1. Asmodeus83

    Asmodeus83 Member

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    Lost beginner

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by Asmodeus83, Aug 2, 2015.

    So i shelved my novel idea cause i read a nice piece on how beginners should write short stories so there is a quicker turn around between posting, feedback and improvement. Ie if your heading in the wrong direction or making mistakes they can be corrected quicker...

    Anyway since shelving the novel i feel lost, i know i SHOULD be writing short novels but i dont know where to start...any advice or ressources on writing exercises for beginners would be greatly appreciated...?

    Thank you :)
     
  2. Aaron Smith

    Aaron Smith Banned Contributor

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    Telling writers what they should do will leave us with a generation of writers who all talk the same.
    Read and write. That is all you need to do.
     
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  3. Song

    Song Active Member

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    You can do both, you can have your main project and your side project. Writing a book is a long process and you have to re-write it a few times, so if you are writing it and practicing with short stories you should be developing along the way.
     
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  4. Asmodeus83

    Asmodeus83 Member

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    Thats really helpful ty guys :D
     
  5. The Mad Regent

    The Mad Regent Senior Member

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    I concur with @Aaron Smith. It's that simple.

    Learn from reading, and write until you find your voice and produce a piece of work you're happy with.

    Don't bog yourself down with the theoretical side of writing. There is no special method or grand plan that'll turn you into Philip Roth, but there is a 'standard.'
     
  6. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    If novels are what you want to write, it's not necessarily better to start with short stories. They're a different form. Write what you want to write.
     
  7. Stacy C

    Stacy C Banned

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    I agree with the 'write what you want to write' advice, but I think writing short stories helps to keep your prose compact and to the point.
     
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  8. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    It may, but if you're writing a novel your prose doesn't have to be compact and to the point. Again, it's a different form and it allows much more latitude for asides, prose that takes its time, has a different structure, etc. So if that's what you want to write, writing short stories first may not do you as much good as just going straight for writing novels.
     
  9. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    I'm not sure novels don't have the focus on compact writing. What about Hemingway? He always packs quite a lot into his prose, even in his longest novel. Novels certainly allow you more room, but I'm not sure not making in-novel prose as tight and compact as possible is good advice.

    Mind, it depends on the novel too. Someone like Nabokov or Hemingway can pack a lot in, but they have a lot to say. Someone like Jodi Pakard or Tess Gerritson or whatever might not have the worry, and just need to focus on telling their story naturally in a way that keeps their readers's minds on the scene being described.
     
  10. Stacy C

    Stacy C Banned

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    Mine does, and prose I want to read is, but we can disagree about that and still be friends.
     
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  11. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I suppose it depend on how you define "compact," and whether it is just in relation to the story and action, or the writer's message and other considerations. I like Conrad. I wouldn't consider his prose particularly compact. Gormenghast, from which my user name is derived, certainly isn't. But Peake's long descriptive passages and extensive use of wording to create imagery fit in perfectly with the idea of this ancient, ponderous castle as almost being a character is its own right, and it sets the tone for the story.
     
  12. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    A lot of the stuff the reader works with in Conrad is based on fine details and images I suppose. Whereas someone like Joyce is doing something totally different - his work is really compact. I think it depends entirely on your goals as a writer ultimately.
     

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