❛ the lazy writers ❜ V2

[sevenstorms]

TheSongOfTheStars + BucketORandomness
thank you both for taking the time to respond to me.

I have peeped in both of your personal writing threads and I must say that I lost a good chunk of time just enjoying the writing and being in the moment.

Song, I most like number 9 in your advent thread. I especially like how the prose flows and elevates to the end. You have a real knack for drawing in the reader right up until the last moment/ word. Your style is vastly different to mine in a lot of ways but damn if you don't paint a gorgeous picture with your words.

Bucket, can I just say, woah, your formatting alone is really good and I love how you have taken the time to label and explain everything. I love "The Journal" and the small poem therefore inside. I can see a bit of myself and my own writing style in some of your works. It's really quite endearing actually.

I too roleplay. I get a lot of my ideas from roleplaying offsite (Discord, mostly)and I also bounce from work to work but focusing on a rather large manuscript at the moment has really dulled me down to the point that I need a break.
I read all genres, from horror to romance and back again. My big manuscript that I am currently working on is primarily a mystery thriller with many other elements scattered in (multi-genre basically, lol)

If either of you change your mind, just ping me and lmk. I look forward to following both of your threads in the mean time.

[Ranger of the North]

oof, heyo! i'm currently here in search of world-building tips - anyone got any secrets they'd like to share on how to develop worlds?

Welcome!! Watch out for carrots! I have no idea, but let me know when you crack THE secret XD

hello,
I am seeking a writing partner, and also offering to become a beta reader (serious writing endeavours only, no fanfic sorry)
looking forward to finding someone that will hold me accountable, and I will do the same in return.

inbox is open - more info inside.
merry meet!

Welcome, welcome! I read most things I come across, but my strong-point in critiquing is grammar, and sometimes I'm a notoriously quiet reader. If that's the sort of thing you're looking for I can do my best to help ya out? (Although life does speed up around the end of the year, hhh.) If you're interested, I have a collection of short-stories here; in my opinion Kill or be Killed and Life are the best so far cx I'm also working on my main project regularly, but as far as I can tell it's very #FirstDraft XD What have you been working on? c:

Hey guys, anyone remember last year when someone (I think it was either Bucket or Backpack?) suggested an advent challenge where you wrote every day until Christmas? Yeah, well I did it last year and had fun, so I'm doing it again. I started on the first and meant to share but I am what I am, so anyway, here's a link if anybody cares

Will it surprise you to know I've been reading along the whole time?

[dogbrain]

oof, heyo! i'm currently here in search of world-building tips - anyone got any secrets they'd like to share on how to develop worlds?

Most of these are basic writing tips, but I've found them useful with my world-building.

• Write every idea you have down. Every idea for the flora, fauna, possible storyline, overall atmosphere(s), locations, key points and locations, etc. Many items fall under the category of "idea" and it's perfect to write things down as they come to you. Don't be like me (and many other writers/artists) that have an idea and say to themselves "I'll write it down later," you'll regret it forever! Just fill a notebook or two with ideas, whether they make it to the final product or not. It's like a preliminary sketch, a starting point really. Just to get your motivation going.

• Get inspiration from Nature. Go outside! Take a walk. If you don't live in a rural area, still go outside. Visit a park or community garden. Nice fresh air can help when trying to develop a world. You'd be surprised how much inspiration the real world can hold for you. Take a sketchbook (even if you're not artistically inclined, everyone can draw and draw from life) and/or notebook along so you can document the things and behaviors you come across. Don't be afraid to sit down in a patch of grass and stare at a bug sitting on a plant, write about it or draw it. It's a nice way to study things, too.

• Listen to music or even sounds. Whatever calms you or sets the muse. From an inspiration post from my own world's website, please don't copy or use it; only paraphrase: "Listen to ambients: forest sounds, rain, light storms, or any noises you find soothing. You could even listen to your favorite genre of music, as long as it can calm you down and concentrate! You listen to death-core metal? Does it calm you down? Then go listen to it! Everyone is different."

• Also from an inspiration post from my own world's website, please don't copy or use it; only paraphrase: "Play a video game! Whether it's a new game or a classic, I find myself getting inspired through gameplay. You can even watch your favorite Youtuber play it if you want to!"

I think I covered everything from my area of expertise! I wish you luck in world-building. It's fun, even though quite frustrating at times. Just live in the moment, embrace your current work, and look positively toward the project's future.

[TheSongOfTheStars]

Hey guys, anyone remember last year when someone (I think it was either Bucket or Backpack?) suggested an advent challenge where you wrote every day until Christmas? Yeah, well I did it last year and had fun, so I'm doing it again. I started on the first and meant to share but I am what I am, so anyway, here's a link if anybody cares

Will it surprise you to know I've been reading along the whole time?

Would it surprise you to know I was pretty sure you were reading it?

[pdf]

hey! i don't think i've posted here before, so. hi! i'm az. i mostly write poetry.

i was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to get out of a rut of not submitting after being declined publication? i already found it really intimidating to submit in the first place, but now that i've received my first rejection letter, i feel like i'm looking on my work with an overly critical eye & it's keeping me from trying again, ugh. it doesn't help that the editors don't give critique - which isn't their fault; i just don't even know what i did wrong. it's put me on such an edge i feel like i might never submit again!

[Ranger of the North]

Hey guys, anyone remember last year when someone (I think it was either Bucket or Backpack?) suggested an advent challenge where you wrote every day until Christmas? Yeah, well I did it last year and had fun, so I'm doing it again. I started on the first and meant to share but I am what I am, so anyway, here's a link if anybody cares

Will it surprise you to know I've been reading along the whole time?

Would it surprise you to know I was pretty sure you were reading it?

Not in the slightest. XD

hey! i don't think i've posted here before, so. hi! i'm az. i mostly write poetry.

i was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to get out of a rut of not submitting after being declined publication? i already found it really intimidating to submit in the first place, but now that i've received my first rejection letter, i feel like i'm looking on my work with an overly critical eye & it's keeping me from trying again, ugh. it doesn't help that the editors don't give critique - which isn't their fault; i just don't even know what i did wrong. it's put me on such an edge i feel like i might never submit again!

Aww, I'm so sorry! *hugs* I myself have never actually submitted anything, but weren't Beatrix Potter, Doctor Seuss, J.K. Rowling, etc.etc.etc., all rejected multiple times? You could be the next Great, but if you don't keep trying we'll never know

[⠀⠀⠀petrova]

that wonderful moment when you toss an entire scene because you have awful confidence in your writing.
blah. I need to get better at writing for myself, other than for someone else.
It's just so hard to keep up my. I dunno what to call it. Faith, I guess - in myself? I want to spin up a draft for my novel but its just so ridiculously mentally consuming.

[BucketORandomness]

hey! i don't think i've posted here before, so. hi! i'm az. i mostly write poetry.

i was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to get out of a rut of not submitting after being declined publication? i already found it really intimidating to submit in the first place, but now that i've received my first rejection letter, i feel like i'm looking on my work with an overly critical eye & it's keeping me from trying again, ugh. it doesn't help that the editors don't give critique - which isn't their fault; i just don't even know what i did wrong. it's put me on such an edge i feel like i might never submit again!

Personally, I'd recommend finding a writing group nearby. They'd help give you confidence, and they provide perfect peer editors. Most schools or campuses have a creative writing club, and some public libraries have programs as well. As it is, you can look up Steven King's "On Writing" It may be a memoir, but it's basically a creative writing course. He mentions he used to keep his rejection slips on an old nail in the attic and was about to run out of space when his first novel got accepted. Other than that, I'd suggest looking at what's currently popular. Publishers are more likely to accept something High Fantasy if High Fantasy is trending and more likely to get them money. If Murder Mysteries are currently trending, though, a piece advertised as High Fantasy is less likely to be accepted. If your High Fantasy does, in fact, fall into Murder Mystery as well, then look at what's popular or up-and-coming and put your work in that light to help it get through.

that wonderful moment when you toss an entire scene because you have awful confidence in your writing.
blah. I need to get better at writing for myself, other than for someone else.
It's just so hard to keep up my. I dunno what to call it. Faith, I guess - in myself? I want to spin up a draft for my novel but its just so ridiculously mentally consuming.

And now we're back to a mood. It's not a bad thing to shave down your writing. In fact, I know a number of people around here just don't have the courage to. They fall in love with their words and can't see that "this scene doesn't actually do anything for plot or character development." You can use your insecurity to make your writing spectacular! Not confident that this scene really works here? Okay. That's perfectly legit! Now, what would have to happen to make it work? Does there need to be more plot movement or character development? If so, can the actions in this scene be mashed together with another scene that may also be struggling? Let's say you have Plot Scene A and Character Development Scene B. You want all your scenes to do both so the story keeps moving without leaving the characters 2d ((not necessary. This is just hypothetical)). What you can do is take elements of Scene B and try to fit them into Scene A or the other way around. If you feel like you've got too much going on in one scene, break down what's happening and see if you can't develop those sections independently to slow things down a bit.

[pdf]

@bucketofrandomness, @rangerofthenorth thank you so much - it's so easy to get yourself down over these things. i'm no longer in school but i will absolutely check out my library for something. (:

[Ranger of the North]

that wonderful moment when you toss an entire scene because you have awful confidence in your writing.
blah. I need to get better at writing for myself, other than for someone else.
It's just so hard to keep up my. I dunno what to call it. Faith, I guess - in myself? I want to spin up a draft for my novel but its just so ridiculously mentally consuming.

Oof, mood. Just don't reread stuff, man; hardly ever works out XD

@bucketofrandomness, @rangerofthenorth thank you so much - it's so easy to get yourself down over these things. i'm no longer in school but i will absolutely check out my library for something. (:

You're more than welcome! I hope the next step goes well for you