What are your general writing hot takes?

[ElijahRyne]

I just got dejavu. I can almost swear there was a hot take thread about writing recently.

Maybe…?

 

[PancakesWitch]

Most stories here on SH would benefit massively from having a minimum of 5-10 pages of world and character development/introduction before the inciting incident(s), and if it has multiple pov’s this will have to be repeated. Otherwise, like it does to some extent now, it will feel like most characters/worlds in most stories are unimportant, and different stories will feel like they use the same unresponsive/cliche characters/worlds just with different names in different plots.

The argument that then the pacing would be too slow, is moot and missing the point. You can have character and world interactions that are interesting. Of course a 10 page exposition dump is boring and a mistake, but that is not what I am saying. Take some time and show, through the interactions between the characters and the world that they inhabit, who and what those characters and the world is. And if you think that is too much of a risk tease some action in a prologue.

What are yours?

i guess this shift has to do with reader preferences changing over time. before beginnings like these were always a must to keep readers interested, but now it is considered boring, most readers are tired of "beginnings" and they always want everything to start from the middle because they have already read a lot of stories with a "beginning", get it? also reader's attention is null, so if you dont show them action and tension right away, theyre usually not going to bother even reading the second page. so we've come to the point where the action and tension begins before the story itself, and then the world building is usually introduced midway through, or sometimes even at the end of the conflict lol

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

A terrible or mediocre writer that can write a beginning, a middle and an end, will always be superior to a great author that never wrote an ending or end books by just dropping them.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

A terrible or mediocre writer that can write a beginning, a middle and an end, will always be superior to a great author that never wrote an ending or end books by just dropping them.

Shot to the heart!!
And you’re to blame!!

 

[ZukoMee]

The "show dont tell" line is mostly bullshit used by pseudo-intellectuals who want to sound smart.

Theres a time to be descriptive and maybe flowery, but its a novel not a movie. Dont overly focus on trying to be deep and meaningful with every sentence.

Been saying this for years. I now automatically tune out ANYONE who gives this bullshit advice when asked for tips on how to improve because I just know that deep down, if they believe this nonsensical advice is anything more than empty substance, I have little I could learn from them in the first place.

 

[CSDestroyer]

All stories without vampires should not be allowed.

The monkey's paw curls. I shall now exclusively write stories featuring vampires that are comically evil antagonists.

Suffer porn stories are the opposite Mary sues and equally bad. The suffering should have meaning and be used to grow the character, not just make their life horrible.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Been saying this for years. I now automatically tune out ANYONE who gives this bullshit advice when asked for tips on how to improve because I just know that deep down, if they believe this nonsensical advice is anything more than empty substance, I have little I could learn from them in the first place.

Or at least if you are giving the advice provide examples. Nobody knows what the words mean on their own. It’s a fat nothing burger.

The monkey's paw curls. I shall now exclusively write stories featuring vampires that are comically evil antagonists.

Even that would be acceptable. The odds of me reading your story without them are slim to none.

 

[Corty]

I think they should be automatically marked as on hiatus…

When people constantly open threads why are their uploaded books ain't on the first page immediately, they need to learn the consequences of not using the site’s features and the inability to read fine print. Delete it.

 

[CSDestroyer]

Or at least if you are giving the advice provide examples. Nobody knows what the words mean on their own. It’s a fat nothing burger.

Been saying this for years. I now automatically tune out ANYONE who gives this bullshit advice when asked for tips on how to improve because I just know that deep down, if they believe this nonsensical advice is anything more than empty substance, I have little I could learn from them in the first place.

I've always seen it described as the difference between "His arm hurt" and "His arm burned like it was on fire". Or something along those lines: Make a generic description more specific.

I've also seen an interpretation that uses it as a way to nudge the reader to a specific conclusion, rather than saying it outright. The protagonist lives in a trailer park, he drives a 2003 Honda Civic that's overdue for an oil change and tire rotation, he's just gotten home to a notice of late rent payment on his front door, he eats instant noodles for dinner. Saying that he's poor/broke conveys the same information, the former just says it without directly saying it.

Even that would be acceptable. The odds of me reading your story without them are slim to none.

Weird tangential question: How 'vampire' does a vampire-adjacent species need to be for you to consider it a vampire?

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I've always seen it described as the difference between "His arm hurt" and "His arm burned like it was on fire". Or something along those lines: Make a generic description more specific.

I've also seen an interpretation that uses it as a way to nudge the reader to a specific conclusion, rather than saying it outright. The protagonist lives in a trailer park, he drives a 2003 Honda Civic that's overdue for an oil change and tire rotation, he's just gotten home to a notice of late rent payment on his front door, he eats instant noodles for dinner. Saying that he's poor/broke conveys the same information, the former just says it without directly saying it.


Weird tangential question: How 'vampire' does a vampire-adjacent species need to be for you to consider it a vampire?

It needs to be a vampire. Blood sucking and sexy.

 

[Corty]

Prologues are part of every book. Just because you named it Chapter 1, does not mean you don't have a prologue.

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

Book Writers should stop talking about "show, don't tell", for or against. Stop. It's a toy for screenwriters, it's for movies. For writing scripts. Leave it alone.

Stay in your lane, nerds!

 

[ElijahRyne]

Book Writers should stop talking about "show, don't tell", for or against. Stop. It's a toy for screenwriters, it's for movies. For writing scripts. Leave it alone.

Stay in your lane, nerds!

What of playwrights?

 

[Corty]

Book Writers should stop talking about "show, don't tell", for or against. Stop. It's a toy for screenwriters, it's for movies. For writing scripts. Leave it alone.

Stay in your lane, nerds!

Finally, someone said it!

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

What of playwrights?

Yeah playwright too.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Book Writers should stop talking about "show, don't tell", for or against. Stop. It's a toy for screenwriters, it's for movies. For writing scripts. Leave it alone.

Stay in your lane, nerds!

Shut up, dweeb! I will demote you to a Generic.LowerDemon

 

[Corty]

Detailing stats and skill screens in novels are nothing but word-count-boosting strategies without any real merit to the story.

Nobody will remember those and nobody will come back, checking even after a chapter later. They are useless no matter how hard anyone tries and copes.

 

[ElijahRyne]

Detailing stats and skill screens in novels are nothing but word-count-boosting strategies without any real merit to the story.

Nobody will remember those and nobody will come back, checking even after a chapter later. They are useless no matter how hard anyone tries and copes.

Agreed, now pair 300+ words of that with a screen reader and random foreign characters that change the voice, then you will understand why I dislike them. Especially when only 1-2 words change and the author uses it as an excuse to post a giant table that was seen 200 words earlier…

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Detailing stats and skill screens in novels are nothing but word-count-boosting strategies without any real merit to the story.

Nobody will remember those and nobody will come back, checking even after a chapter later. They are useless no matter how hard anyone tries and copes.

Big number go brrrrr

 

[CSDestroyer]

Detailing stats and skill screens in novels are nothing but word-count-boosting strategies without any real merit to the story.

Nobody will remember those and nobody will come back, checking even after a chapter later. They are useless no matter how hard anyone tries and copes.

LitRPG is probably not the genre for me, as I've also grown tired of video game mechanics within stories, especially if the premise of the story itself does not necessarily call for it. Only exceptions I find that I somewhat like are satirical or parodic ones that involve characters figuring out how to disgustingly minmax like a speedrunner.

One could only wonder what was going through Dr. Breen's mind when Gordon Freeman went from being discovered to obliterating the Combine in the span of 30 minutes.

Big number go brrrrr

I wonder at what point it becomes redundant, when you can start measuring the power of characters in supermassive black holes? Only so many zeroes you can add at the end of a number.