understood, is full of shit as far as I'm concerned.

I should probably stick to science essays.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Ever since I started attending my upper level journalism courses and college for a bit, my writing seems to have become very dry and stale. There's nothing unique about my writing voice really, and I just can't seem to get out of this weird rut.

I used to be able to write papers with my own sense of style, but it feels like everything has been stripped from me and I just keep rehashing the same format and outline with new information. I also seem to be more apprehensive about what I'm writing which makes my writing seem more robotic and cookie-cutter like.

How do I get out of this weird funk that I've been in? I've been trying different methods but nothing seems to work.

I (like to think I) used to have a nice writing style and voice in high school. Went to college and somewhere between physics, chem, and biology it turned into dry, clinical shit. I'd then write a philosophy paper and my prof would sit there and tell me my paper had no pizazz, it wasn't fun to read. Well, that made me sad.

I'm still trying to find it again. The more I write just casual goofy stuff (long thought out forum posts, personal e-mails, letters etc.) the closer I seem to get. So that's my advice.

 

[iavi]

Your advice to fiction and screenwriters who are stuck trying to craft their words to perfection is to take up poetry?!

Absolutely.

Ever since I started attending my upper level journalism courses and college for a bit, my writing seems to have become very dry and stale. There's nothing unique about my writing voice really, and I just can't seem to get out of this weird rut.

I used to be able to write papers with my own sense of style, but it feels like everything has been stripped from me and I just keep rehashing the same format and outline with new information. I also seem to be more apprehensive about what I'm writing which makes my writing seem more robotic and cookie-cutter like.

How do I get out of this weird funk that I've been in? I've been trying different methods but nothing seems to work.

I actually took up journalism for a bit too. For (1) I wanted to just do something that dabbled in writing that I could eventually make some money from-quicker than say:novelization, and (2) being in a position who's whole modus operandi was to have you meeting new people, sounded right up my alley. It ended up being neither.

As, like you say, the format required was dry - much too dry, and the 'push.push.push.push' nature of the investigative part turned out a bit annoying. I was annoying myself.

That spell is also why I went exclusively poetry for a bit - not to repeatedly peddle, and I do think it worked. A paradigm shift of sorts is required, maybe, whatever that may be for you.

 

[bengraven]

Between this thread popping up and a close friend telling me he decided to write an epic fantasy novel, I finally sat down and in less than 15 minutes figured out the entire plot and outline of my novel.

Literally 6 months of angst gone in 15 minutes.

Ugh, I promise to stop being such a downer - writing can be amazing when you just let go and relax.

 

[Like the hat?]

Thanks everyone. Pretty sure it's a girl, but she hasn't been cooperative at ultrasounds. Keep an eye out in the may pick up thread, heh

On topic kinda, I've been writing a reteling of a bunch of fairy tales for my son and soon to be daughter, but I think I might put it up on kindle just for the heck of it, once I finish it up that is.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Thanks everyone. Pretty sure it's a girl, but she hasn't been cooperative at ultrasounds. Keep an eye out in the may pick up thread, heh

On topic kinda, I've been writing a reteling of a bunch of fairy tales for my son and soon to be daughter, but I think I might put it up on kindle just for the heck of it, once I finish it up that is.

Don't worry, you can do what your parents did and pick out a name that works either way.


Re: bengraven

Plot is almost never the problem, it is the nitty-gritty that gets people down. For me, what helped break the monotony of the interaction of characters between the big events of the (in my case) movie, was to storyboard everything on much more general terms, then to get narrow from there.

If you have gotten the main events down and how they connect to the little parts, It should be a breeze from there. Keep us posted!

 

[Ashes]

as someone who can't "read" poetry, it certainly saves me from thinking I can't write for shit. As any poet, aside from those who want to be actually understood, is full of shit as far as I'm concerned.

I should probably stick to science essays.

Poetry needn't be a daunting exercise.

Nm.

 

[PwnCakes193]

I (like to think I) used to have a nice writing style and voice in high school. Went to college and somewhere between physics, chem, and biology it turned into dry, clinical shit. I'd then write a philosophy paper and my prof would sit there and tell me my paper had no pizazz, it wasn't fun to read. Well, that made me sad.

I'm still trying to find it again. The more I write just casual goofy stuff (long thought out forum posts, personal e-mails, letters etc.) the closer I seem to get. So that's my advice.

That's basically what is happening, except only when I read my own work. Most of my papers now tend to be just analysis papers and the Professors want dry material. It's starting to wear on me.

Absolutely.

I actually took up journalism for a bit too. For (1) I wanted to just do something that dabbled in writing that I could eventually make some money from-quicker than say:novelization, and (2) being in a position who's whole modus operandi was to have you meeting new people, sounded right up my alley. It ended up being neither.

As, like you say, the format required was dry - much too dry, and the 'push.push.push.push' nature of the investigative part turned out a bit annoying. I was annoying myself.

That spell is also why I went exclusively poetry for a bit - not to repeatedly peddle, and I do think it worked. A paradigm shift of sorts is required, maybe, whatever that may be for you.

I expected Journalism to be a fun experience, and I was excited because I would love to write for a publication. The Journalism program at my school was droning, the same dry cut and paste paper 3 times a week. It was just all busy work and I wasn't learning anything new.

I was thinking of writing short stories, but avoiding all the traps I used to fall in to... I don't know what it is, I just can't really get into poetry

 

[Grakl]

as someone who can't "read" poetry, it certainly saves me from thinking I can't write for shit. As any poet, aside from those who want to be actually understood, is full of shit as far as I'm concerned.

I should probably stick to science essays.

Poets don't want to be understood?

 

[Delio]

I'm not sure if my 1st person voice is good...anyone willing to read a little and give me an opinion on it?

 

[bengraven]

Don't worry, you can do what your parents did and pick out a name that works either way.


Re: bengraven

Plot is almost never the problem, it is the nitty-gritty that gets people down. For me, what helped break the monotony of the interaction of characters between the big events of the (in my case) movie, was to storyboard everything on much more general terms, then to get narrow from there.

If you have gotten the main events down and how they connect to the little parts, It should be a breeze from there. Keep us posted!

Thanks.

Honestly, for me, I actually like the interactions between people. I was told once that if I'm so obsessed with dialogue I should just be writing movie scripts, but no thank you. I'm really excited to be able to just play in my world now without feeling a lack of responsibility to the plot.

I'll post bits for you guys somewhere down the line.

 

[Mike Works]

I'm not sure if my 1st person voice is good...anyone willing to read a little and give me an opinion on it?

Do you mean for a specific story? Because 'first person voices' really tend to differ from narrator to narrator.

 

[Ashes]

I'm not sure if my 1st person voice is good...anyone willing to read a little and give me an opinion on it?

Readers don't know your insecurities. All they know, is the truth on the page. If it rings true, then they'll attach themselves to that, insecurities and all.

I think allowing the characters to breathe, (by this I mean: allow them to be themselves, and not a part of you), may help.

For first person: Don't write good. Write naturally.*

And send cyan a pm. He's probably the best person to ask about this.




*To clarify: Don't go in with the intention of impressing a reader that you can write well; write in the character's voice, rhythm, tone, etc. These should come without much thought, the more familiar you are with a character.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

Poets don't want to be understood?

it's the age old "it's not for yooouu" suspicion. I'm not against art being difficult or having additional layers, but it quickly devolves into the pits of the senseless drivel, and making something appear 'deeper' than it actually is, seems like a safety net to prevent people from seeing this.

But then I don't read poetry, so I couldn't say.

But I also don't believe all things should be aimed at full understanding either, so I'm also a hypocrite. yay!

 

[Ashes]

it's the age old "it's not for yooouu" suspicion. I'm not against art being difficult or having additional layers, but it quickly devolves into the pits of the senseless drivel, and making something appear 'deeper' than it actually is, seems like a safety net to prevent people from seeing this.

But then I don't read poetry, so I couldn't say.

But I also don't believe all things should be aimed at full understanding either, so I'm also a hypocrite. yay!

I used to explain everything in any work I produced. The meaning etc. but the more I read up on analysing literature/poetry, the more I realised, that that in its self is misleading (you can't and shouldn't really explain all possible interpretations), and/or this is not the best practise.

Explain for instance what beauty is? Aesthetic beauty is a subjective thing. And poetry like all the arts adhere to the interpretation rule.

A better example is this. "A dreary sunset." Perhaps I can explain the cognitive connotations of a 'dreary sunset', the connotation of misery. etc. I've written it, and that is the idea I was going for.

And I don't really have to paint that picture in your head; I don't know whether you see an orange ball, over a black sea, or like my avatar (the shadows of birds fluttering in the dusk against the blue sky), but you may see something similar - an image conjured from your own experience.

See I can explain the cognitive experience, but how do I explain how I've combined a weather phenomenon* to a human emotion? And why those two words together work so well? It was deliberate on my part to put those two words together. But why do they 'fit'? Where did they come from?

I think Stephen King said this too; there's a magic there, I can't explain.

This isn't the same thing as uttering nonsense, and expecting acclaim. And then saying: nobody understands you. Which is where your 'senseless drivel' comes into play.


----------------------------------------------

W.B. Yeats - I have spread my dreams under your feet

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.


W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)
"He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven"
from The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats

--------------------------------------------------
Treading softly on dreams... Each to their own, but I love this line.

edit: *weather phenomenon? more like an natural environment. ;P

 

[bengraven]

A few months ago I was looking up Dune concept art (for whatever reason). I realized that on art sites in particular that interpretations of the environments in Dune were very random.

Sure you had quite a bit inspired by the Dune film, which was very black and heavy, like Nazi war machines. Then you have some people who put a heavy industrial look to the machines and buildings, including the classic yellow stripe with black lines that mark construction zones. Then there are some who go way out there with insectoid looks to the machinery, like something completely alien and foreign.

For the costumes, especially the native Fremen's stillsuits, some went for modern day camoflauge, like desert commando gear. Some others were very much like the original movie: tight fighting and organic, but sometimes also insectoid.

Frank Herbert was someone who rarely spent time describing the elements of his lore and so people have their own takes and those takes are usually different than someone else's.

And I appreciate that about a book - thinking about this reminds me to try and stay neutral and only describe what needs to drive the story forward.

 

[Ashes]

Very well put ben. And like I said Zeitgeister, each to their own. All's good. Some authors love explaining, because it adds to lore, I guess. Others have never explained. I personally use to explain, and now leave it to the reader.*

Ot (maybe it is on topic), you still writing that magic western Ben?






*I suppose I'll jump in when it is a factual question, i.e. is it biographical (no, the answer is nearly always no), and or pertaining to certain events in the story, is it related to so and so event, (sometimes, sometimes not).

 

[bengraven]

Thanks! And yeah, I almost put it on the backburner to write this post-apocomedy idea I had. When I suddenly found the plot to the western I had been looking for, I realized I needed to get back to it. I miss the characters already and the developments I made are going to make it much better.

For now I'm calling it The Hallowed Trail.


And I was talking with this the other day, about the differenct between conceptualizing your story vs. executing it, and Joe Hill had some great thoughts about it 45 minutes ago on Twitter.

Edit: missed one.

I agree to a limit. I spent my entire 20s writing and writing the same stories over and over again because I couldn't come up with original plots. So I focused on the execution, mostly dialogue which I was told I was talented in and so I wanted to strengthen it. But in my 30s I'm finding I had tons and tons of concepts suddenly - literally like my muse took a vacation, but was back. But now I find the actual execution is painful - I don't think I have a voice anymore and I need to work on writing that to strengthen it again. Like Cyan said the other day, just fucking write, do the monthly writing challenges, stop being a whiner in the Mega thread, Ben.

 

[Delio]

Do you mean for a specific story? Because 'first person voices' really tend to differ from narrator to narrator.

Yeah your right. I didn't even think of that.

Readers don't know your insecurities. All they know, is the truth on the page. If it rings true, then they'll attach themselves to that, insecurities and all.

I think allowing the characters to breathe, (by this I mean: allow them to be themselves, and not a part of you), may help.

For first person: Don't write good. Write naturally.*

And send cyan a pm. He's probably the best person to ask about this.




*To clarify: Don't go in with the intention of impressing a reader that you can write well; write in the character's voice, rhythm, tone, etc. These should come without much thought, the more familiar you are with a character.

Yeah as I write now i'm going at it from how Noah would talk,react and it's just flowing out. I keep judging myself though like "This sounds stupid"

 

[Cyan]

Between this thread popping up and a close friend telling me he decided to write an epic fantasy novel, I finally sat down and in less than 15 minutes figured out the entire plot and outline of my novel.

Literally 6 months of angst gone in 15 minutes.

Ugh, I promise to stop being such a downer - writing can be amazing when you just let go and relax.

Awesome!

 

[Cyan]

And since I was in an editing mood, I did some necessary edits on a couple short pieces I've been sitting on, and fired them off to magazines.

First actual submissions in over a year. #feelsgoodman

 

[Delio]

And since I was in an editing mood, I did some necessary edits on a couple short pieces I've been sitting on, and fired them off to magazines.

First actual submissions in over a year. #feelsgoodman

Congratz

 

[Cyan]

Something for bengraven: upcoming dark-western-themed anthology. Closes July 1.

 

[Mike Works]

Something for bengraven: upcoming dark-western-themed anthology. Closes July 1.

I actually have a western I wouldn't mind getting published; is this (journal?) you linked to worth trying to get into?

 

[Cyan]

I actually have a western I wouldn't mind getting published; is this (journal?) you linked to worth trying to get into?

It's a themed anthology. Don't really know anything about the guy editing it; I came across it when I was trawling Duotrope for pro paying anthologies.

 

[bengraven]

Something for bengraven: upcoming dark-western-themed anthology. Closes July 1.

Right up my alley! Thanks for the catch!

I'll take some time off the novel and write a short story in that universe. I'm not letting this deadline slip past.

And even if I don't get in, I can't wait to read it!

 

[Mike Works]

It's a themed anthology. Don't really know anything about the guy editing it; I came across it when I was trawling Duotrope for pro paying anthologies.

I guess my question was more along the lines of: how the f do I find out whether or not an anthology/journal is worthy enough to submit to? I haven't submitted anything ever before, but I'm getting pretty close to the time in my writing career where I should start.

 

[Tim the Wiz]

I guess my question was more along the lines of: how the f do I find out whether or not an anthology/journal is worthy enough to submit to? I haven't submitted anything ever before, but I'm getting pretty close to the time in my writing career where I should start.

Reputation of the editor or publication in the genre, primarily. To figure that out, research and/or read well. Payment rate is the secondary consideration; conventional wisdom is to submit to pro markets first and semi-pro, token and otherwise next when/if the rejections roll in - duotrope will help out there, obviously.

From what I can see, Michael Knost, the editor of this anthology, has won the Bram Stoker award twice and Clive Barker has contributed to one of his previous anthologies. Which means he's moving into new territory with a fantasy, rather than horror, anthology. You should weigh up the factors and decide whether or not this market will be your first port of call, if at all.

 

[Cyan]

I guess my question was more along the lines of: how the f do I find out whether or not an anthology/journal is worthy enough to submit to? I haven't submitted anything ever before, but I'm getting pretty close to the time in my writing career where I should start.

My standard measurement goes: does it pay pro rates (5¢/word and up), or have I heard good things about it? If the answer to either is yes, I'd call it worth submission. In this particular case, it's pro rate so I'd say go for it if you've got something.

Generally, my submission philosophy is to start at the top (since I mostly write SF stuff, that'd be Asimov's, Analog, F&SF, or Clarkesworld) and work down as I get rejections. When I run out of reasonable markets, I trunk it. Some people say to just keep going til someone takes it, but you've gotta have some kind of standards.

If you haven't already, check out duotrope for a good place to start looking for markets.

 

[jns]

FYI Michael Knost also edited a great book called 'Writers workshop of horror" A great read with pieces by a whole host of great horror writers. I would say it could be a very worthwhile read for those that are writing genre other than horror as well. As with a lot of writing, the messages quite often cross genre.

Linky linky here

 

[1stStrike]

I always feel kind of bad when I kill off a character. Just sent another one to his doom. I still have a couple more characters that will be getting the axe in this book too. =\

I kind of deliberately wrote this character in a way where he just "has it coming" throughout the book. All of my critters pretty much get pissed off whenever he's in a chapter. I tried to kill him off in a way that was graceful, though, so that even after being angry at him throughout the book the reader will, hopefully, feel some remorse at his passing.

Onwards to the next chapter tomorrow. It's looking like I should be done writing/editing about August at this point, so I'm looking forward to getting this out in the fall so I can move on to my next project.

 

[Delio]

I'm really bad about killing people off. I guess I get way to attacted. Course I know it cant be all happy and gumdrops.

 

[Mike Works]

I'm really bad about killing people off. I guess I get way to attacted. Course I know it cant be all happy and gumdrops.

I know you probably meant to say attached here, but I'm going to pretend you meant attracted.

 

[Cyan]

I know you probably meant to say attached here, but I'm going to pretend you meant attracted.

Delio writes some hawt characters.

 

[Delio]

I know you probably meant to say attached here, but I'm going to pretend you meant attracted.

Geez I need to cut my silly mistakes when i'm posting in a writing thread of all places.

Delio writes some hawt characters.

Well what can I say my special snowflakes need to be hot.

 

[1stStrike]

Geez I need to cut my silly mistakes when i'm posting in a writing thread of all places.

Well what can I say my special snowflakes need to be hot.

Well, at least you don't have my tag It's fairly ironic. Though, technically I wasn't wrong...

 

[Delio]

Well, at least you don't have my tag It's fairly ironic. Though, technically I wasn't wrong...

Huh I never actually looked at your tag heh.

 

[Ashes]

Picked up the novel I wrote for nanowrimo, to do a second draft. Edit out the silly mistakes. Turns out the book I thought I'd love whilst writing it, and hoped readers would love, is not the one on the page.

About to bin it, but if someone who likes science-fiction/philosophy wants to have a one last look, let me know. Fresh eyes, and you never really know with these things.

I don't need editing, or anything like that of course. Just give the whole thing a quick read over the weekend, and tell me if you like the story. It's only 130 pages so it won't waste too much of your time.

/sad times.

Oh well on to better things. Learn from mistakes and so on.

 

[iavi]

Shoot me a PM, ashes. I'll give it read.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I'ld like to have a 'last peek' as well. It might be worth salvaging to some extend.

Actually, if you're going to bin it because it's "bad", isn't it a good idea to keep it around as an example of bad writing? Like bad video games, you can only know when something is good when you've figured out what makes the bad ones 'bad'. I won't say "I fucking luuuuuuv bad games / writing", but the phrase "for science!" works well enough for me.

 

[Ashes]

I learnt enough planning the thing. And lots of it. To be clear, it's still there as a copy. And I don't mean to delete it, but that I won't get to the second draft.

My last novel took seven years, till one day, I realised, eh.. I'm never going to get published if I don't draw a line in the sand, and say: This book isn't something someone somewhere will fall in love with. I don't think its publishable... Life's too short. Time to move on to better projects. And this is already six months in. How time flies eh?

 

[bengraven]

I hate killing off characters. I never create a character knowing he/she's going to die, and I usually get too attached. Maybe not to the character, but to the character's interaction.

For example, I want to go against the standards. I have a heroic character with a major flaw. If I killed him off it would be shocking. But then I'd be like "oh no, his wife would be alone...poor woman, alone and in a world full of strangers". Which a better writer would think, "Oh God, what a fantastic starting point to develop her character and the world around her". But me, no, I'm attached.

One of two people needs to die, but I can't kill his best friend. 1) he's a secondary character and 2) he's black. He also has a red shirt in one scene. It's called distraction because you think he's going to die, but the hero needs to die. He needs to. But I can't do it!

I would have been the worst writer on Lost. I can think of three or four people I would have never killed, especially in that last scene. :*(

and...

Picked up the novel I wrote for nanowrimo, to do a second draft. Edit out the silly mistakes. Turns out the book I thought I'd love whilst writing it, and hoped readers would love, is not the one on the page.

About to bin it, but if someone who likes science-fiction/philosophy wants to have a one last look, let me know. Fresh eyes, and you never really know with these things.

I don't need editing, or anything like that of course. Just give the whole thing a quick read over the weekend, and tell me if you like the story. It's only 130 pages so it won't waste too much of your time.

/sad times.

Oh well on to better things. Learn from mistakes and so on.

We can trade NaNo books and convince each other not to ditch them.

 

[Emerson]

I hate killing off characters. I never create a character knowing he/she's going to die, and I usually get too attached. Maybe not to the character, but to the character's interaction.

For example, I want to go against the standards. I have a heroic character with a major flaw. If I killed him off it would be shocking. But then I'd be like "oh no, his wife would be alone...poor woman, alone and in a world full of strangers". Which a better writer would think, "Oh God, what a fantastic starting point to develop her character and the world around her". But me, no, I'm attached.

One of two people needs to die, but I can't kill his best friend. 1) he's a secondary character and 2) he's black. He also has a red shirt in one scene. It's called distraction because you think he's going to die, but the hero needs to die. He needs to. But I can't do it!

I would have been the worst writer on Lost. I can think of three or four people I would have never killed, especially in that last scene. :*(

and...

I have kind of the opposite problem. I have no issue killing characters but with the story I'm working on (back in its first iteration) I had myself written into a situation where nobody could actually die. So I decided I needed more characters, which was one of several revelations leading to the state of the story today.

 

[bengraven]

I have kind of the opposite problem. I have no issue killing characters but with the story I'm working on (back in its first iteration) I had myself written into a situation where nobody could actually die. So I decided I needed more characters, which was one of several revelations leading to the state of the story today.

I love how things "unlock" for you like that. I think I posted a few pages about that. When I realized a main character should be a villain it basically unfolded the entire plot in front of me. It's like I lost my plot virginity. haha

For me, I do know I need to add more characters, but I also know some of them will be typecast immediately, in my head at least and likely in readers' as well, as people who are going to die.

I need to introduce a newspaper writer who will document some of the events and man who is following one of the mains to verify his existance. Both are disposable. I have a doctor, a school teacher, both disposable. I still need some more to flesh out the story. I need an older character to fit the mentor role for the character I mentioned above that needs to die...I suppose I'll just kill the wife. ha

 

[Relix]

I can never get my writing to flow well. It sounds so... mechanic. Doesn't help English is my second language but damn... kinda frustrating. Maybe I should just write it and then edit it or get someone to edit it? I know its all part of the proof reading process, but I honestly feel like my writing is just that; mechanical.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I can never get my writing to flow well. It sounds so... mechanic. Doesn't help English is my second language but damn... kinda frustrating. Maybe I should just write it and then edit it or get someone to edit it? I know its all part of the proof reading process, but I honestly feel like my writing is just that; mechanical.

According to at least one author: that's a lack of writer tone. It's different from 'voice' or style. It's supposedly more like coloration, something that persists with an author despite using other styles or author's voice in the work itself. The thing that basically tells you 'this is the guy'.
He may have overstated this point because he's an author himself though. Copywriters, ghostwriters and author writers writing in another author's style seem to have no difficulty copying their most intricate parts, which would their individual tone.

Either way, I found out that when I write fiction, I have no English tone either. I do have one in my native language though, but that mostly comes down to knowing "what sounds right" from years of reading and maybe some inherent sense of knowing what sounds aesthetically pleasing in that language.

But that's if you want to literary. There's no need to worry about such things if you're going after "the vampire novel" thing. And honestly: a lot of people just put their (first) work on amazon (guilty as self-charged btw) and just let it sit there. It's not like the literary police is going to come looking for it on account of violation of the laws on good writing.

 

[bengraven]

Did a slight change of writing style and added a new beginning based on a new plot point.

This is all unedited right now, five minutes before I'm about to go to bed.

A legend around the lonesome towns west of the Mississippi is of an Old World magician and the time he got one over on The Devil hisself.

Nick Scratch was a reader if you can believe it and his library was perched on a spire of razor sharp rock. They say it was guarded by seas of mangled demons and churning oceans of burning acid. Among his repository was a particular tome of an ancient vernacular.

The Epocrypha. It was a name that came out like a curse and it was bound in the leather of an angel's skin. The smell of the book alone would turn your insides black and that leather in your hands would be so soft that it would start pulling you into it.

And ol' Joseth Groth was the only living person who walked into the Devil's library and stole a book. That book.

Or so they say.

They also say that the day elder Groth died, the skies rained sparks upon the ground and a tornado of flames burned the old Skeleton Tree down he hung from and charred the earth around it so no plant would ever grow again.

They say that sometimes, but I have never heard said whether Old Hob himself came back for the book. Or if someone else has it, out there in the crying winds of the desert or the amber hiss of the prairie grasses.

Keep in mind, some of this isn't true. They say.

It's very very low fantasy, very very high Western.

 

[Mike Works]

Did a slight change of writing style and added a new beginning based on a new plot point.

This is all unedited right now, five minutes before I'm about to go to bed.

Keep in mind, some of this isn't true. They say.

It's very very low fantasy, very very high Western.

I like the idea behind the voice, but it might have some consistency issues. Basically I have trouble with someone saying both:

- hisself, ol' Joseph
- repository, ancient vernacular, amber hiss

 

[Snarfington]

Thanks so much for this, this is so helpful. I'm only 17 but writing and sharing a book with others is one of my dreams for the future, and I will be making sure to refer to this guide in the next year whilst I get on to planning and writing it. Thank you!

 

[Puddles]

I'm planning to finish mine this summer.

It's going to be pretty fucking good. Everyone in this thread should buy a copy.

Details to follow when I have them.