forum writing club. (Open)

Started April 12, 2023 by @IcarusFightsTheSun book

tune

Outward question to whoever wants to share their input, do you gravitate to two protagonists or three?

_{roughly… 11}

Outward question to whoever wants to share their input, do you gravitate to two protagonists or three?

All depends on the chemistry. As long as it doesn't seem like a duo dragging along a third wheel, both are fine.
Having two protags makes it seem like they'd be or are in a relationship. Nothing against polyamory, but it's easier to assume two people are a couple than three people are a- a whatever you call a three people relationship-

Any amount of protags is fine, really, as long as they're all distinct, memorable, and important to the plot.

doing a map thing- just gotta add some labels and make it look, y'know, not garbage
this is the most invested I've been in worldbuilding for a while

seriously, having a map is one of the most helpful things you can have
I just kind of envisioned my dorks walking around… somewhere, but now I can actually pinpoint where they are and track their every movement so I can torment them more accurately

Oh thats rlly cool

Outward question to whoever wants to share their input, do you gravitate to two protagonists or three?

All depends on the chemistry. As long as it doesn't seem like a duo dragging along a third wheel, both are fine.
Having two protags makes it seem like they'd be or are in a relationship. Nothing against polyamory, but it's easier to assume two people are a couple than three people are a- a whatever you call a three people relationship-

Any amount of protags is fine, really, as long as they're all distinct, memorable, and important to the plot.

my thoughts exactly, which is my problem. I've got these two protagonists who are intended to have a strong friendship, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say they're a found-family-sibling dynamic, but I'm worried readers would expect a romantic relationship from them which I'd partially why I'm considering going through the trouble of building a 3rd protagonist. I just don't know how to establish that they're not supposed to date (because often times romance fantasies just get categorized as "fantasy" and I don't want it to look like it was supposed to be a romance fantasy)

doing a map thing- just gotta add some labels and make it look, y'know, not garbage
this is the most invested I've been in worldbuilding for a while

seriously, having a map is one of the most helpful things you can have
I just kind of envisioned my dorks walking around… somewhere, but now I can actually pinpoint where they are and track their every movement so I can torment them more accurately

you're so good at maps!!!

I actually got some writing and editing done today!
_{granted it was for an unpublishable story but it's still fun and its still writing so there}

Good job! ^^

Not sure if I’ve mentioned on here yet (wouldn’t be surprised if I did 🫠😅) but if you’re on the home page of character.ai, scroll to the bottom and click on “Write a story”. ABSOLUTE MAGIC

Opinions on in-universe songs, poems, etc. in books?
Was planning on having a scene of MC comforting a child by singing an in-universe lullaby, but I'm not sure if that'd be annoying or anything-

Used to read these books that had a poet/singer(?) as one the the MC's friends/sisters, and near the end of the last book, she came up with a song about their situation. While I personally didn't mind it, I saw some reviews about how annoying it was-

Opinions on in-universe songs, poems, etc. in books?
Was planning on having a scene of MC comforting a child by singing an in-universe lullaby, but I'm not sure if that'd be annoying or anything-

Used to read these books that had a poet/singer(?) as one the the MC's friends/sisters, and near the end of the last book, she came up with a song about their situation. While I personally didn't mind it, I saw some reviews about how annoying it was-

I FREAKING LIVE FOR IT!!

Opinions on in-universe songs, poems, etc. in books?
Was planning on having a scene of MC comforting a child by singing an in-universe lullaby, but I'm not sure if that'd be annoying or anything-

Used to read these books that had a poet/singer(?) as one the the MC's friends/sisters, and near the end of the last book, she came up with a song about their situation. While I personally didn't mind it, I saw some reviews about how annoying it was-

obsessed with them honestly,, that scene sounds adorable please do it!! maybe to avoid it being annoying you could have the MC come up with an unrelated song/lullaby to make it seem more realistic. if it's in a frightening or heavy situation, you could add that the MC is trying to keep their voice down/the child quiet, trying to keep their voice from cracking or breaking (could also work if they arent a good singer, which could add a little sympathy/shared experience from readers), or have them mess up the lyrics if they don't remember them. maybe their own human inexperience is what is comforting, amusing, or distracting to the child.

I love these kinds of scenes but one thing to remember is to try not to think "how can I make it clear that emotion is being shown?" (for any emotional scene!). no one has to cry or unpack their past in monologue/dialogue or anything huge for it to be an emotional scene.

good luck with your scene! it sounds awesome! (I said scene like 50 times in this lmao)

y'all.
i have characters, i have a fully made world, i have a story, but i onlyhave a thin strand of motivation left.
should i do it?

y'all.
i have characters, i have a fully made world, i have a story, but i onlyhave a thin strand of motivation left.
should i do it?

do you want to?
are you still excited by the ideas, story, concepts, and characters? then go for it! however, the method that has always worked for me when it comes to a lack of motivation is a good, long break- just waiting for the motivation to come back. maybe that takes a long time or only a few days, but breaks are crucial to the creative process
if you're not as excited anymore though, it's important to know when to step away. don't waste your energy on a project you aren't passionate about! if you're still wanting to hang on to a concept/character/plot idea/etc, though,what I do is list what I like(d) about the project and come back later.

yeah, i am motivated. im devoloping a bord game actually, and just realized that the story would make for a really good short book. the problem is that i do this a lot, where i get a really good idea but after working on it for a while i lose the motivation for it. so im not sure if it's worth starting it if im not sure if i can finnish.

yeah, i am motivated. im devoloping a bord game actually, and just realized that the story would make for a really good short book. the problem is that i do this a lot, where i get a really good idea but after working on it for a while i lose the motivation for it. so im not sure if it's worth starting it if im not sure if i can finnish.

the fun part about passion projects though is that you don't need to finish, and you'll learn more about writing on the way :D

yeah, i am motivated. im devoloping a bord game actually, and just realized that the story would make for a really good short book. the problem is that i do this a lot, where i get a really good idea but after working on it for a while i lose the motivation for it. so im not sure if it's worth starting it if im not sure if i can finnish.

the fun part about passion projects though is that you don't need to finish, and you'll learn more about writing on the way :D

oh good, cause the main character is this charming and very wanted by the police little short stack, and i just love their character!

Opinions on in-universe songs, poems, etc. in books?

Hey, I finally came up the lullaby. I'm not a songwriter or anything, I just picked words that rhymed and went with it-

Somewhere,
In the dim daystar's reach.
Out there,
Moonrise sails to its peak.
Don't be scared,
For the stars in the sky,
Are always there,
Every beat of the night.

Somewhere,
While not a soul is awake,
Out there,
Salient duty stars take.
They'll be there,
Minding us 'til day's rise.
In their care,
We'll rest safe to sunhigh.

And when storm and ashen clouds roll in, veiling the night,
The stars are there to guide us with abounding alight.
Perched upon their pedestals, watching on the wing,
Through night mists and moon tides, all bastions they bring.

Somewhere,
The stars are waiting for you.
Out there,
They lie awaiting me, too.
Don't be scared,
For the stars in the sky,
Are always there,
Every beat of the night.

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

I’d have to say uhhhh -100/10

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

uh like a 3 I might laugh while theyre doing it

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

I’d have to say uhhhh -100/10

uh like a 3 I might laugh while theyre doing it

_{nacho cheese is crying, blame genetics for a bad singing voice}

But anyways how'd you feel about it overall

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

I’d have to say uhhhh -100/10

uh like a 3 I might laugh while theyre doing it

_{nacho cheese is crying, blame genetics for a bad singing voice}

But anyways how'd you feel about it overall

The song is amazing I love it

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

I’d have to say uhhhh -100/10

uh like a 3 I might laugh while theyre doing it

_{nacho cheese is crying, blame genetics for a bad singing voice}

But anyways how'd you feel about it overall

_{yes google maps suffer}

It’s really nice

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

2.5/10 but it's the thought that counts so 3/10
(the song is good though)

_{Ok, scale from one to ten: if a mass-murderer megalomaniac with a voice like Plankton from SpongeBob sang this to you, how comforted would you be- /hj}

um.. 2?

But anyways how'd you feel about it overall

amazing! 50/10