Do people that write well do so naturally or do they consciously try to like vary their vocabulary and structure their sentences so their stuff reads nicely?
I feel like I have to force myself to use synonyms and shit to write anything remotely readable... do others write nice prose purposely or does it come naturally to them?
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>try to like
kys
bump
I'd like to see some discussion about this.
Kind of curious about this. /r/ing what the greats have said made them so great. Anyone know some examples?
Of course most great writers think about every sentence and every word. For instance, William Faulkner having written As I Lay Dying in six weeks is considered very fast. But think about it, six weeks for 200 pages containing a rather simple plot is still a lot of time, most of it probably spend for going over every sentence again and again and again. He probably spent two hours on My Mother is a fish. And now consider that most great novels are taking years to be written, sometimes even decades. I think you get an idea
I did that on purpose to illustrate how shitty my writing is.
I would really like to know what a good writers comes out with if they put zero effort into their writing. If I don't try at all everything I write reads like a facebook post.
yes, because you’re inferior. get off this board and go send some snapchats, go get some takeout with your bros dude and then hit up a party and try to eat out some 6/10 sluts drinking from plastic handles FAGGOT
you have some deep seated issues my man
no you’re just not even human
yikes
do normies still use snapchat? I feel like that was 2015-2017 shit, trends dont last that long
Fuck I really want to post an excerpt from my WIP where I go into detail about this. Funny that you linked Joyce specifically because I say he's one of the very few exceptions where it becomes conscious (vs. writing unconsciously). Goethe, Milton, Shelley, Keats, Schopenhauer, Goddard, and Bradley write about how writing is unconscious. Read The Meaning of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Tragedy by the last two for your quickest way into seeing the truth. Most folks who tells you it's conscious are jealous that someone actually has the genius to write. 90% of academics and professors i've run into are especially guilty of this.
snapchat stock sky rn famalam peep the data points
>Snapchat Key Data Points
>US penetration rate among 12-17 years old – 83%
>70% of Snapchat users are female
>50% of college students use the app as a means of communication
u just think no one uses snapchat cuz ur a betasoy who never gets laid, enjoy using oldbook nerd, i'm sure ur mom posted some cute pitctures of snookums
A friend came to visit James Joyce one day and found the great man sprawled across his writing desk in a posture of utter despair.
James, what’s wrong?' the friend asked. 'Is it the work?'
Joyce indicated assent without even raising his head to look at his friend. Of course it was the work; isn’t it always?
How many words did you get today?' the friend pursued.
Joyce (still in despair, still sprawled facedown on his desk): 'Seven.'
Seven? But James… that’s good, at least for you.'
Yes,' Joyce said, finally looking up. 'I suppose it is… but I don’t know what order they go in!
I trancended alpha/beta heirarchy when I got accepted into stem grad school m8. not even kidding m8, since that day I knew I'll have my PhD eventually I've been looking down my nose at layfaggots
>future code monkey
>looking down at anything but his coworkers poo
ok lol
>ok lol
you mean ok lol Dr.
>stem phd who wants people to call him doctor
lol what a clown
It's both. They have natural talent, and they are also word-smiths.
So, Robert Louis Stevenson (writer of Treasure Island, the 26th most translated author in the world) wrote a great essay called "ESSAYS IN THE ART OF WRITING" in 1905.
According to Stevenson, literature is a mosaic, and you need the write words at the write time.
He gives his read a choice:
>‘Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts."
OR
>‘Mother Athens, eye of Greece.’
According to Stevenson, the second is better, because it has rhythm and flows more clearly. It's sharper and powerful.
Then he talks about CONTENT OF THE PHRASE.
He gives the reader this poem
‘The BaRge she sat iN, like a BURNished throNe
BURNT oN the water: the POOP was BeateN gold,
PURPle the sails and so PERfumèd that
The wiNds were love-sick with them.
The capitals highlight the inner rhythm of the phrase.
Let's look at Edgar Allen Poe:
>BEWILDERED (1), I flew to the ottoman, and ENDEAVORED (2) to arouse the SLEEPER(2) to a SENSE (2) of the STARTLING (2)INTELLIGENCE (2). But his LIMBS (3) were RIGID(4) — his LIPS (3) were LIVID (4)— his lately beaming eyes were RIVITED (4) in death. I staggered back towards the table — my hand fell UPON (5) a CRACKED (6) and BLACKENED (6) GOBLET(5) — and a CONSCIOUSNESS (7) of the entire and TERRIBLE(8) TRUTH (8) FLASHED (7) SUDDENLY (9) over my SOUL (9)
1. Three syllables, ends with RED, and has EH
2. S and R. Even INTELLIGENCE has the ESS sound
3. L sound
4. Short I followed by a long I
5. Long O
6. Hard CK
7. SH sound
8. T sound
9. Another ESS
Another example Stevenson gives:
>Meanwhile the disorders of Kannon’s Kamp went on inKreasing. He Kalled a Kouncil of war to Konsider what Kourse it would be advisable to taKe. But as soon as the Kouncil had met, a preliminary Kuestion was raised. Great chieFs who had brought siKs or SeVen hundred Fighting men into the Feld did not think it Fair that they should be outVoted by gentlemen From Ireland, and From the Low Kountries, who bore indeed King James’s Kommission, and were Kalled Kolonels and Kaptains, but who were Kolonels without regiments and Kaptains without Kompanies.’
This paragraph is filled with KFV
>being this autistic
kys
boo
I think great writers naturally try to toy with the language to best put their thoughts into words, and to make it fit with the whole.
natural borns just read and absorb books and words used in books usually from a very young age. normies have to study a lot and spend a huge amount of time to expand their vocabulary and structure their sentences but for geniuses the exact opposite is true. reading old authors is the best way to expand your vocabulary but ability to do this quickly and effortlessly is reserved for an extremely small part of the population.
I make my writing fit with the hole, if you catch my drift
>BURNT oN the water: the POOP was BeateN gold
Don't you think it's a bit childish to use poop here though? Just say poo, or use shit, he's an adult for Christ's sake.
Good writers are naturally talented, and I believe part of their gift is subconsciously remembering the rhythm and structure of great sentences that other people have written and incorporating it into their own work.
But it's like any skill. People can be taught the mechanics of how to write, for example how and when to deploy the various devices, and this will enable them to be basically competent, but reaching the highest levels can't be taught. It is natural talent plus hundreds of hours of practice.
>not being autistic
>on Veeky Forums
kys
The poet says
> It's a long way
> To the top
> If you wanna rock and roll.
Try to become a better reader first, so that you can get a general idea of what is considered good/bad in literature and you can develop a personal taste. Anthologies and classics with good annotations are a great help I believe, especially when the people writing the annotations do not fear expressing critical judjments, both about the parts and the whole.
Name on such anthology.
>doesn't know how to greentext
kys
his greentext is fine though
this guy gets it
I have an example I read recently but it's italian lit and it's super old... but there is definitely good literary critic out there, you just need to look for it
whats the difference. someone who tries to write eloquently and knows how do so is naturally more talented and smarter than someone who's illiterate
why does everything have to come down to fucking math
i hate math
moar
It's a section of a ship retard
You are just quoting examples without giving any explanation whatsoever.
But yea, I essentially agree. Italo Calvino like to say that the writer's job consists in two parts: inspiration (symbolized by the roman god Mercury) and what you call being a wordsmith (symbolized by Vulcan, the god of metalsmiths). Both aspects are fundamental, as summarized really well by the house of Medici's motto "Festina lente", which is to say "hurry carefully". This means that you should try to capture genuine feelings and captivating images, but you should also convey them in such a way that the reader will experience them in a way similar to yours, and this is the smithing part. This all comes from Italo Calvino's "Lezioni Americane":
en.wikipedia.org