/cult/ - culture and media

I write stuff, sometimes it gets published in zines or lit mags it's pretty fun.
I'm working on a novel right now, something I've been playing around with for a few years but really focusing on currently.
35k words down, 40k to go. This thing is like an idea sponge; I've poured so many thoughts and scenarios into it that it's more a case of choosing what to leave out in order to be thematically coherent than coming up with new things.

>>1163
What sort of setting is your work? Could you share a sample that you're most proud of?

I like to look through art works, paintings, listen to songs or other short pieces of creative work that usually lack context in order for me to get inspired. The attached image is actually what inspired me on my current work which amounts to ~25K words. I try to capture the emotion that I feel in the piece that inspired me and write it into my work, with varying degrees of success. That being said, I don't want to write fanarts of established fiction and as such try not to get inspired by pre-established lore.

The attached image for instance is a stand alone work that I could only track down to a Chinese artist's twitter account with a caption that, once translated read something like "line infantry stand for attack".

>>1164
Setting? I guess mostly contemporary urban and rural settings with a few things thrown in that are sort of abstract voices lacking settings altogether. I could link to some but I don't know if that counts as namefagging here.

I mostly draw on real experiences, people, places and coffee at 4am as inspiration. What sort of story did you pull from that image? A war of some sort?

>>1166
You could throw up a segment on pastebin or an equivalent. Not sure, given the context of the thread, that it'd be matter too much. Especially if you keep it anonymous.

Yeah, the image kind of inspired this image of a fearless leader staring down fire from an opposing force. I swapped out the bolt actions in the image from muskets but kept the obsolete armour. The idea being that, much like in WW1, there are many old techs that haven't been formally made obsolete yet (see cavalry against tanks/barbed wire/machine guns). But also was why is she so fearless? People aren't naturally that way in the face of such clear danger.

So that's what I started writing. The story of this girl who starts off as a noble, going in as an officer to fight in a defensive war. But over time as she is hardened by combat, by losing friends, her home, her family. She becomes hard and cold, using brutal tactics and losing the value of human life.

>>1170
That sounds fun. Who are they fighting?
Everything I have is either googleable, waiting publication or not worth looking at, possibly to be re-written.
Here:
taktak(dot)nu/what-are-birds/

I've thought about doing some writing, something like a short sci fi novel.
Any tips for getting started and not getting unmotivated after a single page? I'd love to see anything you guys have written in any case.

>>1171
They're fighting a conglomerate known as the Ekshi (which after several years I found out was the name of a planet in star wars but fuck lucas arts). They are a huge group of warring tribes, empires and warlords united only by religion. They believe that every couple hundred years, the God of Death, Avarash, moves between the seven worlds he presides over and demands a blood tribute. If the tribute isn't good enough, then Avarash will destroy the world and start again. The thing is though, the Ekshi don't care who's blood.

This means it's near impossible to rout them in battle as they believe that even if they die, they're still keeping the world alive.

>>1177
I find the best way is to write a little bit each day and make it a habit. Even if you just add a single sentence, one day you'll get in the zone and add a paragraph or a page. Even if it's not the greatest work or quality and you don't think it's worth the effort, it's all practise for the piece that IS worth the effort.

I'll post a segment later.

>>1177
If you want to write something like a novel, there are a few different approaches. Some people start with the setting and characters then just write them to see where they're doing. Others plan the plot out, then go back and fill in details for each scene over time, adding more and more detail/ideas until the scenes work, which creates the characters in its own way.
If you're not generally motivated to just write off your own back then chances are either way will be a waste of your time and you'll be better off using it to do something else.

OP here,

Finally got around to getting a decently written and proof read section of my story on pastebin. I don't mind if people copy or save it, it's on a 6 month expiration just so it's not there for eternity.

https://pastebin.com/zYmcVG4d

I pasted it straight in so hopefully my formatting came across properly. Pastebin certainly doesn't make for the most enjoyable reading platform, the text is straining to say the least. Might be an idea to import it into your favourite text editor.

>>1204
>She could see horseman
It's really lacking in tension and pacing. Who are these people, why are they fighting, why should the reader care to read a play-by-play of a battle? 9-14 are interesting as they give some insight into the characters but it's not maintained.

>>1206
I get these sort of criticisms a lot and I see it given to others a lot as well. I personally think it's unreasonable criticism because what you've been given is an out of context half-chapter, clearly well after the characters, settings, factions, politics and world have been established. For all you know this is the second last chapter and yet you demand to know all the context from this half chapter.

What am I to do? Put foot notes on every second page with constant updates on pre-established information? It's unreasonable.

Imagine picking up The Lord of the Rings books, flicking to the final battle by the Black Gate and then calling Tolkien out for not making you invested in the story, so you put it down?

Not to sound indignant, I've just heard the same thing over and over. I show people my most proof read section as a best example of my writing, not to get them invested in the story, especially because that's not where the story starts, not even close.

>>1208
If Pierre Menard wrote The Return of The King today I'd tell him to tone it down too, the style is ludicrous.
>`No, no!' cried Frodo, snatching the Ring and chain from Sam's hands. `No you won't, you thief!' He panted, staring at Sam with eyes wide with fear and enmity. Then suddenly, clasping the Ring in one clenched fist, he stood aghast. A mist seemed to clear from his eyes, and he passed a hand over his aching brow. The hideous vision had seemed so real to him, half bemused as he was still with wound and fear. Sam had changed before his very eyes into an orc again, leering and pawing at his treasure, a foul little creature with greedy eyes and slobbering mouth. But now the vision had passed. There was Sam kneeling before him, his face wrung with pain, as if he had been stabbed in the heart; tears welled from his eyes.

But you're under no obligation to listen to me.