Any great writers in the house??

Are there any really good writers in DXP?? What kind of tips would you give someone trying to compose a fantasy short. Any tips, trades, advice? Any websites that might be helpful?

thank you!

Just think about the person reading the writing. What do you want them to feel, what image will you create in their head, what dilemma will come out, what will they learn, will there be any social commentary, and keep it balanced.

The best advice is to write the story and or book you want to read. Oh yeah, grammar and spelling. Nothing kills the mood more then poor spelling and bad grammar.

And FYI halfway through whatever your writing you'll look up and think to yourself 'this is such a load of crap. Nobody will ever read this.' Don't stop. Fight this urge. Its perfectly normal and part of the process.

Good luck.

Aaah... water signs! Just what I needed! Okay, well to be more specific. I'm planning on writing a short fantasy story, of the medieval knights and dragons variety, for my Cancer man... kind of something based around our story. He LOVES the medieval books. Long story short I wanted to do something really special to show him how much he means to me and as an appreciation for everything he's done in our relationship so far (which is a lot) for his birthday. A cheap and inexpensive way to show him I really care....

Is this a little too much considering we've only really known each other for... well by the time of his birthday 6 months?

NEVER done anything like this before, but I dare say I've out done myself in the thought that counts department 🙂.


OH and thanks for the inputs duchess, MV, Ruh, and Rabbit! I appreciate all the input 🙂.

Side note/ back story He's been VERY patient while I deal with my commitment phobia shit.

yes .... I'm a published writer.

Several things are paramount ....

1. every story must have an accompanying diary, in where you continuously write all of your thoughts pertaining to plot/structure, character, setting, theme, time span - virtually everything - revisions, epiphanic moments, and don't forget anticipated audience POV.

Every accomplished writer keeps a book journal of this type. To attempt to write ANY story without one is literary suicide .... considering that as you write one sentence, a dozen thoughts could pop into your head (and often do), and you will not be able to put all of them to memory.

so, first thing you do is establish a journal.

2. narrative - one of the mistakes beginners make is not realizing that you cannot switch between narratives ... and a publisher would trash your work no matter how intriguing and/or original the plot may be, if you don't know the basics about narratives.

1st - this narrative is the most fascinating because it connects the protagonist to the reader, and a lot of writers love to use it. It is telling the story from a personal standpoint regarding the self. Example: "Hello, I am a girl and my name is Katie"

2nd - this one is freaky, and most writers steer away from it, unless their intent is to use the narrative to drive intensity into the reader. It is talking to the protagonist (all characters) directly. Example: "You know you aren't going to do that, right? What's your name?"

3rd - this is the most common one used because it is telling the story to the audience about the story or character, and easy to manipulate for your purpose. Example: "They all knew her name, but, nobody wanted to call her out."

Don't make this mistake .... EVER .... pick the possessive narrative you want to use, and stick with it throughout the entire work.

3. to start (after establishing approach using #1 & #2 above) you want to begin by making an outline. No flowery verbage, that comes later ... first you want short, concise facts outlining the plot and major events.

Then you expand that out by section, adding description, encounters, and lastly - write dialogues. Dialogues usually trap beginners, because they tend to want to start with stated words and then build scenes ... but, you have to work that the other way. When writing your outline (AND journal entries), note to enter dialogue, but, don't commit yourself to it until writing your first draft.

What you probably want to do FIRST is to practice theories by imitation. If you were to take a course, or even look online to find out how to be a writer ... you will likely be instructed to use imitation.

For example ... Richard Ford wrote the "Communist", in where his setting was two dimensional - up close and at a distance.

Jamaica Kincaid, "My Mother" - blends reality with fantasy

I would suggest you read "Fenstad's Mother" by Charles Baxter for the sole purpose of learning how to reveal the hidden. He alludes a lot, and the plot is actually driven by NOTE stating intent.

There are so many techniques to consider ..... world within worlds, utilizing parallels, but, most importantly .... you have to capture the audiences attention. You need originality. Or even if it's an old theme, that's ok so long as you put your own twist on it.

good luck 😄

Awe P-Angel??_ can you pm some of your work— I'm interested in reading if you are ok with sharing 🙂