Jump to content

Richard Writhen

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,750

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Richard Writhen

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Hello from Benioff and Weiss

    in Casting

    Posted · Edited by Writhen

    On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2015 at 1:14 AM, Wendel Shoemaker said:

    I`m a tad surprised as well, but it is the internet. I went to look at comments for season 1 and I was surprised to see that people were complaining about the littlest of things. Not that they weren`t valid, it`s just funny compared to season 5 where we have very big things to criticize.

    This is the truth. Seasons 1 and 2 were almost literal translations of books 1 and 2.

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted · Edited by Rychard Wrythen

    6 hours ago, MisterOJ said:

    I'm not asking for something that requires much thought at all. I'd just like to know what are some books/authors you enjoy? 

    Price, Lehane, Martin, Lovecraft, Lindqvist, some King, London, Richard Adams, Dickens ...

     

    Oh, and enjoy. Maybe you "guys" can see how its done. :ack:

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted

    2 hours ago, MisterOJ said:

     An honest question, Rychard: who are some authors that you look up to and don't consider to be writing for trogs like us? Because I really don't understand what you're getting at.

     

    I didn't say everyone here was full trog. I was quite specific. For those who were specifically named, I guess I could come up with a reading list given a few days. No promises. I mean, they are the trogs, not me, so why should I even care?

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted · Edited by Rychard Wrythen

    6 minutes ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

    To put it another way, good prose should not call attention to itself. Good prose should not be a set of neon lights, and should not distract from the actual story.

     

    I have heard that. But art is often stylized.

     

     

    Frankly I didn't post it to be deconstructed. I thought maybe someone would actually get a kick out of it.

     

     

    How wrong I was. I'll go start that troglodytic moron trilogy now.

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted · Edited by Rychard Wrythen

    22 minutes ago, Rcollins said:

    Rychard Wrythen, can I ask, how long have you been writing for?

     

    I've been active for three years, but submitting to paid markets for only three or four months.

     

     

    As for wanting people to read my work, of course. But I won't make it soulless to do so. Thank you again.

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

    No, I'm suggesting you cut the fat from your sentences so that the reader is not encumbered with unnecessary verbiage. "Omit needless words" is up there with "show, don't tell" as a cardinal rule of writing.

    Let me take that paragraph again:

    At about that tyme, yet over on Wallins Street, somewhat to the north and west of the tailor’s shoppe, Lanuche gingerly walked back down the rotting steps of Thomryd’s cellar and then tottered over to its eastern end with the hideous, makeshift dress hanging loosely over her well-rounded frame. As she went, she lay her right hand lightly on the craggy, hewn stone wall to support her way; and because she was so very petite, the steps didn’t even so much as groan as she made her way carefully down them, almost as a felis would.

    We have no point of comparison, so "about that tyme" is meaningless. You do. Around the time that the previous chapter ends.

    "Somewhat" is simply a weasel word. Don't hedge your bets - be precise. Do you want longitude and latitude? Somewhat is the best I can tell you.

    A tailor's is by definition a tailor's shop, so you don't need "shoppe". Yes, you do, it's a possessive.

    Gingerly implies caution - which doesn't fit with the tottering (which makes her sound clumsy and incautious). No, you can intend caution and still wind up tottering.

    This is from Lanuche's point of view, and she wouldn't call her own dress hideous. Besides, what is hideous about it?  No, it's from omniscient third person point of view.

    Well-rounded is an unnecessary adjective (and telling not showing). Your opinion that it's unnecessary.

    "As she went" adds nothing to the sentence - it's implied by the rest. It tells the reader that the two actions are occurring simultaneously.

    We don't need to know it was her right-hand - it distracts the reader. No, it specifically aids in visualization.

    "Lightly" is an unnecessary adverb. Your opinion.

    "Craggy, hewn stone wall" is an adjectival pile-up. Adjectives aren't evil, but you shouldn't overuse them - they are often the sign of a dull noun. A craggy wall implies stone. No, plenty of smoothly worked stone in the world. And two adjectives is a pile-up? Good to know ...

    "So very petite" - telling not showing. The fact that the rotten wood isn't groaning implies she's light. Maybe I was not going for implication.

    You have her reaching the bottom of the steps, and then tottering off - and now she's apparently back on the stairs. The scene feels confused. Now this is a genuine error. What's that, 1 in 12 is valid? Thanks.

     

      

    While you are not my editor, on the off chance that you are one professionally I will respond just this once.

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Spockydog said:

    Your prose has all the personality of Harpo fucking Marx. Unless you change the way you write, nobody will ever publish you.

    Stick your fingers in your ears all you want. We're all illiterate, tasteless troglodytes. I just wish you'd sent this shit to Mark Lawrence when he was reviewing unpublished first chapters.

     

    I won't change it. Not for you or anyone. However, as I said, mayhaps I will start a side project for troglodytes.

    Official Blatant but Honest Self Promotion Thread

    in Literature

    Posted · Edited by Rychard Wrythen

    45 minutes ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

    Rychard:

    No offence, mate, but one of the most important traits in an author is learning to accept criticism. Believe me, we all write terrible stuff, and people call us up on it - so we go back and improve. We don't improve by putting our fingers in our ears, and going "lalalala."

    There *is* constructive criticism here. Specifically, you need to improve your prose. No problem there - go through and cut unnecessary words. Let's take the first paragraph:

    At about that tyme, yet over on Wallins Street, somewhat to the north and west of the tailor’s shoppe, Lanuche gingerly walked back down the rotting steps of Thomryd’s cellar and then tottered over to its eastern end with the hideous, makeshift dress hanging loosely over her well-rounded frame. As she went, she lay her right hand lightly on the craggy, hewn stone wall to support her way; and because she was so very petite, the steps didn’t even so much as groan as she made her way carefully down them, almost as a felis would.  

    Cut all the bold, and you have a much tighter, more readable result.

     

    So essentially you feel I should castrate my prose making it devoid of all personality so that these people will like it.

     

    As I told Sporkydog or whatever his name is before, I can't do that. Thank you for something approaching constructive criticism though.

     

    I will try to write something mainstream soon, with nice short words in it so that anyone with a taste for mediocrity can appreciate it.

     

    How does "Tales of the Crimson Prince: An Empire of Hot Iron" sound?

×
×
  • Create New...