Want to be a writer

read meditations

>want to be a writer
>not awful
>Have crippling anxiety
>want to write science fantasy
>Become embarrassed as fuck when I even try to tell randoms on the Internet my synopsis.

How do professional writers do it? I watched a BBC interview with a crime writer explain his story as "a former nfl quarterback gets concussion during a match, and wakes up with autism and picture perfect memory. So becomes an amazing detective." How can you not only be not embarrassed to say that, but actually proud and manage to sell the concept to readers?

That's tough because writing's the clay editing shapes. Breathe, senpai..

Keep on writing, then. Keep it up and see your works as the result of pure and good efforts

That sounds about like my life right now.

Ideas don't matter and are super cheap, that's how. That guy understands that it doesn't matter how retarded the initial idea is because he has the developed skill to flesh it out into an interesting novel.

>Want to be a shit writer
>Everything you write is shit

>don't want to be a writer
>want to write a short story
>don't feel like writing down notes outlining the story and the details

It takes time and hard work. No author breezes through it.
>Calling your own work solid gold.
Yes dear mommy is proof of you.
What kind of writing?
>Doesn't work hard but thinks he writes gold.
In what other profession is this possible.

Talent is a prerequisite for all Art, Mr. "MUH 10,000 HOURS"

>wants to own a pool
seems so far out of my reach

>want to be a fantasy writer
>everything I write is better than most fantasy I've read

i dont want to be a writer anymore, i want to play accordion or have a happy life

i never wanted this

>tfw you will never wake up in your apartment on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh that's above a neighborhood coffee shop. Your window fan slowly spinning only managing to move the humid summer air around the room, never cooling it. The sweat of last nights sleep rolls from your brow down your cheek. Rising and lumbering to your antiquated typewriter that you bought to feel like 'one of the real old-school guys.' Then after leaving your hands resting over the keys for what feels like several minutes looking up and out of your desk window onto the streets below you, seeing the people move about, the ants, the cogs, each playing the role they were given in order to make this moment all the more blissful. Then, you begin.
Why live?

You thought this was good enough to force other people to see?

Please think before posting next time.

>he takes greentexting seriously

>in what profession is it possible to create gold without working hard

Anything where the work doesn't have to be completed to be consumed.
If you had a talent then you might understand.
Alas, I bet you were one of those kids who actually had to study to get good grades.

To be fair to the lad, greentext is meant to be shit.
He did fuck up by including punctuation though.

What self righteousness. Where's your mastetpeice then? Us plebs are waiting for you. Please show your talents to the world, please Mr solid gold, show me how much of a stupid pleb I am when you can so easily craft genius.

Nobody is born a good writer

You get better with time and effort, mainly through just reading a lot. Spend a lot of time reading a lot of quality works

If you're looking for books with practical advice, I suggest John Gardner's The Art of Fiction

Something helpful! Thanks user. I legitimately appreciate this.

>want to be a writer
>don't write
>everything you write is shit

wow it's almost like you have to practice or something

>want to be a writer
>if I could force myself to sit down and write, the words would flow and my book would be written easily
>instead of writing, I waste away watching junkfood media, masturbating to porn, doing other stupid shit on the internet
>barely even read books anymore

I'd be a famous writer, but I'm drowning in my addictions. Anyone else know this feel? Plus I work a full time job that drains a good amount of my energy already...

No you dont. This guy Has talent out the ass. He's gonna show us you just put whatever you want on the page unless you are a no talent pleb

All you need is a group of friends who also lack talent.

You and your friends can all agree to promote each other's work while writing about similar themes with similar style. Maybe some of you can write reviews in magazines, others can teach English classes where you introduce people to writers in your group. Boom, now you're talented.

Yeah, exactly...

I hate how I know what I'm doing to myself, but I refuse to change.

What are you, 18, 19.

You don't read, you don't practice, you aren't good. You don't start, you'll never be good. Great writers don't think they are great. Even the most narrcistic ones have a respect for the craft. Even they know that they can't understand all of it.

> Great writers don't think they are great.

Lots do. I don't just think I'm great----I come up with stuff in the plot of my book that blows myself away. I go "How the fuck did I come up with that? Holy shit that's cool" as if it was some other person who gave me the idea.

I'm not so conceited that I think everything I write is good, I know some my chapters are pretty weak, but others are very strong and phenomenal.

>want to write
>don't
>do something actually useful instead

best decision ever tbqh
highly recommended

Name the worst writer you can think of. He does that. He think that his idea is so fucking grand and amazing that he's not sure how he got to it. Then he writes it and you call it shit. I do that. Everyone does that. Actually TRY, and you'll find out you have a lot of work to do. I don't think you suck though.

>useful
>shitposting here

Truly.

>Name the worst writer you can think of. He does that. He think that his idea is so fucking grand and amazing that he's not sure how he got to it.

They get an idea----and think "My FANS will love this" or "This is a great idea that will SELL books!" etc.

What I said was, I surprised myself, myself only, without thinking in a framework of other readers, but it's also as if they idea did not come from myself (but something else). It was given to me, by another part of myself that is hidden within myself.

There's a difference between this feeling I am describing, and the feeling J.K. Rowling felt when she was in a coffee shop and thought "I've got this great idea that about a magical school that a lot of people are going to like!"

What I feel, is like me looking in the mirror, and the other self in the mirror leans forward to whisper a secret in my ear. Not some schlock that a committee for a ghost writer pass around and talk about the "selling points" and "how good this will be".

I may not be famous, but I will at least have a cult following. This is a fact.

You have Delusions of grandeur. Please allow me to see some of your masterwork.

It's very common for a writer to do this. It's even a television trope. Just because you think you are masterful doesn't mean that you are.

Keep at it. I'm always very critical of what I write as well, but I know it's light years better than what I wrote a few years ago. I think it's a lot more encouraging to see that there are problems even if your ability has yet to improve enough to resolve them. than to be whatever is the equivalent of tone-deaf or color-blind when it comes to writing. So keep at it, improve, find other problems, etc. There will always be things that you will find wrong or be critical of, but hopefully at some point it will be things that most people are simply unable to see.

What is that like? I can't even imagine not despising my own creations.

Like, you can look at something you did and think, 'yes, I am proud of this,' instead of cringing and wanting to destroy all evidence that you ever tried anything?

How do I stop hating myself?

Do you read and write often? Or do you spend more time online?

>If you had a talent then you might understand.
You're cute if you think finding writing easy means being a good writer.

I read often. I find writing more difficult. I'm able to limit my shitposting time to one or two hours a day.

But I don't just hate my garbage efforts at creative writing. I hate how shitty I am at everything I do.

Thats called low self esteem. Not being an asshole, have you left high school yet?

>Want to write my story
>Don't know how to write in third person limited

I'm 31 years old.

>want to be a writer
>can't read

Why are you down on yourself then? What's your situation?

Good thing there's plenty of good fiction written in third person limited for you to learn from

>Have everything down for your story.
>Your prose is awful
fucking hell just kill me.

care to give a few

I devoted years of my life to a field of study, and have little to show for it beyond a piece of paper. Now I work a boring job I don't care about as I look for some other skill I can learn or way I can do something worthwhile with my skills and education. But I don't see anything. I'm unable to do anything of value.

Is your job in your field of study? Are you married? Is there any passion in your life?

No. Engaged. I don't know.

Portrait of the artist as a young man is a good one.

I'm trying to write a novel about uncertainty. I'll be entering college late sometime this year or next and it saves me, and that's what I want to write about.

The emotion can sometimes bring you along

I don't have any projects or goals to work toward. Partly because I don't believe I can be successful, and partly because I have no clue what I should even be doing with myself.

What does your fiance want?

>want to be a filmmaker
>dream of doing a revolution in the poor film aesthetics of my country
>need to have a good script in hand before getting to real work
>written scripts are either shit or too expensive to start working on
I just wish I was rich or had a genius storyteller working in a team with me as Buñuel did.

She has career goals she is working towards. We both want a comfy life together.

You should tell her about this problem.

Otherwise you should try something new.

She knows how I feel, and is supportive and encouraging.

I'm just useless.

I don't think I'm masterful. I think that things have been revealed to me. Everything in life that happens is a revelation.

Do not become a creative if your soul motivation comes from simply liking the idea of being one, bloody Wikipedia/celebrity generation.

Look you concitied fucker, if you were truly a writer or artistic individual at heart, then that need to express would be so necessary to your being, you couldn't help but not create; to not write would be out of the question, since it is essential, it would be greater then your life itself, and you wouldn't be sitting there jerking your precious time away.

Only if you stop trying

>want to be a write a fantasy novel with Introspective thought, etc

>Read a lot of medieval literature. Also, read how life was for the peasant and nobles.

>Read on how the economies worked back then. ( How money moves, different nation's currency, where money is centered around, banks, institutions, and more.)

>Read up on different types of armor and weapons( and how much they cost.)

>read up on how actual guilds worked back then.

>Also magic.(Not really an important to the characters, but important to the story and lore.)

>Have everything outline for my first novel and what's going to be.

>I wrote my Prologue as a dream with the main character

>The First Chapter is just the Main character waking up, and starting the day, and doing what he/she is obliged to do much to his/her sad and or depression, and yearns to be something more than a filthy peasant.

>Realize this are a big no-no, so I had to restart anew.

>Months have passed since I had to start anew. No matter what I write it just comes out a gibberish when compared to the first.

Every time I reflect on this something dies inside. My heart just sinks, and I get really depressed. All I want is the feeling to end

Whenever I get stuck in a project I set it aside and start writing bat shit crazy stuff that I wouldn't show anyone. Just to get moving again.

I suggest starting your fantasy book off with the same medieval setting, but the prologue is a description of an ongoing ancient alien invasion that has lasted three generations. Chapter one, your hero's leaves his family and small plot if worthless earth to crusade against the demon horde.

It will still be shit but maybe going in a crazy direction will remind you of what you really want to write.

I say this neither out of Malice or sociopathic joy. But you should kill yourself. The feelings you are feeling will never stop. And surely deep know you know you will never write the novel the way you want to.

>want to write a story/book
>came up with great characters
>can't come up with a plot

Starting off with a dream may be an overused trope BUT if the dream is actually effectual within the story and does more than just trick the reader into a plot without consequences then it can be interesting. At least that is what I think.

Don't give him false hope user. The publisher will ever accept a story with a cliche opening like that. They even have a rule for that

Why are you so negative on an anonymous board? Writing is hard and tiring enough even without the crabs in this bucket grabbing on to ones developing legs.

If you can't take stern criticism then perhaps you should discuss your piss-poor derivative tripe someplace else where the content is comparatively asinine.

>WAHH EVERYONE DESERVES BLIND PRAISE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT FORMS GREAT WRITERS
You aren't going to make it user.

Your "criticism" is asinine in and of itself. In fact your post that I responded to really can't be classified as criticism. You are obviously angry for some reason. Please try directing that anger at yourself rather than others that might still make something of themselves that goes beyond internet bullying.

Learn to read. I never spoke out against criticism. The post I responded to has no constructive content and is even factually wrong. It is negative for negativities sake.

stop being so sensitive.
and dont start stories with dreams.
this isn't 100 years ago.

How about you start being more sensitive? It might even help you write something of value.

>want to be a writer
>know I will probably never be successful
>still, I write the things I want to write and work toward the goal of finishing something and getting it self-published
>It probably won't make any money, but I'll be happy I did it at least

I was simply criticising your criticism of the critique of the poor criticism of a derivative opening. And am now criticising your criticism of said instance of criticising your criticism of the critique of the poor criticism of a derivative opening.

You haven't even read the opening. You just swallowed the preconceived idea that there are certain "no-goes" when writing that are not to be used under any circumstances. This is wrong and it is people like you that stifle the art-form.

user needs to come in terms of what is happening.
Readers don't give a shit about how the economy works, or a tax policy. They don't care if the value of coin dropped or raised. Neither will they care if its gold, silver, or bronze.

They don't care if a peasant is wearing wool tunics or if a noble has his family coat of arms. They don't care what weapons the character has nor will they care if they are wearing any armor at all.

Do you really think they will give a shit how guilds actually worked back in the day?

No what readers what is something like twilight or hunger games, Eragon, red rising and many more.

He's wasting his time. Introspective fantasy novel? Nobody going to read that.

>want to be a writer
>actually quite talented
>doesn't matter because nobody cares about books anymore

Hold christ underground, you people need to stop fantasising over the 'idea' of being a 'writer'. How about this - just write? I met so many hopeless and talentless hacks at art school who were only there because being like kandinsky or Bacon seemed like an attractive lifestyle to them. You either make art, or you don't - it's that simple.
Now, wether it's good art or wether someone will pay you for it is something else entierly...

>want to be a writer
>write hundreds of pages
>go back and read what I wrote to edit things a bit, fix errors, etc.
>its trash
>delete it all
I lost count of how many times I've done it so far.

I do write, you nerd. I'm working on the third revision of my first novel right now.

Is it even possible to enjoy your own writing? You will never see it as others will. You will never be able to bring your experience to it -- because that's all it is.

>ou either make art, or you don't
Or, you know, you could be both ways. Christ. I know this is an innocent enough post and there's some truth to it but Veeky Forums can be such a pain in the fucking ass with its arbitrary fucking ideologies.

Well I mean enjoying your own writing seems kind of masturbatory. I imagine musicians don't listen to their own music for enjoyment on their spare time.

I don't know about you but my writing is masturbation. I'm sure not writing for some grand message for the masses.

Yeah okay sure, fair enough. I suppose it's a bitterness I've developed over the years having been around many conceited and disingenuous artists. Still, I believe very strongly that true brilliance and genius only arises from complete emotional immersion and obsession.

To add, this whole 'i want to be a writer/artist' thing is totally absurd to me. It's the result of a generation of kids being told "you can be anything you want when you grow up". Now, there's nothing at all wrong with that in essence, but this attitude produces individuals who are more concerned with the concept and the personality of the 'be' rather than the straight up 'being'.

What is the "straight up being"? How, if I, for whatever reason, feel an immense desire to express myself and fail in doing so again and again, do I "straight up be" an artist?

In regards to the motivation for creating the art. I'm not claiming to be an authority on *who is or who isn't* an artist, that's just absurd as well, no one has such a claim.
There's just a staggering volume of students (and even many successful professionals) of the creative disciplines who have little to no passion or true sincerity, and ultimately produce work of low worth. The art market (for example) is saturated with garish derivative trash produced by glorified craftsmen who don't even know why they do what they do.
Art made in the absence of passion and that deep, existential yearning is cold and almost inhuman.

As for your example, if the desire to express is coming from a place of sincerity then you're good, just loose the idea of needing to 'be' anything and just be.

>writing scenes set in 1700
>know near fuck all about the time period beyond cliches.