The Writing (and Artistic) Ranting Thread

[Shadow]

I've been thinking about one of my fantasy stories and...like...what if I didn't set any possible romances in stone but, instead, showed the possibility of how they could start and left it open to reader interpretation? That way I don't have to deal with a tacked on romance and anyone can ship whoever they like together. I feel like that'd be nice for the readers? What do you guys think?


Also, why are so many fantasy series so gloom-and-doom? I get there's scary monsters and stuff, but you really want me to believe no one in this world has a sense of humour? That literally everyone has depression? That no one has been happy ever? I'm not expecting a D&D session's level of hilarity, but maybe a couple jokes. People not too concerned about the monsters outside the town because they've been there the last millennia and aren't going away anytime soon. "Aye, I've got goblins in my basement again" "Did you try hitting them with a broom?" "Yeah; didn't do anything" "maybe they'll leave on their own while we're down at the pub". Idk, I guess I want stories about genuine people and don't understand why fantasy writers are determined to make everyone in their novels miserable.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

^I've noticed that with a fair bit of Epic and High Fantasy. Sometimes I think the authors are so concerned with following the formulae of those who were successful before, they forget to make their people with their own personalities. ._.

And I'm totally in favour of your keeping the romance angle open in your story. ^^ Honestly, I think it would be really refreshing; especially if it kept people guessing all the way through.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

As guilty as it makes me feel, going on hiatus with them again, I think I've finally come to an understanding: Until FotS and TMT are done and released into the world alongside WoN, none of the three TSC stories are ever going to take priority. If and when I feel seized by the need to work on them, I will; but until that happens, I may as well give in to my impulse to do the next batch of edits for FotS, at the very least. Because right now, I'm not doing myself or the stories any favours.

 

[lorddemolatron]

Well once i wrote Xover that had DMC as one of main used fandoms but in end i got look on it and it ended never to be showed beacuse how stupid it was and for fun all it been wroten back in my highschooldays

 

[Aisen66]

the ocean water touches the birds moon wich to them feels as if they are looking at the sun ,the end hehe

 

[Shadow]

Anyone else ever have that problem where someone's writing is wonderful, but the person's a Grade A sasshole and you want absolutely nothing to do with them because they're so horrible but now you can't decide if you should bother to read their writing anymore? Because, haha, funny story...

...I loathe this person and they made my life hell for six months and yet I'm now face-to-face with their ungodly large amount of fics they've written. Is this karma for something? I don't want to read any of this but I have a feeling I won't have much of a choice soon.

+ Writing 140k in a month is one of the dumbest goals I've ever set for myself and I should feel bad.

 

[Dante's Stalker]

Anyone else ever have that problem where someone's writing is wonderful, but the person's a Grade A sasshole and you want absolutely nothing to do with them because they're so horrible but now you can't decide if you should bother to read their writing anymore? Because, haha, funny story...

...I loathe this person and they made my life hell for six months and yet I'm now face-to-face with their ungodly large amount of fics they've written. Is this karma for something? I don't want to read any of this but I have a feeling I won't have much of a choice soon.

+ Writing 140k in a month is one of the dumbest goals I've ever set for myself and I should feel bad.

I think that unless you feel like you're going to miss out on something great, don't read it. And if you do read it, don't leave them reviews or favourites or anything. I think that's the biggest fu you can give another writer LOL

+It's not dumb, just very ambitious. I've adjusted mine so we can race each other just to make it more exciting

 

[Shadow]

I think that unless you feel like you're going to miss out on something great, don't read it. And if you do read it, don't leave them reviews or favourites or anything. I think that's the biggest fu you can give another writer LOL

+It's not dumb, just very ambitious. I've adjusted mine so we can race each other just to make it more exciting

That's a good point, tbh. >_> I think I've left all of two truly negative reviews before (because I tend to think it's petty when the author hasn't enraged me) and I'm not really in a hurry to add to that list. I just don't wanna bother with that writer.

+ LOL Well, then. This is gonna be interesting. =D Good luck!

 

[Aisen66]

grave of fireflies is a downer anime feels like a book read or watch it whatever you want the world is mundu,s anyway

 

[Dante's Stalker]

I believe I really should do some rough sketches of my characters. It will eat into my writing time but it's either this or I sit and stress about what colour eyes they had again or was their hair curly or not, and all the little nitty gritty things that I really should know off by heart already but I don't know what I'm even doing anymore. :dead:

 

[lorddemolatron]

im well on writing an new story now if anyone likes i can send sample of it for review purposes

 

[Angel]

Also, why are so many fantasy series so gloom-and-doom? I get there's scary monsters and stuff, but you really want me to believe no one in this world has a sense of humour? That literally everyone has depression? That no one has been happy ever? I'm not expecting a D&D session's level of hilarity, but maybe a couple jokes. People not too concerned about the monsters outside the town because they've been there the last millennia and aren't going away anytime soon. "Aye, I've got goblins in my basement again" "Did you try hitting them with a broom?" "Yeah; didn't do anything" "maybe they'll leave on their own while we're down at the pub". Idk, I guess I want stories about genuine people and don't understand why fantasy writers are determined to make everyone in their novels miserable.

I know this is old but I never look at this thread so, y'know, I suck...

Anyway, I have found with some fantasy it's almost the other way to the extent that it just comes across as almost immature and unrealistic. I find David Eddings tries to include humour and it's so try-hard it makes me cringe a little. The Fable books have managed ok because I think they just follow on from the humour of the games - but I do know what you mean. Some books are so heavy-going I have to read the news just to lighten the mood...

 

[Shadow]

I know this is old but I never look at this thread so, y'know, I suck...

Anyway, I have found with some fantasy it's almost the other way to the extent that it just comes across as almost immature and unrealistic. I find David Eddings tries to include humour and it's so try-hard it makes me cringe a little. The Fable books have managed ok because I think they just follow on from the humour of the games - but I do know what you mean. Some books are so heavy-going I have to read the news just to lighten the mood...

I admit, the conversation bit was 99% written with Fable and those gargoyles/gnomes in mind. "So we've gotta talk about the fate of the world--" "THOSE ARE NICE SHOES, BUT AREN'T YOUR GRAN'S FEET COLD WITHOUT THEM?" "=(" Every single time....

That's a really good point, as well. If it's not the "everything must be gloom and doom and depression because I said so", it's the "I'm taking nothing seriously and using every cliché in the book unironically" thing a lot of the time. Maybe the problem is not having a good base to put the series on? The writer either doesn't take the time to do world building or over-builds and we end up either reading something that's straight up "what did I just read? what's the writer on?" or the literary equivalent of the "kids, can you lighten up" meme. A middle-ground would be nice. :S
(I don't mind late replies. I just replied 7 months late to a pm, so...I'm no judge of time.)

 

[Angel]

I think humour is genuinely one of the hardest genres to write - even moreso if you're having to try and inject it into an otherwise morose situation. I'm still on the hunt for an author (other than the almighty Terry Pratchett, RIP) who can get the balance.

Here are two moans of mine, actually now I think of it:

1) Why does some fantasy nearly always have to devolve into a sex-fest/weird fetish nonsense? Some of it borders on Mills&Boon type stuff and others are almost pornographic. It bothers me because 9 times out of 10 it's utterly unnecessary.

2) Why do some authors get really into sadistic stuff? Like Terry Goodkind books where torture makes up most of the stuff for ages. Then there's the sexual abuse in a lot of books - some of that is truly effed up, in my opinion. We know from the outset the lead character suffered abuse - there's literally no need to then dive into that in great detail.

Sometimes I wonder whether certain authors have issues...

 

[Dante's Stalker]

Shoot!
I knew there was something off about his coat. It's not all one colour. Shoot, man!

 

[DemonSlayer6]

Anyone else ever have that problem where someone's writing is wonderful, but the person's a Grade A sasshole and you want absolutely nothing to do with them because they're so horrible but now you can't decide if you should bother to read their writing anymore? Because, haha, funny story...

...I loathe this person and they made my life hell for six months and yet I'm now face-to-face with their ungodly large amount of fics they've written. Is this karma for something? I don't want to read any of this but I have a feeling I won't have much of a choice soon.

+ Writing 140k in a month is one of the dumbest goals I've ever set for myself and I should feel bad.

Amusingly enough, I've been in a situation before wherein I was sent stories/fics from someone I just pretty much met online. Like after sharing pleasantries and the usual first meeting, they sent me anime smut that - it's safe to say - scarred me a few lines in until realising what it was and quitting it all. I had to play it off as if I read it and gave the most diplomatic 'critique' I could. XD I mean, they weren't as problematic as the person you're making reference to, surely, but I certainly know that feel of not wanting to do anything with people's stories they just send me on whims.

It doesn't help that I can barely get my own stories together and then they do this... sigh.

A personal little writer's lament to add to the thread, though: when people ask to read my stories and I have no clue where to start with a response to that myself. I mean, I'm incredibly taken when people express they're interested in my works. But when it comes to actually sharing them or at least trying to explain the fact that none of them are complete, things tend to become a little awkward. Anyone else go through this weird thing?

 

[Dante's Stalker]

A personal little writer's lament to add to the thread, though: when people ask to read my stories and I have no clue where to start with a response to that myself. I mean, I'm incredibly taken when people express they're interested in my works. But when it comes to actually sharing them or at least trying to explain the fact that none of them are complete, things tend to become a little awkward. Anyone else go through this weird thing?

Yes! I'm fairly vague on details of my work, because in essence people want a summary of what your story is about. Half the time, I don't even know where the story is going myself, since I don't exactly outline the plot. It's hard enough trying to put into a few words what a completed work is about (I can tell you the genre and that it's about this person who is a whatever but that's as far as I can go lol), even more so with an incomplete work. Like, you know, whoa, hang on, am I supposed to know the answer to this?
I think I'm okay aka decent with people who are already familiar with my work (and whom I know better than the next reader). I'm not a very generous sharer, though. I might send bits and pieces for feedback but I don't think I've ever sent an entire manuscript to anybody that I don't know in person.

Which is another thing. Talking about my work to people I know in person? My answers to their questions are usually , yeah, no, and uh. What's your book about? Oh, uh, um.... geeze well....I don't know where to start. It's like a fantasy with magic and stuff. Yeah, that's it. *insert awkward silent moment* Oh, that's nice.

Current rant: I knew this was coming for a while and now is the time for it but researching it to the heights of heaven and the depths of hell, you just can not and do not pronounce this bloody name the way I always thought it was meant. And spelling it another way is just embarrassing. Which means now I have to find another name that will suit my main character. This is after working on this series for the past 15 years. It's going to be friggin hard.

 

[DemonSlayer6]

Yes! I'm fairly vague on details of my work, because in essence people want a summary of what your story is about. Half the time, I don't even know where the story is going myself, since I don't exactly outline the plot. It's hard enough trying to put into a few words what a completed work is about (I can tell you the genre and that it's about this person who is a whatever but that's as far as I can go lol), even more so with an incomplete work. Like, you know, whoa, hang on, am I supposed to know the answer to this?
I think I'm okay aka decent with people who are already familiar with my work (and whom I know better than the next reader). I'm not a very generous sharer, though. I might send bits and pieces for feedback but I don't think I've ever sent an entire manuscript to anybody that I don't know in person.

Urrghh, tell me about it! Why are we writers like this! I mean, in some way, we are for good reason -- we're just not fans of sharing incomplete work that we ourselves don't even wholly understand. I also try to stick to genres to explain what it's about as best I can, but by golly, there are so many complicated world and character mechanics involved that it's impossible to explain in layman's terms without them just staring at you and probably wishing they never asked to begin with. Way to give off a bad first impression of your own story, lol.

But here's an even more stressful predicament: explaining to someone that your story is a fan fiction.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

@Dante's Stalker Ouch, I don't envy you. D: After a fraction of that time, I wouldn't be able to change the character's name, so I can just imagine how much of a pain and how frustrating it is. Which name was it, out of curiosity?

Related to the thread: Oh, geez, only 12 scenes left? I could swear I still had 15. D: Okay, don't freak out. Don't freak out. Every time you do, you wind up slamming on the brakes, and that's the last thing you need. The draft's nearly done; just keep your frigging head, and get it done.

 

[Dante's Stalker]

@Rebel Dynasty It's Galen.
I always thought it was pronounced gah-lin but that's not the case, it seems. Gay-len doesn't suit the character. T_T