Fic Talk > General Discussion
Writing & Thread (aka The Writing Thread 4)
RokofAges75:
I'm not sure whether to post this in this thread, the reading thread, or the TV thread because it could fit in any of the above, but since it's writing-related, I'll stick it here. I watched an interesting documentary on Hulu called "Naughty Books." It was about erotic fiction writers. Although I've never really read or written that genre, I enjoyed the documentary. It interviewed several authors who had success with self-publishing. Some of them said they'd sold millions of books and made a ton of money! But just when I was thinking, "Wow, maybe self-publishing is the way to go," it turned and started exploring the downsides. The authors said the market had become so saturated with erotic fiction since the success of 50 Shades of Gray, they felt pressured to keep putting out books so their readers didn't forget about them. One writer, who had started out writing YA fiction before experimenting with erotica, complained about feeling like she had to follow a certain formula to find success in the genre. She said readers don't want an intricate plot with twists and turns that make them think; they just care about the sex scenes. But another writer managed to get herself a book deal with a real publisher based on her success with self-publishing, and she talked about the pros and cons of that. I would recommend the documentary for those interested in learning more about the experience of being a published author, even if erotic romance is not your thing.
nicksgal:
I'll come back later for more writing discussion (We're about to leave to buy a new mattress, squee! Maybe I won't wake up with wonky neck pains anymore!), but I've been doing a little writing here and there and experienced two funny things.
First, "escape goats"... google helpfully put a blue line under it to remind me that it is in fact "scapegoats." I know google. We all know except for the person saying it, okay? Since this isn't an "Oh Google" moment, it didn't feel right putting it in that thread, lol. Maybe we need an "Oh Nick" thread also. ;)
Next, Grammarly helpfully adds little emojis into a pop up box to quickly show you what kind of tone your writing conveys. I'm currently rewriting a portion of early PBox in Nick's POV and it has helpfully picked every blue-tinted emoji to suggest the tone. And I'm like "worried/scared/nervous/sad for early PBox Nick? Yeah definitely," lol. So a fun related question, what emojis describe your characters' tones? Could be current works or an old one.
RokofAges75:
LOL Now we just need Nick to put "escape goats" in writing so Google can correct him, too.
The tone thing sounds need! I will be back to answer the emoji question later (gonna try to do it from my phone so I can use actual emojis).
What I came to ask was, do you guys ever find yourself questioning word choice based on what part of the country your characters come from? For example, I'm in the middle of editing a chapter and decided to change the word "shoes" to a more specific type of shoe. Kevin is wearing athletic shoes, but I'm debating what word he would use to describe those shoes. Sneakers? Tennis shoes? Gym shoes? I know people call them different things, depending on where they grew up. I've always called them "tennis shoes," regardless of whether they're being used to play tennis, unless I'm talking specifically about shoes that are meant to be changed into before going to P.E. at school, which are "gym shoes." I never personally call them "sneakers," although that seems like the best, most general term for them. It's just not a term people use where I live. So I googled to see if I could figure out what people from Kentucky call them and found this article based on a very scientific Twitter poll: https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/7/12/15958294/sneakers-tennis-shoes-what-do-you-call-them According to it, "tennis shoes" is the most popular term across the country except for in the Northeast, so I guess I'll go with that. It is true that Chicagoans call them "gym shoes," so there is some validity to it. What do you say? This could also be its own thread LOL; I love discussing differences in linguistics based on geographical location.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 31, 2021, 02:24:28 PM ---So a fun related question, what emojis describe your characters' tones? Could be current works or an old one.
--- End quote ---
I'll answer for My Brother's Keeper.
Kevin:
FrickingKaos:
Hmm in Take Me Home.... Mind you I'm trying not to spoil here but it's going to be impossible lol
Kevin:
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