Writer's Workshop

Look I get that everyone wants their characters to stand out but can we please talk about this trend where writers just throw random letters together and call it a day

Im a history teacher so I spend a lot of time reading different stuff and lately ive been running into so many stories where the main character is named something like Xaevynn or Khaelreth or whatever and its just exhausting trying to figure out how these are supposed to sound in my head

Like I picked up this one fantasy novel last month and literally every single person had one of these impossible names. Not just the fantasy creatures but regular humans too. Made it really hard to get into the story when I kept stumbling over basic character identification

The worst part is when its set in like present day Chicago or something but everyones named Bryxander and Kaelynn with no explanation for why everyone has these made up spellings

If youre writing fantasy there are tons of resources out there. Historical name databases baby name sites even those random name generators online. Spend like 15 minutes doing actual research instead of just adding extra consonants to everything

I mean do whatever makes you happy with your writing but from someone who reads a lot of this stuff it would be nice if I could actually remember whos who without having to flip back to check the spelling every chapter

Just my two cents as someone who loves fantasy but also values being able to pronounce things

Anyone else give a hard NOPE when people ask to read what you have so far?

I’m 20k words into my first actual manuscript (after dozens of started ideas that I flopped after the first 2k or so…) and I refuse to let even my closest book-worm friend read it. I don’t want any feedback, good nor bad, to interrupt my momentum/flow before it is finished…

Tell me I’m not the only one who hoards their writing like a secret stash!

Every writing server I join follows the same cycle. Active for a week, people introduce themselves, little burst of energy, then silence Or it becomes everyone waiting in line to get pages read and nobody actually talking.

I don't need feedback rn I just want somewhere people chat about writing like you would with a friend,Just a room where people get it.

Screenwriting is isolating enough already. Reddit is great for advice but it's not the same as an actual ongoing conversation with people in the same place as you.

If you're in a server that's actually alive and intimate, I'd genuinely love to know

Twelve weeks ago I woke up from a dream about a guy eating chocolate tart and started writing it in my notes app. Today I wrote the end of the relationship​ and realized that I'm at 94k words.

The main character has had a complete arc.

There is more story but it can't be one novel. It would be too long. So it's two books. And I think I just finished the first draft of book one?!

And I guess tomorrow I start book two? And get the story out of my head? Pretty sure I'm having an existential crisis now. So. Time to touch grass.

I naturally write with a lot of em dashes but I’m worried about being accused of using AI. Anybody have recommendations? I could go through and remove all dashes, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it.

what do you do as writers, to improve your writing?

reading books?

watching films and tv shows?

walking and imagining?

resting or taking a break?

practicing your craft?

just writing it?

I have three satellite studios who read everything I've sent them and always ask to send something else when I've written it. These companies are as large as let's say Neon or A24 (but neither of them).
So I have these outfits always prepared to read me but as yet nothing has landed with them. I don't think they're just humouring me or they'd say don't bother sending anything.
Is there a way I can leverage this somehow to my favour aside from just keep trying with them?

I am currently unrepped but I do have a manager circling...

Any thoughts?

TLDR: When you read more, you can actually realize that much weaker books than yours have reached the trad publishing. It's painful to read a book you just can't like but it's very motivational and liberating to see weaker works had success.

Recently I've finished the manuscript of my debut memoir and am currently in the middle of the editing phase. Waiting for feedback from my beta readers and initiating paid critical read from editor(s) to understand the strongest and weakest points in my text, if it has real potential for trad publishing and what should be my top priorities to have real chance of winning an interest from an agent. It's not in English (not my native language) but I've found a very strong translator and have ambition to chase the English market. I know, it's a very ambitious goal but I have some reasons to shoot so high.

While all that is happening I am reading one of my comp books and IMO it is... really bad. I'm in the middle of it and I just can't feel any empathy towards the problems the main character faced in his life. For me they're really mostly minor privileged first world problems. There are so many things that I am just not interested to hear about, like...whining for a few pages how he had to go to high school with a uniform and...have some lessons he didn't like...what? How he had bad grades on his public exams when he was 15 and his mom said that's terrible. How he got drunk while teenager and his mom was very disappointed and mad. You serious my guy, those are such big traumas that hey deserve a place in a struggle-recovery memoir? He's going back and forth between childhood and present and IMO the childhood part is so weak I just can't like the guy. Often while he's writing from the perspective of the child/teenager it's just so transparent that he's integrating thoughts and details that are artificially there and not part of what actually probably happened, just not the way a child/teenager would think.

I remember there was a discussion on this topic and someone linked an artiicle about how writers that dont read are bad. there was an example of author who famously in non-reader and published a book. and as example there was an excerpt from the book it was a scene from the court that was dedscribed poorly.

I found a few posts on here when I was trying to check if were legit and opinions were mixed so thought I would let the community know my experience so no one else has to endure the mess I'm stuck in.

Made an account on WScripted to sign up for their Cannes List contest. You had to sign up to a paid account to do so, but there was a code to get that part for free, and there was no charge. All good. As it was early entry, they also had a promo code for an early entry fee. For some reason, it didn't stick so I ended up paying full price, so reached out in all good faith to see if they would refund the difference, given that I was well within the early window. I got a couple of stock answers that were very clearly from an AI chatbot (even referencing the wrong contest to what I'd applied for) and pushed back to talk to a human. They said someone would follow up shortly and gave me an AirTable link to provide details of what I needed help with. This was Feb 3. Given the frustrations I was having, I deactivated my paid subscription at that time (that I'd gotten first month free for) and changed it to a free account.

A month later, my card is charged for the paid subscription. I went back to check my account. All the account billing is on a Stripe-powered page where it clearly stated that I was on a free subscription, $0.00 monthly. The invoices section also said $0.00. But I'd been charged $10.00. I emailed them again and charged back the card immediately, knowing I was unlikely to get a response from them (I never did, btw). To be double sure that this couldn't happen again the next month, I deleted my payment information from the account page.

Now, Apr 3. MY CARD IS CHARGED AGAIN, $10.00. Even though I literally took my payment information off their system. I have emailed them again, charged it back again. I'm like, okay, screw it: I was going to keep my (free) account until the contest results but, at this point, I don't even care. I hit the Delete Account button. It brings a pop-up asking if I'm sure. I press Confirm. It returns to the main page. And. Nothing. Happens. I can't even delete my account.

At this point, I'm not sure what I can do besides cancelling my credit card to stop them charging me. More fool me for thinking there must be some legitimacy attached when they have MUBI as a partner/sponsor, I guess.

Anyway, this isn't a pity-me story, I just wanted to flag so that hopefully no one else gets stuck in the same situation because it's not a whole lotta fun 🫠

First time poster here. I’ve been working on my first novel and I keep stopping because I just don’t feel good enough…. Every time I read, I find myself comparing the authors work to my own and feeling like there is no way I can make anything remotely as good as this, so why even bother? My wife keeps encouraging me to continue writing and I am mainly doing it as just a creative outlet, but again, it keeps happening and I keep stopping my work because of it.

I’m sure plenty of other people here run into this. What helps you get out of your own head and continue writing?

I started reading a lot of Terry Pratchett recently and one of my many favorite things about his stories is how he uses page breaks instead of chapters to break up the story. When reading his books I feel I can set it down at almost any point and retain the ability to seamlessly pick it back up later. With chapters (especially long ones), I invariably feel compelled to finish the chapter before taking a break, which can sometimes result in more hesitancy to pick up the book in the first place if I only have a short time to read (before starting my shift, for example).

How viable is this chapterless strategy these days? Terry Pratchett is the first author I've read who does this, which tells me it's really not very common. Will publishers insist on chapters? Are audiences prone to ignore a book like this in this day and age? What's the most compelling reason you can think of to avoid a chapterless structure?

Two mirrors reflecting eachother

frozen in time, fragile yet rougher

Never meeting, inches apart

A kaleidoscope of drifting hearts

Cracks in one fractures the other

In darkness both fail to recover

Shards of broken silver strings

A melody splintered before it begins

They feel and know but never speak

one hopes that the other seeks

Thus, one awakens with thoughts deranged

Pleads a song for things to change

"I wait for your words that never land

A thesis that you wrote in sand

I glance through lines and memories old

Searching for relics and glittering gold

This game we play with dance and rhythm

Moving through this heart shaped prism

Scattering into ribbons of light

Colliding and bouncing, restrained by fright

You pull me from my self imprison

Baited by your seductive glisten

Pushed me with your silence still

Mind erupting, spineless chill

Now I wait to meet your gaze

Hold your hand and read your face

Sunset of this year awaits

Time stands still to meet my fate."

And so it bargains with the divine

"Keep her frozen, give me time

Yes or no it matters not

Just a chance to cry my thoughts"

A quest imposed for polished perfection

To shine so bright, worthy of her reflection

With bated breath it gathers it's shards

Mending them with gilded scars

"When I am complete, you will be mine

Please wait for me just one last time"

But it never realized

It need not turn into a prize.