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A.F. wrote: "Jodie wrote: "Hi, I'm looking for some advice - I'm trying to make a start on my first novel, but I'm unsure of the setting. I am not well travelled (at all!) so feel a bit anxious trying to write ..."
Thanks for your reply! I want to use the type of village I grew up in as a setting but don't want to use the real place names, in case people think I've based characters on them! (It's a very tiny village!) So maybe a small village in Wales with a made up name could work? Thanks for the advice :)
Thanks for your reply! I want to use the type of village I grew up in as a setting but don't want to use the real place names, in case people think I've based characters on them! (It's a very tiny village!) So maybe a small village in Wales with a made up name could work? Thanks for the advice :)
Mod
Yes, that should work fine.
Jodie wrote: "Hi, I'm looking for some advice - I'm trying to make a start on my first novel, but I'm unsure of the setting. I am not well travelled (at all!) so feel a bit anxious trying to write about places I..."I think making up a location or making the location ambiguous could work out brilliantly (Saramago's Blindness comes to mind) but I also think any location can be a great setting for a book if done properly. I think the important thing is to find what is interesting or distinctive about your setting and use that to your story's advantage. Having never been to Wales I can't say much about what that should be, but every place has its own distinctive feel. Make that work for you.
Hey, looking for any pointers you guys have on writing in general. How to develop ideas, have a killer opening, great endings, creating amazing characters, etc. Thanks-H
Mod
My advice, get another writer (or writers) with a bit more experience critique some of your writing. If you're open to listening to their dissection, you can learn a lot.
Hey! How do you deal with insecurities when writing? Lately I've been unable to get anything proper down because I'm insecure about my writing. I feel like I'm not good enough. And it gets worse when I showcase what I've written to friends and family. The insecurity, along with shame for not being good enough is beginning to cause a problem, and I can feel the writers block slowly creep closer.
Lantern wrote: "Hey! How do you deal with insecurities when writing?"
I push them aside and use deadlines. It's not easy and it is sometimes accompanied by dry phases, where I don't want to write anything and permanently procrastinate (which also can be good, taking breaks is not a bad thing!). But if I have a deadline before me - either for sending off a competition entry or something just for my Blog - I know it has to be finished at that point. Even if I'm still insecure about my writings, I make myself push those "send" or "publish" buttons. (As I will now do with a story for a competition)
All the best to you!
Mod
How do you deal with insecurities when writing? Lately I've been unable to get anything proper down because I'm insecure about my writing. I feel like I'm not good enough. And it gets worse w..."
First thing you have to do is keep telling yourself writers get better with practice. Every first draft of anything a writer puts down on paper is not ready. You need to write that first draft knowing it will need work and that's okay. A good story comes with editing.
Second, get some other writers' opinions on your work, not just friends and family. You need a friendly critical critique to offer opinions on what works and what doesn't, and ideas on how to improve. I've been doing this writing thing for several years and I still ask advice from other writers when I'm stuck.
And third, remember that you never know what a reader will like. I've had stuff I thought was weak resonate with readers, and stuff I've loved ignored. So you never know.
Very true, and reader's opinions are like snowflakes-no two are said to be exactly alike.
Poisonpainter wrote: "Lantern wrote: "Hey! How do you deal with insecurities when writing?"
I push them aside and use deadlines. It's not easy and it is sometimes accompanied by dry phases, where I don't want to write ..."
Thank you! May I ask what competition you wrote your story for?
Lantern wrote: "Thank you! May I ask what competition you wrote your story for? "I'm not sure this is the right place to discuss this, but it was for a competition, where you had to write about a day in DEATHs life - not the Discworld one, but still supposed to talk in capital letters.
Citation formatting query:I am currently putting together a book of my poetry spanning some 50-odd years. A number of the poems have been previously published in newspapers, journals, etc.
Is it best practice to note where and when these were originally published in the book back matter? On the page the poem appears as a footnote?
Thanks for any assistance with my question!
Assuming these were all your own poems I shouldn't think it would matter; but perhaps you could consult legal advice to be on the safe side.
Mod
I am currently putting together a book of my poetry spanning some 50-odd years. A number of the poems have been previously published in newspapers, journals, etc.
Is i..."
Generally you see previously published reprint notices for collections (at least with short stories, but I would assume it is the same with poetry) on the copyright page.
I'm not an expert on publishing, but I am an avid reader of all things including poetry. I believe that most of the time I see credits for previous publication in the frontal matter of the book. I think I usually see it listed on a page after the copyright page or mentioned in the foreward. Hopefully you still own rights to the poems.
I have been published by large and small presses, self-pubbed in print and Kindle only, been a panelist at some book cons. Over the years, there are a few pieces of advice that I will pass along:1. Publishing is a business, it is not a charity or your personal creative outlet. Treat your interactions with a publisher, editor or agent in a businesslike manner.
2. There are only three models of book publishing: 1. traditional, where you write the ms, submit it to an agent or editor, get a contract and an advance and/or a royalty schedule and they edit, design, distribute the book. 2. Self publishing - you write the ms, take care of edit, design, publicity and distribution or hire someone to do it. Kindle has streamlined this model to some degree. 3. Work for hire - someone hires you to write a book, pays you a flat fee, but it is their book. Ghost writing is a form of work for hire.
3. There is no such thing a "writers' block".
4.Manners matter. Your interactions with people representing your book, publishing your book, stocking your book and buying your book should always be polite. In this day and age, that includes keeping your social media posts civil, and I would even suggest you are careful about how you review the books of others.
5. Follow directions: if an agent or publisher tells you when they are reading, what they are looking for, what they require in a submission, even in what font they want to see the submission, follow those instructions to the letter.
6. Your first draft is supposed to be bad. The only purpose of a first draft is to give you something material so that you can begin writing.
7. Don't write what you feel, feel what you write; don't write what you know, know what you write.
If this thread is still active, I hope someone here can assist me. I'm having a bizarre glitch in Word 2013, and could use advice about dealing with it. I have a vague memory of having the same problem years ago, though possibly with an earlier version of Word.
I'm formatting a paperback, and use section breaks between chapters and after the first page or two of the chapter in order to avoid having headers on the first pages of chapters. I accidentally inserted a "section break - even page" when I should have inserted a "section break - odd page." I'm attempting to fix this. All goes well past the point of the original mistake, where I deleted the incorrect section break, inserted the correct one, and redid the headers in the following section. A couple of pages further along, however, when I try to insert another section break, it somehow wipes out the headers on the previous section. Any clues on what is causing this and how I avoid it??
Mod
I'm having a bizarre glitch in Word 2013, and could use advice about dealing with it. I have a vague memory of having the same pr..."
It's been a while since I formatted a paperback in Word, but I believe there is a thing you check to disconnect sections in the headers. It stops the formatting from rolling over from the previous section or vice versa.
I've been using that, but either that function or some other related function hasn't been behaving as it should, and as it usually does.A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "If this thread is still active, I hope someone here can assist me.
I'm having a bizarre glitch in Word 2013, and could use advice about dealing with it. I have a vague memory of havi..."
Mod
A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "If this thread is still active, ..."
I believe I used Section break- Next page instead odd or even and unclicked link to previous in the headers to get mine to work. I've switched over to InDesign for formatting, so I haven't done this for a few years.
I've used the odd/even section breaks rather than have a section break for every page, as I have different headers for odd and even pages. It's the blank headers at the beginning of chapters that make for the complexities.How long did it take you to get used to using InDesign?
A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "I've been using that, but either that function or some other related function hasn't been behaving as it should, and as it usually does.
A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "If this thread is ..."
Mod
It took me about a week or so and several YouTube videos. The thing I like about InDesign is you can set up a template and reuse it for each book. I just swap out images for chapter headings and tidy up the formatting where needed.
I am not sure where I should post this or ask for helps so, if you know where I should post this instead it would be appreciated.I am currently dealing with writers block and can not seem to figure out a dialogue scene. All four of my characters who are adventurers are going for dinner at a pub. three of them just met my Main character that day. Where in the world should I start with their conversation?
Mod
I am currently dealing with writers block and can not seem to figu..."
Maybe the issue is the conversation itself. If they just met, then perhaps you need to start with an awkward scene full of stares, pauses and silence, and fumbling small talk. You can interrupt this with the waitress/barmaid taking their order, and then slide into a more natural conversation. Maybe two of them like the same food or type of ale. Maybe someone orders something unusual and gets teased about it.
I am having a bit of writer's block. I am trying to have an inner monologue with my main character on a hunting quest with her party; out to find some wolves. What would she think about? what would she describe? what would they talk about?
Mod
Inner monologues are good for expressing emotions. Is she excited, afraid, or unhappy?
But what would they talk about? How should I describe the setting?
Mod
Inner monologuing is generally for describing inner feelings and thoughts, setting doesn't usually come into it. If you want her to be commenting on the surroundings or scenery, maybe you might be better served if you turned it into a dialogue scene between her and another hunter.
Writers and Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Twin-Bred (other topics)Fantasy Encyclopedia (other topics)
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The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic (other topics)
I think it would depend on how far you pushed the make believe. A made up town in a real country, for instance, wouldn't raise many eyebrows, but a made up country that would be iffy, in my opinion. And personally, I think Wales would make a nice setting for a novel.