A Writing Musclebuilding Thread

Started by: Devour | Replies: 147 | Views: 11,293

Devour
Administrator
1

Posts: 9,916
Joined: Apr 2008
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 4:49 AM #1352982
Quote from Munisylc
Sign me up! :)
500
3 break days

Two break days is a good number for a reason. This is about forming a daily habit of writing and making it part of your routine. Maybe do a smaller number per day if you can't go 5 days a week.
Quote from Haru
I'll do this as much as I can. 200+ words to start off. My break days would be Monday and Wednesday.

You're in B-)

We're all in different timezones, starting different times of the day. I'm trying to figure out how to get a daily chart that includes everyone accurately, and it's hard. I think what I'll do is just update the charts by dates. If you folks could keep putting the date in your spoiler titles, that'll let me know when you did your daily stuffs and I'll update it that way.
RichardLongflop
2

Posts: 1,265
Joined: Oct 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 9:12 AM #1353035
-Waffles Mcgee
Words a day: 200+
Break days: Tuesdays and Saturdays


I meant I want my breaks to be wednesdays, thursdays and fridays, since that's when I'm at university.But if I had to pick only two, as the OP says somewhere in the wall of text that it is in unspecified words, It'd have to be thursdays and fridays since wednesday is only a half-day for me.
Devour
Administrator
1

Posts: 9,916
Joined: Apr 2008
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 9:46 AM #1353042
Quote from WafflesMgee
I meant I want my breaks to be wednesdays, thursdays and fridays, since that's when I'm at university.But if I had to pick only two, as the OP says somewhere in the wall of text that it is in unspecified words, It'd have to be thursdays and fridays since wednesday is only a half-day for me.

Exaggerating doesn't help, 75% of the OP is the intro and the entrants.
That sounds good though. You're in
like light towards a black hole ;)

I'm doing some more stuff tonight. I'
ll update later with my progress. Anyone else writing tonight?

Edit: Hot diggity. I
like writing noir. The tone of it is wonderful and the stuff I can do is great. I'm surprised I haven't given it a shot sooner, though right now it doesn't sound exactly noir-like. My plans for the future though are exciting to me.

Continued from here
04/25/15. 479 words (Click to Show)


Mostly I went back to the start and improved the opening a lot. Described the scenery a bit better and changed up some stuff, and then this is what I added on.
Haru
2

Posts: 1,138
Joined: Feb 2015
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 4:48 PM #1353203
200+ words (Click to Show)
Crank
2

Posts: 1,849
Joined: Feb 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 5:17 PM #1353231
I'm starting for real on Monday, but while I was writing the intro to my next battle, a two paragraph memory for my into turned into about two pages. This feels like a better alternative to the delete key.

4/24-4/25: About 850 words (Click to Show)


Haru, not half bad, and I definitely got a bit of a kick from your combination! I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more description of the characters as they appear however. It'll help your reader get a better visual and keep them all sorted in their mind as a story progresses. Do any of them have anything unique with their appearance? Are they well groomed or rugged? This would be a good place to practice that!

EDIT: And for the record, I know Tuesday I'm pulling a 14 hour work day, so I know I'll be taking that one off.
Haru
2

Posts: 1,138
Joined: Feb 2015
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 7:05 PM #1353261
Thanks Senpai Crank! I'll try to work on that!
Do you mean kick in a good way or bad way?
Crank
2

Posts: 1,849
Joined: Feb 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 25, 2015 7:35 PM #1353274
Heh, kick's a good thing where I'm from. Getting a kick out of something just means you think it's funny
Devour
Administrator
1

Posts: 9,916
Joined: Apr 2008
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 26, 2015 12:23 AM #1353416
Quote from Haru
200+ words (Click to Show)

Nice to see your stuff, Haru :) Just remember, when the speaker in a story changes, use a new paragraph to demonstrate that.
Instead of: "Hello, how are you?" "Hey, I'm fine." It would be,
"Hello, how are you?"
"Hey, I'm fine."
Quote from Crank
I'm starting for real on Monday, but while I was writing the intro to my next battle, a two paragraph memory for my into turned into about two pages. This feels like a better alternative to the delete key.

4/24-4/25: About 850 words (Click to Show)


Haru, not half bad, and I definitely got a bit of a kick from your combination! I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more description of the characters as they appear however. It'll help your reader get a better visual and keep them all sorted in their mind as a story progresses. Do any of them have anything unique with their appearance? Are they well groomed or rugged? This would be a good place to practice that!

EDIT: And for the record, I know Tuesday I'm pulling a 14 hour work day, so I know I'll be taking that one off.

This is some good stuff. I like how naturally the conversation flows. I get the impression that the main character and his sister could be real people :) I would have provided something to switch from the flashback to reality, however. As it is, it seems like it's simply going down to continue the scene rather than switching to an entirely different time and place.
RichardLongflop
2

Posts: 1,265
Joined: Oct 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 26, 2015 9:33 PM #1353792
Mannequin, part 1 (Click to Show)


1088 words. Will try and continue tomorrow. Ooo cliffhanger.
Devour
Administrator
1

Posts: 9,916
Joined: Apr 2008
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 26, 2015 10:17 PM #1353811
Quote from WafflesMgee
Mannequin, part 1 (Click to Show)


1089 words. Will try and continue tomorrow. Ooo cliffhanger.


Can't wait to read it. Once I hop onto my laptop in a bit I'll be able to open the spoiler up. Doesn't work on androids.

I also had a break day yesterday so no part came from me. I'm trying to think of some things to make my plot and setting unique at the moment.

How goes everyone else's writing?
Chamel
2

Posts: 1,133
Joined: Mar 2013
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 26, 2015 10:45 PM #1353833
Blegh, sorry about yesterday's absence, something came up.

So to make it up, I did one today.

Choreography - 513 Words (Click to Show)


Wow.. Fight choreography is definitely not my favorite part of writing, heh..
Haru
2

Posts: 1,138
Joined: Feb 2015
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 27, 2015 1:03 AM #1353878
4/26/15
Lukas Esposito stroked his beard like a gentleman. "So...you guys ready for the assault?"
"YEAH!"
Lukas grinned. "Lets go over the crew.."
Bob Jenkins: Age:30 Demo Expert Years Served: 5 Race: African-American Looks: A short, stubby beard, heavy weight, wears combat armor. Favorite Weapon: Shotgun
Bob yelled loudly. "Hey Tom, got any muscle yet?"
Tom groaned. "Shut up."
TOM LINTER: Age: 20 Scout Years served: 3 Race: French Looks: Clean face, piercing green eyes, slim build. Favorite Weapon: Dual Pistols.
Hambone yelled from the kitchen. "Both of you shut up or I will smite thee with thy Frying Pan!"
Russo "Hambone" Lincoln: Age: 35 Cook and Front-range-fighter Years Served: 10 Race: British Looks: Fat, with curly mustache and a loud laugh. Favorite Weapon: Frying Pan. Really. Don't ask.
All of them froze as the cold voice of Lee came from the corner. "Sigh... Stop being idiots, all of you."
Cheng "Ninja" Lee Age: 23 Sniper and Assassin Years Served: 3 Race: Chinese Looks: Black hair, black eyes, built to sneak around. Favorite Weapon: Katana and Sniper Rifle.
After a fight, they all calmed down and ate some curry made by Hambone. "So..Commandante, when can we strike?"
Lukas made a evil smile. "5 hours from now."
Cook

Posts: 5,155
Joined: Nov 2009
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 27, 2015 1:32 AM #1353884
I'm just going to review some stuff

Quote from Haru
200+ words (Click to Show)


Alright homie, check it out. When you write, always ask yourself the Who, What, When, Where and Why, as well as How.

This is the list of priorities when you introduce a scene:
Environment (What is this place like? Just describe the scene. What time is it?)
Location (Where are we? You can keep this vague, but if Environment is your painting, Location is the frame. What era is this? Future? Ancient?)
Action (What is happening right now?)
Character (Brief introduction of who we're reading about. It doesn't have to be the main character, but there must be somebody in the scene we care about.)
Character Action (What is the character doing?)
Character Dialogue/Thoughts (What is the character saying or doing?)

Quote from Haru
4/26/15
Lukas Esposito stroked his beard like a gentleman. "So...you guys ready for the assault?"
"YEAH!"
Lukas grinned. "Lets go over the crew.."
Bob Jenkins: Age:30 Demo Expert Years Served: 5 Race: African-American Looks: A short, stubby beard, heavy weight, wears combat armor. Favorite Weapon: Shotgun
Bob yelled loudly. "Hey Tom, got any muscle yet?"
Tom groaned. "Shut up."
TOM LINTER: Age: 20 Scout Years served: 3 Race: French Looks: Clean face, piercing green eyes, slim build. Favorite Weapon: Dual Pistols.
Hambone yelled from the kitchen. "Both of you shut up or I will smite thee with thy Frying Pan!"
Russo "Hambone" Lincoln: Age: 35 Cook and Front-range-fighter Years Served: 10 Race: British Looks: Fat, with curly mustache and a loud laugh. Favorite Weapon: Frying Pan. Really. Don't ask.
All of them froze as the cold voice of Lee came from the corner. "Sigh... Stop being idiots, all of you."
Cheng "Ninja" Lee Age: 23 Sniper and Assassin Years Served: 3 Race: Chinese Looks: Black hair, black eyes, built to sneak around. Favorite Weapon: Katana and Sniper Rifle.
After a fight, they all calmed down and ate some curry made by Hambone. "So..Commandante, when can we strike?"
Lukas made a evil smile. "5 hours from now."

this makes no sense at all.

This is a really bad case of exposition dump. You're telling us so much information at once that we end up letting all slip. Out of 500 words, what has even happened?

Like in animation, you're giving us all the frames of dudes getting kicked, but with nothing in between. Bad writing just jumps from all the exciting stuff, and leaves out all the frames in between that make the cool shit make any sense. It's like easing.


Germi’s room was much larger than Kellan’s, with only two beds on opposite sides of the dormitory. There were a few tables and closets, but what drew Kellan’s attention was the window which took up the entire wall, facing Tempest. The planet’s surface was dark, but Kellan could faintly see spears of light shift appear amongst the clouds as the sun began to rise, although out of view.

Germi’s body became a silhouette as she approached the window, and slid off her jacket. She threw it onto the bed, and although she was still wearing her long-sleeved crew shirt, Kellan could see her figure through the weak light, the softness of her hips contrasted by the strength and tightness of her shoulders.

She was stunning; her gentle, dexterous fingers untying her boots. Kellan knew that he looked nothing like that, and although he could rival her in intellect and skill, he could never match her gracefulness. He was a mess, even in the best of lighting; his mismatched, hairy muscles ruined by years of scarring and burns.


There's only two characters in that scene. However, in three paragraphs I've told you the following:
A) Germi is female
B) Kellan is male
C) They're in her room, in space
D) They're looking at a planet
E) Germi is thin and gorgeous
F) Kellan is heavier and uglier, and is aware of this

Writing is great, but always re-read everything you write.

Virgin read it. When I say Virgin, I mean that you should "forget" everything, and read your work as picky as possible.
Devour
Administrator
1

Posts: 9,916
Joined: Apr 2008
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 27, 2015 2:07 AM #1353896
Oh, sweet. Good advice, Cook. I was going to drop comments as well but I'll just do Waffles and Chamel's stuff
Quote from WafflesMgee
Mannequin, part 1 (Click to Show)


1088 words. Will try and continue tomorrow. Ooo cliffhanger.

This is super interesting, and I like it a lot :) It's reminiscent of the SCP files. Is that where you're drawing inspiration from?
When trying to set a creepy atmosphere, don't forget to describe your surroundings. Giving the reader an image of a grey and dimly-lit interrogation room with a flickering light or something, as well as describing the mannequin itself with a bit more detail would add good things.
Quote from Chamel
Blegh, sorry about yesterday's absence, something came up.

So to make it up, I did one today.

Choreography - 513 Words (Click to Show)


Wow.. Fight choreography is definitely not my favorite part of writing, heh..

All the better to practice it :)

My advice to you would be to try and describe what's happening more smoothly. Cram more information into sentences (without increasing their size too much) instead of spreading the unfolding events into multiple sections. Spreading it out like that makes it appear things are happening one after the other sometimes, when many actions were happening at the same time.

ps: Charts will be up on the 27th/tomorrow. Folks who aren't writing on their writing days will be removed, but they can rejoin any time they want. They'll just lose their streaks for how many days in a row they wrote.
Cook

Posts: 5,155
Joined: Nov 2009
Rep: 10

View Profile
Apr 27, 2015 2:25 AM #1353902
I mean, none of what haru wrote as executed well, but he was on target, you know?

If he just keeps focusing on that target, he'll get better.

I'm more of a Creative Kapo and I'll go through all of your shit and rip it apart.

For example, I've been writing this for shits and giggles, and when I showed my friend, he ripped it apart.

Not the writing itself, but why.

Let's say you make a city that has a crime problem

Why is that city there?
What does that city produce?
What kind of manufacturing does the city have, and what capacity does it have to export what it does?
Why is there a drug problem?
What is the city's stance on the issue?
What are the major routes?

When i mentioned Idriza, (the city in my short story thing) to my friend, he asked my why people lived the way they did. What did the city produce? Why did they live there?

I like to call this "making your story water tight". Now that I've spent hours literally writing out what exact fucking chemicals Idriza produces, everything falls into place, and it's so much more realistic and understandable.

Another really bad thing is fiction is when the reader reads something, stops, and says "That's fucking retarded."