General Writer's Block thread

@LoneCourier0: Fair enough, and good luck with it! I hope that you get a good response. ^_^

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on May 30th 2022 at 2:52:05 PM

I've noted that using scriptwriter notation makes it esier for me to get my thoughts together when writing. Also I've recently had worked on scientific article where the style of exposition is strictly regulated, so that may also have helped with the mood. Hoping to get at least something written this summer.

Designing a Super-Soldier for an RPG, and the best way to describe him is “the attitude of Big Boss + the powers of Ultimate Captain America.”

He doesn’t really wear a costume that shows off his patriotism, and sticks with regular military gear/weaponry (occasionally has a bit of super-science tech, but not that often).

Instead of being an American soldier, I wanted to make him British (either former Royal Marine or SAS, not sure yet). Any suggestions for how he’d be different than the traditional American Badass?

Should I axe the lesbian romance in my story since I'm not a lesbian? I remember a post on tumblr saying that men should never write romances featuring LGBT groups since men oppress members of the LGBT the most. Dont wanna encroach.

It's... definitely controversial. Some people do hold the opinion that the majority should never write stories involving minorities, but logically that opinion would only lead to more stories that lack representation of any kind, or to some sort of ban on specific people from being able to write at all since they'd be problematic either way. I can't really weigh in on how offensive it is for a straight man to write a lesbian relationship since I'm straight, but in my personal opinion, if you do it in a way that's respectful and well-written, then ultimately your identity might not matter. But you should of course seek out the advice from actual lesbians to see if you're doing well.

(Personally despite not being gay I have multiple gay characters, and when I told my lesbian friend about these characters her reaction was basically "fuck yeah", so some people care more than others.)

Edited by WarJay77 on Jul 11th 2022 at 1:05:55 PM

I think you shouldn't pay attention to Tumblr that much because most people have rather extremist views. However, you still have to do a bit of research on the subject so it can be nuanced.

I remember a post on tumblr saying that men should never write romances featuring LGBT groups - so gay men or trans men aren't allowed to write about themselves?! I think you ran across a crank there. Ignore what they say.

This "majority should never write stories about minority" idea is a response to some particular problems:

1. Minority writers don't get enough exposure and credit for writing authentic stories from their experience as minorities, instead being passed over in favor of majority writers.
2. Majority writers writing about minorities they know little about can create some really cringy nonsense.
3. and in the worst case both of these things happen at the same time, because of course that happens.

It is also a bad response to these problems.

A better response is this: Write what you want, but also read some lesbian stories by lesbian authors.

... Though really, we'd be surprised if you weren't doing that already.

Basically just do your research and do your best to portray the subject accurately.

Though for my own writing since I don't feel equipped to actually talk about homophobia and the like, I pretty much just portray the couples as any other pairing in my story and don't bring too much attention to it, because I believe in representation and want to incorporate a diverse range of characters... But I also don't want to butcher serious issues. I'll let actual LGBT people handle real themes about real problems and share their stories, I just want my characters to date and be happy.

Edited by WarJay77 on Jul 11th 2022 at 9:00:44 AM

So, I find myself at a point of uncertainty:

I'm looking over a long-standing writing project of mine, one that I've long seen as a potential novel, and have wanted to see professionally published. In its current draft it's pretty much done I believe, granted that it hasn't been through professional editing or feedback.

And I fear that I've found that it may be a bit too short, and yet too long for a novella. :/

Specifically, as reported by LibreOffice, the total word-count is ~54 000.

Now, according to one website that I found, that is—just—over the lower bound for the definition of "novel".

However, the story in question is a fantasy one, and that same site noted—correctly, I daresay—that fantasy and sci-fi works tend to be longer than works in other genres (perhaps due to their world-building).

So I'm not uncertain of how to handle the piece: Should I try to rewrite it to be longer? (Surely not? Unless the world-building is too thin...) Should I give up on such publication as I had hoped for? Or should I try it at the current length nevertheless...? Or some thing else?

It is structured as essentially a set of short-stories, albeit as part of a single longer narrative—I could serialise it I daresay. But I'm not sure of how that might be done in this day and age, short of self-publishing...

Hence, I am uncertain...

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Jan 21st 2023 at 5:39:03 PM

There are plenty of succesfull sci-fi and fantasy books of that length. I wouldn't worry if I were you. However, if you feels that the world-building is too thin, that's another story.

Hmm... That's encouraging, thank you! ^_^

As to how I feel, I haven't thus far felt so—but it might be worth my reading through the story again, just to check.

Here’s the premise: I’ve got a guy who was a veteran of the Big One. At some point in the mid-80s, he was rendered semi-immortal (as in aging process slowed down to 10%), as well as being de-aged back to his “peak” condition via Plot Device.

The thing is, between the war and the de-aging, he’d gotten married, raised a family, etc. I’m stuck on how an individual would react to learning that their parent was now not only younger than them, but going to outlive them?

What is the relationship they had with their parent? Were they distant, loving, envious, proud...?

This can impact their reactions. They could be for instance happy that they will never see their parent dying, or annoyed that they will have to constantly live in their shadow, or try to capitalise on the renown they will gain from being related to a living legend...

I'm inclined to concur: I would imagine that reactions to such news would depend heavily on the individual, and, indeed, on their relationship to their parent. (And, of course, whether they believe the news or not.)

As I see it, Tom wasn’t a stereotypical 50s dad; more of a mix of John Winchester and Steven Keaton. After his daughter went off to college, they lost touch for several years. He briefly went back to being an instructor for the military (basically, he was the DI that you hope you DON’T get). They occasionally stayed in contact, but mostly got on with their lives.

As I mentioned before, Tom got the treatment in the mid-80s. It wasn’t until almost a decade later that he chose to visit her (when he found out that he had a grandkid on the way). I like to imagine him proving who he was through a certain “code-phrase” (similar to As You Wish, or knowing that gazpacho is served cold).

There's also the question of the child: How does she feel about her father, and about his role and presence (or lack thereof) in her life? How does she feel about what he does and/or has done, and what impact his longevity might have? How empathetic is she, and how does this apply to her father? Does she have other thoughts, feelings, etc. on the matter...? And so on.

Forgive the double-post, please, but I have another question if I may:

Once one has a manuscript, how does one go about... *waves hands vaguely* seeing it published?

You see, I have a finished draft of a novel-length story (although I have recently thought that I might go back and add chapters/part-titles to it), and I want to see it published.

If it were a short story, or even a novella, I would know (I think) what to do next: go to Ralan, find a set of likely-looking online publications, and start submitting!

But while I can go to The Submission Grinder and find a list of companies that take novels, I have the impression—whether accurate or not—that things are more complicated with a novel. Should I just... submit to a publisher? If so, how do I spot a good one? Or should I seek an agent...? If submitting directly to a publisher, should I be expecting to pay for publication? (I do gather that I should not be expecting to pay an agent.)

Of course, there's always self-publishing... But I would like to see the book in stores, and I want to find it a good audience...

So, what advice have you?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in the publishing business, so do not use the following advice as professional advice.

If you are seeking to publisher directly, it is mandatory to get a literary agent as normal book publishers reject unsolicited and unagented books from writers. The manuscript should follow the submission guidelines of the publisher.

Avoid any publisher that demands payment for publishing. These are obvious scams that prey on newcomer writers for the money.

If a publisher offers things too good to be true, then it is a bad publisher. Good publishers do not assure the writer that their book is good or it would be an instant bestseller.

Check the name of the publisher. If the publisher's name is a vanity press or considered a scam, do not attempt to contact those. They will prey on newcomer writers for the money.

This is my only few pieces of advice I can give you.

Why is it important for writers to avoid Unfortunate Implications?

Regarding my question, thank you for the answers—you've given me somewhat to think on there! ^_^

Regarding your question, I can think of two points offhand:

First, it can undermine the story or characters.

For example, let's say that you want your protagonist to appear kind-hearted to most readers. If then there are implications to their behaviour that suggest a hidden cruelty, then that may tarnish that intended impression of kind-heartedness.

And second, in certain cases such implications may contribute to untoward depictions of marginalised people, thus perhaps reinforcing negative perceptions of such people.

[edit] And third (prompted by our page on the matter), such implications may simply be heedlessly hurtful to certain readers.

Now, I'm not saying that all works should avoid tackling uncomfortable issues—but since we're discussing Unfortunate Implications, we're then discussing hurt that's given unawares, unintentionally.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Feb 4th 2023 at 1:02:07 PM

Is there already a thread here for "Works which you made fan adaptations of?"

Just like to ask

Edited by generation81 on Feb 21st 2023 at 3:02:18 PM

I don't think so. There is at least the "Shameless Self Promotion Thread over in Yak Fest, which takes, well, self-promotion in general.

Unless you're looking to ask a question rather than promote your work...? If so, then perhaps there's a thread that's not specific to your scenario but that might work nevertheless, depending on what you want to ask.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Feb 21st 2023 at 9:46:09 PM

There's also Promote your fanfic in the fanfiction forum.

Though "works which you made fan adaptations of" sounds like a thread that would focus on the original work, which if that's actually what you wanted this is not quite that.

I didn't know about that thread! Do they take non-written fan-works...?

By the end of this month, I will clean the Con Crit Thread for housekeeping. I'll notify De Marquis about it when the time comes. If you have any work for critique, please put it in the sandbox. Constructive Criticism needs more users and activity.