Warrior1

We all have our ups and downs, and without the lows, we wouldn't realize our heights, I realize that, but still ... I can't help but feel discouraged when I see nothing I have written recently measures up to my earlier writing (the same novel). I think my best writing was when I first started writing this novel. Nothing I write now comes close to that. I am trying very hard, but if stellar prose and the ability to express your ideas and characters do not come naturally, forcing them does no good. Why can't I write as well as that anymore? Did I put more effort then? Was I more engrossed into my work? Am I getting lazy to push myself to the last edge of my talent? Really hat's the reason? Does anyone else go through the same problem?

Why was the word 'very' invented then?

Thanks everyone! And, Ashi, I am actually 22. Somehow GayAuthors did not update my age, so I am stuck at 19 here (good to stay young, right? )

There is already one topic about getting too descriptive with words in describing a scenery -- so I want to distinguish my one from that one in the sense that here, I am talking about excessive description pertaining to characters' mental state. I have this problem. I go to lengths to describe the characters' thoughts, emotions and everything. I just can't help (writing anything less seems ... unfinished). But an even bigger problem is I lack a good vocabulary, so, I end up using the same words and phrases and descriptions in describing what's going inside my characters' minds. The most horrifying thing is, I have a feeling that my work is reading more and more like a Stephanie Meyer's work. Yuck, I know. My question to writers: how do you describe a characters' mental state with clarity and depth without going overboard? How to shorten the descriptions but still say a lot? Sometimes less is more, and a few words, maybe only dialogues without the unnecessary descriptions can be very effective. But being effective despite being concise is also very difficult. For readers - does excessive descriptions regarding a characters' mental state bother you? Do you often think: "Oh, the author went overboard. Only the dialogues would have been effective enough? Why is the writer spelling every little detail to me as if I can't interpret and imagine things my own way?" (Oh I also think I am going overboard in describing this topic, lol)

Living In Surreality by Shadowgod. I haven't read many stories, unfortunately.

I wish I could draw ... but ... unfortunately, I can't. Not even 'badly'. I just can't. But my protagonist kinda looks like Logan Lerman

I am taking a middle-ground here. Suppose I have 30 scenes: Scene 1, scene 2, scene 3, ... , scene 30. Writing completely randomly would be like writing scene 5, then scene 9, then scene 20, scene 2, etc (no pattern) Writing completely sequenctially would be to write scene 1, scene 2, scene 3, ... , scene 30. I am writing like: scene 1, then scene 2, then scene 4, then scene 3, then scene 5, then scene 6, then scene 8, then scene 7. Basically I am writing sequentially with a bit of randomness sometimes ;P

What word/phrase can I use for: "seemed to change etc" and "all of a sudden / suddenly"? 'Cause I keep using these again and again, and don't know any alternative.

And you forgot to mention that more than 2/3rd of the show was about specific case-of-the-weeks (monster of the week in XF terminology) which does not need more resolutions than that were provided. Yes, the on-going story-arc (the whole govt. conspiracy thing) was muddled up from the very start, but XF is not considered a classic for that reason. The level of creativity, acting, making and innovations shown in the MOTWs (at least 30-40 great MOTWs) is still hard to catch on TV. I watched XF in 2012-2013, so it's not like I have some childhood bias or something. Plus, I have seen a hell lot of TV shows, from the popular ones like Lost, Game of Thrones, Dexter and Battlestar Galactica to even the cult, unrecognized ones, and I can almost bet that XF is still timely. Also you need to put things into the context of its time. It was the 90s. At its time, shows weren't released on video cassettes afaik (DVDs haven't appeared) so the need to put a consistent mythology wasn't there as people rarely watched the same thing twice and most couldn't remember what things happened 5 years before. Things like its cinematography, storytelling, execution of ideas, acting, voice narration, overall making are still hard to catch. And yes, I am a huge huge fan of Gillian Anderson. She's doing The Fall season 3, X Files and Hannibal. Woohoo!!!

Fear is in the mind. So the psychological impact is far more important than the appearance of the zombie or monster.

I am looking forward to a short story or novella -- nothing that exceeds the 50, 000 mark. The horror could be supernatural or psychological, but it should be 'believable. I usually like horror stories that take place in a rural, forest-ish place with with a great detail to the atmosphere along with the characters' psychology. Of course it's a gay story so must have ... gay characters (but that goes without saying ) Btw, I once -- a very long time ago actually -- read a short STORY about a couple who goes into a village or someplace like that, and get cursed and all that, but in the end, survives. I have been trying to find it with futile result. That's all that I can remember though. The author wrote many other short story on the horror genre if I am not wrong. And it was either hosted or promising author. Can someone find it out for me? At least give me names of such authors here at goodreads.

When an author is too high-brow, too sophisticated, to verbose and seems to spend a lot of time talking about philosophical issues etc we often end up labeling that author 'pretentious', 'trying too damn hard to impress', etc. But obviously that's not always the case. Sometimes the writing maybe beyond our level, but that doesn't mean the author was just trying to impress by word-play. Maybe there are really deeper meanings and philosophical issues involved. So my question is when does a writing star feeling pretentious instead of feeling genuine and real? I have so much interest in philosophy and theology type of subjects that I know my writing will have them in the background. Will my writing then look just as pretentious? My question is, how to write about ... esoteric subjects without reading pretentious and showy? [Also, as a sidenote, I think the pretentious is a bit overused. People use it all the time talking about critically acclaimed movies and books that they didn't personally like]

Yeah, I have always preferred reading character-driven books as opposed to plot-driven or story-driven ones... I think strong characterization can easily overcome many other weaknesses of authors.

Also for those who think a tragic ending/ tragic story can't be romantic, I'd suggest you to read "AT SWIM, TWO BOYS."

For someone dealing with ADHD, writing a novel sequentially, and all the extensive plannings and preparations I have to do, is close to impossible. So I am following the 'write whatever part comes to your mind'. My novel is more of a character-driven novel anyway, so it's not that I have to plan a lot of the story beforehand anyway. I have the most of the characters made up in my mind, and I am writing conversations, certain parts of the novels that is coming more easily to me now. I will see where the story takes me, and once the story has reached a certain level, I will write the basic plot / sequence of events, and then rewrite the story again. So that's my style of writing. I can't think of planning the whole thing in my mind or a piece of paper in sequence before starting writing. To me, the development comes with writing it, and the story should take life of its own, and once it has, then I can plan and prepare the story for rewriting to make it perfect. Anyone else follow this strategy? Just wanted to know.

While I agree that a 'happily ever after' ending is not a necessity of romance novels (though it could be a major marketing necessity in a few subcategories of the 'romance' genre), I disagree with the implication that happy endings in novels are unrealistic. In our lives we have moments of great happiness and sadness. Life is a journey and you face both the polarities and all that is in between as you go. A novel with a happy ending just 'ends' at a happy time in the characters' lives, and doesn't go on to show the remaining span of the characters' lives which may have very well been tragic... I can understand the issue with 'forcing' a happy ending in an otherwise serious-and-tragic-moody novel, but if the happy ending fits the overall tone of the novel, then I don't see the problem. In fact, I'd say, a lot of the so-called tear-jerker-and-misery-porn novels and movies are equally unrealistic. Haven't gone through the whole thread, sorry if I am repetitive.

How many of you majored in literature or language? For those of us aspiring writers, won't an actual degree in writing, literature or anything similar help? I mean, the advantages of taking a real degree in writing will obviously exceed that of taking a few online courses or just knowing the craft through some self-help websites. While a lot of big authors are self-taught, I think a real degree in writing or literature would help a lot more. So I was wondering, how many of you people have a degree in writing or lit.? I am studying a subject that is completely different from any of 'em -- so I was wondering, if I should do a minor or something in English when I go abroad. Or should I be satisfied learning things from the net. Because I think taking an actual degree will make me more determined and motivated and help me learn my flaws and strengths as there will be people to monitor me, and real people to learn lessons from; but at the same time, a new degree requires so much hard work and money. Thanks.

Khaled Hossein's A Thousand Splendid Suns change the (first person) POV between its 2 main characters, and do it effortlessly.

^ And I also take it that Steve is not finishing Dreams and Clipped Wings, anymore? That's OK -- he's a life to lead, it's easy for us to just gulp down the stories, but very difficult (in the sense of disciplining and preparing yourself) to write. Considering that he leads a busy life, I suppose I understand why.

OK! I hope he's happy. He's a good person.

Does anyone know what happened to Shadowgod (Steve)? He was my favorite writer here.

The weather is fucking crazy here. It's supposed to be the time of transition b/w winter and spring, but it's colder than it has been in years. And it was raining a while back. WTF is going on? Well, I am not complaining.

Does gloryhole really exist, or is it just another ridiculous concept created for pornography?

Considering that being a gay is a different social experience than being a straight (for the majority of people), it makes sense why there can include dialogues like 'I am gay', and also long passages where characters are questioning their sexuality, or talking excessively about them.

Loved the add, and the way they depicted intimacy and love. But I agree this is more like an NGO or pro-LGBT organization making a marriage equality add or something similar. But still, a very beautiful add in itself.