Author Topic: Ever write anything? (book/short story)  (Read 11105 times)

zarodinu

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Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« on: February 09, 2010, 12:54:18 PM »
Thinking of penning a novel.  Never wrote anything before, wondering if anyone here has experience/advice they are willing to share.
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alexarch

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2010, 03:09:01 PM »
Thinking of penning a novel.  Never wrote anything before, wondering if anyone here has experience/advice they are willing to share.

1. Get into a writers' group. Most every community has at least one. Find the one in your area that works for you. They will support your efforts, keep you honest and writing. Also, as you critique other's writing, your own writing should improve.

2. Find a good editor or sounding board. Jerry is mine. I trust his taste, and I trust him to tell me when something doesn't work.

3. Read. Voraciously.

4. Write. Just. Write. Ignore self-doubt. Or write in spite of it. Have the ability to say, "This is shit, but it doesn't matter. I'm writing." 30 minutes a day. An hour a day. Write.

5. Don't listen to me; I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I can't go four words without interjecting an spastic period.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2010, 04:35:52 PM by alexarch »

alexarch

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2010, 03:26:23 PM »


St. Martin the Bald

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2010, 02:50:03 PM »
Ira Glass on Storytelling #3

That was brilliant and a fearless piece of advice from Ira Glass.
Hey, nice marmot!

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2010, 03:05:07 PM »
Wrote a lot of fiction and short stories but they all suck.

Wrote a novella my senior year of High School and it was awful. So bad.

I've flirted a bit with some fiction in college but I just usually dissuade myself because of how horribly bad it ends up being after a couple of pages in.

m_rturnage

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2010, 03:07:34 PM »
Wrote a book that you can buy here:

http://www.amazon.com/26-Short-Screenplays-Independent-Filmmakers/dp/0972308628/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265922387&sr=8-2

All I can advise is do it and don't fear criticism.
http://www.26screenplays.com - Short screenplays for independent filmmakers.

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smirnoff

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2010, 11:11:37 AM »

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2010, 11:14:28 AM »
I hope they didn't put "show don't tell" in there because, while it has merit, it's not a great rule of thumb.

smirnoff

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Re: Ever write anything? (book/short story)
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2010, 11:17:47 AM »
I like Laura Miller's wrap up.

Quote
Naturally, writers of genius have broken these "rules" as well as every other rule ever conceived. But, let's face it, geniuses don't need lists like this and couldn't follow them even if they tried. Most writers are not geniuses, and most readers would be exhausted by a literary diet that consisted only of the works of geniuses. The novel can be a down-to-earth and companionable thing as well as an exalted one, and while management gurus like to go on about the good being the enemy of the great, they are in fact misquoting Voltaire. He said, "The perfect is the enemy of the good," which means exactly the opposite. And he, as you are no doubt aware, was a bona fide genius.

 

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