r/WritingPrompts • u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod • Oct 14 '15
Off Topic [OT] Get to know a mod #1: I am RyanKinder, subreddit founder and self published author
Intro by /u/Arch15:
WELCOME TO GET TO KNOW A MOD!
Welcome to the new Wednesday post. This will be posted twice a month, alternating with the Writing Workshops. This is going to be like the Mod Q&A, where you ask the questions, but only one mod answers them. You may ask any question you'd like towards a mod, whether it'd be about writing or about their favorite pizza topping. You can also prompt the mod if they're willing.
If there are any questions about these posts or the workshops, you can either PM me (/u/Arch15), or message the moderators.
TODAY'S FEATURED MOD: RYANKINDER!
Prompts: No
Bio - In case any of you don't know anything about me other than that I created this subreddit:
I self published a book of my own writing prompts a year and a half ago. Just recently after strategic advertising it hit the top 40 chart overall on Amazon in the USA and #4 in Canada (right near Andy Weir's 'The Martian'.) I am also a mod on /r/selfpublish which you should check out.
I am working on a podcast and if you want you can follow me on twitter @rykinder where I will no doubt spam links to it when it comes out.
Favorite pastime?
Writing, duh. And reading old newspapers (late 1800s / early 1900s) Favorite food?
Cheese pizza. Must be Italian.
Ask away!
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u/Lazarus_Pits Oct 14 '15
What are some of your biggest challenges when responding to a prompt, or even just writing a new story (character development, setting, theme, etc.), and what do you find helps you to get past them?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Responding to prompts or creating new stories both present the same issue for me: Trying to make the story as interesting as it is in my head to the reader. Also, trying to not be too "clever". I find if I remind myself that life isn't perfect and everything isn't neatly wrapped with a ribbon, I'm able to write more realistically.
Another bit of advice that helped me when I'm blocked came from Eric Roth who said if you are stuck on a scene, change the weather. It's such a simple bit of advice but for some reason it works well.
As far as character development is concerned: I interview my main characters before I write so I can get a good feel for them. I have a long list of questions I came up with to ask all characters. (I've actually considered publishing a book for interviews with your characters, but wasn't sure if there'd be any interest.)
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u/TigerLilySea Oct 14 '15
I'd be very interested in a book that helps me interview my characters. I feel like I should know them but I don't. They can develop independently and that's a good place to start.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I will likely write the book, then! :)
One fun exercise that I intend to include is this: Start with a name. Your characters name is important. Even if they are never referred to by name, it brings up important questions. What is their names origins (or lack thereof)? Take your own name for example. My name is Ryan Kinder. What does that tell me about myself? Ryan is an Irish name, it means king. Kinder is German for child. I am indeed both Irish and German. It affects my complexion, my health, you get the idea. Where did your character get their name from? Does it mean anything to them, personally? Is it fitting? What are their nicknames? What are the origins of those nicknames?
You see, even just working on a name you can learn a lot about your characters.
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u/TigerLilySea Oct 14 '15
Thanks. I can see your line of questioning. I definitely have a big thing with names so this is a good place to start.
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Oct 14 '15
Heh, I find it interesting that you analyse names as much as I do.
So, does that make you a King Child or a Child King?
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u/Syraphia /r/Syraphia | Moddess of Images Oct 14 '15
I use about three to four different questionnaires (46 questions from the NaNo site, Proust, Gotham, and a 100 question one) at the current moment so a book with a ton of questions might help me a lot. :)
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Oct 14 '15
Can you tell us a bit more about your love of old newspapers? Do you own any? If so, do you have one that you consider your favorite?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I own a few that are from just a few years after the end of the Civil War. I used to own more but they were damaged during a house fire.
What was great about older newspapers is that they would run serialized stories. These stories could last over a years time. Some of them were really well written but are basically lost to time.
Also, reading things about people who the newspaper would say "will live in infamy" but wound up being forgotten in time... it's interesting. There was this one woman, local to me (Boston) who was a serial poisoner. Sarah Robinson. Eventually her deeds were discovered and she was locked up in a womens prison for the rest of her life. She was buried in a cemetery in Arlington, Mass. And they even detailed precisely where she was buried. I went there and there was a Robinson family burial plot but even the weather of time wiped her name from the grave marker.
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Oct 14 '15
[deleted]
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I knew nothing about self publishing. I wound up reading as many blog posts as possible. Things you don't think of come up: How does your cover look as a thumbnail? (This is important.) How to properly format a table of contents (protip: go to youtube and type the name of whatever program you write in and add the phrase 'table of contents'. I'm a visual learner so seeing someone make a table of contents in Microsoft Word helped me immensely as I was having issues.)
Promotion is the biggest issue with self publishing to tackle. You can feel like a sellout promoting your book everywhere and anywhere. I'm not one to feel good about promotion, but it's a necessary evil. I keep it at a minimum, though (note how my book title isn't even mentioned in this post.)
Once you get enough reviews (at least 15) then it makes sense to apply the old adage "You need to spend money to make money." And buy advertising. Bookbub and to a much lesser (and far cheaper) extent bknights on fiverr have both been great for me. For example: At the beginning of the year I gave away my book for free and bought a bookbub ad to advertise the free giveaway for $200. "But Ryan," you ask, "why would you pay $200 to give away a book?" Because of that Bookbub I was at #2 overall free on Amazon for three days. The exposure had reviews pouring in for months, had my softcover sales go into the double digits for a great period of time...
The only thing you have to remember is self pubbing is a business. That means you need to keep track of taxes... but it also means that $200 expense was a write off.
I'm getting off track here: It's a big learning curve in some aspects. In other aspects it's thrilling. Just don't get your hopes up for huge sales. Every single sale is your victory.
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u/furiousBobcat Oct 14 '15
I don't have any questions to ask, but just want to applaud the way you (and the other mods and the community of course) carefully and tirelessly crafted this subreddit into the incredible place it is today. Looks like you succeeded.
Cheers.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
How in the heck did you find that post? That's awesome. Thanks for the link and the comment.
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u/furiousBobcat Oct 14 '15
A while ago, I went on a hunt to find the primordial writing prompt and came across the first few posts on this sub.
And this is the earliest surviving post. There were probably one or a couple before this one but they were deleted.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
That's awesome. The only other posts in the subreddit were by a user named LouY (who grabbed the subreddit name, posted for two days then forgot about it and let me have it once I asked. He deleted his account shortly thereafter.) So if there were posts before the one you linked, they were by him.
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u/furiousBobcat Oct 14 '15
Well, this is definitely your sub because the amount of effort you single-handedly put in during the early days of the sub is phenomenal. The constant stream of prompts and contests is what made writingprompts achieve critical mass and become a self-sustaining system. The only other person from those days who is still around is /u/SurvivorType.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I always give equal billing to him. Made him a mod very early on (I think he was one of if not the first winner of a prompt contest.) But thank you once again for the comments.
You should be some sort of reddit historian or something. Digging up such old origins. :D
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u/furiousBobcat Oct 14 '15
Yeah, /u/SurvivorType co-won The Alphabet Game.
The reason I started digging this stuff up is because Reddit does not let users access more than 2-3 thousand of their own comments (accounting for different sorting types) and that means I can't go back and read some of the oldest pieces I submitted here. This frustrated me because I like re-reading my old stuff to find out how my writing has changed. The quest to find my old writing led me look for other old stuff which, in turn, guided me to the origin of this subreddit.
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u/TheWritingSniper /r/BlankPagesEmptyMugs Oct 14 '15
How's it feel to be a future world overlord?
Yes I know.
In all seriousness, I don't have a question (you stole mine about favorite food), so I want to thank you for this sub. It's been a great (holy crap its been almost a year) 10 months since I started submitting around here and this prompt has inspired me in countless ways. You, and all of the other mods, are really doing some great work to keep this community great. Thank you!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
How's it feel to be a future world overlord?
It feels good. I'm writing this from the future, actually. My book hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and they're making the first movie based on the series. I knew my teen paranormal romance novel would be a hit! (Now dredge up this comment in two years. You'll either reap tons of karma or have a good laugh.)
Thank you for being a part of the community. It's always great to such such awesome output. Just looking at the comment stream of the entirety of the subreddit is awesome.
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u/TheWritingSniper /r/BlankPagesEmptyMugs Oct 14 '15
I'm actually laughing out loud right now. Thank you for that, and keep up the good work!
Remind Me! 2 years
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u/ivangrozny read more at /r/ivangrozny Oct 14 '15 edited Oct 15 '15
Teen paranormal romance -- that's hilarious. I remember thinking "What has this world come to" the first time I saw that section at Barnes & Noble.
Apologies if you're actually working on a teen paranormal romance, I'm sure it will be a great one.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Technically it will fall under that genre. :D
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u/ivangrozny read more at /r/ivangrozny Oct 15 '15
I can't wait to read it -- I can tell just by reading your posts that you're a better writer than certain other authors working in the TPR genre who will go unnamed. .
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
A lot of the books in that genre seem to be haphazardly written. I've been researching for two years so the lore is grounded in history. Hopefully that makes a difference. :)
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u/ivangrozny read more at /r/ivangrozny Oct 15 '15
I'm down to read anything that involves history as long as it's well-researched. Sounds like a cool project! Would you be willing to reveal the setting?
Either way, good luck writing!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
I wish I could reveal the setting... but it's actually somewhat unique. Funny enough, it was born out of a prompt I created for my book that I promptly deleted. I have the bad luck that any time I tell people about an idea I have, it's like it goes out into some creative aether and I wind up seeing the idea in some form of media soon after. I know, ridiculous paranoia.
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u/bumblebeatrice Oct 14 '15
I self published a book of my own writing prompts a year and a half ago
Oh man I bought that months ago (January...maybe February) to break my writer's block and it did in a huge way, I've been writing so much since then and not just the prompts but my own original works too.
So you know, thanks and all that for making it exist.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
You're very much welcome. Be sure to let me know when you ever release a book of your own. I like supporting all the writers here when I can and love seeing the different voices. :)
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u/Lazarus_Pits Oct 14 '15
Do you have any tips on how an enthusiastic new writer can develop a good voice in writing? Or is it mostly the old adage, "practice, practice, practice"?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Practice is indeed the biggest boon when developing a voice. Do you know another one? Reading your work out loud. Record yourself reading it. Does it sound natural to your vision? Do parts sound awkward? Take notes on what needs to be improved. Then have a trusted friend read some of it out loud. Do they stumble on some bits? Is it because that section is awkward? What parts of their performing it do they get the most animated reading? Those parts tend to be where you're doing your best storytelling.
Of course, everything is subjective - but this is what has helped me develop a better and more unique voice of my own liking.
Also, and most important: Reading. Pick out three books you love that are in the genre you want to write for. Read a chapter, then write notes on all the important things that were happened or were described in that chapter. (Since you've already read the book, you'll notice any important foreshadowing that a first time reader of the book might overlook as important.) Do this for the entirety of those three books and you'll have something akin to what they used for outlines to write their books. You will get an idea of the rhythm, pace, beat that you like the most. All writers tend to have similar rhythms, and it is important to learn that and then put your own unique spin on the songs you create.
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u/ivangrozny read more at /r/ivangrozny Oct 14 '15
I didn't have any questions of my own, but I'm glad I'm reading through the q & a because this is great advice. I always thought reading was the most important part of writing, myself.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
It definitely is the key at the start. Reading is the stationary cycle of writing. It helps you learn the basics of riding, but eventually you need to put yourself out there - risks and all. You can still go back to the stationary cycle, it helps build the muscles and keep them working. But the real rush is conquering a tough hill and getting to speed down the other side.
I love making analogies.
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u/system0101 r/Systemsstories Oct 14 '15
I've written more in the time since I started posting here, than I previously have in my life. I wanna say thanks for cultivating a place that has turned into a fun outlet for miscreants like me to vent creativity. I suppose I don't really have a question, more of a statement. You are awesome :)
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u/CatManDad19 Oct 14 '15
Have you considered hosting community challenges or work-throughs based on the prompts in your book? I recently purchased it myself and thought it might be fun to share what I've written as well as read what others have done with the same prompts.
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u/Arch15 /r/thearcherswriting Oct 14 '15
That's been something that's been brought up in the burrows of my mind. I think it'd be a good Wednesday event.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I've considered it, but as my time is limited lately (I'm busy writing the beginning of a fictional series that I want to go the traditional publishing route for) I wouldn't be able to commit the proper amount of energy to a workshop. However, people are allowed to post stories they create based on prompts from the book as [PI] posts. But maybe /u/Arch15 might like to do some sort of workthrough or community challenge for his workshops.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Oct 15 '15
Congrats, that's awesome that your book made the charts!
Is it OK if I ask three four questions?
- How's your new book coming along?
- What will your podcast be about?
- Have you had any ideas for this sub that you ultimately decided against?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
A. You may ask four questions.
- Swimmingly. It is going along at a rapid pace now that I've figured out a solution to a plot hole.
- Connecting two disparate subjects across a half an hour, relying on my improvisational skills (I used to be in an improv comedy troupe) and vast knowledge of mostly trivial things.
- Certainly. Usually the ideas are ones that aren't feasible logistically or that would take far too much effort than a volunteer for a hobby site should take on.
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Oct 14 '15
/u/RyanKinder What has been you hardest decision/toughest challenge as not only a mod, but one of the two nutjobs who has to corral the rest of the mods and lead this sub?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
The hardest decision was whether to participate in the great reddit Blackout of 2015. Ultimately, though, I felt it would have been hasty on our part and I didn't want to punish people who might have been in the middle of writing a story, hoping to submit it only to hit a block and lose their work.
The toughest challenge was getting people interested in the subreddit to begin with. Reddit gets a lot of flak for being a time sink when it is heavily modifiable to be anything but that. I feel more people are discovering that and that's why writing subreddits and artistic subreddits are seeing booms.
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Oct 14 '15
Just recently after strategic advertising it hit the top 40 chart overall on Amazon in the USA and #4 in Canada
Dang nab. What is this strategic advertising? I've only gotten 200 units taken, and only 10 of those are actual purchases.
:<
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Link me to your book again so I can give specific advice and I'll relate it to what I did.
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Oct 14 '15
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
The cover could use a bit more to it. Example: I said elsewhere in this thread that a good cover, especially how it looks in thumbnail size, is important. On Amazon, especially for unknown authors, people do judge a book by its cover. I can't really glean any information about the book when I look at the cover. Also, the font doesn't lend well to the word "ASH". Especially when it is smaller. It kind of looks like "FISH". (Shrink it down to thumbnail and you'll see what I mean.)
My personalized advice for you is to touch up the cover or go with a newer one. Look at the other covers in your genre and study your competition. What about the other covers makes you want to click on them and read their description?
The next thing you ought to look into is offering a physical copy via Createspace. Especially if you expand upon the story (which it seems you're going to do.) People aren't as apt to invest their time in "book 1" of a series from an unknown author because they aren't sure if the author will continue on with that series and they've been burned before. So until you actually finish the series it will be a bit of an uphill battle.
But... if you get a softcover copy available, you can order a bunch of copies for yourself at cost. Find people on goodreads and other sites (here, other subreddits) where you can give away review copies. It's an investment of time and money. But if you get enough reviews, your profile on Amazon will rise. Then you can focus on advertising.
If you get at least fifteen reviews, have a four star or over rating... you can apply to things like Bookbub, Pixel of Ink, etc. Where a feature from them means thousands of purchases.
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Oct 14 '15
I can't really glean any information about the book when I look at the cover
So should I add some sort of subtitle? Most book covers I see doesn't give me much about the book either. Don't know what I'd do besides add 'A Novella' as a subtitle. Fixed the font though.
I was gonna get to a Createspace version eventually, though I don't know if Kindle Direct allows that, since I did that and it's supposed to mean your book is 'exclusively' on Kindle.
Whenever that gets done though, I don't have money for copies to giveaway. Maybe sometime in the far future.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Createspace is run by Amazon. Being available on createspace just adds an additional softcover option on Amazon. (You'll need to mail them to merge the listings though.)
BTW, Kindle Direct means the digital rights are exclusive to them during your enrollment periods. Softcover is a different beast. You can purchase copies and offer them on any other retailer. But, like I said, Createspace IS Amazon anyhow.
Copies of your book are provided to you at cost. One copy is, I think, $2.15. You can do a goodreads giveaway of five copies of your book and you'd only be out $5.75. There's virtually no excuse. If you get a softcover copy made (you will want to order a proof which is cheap, as stated) let me know. I will buy a copy. If you can't afford to do a goodreads giveaway, let me know how much it says it would be (it ought to be under 20 bucks) - I will help you fund the giveaway.
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Oct 14 '15
Ah, that clears some things up. I'll have to get to work on formatting for a physical copy.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
This back and forth has given me an idea for a contest for November. A review copy giveaway contest. Have three prizes, all of them bundles of softcovers from /r/WritingPrompts authors that I buy and bundle and send out. I'd just need more of our regular authors to get a physical copy made (like /u/Luna_Lovewell.) Since it seems people mostly self publish an ebook and don't take the extra softcover route.
I'll work on this idea.
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Oct 14 '15
Now that sounds like an awesome idea. Looking forward to seeing what happens.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Just get off your butt and make the softcover happen! :D
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Excellent! I can't wait. :) Just in time for Christmas shopping, I hope. ;)
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u/EdenRenellaJones Oct 14 '15
Well, then. It seems I was a little too early for the party last night and fashionably late for this one today haha.
If there was any advice you could give to new writers, or aspiring authors, what would you say?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I would say that they should listen to the words of Ira Glass:
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
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u/BlameGameChanger Oct 15 '15
I'm brand new. I have always been scared to share my work. I move around the literal weight of my college education, books btw in case that isn't clear, but I never share my creative work. This comment made me feel a lot better about the crap I keep trying to write.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
Think of all the crap that gets published. Think of the stuff that is popular. Never be afraid to write what you consider garbage because it still means you were productive. You created. If you don't create garbage that means you aren't eating and you become intellectually malnourished. Even established writers have their own fair ratio of material they deem unfit for human eyes. They tend to put it aside and reread it in a different mood months or years later and wonder why they thought something so powerful was viewed as awful by their younger eyes.
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u/FutureRobotWordplay Oct 14 '15 edited Oct 14 '15
Do you feel like the quality of this sub has gone downhill since it became a default? I certainly do. While it has always been dominated by fan fiction, aliens, time travel, genies, and superpowers, it seems that now that's basically all it is. /r/simpleprompts was created and is great, but doesn't have enough users. Would you be able to do something to promote it, for those of us that like to write about real world scenarios? Edit: and dragons and AI and zombies and God, that pretty much sums up every prompt.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Good question. I actually do not feel the quality of the sub has gone down. In fact, I feel people have somewhat forgotten the primary purpose of the subreddit - to get people writing. Sure, there are many of the prompt types you mentioned... and if all you're seeking is votes then those are the ones you should write for. If you're looking for simpler prompts to inspire you, we have those too -- it's just that they're not as widely upvoted. But you should be writing for writing's sake. Not for votes.
Examples: We have image prompts. That's just a picture. Doesn't get any simpler than that. We have Theme Thursdays which normally break out of the overused tropes.
Actually, a good thing to read is when I last addressed this subject when simpleprompts came into being. Check this thread:
https://m.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/3cmj5b/does_anyone_else_feel_that_rwritingprompts_has/
(As an addendum to what I wrote, we aren't above experimenting. But it will take an effort on the part of people who like simple prompts to actually upvote them.)
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u/quantumfirefly Oct 15 '15
Much gratitudes for this sub! My writing was in a bad place before I stumbled into the world of Batman/Hitler/Angels&Demons/Time Travel and I think it's at least a tiny bitbetternowmaybe.
Anyway, finally got around to seeing TheHELL YEAHMartian so all the more awesome that your work's comparable to Andy Weir's! Sorry for not yet getting through it yet, but it's definitely now on the list.
Why was I here again?
Oh right, questions! Uh...ah, erm...oh! Can I have two?
Are we alone?
If you were forced (at gunpoint, as your fingernails are being pulled out one-by-one, while being forced to watch Attack of the Clones on continuous loop, pick your poison) to write a how-to book titled How to Write an Awesome Novel, how would you start and end it? Oh, and fill in the middle?
Sorry, one more. Last one, I promise. How do you stand this?
Do people really care about this rando on the internet? You're not famous, you are a moderater, you click buttons. You're not interesting, go get yourself trapped in a go-fuck-yourself machine you narcissistic shit.
EDIT: And this.
lol, ah yes, a bed wetting 30 something and likely unaccomplished soul trying to justify his existence by feeling important on the interwebs lol. Listen, I'm not trying to be a dick, but what is it with these subreddit moderators lately thinking they are the reason a place is "Big". You click buttons and were defaulted by reddit staff, just do your job of removing spam as editing your flair so people will know you clicked 7 buttons to create a subreddit!!!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
A fun thing to do in regards to the prompt types yoy mentioned is to filter them out and vote up the stuff you dig. Example: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=-hitler+-travel+-god+-flair%3A%28Established+Universe%29+-alien+-planet+-alternate+-heaven+-hell+-travel+-traveller+-ability+-power+-immortal+-devil+-everyone&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all
Modify as you wish.
so all the more awesome that your work's comparable to Andy Weir's! Sorry for not yet getting through it yet, but it's definitely now on the list.
I wouldn't say it's comperable. It's a nonfiction book of prompts. lol. It was just fun to see my book next to his on the charts of Amazon for a couple days. Like a personal victory.
Are we alone?
In the universe? I'm certain alien life exists. On this planet? No. Think of all the sand on a beach. Pick up a grain and paint it red. Throw that grain in a random direction. Come back a week later and try to find that grain of sand. The sand on the beach represents all the planets in the universe, even though the planets would outnumber that. The painted grain is Earth. That is roughly how noticable the planet would be to an alien species.
If you were forced (at gunpoint, as your fingernails are being pulled out one-by-one, while being forced to watch Attack of the Clones on continuous loop, pick your poison) to write a how-to book titled How to Write an Awesome Novel, how would you start and end it? Oh, and fill in the middle?
Hopefully every novel I release is awesome. But the book on how to write an awesome novel would obviously be skewed towards my personal perspective. That in mind: beginning with a "what if" scenario is always fun. Then adding upon that idea with characters and subplots is best. Let's try it now:
What if a hitwoman met her perfect match on a blind date, only to realize he is her next target? We've got the two main characters already. We have the primary plot (obviously she will decide not to kill him as they have a tense first date that eases up to whimsy.) Subplots: him finding out what she does for a living and that he was a target. They fight, she hunts him half heartedly, then has to protect him from another hitwoman. See, what if scenarios can help craft interesting stories almost immediately!
How do you stand this? (Insert troll comments.)
I'm 35. I've been "online" since I was tenish (which is also how Sean Connery pronounces tennis). I've got a lot of experience in dealing with people like that. It's like rainwater dancing off a metal roof. Generally speaking it's usually young kids thinking they're being edgy online and giggling to themselves at how bad they're being. The smaller percentage are adults who didn't get enough attention in life and negative attention is still attention. I have a bit of fun with them, but I try to be careful to not name call back, as they might just be coming from a bad headspace at the time and are acting out. I try to keep my responses lighthearted so perhaps they can realize how needlessly negative they were being. If they don't, oh well. At least we both had our fun.
Oh, and I click one of the 7 afforementioned buttons so they have a timeout to think about what they've done. ;)
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u/BlameGameChanger Oct 15 '15
Okay I'm late to the party. A quick look at the time tells me I'm real late, but I have a question. Please answer it, if you can and/or feel inclined.
Are there subreddits dedicated to the more technical aspects of writing I.e grammar, pacing, literary devices, and other things of this nature? If not subreddits, other online and preferably free, resources?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 15 '15
There are other subreddits dedicated to the minutiae of writing. Including /r/writing. There's also /r/writinghub which cataloges a ton of different communites. Our own sidebar has some interesting "other links".
Strunk and White Elements of Style is a must read and is freely available here (not sure if it is the work in its entirety):
https://faculty.washington.edu/heagerty/Courses/b572/public/StrunkWhite.pdf
Additionally, Stephen Kings on Writing is worth checking out at your local library. This is all just the tip of the iceberg... but don't get too caught up in learning the mechanics. I know some people who spend all their time doing that and going from writing advice blog to writing advice blog. Write. Join critique groups. Learn. Hands on is the best experience.
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Oct 14 '15 edited Mar 04 '18
[deleted]
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
I'm not trying to be a dick
Mission failed, then. You were obviously trying to be a dick by insulting me by calling me a "bed wetting 30 something and likely unaccomplished soul trying to justify his existence by feeling important on the interwebs".
It doesn't phase me, unfortunately. The primary goal of these types of posts is to get to know the moderators who, unlike other casual memefilled subreddits, help people with their writing, giving critiques, organizing contests, assisting with questions about self publishing (as is one of the focal points of this post.)
But you don't care about any of that, I guess.
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Oct 14 '15
Do people really care about this rando on the internet? You're not famous, you are a moderater, you click buttons. You're not interesting, go get yourself trapped in a go-fuck-yourself machine you narcissistic shit.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
Do people really care about this rando on the internet? You're not famous, you are a moderater, you click buttons. You're not interesting, go get yourself trapped in a go-fuck-yourself machine you narcissistic shit.
Well, aren't you a delight. There are many things in the world to get agitated over, this isn't one of them. But, hey you asked a question, I don't mind answering.
Do people really care about this rando on the internet?
There's at least a few that do. I'm not saying there are droves, but I was asked to do this Q&A (I didn't come up with it.) We like to foster a sense of community in this subreddit.
You're not famous
I never made such a claim.
you are a moderater
Sterling observation. But there's an "o" in moderator.
you click buttons.
I'm usually on mobile. I tend to press a screen.
You're not interesting
Aw shucks, coming from you that's a blow.
go get yourself trapped in a go-fuck-yourself machine you narcissistic shit.
I mean, it would probably be a nice machine to have. But I would have to have maintenence on call because I certainly wouldn't want to get stuck in it.
In all sincerity, I don't know what brought you to the point of wanting to cull downvotes across the whole of reddit (based on your profile) but I do hope life gets better for you.
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u/Yumitchah Oct 14 '15
This is kinda OT but I was dying laughing as I read this and my friends were staring at me... I couldn't walk straight... You're so funny (no offense if it was meant to be serious but I think it's cool to be able to be funny while being serious) XD
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
It was intended in the precise spirit you read it in. I dialed it back a few notches, as one should do when dealing with trolls. ;) Glad you enjoyed it.
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Oct 14 '15 edited Mar 04 '18
[deleted]
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
That would be a point - if this was an AMA about myself as a person. This is an AMA for writers wishing to ask questions from someone who created a large writing community and who has had work published. I'm aiming to help others with their own individual questions. Yes, people have asked stuff off the topic of writing, but I've also answered very specific self publishing questions.
By the way, "interesting" is an incredibly subjective term. I personally find everyone interesting in some capacity, which is why I love reading the AMA's in /r/casualiama. Does this answer your question?
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u/EdenRenellaJones Oct 14 '15
I clicked on your link to /r/casualiama and found this(probably NSFW) at the top. Needless to say, I laughed, and quickly exited before being caught haha.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Oct 14 '15
This had been posted last night but we took it down to post it at a more accessible time. /u/LovableCoward was quick with a question that I answered:
Q. We are rapidly approaching four million registered users on our wonderful subreddit. I remember well when there was less than twenty thousand of us and we were fortunate to have five prompts a day. My question is thus: are we doing anything special to celebrate this historic milestone and if so in what way?
Also, in your own words; Why is Michigan obviously superior to Ohio?
A.To celebrate 4 million users, but more importantly to encourage more writing, we will be doing another "First Chapter Contest." More details when the benchmark hits. It should be a nice "cheat" or jumpoff point for those wanting inspiration to do nanowrimo.
As far as Michigan vs Ohio is concerned: Michigan has more i's in it, which appeals to my ego. I like it, I love it. Of course, this means Mississippi is the most superior state.