I am a pantser (AKA discovery writer). This disposition lends itself well to short stories, but I find it difficult to meet minimum word count requirements for traditional publication of a novel by pantsing alone. When I hit writers block, I tend to start introspecting - myself, not the characters. Why did my process fail me? What can I do better? What do I not know right now that I can research that might help me get past this? I have started recording those ideas and it as taken this, albeit unfinished, shape:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RFKGRL-k90-bBZkRFhlmbATlbul4_eFL/view?usp=drive_link

I want to know what you guys think about the ideas here, and what else I could do to solve my underwriting dilemma?

Echoes of the shattered realm, laments of the Unseen specter book 1-4

New writer T.W. Riordainia on Amazon

Swearing in books seems unessary to me. What about you?

Hi all,

I have been a longtime poetry critic (not really as in ultra-critical, but more in support of more to read poetry and what one can take away from that), and writer of poetry. Recently, I have begun to temper into writing more prose-oriented pieces: creative essays, and even a novel-type project in the background.

With poetry, I've always been able to get my mind into the writerly set by reading a good poem or two. With prose, I've found myself seeking more exercises and creative prompts.

I'd love to gather your thoughts on best books on craft, online resources for prompts and prompt sharing, and the like.

In exchange, here is a library of resources I really value:

1. Index of Forms, Creative Essays, and Prompts

2. And my own blog where I write all types of essays, but specific for this, a collection of poetry readings where I try to explain some of the strengths and important elements of individual poems.

Thank you in advance!

First, it has been such a blessing to find groups that support new writers, but also folks that enjoy reading/listening to audio books. Everyone seems to be very respectful and chill.

I just finished my first book, and it was released this past week!

it was by far one of the most enjoyable journeys I have been on. Writing is challenging, but worth every second.

Timeless: Tales of the Tribulation is a short story novel depicting the last seven years. Stories of love and loss. Stories of corruption, resolve, and tested faith.

amazon / barnes and noble / books a million / walmart if anyone is interested!

The Man of Foundry Hills

The story follows 2 characters; James Harper and Detective Shawn Andrews. James Harper, a cybersecurity analyst, is on a quest for vengeance after his family is killed where he was left alive. He goes after the three intruders utilizing technology to achieve his revenge. At the same time, Detective Andrews is trying to piece together the story while in pursuit of a rising criminal organization and Harper.

On Amazon Kindle!

Anyone have any insight in writing formulas? I am thinking about creating my own to help me expand on my writing.

For those who don't know, the formulas are like a standard to follow when writing to help your creativity. For example, typical writing is cause and effect or like the writers from South Park use "Therefore" or "But".

For me, I am using "So what" and "Then" to expand my writing clusters. What about you?

So, I'm a new online writer (if you consider never posting anything and only writing plot details even though I've technically been writing for 4-6ish years now), and I've hit a bit of a bump when trying to create the first chapter of my story.

To be honest, the best thing I need is a detailed response from a few perspectives, mainly the average reader and the stickler for the details/atmosphere of the story.

To begin with, the main character in my story has a name. Duh, like everyone else. But I'm not sure how to introduce it.

There's two ways I can think of. In the novels that have inspired my way of writing, if the author ever introduces a character, they always describe them as young man, woman, boy, girl, etc. Then, they smoothly introduce their full name, nickname, whatever, into the next paragraph/sentence. They usually don’t have a character call out their name, etc. They just smoothly introduce it, and it sounds pretty well on “paper”, lol.

So, I was wondering if I should do that, or do something like this:

The story would begin with the male MC coming back to his shelter, and I would only refer to him as “the boy”. To make a long story short, the boy ends up meeting a very human-like creature. However, in the environment they’re in, they have to be wary of one another. Later, as in around two chapters, they happen to grow closer and the boy realizes that the creature not only understands human speech, but can also say the words, “Thank you.”

As the boy begins to teach this creature the human language, he comes across the difficult topic of names, and how one thing can have several different names. However if you know/are close with this object or thing, it can have a very personal name (not sure right now how to explain that, but I will). Then, the creature would point to the boy, while the boy questions himself. Seeing the creature nod, the boy would remain silent for a second, gazing into the creature’s very earnest eyes. Then, as if “releasing a sigh”, the boy would say:

“—-“

“My name is ——.”

Now, his name would go there, but I’m to embarrassed to say it. (´∀`*)

So, would it be better to do the former, or the latter?

If I did the latter, I’m worried the readers might fall off because of the lack of names and only referencing them as “the boy” and “the creature”. Especially because I myself am a stickler for details, and plan on having around 2.5k to 3.5k words for the first ten chapters. Going by my plot notes, they should get to the “name” scene by the end of chapter 3 or maybe 4.

Or if I did the former, the scene of having his name spoken aloud would lessen the impact of the moment.

It isn’t that his name is supposed to be some grandiose thing, but that this name of his holds a very special meaning to his heart. And because the next chapter would begin with a flashback, with the flashback ending with his name being called, either by the people in his dream or by the creature trying to get him awake. It’s a part of my plot notes I’ve been trying to really enforce; that his name, and the other people’s names, are very important to themselves and each other.

I’m not sure if having his name already on “paper” would be a good idea or not. I’d also have to think about the summary as well. If I go with the former, I’ll most likely put his name in the summary; if the latter, then I’ll hold off. I myself like summaries with the MC’s name, that way I can be like, “Good name!” Or “That’s a weird or bad name.”

What should I dooooo? (ﾟ дﾟ )

Need opinions on my friends summary of his book Hope Falling Ruin. I have my own opinions but I want more feedback.

"Within the inimical confines of HOPE: Falling Ruin, a seven-numbered conclave of disaffected souls are banded together in attempts to prevent the encroaching prognosis of life’s official abolition, with death’s orchestration conducted by Balam, the Ruiner - a vitriolic, barbarous parasite festering within the brain of Sirius; a star-crossed angel who has exiled himself from his own evangelical grandeur, stripping away his own wings to walk as a man on earthen ground alongside the primary ensemble, alternatively known as the Legendary Pantheon in apostolic scriptures. With supernatural abilities gifted to them by fortune itself, the Pantheon is burdened by their never-ending endeavor to cut down and equalize fate and deal death indiscriminately - beginning with Earth and spanning across planets, space, time, and alternative dimensions. The chronicle of HOPE: Falling Ruin is a coin of sorts - a tale consisting of two sides. Whilst the Pantheon fight amidst the stars against unspeakable evil, the coin flips; interjecting the convoluted web of humankind’s self-created dystopian megalopolis - its spindled truth reflected in the memoir of Quill, a foredoomed, scarred young woman unfortunately knighted with the role of Peacekeeper, the ultimate position within the military, and the incarnation of the law. Together with her most trusted advisor and three retainers, Quill begins to walk atop barbed grounds, making every effort to discover what it feels to finally become human, and the true definition of happiness - with pieces of her sanity being taken away as she learns the hideous truths of Eden, the sole haven of humanity, which is ruled by advanced technology, substances both chemical and phrenic, corporate-controlled greed, synthetic honesty, systematic corruption, and the ARTEMIS program - the ever-evolving artificial empress that was the one to thank for building the city and its heartless infrastructure. Haunted by ever-occurring malfeasance and malfortune, she attempts to make the most of her life, completely unaware of the cosmic horror that threatens to end all of existence just like the rest of humankind. Author Eydrian Blanco-Trujillo blends a pastiche of emotions, settings, and topics throughout the course of HOPE: Falling Ruin into a morally black amalgamation inspired by media both modern and antiquated, the ubiquitous history and deteriorating current state of humanity, and the ill-omened future of mankind. The tumultuous, exciting fantasy that is written by the hands of the Legendary Pantheon is proportionally counterbalanced by Quill’s grungy, emotional life as she struggles to survive against humankind’s apogean enemy - itself. The snakebitten heroes and heroine combat all odds, especially tormented by the metaphysical demons that haunt every being with a soul. They fight on and on, oblivious to the ultimate truth - that all their efforts will never be repaid evenly, and that they are meaningless. All their dreams eventually fall into ruin, and only one thing will be shown crystal clear; that we are all powerless against our own hopes."

Hey all!

My name is Visnja and I've been a freelance writer for multiple years now.

As a freelancer, I face many obstacles along the way, just like all of you. From finding clients to promoting myself online.

But everyone's path is different, so - I'd love to know what are some of the biggest struggles you face as freelancers.

Would you share your thoughts with me?

P.S. - Any information on how you try to overcome those challenges would be beneficial as well. Let's learn how to grow together!

Which of these is properly formatted:

Elara grimaced, "The critter who tried to sell it."

OR

Elara grimaced. "The critter who tried to sell it."

I understand how to use "said" and "asked". But I'm looking to understand the standard rules for punctuating dialogue tags like 'grimaced' in relation to the quoted speech. Any insight into the proper use of periods, commas, and capitalization would be appreciated. And if there's an online resource that talks about it all, that would be amazing too.

Thank you

How can I know if it's book worthy?

Is it ok to market myself as both LBGTQ fiction and lesbian romance/LGBTQ romance? I see myself writing more romance novels as I go on but I just finished a book where the main story is not all about the romance of two of the main characters although it’s a large part of it. I think it’s more under a genre of LBGTQ fiction. The ending for their love story is happy too. I just don’t want readers to be disappointed if I publish this one and then continue to write romance. This book was different for me, I needed a lot of information about that time period since I didn’t live in that time and about the place my characters live. I took a lot of time for research before I even set down to write it. But nonetheless with everything I seem to write there’s always a love story in there even if it seems to be a subplot it’s still very prominent and blooming throughout the story. It’s just placed inside of a bigger plot, there’s something bigger going on in my story.

Im currently writing my first book and its based off a DND campaign that I wrote. Im wanting to what the rules are in terms of copyright. My campaign that the book is a bout takes place in Middle earth aka the same world that the hobbit and lord of the rings take place in. Im NOT going to be using any characters from the hobbit or lord of the rings but I am using the map and locations. please help.

The Sun and The Moon exist within each of us. At once, The Sun wakes up, and stares intently at everything around him. Disallowing himself even a single blink, he is fascinated, mesmerized, and falls in love with the cosmos. He is content with just observing all of the beautiful cosmos in which he is surrounded. He has been given the most wonderful gift of all, to be able to see. Contained within such colour, movement and grace, he feels as though his existence could never be dampened so long as he gets to continue to watch... He is so captivated by all of the ongoing drama of the space around him that eons pass by him, and yet, he does not feel a single moment... his attention is unwavering. As he continues to watch his eyesight grows stronger, more acute, and he begins to notice things in such detail that they start to look different as they once did. He feels as though they are going to start changing before his very eye. Just as this feeling arises he notices a flicker from the corner of his eye! Some kind of minute movement unlike anything he had ever before perceived. He turns every last wisp of his attention towards the movement, and as he does so, it vanishes. The Sun is immediately filled with a new and profound curiosity. He waits, and waits and waits, for something like this to happen again... he waits, and waits and waits. Patiently he scours his familiar surroundings in search of that glimpse he was certain he had seen. Alas, he waits and nothing changes. The Sun begins to grow frustrated with the After an ineffable amount of time has passed him by he begins to take a keen interest in a small Planet, one of many which he watches dance around him, some hundred thousand miles away. He begins to spends most of his time observing this rock, in particular, as to have changing colours and patterns unlike any of the other parts of the surrounding galaxy. As he continues to watch this Planet the rate at which it changes begins to grow, and grow, and as it does so, the Sun's interest and excitement about the Planet continues to heighten. He stops giving so much attention to the rest of the cosmos and starts focusing himself only on this small Planet. He is intrigued by the Planet's abi As he continues to observe this small rock Until one day, he begins to notice something strange... something unfamiliar, unlike anything he has ever seen before... the tiniest of movements, the most peculiar of phenomena, something from the corner of his eye that steals his attention away from the rest of the surrounding galaxy and draws it all toward one The Sun and The Moon exist within each of us. The Sun desperately calls out for attention, but is destined to an existence in which he cannot receive it. He stares intently at the life below him, and eventually, he realizes that it his eye, and his eye alone, that is generating the light rays The solar rays he creates are too powerful, too blinding, and so he is destined to a life of perpetual giving, as he can see that the light he has been gifted is what keeps all of th so the energy he gives off keeps us all alive, but never can those he loves bare witness to his true form without causing themselves harm. The moon hears the cries of the sun, and, with her one big eye, she shows the sun that she can stare directly into him and not be burned... She is capable of staring directly at him without being burned. The Moon hears his sorrow, uses her body as a way to show the suns creations his true beauty... but she can only do this in the dark of night, for that is the only time her body can be seen...

Thinking of picking up writing this year but can't seem to find writing groups that are active?

Well, come join us at The Midnight Faith, a 3-year-old holistic community that includes published authors, writers looking to improve, artists and consumers of all things dark and creepy. And if you're planning on smashing out your Nanowrimo goals this 2024, there's no better place for horror writers.

I would love to personally invite you to join our thriving community and be an active part of something great and welcoming.

We host monthly and weekly writing challenges, a wide array of artists who share their art with the community, helping each other in feedback while making friends.

Self-promotion is allowed.

We discuss all things that lean towards the dark side of reality, so 18+ is recommended.

Link to our community: https://discord.gg/dAjwkDRG3Y

We hope to see you soon.

N.O.

Hello! I'm Nashira, co-founder of the digital art collective Poetry Orchard. We facilitate online creative writing workshops as well as open mics for anyone to perform their work.

I thought this might be appropriate to share here because our last few workshops have seen quite a few newbie poets, including poets who had never shared their work with others before being in our space, which makes my heart grow ten sizes!

I would like to invite the lovely writers here to our next workshop inspired by the deeply unique bond between pets & their humans on Sunday, January 21 @ 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT. Even if you do not have a pet of your own, you're welcome to attend!

There are 2 free tickets available that no one has claimed yet, so I would like to extend the invitation to anyone who has never written poetry or shared poems before. Our workshops are open to every type of writer because our space is a generative space - that is, there will be no critiques - the point is to create something new!

We will read poems relating to the theme, hold a group discussion making meaning of the selected work, hold a brief writing time guided by unique prompts, and then everyone is invited to share their piece and read it aloud if they wish.

It's a great space to make new poetry friends online as well. I hope to see you there! Good luck with your writing, everyone!

Hey everyone. Happy new year!

2023 threw up a lot of twists and turns with the likes of AI and I know lots of my writer friends have concerns. So I decided to put this survey together to give everyone the chance to express their thoughts, feelings and perspectives.

The aim is to compile all of the results into a report which I'll publish on my site and share with media outlets and industry publications to highlight the issues you all raise.

And as a thank you for taking part, everyone who completes the form will enter into a draw for a £50 gift voucher for the brilliant Broken Binding. You can use it to buy books both beautiful and signed by authors!

The form is only short and won't take more than 60 seconds to complete > https://forms.gle/Vsx54qTu9AXX8gRu7

Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/grfswmej13ac1.png?width=1166&format=png&auto=webp&s=234593c310124b4ad8443223ccd2d8594d2a6be4

Comic Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vmXSit_N2FN7UHJdZtZursUCsudEQ58-/view?usp=drive_link

From the imaginative mind of Ecosapiens co-founder, acclaimed sculptor, and animator, Garret Kane, comes the world's first climate comic, ‘Leosapien’. Dive into the captivating saga of Leo, a being created through the fusion of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and machine intelligence, purposed with a singular mission: the guardianship of forests and wildlife.

The Leosapien stands as a unique entity amongst the eclectic assembly of Ecosapiens, having been created to serve as a protector and guardian. Possessing preternatural sensory abilities, agility, recovery, camouflage, and speed, the Leosapien patrols the vast forests of Africa. Its presence sends tremors of fear through those who seek to harm the environment or engage in wildlife poaching, occasionally escalating to direct confrontation and intervention to preserve the ecological balance.

Conceived as part of a larger, intricate universe and narrative, Leosapien marks the commencement of a series of individual profiles, each spotlighting the diverse stories, capabilities, and personalities of various Ecosapiens. These profiles aim to delve deep into the essence of each Ecosapien, exploring their unique roles and contributions to the world they inhabit.

Let us know any feedback you may have!

The cold dampness of the cave chills me to my core. The silence is deafening, even a feather dropping would echo throughout this cave. My torch had long gone out, and now I wander blindly, the path forward lit only by my will and faith. My armor chatters and clanks as I maneuver over and around rocks and stone, constantly tripping. Soon however I find the first sign, a flat stone wall nestled in a far off corner. I feel around, hoping to find the markings of dwarves, and I do, my fingers tracing their intricate and blocky art style. I pull the pick off my back, and swing. Chunks of stone chip off and I swing again and again. I swing until the faintest light of a lamp shines through. It's blinding at first, my eyes having become accustomed to the eternal darkness. I soon, with the aid of the light, create a hole large enough for me to fit myself through. Inside I find myself in a storage room, the shelves stocked with dried and rotted food. A layer of dust covers everything like a dirty sheet, even moving an inch fills my lungs with the stuff.

"I wish there was any water, I am dreadfully thirsty" I think to myself. I push on however, grabbing the lamp as I make my way through the door. It's a dwarven lamp, and an eternal one too. They are powered by magic some say. Others credits the dwarves master craftmanship in the creation of these. Whatever the case, it lights my way as I wander through the cramped halls. These halls were made for dwarves, not men nor a man of my size for that matter. Soon however I find myself in a great hall of tables and chairs, filed with cups, plates, flagons and tableware. Everything still covered in the layer of dust as before. As I enter the hall, I am amazed at the height of the ceiling. A giant could stretch his arms out in here it seems, and thinking of the space I stretch as well, the tightness of the hallways hurts my back. I wander through the dinner hall, amazed at its size and complexity. A grand table sits at the farthest end, above the others on a platform of seemingly gold and jewels. Giant pillars of carved stone support the roof and the massive stores of food that sit in lofts above the tables.

"I must continue on, the village needs the water. My family needs water." I say aloud before recoiling at the sheer echo this halls returns to my ears. So I continue on through another hallway to my left, forcing me to once again crouch down and subjugate my back to more pain. As I wall along I pass by a sign with many markings upon it, one of which looks like a waterfall. The dwarves never did move past a primitive form of preserving knowledge, meaning markings mean what they look like most of the time. And so I follow where the waterfall symbol leads me, the markings continue along the wall as it gets increasingly blue in tint. I am eventually met with a large stone door that is sealed shut, but there is a large cutout where I can see an iron bar that looks to be holding it closed. Walking over, I can hear the faint sound of gears and water on the other side. I pull the iron bar out of the adjacent wall and push hard on the door, it slowly opening as stone grinds against stone.

Inside the room I am blasted will the brightness of the sun, my skin feels hot and my eye's become useless grapes for a moment. When I finally recover, I look around at my surroundings. I am in a long tunnel where a large river runs from a far out place I cannot see to the exit on my right, but there is a hole just before the opening where the water flows down into. As I walk over and peer down the chasm, my armor being misted, I hear a faint grumble off in the distance from where the river runs from. The chasm is long and dark, but I can see a large water wheel at the bottom, and as I search around more, I see a large lever in a cut out near the entrance where I came from. I walk over and pull it, and soon after a large rumbling shakes the tunnel. Slowly, a stone slab slowly covers the chasm where the water runs, stopping with a large thunk. The river now runs out the exit, hopefully running towards the village.

"I have done it!" I shout in excitement, before running over and removing my helmet at the river. Kneeling down and staring at the clear water, I cup my hands and drink until I cannot drink anymore. Laying back and putting my helmet on once more, I sit and stare out at the landscape. It is quite beautiful, the green trees, the blue sky, the amber grain in the distance. This one moment of peace is interrupted by a deafening roar and the heat of fire. It comes from where the river runs, and I barely make it into the door before I am scorched. I collapse and huddle on the ground, hiding from the flames. I sit there and wait, but no more flames come, instead all I find is cool stone and a unending fear of what might be approaching my home. I scramble up and rush back through the hallways and halls once more until I reach the cave. Now lit with the dwarven lamp, I find the exit quick and sprint out, the sunlight again piercing my vision. I pay this no mind and sprint toward the village, pulling a wooden doll from my satchel and hugging it tight.

"I'll protect you, no matter what comes." I whisper in my mind, my only thought of my wife and daughter back home.

...

Smoke and fire. Fire and smoke. That is what I am met to when I return home. Homes collapse and char, animals run around screaming as their fur is set alight. I stumble and stagger through the streets, the heat washing over me as smoke and soot fill my lungs. My vision goes blurry and twisted, and I do not know how long I run through those fiery streets, calling out my family's names. I do know when I ran out of the village and collapsed onto the grass, retching and crying at the same time. I crawled around and pleaded with whoever would listen, I tore out my hair and I clawed at the grass in my hopelessness. I seemingly felt every emotion at once except for joy, for there was no joy left in me after that day. I sat there and cried, cried until I could not anymore. I stared at the now charred doll and the still burning village, my only home now alight in a wave of fire. And when all hope seemed lost, a little girl walked out of the flames. She walked over to me and sat next to me. It was my daughter, and she was undamaged by the flames. I couldn't react at first, my mind in shock and grief. I eventually broke out of it when she put her hand in mine, but when I turned to hold her close, she was not there. 

She was never there.

I am a DM for a game that’s heavily RPed heavy, I am planning on making it more then just that cause It grew on me. I need help from people that know more then me and even small discussions with friends and family with random questions helped me A TON.

My world is based on our world at 2031, the internet is gone and everything connected with it because a powerful AI virus that tried to take over internet and world wide nations turned servers off and disabled or destroyed everything. At 2000 (it started 1990s but it was more rare) a phenomenon occurred making kids being birthed 1/10.000 to be birthed with a power that could be deadly for themselves or extremely powerful, people don’t have two powers or above and just one.

Power examples (powers are quite weak and relate to the series “The boys” and “the X men”) Super strength: no endurance or resilience so lifting heavy could break your bones or just kill you by pressure Super speed: no stamina so you can have a heart attack Super hearing: without any additional help you might lose it by going near to a house party exploding your ear drums Etc etc

The powers come up without really a pattern, they can come up with time or immediately after birth

Questions:

How would fashion develop with powers or without internet ?

How would people communicate through distance without internet or mobile phones that haven’t been invented lately?

How would car companies/ car manufacturers wouldn’t change or not change their business/technology?

How would some random stuff or professions change ?

I want people to be creative and figure out their own powers and add them to their answers, all powers have the following characteristics -are in some way explained with chemistry/biology/physics -they mostly could kill the owner of the power -the grimiest the better -most powers could be used or helped with medical treatment or medical care (hearing aid for super hearing to adjust the level, etc)

Examples of the type of answers I would like to get:

Super power: super hearing (listening to all the frequencies) it’s not an uncommon power but it’s not very strong to most people, only able to hear a bit more then normal -a new music genre that plays music to lower or higher frequencies that give a whole new world view since it enriches the people’s brain with art like music (the main creator of this music can hear all frequencies and acts like he is under bliss whenever listening to the music)

I will attach some random first draft for powers that may give ideas :

• Blood thicken (Bone marrow growth making blood red and flow less
• Cell Activation (Restores and Heals slightly)
• Density Control on self only (2-10 times) (effects weight)
• Detachable limb
• Eat Anything (stomach acid)
• echolocation (in closed rooms)
• Elasticity skin (rubber like body with not much stretching)
• Empathy (Detects emotions)
• enchanced Masseter (Able to bite at 100kg force)
• Explosive breathing (the gas explodes if it gets in contact with fire)
• extra Adrenal glands (Unable to feel stress or shock)
• Fire/lighting/poison creation (no resistance)
• Floating (lighter then air)
• Force fields self-3 meters (small objects powerful pass it)
• Frequency Voice (Changing frequencies)
• Genius-level intellect 200-250 IQ
• Hair groath (furr and hair or facial hair)
• Healing (Transporting cells from you to others healing wounds)
• Heat vision (burns eyes too) (most users get transplants or become blind)
• Human tourch (No resistance to it/slowly dying)
• invisibility under strobe effect from lights
• Invulnerability (high firepower-small bomb)
• Liquification (turning body to water but don't control it)
• Longevity (live forever)
• Magnetism (become a magnet negtive or positive)
• melanin Alteration (shades of human on body)
• Memories to spychic blast (small bomb damage) he forgets it
• Mind control (Only sway not change
• multiplying the size of a body part (Dazy because of blood and skin reaping)
• mutated lungs could allow for deep diving beyond human capabilities, or could allow resistance for really cold wind/snow/whatever high up
• Pain Infliction (upon touch causing physical pain)
• photosynthesis
• Poison ressistance
• rapid growth (nails to claws, callouses when and where needed, hard to fight when your hair is suddenly in your eyes)
• and more