How does one learn to write well?

>>7602119
By reading.

study and practice grammar and rhetoric, read a lot of non-fiction

>>7602131
No

>>7602119
write badly a lot

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>>7602119

1/2

I would ask you what type of writing you wish to improve but I'll just assume you mean prose. Much of my style improved from a combination of reading great literature, writing poorly, Recognizing and analyzing why stories fail and succeed in their intent. Many of the books in this image are great pieces of literary criticism, albeit somewhat skewed in perspective (I say this even as someone on their side)

These are the most common methods of improvement you'll find but I do recommend trying combination of these and learning what method if learning works best for you.

As for myself, I wish to be a writer of literary fiction in my future (I'm in uni and an English major). Defintely look into some books on writing too. I'll try and post along with the first image.

I personally love How to Read a Book from Adler and Doren, also Harold Bloom does a great job in How to Read and Why but he does have some controversy on this board. People either adore him or hate him. I find that these books are great introductions to the other books on the image and a great tool to learn what not only makes great writing but how to do so yourself and find your own voice in the written word.

One of my favorites in the second image is Strunk and White's book. Despite how common it is, it does provide some good general guide lines for a fiction writer and more concrete functions for a writer of nonfiction. I would never take their advice as law, nor any writing advice blindingly (including my own). I also enjoy Stephen King's On Writing but don't think it is nearly as strong as some of the other selections like Bird by Bird, also I find much of King's work to be utter drivel and very juvenile in his advice, but his writing appeals to people so I would still read it to maybe begin learning about the relationship between the writer and reader.

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>>7602453

2/2

>here's some more direct advice now on writing.

You may not understand why I say this at first but always keep what you write, no matter how terrible or atrocious it is. You may learn from your mistakes in the future or at the very least get a good chuckle and just see how much you've grown.

Also, don't be afraid to write like a complete idiot. Don't try and edit while you write at least until you hit a certain goal point. This is one of my primary issues. No matter how much you cringe or criticize yourself, the words need to get on the paper. It's like forcing a reluctant dog into a bath, there will always be a struggle, but everything afterwards is "usually" easier.

Lastly, I don't believe in the concept of writer's block. I despise the notion to such an extreme that I go on a tangent whenever someone mentions it. Try and combat it with various idea generating methods or better yet, make a plan, or do some self reflection on the story you're writing. Ask yourself, why am I writing this? What is so important in this story that I decided to write it in the first place and is it a worthwhile reason? These are just a few I ask myself. Sometimes, I find that collecting my thoughts helps most. If that appeals to you always be ready to openly ask yourself these questions at any time during the writing process.

For a more technical method, try just writing whatever word or image that pops into your head and put it into a nonsensical amount of ramblings on a page. Don't even worry about any grammatical conventions or try to actively make these words coherent. This just is a great exercise before or even after writing your piece. I do this all the time as a warm-up.

And even when you do start editing, make sure that with each mistake you correct that you learn from it! Remember, the more you learn from your own problems and how to address them, the more poignant your writing will be. With each book you read, the easier it will also be, to recognize strong writing and how other writers have expressed themselves in their words.

I'll try coming back later if you want any additional advice and do keep in mind that I am still learning myself and my opinions are still developing as I read and write more. In truth, writing is a subject which is incredibly difficult to teach and every approach is different for each individual. I just hope that some the lessons I've learned have aided you. Good luck OP.

>>7602119
What meme is this supposed to be?

>>7602457
I would add to this list, Delany's About Writing and Baxter's Art of Subtext. Not essential but interesting perspectives nonetheless.

>>7602472
I've never read those myself. What specifically appealed to them for you?

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>>7602453
Also, I apologize for any spelling errors that I made in this post. I wrote this piece on my tablet and had to maneuver with a shitty auto correct that I didn't turn off. I thought I fixed all of the mistakes though. Oh well.

>>7602453
>>7602457
Not OP but thanks.

>>7602729
You're welcome anon. I love to hear that you benefitted from it! Out of curiosity, what drew you to the thread to begin with?

>>7602457
Not OP, but whenever I try to just get something down on paper and worry about quality later, when the time comes to look at it again I hate everything about it, even the idea that inspired me to write.

What do? Do I just push through and rework it until I like it again?

>>7602131
Practicing grammar never leads anywhere.

>>7603022
so you expect to be able to write without having the ability to build non-cliched sentences?

I suspect I'm too much of a savage to write an actual novel, so I have to convert to /ic/-

>hey guys how's the rendering on my pic here?? it's Tits Study #329342
>how do I make a living off doodling porn without getting banned from paypal brehs
>guys why can't I stop slipping my foot fetish into my art how do I stop jacking off 24/7 (= actual active thread)

Oh well.

You're either born with it or you aren't.

>>7603287
Don't be such a wanker. Try this:

"You're either raised to be a trilingual genius meant for success or you aren't."

There, that's better.

>>7602924
Not that guy, but when I come back for editing I try to focus on what I'm attempting to convey. Whether it's knowledge or emotion try and rework it to best fit the idea behind the writing, and if you don't like the idea, rework that.

Better question:

I have been looking for a shitty part-time job and I wanted to take up VIDEO GAME JOURNALISM aka SHITTY VIDEO GAME REVIEWS, so how can I bring a sense of sophistication and awesome prose to this bottom of the barrel endeavor? I plan on writing for a website and must submit some samples, so I'm curious as to how I can turn almost literal shit (video games) into something beautiful and, in a way, poetic.

>>7603386
Should have just made a new thread about this.

Use latin phrases, contractions, lots of italics, implement fiction narratives, novel and poetry references normans can understand (e.g., Braid's M.C., while on a quest to save the princess, resembles Meursault, staring in the face of absurdism) and other "academic" things I can't be bothered to rack my mind for atm.

Though this is only a guess since I haven't read anything from a video game "journal" (RPS) for quit some time.

>>7603386
Play Mother 3

It is a near perfection of the video game genre, telling its story in ways only a video game can: it doesn't get the player to hate the antagonists by showing them committing atrocities against plastic characters, no, it has them take away something the player has worked hard for -- that is, the Needles. Almost every time the player reaches a Needle, the Pork Army and the Masked Man swoop in to steal the victory. A film could not draw the viewer's emotion in such a way, nor can literature. Several other cases exist throughout the game.

Mother 3 is a case study in what the "artful" video game ought to be.

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>>7602453
thank you anon

>>7603419

The samples have to be about a review for a game that came out in the last six months.

>>7603410

Good ideas.

You have to have an innate talent at it to write "well". Even with that you need to practice your ass off. Somebody with no talent at it can definitely get better at it, but they're never going to be a good writer. Students hate to hear that, but I'm not sure why, some of the most successful writers out there are terrible at it.

>>7603419
>that literature can't do
Wew lad... Take your nerd shit elsewhere

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>>7602924
Sorry anon, I had a much longer response prepared for you but I lost it and suddenly grew busy. Admittedly, I was hit by that same issue last night. I wrote my first poem in six months after much discouragement from my peers and a lack of confidence about its quality and I ended up deleting it. It would've been in the critique thread too but because I fell to my emotions and now even what little fruits of my labor are gone. Despite my own blunder recently, it's only made my convictions on this even stronger. With writing, it's better to eat a stale loaf of bread than to starve, If I would've kept my work, there would later be a chance for me to improve it and create a piece worthwhild. But in a moment of doubt, it slipped away. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby at least over one hundred times and still was unsatisfied by its publication. A writer only sees flaws in his work that need tempering and I doubt any of us feel completely confident about our writings. Remind yoursekf, that is the nature of being human. If we were perfect beings, it'd be very unlikely art would ever exist. Most great literature appears so flawless though, that everyone forgets any thought that this piece took hard work and diligence to make it the way it appears to us now.What I mean by this, is that you should always hold onto every scrap of writing you have, learn from the mistake I made, and if your problem lies in how other people view your writings, then fuck 'em. I may absolutely adore or loathe what your writing but just now that I support your ability to write it. Try and work on wherever your whis take you. We live to briefly to follow what others mold us to be.

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>>7603434
No problem, happy to see it helped you.
>pic unrelated

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>>7603386
Hey anon, why do you want to review games for the shitty industry? It sounds like you don't really want to or feel inclined to. If it is something you're passionate about go for it, just beware of the journalism scene in general, we all know just how far that rabbit hole goes.

>pic for keks

>>7602119
Reading, writing, rewriting, reading, and editing. Learning from what you've read and written is also a good idea.

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>>7603509
Jesus...excuse my poor grammar by the end. I hate typing on my tablet.

>>7602924
>>7603509
I think you guys should think about this differently. It's perfectly fine to feel your work is flawed, in fact it's what you should feel, because your mind is going through a sort selection process, picking up the flaws to make it better; but don't let it get to you, try also to apreciate what you've done correctly, don't disregard it all.

Remember: no pressure, no diamond.

>>7602694
>gives friendly advice
>posts blushing asuka
>apologizes for tiny mistakes

You're cute

>>7602457
>/lit

By systematically implanting vivid corresponding pseudo-sensory phenomena wherein pertinence to any word's meaning.

>>7602141
this guy gets it
You have to write massive amounts of shit before the good stuff starts to come out. Or you eventually learn how to edit your shitty writing into something more appealing.

If you can't think of a story, journals, descriptions of whatever your current situation is (better in a real notebook somewhere other than your bedroom or desk), and stream of consciousness writing can actually help a lot more than you think. Even posting online helps, as long as it's more than one sentence at a time.

Write criticism. Good criticism. As good as you can possibly make a page of writing.

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>>7604137
You bet your ass I'm cute! Now all I need is some animu eyes like this and the circle is complete.

>>7604196
I've been wondering about this lately! So many of the greats were known for their criticism. Which came first? A desire to write, or a desire to rip into whatever they're reading?

>fetish into my art
Literally every artist does this. It's ok. You're just putting a little bit of yourself in your work.

>>7608313
Cool, someone secretly replied to my post.

Ya I'm sure we all enjoy our fetishes and bad habits very much.There's something wrong with /ic/ though. Well, with 90% of 4chan.

Now, why should you let your bad habits fuck up your work?

>>7602119
read more poetry; learn economy of words

>>7602119
Not from a Jedi.

I actually do need help.
Everytime I start to write something it comes like an avalanche of ideas, but then, when I'm supposed to start writing I just get stuck in an ocean of plans. I just can't keep going, I have to plan the WHOLE story, the WHOLE set of characters, I just need to have EVERYTHING known before I start writing. All the effort makes me tired and that's keeping me from actually writing. I'm in the middle of a writing process right now. The story, let me say, is brilliant. But I'm already getting tired.
When that doesn't happen, I just feel I'm not good enough yet, that I should read more books before I write my own.
wat do
That pisses me off.

>>7610482
Let your story waiting. Go sleep. Wake up tomorrow and continue from where you stopped.

The pression happens because you're trying to convey something that isn't true, it doesn't come from an authentic plotting of settings. You're just thinking in all of these things to get positive feedback from your peers, where you'd have to write what you want. Just this: write what you want to write, no thiking, just let the thing be in the paper.

That will be your first draft. It'll give you a guide to what to change, what to do, what to improve. Start from there. Then, ask yourself:

>What is good?
>What did I think it was good in this? Why?
>How can I copy this goodness in my only and own way?

Then repeat.

>>7610506
When /lit/ actually gives you some good advice. Thank you very much, anon.

>>7602119

A little trick you can use is to retype a well written novella in your mother tongue to get the feel of great writing.

Source: Hunter S. Thompson did it with The Great Gatsby and Deleuze compelled Guattari to copy by hand some book to get him into the habit of writing.

Also reading and whatnot.