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w2cs2p | writing_train | 0.9 | I just finished my first novel rough draft and I printed it at Staples. Did I get ripped off? What's the best way to print a manuscript? I spent nearly 100 bucks printing out a 460 page b&w document that just has a three ring bind. Are there cheaper options? Should I eventually just invest in a good printer? I literally just finished today so I'm a bit excited after over a year and half of trying to get this story nailed down. | igqk5dd | igqzaje | 1,658,204,625 | 1,658,214,684 | 2 | 3 | You don't need to get a good printer, just a basic one will do. Look for one with only black ink, it'll cost far less than $460. | I just printed my 440 page manuscript at Office Depot for $55! Plastic spiral bound with clear plastic cover on the front and back. I will say that was doing it front and back, but the pages are thick enough that there isn’t any bleeding from edits. A lot of people are telling you to edit on a tablet. Personally I have an iPad that I use to write my manuscript in scrivener but my mind needs to switch off to a physical copy in order to distance myself from the project and edit it accurately. Based off of my other writer friends, that’s pretty normal. Will I edit theirs in Microsoft word with an Apple Pencil? Absolutely. But not my work. Also I’d recommend writing any editing notes on post-it’s and sticking them to the page or chapter intro so that you can remove them in a second editing pass. Mark out words and sentences with red pen all day, but leave your margins clean if at all possible. Finally, congratulations on completing a draft! It’s such an exciting time 🤍 | 0 | 10,059 | 1.5 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3fzkl | fg3fq8g | 1,580,480,562 | 1,580,480,372 | 26 | 23 | But in what way is it a "conservative fantasy"? Because "an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator" sounds to me like ordinary standing out to evil | Citizens overthrowing a tyrannical dictator is a common theme, I’m sure it’ll be fine. | 1 | 190 | 1.130435 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3j8sl | fg3mkow | 1,580,482,851 | 1,580,485,050 | 8 | 15 | I feel like you might be overthinking it a bit. Like others have said, a lot of stories have "underdog rebellion overthrowing dictatorship" as the central theme, regardless of the politics of the author or the story. But if you're still worried about it, an armed militia overthrowing a dictatorship is not conservative at all. Conservatism is about tradition, stability, and incremental change. Revolution is like, the opposite of that. I imagine you're worried because armed militias are generally associated with the right wing in the USA right now. But historically and globally, revolution is more commonly associated with pretty much every other type of political value system than it is with conservatism (Liberalism in the USA/France, Marxism in Russia/China, etc.) | Novels aren't just fables. The themes of novels don't all need to be written on their face like "Animal Farm" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." In Ursula K Leguin's Authors note for her (fantastic) book The Left Hand of Darkness, she wrote >"In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have been changed a little, as if by having met a new face, crossed a street we never crossed before. But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed." . . . >"If I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words. . ." You can read the rest of that Author's Note by peeking inside the book on Amazon for free: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBA7PGW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 But the point is, you're putting your ideas into the book, your experiences. You're not crafting a piece of propoganda, you're creating an experience for people to absorb, to expose them to new perspectives. Everyone will bring their own eyes to your book. You can't control how they'll take it. **There may be multiple, correct, conflicting views of the words you've written,** and your job is not to micromanage how the reader is going to take every single aspect of your book. | 0 | 2,199 | 1.875 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3he9e | fg3mkow | 1,580,481,582 | 1,580,485,050 | 4 | 15 | I'd do more research. Fears of other people's interpretation aside, it sounds like your draft has held a mirror up to your own ideas about extremism, its consequences, and how it is resolved...leaving you to realize that even you don't have a great solution for the problems you are addressing and have defaulted to something as black-and-white as violence. Maybe that's just reality and you can't be afraid to present what seems to be an unavoidable truth to you, but it also may be the limitation of your own capacity to address the problems you are posing. So, do more research. What are the ways you'd like to see such problems resolved if not by way of violent overthrow? How would you present those ways in your work, and how could you make them happen in a narratively satisfying way? | Novels aren't just fables. The themes of novels don't all need to be written on their face like "Animal Farm" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." In Ursula K Leguin's Authors note for her (fantastic) book The Left Hand of Darkness, she wrote >"In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have been changed a little, as if by having met a new face, crossed a street we never crossed before. But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed." . . . >"If I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words. . ." You can read the rest of that Author's Note by peeking inside the book on Amazon for free: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBA7PGW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 But the point is, you're putting your ideas into the book, your experiences. You're not crafting a piece of propoganda, you're creating an experience for people to absorb, to expose them to new perspectives. Everyone will bring their own eyes to your book. You can't control how they'll take it. **There may be multiple, correct, conflicting views of the words you've written,** and your job is not to micromanage how the reader is going to take every single aspect of your book. | 0 | 3,468 | 3.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3minq | fg3mkow | 1,580,485,014 | 1,580,485,050 | 4 | 15 | > I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. lol. That is not going to happen. | Novels aren't just fables. The themes of novels don't all need to be written on their face like "Animal Farm" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." In Ursula K Leguin's Authors note for her (fantastic) book The Left Hand of Darkness, she wrote >"In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have been changed a little, as if by having met a new face, crossed a street we never crossed before. But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed." . . . >"If I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words. . ." You can read the rest of that Author's Note by peeking inside the book on Amazon for free: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBA7PGW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 But the point is, you're putting your ideas into the book, your experiences. You're not crafting a piece of propoganda, you're creating an experience for people to absorb, to expose them to new perspectives. Everyone will bring their own eyes to your book. You can't control how they'll take it. **There may be multiple, correct, conflicting views of the words you've written,** and your job is not to micromanage how the reader is going to take every single aspect of your book. | 0 | 36 | 3.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3j8sl | fg3he9e | 1,580,482,851 | 1,580,481,582 | 8 | 4 | I feel like you might be overthinking it a bit. Like others have said, a lot of stories have "underdog rebellion overthrowing dictatorship" as the central theme, regardless of the politics of the author or the story. But if you're still worried about it, an armed militia overthrowing a dictatorship is not conservative at all. Conservatism is about tradition, stability, and incremental change. Revolution is like, the opposite of that. I imagine you're worried because armed militias are generally associated with the right wing in the USA right now. But historically and globally, revolution is more commonly associated with pretty much every other type of political value system than it is with conservatism (Liberalism in the USA/France, Marxism in Russia/China, etc.) | I'd do more research. Fears of other people's interpretation aside, it sounds like your draft has held a mirror up to your own ideas about extremism, its consequences, and how it is resolved...leaving you to realize that even you don't have a great solution for the problems you are addressing and have defaulted to something as black-and-white as violence. Maybe that's just reality and you can't be afraid to present what seems to be an unavoidable truth to you, but it also may be the limitation of your own capacity to address the problems you are posing. So, do more research. What are the ways you'd like to see such problems resolved if not by way of violent overthrow? How would you present those ways in your work, and how could you make them happen in a narratively satisfying way? | 1 | 1,269 | 2 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3he9e | fg3yzzv | 1,580,481,582 | 1,580,492,677 | 4 | 7 | I'd do more research. Fears of other people's interpretation aside, it sounds like your draft has held a mirror up to your own ideas about extremism, its consequences, and how it is resolved...leaving you to realize that even you don't have a great solution for the problems you are addressing and have defaulted to something as black-and-white as violence. Maybe that's just reality and you can't be afraid to present what seems to be an unavoidable truth to you, but it also may be the limitation of your own capacity to address the problems you are posing. So, do more research. What are the ways you'd like to see such problems resolved if not by way of violent overthrow? How would you present those ways in your work, and how could you make them happen in a narratively satisfying way? | A beloved Benevolent King overthrown by a band of evil Nazis rebels will have a much different impact to the reader than a band of freedom fighters overthrowing an oppressive dictator. The character's morals and philosophies are very important as to how the story impacts the reader. What does the armed militia believe in? What makes the dictator bad? | 0 | 11,095 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3yzzv | fg3tn1w | 1,580,492,677 | 1,580,489,421 | 7 | 4 | A beloved Benevolent King overthrown by a band of evil Nazis rebels will have a much different impact to the reader than a band of freedom fighters overthrowing an oppressive dictator. The character's morals and philosophies are very important as to how the story impacts the reader. What does the armed militia believe in? What makes the dictator bad? | I think what you're feeling is less about the public reaction and more about something inside you sensing that your moral arguments are more nuanced than you've written. That's a good thing. Any decent story is about more than people running around doing stuff. They do stuff for reasons, and those reasons have rationalizations, and rationalizations turn into ideals, and people with ideals tend to not get along much. And so conflict happens. So at its heart, any story is a moral argument of sorts. And it's only natural to make the Good Guy(tm) the mouthpiece for the side of the argument that you believe in. But then you have antagonism, and you want *those* guys to be believable and not just video game targets; they give the Good Guy a decent run for his or her money. And in the end, as the author you're at a different place than you started from. Thesis and antithesis have achieved synthesis, and you've grown as a writer. You've now had a chance to actually *test* your beliefs in a story, and you've arrived at results you weren't necessarily expecting. That's when you know you have something good. I hate to say this, but you have to draft it again, and go deeper into the thematic argument. Start with the unexpected result, and get it to the simplest, cleanest core of the idea, the thing you really and truly believe, and build the next story version around that. Fold your concerns and new thoughts into the next round. | 1 | 3,256 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3minq | fg3yzzv | 1,580,485,014 | 1,580,492,677 | 4 | 7 | > I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. lol. That is not going to happen. | A beloved Benevolent King overthrown by a band of evil Nazis rebels will have a much different impact to the reader than a band of freedom fighters overthrowing an oppressive dictator. The character's morals and philosophies are very important as to how the story impacts the reader. What does the armed militia believe in? What makes the dictator bad? | 0 | 7,663 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3r1u9 | fg3yzzv | 1,580,487,820 | 1,580,492,677 | -2 | 7 | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | A beloved Benevolent King overthrown by a band of evil Nazis rebels will have a much different impact to the reader than a band of freedom fighters overthrowing an oppressive dictator. The character's morals and philosophies are very important as to how the story impacts the reader. What does the armed militia believe in? What makes the dictator bad? | 0 | 4,857 | -3.5 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3he9e | fg42jmr | 1,580,481,582 | 1,580,494,815 | 4 | 7 | I'd do more research. Fears of other people's interpretation aside, it sounds like your draft has held a mirror up to your own ideas about extremism, its consequences, and how it is resolved...leaving you to realize that even you don't have a great solution for the problems you are addressing and have defaulted to something as black-and-white as violence. Maybe that's just reality and you can't be afraid to present what seems to be an unavoidable truth to you, but it also may be the limitation of your own capacity to address the problems you are posing. So, do more research. What are the ways you'd like to see such problems resolved if not by way of violent overthrow? How would you present those ways in your work, and how could you make them happen in a narratively satisfying way? | Ordinary people rising up together sounds like a worker’s revolution to me, and nothing is more left wing than that. | 0 | 13,233 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3tn1w | fg42jmr | 1,580,489,421 | 1,580,494,815 | 4 | 7 | I think what you're feeling is less about the public reaction and more about something inside you sensing that your moral arguments are more nuanced than you've written. That's a good thing. Any decent story is about more than people running around doing stuff. They do stuff for reasons, and those reasons have rationalizations, and rationalizations turn into ideals, and people with ideals tend to not get along much. And so conflict happens. So at its heart, any story is a moral argument of sorts. And it's only natural to make the Good Guy(tm) the mouthpiece for the side of the argument that you believe in. But then you have antagonism, and you want *those* guys to be believable and not just video game targets; they give the Good Guy a decent run for his or her money. And in the end, as the author you're at a different place than you started from. Thesis and antithesis have achieved synthesis, and you've grown as a writer. You've now had a chance to actually *test* your beliefs in a story, and you've arrived at results you weren't necessarily expecting. That's when you know you have something good. I hate to say this, but you have to draft it again, and go deeper into the thematic argument. Start with the unexpected result, and get it to the simplest, cleanest core of the idea, the thing you really and truly believe, and build the next story version around that. Fold your concerns and new thoughts into the next round. | Ordinary people rising up together sounds like a worker’s revolution to me, and nothing is more left wing than that. | 0 | 5,394 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg42jmr | fg3minq | 1,580,494,815 | 1,580,485,014 | 7 | 4 | Ordinary people rising up together sounds like a worker’s revolution to me, and nothing is more left wing than that. | > I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. lol. That is not going to happen. | 1 | 9,801 | 1.75 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg42jmr | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,494,815 | 1,580,487,820 | 7 | -2 | Ordinary people rising up together sounds like a worker’s revolution to me, and nothing is more left wing than that. | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 6,995 | -3.5 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3tn1w | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,489,421 | 1,580,487,820 | 4 | -2 | I think what you're feeling is less about the public reaction and more about something inside you sensing that your moral arguments are more nuanced than you've written. That's a good thing. Any decent story is about more than people running around doing stuff. They do stuff for reasons, and those reasons have rationalizations, and rationalizations turn into ideals, and people with ideals tend to not get along much. And so conflict happens. So at its heart, any story is a moral argument of sorts. And it's only natural to make the Good Guy(tm) the mouthpiece for the side of the argument that you believe in. But then you have antagonism, and you want *those* guys to be believable and not just video game targets; they give the Good Guy a decent run for his or her money. And in the end, as the author you're at a different place than you started from. Thesis and antithesis have achieved synthesis, and you've grown as a writer. You've now had a chance to actually *test* your beliefs in a story, and you've arrived at results you weren't necessarily expecting. That's when you know you have something good. I hate to say this, but you have to draft it again, and go deeper into the thematic argument. Start with the unexpected result, and get it to the simplest, cleanest core of the idea, the thing you really and truly believe, and build the next story version around that. Fold your concerns and new thoughts into the next round. | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 1,601 | -2 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3r1u9 | fg4a13z | 1,580,487,820 | 1,580,499,329 | -2 | 3 | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | Don't let current American politics allow you to believe that armed citizens is a conservative thing. I'm a liberal, but I'm also pro 2nd amendment. Which *should* be the liberal stance if you ask me. The people should have the power, the government should govern, not rule. But, sadly, the true last resort is force. If a government starts to squash and oppress its people, those people need to fight for their freedom. For their autonomy. In modern, american politics, most of the authoritarian ideas are coming from the far-left. The desire to police, and write laws to control every word we're allowed to use, and what ideas we're allowed to hold, the idea that causing offense is akin to physical violence... What it seems like is that you may have just written a story that challenged your own social/political views. This is a very good thing, it's good that you are able to do that. Some people can't. They'll make their own views work out, even if it doesn't make any sense in the story or the scenario. Don't feel like you've betrayed some kind of allegiance to a political ideology. Like how everyone is anti-war. But, sometimes war is necessary. | 0 | 11,509 | -1.5 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4b0xh | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,499,936 | 1,580,487,820 | 2 | -2 | Blake Snyder's *Save the Cat* is so named because that was Snyder's recommendation of a "short hand" for establishing a character's "good" qualities. By "saving a cat", or otherwise risking their life to assist someone fairly innocent and "good", the character could be established to the audience as a "good guy." Establishing is a term a lot of would-be writers miss. A chunk of why is wrapped up in how new writers default to telling rather than *showing*. When you show something, you're much more likely to be more properly establishing it. For example, in *Star Wars* we're not just told "Vader is bad" or "the Empire is bad," it's all established as we're *shown* bad things they've done or are doing. Evil things in many cases; slaughtering innocents, for example. So, first of all, the first draft by a would-be writer is 999,999/1,000,000 times going to need **a ton** of work. Multiple extra drafts will have to be written, molding and chopping and editing and changing and revising and even wholesale deleting and rewriting and new writing will inevitably be required to bring that first draft toward a finished draft. This is normal. 100% normal. That's the writing process. Writers work in drafts, plural, for a reason. Every story you love went through drafts. Many, many, many drafts. This is how stories are written, because no human can hold 70K or 110K or 200K words in their head, before it's written, and revise it into something perfect and amazing and great before it's then taken out of that writer's head onto a page in a single perfect pass. Drafting *is* writing. Second, finished stories *do* belong to the audience at least as much as they do to the writer. In many cases, arguably more. Once an artist releases something, it's out in the world. You can't run around forcing people to read and interpret your story "correctly." You just can't. No author can. A famous example of this is Ray Bradbury's *Fahrenheit 451*. Most readers commonly look at it as a story about censorship, which Bradbury vehemently disagreed with. He saw it as a story about "...the dangers of an illiterate society infatuated with mass media..." Who's right? The reality is, the truth of art lies within its recipient. You can't tell me what something means to me. I can't do it for you in return. I take meaning as it strikes me, shaped by everything that's me. So do you. So does everyone. That's how art works. That's *why we call it art*. Third, show not tell. Establishing things. If your story involves an oppressed populace rising up to overthrow a dictator, and you want the story to read something along the lines of "the dictator is an evil asshole who totally needed to be overthrown and the people were doing hard-but-necessary work when they rose up and seized arms" ... *establish* these things. You can't tell them. You can't have the story tell the reader "the dictator is evil" or "the people are right." You have to show these things. *Establish* them. The dictator needs to do things that establish evil. He or she needs to allow evil to fester and swell and reign. It can be obvious, it can be subtle, but it has to happen if your intent is for the dictator to be evil. You can't just say it, you have to *show* it. Same for "the people." It has to be shown why they're rising up. Are they power hungry? Are they martyrs? Are they desperate freedom fighters? Whatever they are, if you want them to come across as "doing hard necessary things for a good reason", *establish* it. Whatever's going on in the story that you want to "be read" a certain way, you have to shape it to be more likely to read that way. The core of that is to not tell, but show. And to specifically show things that support the way *you* see the story. Dive down into characters. The heart of story, the *reason to read*, isn't plot and exciting action and big set piece scenes. What keeps readers reading is characters, and the characters have to be people with agency and history. A lot of would-be writers will write just plot; constructing a "story" that really isn't a story at all out of a connected sequence of scenes they think are exciting and dramatic and so on. Nothing's wrong with scenes that have those elements. The characters are what make all that interesting though. And the characters have to take stands and represent things that are interesting enough for us to think about. For us to "want to know more." The characters need to have reasons for why they take sides, why they're willing to or not to go to certain lengths for or against something. They have to talk and think about what's going on, and have reactions and decisions about it. All of that will allow you to try to establish things. There's a show called *Continuum* about a dystopic oligarchy future where convicted "terrorists" manage to time travel to the past. A cop ends up being time traveled after them, and the show's concept is these "terrorists" are freedom fighters trying to overthrow the brutal and fairly evil corporations who will take control of the future government, while this cop is trying to uphold the laws of her time by stopping them, and along the way figure out how to return to her own time so she can be with her family. The way the show is written, most people I've talked with about it see it as a completely backwards show. It's written as the cop being the "good guy", because she's trying to "stop terrorists." But the "terrorists" are fighting for freedom, literally. Not just their own, everyone's. They want a future where people aren't oppressed liabilities on corporate balance sheets. Most people saw the show as the "terrorists" being the heroes, and the cop character being somewhat sympathetic but ultimately a villain because she was willing to fight to protect and support these evil corporations. If the intent was to write a show that got the audience to root for the cop, to support her goal of safeguarding and protecting these oppressive corporations ... that failed. If the intent was to write a "meta" show that flipped the script without being super obvious about it, then perhaps it managed to at least partially succeed. But regardless, the reactions I've seen are muddled because of the confusion over how it doesn't seem to line up with how most stories like it would be presented, so the show at least partially "failed" in some respects. Drafts are going to be necessary. Your readers will own their own reactions to the stories they read. And writers must spend time and effort properly establishing things they feel are important in their stories if they hope to have any effect on reader reactions. Edit: a word. | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 12,116 | -1 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4ek7v | fg4yog1 | 1,580,501,994 | 1,580,514,092 | 0 | 2 | By "right wing" do you mean racists? Because we're not racists | You should be fairly decisive about what you want to say and how characters in your book act according to what you want the reader to think about. So any conservative ideology you put forth, you need to run it back and add a lot of skepticism/ambivalence/antipathy. You can't just make up in-universe reasons why the thing HAS TO or MUST be this way, you need to make sure your politics stay consistent if that's what you want to explore. You can always just change those in-universe reasons: Like if you have any bloodline stuff in a magic system, you can make that either complete bullshit or not include that at all, if you think it comes across as too fascist. For instance, if you have a lot of Hoorah for the military as a consequence of revolutionary armies--emphasize the revolution, talk about the costs of violence and warfare. If there's gung-ho people who seem like they can't do much of anything except maybe become a military dictator, then you don't treat them as a savior or a hero unless you're saying "And this is how THAT happens"--you know, just be intentional. I sympathize with this, even though I find my politics to be more of a playground for thoughts these days--like, I'm not worried as coming across as conservative more than I am insensitive/naive/sheltered. I more use my politics to inform my work rather than wanting people to consider something, but for sure, I think it's actually important in all works to consider these things, and I'm glad you're considering them. I hope not too many people are telling you "eff that, stick to your guns!!!" cuz honestly I don't know how many people realize their ideas veer towards the status quo, which very much becomes conservatism in the right context, which if your story is full of violence and war even if it's genre... yeah, it'll slot more into conservatism than anything else. Plus if you intend to write about politics and particularly give us your perspective, you should definitely have one in mind and be focused, rather than remain ambiguous because "someone somewhere will think it matches their ideals"--just take care of the possibility of more than a few odd ones out doing that, ya know? | 0 | 12,098 | 2,000 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4yog1 | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,514,092 | 1,580,487,820 | 2 | -2 | You should be fairly decisive about what you want to say and how characters in your book act according to what you want the reader to think about. So any conservative ideology you put forth, you need to run it back and add a lot of skepticism/ambivalence/antipathy. You can't just make up in-universe reasons why the thing HAS TO or MUST be this way, you need to make sure your politics stay consistent if that's what you want to explore. You can always just change those in-universe reasons: Like if you have any bloodline stuff in a magic system, you can make that either complete bullshit or not include that at all, if you think it comes across as too fascist. For instance, if you have a lot of Hoorah for the military as a consequence of revolutionary armies--emphasize the revolution, talk about the costs of violence and warfare. If there's gung-ho people who seem like they can't do much of anything except maybe become a military dictator, then you don't treat them as a savior or a hero unless you're saying "And this is how THAT happens"--you know, just be intentional. I sympathize with this, even though I find my politics to be more of a playground for thoughts these days--like, I'm not worried as coming across as conservative more than I am insensitive/naive/sheltered. I more use my politics to inform my work rather than wanting people to consider something, but for sure, I think it's actually important in all works to consider these things, and I'm glad you're considering them. I hope not too many people are telling you "eff that, stick to your guns!!!" cuz honestly I don't know how many people realize their ideas veer towards the status quo, which very much becomes conservatism in the right context, which if your story is full of violence and war even if it's genre... yeah, it'll slot more into conservatism than anything else. Plus if you intend to write about politics and particularly give us your perspective, you should definitely have one in mind and be focused, rather than remain ambiguous because "someone somewhere will think it matches their ideals"--just take care of the possibility of more than a few odd ones out doing that, ya know? | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 26,272 | -1 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4ek7v | fg59cu3 | 1,580,501,994 | 1,580,521,568 | 0 | 2 | By "right wing" do you mean racists? Because we're not racists | This sounds like a wonderful opportunity, IMHO. You have a full draft, and are now starting to analyze the implicit argument of the book, the answer to the difficult question the book poses, the meaning of the central conflict's outcome, the theme. This is where you get to determine "What does the outcome of this premise implicitly argue?" and perhaps most importantly "What would a *different* outcome potentially argue?" I'd take this opportunity to dig deep. Brainstorm as many other endings you can imagine, and analyze what message they might send to a reader. You might find another ending sends a much more precise message that you know for a fact you want to send. You might surprise yourself and find something new and exciting that helps you see your MS in a new light as you start to revise. | 0 | 19,574 | 2,000 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg59cu3 | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,521,568 | 1,580,487,820 | 2 | -2 | This sounds like a wonderful opportunity, IMHO. You have a full draft, and are now starting to analyze the implicit argument of the book, the answer to the difficult question the book poses, the meaning of the central conflict's outcome, the theme. This is where you get to determine "What does the outcome of this premise implicitly argue?" and perhaps most importantly "What would a *different* outcome potentially argue?" I'd take this opportunity to dig deep. Brainstorm as many other endings you can imagine, and analyze what message they might send to a reader. You might find another ending sends a much more precise message that you know for a fact you want to send. You might surprise yourself and find something new and exciting that helps you see your MS in a new light as you start to revise. | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 33,748 | -1 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4ek7v | fg6327h | 1,580,501,994 | 1,580,551,020 | 0 | 2 | By "right wing" do you mean racists? Because we're not racists | It sounds a smidge like the ending of V for Vendetta (the film), and that was co-opted by folks who I wouldn't exactly call alt right. | 0 | 49,026 | 2,000 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg3r1u9 | fg6327h | 1,580,487,820 | 1,580,551,020 | -2 | 2 | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | It sounds a smidge like the ending of V for Vendetta (the film), and that was co-opted by folks who I wouldn't exactly call alt right. | 0 | 63,200 | -1 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg6ygvf | fg4ek7v | 1,580,579,800 | 1,580,501,994 | 2 | 0 | I think most fiction stories are more or less libertarian, which is closer to *modern* right-wing than *modern* left-wing progressiveness, generally speaking, because left-wing progressive ideology basically requires government intervention to police speech, jokes, flags, statues, *et cetera*. I imagine it'd be tough to write an interesting story about grand adventure and thought-diverse characters, while simultaneously making them all live in a world rigidly defined by progressive ideals that necessitate constant government intervention in people's daily lives. Disclaimer: If your opinion about these political affiliations are different than what I've suggested, that's perfectly acceptable. Everyone is entitled to his opinion! Please be respectful if you have a reply. Thank you! | By "right wing" do you mean racists? Because we're not racists | 1 | 77,806 | 2,000 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg6ygvf | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,579,800 | 1,580,487,820 | 2 | -2 | I think most fiction stories are more or less libertarian, which is closer to *modern* right-wing than *modern* left-wing progressiveness, generally speaking, because left-wing progressive ideology basically requires government intervention to police speech, jokes, flags, statues, *et cetera*. I imagine it'd be tough to write an interesting story about grand adventure and thought-diverse characters, while simultaneously making them all live in a world rigidly defined by progressive ideals that necessitate constant government intervention in people's daily lives. Disclaimer: If your opinion about these political affiliations are different than what I've suggested, that's perfectly acceptable. Everyone is entitled to his opinion! Please be respectful if you have a reply. Thank you! | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 91,980 | -1 | ||
ewp1uw | writing_train | 0.65 | So I finished my first draft and realized I don’t like the politics of my own book I wanted to finish a rushed first draft of my novel in 2019. Couldn’t quite pull it together, but threw an ending together yesterday to wrap things up so now I can let it sit. And while so much of it needs to be rewritten or moved around or fleshed our, the broad strokes of the idea are now there on the page. Which is an amazing feeling. I’ve never “completed” a project this large before. But it’s less satisfying than I thought it would feel. Part of that is because I know there’s still more work ahead than behind. But also it’s because the politics are uncomfortable. I always wanted the book to be political. It’s about the dangers of extremism, and how crisis pushes good and ordinary people to take dangerous totalitarian measures. And pushes other to rise to the occasion of their times. I’m a progressive but have some libertarian instincts. In some ways the book was always going to be about libertarian ideas. Fear of power. That sort of thing. But in writing the ending I realized it comes off very conservative. The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. I’m still not sure about the exact specifics, but that idea is pretty certain. And it’s also a conservative fantasy. I’m worried that if I leave that as it is, the book could be taken up and mythologized by far right wing types. Obviously the book would have to be published and popular for that to happen. And I’m a long way from that. But I’m not a right wing person at all, and hate the idea that my writing could rally those sorts of people, or even aligns with their worldview. Suddenly I’m a bit uncomfortable with my own story. The thing I’ve spent months of my life working on. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What can you do as a writer if you’re not sure how your story will be interpreted. Do I have to let that go? Any advice or thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated | fg4ek7v | fg3r1u9 | 1,580,501,994 | 1,580,487,820 | 0 | -2 | By "right wing" do you mean racists? Because we're not racists | \> The climax involves an armed militia of ordinary people marching to unseat a dictator. To be honest now a days this seems quite unrealistic. Any dictator is going to have the army on their side (if not they are not going to be a dictator for long) so an armed force is going to get killed pretty quickly. | 1 | 14,174 | 0 | ||
opkf6a | writing_train | 0.72 | Is using italics and bold text to create emphasis on certain words a thing in novels or is it taboo in some way? I could have sworn I've seen it used in some novels, but I just want to make sure that I'm not doing this and shooting myself in the foot. | h65r4nv | h65r709 | 1,626,980,260 | 1,626,980,289 | 3 | 5 | ive seen italics before, not sure about bold. typically in more modern novels where writing styles have become more casual/unconventional. I wouldn't worry too much about it, as long as you use it in moderation. | I think it might be genre-dependent. I remember seeing it in books back when I was a kid, but for the past decade-ish I've mostly been reading literary fiction and I haven't seen it in years. | 0 | 29 | 1.666667 | ||
opkf6a | writing_train | 0.72 | Is using italics and bold text to create emphasis on certain words a thing in novels or is it taboo in some way? I could have sworn I've seen it used in some novels, but I just want to make sure that I'm not doing this and shooting myself in the foot. | h65xmth | h65txhq | 1,626,983,113 | 1,626,981,486 | 3 | 2 | Mostly italics. All caps is more common than bold. Bold costs extra, I guess. | Haven't seen bold a lot. Italics are often used for thoughts. However, I do think playing around with how the text is formatted can create good emphasis, and here's my way of doing it. You do short sentences. Bits and pieces. A bit of a rhythm. Then the sentences get longer, the tension builds, there's suspense, and then... \[insert emphasized word here\] It stands out because its just an indent separate from a chonky paragraph, and the way the reader will say the words in their head there will be a natural pause. It's like writing music. If that makes sense. No italics/bold needed, just use what you put in each line to your advantage- readers mentally serperate them this way. | 1 | 1,627 | 1.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k47er | j0k4a4q | 1,671,258,348 | 1,671,258,399 | 36 | 350 | Read successful bad books? It might put you off for different reasons, but it also gives you a different perspective. | The first draft wasn't as good as what you see on the shelves though. Each of those books went through rounds of editing, first by the authors alone, then later with an editor. Developmental edits and rewrites are essential and are what turns these books from okay to great. And "first novel" almost certainly doesn't mean the first thing they ever wrote... just the first that was traditionally published. | 0 | 51 | 9.722222 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k19pf | j0k4a4q | 1,671,256,291 | 1,671,258,399 | 16 | 350 | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | The first draft wasn't as good as what you see on the shelves though. Each of those books went through rounds of editing, first by the authors alone, then later with an editor. Developmental edits and rewrites are essential and are what turns these books from okay to great. And "first novel" almost certainly doesn't mean the first thing they ever wrote... just the first that was traditionally published. | 0 | 2,108 | 21.875 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kglhz | j0kd6qo | 1,671,268,200 | 1,671,265,331 | 147 | 72 | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | 1 | 2,869 | 2.041667 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kglhz | j0k47er | 1,671,268,200 | 1,671,258,348 | 147 | 36 | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | Read successful bad books? It might put you off for different reasons, but it also gives you a different perspective. | 1 | 9,852 | 4.083333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k6nol | j0kglhz | 1,671,260,146 | 1,671,268,200 | 18 | 147 | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | 0 | 8,054 | 8.166667 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kgl4t | j0kglhz | 1,671,268,191 | 1,671,268,200 | 15 | 147 | Write your own story and walk your own path. A wise man only fears 3 things; 1. The sea in a storm 2. A night with no moon 3. And the anger of a gentleman. None of these are another author’s pen. I’m sure your story will have its readers who enjoy it immensely and for the record. DNF Lies of Locke Lamora, I thought it was corny. | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | 0 | 9 | 9.8 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k19pf | j0kglhz | 1,671,256,291 | 1,671,268,200 | 16 | 147 | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | 0 | 11,909 | 9.1875 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kglhz | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,268,200 | 2 | 147 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Brandon Sanderson was writing his 13th doorstop fantasy when a publisher picked up his sixth. I was in my 50s when my first novel (and yes, it was my first novel, though I'd had short stories published before it) was published. Comparing yourself to others is a mug's game. Everyone has their own journey in this crazy business. | 0 | 8,835 | 73.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kd6qo | j0kna02 | 1,671,265,331 | 1,671,273,960 | 72 | 140 | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | 0 | 8,629 | 1.944444 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k47er | j0kna02 | 1,671,258,348 | 1,671,273,960 | 36 | 140 | Read successful bad books? It might put you off for different reasons, but it also gives you a different perspective. | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | 0 | 15,612 | 3.888889 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kna02 | j0k6nol | 1,671,273,960 | 1,671,260,146 | 140 | 18 | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | 1 | 13,814 | 7.777778 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kna02 | j0kiqrp | 1,671,273,960 | 1,671,270,042 | 140 | 17 | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | 1 | 3,918 | 8.235294 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kna02 | j0kgl4t | 1,671,273,960 | 1,671,268,191 | 140 | 15 | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | Write your own story and walk your own path. A wise man only fears 3 things; 1. The sea in a storm 2. A night with no moon 3. And the anger of a gentleman. None of these are another author’s pen. I’m sure your story will have its readers who enjoy it immensely and for the record. DNF Lies of Locke Lamora, I thought it was corny. | 1 | 5,769 | 9.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kna02 | j0k19pf | 1,671,273,960 | 1,671,256,291 | 140 | 16 | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | 1 | 17,669 | 8.75 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0khs59 | j0kna02 | 1,671,269,222 | 1,671,273,960 | 15 | 140 | So... Average debut author sold their third or fourth manuscript (I think Sanderson sold his thirteenth). Average debut author is 36. All trad pub books will have gone through multiple rounds of revisions, rewrites, beta reads, and editing by the author. They will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the agent. THEN they will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the publishing imprint's editor. All you can do is write, work on editing/revision, build a community, and keep working. All you can do is *try.* | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | 0 | 4,738 | 9.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0kna02 | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,273,960 | 7 | 140 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | 0 | 5,377 | 20 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kna02 | j0kkn2u | 1,671,273,960 | 1,671,271,661 | 140 | 5 | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 2,299 | 28 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kna02 | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,273,960 | 2 | 140 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Comparison is the thief of joy. I doubt it was his first novel, just the first one he'd admit to writing, lol. But first novels being successful are the exception, not the norm, which is why we hear so much about them when they are. The Lies of Locke Lamora was published in 2006 and we're still talking about it 16 years later, that's how unusual it was. Brandon Sanderson's first published novel was Elantris, which is barely even acknowledged these days because it was so greatly overshadowed by Mistborn. Whether you keep writing and improving or not, time will continue passing. I'm 36 and finally finished the first draft of a novel after 20 years of attempts. Is it a great novel? Of course not. Do I care? No, because that's what the second draft is for. And now that I've broken through that first barrier of painfully raw first novel, I'm already writing my slightly better sequel to that novel. The main difference between amateur writers and published authors is that authors never stop writing. | 0 | 14,595 | 70 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kd6qo | j0k47er | 1,671,265,331 | 1,671,258,348 | 72 | 36 | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | Read successful bad books? It might put you off for different reasons, but it also gives you a different perspective. | 1 | 6,983 | 2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kd6qo | j0k6nol | 1,671,265,331 | 1,671,260,146 | 72 | 18 | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | 1 | 5,185 | 4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kd6qo | j0k19pf | 1,671,265,331 | 1,671,256,291 | 72 | 16 | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | 1 | 9,040 | 4.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kd6qo | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,265,331 | 2 | 72 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Van Gogh didn’t pick up a paint brush until 27. Darwin was considered a dullard. Emily Dickinson was unrecognised in her lifetime. If you cared for it and nurtured it and believe you cannot make it any better, then it’s good. No need to compare to the achievements of others. Scott Lynch hasn’t been able to finish a book in, I think, ten years, so in that respect, you’re running laps around him. Doubt isn’t a failing, it’s the price of admission. | 0 | 5,966 | 36 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k47er | j0k19pf | 1,671,258,348 | 1,671,256,291 | 36 | 16 | Read successful bad books? It might put you off for different reasons, but it also gives you a different perspective. | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | 1 | 2,057 | 2.25 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kvt75 | j0k6nol | 1,671,280,755 | 1,671,260,146 | 24 | 18 | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | 1 | 20,609 | 1.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kiqrp | j0kvt75 | 1,671,270,042 | 1,671,280,755 | 17 | 24 | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | 0 | 10,713 | 1.411765 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kvt75 | j0kgl4t | 1,671,280,755 | 1,671,268,191 | 24 | 15 | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | Write your own story and walk your own path. A wise man only fears 3 things; 1. The sea in a storm 2. A night with no moon 3. And the anger of a gentleman. None of these are another author’s pen. I’m sure your story will have its readers who enjoy it immensely and for the record. DNF Lies of Locke Lamora, I thought it was corny. | 1 | 12,564 | 1.6 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k19pf | j0kvt75 | 1,671,256,291 | 1,671,280,755 | 16 | 24 | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | 0 | 24,464 | 1.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kvt75 | j0khs59 | 1,671,280,755 | 1,671,269,222 | 24 | 15 | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | So... Average debut author sold their third or fourth manuscript (I think Sanderson sold his thirteenth). Average debut author is 36. All trad pub books will have gone through multiple rounds of revisions, rewrites, beta reads, and editing by the author. They will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the agent. THEN they will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the publishing imprint's editor. All you can do is write, work on editing/revision, build a community, and keep working. All you can do is *try.* | 1 | 11,533 | 1.6 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kvt75 | j0kh18g | 1,671,280,755 | 1,671,268,583 | 24 | 7 | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | 1 | 12,172 | 3.428571 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kkn2u | j0kvt75 | 1,671,271,661 | 1,671,280,755 | 5 | 24 | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | 0 | 9,094 | 4.8 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kvt75 | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,280,755 | 2 | 24 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | It's normal. It's also disingenuous due the fact that a lot of writers who make it big with their debut novels crash and burn as writers. The pressure on them is enormous. Just look at Scott Lynch - yes, Lies was greas, and so was Seas, but how long has he been pulling a GRRM and not finishing the next novel? So be happy your novel isn't as great - just finish it, publish it, and learn how to write the next one. That's how you become a writer. Luck and Persistence! | 0 | 21,390 | 12 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k19pf | j0k6nol | 1,671,256,291 | 1,671,260,146 | 16 | 18 | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | 0 | 3,855 | 1.125 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k6nol | j0k5lii | 1,671,260,146 | 1,671,259,365 | 18 | 2 | Literally nobody on this planet can help you with this process but you need more self-esteem. You need to force yourself into the mentality that those books are great and your book is great too. | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 781 | 9 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kgl4t | j0kiqrp | 1,671,268,191 | 1,671,270,042 | 15 | 17 | Write your own story and walk your own path. A wise man only fears 3 things; 1. The sea in a storm 2. A night with no moon 3. And the anger of a gentleman. None of these are another author’s pen. I’m sure your story will have its readers who enjoy it immensely and for the record. DNF Lies of Locke Lamora, I thought it was corny. | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | 0 | 1,851 | 1.133333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kiqrp | j0k19pf | 1,671,270,042 | 1,671,256,291 | 17 | 16 | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | Yes, all the time. And my friends think I'm crazy for it because they compare their works to mine just as much as I compare my works to the greats'. My suggestion is doing something a lot like what you are here on Reddit: gathering community. Keeping your work in the drafts is a fairly good way to curb stomp motivation and growth in one fell swoop. Posting your works somewhere, *anywhere*, without the intention to publish them as a novel because you know they aren't "good enough" is how you break the threat of that loop. It helped me immensely as a writer to find a space where I could post work and get feedback from both friends and strangers, learn what my strong points are, and learn what can change to improve my work. If they aren't going to end up as full novels, what's the harm in passing them around to friends and fellow writers? They just might have the advice to get you to where you want to be and the encouragement to help you make that first step towards publishing when you are finally satisfied with what you have written. | 1 | 13,751 | 1.0625 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0khs59 | j0kiqrp | 1,671,269,222 | 1,671,270,042 | 15 | 17 | So... Average debut author sold their third or fourth manuscript (I think Sanderson sold his thirteenth). Average debut author is 36. All trad pub books will have gone through multiple rounds of revisions, rewrites, beta reads, and editing by the author. They will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the agent. THEN they will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the publishing imprint's editor. All you can do is write, work on editing/revision, build a community, and keep working. All you can do is *try.* | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | 0 | 820 | 1.133333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0kiqrp | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,270,042 | 7 | 17 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | 0 | 1,459 | 2.428571 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kiqrp | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,270,042 | 2 | 17 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | > The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel First PUBLISHED novel. I’m pretty certain that it isn’t his first novel written. And if it is he probably did a lot of short stories or writing beforehand. And also the first novel isn’t really the first draft, it probably went through several drafts. Writing takes time and practice, but we never see that from the published novelists. We just see the end point of the time and practice (plus a lot of help from editors and others) So you can’t really compare yourself to a published novel. Also you can’t really compare yourself to others in general. Everyone has different levels with which they start with and everyone has different absorption of learning. | 0 | 10,677 | 8.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kgl4t | j0k5lii | 1,671,268,191 | 1,671,259,365 | 15 | 2 | Write your own story and walk your own path. A wise man only fears 3 things; 1. The sea in a storm 2. A night with no moon 3. And the anger of a gentleman. None of these are another author’s pen. I’m sure your story will have its readers who enjoy it immensely and for the record. DNF Lies of Locke Lamora, I thought it was corny. | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 8,826 | 7.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0khs59 | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,269,222 | 7 | 15 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | So... Average debut author sold their third or fourth manuscript (I think Sanderson sold his thirteenth). Average debut author is 36. All trad pub books will have gone through multiple rounds of revisions, rewrites, beta reads, and editing by the author. They will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the agent. THEN they will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the publishing imprint's editor. All you can do is write, work on editing/revision, build a community, and keep working. All you can do is *try.* | 0 | 639 | 2.142857 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0khs59 | j0k5lii | 1,671,269,222 | 1,671,259,365 | 15 | 2 | So... Average debut author sold their third or fourth manuscript (I think Sanderson sold his thirteenth). Average debut author is 36. All trad pub books will have gone through multiple rounds of revisions, rewrites, beta reads, and editing by the author. They will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the agent. THEN they will have gone through usually a couple edit/revision rounds with the publishing imprint's editor. All you can do is write, work on editing/revision, build a community, and keep working. All you can do is *try.* | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 9,857 | 7.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kzlke | j0l0l34 | 1,671,283,250 | 1,671,283,850 | 10 | 14 | Idk I'm 41 and haven't been published professionally so you'd be doing better than me at least | Rarely is someone's first book a masterpiece. This might help you to feel better: 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected | 0 | 600 | 1.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0l0l34 | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,283,850 | 7 | 14 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | Rarely is someone's first book a masterpiece. This might help you to feel better: 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected | 0 | 15,267 | 2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l0l34 | j0kkn2u | 1,671,283,850 | 1,671,271,661 | 14 | 5 | Rarely is someone's first book a masterpiece. This might help you to feel better: 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 12,189 | 2.8 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l0l34 | j0k5lii | 1,671,283,850 | 1,671,259,365 | 14 | 2 | Rarely is someone's first book a masterpiece. This might help you to feel better: 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 24,485 | 7 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l1yrl | j0kzlke | 1,671,284,668 | 1,671,283,250 | 12 | 10 | Overthinking kills creativity. Stop comparing yourself and just be. | Idk I'm 41 and haven't been published professionally so you'd be doing better than me at least | 1 | 1,418 | 1.2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0l1yrl | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,284,668 | 7 | 12 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | Overthinking kills creativity. Stop comparing yourself and just be. | 0 | 16,085 | 1.714286 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l1yrl | j0kkn2u | 1,671,284,668 | 1,671,271,661 | 12 | 5 | Overthinking kills creativity. Stop comparing yourself and just be. | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 13,007 | 2.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0l1yrl | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,284,668 | 2 | 12 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Overthinking kills creativity. Stop comparing yourself and just be. | 0 | 25,303 | 6 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l1yrl | j0l1mll | 1,671,284,668 | 1,671,284,468 | 12 | 3 | Overthinking kills creativity. Stop comparing yourself and just be. | Trust the process and yourself. There's always luck involved in publishing but if you tell the story you want to tell and work hard at promoting it you'll get there. | 1 | 200 | 4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0kzlke | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,283,250 | 7 | 10 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | Idk I'm 41 and haven't been published professionally so you'd be doing better than me at least | 0 | 14,667 | 1.428571 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kzlke | j0kkn2u | 1,671,283,250 | 1,671,271,661 | 10 | 5 | Idk I'm 41 and haven't been published professionally so you'd be doing better than me at least | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 11,589 | 2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0kzlke | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,283,250 | 2 | 10 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Idk I'm 41 and haven't been published professionally so you'd be doing better than me at least | 0 | 23,885 | 5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kh18g | j0k5lii | 1,671,268,583 | 1,671,259,365 | 7 | 2 | You'll never get anywhere in life comparing yourself to others! | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 9,218 | 3.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l26k3 | j0kkn2u | 1,671,284,791 | 1,671,271,661 | 7 | 5 | Almost no one gets their first book published, and if they do, almost none of those people find much success with it. For every Scott Lynch, there are literally thousands of successful authors who do not see their first novel published (or won't let anyone else see their first novel, because it sucks so bad.) You're falling victim to confirmation bias, there. You're looking for successful first novels, so that's what you're seeing, and it's giving you the false impression that most first novels are worth a hill of shit. They aren't. Most first novels are awful, so write your awful book so you can get past it and write a better one. But yes, you should write more novels until your skills improve. That's how you get better at things: by doing them a lot. | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 13,130 | 1.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l26k3 | j0k5lii | 1,671,284,791 | 1,671,259,365 | 7 | 2 | Almost no one gets their first book published, and if they do, almost none of those people find much success with it. For every Scott Lynch, there are literally thousands of successful authors who do not see their first novel published (or won't let anyone else see their first novel, because it sucks so bad.) You're falling victim to confirmation bias, there. You're looking for successful first novels, so that's what you're seeing, and it's giving you the false impression that most first novels are worth a hill of shit. They aren't. Most first novels are awful, so write your awful book so you can get past it and write a better one. But yes, you should write more novels until your skills improve. That's how you get better at things: by doing them a lot. | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 25,426 | 3.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l26k3 | j0l1mll | 1,671,284,791 | 1,671,284,468 | 7 | 3 | Almost no one gets their first book published, and if they do, almost none of those people find much success with it. For every Scott Lynch, there are literally thousands of successful authors who do not see their first novel published (or won't let anyone else see their first novel, because it sucks so bad.) You're falling victim to confirmation bias, there. You're looking for successful first novels, so that's what you're seeing, and it's giving you the false impression that most first novels are worth a hill of shit. They aren't. Most first novels are awful, so write your awful book so you can get past it and write a better one. But yes, you should write more novels until your skills improve. That's how you get better at things: by doing them a lot. | Trust the process and yourself. There's always luck involved in publishing but if you tell the story you want to tell and work hard at promoting it you'll get there. | 1 | 323 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l61oz | j0mobad | 1,671,286,913 | 1,671,310,404 | 6 | 7 | Honestly? Who cares if it isn't as good as another random guy that has his name on a popular novel. People like reading different books because people write differently, people think differently. Who cares if you don't write like that other guy? You write like you, and thats more than good enough | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 23,491 | 1.166667 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l61oz | j0kkn2u | 1,671,286,913 | 1,671,271,661 | 6 | 5 | Honestly? Who cares if it isn't as good as another random guy that has his name on a popular novel. People like reading different books because people write differently, people think differently. Who cares if you don't write like that other guy? You write like you, and thats more than good enough | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 15,252 | 1.2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0k5lii | j0l61oz | 1,671,259,365 | 1,671,286,913 | 2 | 6 | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | Honestly? Who cares if it isn't as good as another random guy that has his name on a popular novel. People like reading different books because people write differently, people think differently. Who cares if you don't write like that other guy? You write like you, and thats more than good enough | 0 | 27,548 | 3 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l1mll | j0l61oz | 1,671,284,468 | 1,671,286,913 | 3 | 6 | Trust the process and yourself. There's always luck involved in publishing but if you tell the story you want to tell and work hard at promoting it you'll get there. | Honestly? Who cares if it isn't as good as another random guy that has his name on a popular novel. People like reading different books because people write differently, people think differently. Who cares if you don't write like that other guy? You write like you, and thats more than good enough | 0 | 2,445 | 2 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mobad | j0kkn2u | 1,671,310,404 | 1,671,271,661 | 7 | 5 | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | 1 | 38,743 | 1.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mobad | j0l9ni8 | 1,671,310,404 | 1,671,288,748 | 7 | 5 | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | There's a nice thick line between not believing in yourself at all and becoming a total diva. I've seen too many writers wallow in the disbelief side and more than a few turn into raging jerks. Take a few steps toward the middle and try having some faith in your work. Doubtless, it's not as bad you think it is just like no one's work is ever as good as they think it is. Also, like someone else pointed out, the stuff on the bookshelves is probably way different than the 1st cut of the manuscript and it wasn't just Lynch that did all that work. | 1 | 21,656 | 1.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mobad | j0ld1hd | 1,671,310,404 | 1,671,290,362 | 7 | 5 | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | >Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. On the flip side, look how much garbage gets published and sells. Might as well sell your garbage too! | 1 | 20,042 | 1.4 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0ml73j | j0mobad | 1,671,309,086 | 1,671,310,404 | 4 | 7 | The author of red rising talks about how the early drafts of the series were so garbage he would stop writing completely for months at a time. The first draft will never ever look good. I'm willing to bet if you have a story you really love and you get all the time and editing assistance you'd be surprised at how stellar your work is. | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 1,318 | 1.75 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mobad | j0k5lii | 1,671,310,404 | 1,671,259,365 | 7 | 2 | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 51,039 | 3.5 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l1mll | j0mobad | 1,671,284,468 | 1,671,310,404 | 3 | 7 | Trust the process and yourself. There's always luck involved in publishing but if you tell the story you want to tell and work hard at promoting it you'll get there. | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 25,936 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0l89ub | j0mobad | 1,671,288,059 | 1,671,310,404 | 3 | 7 | Thank you for posting this, OP. I am looking at the comments and it is spurring me to actually begin the writing of my first novel - which I really want to do before I die. Really, thank you! | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 22,345 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mobad | j0l8exo | 1,671,310,404 | 1,671,288,130 | 7 | 3 | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | I published my first book at 26. It sold decent for a small press starting out (and subsequently folding the next year), and I have sold one book a year after followed by over a decade of rejections. You just keep trying and see what works. | 1 | 22,274 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0ljvww | j0mobad | 1,671,293,446 | 1,671,310,404 | 3 | 7 | Go the other way. Find the worst reviewed paid book you can find, and force yourself through it. Every time you cringe, remember that this asshole made at least a few cents for making you read this utter garbage, and how you can for sure do better than this. | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 16,958 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0mftlh | j0mobad | 1,671,306,788 | 1,671,310,404 | 3 | 7 | I'm in my early 40s, and my first and second books came out this year. My second one (not a novel) will probably be more successful than my first one, at least judging by initial sales and hype. I poured my heart and soul into the first for seven years and co-wrote the second in 12 days. Of course I wanted my first novel to come out in my teens or 20s when I could be critically acclaimed as a young genius! But life didn't pan out that way for me. But I couldn't have written the novel I did when I was in my teens or 20s—I just didn't have the life experience. I was also much more sensitive then and the reality that most books actually don't do that well might have been very discouraging and stopped me from writing more. As it is, I can now put a list of books, multiple, that I've written, when applying for grants or seeking out agents and publishers. Which, at least in my country, is often the only type of success that any creator has. And I'm making up for lost time now. | Remember that these people have pro agents and editors and for any big book there's like a collective century of experience going into it. They're team efforts vs. you. Instead try imagining your own book with one of those teams behind it. You don't need to be as good as the whole team, just good enough to make the team. | 0 | 3,616 | 2.333333 | ||
znzb3n | writing_train | 0.9 | Other people’s successful first novels are putting me off from publishing Like, takes The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was Scott Lynch’s FIRST novel and he was only 26 when he published it. Mine obviously isn’t as good, so I feel I should start over or write more novels until my quality of writing improves. That would get me caught in an endless loop, though, and I’d get nothing published. Anyone else have issues with this feeling of inadequacy? | j0kkn2u | j0k5lii | 1,671,271,661 | 1,671,259,365 | 5 | 2 | Never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different path. Also, you are your own worst critic. Your first novel is not nearly as bad as you think. | I feel like some people can naturally write better and other people, like myself, have to learn by making mistakes which may take longer. That’s not to say “the best writers” don’t make mistakes, but they have a way with words. That doesn’t mean you should give up. It can take years to develop a good craft and even longer to publish. Everyone has to learn, study, read, and practice to get better. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling, but we all have our owns paths to take. Some get there sooner than others. Some days I don’t feel like showing up to write because everything sounds like trash! I didn’t go to college or have any writing friends. It’s a lonely craft. If you ever feel discouraged though, I recommend watching: https://youtu.be/nQhSz5jyd9s This literally got me out of a slump the other day and I will probably watch it every time I need encouragement. | 1 | 12,296 | 2.5 |
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