Writer Discussion Table

[legomaestro]

Ever tried a notepad? As in pencil and real notepad.  I used to have the skill when I was younger and can force it, but it might help too for writing if you try something different.

Rambling means writing in the end dude, so keep at that I'd say. Poetry too.

[Coach Fro]

Of course man! I used to have to notebooks full of character bios and chapter starts. Writing in a notepad can actually be more fun than typing in front of a computer screen sometimes.

[Aozora]

In reference to the article you guys were discussing, definitely applies to writing in general, whether it be newspaper articles, academic papers, novels, etc. Basically, it's saying keep your writing as simple and concise as possible yet effective and unique at the same time which is near impossible for most of us beginner/amateur writers but hey - at least it gives us something to strive for. In fact, it's near impossible even for the most masterful of writers as the article mentions Orwell used to break a lot of his own rules from time to time. There isn't really any set rules to writing, just general guidelines like the ones given in the article. But that flexibility is what makes writing so unique and beautiful.

Also @Fronomenal awesome avatar pic man!

[AzimuthComics]

In his opening before stating his dogmas he uses the passive, unecessary words, relatively complex words and figures of speech.
It's like telling someone to "rite good"

[legomaestro]

That doesn't sound right. Which words exactly would you say he used that were passive and unessesary?

I think It's important to note that he's giving advice for prose. The way he delivers his advice is not subject to this. And don't mistake having concise text and avoiding cliche metaphors for having simple language. Nowhere did he say use simpler words like Hemingway does or that a long sentence must not be written.

Even someone who's style is to write flowery language can still cut down words or avoid using bad metaphors and similes while writing their story.

[DeAngelus]

Sorry for the late reply .

How is using a cliche metaphor or simile only appliceable to newspaper article? There's actually a troupe for 'It was a dark and stormy night' because of exactly that sort of thing.

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

This rule is newspaper article/report exclusive . Its way of conveying a message to the readers differs from a general literature in a way that it does not want you to be 'immersed' in them , rather to just 'inform' . Literature in general however isn't entirely barred from using it - it is encouraged . But of course , there's always that (sort of) hidden limitations & exceptions to everything ...

For number 3 Stephen King's On Writing does it well. In general though, he just delets all adverbs - every word that ends with 'ly' to write sentences that are direct.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/dont-dismiss-adverbs
Even legends can trip on their own foot , even the great Stephen King . One thing that taught me is that to never blindly follow your idol's every footsteps ... down to their breath . This thread help clarify on adverbs more & why Stephen King did in fact trip on his own foot there (Refer to number 3 & 4)

His way's aren't always the absolute way as rules are always being broken as time passes by , thanks to geniuses that are born on that particular time . Fundamentals aside , there are no rules to begin with & no definite dos & don'ts & for the case of the usage of adverbs , if you're not confident with your current writing skills , best avoid it . Otherwise , use it sparingly & intellectually .

"A group of deranged fangirls wielding rubber sticks in a shape of a human p-enis (I know you gonna censor this >:3) attacked Legomaestro just now . It is currently under investigation but initial report shows that the group came from a house owned by a resident named DeAngelus over a thousand miles away from the crime scene & they made their way there on horses"

This is just coming in: A group of deranged fangirls on horse-back wielding genital shaped sticks assaulted a Mister Legomaestro yesterday. Initial reports show that the group came from the house of a certain DeAngelus. Investigations are still ongoing.

That's how you apply the rules outlined in the article. It's shorter and gets to the point.

Already , I can see that you've committed a major flaw in there , along with a few not-so-glaring ones . The major flaw is that you've cut out so much to the point you've snipped out vital information that the reader must know . Forget the names used as it can be replaced with Mr.X & Mr.Y , you must remember that as a reporter , any form of discovery , rumors & official reports MUST be included in your article . The ones in bold are the ones that me , as the (pretend) reporter & journalist , who happens to have documented everything mentioned from the press conferences on the incident . Removing them carelessly in your final report will have serious consequences .

One will question why the underlined is important as well - If it's being mentioned , include it . Your role as a news reporter & journalist is to describe everything that's happening on-site to the public , down to the specifics , as precisely as possible . Remember , you are the public's eyes & ears on things outside their presence .

The other flaws would be that no newspaper article starts off as "This is just coming in -" - this is not a cartoon world . The only rare moment this happens only happens during news report telecasts (not on newspaper article) & only when it is VERY crucial & important , depending on the country . Another flaw is something I cannot explain nor define it but let's just say words like 'Fangirls' (yes , I admit my mistake there . That was made on the spot & I forgot to double check it) & 'Horseback' is not allowed . I believe it had to do with ... 'formality' ? I don't know exactly but as a person who regularly reads newspaper , my instinct tells me that it's wrong somehow . Lastly , the one in red is an unauthorized alteration committed by you . If you compare mine (yellow) to yours , being the fact that it's technically an initial report , mine states it in a way that it's 'highly plausible' that they came from my house while yours included the word 'certain' connotes that it's a probable 'wild guess' . Again , if it's being mentioned , include it .

... yeah , that went slightly off-topic there , so I'll stop with this one or I'll have to apply a job as one ...

[legomaestro]

This rule is newspaper article/report exclusive . Its way of conveying a message to the readers differs from a general literature in a way that it does not want you to be 'immersed' in them , rather to just 'inform' . Literature in general however isn't entirely barred from using it - it is encouraged . But of course , there's always that (sort of) hidden limitations & exceptions to everything ...

That's the thing, it's not newspaper article/report exclusive. If you are used to seeing a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech you are used to seeing in print then as a prose writer, avoid it.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/dont-dismiss-adverbs
Even legends can trip on their own foot , even the great Stephen King . One thing that taught me is that to never blindly follow your idol's every footsteps ... down to their breath . This thread help clarify on adverbs more & why Stephen King did in fact trip on his own foot there (Refer to number 3 & 4)

His way's aren't always the absolute way as rules are always being broken as time passes by , thanks to geniuses that are born on that particular time . Fundamentals aside , there are no rules to begin with & no definite dos & don'ts & for the case of the usage of adverbs , if you're not confident with your current writing skills , best avoid it . Otherwise , use it sparingly & intellectually .

Stephen King made it clear in his book he didn't want to write a book on 'How to write' it was his own personal experience with writing, which I still believe is valid. So while I do put him on a pedestal, it's not like I think he's perfect.

However, I have to say that I'd rather follow Mr. King's advice than a Barbara Baig, of whom I happen to know nothing about or heard of other than this 2015 article by Cris Freese.

In any case, everyting in moderation. I would not delete all adverbs, but more often than not I see sentences could be better described without them

Already , I can see that you've committed a major flaw in there , along with a few not-so-glaring ones . The major flaw is that you've cut out so much to the point you've snipped out vital information that the reader must know . Forget the names used as it can be replaced with Mr.X & Mr.Y , you must remember that as a reporter , any form of discovery , rumors & official reports MUST be included in your article .

What vital information went missing? Exactly I mean? The fangirls, their mode of transport, and the name of the victim and their origin are all there.

I was working on the assumption that this was a written investigation, but even in the final report what information there would make a viewer less in the know than they would?

One will question why the underlined is important as well - If it's being mentioned , include it . Your role as a news reporter & journalist is to describe everything that's happening on-site to the public , down to the specifics , as precisely as possible . Remember , you are the public's eyes & ears on things outside their presence .

There was news of a man who was caught with a chicken in a restroom. There are details that can be explained with as much modicum as possible, rather than going out and naming them. Tabloids love to shock the reader to avoid actual content, but I believe a journalist should only be interested in the main facts. Besides, which makes the reader more curious between the two?

Another flaw is something I cannot explain nor define it but let's just say words like 'Fangirls' (yes , I admit my mistake there . That was made on the spot & I forgot to double check it) & 'Horseback' is not allowed . I believe it had to do with ... 'formality' ? I don't know exactly but as a person who regularly reads newspaper , my instinct tells me that it's wrong somehow .

The corrected text using the word you used is wrong because it suddenly feels wrong to you to use? My aim was not to question the content of the text, but to apply the cutting the words rule only and alone.

Horseback is not allowed because it is instinctevely wrong to you? Well, that is too subjective to comment on so I'll leave it at that, but that doesn't sound like much of an argument to add '& they made their way there on horses'.

And how would the general public be more in the know from 'resident Deangelus' than 'A certain Deangelus'?. A real news report would even mention the city he came from, rather than 'A thousand miles away'.

These are problems with the article itself, and not the word count, which was the only thing I was aiming at.

In fact Rule #3 is perfect for this sort of thing. You don't want to flood your readers with too many unesscessary words. You want to get straight to the point in as few words as possible for the benefit of the printer and the reader.



All in all however, look at rule # 6

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

I see an article about 'George Orwell’s Six Rules for Writing Clear and Tight Prose'. Anyone can walk up to them and say 'These are useless'. They are welcome to do that.

But there was no duress for them to react like that in the first place. Just write like you want to write.

Hemingway went one extreme and is equally grilled and praised for it. Tolystoy goes the other and is praised and called boring for it.  Even Stephen King has his bad books. That is writing. And that's why they are called guidelines. Because they can only guide. They are not the 10 commandments of writing. Just an experienced authors' personal tips and tricks to how he got successful in his gig.

[MisterSherbetLemon]

One will question why the underlined is important as well - If it's being mentioned , include it . Your role as a news reporter & journalist is to describe everything that's happening on-site to the public , down to the specifics , as precisely as possible . Remember , you are the public's eyes & ears on things outside their presence .

This isn't really contributing to this debate on professional author's views on writing but I'm typically an idealist and even I find this an overly idealistic view of a journalist's role. Their job is to sell the news more than it is to write it. They cut out relevant information all the time, particularly when they have an opinion of their own about the subject matter.

I'd go so far as to say that a more important skill for newspaper journalism is the ability to twist the news to pander to readers' interests than the ability to write news is.

As for the original topic, there isn't really a way to define what advice is relevant to fellow writers. If an experienced author is willing to share his personal thoughts on writing then I'm more than happy to listen to that advice but it doesn't mean I'll follow it all. Everyone has their own style and process, something as complex and diverse as writing can't be explained in a way that applies to every writer. Lego hates adverbs, DeAngelus hates "Horseback," I hate patronizing statements (which I'm seeing quite a few of since the discussion went off-topic so let's wrap this up or play nice).

My point is, a professional can provide good guidance but you can't rely on everything they say to write in a way that fits your style. Stan Lee is probably the most successful "comic guy" of all time but that doesn't mean every successful comic writer/illustrator has Stan's books about writing/drawing comics on their bookshelves. Some people may have even tried reading them and decided that the results didn't fit with the image they had for their own comics.

Someone can be your inspiration without being your would-be mentor.

[DeAngelus]

Before I begin , let's just say that in no way I'm ridiculing or being spiteful about anything . So , I'm not shaming no one , okay ? Now , on to the longest post so far ...

That's the thing, it's not newspaper article/report exclusive. If you are used to seeing a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech you are used to seeing in print then as a prose writer, avoid it.

Again , it is . You'll don't & won't see it in them , period . Though it's true that it's not exclusive to just newspaper article/report as I can think of another that would join the rank as well ...

But to be honest , my example was bad for one , not having written in full (I've mentioned it before) & two not proofreading/revising it . So I'm shoving that example out of the door (not going to defend the already rotten apple) & I'll put up another one to better show you what I'm trying to say (I'll be editing out locations & names here) :

Foreign students held over illegal car rentals
'X' : The Road Transport Department (RTP) has detained three foreign students believed to be running an illegal car rental business in the 'X' area , near here . Its enforcement deputy director (Operations) , 'A' said three cars belonging to locals were also impounded during the special operation conducted between 7am and noon yesterday following a public tip-off .

He said the three men , in their 20s , from 'N' , 'B' and 'P' , were believed to have been involved in the illegal activity for six months using 30 vehicles .

"They charged 120$ to 140$ per day , depending on the vehicle type and they had been making a profit of more than 126,000$ a month by providing the service ," he told a press conference at his office , here yesterday.

'A' said the three men , who are second and third-year students of a local private higher learning institution in 'Y' had targeted foreign students as their clients .

"They rented these cars from local owners and then rented out to other people ," he said , adding that the department would issue summonses to the trio the vehicle owners - 'T'

Note : This article took up a section of a newspaper the size of a fist - two columns worth .

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

Do you see any metaphors , similes or other figure of speech there ? The one that comes close to having the same rule applied to it is is screenplay writing . The only difference is that when a writer decide to have a character use any of the three above like "You're as blind as a bat for not noticing it , rugrat !" , it's perfectly okay - not for newspaper article I'm talking about (it'll probably be modified to fit the general language the public can understand)

What vital information went missing? Exactly I mean? The fangirls, their mode of transport, and the name of the victim and their origin are all there.

See bold . But let's just ignore that example .

I was working on the assumption that this was a written investigation, but even in the final report what information there would make a viewer less in the know than they would?

Another news article for you (or two) :

Robbers blow up ATM machine in 'My area' , flee with cash

An automated teller machine (ATM) of a bank in 'my area' here was bombed today and a certain amount of money from the machine was stolen.

'My residential district' police chief 'X' said at least two persons were believed responsible in the incident which occurred about 2 am and the police were investigating to ascertain the amount of money missing from the machine.

"Another bomb did not explode and we are checking if it was used for backup or left behind."

"We are analyzing the bomb to identify its type and the culprits involved," he told reporters here.

'X' said initial investigations revealed that the culprits were experts.

"The way they (suspects) place the bomb show they have the expertise. Prior to this, there have been attempts (use bombs), but (bomb) did not tear the machine," he added.

He said instruction had been issued to all district police chiefs to step up patrol in their respective areas to avoid a similar incident.

On the bomb that was found at the scene, 'X' said police exploded it at 10.25 am as a safety measure.

He said the police would view footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings in the vicinity to identify individuals and vehicles entering and leaving the ATM premises.

He urged those with information on the incident to contact the police.

Meanwhile, 'My sub-state' district police chief ACP 'Y' said initial investigation revealed that a pipe bomb was used to rip open the ATM machine.

"The second bomb that was found was still active and believed to have misfired in the incident," he added.
He said police believed at least two persons were involved in the act.

Police have also taken measures to ensure the premise is now safe, he added.

Robbers use bomb in ATM heist

'My state': Robbers set off a bomb at an automated teller machine (ATM) in a bank in 'my area' and got away with an undisclosed sum of money.

Police believe it was the work of an explosive expert, judging from the way the bomb was placed on the machine in the 2am robbery yesterday. An unexploded bomb was also found at the scene. It was later detonated.

Investigators believe that there were more than two people involved in the robbery.

'my state' police chief Deputy Comm 'X' said the positioning of the bomb on the ATM suggests the work of an expert.

“In other similar cases, the blast always failed to rip open the cash chamber,” he said.

Eye-witnesses told police that the robbers were wearing masks and the authorities were checking footage from closed-circuit TV units in the area for clues.

The registration number of a luxury car used by the robbers has been found to be a fake, according to police.

Meanwhile, 'my sub-state' OCPD Asst Comm 'Y' said initial investigations revealed that a pipe bomb was used to rip open the ATM machine.

He said the second bomb, that was found to be still active, was believed to have failed to detonate during the robbery.

Robbers have used an explosive on ATMs in the state on two other occasions.

Both times, they were unsuccessful in opening the cash chamber.

On Aug 12, 2012, a cash machine in 'A' was attacked.

Twelve days later, an ATM at a hypermarket in 'B' was targeted.

I won't deny that I took this off an online news site . This news was published a year ago , so I no longer possess the printed article . But what I can tell is that the printed article , which took up a section of the newspaper the size of a foot , was an article of an incident that happened near my area - in fact , it's only a dozen houses away & more importantly , I was there . I can assure you this , all that's written there , though slightly different , it's all true - I was one of the witness of the crime & I was there an hour before & after it happened (roughly in the mid-morning) . What I saw is that the journalists (and their usual crews) of the two presses above were there & the smaller one conducted interviews with the commoners there , including me . The police were there , the second bomb was still there (a bomb squad being the proof) , one of the chief police was there (don't know who though) . Though the press conference wasn't held on the spot , but whatever the police chief had stated there all rings true . The only thing that was in the unknown are the culprits & the past incidents that occurred before this one , but both report reports about the same thing (same goes with all other news article) .

Conciseness is there with the larger press having a much more detailed information & the kind of information one would expect to be written out of a newspaper article because eventhough I was there in the-know , a huge number of them aren't there to begin with , my mum included . If my mum is in the car with me & somehow passed by the crime scene & she hasn't read the news yet , asked me about it & I tell her about it , down to the very detail of it (because I was there) & then she decides to read the newspaper , only to find contradictions & misinformation compared to my story , doesn't that create confusion ? In that it's supposed to reflect what I've witness myself first hand ? Doesn't that tarnish it's reliability on delivering accurate information ?

There was news of a man who was caught with a chicken in a restroom. There are details that can be explained with as much modicum as possible, rather than going out and naming them. Tabloids love to shock the reader to avoid actual content, but I believe a journalist should only be interested in the main facts. Besides, which makes the reader more curious between the two?

Duuuuuuuuuuuude ... my example was based on a typical broadsheet newspaper article , not tabloid . Do you know those two , despite stemming from the same type of written art (Let's go with Journalism until I found the exact one) , that's where it's similarity ends ?
http://www.slideshare.net/jodieholmes/comparing-broadsheet-and-tabloid-newspapers
http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/fl/Whats-the-Difference-Between-Broadsheet-and-Tabloid-Newspapers.htm
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-newspaper-and-a-tabloid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadsheet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_journalism

It's like assuming Graphic Design & Illustration are the same - it's not on so many level . Different artistic approach , emphasis , applications , etc. .

Horseback is not allowed because it is instinctevely wrong to you? Well, that is too subjective to comment on so I'll leave it at that, but that doesn't sound like much of an argument to add '& they made their way there on horses'.

Refer to the above two replies .

I know full well of the differences of the two . Like I've said , I'm a hardcore news & article reader - it's my new way of having 'a peace of mind' & taking a break in-between jobs instead of playing games & I play a lot . The only problem I had is finding terms & proper explanation for it - which I'm awful at .

The broadsheet's 'Police officer' vs the tabloid's 'Cops'
The broadsheet's 'female fan' vs the tabloid's 'fangirl'
The broadsheet's 'on horse' vs the tabloid's 'horseback'
The broadsheet of not calling a commoner 'Mr' & 'Miss' (name) unless if it's a given title or that they're of a higher rank & status (I.e : President Barrack Obama) vs the tabloid's ... uh , calling me , a complete nobody , 'Mr. DeAngelus' ...

Read the link above for the answers . To put it simple , not wrong , just not right for Broadsheet Journalism ...

And how would the general public be more in the know from 'resident Deangelus' than 'A certain Deangelus'?. A real news report would even mention the city he came from, rather than 'A thousand miles away'.

Two words - word placement . Simply changing it's placement will yield a different meaning . Also , refer above & ignore my half-baked example ...

In fact Rule #3 is perfect for this sort of thing. You don't want to flood your readers with too many unnecessary words. You want to get straight to the point in as few words as possible for the benefit of the printer and the reader.

There's a fine line when it comes to how much trimming one can pull off . Not all words/sentences warrants the axe , even if there are much shorter equivalent of the current one :

1) 'People who attempted such feat found it like stealing candy from a baby (or 'a walk in a park' or 'a piece of cake' or 'such a breeze' , your call)'
2) 'People who attempted such feat found it very easy'
3) 'People who attempted such feat found it such a breeze , it's like stealing candy from a baby , it's very easy .

It's tempting to want to use the second version due to it's word count , because if you see any chances to further cut it down , you'd go for it because 'stealing candy from a baby' directly means it's very easy , thus it's worth cutting off 4 words , right ? While that rings true for newspaper article but for literature , you'd run into the risk of setting & giving off a dull tone & mood . But if you do write something in a literature (for example a novel) like the third example , then you'd need to use your scissors because it's over-saturated with 'exaggeration'(?) (Might need to do more research to find the term for it) . There are cases where one might lead to the use of the second example , but it's impossible to list them all here without making this post a scrollie nightmare , which it already is as of now .

Also , trimming out unnecessary words isn't the only thing that is in play during revision - rewording , rephrasing , extending , rearranging , even a complete rewrite , you name it . It may end up longer or unchanged , but it definitely won't always ends up being shorter . There are cases where the final revised draft of the said work will have more word count than it's original because it suffers from overzealous trimming .

All in all however, look at rule # 6

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

I see an article about 'George Orwell’s Six Rules for Writing Clear and Tight Prose'. Anyone can walk up to them and say 'These are useless'. They are welcome to do that.

But there was no duress for them to react like that in the first place. Just write like you want to write.

His way's aren't always the absolute way as rules are always being broken as time passes by , thanks to geniuses that are born on that particular time . Fundamentals aside , there are no rules to begin with & no definite dos & don'ts ...

There you go .

Hemingway went one extreme and is equally grilled and praised for it. Tolystoy goes the other and is praised and called boring for it.  Even Stephen King has his bad books. That is writing. And that's why they are called guidelines. Because they can only guide. They are not the 10 commandments of writing. Just an experienced authors' personal tips and tricks to how he got successful in his gig.

Stephen King made it clear in his book he didn't want to write a book on 'How to write' it was his own personal experience with writing, which I still believe is valid. So while I do put him on a pedestal, it's not like I think he's perfect.

Even legends can trip on their own foot , even the great Stephen King . One thing that taught me is that to never blindly follow your idol's every footsteps ... down to their breath *snip*

His way's aren't always the absolute way ...

Do you know what I meant by 'tripping over one's own foot' ? If not , let me reword it in a different way ...

He ain't Jesus . He's not the one-for-all being everyone should only follow in order learn just about anything & everything you wished for , including me or anybody else for that matter as well . Like you said , you can like him or you can hate him - it's your choice to make . So I'm not in the position of stopping you from agreeing with his methodology . I'm just saying that always make your own trail so that if the trail you're following goes cold for whatever reason , you can at least backtrack instead of standing there , stupor .

This isn't really contributing to this debate on professional author's views on writing but I'm typically an idealist and even I find this an overly idealistic view of a journalist's role. Their job is to sell the news more than it is to write it. They cut out relevant information all the time, particularly when they have an opinion of their own about the subject matter.

I'd go so far as to say that a more important skill for newspaper journalism is the ability to twist the news to pander to readers' interests than the ability to write news is.

Refer to the link above , please .

What you're describing there is something close to Tabloid Journalism , not Broadsheet Journalism . Also , In no way I stated that I 'hate' those words , I simply said that it's wrong (which can be interpreted in a number of ways) , as in not right for it .

But otherwise , I'd agree with the rest .

Gee , these long post make want to get back to writing novels again ... ah well . I got good links on writing 101 during my dig on this matter .

[NO1SY]

So...unfortunately it's been a while since I have been on the forum... my bad... But I guess it really boils down to the fact that I feel like I've been lacking in things to contribute recently...

Most of you know (because you probably have heard me complain about it a lot) that I have a pretty full on work schedule at the moment... and because it's very active work and takes me into the small hours, it leaves me pretty exhausted for whenever I do have a little bit of free time. I have found it really difficult to sit down and write in my free time recently as all I want to do is chill and switch off. Even getting on to the forum feels like an effort sometimes...

I have been trying to just focus on writing about 200 words a day towards a couple of short pieces but I tend not to be happy with the end results of such jarred writing sessions and end up just going over the same bits again and again. Moreover I have the second draft of my Novella "Years of Icarus" that I have pretty much all planned and ready to work on too, which I really want to get on with, but I feel I work best when I have long periods of time to just sit and focus on writing for these things; a liberty I don't really have at the moment.

I think what I really need is a week off... but I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation of just being a bit too exhausted and time constrained to do any writing, and what advice you can give me to overcome/make the best of the situation and kinda get my enthusiasm and motivation back so that I can do some more writing again!? Any balancing tips? What can I do to make it feel like I'm making some progress again?

[legomaestro]

Man, that's a tough situation being so busy. But don't worry about participation or post counts or view counts dude. Mangaraiders is always there whenever you have the time for it or not. There's no chains here, this should be the place you go to to relax, not because you have to get online haha. Although I spend my time here especially when I'm busy. Always a great destresser.

In terms of writing... 200 words a day is still something dude. That's a short story every week. That's character descriptions written down, or progress for any one of your main stories. If possible, I'd recommend just going with stream of consciousness for a bit. Forget about making perfect 200 worders. Just get them out as excercise and be done with it.

Need to wait on working raiders in terms of balancing that sort of thing, but I found out just recently that just because I have free time it doesn't mean I'm more productive. Sometimes it's the exact opposite. I've found actually that my writing sessions are more intense and more worth it when I sneak them in between classes or something, so if possible try to find some 10-15 minute window in your work day to do writing and only that. When you do that, you recognize that you're taking your writing seriously and really want to put an effort into releasing your stories. It's hard to notice that when your day is completely free.

Rambling a bit there, but I hope some of those tips help...

[Aozora]

So...unfortunately it's been a while since I have been on the forum... my bad... But I guess it really boils down to the fact that I feel like I've been lacking in things to contribute recently...

Most of you know (because you probably have heard me complain about it a lot) that I have a pretty full on work schedule at the moment... and because it's very active work and takes me into the small hours, it leaves me pretty exhausted for whenever I do have a little bit of free time. I have found it really difficult to sit down and write in my free time recently as all I want to do is chill and switch off. Even getting on to the forum feels like an effort sometimes...

I have been trying to just focus on writing about 200 words a day towards a couple of short pieces but I tend not to be happy with the end results of such jarred writing sessions and end up just going over the same bits again and again. Moreover I have the second draft of my Novella "Years of Icarus" that I have pretty much all planned and ready to work on too, which I really want to get on with, but I feel I work best when I have long periods of time to just sit and focus on writing for these things; a liberty I don't really have at the moment.

I think what I really need is a week off... but I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation of just being a bit too exhausted and time constrained to do any writing, and what advice you can give me to overcome/make the best of the situation and kinda get my enthusiasm and motivation back so that I can do some more writing again!? Any balancing tips? What can I do to make it feel like I'm making some progress again?

Hey NO1SY good to hear from you! You've been missed around these parts man. It's funny that you brought this up because I've definitely gone through the same sort of situation you're experiencing currently. I feel like I'm able to relate with you even more knowing that we're both pursuing health-related careers and like to write and did biology related research at some point in our lives

I think your participation on MR and inability to find time/motivation for writing are two different issues, so I'll address them separately. Like Lego said, participating in the forum should be the least of your concerns. I know how much this community means to you - after all, you're one of the founders of the Happy Hour! But you don't need me to tell you your priorities. You're in the critical stage of your life man where what you do now will essentially decide your career and your future. This time can slip away very easily, but MR isn't going anywhere. To give a personal example, I basically took about a 10 month break from MR because I felt it had become a pretty big distraction. I'm not saying you have to go to such extremes (for someone like me it was necessary). You can always drop a post or maybe get in a Podcast every once in a while whenever you find the time.

From what I can tell, you and I appear to have very similar writing habits: prefer to write during one long sitting as opposed to different times interspersed throughout the day; fuss over every sentence to make sure it's perfect; struggle with stream of consciousness; etc. If this is the case, then like you said your current work schedule won't allow any writing. In the end it'll just come down to how serious you are about writing in general man. I think if you're still treating writing as a hobby, maybe take a break - it's okay. Just focus on work for now and come back to writing when you have the time to sit down next to your computer and write away. But if you've got some sort of goal in mind or just really keen on producing material now itself then you'll have to go outside your comfort zone and try some of the options that Lego mentioned - that is, finding short breaks throughout the day when you're feeling energetic and productive to get some writing done, and not worrying so much about the quality of your writing and more so on just getting the words onto the paper.

Hope this lengthy post proves useful man and best of luck with everything!

[NO1SY]

Ah... well... after everything I feel that I have gotten out of and taken away from my time on this forum, I kinda feel a responsibility to make sure that I have things to contribute and put back in, ya know?

So while my post is more about struggling to find time and therefore motivation to write... I just wanted to apologise also for not being active on the forum, because although the site is really chill and no one expects anything from anyone, I still want to be as involved as I can, and I haven't been.

Anyways... mushy stuff aside...!


I think I need something like a writing schedule, as opposed to a break... like days were I work in the afternoon as opposed to evenings, I come home an focus on writing rather than anything else. I also think being active on the forum helps me be productive. If I'm seeing others making progress it drives me to make some too.

Thanks for letting me just roll through some ideas guys :)

[legomaestro]

Cheers dude! If anything, even something as simple as sharing thoughts on latest manga or anime you're watching helps. Dropping a super quick review on Develop Your Story, or even making a Workshop. While those things don't exactly make your projects jump forward it oils the gears on the forum I'd say.

As for Icarus, that really was a good write dude. I hope it works out man.

[Vacant]

Hey everyone, I've been wanting your thoughts on something, sorry for all the wall o' text thats about to ensue. Stick with me, its a long one Thats what she said...

So I watch Game of thrones and for the last couple of weeks I have really...really wanted to just write a pitched battle scene. So Initially, I figured I'd put one in an existing story but there's isn't really a place it would fit in any of my pieces so I thought there was no sense shoehorning one in.

So instead I thought I'd make it a workshop, where we choose differing battle scenarios and did that in an attempt to improve upon our action scenes (i.e. Pitched battle, 2-on-1 combat, shootout in a crowded place, martial art contest, car chase etc.).

However, I then decided that I'd just go ahead and write the scene. But first I wanted to set it up, so I had a better feel for characters so I started writing the scene before the battle. Then I started thinking about why they're fighting and long story short...I've made a map, made nations, story lines and plots for this and its turned into a story I'd like to work on.

BUTTTT and this is the question I guess. I have mulitple projects I'm behind on already, both my own and collabs. Should I drop those I'm already behind on (minus the collab's) to work on the thing im passionate about right now? Or should I let this feeling pass and carry on trudging through what I've got on my plate already?

Whats your thoughts on this? Stick to your deadlines or work on whats feeling right at that time?