chapter 1 at a time

Started by marcotres June 12th, 2010 3:32 AM
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  • 16 replies
Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
i made this because when ever i try to type up one of my storyies i just can finish typing and i have so many storyies e.g. school from hell, walking alone, gore story (i couldn't think of a good name for it) and many more.
i have not put the first chapter of one of them because if anyone thinks it's a bad idea or agrease with me then say

Daydream

Boo.

Age 29
Male
That thar Kingdom. The United one.
Seen July 2nd, 2020
Posted June 27th, 2018
702 posts
13.7 Years
Why do you need to do everything all at once? You can write stories in stages and take breathers in between, it's no good forcing yourself to do something if your brain doesn't want to co-operate. When you start writing something just write until you feel you can't write anymore and stop, then come back to it later.

I don't think any stories out there are written all at once so just take your time and allow everything to come naturally, that way what you've written won't come out awkward and forced.
Noble Magic
Courtly intrigue; may contain lightning bolts and necromancy.
Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
Why do you need to do everything all at once? You can write stories in stages and take breathers in between, it's no good forcing yourself to do something if your brain doesn't want to co-operate. When you start writing something just write until you feel you can't write anymore and stop, then come back to it later.

I don't think any stories out there are written all at once so just take your time and allow everything to come naturally, that way what you've written won't come out awkward and forced.
i write by hand then type and i just can't type so much at once
plus i write it all in one paragrauph

KajiVenator

The Flame Huntzman

Age 30
Male
California
Seen 2 Weeks Ago
Posted October 27th, 2018
182 posts
13.4 Years
Before you post something, make sure to check your spelling and punctuation. Those are both very important to a writer. And don't even get me started on how important grammar is...
Torchic, the cute Pokemon.





KajiVenator, a.k.a. Mackinz
Discord: Mackinz#1900
Age 30
Male
Surprise, Arizona
Seen October 6th, 2010
Posted August 3rd, 2010
49 posts
12.9 Years
i write by hand then type and i just can't type so much at once
plus i write it all in one paragrauph
Maybe you should make that one paragraph into multiple paragraphs. That way it will be easier to read and follow

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
i write by hand then type and i just can't type so much at once
Again, why do you have to type it all out at once? Like Daydream said, you can take breaks every so often, rather than try to get it all on the computer in one go. This is especially true due to two factors:

1. You're supposed to write your story in a word processor, not the post reply/new thread box. That way, you can save your work periodically (without having to post it) and come back to it when you're ready to keep going. Delusions of Originality compiled a list of word processors here that you should probably check out in case you can't use Microsoft Word (or whatever should be built into your computer) for one reason or another.

2. You already have it written out anyway. So, technically, your ideas are already down on the paper, meaning you don't have to worry about losing anything if you just save, get up, and take a break.

I'm not sure what writing everything in one paragraph has to do with anything, considering your main concern seems to be the fact that you can't get everything done all at once. On the other hand, it was also difficult to figure out what your main concern was because, um...

Let's just say KajiVenator's got a good point.
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Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
i do take break but don't have much time to do so and why i write it is because i have lots of things to do so i carry round loads and loads of paper. here is not even a chapter of my gore story only a tiny bit i wrote for my friend and sorry about all the spelling mistackes i did type this on word but don't know what half the words it though meant but enjoy the gorey-ness.

As the night fell and sight fell one man walked alone with only the sound of footstep eco-ed down the road then the darkness in front went with one man in its place until two others from behind with his path blocked from all side by the men he asked "what this serposed to be" then one replied "this is your end" then quickly drawed his knife that was a normal kitten knife then swong the knife at his throat but he dodged with a quick jump back but the man dont give but and tryied again but the same happened again but on the thrid try the unarmed man stopped the knife with a quick arm block. arm to arm but he dont stop there he swong his right arm up then down on the other man's arm and pulled the bone out of his arm that flopped down in seconds "he broke my arm" cryied the man "i dont brake it i destroried it" replied the man then the other two drawed a blade each. "oh so you two want some as well" said the man as the next man lunged for a head stab the man slid to his left avoiding the attack then grab the mans arm, punched his ribs in then uppercuted him in the mouth with a huge smashing of bones and the finish him a kick to the leg's side and then a snap with the blood rushing out and the bone sticking out and the man crying the last guy shocked by the power from on man thought that if he runs then i will be hunted down so did a blind chest stab. the man doged it and rapped his arm around the blade, grabbed the man's hand and twisted it around till it broke of then to seal the deal a spinnal smash of power that broke the man's leg. "it was your own chose to attack me and now you payed for it" said the only man standing

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
i do take break but don't have much time to do so
If you saved, you should really have all the time in the world. As in, if you save your story offline and came back to it every so often, you should come up with a chapter a week no problem. On the other hand, I've also heard of kids who would post a chapter a year or a chapter every few months (not that I would particularly recommend it).

So, yeah. If you want to do it, you should actually have time to do it. No one says you need to have a chapter out a day or even a week. Take your time. Do it in little bits and pieces. Post when you're finished. No one is going to demand that you finish your chapter as soon as possible, and if someone does, kick them in the shins.

On to your story, I really couldn't get through it, to be honest. First off, you need a beta reader (which you can find by looking at the stickies of this forum). I'm sorry to say this, but grammar, spelling, presentation, and so on and so forth are actually very important to your story. They make things easier to read for a reader, and they make it easier for that reader to take you seriously.

For example, while you're trying to portray a very dark and serious matter, you end up saying this:

kitten knife
When you meant this:

kitchen knife

So I end up thinking of this:



Not only that, but because there's practically no punctuation in this paragraph and because some of the sentences look like they're mostly stream-of-consciousness, it's hard to get a good image of what's going on. Following the kitten knife, here's what I'm imagining:

1. The attacker (A) attempted to slit the throat of the unarmed man (UM), but the UM dodged twice.
2. The UM blocked the knife attack, but the attacker kept going. Insert a few more arm blocks here.
3. The UM swung his arm up and hit the A with a vague attack which somehow managed to pull the bone... completely out of the man's arm?

Right about here is where I'd like to point out that research is always a good thing. Even if you don't think you have time to do it, it's a good idea to try even ten minutes of research on Google to avoid doing something that might be a bit cartoonish. For example, you can't pull a bone out of an arm, and an unarmed strike doesn't split an arm open. What happens when you have a broken arm is...
Spoiler:
...the bone fractures or -- if your arm happens to actually be a sledgehammer -- shatters within the flesh. At the most gruesome, you might have a bone poking out of the skin, but it depends on how the bone was actually broken. Open or compound fractures (the kind that occur when the bone is poking out of the skin) tend to only occur if you fall, get involved in a car accident or something similar, or happen to be a professional football player. Joking aside, yeah, you'd need to induce a lot of trauma to the injury to get an open fracture out of it.

But either way, yeah, you can't pull a bone out of an arm. Bones are sort of attached to muscles and other bones through a whole plethora of different tissues. It's a lot like trying to pull a screw out without a screwdriver.


In general, yeah, it was hard for me to take seriously because, well, you really do need to take your time if you actually want to write. Beyond that point, the violence seemed gratuitous -- as in, it was violent for the sake of being violent. More specifically, however, it seemed like it was violent for the sake of making one guy seem badass. While I have no problem with gore in writing (*motions again to her fic*), it just seemed over-the-top. It was like watching a Jackie Chan movie, only with Chan's usual quirky I-am-a-kung-fu-geek personality turned down and more "I'm trying to be badass."

That and there's really no plot to it. The unarmed guy gets attacked for literally no reason. It's not even really a mugging. It just sort of happens out of nowhere. You don't really describe anyone in this scene, so it's hard to really picture these guys going at it. On top of that, you don't really set a stage or let us know even on a vague level who these characters are, so it's harder to want to actually root for one person or another. In general, it's just a random, one-sided fight. The guy gets attacked. The guy breaks out a can of kung-fu. The fight's over. Not much to see, really. *shrug*

So, in other words:

1. Get a beta.
2. Check your spelling and grammar before submitting. It matters.
3. Slow down, even if you think you can't.
4. Don't write gratuitously violent scenes that seem to revolve around making one character look cool. There's more to fiction writing than that. Let us know who these characters are and make them struggle for the victory. Even in kung-fu movies, it's hard to figure out who would come out on top. And, well, we're also given a reason behind why the fight is going down.
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Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
i did type this on word but don't know what half the words it though meant
I'm not sure what this means. You typed this on Word, and...? The program wasn't sure what you meant? You didn't know what the program meant?

Also, since you did supposedly write this on Word (or Wordpad? Because Word's spell-check would cause squiggly red lines under the words spelled wrong so you could correct them by right-clicking and choosing the correct option. But Wordpad doesn't have spell-check), you can very easily save your work so that you can take breaks while writing. All you have to do is go to File, then down to Save. The first time you do, you'll have to give a name to your document. But afterward, it'll very easily save it for you.

Believe me. I understand what you mean when you have so much to write about, you carry paper with you wherever you go. But still, you can take a break while writing, whether it's on paper or to the computer. In fact, it's a given. No one is expected to write a multi-page chapter without taking a break in-between. (Some people do do that, but...)

i write by hand then type and i just can't type so much at once
See, I'm the same way. I write my stories all to paper first. But even then I take breaks. I write however many pages, and stop for the day, where I pick up again the next day.

And yes, my chapters are long. But when I type, I type a few pages at a time, or only for an hour (because my wrists are bad), save my work, and take a break.

You are allowed to take breaks too.

I also agree with Jax's points about grammar and spelling. A beta reader would help you a lot to make your story readable.

I'm not really sure where I was going with this post, though.

Avatar credit: Fairy
Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
to answer most question i will and have been i write storys while im in school (when i have a good idea or when im bored) then i have moments when a friend asks if i can make a gore story (or what ever) and i start typing like crazy and dont have time to check my spelling and everything else and what i meant by i don't get the word is that when i read then on word (when using spell check) i dont know what the words it has given me to chose from. there pritty much all questions answered and heres a question for anyone to say yes. does anyone who have posted on this (apart from me) live in england, portsmouth if so then where

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
dont have time to check my spelling and everything else
Why don't you have time to spell check and send it through a beta, though? No one's pointing a gun to your head and telling you to post your work here at a certain date and time. I guess I could understand wanting to finish up quickly for your friend, but we're not the people who requested it. We're not demanding to see it right now or anything like that. You really do have all the time in the world to fix it up before posting it here. (And you can certainly edit your story after sending it to a friend.)

Look. You want to write. That's great. However, to be a writer, you need to know that you can't rush writing. You need to take your time, save, and make sure everything looks good/is readable/whatever before you share it with the public. Stuff like that paragraph you gave us would normally be blown off by readers because, well, it's not particularly readable. I'm not blowing it off, though, because I happen to be stubborn. Also, because you seem to be asking for help. (I think, anyway.)

Or, in short terms, if you want to write, you'll have the time to fix it up before posting. Period. No exceptions. 'Cause you want your writing to be readable.

and what i meant by i don't get the word is that when i read then on word (when using spell check) i dont know what the words it has given me to chose from.
Use a dictionary?

does anyone who have posted on this (apart from me) live in england, portsmouth if so then where
You're... English. And your writing...

I...

Huh.
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Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
i will pritty much repeat my self i don't know what half the words it say mean and that means me bad reader and dont understand so i spell how i think they are spelt and i don't have time because of some many storys and this is while i need to do something. now i will lisen to KH while writing more on my first story and one last thing can i have no argments because today is my birthday and help me by thinking of epic worroir names for guys and girls

Azurne

The Local Trickster

Age 33
Female
Seen August 19th, 2011
Posted August 16th, 2011
78 posts
14.5 Years
i will pritty much repeat my self i don't know what half the words it say mean
Use a dictionary?

that means me bad reader and dont understand so i spell how i think they are spelt
Use a dictionary?
(Plus if you get close enough with your guess, the first spelling it suggests in Word is usually the correct one you're looking for).

i don't have time because of some many storys
Why don't you have time to spell check and send it through a beta, though?

and this is while i need to do something.
We can't magically wave wands and help you if you aren't willing to read what we're saying, sweetheart... If you can't spell something, guess. After you're done typing, spell check. If Microsoft Word gives you a spelling you don't think is right, use a dictionary to make sure.

one last thing can i have no argments because today is my birthday
???

and help me by thinking of epic worroir names for guys and girls
Google is a great tool for this. There are many, many websites that can give you a list of names to choose from should you like. All it takes is a bit of effort to search for them.


I almost want to call troll.

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
and i don't have time because of some many storys
Sweetheart, while I get the feeling you're trolling us, I'd just like to say one thing. Do you think any of us have all the time in the world? I mean, I wrote twenty chapters of a fic in a year of college. You know, that time of my life when I'm busy with writing term papers, attending classes, and getting wasted every weekend? And I wasn't even the busiest fanauthor I've ever known. (And trust me, neither are you. Trust me.)

one last thing can i have no argments because today is my birthday
Well, you could solve this dilemma by avoiding the internet entirely. 'Cause you get that on the tubes.

I almost want to call troll.
Yeah, I'm tempted to call it too by this point. No one says "me bad reader" unless they're really pushing it, you know? On the other hand, he could just be really, really young. *shrug*

Also, I really want to hope the language arts program in England... um, yeah.
Professional ninja. May or may not actually be back. Here for the snark and banter at most.

Need some light reading?
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Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
im 15 today is that too young (im also lomg sighted lolz) and im not if i had my friend garyvice to back me up then you would know (he's not on this forum and his laptop's broken) and im not trolling because i know a guy that does that. will talk later maybe 9:00 (english time)
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
No one's too young to write if they just apply themselves. I was writing when I was eight, but...well, the stories were readable. I either used spell-check, used a dictionary, or asked one of my teachers/parents to spell a word for me if I wasn't sure.

im not trolling
People think you're trolling because of your writing. Let me give you a few examples:

"me bad reader"

"kitten knife"

"i dont brake it i destroried it"

"i have not put the first chapter of one of them"

I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I don't know a single person that says "I don't break it." And the only time I hear people say "me bad reader" is when they're mocking someone. And I work with fifteen-year-olds. So it's very hard to take you seriously because you don't type coherent sentences, spelling aside.

That might be me, though.

i don't have time because of some many storys
I have a lot of stories as well. At least fourteen novel-length, and who knows how many short stories to write. And then there's my full-time job, this forum, and other real-life things to take care of...and I can still take a break from writing when I need to.

But seriously, no one is telling you to post your story here as soon as you finish it. I swear, you can write it until you're finished and get someone to help you with spelling.

Avatar credit: Fairy
Age 27
Male
england portsmouth
Seen October 11th, 2010
Posted July 15th, 2010
12 posts
13 Years
that is a good point but no one in my family a spell, sorry if you were affend before and if i took a pic of my A4 book (that i write some of my storyies in them this will all change) then there will only be words then a gap then chapter what ever then a two page paraguargh with no gaps. and i do have time to type but im mostly going out with my friend (and i will not give any name away)
but thank for the tips
i'm going to write like crazy because im going to have an emoshnal brake down and mit use a knife for somethings