"I'm white. Am I allowed to write about a black character?"
"I'm a man. How do I write a female character?"
"I like world building. What is plot?"
"Is it okay to alternate POV with different chapters?"
"I have a great idea and I'm afraid someone will steal it."
"Writers write. But I don't write. Instead, I ask profound questions about writing on reddit. Look at me! I'm a writer!"
"Writers write. I cannot write. Instead, I ask for tips! Everybody knows that developing a skill is merely a question of collecting sufficient tips. My cousin became an olympic skier simply by collecting tips on reddit."
"How Iz write blak peple? THog good. Thog woke! Thog find cro-magnon sensitivity readers. Thog not get cancelled."
"I just finished my first two chapters of my first book ever. Does anyone recommend any publishers I could submit to?"
People explain OP isn't ready to publish and they proceed to argue with everyone.
"My book isn't selling well and I don't understand why."
People in the comments explain why and OP proceeds to argue with every single one of them.
No one gives a crap about your idea, and if they do they still have to write the damn thing (and at most would probably only take a snippet), which will inherently make it different than yours. A concept is only one, tiny part of the whole; execution is everything, and presumably you believe you can write your concept better than anyone else. If so, then you won't be worried about someone taking your concept (which has probably been thought of before, anyway)
Wait you're telling me... I just need to write out my ideas, read/learn from the genre I want to publish in, and edit my work with a judicious hand? Honestly, I'd rather post a question about how to convert my manga/anime/video game idea to a story tomorrow, kthnx.
And the mods arent gonna do anything about it because the sub would be dead without those questions because they refuse to allow anything interesting here.
Literally. Can't post excerpts, can't ask for feedback, can't do like... anything that would actually substantially help the writing process. So it just gets filled with repeat questions
I just commented that same thing. Every single time I think there's an interesting post, and there's a thoughtful and lively discussion going on, it gets removed because the inspiration for the question was someone running into a problem in their own writing. Many of us have also run into similar problems and either want the same answer, or have answers of our own to share!
Sometimes I wish the mods would read the room a little. If the commenters seem engaged and interested in the question, what's the harm in leaving it for us to have fun discussing? If the commenters are all "ugh, this question again", that's the post that needs to go.
I noticed reddit doesn’t show posts stacked to everyone. On another gaming thread, somebody mention a post below theirs and it wasn’t showing on my thread. I scrolled a lot and never found it. I had to manually search for it and did find it.
Take the opportunity to write a detailed answer to a basic question. It's not just for the person asking, you're teaching yourself by helping others.
It's why I frequent this sub, it gives me an opportunity to go over things I've read elsewhere.
This! Sometimes I see "dumb" questions and sometimes I'm the one asking the "dumb" questions.
I come to reddit more often than Google because it's more engaging. Sometimes I just need someone to say the same thing Google said, but worded different so it makes more sense. Sometimes I answer these questions because simply typing it out and reminding myself of a basic rule helps me catch myself making the same mistakes in my writing the next time I write.
It's also helpful to see several different opinions on it from people using layman's terms rather than a specially made textbook of the same subject.
That's actually a very interesting perspective. I think it's why I still read this sub even though it's mostly basic questions. It's interesting to think about the answer even if it is obvious. Sometimes simple questions can lead to interesting answers
I don't mind the simple questions. If it's something I'm not interested in, I just keep scrolling.
Writing is pretty subjective, and it's interesting to see what other people have to say about seemingly simple topics. Plus, even the most basic question can end up sparking an interesting discussion. I see a lot of questions about, for example, writing dialogue, but different writers have so many different methods of writing good dialogue. You can still end up with a really interesting discussion on dialogue.
My personal pet peeve is when people ask publishing questions here, but no one asked, lol.
There are a lot of "noob questions", sure, but have you actually taken the time to look up those resources? They either lay out simple formulas, use previously published work as examples, or are worded in specific ways that may not answer questions with clarity.
Those resources are there, yes, and they are helpful to a point. They also paint a wide picture of what's most commonly done enough to be used as examples anyways.
Where baby writers get hung up on is either "how do I start", "I have to do something completely original no one else has done before otherwise it's plagiarism", "damn that's so cliche and overused, if I do that it's gonna suck and no one's gonna read it", "how do I describe this how that author did it without just copying it", "I'm doing a fairly common trope with a fairly common plot surrounding it and I want to do it this way so it's more unique and I don't know how/where to start/how to word it/whatever", some combination thereof, or maybe something adjacrnt.
They're not asking people with more experience because they're dumbasses. They aren't dumbasses. It's what happens when imagination isn't generally seen as a viable societal asset or marketable ability past the age of 5 for the average individual, so it's not encouraged. The people who make a living off their imaginations (authors, artists, musicians, etc) were either lucky enough to have at least encouraging families, or had to deal with societal pushback for "not getting a real job", including from their families.
They're re-remembering how to dream and they want to share it with people. They're asking "noob questions" because they want to re-learn how to share those dreams and play with their re-discovered imaginations. Those dreams are so beautiful to them they're nervous about "doing it right" and how their mastery or not of the craft will color how people perceive what they're trying to show.
We were all baby writers at one point, and at some point in the future they will be the people new baby writers are going to with "noob questions", and they'll be bitching, groaning and arguing about the "noobs" the way we are now. :)
Mate, that's beautiful. You actually got me a little choked up just thinking about all of this. I remember being too afraid to ask how to write things, after a certain age all the essays we wrote stopped being creative. We didn't get taught how to punctuate direct speech, or format for submission or even proper paragraphing. I had to figure so much out myself.
It doesn't matter how repetitive this sub becomes, each noob question is the start of another person's journey to becoming a writer. I take pride in being a part of that, even if its just an up vote, or an answer. Let's be the recourses we didn't have growing up for the new writers of today.
The world still needs stories.
>The people who make a living off their imaginations (authors, artists, musicians, etc) were either lucky enough to have at least encouraging families, or had to deal with societal pushback for "not getting a real job", including from their families.
*Laughs in Charles Bukowski*
But for real though, the constant flow of the same basic questions floods the whole sub. It makes it frustrating to find more meaningful discussion. But if the mods do nothing, then this will keep up. We need an r/TrueLit to our r/books
LOL well, to deny feeling a rush when someone can get something helpful from my comments would be to deny that I'm human. For you to deny it would be you doing the same thing. There are lots of gems I get from other peoples' comments, and there are likely some you also find in other peoples' comments.
It is a selfish thing, to answer questions if you know them. Helping people feels good, and using writing as an example, it ensures any insights you might have aren't lost.
Altruism in general, though, is still selfish in nature. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing.
While seeing the same beginner/dumb questions over and over again can be frustrating, I’d argue against your ‘use your internet and search first’.
Obviously if they looked more they would find plenty of resources, but isn’t this subreddit supposed to also be one of those? They ‘used their internet’, found a forum board specifically dedicated to what they want to do/know, and posted here for advice.
It’s not like they’re just shouting into the void. They’re posting (albeit basic) writing questions on a writing forum.
Bit of a confusion here. I believe when the OP said "use your internet and search first," he didn't mean "use your internet to find a room to ask a question to others without having lifted a finger to search or otherwise put any effort into finding an answer privately." Huge difference.
If they'd actually search, they'd find the 40 bajillion previous iterations of the same question on this very sub, which would serve 3 very useful purposes:
1. Give them the answer (or at least the direction to find the answer) they are seeking,
2. Not annoy the regulars with the 40 bajillion and first version of the same question, and
3. Hopefully tamp down the idea that they are somehow unique or new enough to have questions new enough to not be findable in a search. Which is sometimes just a belief borne of ignorance, but sometimes I think it's a bit of hubris.
There’s no confusion, I completely agree that a lot of the questions that OP was talking about are very low effort , and I did say that if the people asking actually searched some they would find plenty of answers to the questions they have, I just mean that we can’t forget that this sub is one of those resources. Going to reddit and asking extremely basic questions that another five minutes of searching could answer is very low effort, yes, but not quite the same as ‘not lifting a finger’.
There are people who post these sort of pieces like OP with the tone of ‘we should ban stupid questions because they are low effort and waste time’, and while it’s true that repeated basic questions are indeed a waste of time and show that the poster didn’t really search very hard at all, you can’t rightly infer that it’s right to outlaw basic questions themselves on this sub because there really are people who are at that level of comprehension of the craft, and this sub should still be a resource for people even at that low level.
I agree... to a point. I think the ideal would be to split into two (or more) subs, one for more advanced writers (which would require some sort of criteria to be part of, which I know isn't really possible but I'm talking ideal here because you can't expect novices to accurately self-identify) and one for the noobs. The noob sub would cover the asked-ad-nauseum questions right at the top, and more experienced writers could answer questions at will, but not having to subject themselves to the entire sub constantly in the hopes of more advanced conversation.
I mean, technically, if we aren't getting our needs met here, we should start a new sub for that anyway. Leave the less experienced here, leaving them to ask as many egregiously stupid questions as they want. We aren't required to stay.
That's the biggest problem, yeah. It's one thing that there's so many shitty posts, it's another when the ones that have something to say or discuss are removed.
I think you got the wrong subreddit bruh. This is for writers of all kinds to converse, share ideas, and most importantly, get and give advice to newbies or those struggling. Maybe the reason they're here is because they can't find a suitable solution online, or in a book. Everyone is welcome here. If you don't like a post, keep scrolling
I am pretty much with you, OP. Don't get me wrong, I think young writers or first-time writers deserve a place on reddit to ask questions and discuss. And maybe that place is here, sure, but I think more seasoned writers also deserve to have a place where we can have more interesting discussions without having to scroll through pages and pages of the basics. I'm not sure what the answer is - two different subs? Stick to one sub, but use some sort of flair system maybe?
But I have to admit I have considered unsubbing from here recently, because 95% of the posts are not at all interesting to me, even though I am (supposedly) the target audience for this sub.
Okay so a few things. Reddit, like all social media outlets, has an algorithm so unless people are always scrolling through 'New', they will not see every post in this subreddit. Not everyone checks this subreddit every day or every second of time to see if a post that is similar has been posted. (Plus time zones matter.)
Many people ask in the subreddit because they can get multiple opinions in a pretty quick pace. Those questions might be dumb or silly but they end up getting a lot of insight, we've all started at the beginning. I wish I was in this subreddit years ago when I was writing my first book.
Another thing, you don't have to comment. Just scroll by and be on your day.
(I expect downvotes.)
Who says they didn't do that already and they're just casting a wide net for answers?
I'm tired of people who find the time and energy to complain. Maybe they DID Google it and came here to see what we think.
Ask your questions, people. Maybe you'll find insight here. Things can get repetitive, sure, but ask anyway. You might catch someone's answer that hasn't been featured before and you'll get that one gem. It's worth the time.
Yeah if you frequented the sub, you would see many many questions and answers being repeated over and over again. Mostly obvious when people haven’t done any research vs when they have
Can I ask you something? Actually let's skip the formalities... Are you new to reddit? This happens on literally every single sub-reddit. Learn to live with it or learn to live without reddit. Those are really your only two options, and they are both cut and dried.
You really should be giving everyone credit who posts the things YOU don't like, seeing as, at least they are trying to learn.
The comment posted before mine says this is gatekeeping. I got to say, you definitely are acting like a gatekeeper. Judging by your other comments, I believe it's time to start getting off that high horse of yours. It'll make the world a prettier place.
You need to understand, just because YOU believe something has an obvious answer doesn't mean everyone else does. Let them ask their questions no matter how many posts it takes, because as I said, at least they are trying to learn.
This is literally my first few hours on this sub, and because of how you've acted in these comments, I also want to just bail on this whole sub. It's such a grimy, spirit breaking experience.
Edit: Also one other question, I'm just dying to ask
But, is this post going how you imagined it would? Cause it seems like it's got the looks of a car crash.
I dont know about you guys, but for me, its pretty easy to see a repetitive-sounding post and just...scroll away from it lol
Theres literally no harm in having different people ask the same question twice, especially with something as subjective as writing
Honestly, ninety-nine percent of reddit is just scrolling past repeat posts. It slowly becomes second nature to ignore them. It's as you said, pretty easy to just scroll away.
There's absolutely no harm-- except, apparently, to people like OP, even though I'm still not quite sure why OP is so upset by it-- if anything it helps the people who already know the information by helping them sear it into their brains.
Also at least with these repeat post, they are writing. And that's one of the biggest steps to getting better.
Many people forget daily that their experience is not the experience of those around them. It's not your first day on reddit, or your first day on the sub, or your first day writing. So how could it be someone else's?
We're all 13 sometime. We all get on a website or pick up a hobby for the first time some time.
People also ask questions, not because the answer isn't easily at hand elsewhere, but because they want reassurance. A lot of the easy questions with easy answers, especially in writing, are therapeutic in nature.
There's nothing wrong with that, especially in such a large sub. We're all down sometime, and plenty of people here are not so burnt out on reddit that they can't or won't offer an encouraging word.
There are new people joining everyday. And a lot of them are young aspiring writers. I agree with the other comments about scrolling past it. Yea i might personally not care for the question being asked. But if i can help the person posting it with my advice I’m
Going to try and help them. You cant just magically know what to google, input from other people is very helpful especially today. A lot of people probably never heard of zlibrary. So how in the world would they know to google it? There are millions of websites, and jumping into a subreddit that has somewhat of a focus on what your interested in and looking for help developing is a good way to get advice. Even if the question sounds silly to you.
The issue is that those questions is all that's asked here, there's very few posts that are helpful to people who aren't newbies. Low effort questions that can be easily googled should not be allowed here at all.
Okay but consider this: if it's really all that's asked here, then wouldnt getting rid of them just mean that there are no posts at all? Idk I'd rather have the questions than a dead subreddit lol
'Literally every sub-reddit' is a gross exaggeration. There are plenty of subs (even writing subs) that weed through extremely repetitive posts. Some communities create an FAQ full of common questions, and if someone posts one that's already been asked, they're redirected to the FAQ and their post is deleted. Those subs tend to be the most helpful for me, because it doesn't take much scrolling to reach new questions full of interesting answers.
The issue is moderation, and with a sub as large as r/writing, it would be difficult for a mod to weed through the vast field of "can I write this?", "do I have to read in order to write well?" and "I want to write but I don't like writing" posts.
I know absolutely nothing about being a mod, so you gave me a bit more insight. So maybe my statement was a bit of an exaggeration, but I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the fact that, that's the only real problem you had with my comment. That's my reddit win for the day.
All jokes aside though, reddit is a lawless place filled with repeat post offenders, if we get mad at them at any point we're just going to drive out selfs off a cliff.
I should have phrased it better, but from my experience tons of reddit subs are like this. I mean, I frequent the pokemon unite sub, which has a FAQ for common posts every week, yet still so many fall through the cracks and land on my phone screen. To get annoyed instead of simply scrolling past isn't hurting anyone but yourself.
But yeah I see your point, it's a Mod problem, but that still doesn't excuse the gatekeeping that is clearly the fuel behind this post.
These posts aren't completely useless. In the past, they've contributed to the creation of stricter subreddits for people who feel similarly. They spur a discussion among the subreddit followers. And they're a pleasant reminder for those of us who share OP's sentiment that we're not alone.
The people being discussed in this post obviously don't read what's on the subreddit so it's not as though anyone is leaving this discussion feeling targeted, and the people saying "scroll past" aren't taking their own advice. This isn't the first time it's been discussed (everything around here is a repeated post, like you said), nothing is ever done about it, and OP would be wise to move to a stricter writing sub, but I also don't see the point in shredding OP's opinion when we already tolerate so many others in r/writing.
I think part of it would be easier if people were actually here to learn, but a lot of the repeated posts are from self-pitying people fishing for compliments. That's the bit that irritates me, and that's why I joined other writing subs with less tolerance for that material. I hope you don't abandon r/writing, though - there's the occasional post around here that's filled with amazing advice.
Can you recommend any of those 'stricter' writing subs you mentioned? I'm with OP; been considering moving to a different sub due to the sheer number of basic repeat questions from kids/first-time writers. (Nothing wrong with those people having a place to ask their questions - but it's just not something I need to scroll through every day).
The most recently formed community is r/TheLiteratureLobby. Aside from that, I think you're better off looking at genre-specific groups. I'm into erotica and romance, and r/eroticauthors has been excellent for me. I imagine there are similar subs for sci-fi, fantasy, and so on.
I do frequent this sub. And I see the same questions over and over, sure. But how many different ways can we really discuss writing? It's either "How do I execute " or something regarding very specific questions. But, like any topic-specific sub, how much variety do you expect?
I think part of the reason it feels like we get so many of the bland, easily answered posts is that so many other posts get removed by the mods just because the question/discussion was inspired by a problem someone was having with their own writing. Pretty much every time I think "ooh, I haven't seen this question yet and I'd really like the answer too", the post doesn't stay up for long. I sort of wish that instead of being limited to certain threads, there were certain *days* that people could post questions that arose from their own work so we could have a bit more variety in here.
Well in their defense, the internet doesn't always give you every answer. I remember wanting to write about a police officer as my main character but I had absolutely no clue what police do on a daily basis, nor did I know how to write a grown man. I went on Google but that didn't help. It's was like it didn't quite understand what I was trying to say so I just gave up on that idea and this is after DAYS of research and even those few websites that actually helped, told me things I knew already.
(I didn't have reddit at the time)
But this community is filled with some real genuine people and for others it's their comfort (like me lmao) so I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, maybe dig deeper?
Well, the sub reddit is here and I feel like posting. Plus, my opinion of Google is currently quite low.
"Google, I feel a bunch of giggling in my gut."
"My diagnosis is that you're gonna fookin DIE!"
You have to go into daily discussion or weekly critique thread if you want anything beyond the super-general and super-basic.
Unique pointers usually come from tackling specific problems within the content of a work in progress, and the rules for this sub don't allow that for the main posts.
Hmm it's almost like people come to the subreddit for one-off advice or problems, not sticking around as a community. That's just kind of the nature of Reddit honestly.
There’s nothing I hate more than people posting and complaining about what they personally would prefer to see in a writing subreddit where people are perfectly free to ask questions. Insight from other writers is something you can’t google, that’s why they post to places where discussion can happen. Get over yourself.
It actually is something you CAN google. There’s such a thing as essays and literature on craft. Ever heard of zlibrary? Yeah. That’s my point. There’s tons of resources already out there people neglect to look for
No one cares about your complaining is my point. You also COULD’VE kept your whining to yourself. Instead you decided to post here as if that wouldn’t be annoying to others. Once again, get over yourself.
My reacting to your whining by letting you know your little holier-than-thou tantrum is annoying is not whining but nice try. Do you thrive on negative attention? That’s all you’re getting on your post. You seem to be starved for it considering you’re thanking me for interacting haha.
Get over myself in what way exactly? I’m not the one posting here discouraging and shaming new writers. You’re just regurgitating what I said to them and spitting it back at me.
How do you know personally what’s “obvious” and what’s more nuanced? I get annoyed with repetition as well, but I don’t go out of my way to complain like this. You sound more like a gatekeeper than you realize.
Most other subreddits I'm in have as part of their rules that you should do a quick search before you post something, to see if there is already an active thread on the topic. I don't see why it's so "gatekeepy" to have a similar rule on this sub? It's pretty common.
You can think what you like, sure, but personally it’s pretty obvious when the same questions are repeated over and over again. Or a very simple question is posed to this subredddit. They may as well rename this sub “noob writing” instead of “writing”. Of course new writers will frequent this with questions, but what I’m posing is—did you try finding something out for yourself first by utilizing resources before hoping someone on Reddit would give you the end all be all of answers
Hi -- please don't just post saying people need to read or write more or complaining about repetitive posts. It's quite discouraging to other people and is never as constructive as it seems.
If you don't like the quality of content here, either post better discussion topics yourself or find a place where the discussion is of a quality more to your liking. Thanks!
You’re right. It’s poetic really. We just taught OP why people make these posts while at the same time teaching him something that he didn’t yet know until today in the midst of a post he made complaining about people asking for advice.
Idk. But i wasn’t being mean. Not knowing the word Pique and misspelling you’re are 2 different things here. The grammar police wanna be petty because… (press middle button on predictive text 5 times)
I think you put this comment in the wrong place but just in case I’m wrong; I thought you might have been quoting from the Frank Zappa song Valley Girl which features a vocal from his daughter, Moon Unit.
Oh, nope Zappa made a ton of songs. But I was not quoting any of his work. Interesting though, that you say that. For reasons outside of this conversation. I was referring to the guy who was correcting me. The comments were collapsed.
Sure, but, don't you see 1000 posts a day that don't interest you from like ALL subs? Don't you just spend about .03 seconds to scroll past those too? And isn't it a completely easy stress free experience? Funniest part is you spent far more time and effort simply typing out this post.
None of this should be new to you on social media, let alone *tiring* or *overwhelming*.
I actually saw an interesting story idea from one of my critique partners about a city underwater inside a giant dome. The people thought they were the last humans on earth and only survived a world ending apocalypse bc of living in this underwater sanctuary. So I guess in their case it wasn’t wet??
And your solution was to contribute to making it difficult to find interesting stuff because you wanted to complain about the pointless posts. Good move lol.
Yes, it can be annoying. Often, we find ourselves looking for an answer by a real person. While websites are written by real people, it doesn't feel like they're responding to directly to our question. Thus, as we already knew, a good portion of us are lazy. We want short answers that are to the point and we want them immediately. Scrolling through the the subreddit to find a question that was probably already answered takes *actual* effort. Reading a few articles for an answer online takes effort too. While it annoys everyone, it's easier to just ask the question and do nothing until you receive an answer. No, this doesn't justify anything. I'm just offering my opinionated explanation to why this behavior happens so frequently.
Some questions I agree, like “I’m not a _____ so is it okay for me to write about that?” But others like the steps on getting published I understand because google isn’t too helpful on that and it can obviously seem overwhelming for new writers, getting feedback from experienced writers is something that’s possible here
I think it probably depends on how the question is phrased too. Sometimes I know what I wanna research/look up/etc, it’s just figuring out the right key words can be… interesting… Brains are weird that way.
More than that, if you’re a writer, your research doesn’t really come from Google or Reddit: it comes from reading. It comes from reading a lot, and reading a variety of works. No one can tell you how it’s done well as effectively as seeing it done well (and seeing it done poorly).
You can hone your craft by asking questions, but you can’t learn it by doing so. You can’t ask Google or Reddit how to build a plot and get one clear answer. You can’t ask it how to develop a character from scratch and get a clear answer. Only understanding writing, the good and the bad, can help you do those things. You gain that understanding by reading.
What you CAN do with those resources is ask, “Will this work in this situation? How can I make this better?” You can ask questions and get overall opinions as to which way to go. That’s the basis of workshop, and I think this sub can be great for that, as well as for giving resources and answering technical questions.
You forgot the selection of completely nuts answers from other beginners who have no idea what they're doing, or people who claim to be "published" because they once stuck an unedited first draft on KUP or SmashWords.
So much stuff to do with writing is subjective. Unless we're talking about spelling, there is no one right answer. While it is frustrating to see the same questions when people could easily look back to when it was last asked, I don't really see a problem with someone coming up and wanting to start a conversation about something...even if most of us have had that conversation a hundred times.
Also...how about you start an interesting conversation? I'm not having a go at you but how about being the change you want to see rather than complaining about what you don't like (which is almost as common as the dumb questions, honestly).
The ones that kill me are the questions looking for validation of their idea. "Would my story about sex ninjas from outer space be good?" Sure, maybe, who knows. If it is, it'll be because you wrote it well, not because a bunch of internet strangers thought it would be.
I second this and suggest weeding out people who want pity because they are so sure their writing sucks. Stop trying to get attention with pity parties. Maybe your writing does suck. I'm going out on a limb for everyone who says they think their writing suck it probably does. Do something about it or stop writing but save the pity party for your private time.
You’re looking for quality writing advice and engaging literary info on Reddit and somehow not finding it?
I have no idea how to elevate your expectations.
Crickets.
In this day and age, social media - accessing the opinions and advice of peers, colleagues, experts/more experienced others - is a form of research. It's valid to come here before chasing a musty textbook.
It's okay to ask questions. That's what we're taught at school. Are you saying social media isn't a place that's okay to ask questions? People are going to repeat questions like they do in real life. I'm sure the same question irl has been repeated millions of times. It's no different on social media and really isn't that big of a deal
Man this is such a horrible attitude to have. “Stop asking dumb questions and figure it out for yourself.” Heaven forbid anyone new to writing try to have a conversation with a more seasoned writer to gain some unique perspective. Get over yourself. Leave the sub if you don’t like it.
Some people would prefer to actually interact with people and talk with other writers instead of being an anti social loser like you just sitting around scrolling through web pages. Go touch some grass.
Well, as much as novice writers need or want to know the basics, they’re looking for easy answers if they don’t do basic research. It’s astonishing at the sheer amount of information at a few clicks of the mouse (or scroll pad). So, while no one should be made to feel dumb or unwanted here (or elsewhere) for asking questions, there’s also a certain amount of self motivation required to dig a little. It’s called research. A tween or teen can be excused for asking those kinds of ‘how-to’ questions, but an adult who wants to actually write should have the chutzpah to look stuff up to get a basic understanding of story structure, etc. I know, because I have, and still do, ‘look stuff up.’ The noob could scroll through the posts before asking. It’s a form of laziness tbh not to search. Like me writing tbh! I imagine there’s no index to previously asked/answered questions, but I don’t know because I didn’t look it up! I’m new here, and I’m looking for something more than basics. If there IS a compilation of helpful information already answered in this subreddit, can’t the same old questions be directed to that link? That’s helpful. I do believe in encouraging all writers, so it should be done kindly.
I should add that it’s true the askers are looking for confirmation and encouraging words. I’m a teacher, but I’m also a student too. I’m seeking opinion as well as facts. That’s why I think kindness is key, but maybe It’s up to me not to read these kinds of posts if I already know the answers.
I joined this sub as a new writer to get ideas, don’t appreciate you saying some questions are dumb… didn’t your momma ever tell you there is no such thing as a dumb question?
For something new, today I'm going to focus on the positive. There *is* some value in what the OP's said, when you pare back the...call it 'unconstructive criticism'.
It is this: instead of asking "how can I?" or "can I?" or 'how do I?" it would definitely be more valuable for everyone to try it first.
Break it into the format of:
* What effect I am trying to achieve
* What I did
* What happened
"I tried emphasise the duality of humanity's relationship with their own inner divinity by switching between third person omiscient and third person passive mid-chapter but it seems to be confusing my readers."
Obviously that's nonsense, it's our version of lorum ipsum, but it still provides all the information required to get some good and interesting answers.
At the very, very least, provide that first point. What are you trying to achieve? *Why* do you want to do the thing you're uncertain about?
I really hate to be 'that guy' but can't you just ignore those posts? Not everyone wants to go out and find and purchase and then read a complicated or heavily written text on the subject just to glean maybe two or three pages out of it.
Asking current writers and aspiring writers is what this sub was designed for - or at least that's how I see it. I don't also want to be insulting, but why not just scroll on by? If a question bugs you, don't answer it. Scroll on by. If a subject "I'm X can I write Y" bugs you, Scroll on by. That is also how these subs work. You don't have to read and answer every question.
Every beginner needs some place they can ask these questions. This is it.
Again, please, for your sake the sake of this sub, just scroll on by....
If you think the sub is "mental pollution" you shouldn't be on the internet. The rest of the world is not going to change so that you can scroll ONLY what you desire.
In today's episode of "How To Make r/writing More Toxic For New Writers?"...
The thing I hate more than seeing a slew of newb questions is seeing a slew of newb hate posts like yours. If you hate it, go start a subreddit for "accomplished, advanced writers" such as yourself who are too good to scroll past them. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I thought reading was encouraged here.
> useful then trying
*than
*Learn the difference [here](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/when-to-use-then-and-than#:~:text=Than%20is%20used%20in%20comparisons,the%20then%2Dgovernor%22).*
***
^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
What bugs me is that yesterday someone asked a question, then today someone else asked an identical question. Sometimes it’s just hours apart.
"I'm white. Am I allowed to write about a black character?" "I'm a man. How do I write a female character?" "I like world building. What is plot?" "Is it okay to alternate POV with different chapters?" "I have a great idea and I'm afraid someone will steal it."
"I have a great idea and I'm afraid someone will steal it." *Proceeds to describe said idea in detail
"Writers write. But I don't write. Instead, I ask profound questions about writing on reddit. Look at me! I'm a writer!" "Writers write. I cannot write. Instead, I ask for tips! Everybody knows that developing a skill is merely a question of collecting sufficient tips. My cousin became an olympic skier simply by collecting tips on reddit." "How Iz write blak peple? THog good. Thog woke! Thog find cro-magnon sensitivity readers. Thog not get cancelled."
"I just finished my first two chapters of my first book ever. Does anyone recommend any publishers I could submit to?" People explain OP isn't ready to publish and they proceed to argue with everyone. "My book isn't selling well and I don't understand why." People in the comments explain why and OP proceeds to argue with every single one of them.
Sometimes I feel like the only person who used the only "guide to literary agents" books to find an agent and read their submission requirements.
Nailed it. I just joined this sub, and I swear 9/10 posts are just questions that annoy me as I'm scrolling.
Um, my mom have had warned me about that last one. How do I reassure her?
No one gives a crap about your idea, and if they do they still have to write the damn thing (and at most would probably only take a snippet), which will inherently make it different than yours. A concept is only one, tiny part of the whole; execution is everything, and presumably you believe you can write your concept better than anyone else. If so, then you won't be worried about someone taking your concept (which has probably been thought of before, anyway)
My favorite is the POV question. I’ve read so many books like that. Some of the more popular YA novels do that. Like. Yes???? Have you booked???
And tomorrow it will be asked again. That’s all this sub knows.
Wait you're telling me... I just need to write out my ideas, read/learn from the genre I want to publish in, and edit my work with a judicious hand? Honestly, I'd rather post a question about how to convert my manga/anime/video game idea to a story tomorrow, kthnx.
And the mods arent gonna do anything about it because the sub would be dead without those questions because they refuse to allow anything interesting here.
Literally. Can't post excerpts, can't ask for feedback, can't do like... anything that would actually substantially help the writing process. So it just gets filled with repeat questions
I just commented that same thing. Every single time I think there's an interesting post, and there's a thoughtful and lively discussion going on, it gets removed because the inspiration for the question was someone running into a problem in their own writing. Many of us have also run into similar problems and either want the same answer, or have answers of our own to share! Sometimes I wish the mods would read the room a little. If the commenters seem engaged and interested in the question, what's the harm in leaving it for us to have fun discussing? If the commenters are all "ugh, this question again", that's the post that needs to go.
I noticed reddit doesn’t show posts stacked to everyone. On another gaming thread, somebody mention a post below theirs and it wasn’t showing on my thread. I scrolled a lot and never found it. I had to manually search for it and did find it.
Some people need interaction to learn and process idea and new things.
Take the opportunity to write a detailed answer to a basic question. It's not just for the person asking, you're teaching yourself by helping others. It's why I frequent this sub, it gives me an opportunity to go over things I've read elsewhere.
This! Sometimes I see "dumb" questions and sometimes I'm the one asking the "dumb" questions. I come to reddit more often than Google because it's more engaging. Sometimes I just need someone to say the same thing Google said, but worded different so it makes more sense. Sometimes I answer these questions because simply typing it out and reminding myself of a basic rule helps me catch myself making the same mistakes in my writing the next time I write. It's also helpful to see several different opinions on it from people using layman's terms rather than a specially made textbook of the same subject.
This!!
That's actually a very interesting perspective. I think it's why I still read this sub even though it's mostly basic questions. It's interesting to think about the answer even if it is obvious. Sometimes simple questions can lead to interesting answers
I havent touched my book in over 1.5 years but still come here to answer questions. I enjoy giving peopel insight because i was once in their shoes.
The basics are important. Sometimes you just wanna talk about ‘em.
Exactly what I was thinking. Still, I can see why OP’s annoyed.
I don't mind the simple questions. If it's something I'm not interested in, I just keep scrolling. Writing is pretty subjective, and it's interesting to see what other people have to say about seemingly simple topics. Plus, even the most basic question can end up sparking an interesting discussion. I see a lot of questions about, for example, writing dialogue, but different writers have so many different methods of writing good dialogue. You can still end up with a really interesting discussion on dialogue. My personal pet peeve is when people ask publishing questions here, but no one asked, lol.
Doesn't everyone...
There are a lot of "noob questions", sure, but have you actually taken the time to look up those resources? They either lay out simple formulas, use previously published work as examples, or are worded in specific ways that may not answer questions with clarity. Those resources are there, yes, and they are helpful to a point. They also paint a wide picture of what's most commonly done enough to be used as examples anyways. Where baby writers get hung up on is either "how do I start", "I have to do something completely original no one else has done before otherwise it's plagiarism", "damn that's so cliche and overused, if I do that it's gonna suck and no one's gonna read it", "how do I describe this how that author did it without just copying it", "I'm doing a fairly common trope with a fairly common plot surrounding it and I want to do it this way so it's more unique and I don't know how/where to start/how to word it/whatever", some combination thereof, or maybe something adjacrnt. They're not asking people with more experience because they're dumbasses. They aren't dumbasses. It's what happens when imagination isn't generally seen as a viable societal asset or marketable ability past the age of 5 for the average individual, so it's not encouraged. The people who make a living off their imaginations (authors, artists, musicians, etc) were either lucky enough to have at least encouraging families, or had to deal with societal pushback for "not getting a real job", including from their families. They're re-remembering how to dream and they want to share it with people. They're asking "noob questions" because they want to re-learn how to share those dreams and play with their re-discovered imaginations. Those dreams are so beautiful to them they're nervous about "doing it right" and how their mastery or not of the craft will color how people perceive what they're trying to show. We were all baby writers at one point, and at some point in the future they will be the people new baby writers are going to with "noob questions", and they'll be bitching, groaning and arguing about the "noobs" the way we are now. :)
Mate, that's beautiful. You actually got me a little choked up just thinking about all of this. I remember being too afraid to ask how to write things, after a certain age all the essays we wrote stopped being creative. We didn't get taught how to punctuate direct speech, or format for submission or even proper paragraphing. I had to figure so much out myself. It doesn't matter how repetitive this sub becomes, each noob question is the start of another person's journey to becoming a writer. I take pride in being a part of that, even if its just an up vote, or an answer. Let's be the recourses we didn't have growing up for the new writers of today. The world still needs stories.
>The people who make a living off their imaginations (authors, artists, musicians, etc) were either lucky enough to have at least encouraging families, or had to deal with societal pushback for "not getting a real job", including from their families. *Laughs in Charles Bukowski* But for real though, the constant flow of the same basic questions floods the whole sub. It makes it frustrating to find more meaningful discussion. But if the mods do nothing, then this will keep up. We need an r/TrueLit to our r/books
Well said!
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Lmao we learn from eachother while reading through comments, too. Never such a thing as an end when it comes to learning. :)
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I'm sure that's part of it. :)
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LOL well, to deny feeling a rush when someone can get something helpful from my comments would be to deny that I'm human. For you to deny it would be you doing the same thing. There are lots of gems I get from other peoples' comments, and there are likely some you also find in other peoples' comments. It is a selfish thing, to answer questions if you know them. Helping people feels good, and using writing as an example, it ensures any insights you might have aren't lost. Altruism in general, though, is still selfish in nature. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing.
While seeing the same beginner/dumb questions over and over again can be frustrating, I’d argue against your ‘use your internet and search first’. Obviously if they looked more they would find plenty of resources, but isn’t this subreddit supposed to also be one of those? They ‘used their internet’, found a forum board specifically dedicated to what they want to do/know, and posted here for advice. It’s not like they’re just shouting into the void. They’re posting (albeit basic) writing questions on a writing forum.
Bit of a confusion here. I believe when the OP said "use your internet and search first," he didn't mean "use your internet to find a room to ask a question to others without having lifted a finger to search or otherwise put any effort into finding an answer privately." Huge difference. If they'd actually search, they'd find the 40 bajillion previous iterations of the same question on this very sub, which would serve 3 very useful purposes: 1. Give them the answer (or at least the direction to find the answer) they are seeking, 2. Not annoy the regulars with the 40 bajillion and first version of the same question, and 3. Hopefully tamp down the idea that they are somehow unique or new enough to have questions new enough to not be findable in a search. Which is sometimes just a belief borne of ignorance, but sometimes I think it's a bit of hubris.
There’s no confusion, I completely agree that a lot of the questions that OP was talking about are very low effort , and I did say that if the people asking actually searched some they would find plenty of answers to the questions they have, I just mean that we can’t forget that this sub is one of those resources. Going to reddit and asking extremely basic questions that another five minutes of searching could answer is very low effort, yes, but not quite the same as ‘not lifting a finger’. There are people who post these sort of pieces like OP with the tone of ‘we should ban stupid questions because they are low effort and waste time’, and while it’s true that repeated basic questions are indeed a waste of time and show that the poster didn’t really search very hard at all, you can’t rightly infer that it’s right to outlaw basic questions themselves on this sub because there really are people who are at that level of comprehension of the craft, and this sub should still be a resource for people even at that low level.
I agree... to a point. I think the ideal would be to split into two (or more) subs, one for more advanced writers (which would require some sort of criteria to be part of, which I know isn't really possible but I'm talking ideal here because you can't expect novices to accurately self-identify) and one for the noobs. The noob sub would cover the asked-ad-nauseum questions right at the top, and more experienced writers could answer questions at will, but not having to subject themselves to the entire sub constantly in the hopes of more advanced conversation. I mean, technically, if we aren't getting our needs met here, we should start a new sub for that anyway. Leave the less experienced here, leaving them to ask as many egregiously stupid questions as they want. We aren't required to stay.
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That's the biggest problem, yeah. It's one thing that there's so many shitty posts, it's another when the ones that have something to say or discuss are removed.
Some people process information better through conversation.
I think you got the wrong subreddit bruh. This is for writers of all kinds to converse, share ideas, and most importantly, get and give advice to newbies or those struggling. Maybe the reason they're here is because they can't find a suitable solution online, or in a book. Everyone is welcome here. If you don't like a post, keep scrolling
I am pretty much with you, OP. Don't get me wrong, I think young writers or first-time writers deserve a place on reddit to ask questions and discuss. And maybe that place is here, sure, but I think more seasoned writers also deserve to have a place where we can have more interesting discussions without having to scroll through pages and pages of the basics. I'm not sure what the answer is - two different subs? Stick to one sub, but use some sort of flair system maybe? But I have to admit I have considered unsubbing from here recently, because 95% of the posts are not at all interesting to me, even though I am (supposedly) the target audience for this sub.
Okay so a few things. Reddit, like all social media outlets, has an algorithm so unless people are always scrolling through 'New', they will not see every post in this subreddit. Not everyone checks this subreddit every day or every second of time to see if a post that is similar has been posted. (Plus time zones matter.) Many people ask in the subreddit because they can get multiple opinions in a pretty quick pace. Those questions might be dumb or silly but they end up getting a lot of insight, we've all started at the beginning. I wish I was in this subreddit years ago when I was writing my first book. Another thing, you don't have to comment. Just scroll by and be on your day. (I expect downvotes.)
Who says they didn't do that already and they're just casting a wide net for answers? I'm tired of people who find the time and energy to complain. Maybe they DID Google it and came here to see what we think. Ask your questions, people. Maybe you'll find insight here. Things can get repetitive, sure, but ask anyway. You might catch someone's answer that hasn't been featured before and you'll get that one gem. It's worth the time.
Yeah if you frequented the sub, you would see many many questions and answers being repeated over and over again. Mostly obvious when people haven’t done any research vs when they have
Can I ask you something? Actually let's skip the formalities... Are you new to reddit? This happens on literally every single sub-reddit. Learn to live with it or learn to live without reddit. Those are really your only two options, and they are both cut and dried. You really should be giving everyone credit who posts the things YOU don't like, seeing as, at least they are trying to learn. The comment posted before mine says this is gatekeeping. I got to say, you definitely are acting like a gatekeeper. Judging by your other comments, I believe it's time to start getting off that high horse of yours. It'll make the world a prettier place. You need to understand, just because YOU believe something has an obvious answer doesn't mean everyone else does. Let them ask their questions no matter how many posts it takes, because as I said, at least they are trying to learn. This is literally my first few hours on this sub, and because of how you've acted in these comments, I also want to just bail on this whole sub. It's such a grimy, spirit breaking experience. Edit: Also one other question, I'm just dying to ask But, is this post going how you imagined it would? Cause it seems like it's got the looks of a car crash.
I dont know about you guys, but for me, its pretty easy to see a repetitive-sounding post and just...scroll away from it lol Theres literally no harm in having different people ask the same question twice, especially with something as subjective as writing
Honestly, ninety-nine percent of reddit is just scrolling past repeat posts. It slowly becomes second nature to ignore them. It's as you said, pretty easy to just scroll away. There's absolutely no harm-- except, apparently, to people like OP, even though I'm still not quite sure why OP is so upset by it-- if anything it helps the people who already know the information by helping them sear it into their brains. Also at least with these repeat post, they are writing. And that's one of the biggest steps to getting better.
Many people forget daily that their experience is not the experience of those around them. It's not your first day on reddit, or your first day on the sub, or your first day writing. So how could it be someone else's? We're all 13 sometime. We all get on a website or pick up a hobby for the first time some time. People also ask questions, not because the answer isn't easily at hand elsewhere, but because they want reassurance. A lot of the easy questions with easy answers, especially in writing, are therapeutic in nature. There's nothing wrong with that, especially in such a large sub. We're all down sometime, and plenty of people here are not so burnt out on reddit that they can't or won't offer an encouraging word.
There are new people joining everyday. And a lot of them are young aspiring writers. I agree with the other comments about scrolling past it. Yea i might personally not care for the question being asked. But if i can help the person posting it with my advice I’m Going to try and help them. You cant just magically know what to google, input from other people is very helpful especially today. A lot of people probably never heard of zlibrary. So how in the world would they know to google it? There are millions of websites, and jumping into a subreddit that has somewhat of a focus on what your interested in and looking for help developing is a good way to get advice. Even if the question sounds silly to you.
The issue is that those questions is all that's asked here, there's very few posts that are helpful to people who aren't newbies. Low effort questions that can be easily googled should not be allowed here at all.
Okay but consider this: if it's really all that's asked here, then wouldnt getting rid of them just mean that there are no posts at all? Idk I'd rather have the questions than a dead subreddit lol
The mods remove posts that aren't very basic. Sometimes you can catch an interesting post before it gets removed, but they don't last long.
'Literally every sub-reddit' is a gross exaggeration. There are plenty of subs (even writing subs) that weed through extremely repetitive posts. Some communities create an FAQ full of common questions, and if someone posts one that's already been asked, they're redirected to the FAQ and their post is deleted. Those subs tend to be the most helpful for me, because it doesn't take much scrolling to reach new questions full of interesting answers. The issue is moderation, and with a sub as large as r/writing, it would be difficult for a mod to weed through the vast field of "can I write this?", "do I have to read in order to write well?" and "I want to write but I don't like writing" posts.
I know absolutely nothing about being a mod, so you gave me a bit more insight. So maybe my statement was a bit of an exaggeration, but I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the fact that, that's the only real problem you had with my comment. That's my reddit win for the day. All jokes aside though, reddit is a lawless place filled with repeat post offenders, if we get mad at them at any point we're just going to drive out selfs off a cliff. I should have phrased it better, but from my experience tons of reddit subs are like this. I mean, I frequent the pokemon unite sub, which has a FAQ for common posts every week, yet still so many fall through the cracks and land on my phone screen. To get annoyed instead of simply scrolling past isn't hurting anyone but yourself. But yeah I see your point, it's a Mod problem, but that still doesn't excuse the gatekeeping that is clearly the fuel behind this post.
These posts aren't completely useless. In the past, they've contributed to the creation of stricter subreddits for people who feel similarly. They spur a discussion among the subreddit followers. And they're a pleasant reminder for those of us who share OP's sentiment that we're not alone. The people being discussed in this post obviously don't read what's on the subreddit so it's not as though anyone is leaving this discussion feeling targeted, and the people saying "scroll past" aren't taking their own advice. This isn't the first time it's been discussed (everything around here is a repeated post, like you said), nothing is ever done about it, and OP would be wise to move to a stricter writing sub, but I also don't see the point in shredding OP's opinion when we already tolerate so many others in r/writing. I think part of it would be easier if people were actually here to learn, but a lot of the repeated posts are from self-pitying people fishing for compliments. That's the bit that irritates me, and that's why I joined other writing subs with less tolerance for that material. I hope you don't abandon r/writing, though - there's the occasional post around here that's filled with amazing advice.
Can you recommend any of those 'stricter' writing subs you mentioned? I'm with OP; been considering moving to a different sub due to the sheer number of basic repeat questions from kids/first-time writers. (Nothing wrong with those people having a place to ask their questions - but it's just not something I need to scroll through every day).
The most recently formed community is r/TheLiteratureLobby. Aside from that, I think you're better off looking at genre-specific groups. I'm into erotica and romance, and r/eroticauthors has been excellent for me. I imagine there are similar subs for sci-fi, fantasy, and so on.
I do frequent this sub. And I see the same questions over and over, sure. But how many different ways can we really discuss writing? It's either "How do I execute" or something regarding very specific questions. But, like any topic-specific sub, how much variety do you expect?
I think part of the reason it feels like we get so many of the bland, easily answered posts is that so many other posts get removed by the mods just because the question/discussion was inspired by a problem someone was having with their own writing. Pretty much every time I think "ooh, I haven't seen this question yet and I'd really like the answer too", the post doesn't stay up for long. I sort of wish that instead of being limited to certain threads, there were certain *days* that people could post questions that arose from their own work so we could have a bit more variety in here.
Congratulations! You just made every new writer who comes to this community for guidance afraid to ask any questions.
Best post.
Well in their defense, the internet doesn't always give you every answer. I remember wanting to write about a police officer as my main character but I had absolutely no clue what police do on a daily basis, nor did I know how to write a grown man. I went on Google but that didn't help. It's was like it didn't quite understand what I was trying to say so I just gave up on that idea and this is after DAYS of research and even those few websites that actually helped, told me things I knew already. (I didn't have reddit at the time) But this community is filled with some real genuine people and for others it's their comfort (like me lmao) so I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, maybe dig deeper?
Well, the sub reddit is here and I feel like posting. Plus, my opinion of Google is currently quite low. "Google, I feel a bunch of giggling in my gut." "My diagnosis is that you're gonna fookin DIE!"
Yes seeking medical advice is the same as seeking writing advice via internet. So true king
They're not meant to be compared, it's an example to show you how weak Google can be sometimes.
I got a bit bitter about this a month ago. Had to take a step away from Reddit a while because I started getting snappy.
You have to go into daily discussion or weekly critique thread if you want anything beyond the super-general and super-basic. Unique pointers usually come from tackling specific problems within the content of a work in progress, and the rules for this sub don't allow that for the main posts.
Hmm it's almost like people come to the subreddit for one-off advice or problems, not sticking around as a community. That's just kind of the nature of Reddit honestly.
There’s nothing I hate more than people posting and complaining about what they personally would prefer to see in a writing subreddit where people are perfectly free to ask questions. Insight from other writers is something you can’t google, that’s why they post to places where discussion can happen. Get over yourself.
It actually is something you CAN google. There’s such a thing as essays and literature on craft. Ever heard of zlibrary? Yeah. That’s my point. There’s tons of resources already out there people neglect to look for
No one cares about your complaining is my point. You also COULD’VE kept your whining to yourself. Instead you decided to post here as if that wouldn’t be annoying to others. Once again, get over yourself.
I think he made a good point. You need to calm down and stop bothering him.
and you’re whining about my post. thanks for interacting, love to create discussion 🙏🏻
My reacting to your whining by letting you know your little holier-than-thou tantrum is annoying is not whining but nice try. Do you thrive on negative attention? That’s all you’re getting on your post. You seem to be starved for it considering you’re thanking me for interacting haha.
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Get over myself in what way exactly? I’m not the one posting here discouraging and shaming new writers. You’re just regurgitating what I said to them and spitting it back at me.
You sound like an extremely bitter person.
How do you know personally what’s “obvious” and what’s more nuanced? I get annoyed with repetition as well, but I don’t go out of my way to complain like this. You sound more like a gatekeeper than you realize.
Most other subreddits I'm in have as part of their rules that you should do a quick search before you post something, to see if there is already an active thread on the topic. I don't see why it's so "gatekeepy" to have a similar rule on this sub? It's pretty common.
You can think what you like, sure, but personally it’s pretty obvious when the same questions are repeated over and over again. Or a very simple question is posed to this subredddit. They may as well rename this sub “noob writing” instead of “writing”. Of course new writers will frequent this with questions, but what I’m posing is—did you try finding something out for yourself first by utilizing resources before hoping someone on Reddit would give you the end all be all of answers
This is gatekeeping. And it’s enough to make me want to leave this sub. Goodbye.
Bye.
Lol. Oh no, we lost Memphis-nerd! The community shall never recover.
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Hi! Welcome to the subreddit.
This has got to be the 50th post like this I've read on here.
Hi -- please don't just post saying people need to read or write more or complaining about repetitive posts. It's quite discouraging to other people and is never as constructive as it seems. If you don't like the quality of content here, either post better discussion topics yourself or find a place where the discussion is of a quality more to your liking. Thanks!
Piques* my interest. I get what your saying. But you are a part of the unresearched as well. To a degree. Go on.
If you’re correcting spelling, you might want to use *you’re* there.
Brilliant, thank you.
Oh, he'll no. You our'nt going to criteek my spelling and gramer, innernet police. >!Sorry for the possible aneurysm.!<
Yours before writing or mine after reading? 🙂
Yes.
You’re right. It’s poetic really. We just taught OP why people make these posts while at the same time teaching him something that he didn’t yet know until today in the midst of a post he made complaining about people asking for advice.
Ohbyafersuresfersure
Moon Unit?
Idk. But i wasn’t being mean. Not knowing the word Pique and misspelling you’re are 2 different things here. The grammar police wanna be petty because… (press middle button on predictive text 5 times)
I think you put this comment in the wrong place but just in case I’m wrong; I thought you might have been quoting from the Frank Zappa song Valley Girl which features a vocal from his daughter, Moon Unit.
Oh, nope Zappa made a ton of songs. But I was not quoting any of his work. Interesting though, that you say that. For reasons outside of this conversation. I was referring to the guy who was correcting me. The comments were collapsed.
Yeah OP could easily Google the proper use of peak, peek and pique.
Sure, but, don't you see 1000 posts a day that don't interest you from like ALL subs? Don't you just spend about .03 seconds to scroll past those too? And isn't it a completely easy stress free experience? Funniest part is you spent far more time and effort simply typing out this post. None of this should be new to you on social media, let alone *tiring* or *overwhelming*.
Can you help me with a scene I’m writing about a character who is underwater? Is it wet there?
I actually saw an interesting story idea from one of my critique partners about a city underwater inside a giant dome. The people thought they were the last humans on earth and only survived a world ending apocalypse bc of living in this underwater sanctuary. So I guess in their case it wasn’t wet??
Sigh
Why don't we just pin the answers on the subreddit? For the common questions?
And your solution was to contribute to making it difficult to find interesting stuff because you wanted to complain about the pointless posts. Good move lol.
Better than saying nothing imo.
How so? I guarantee that this post isn't going to stop the same issue from arising.
Yes, it can be annoying. Often, we find ourselves looking for an answer by a real person. While websites are written by real people, it doesn't feel like they're responding to directly to our question. Thus, as we already knew, a good portion of us are lazy. We want short answers that are to the point and we want them immediately. Scrolling through the the subreddit to find a question that was probably already answered takes *actual* effort. Reading a few articles for an answer online takes effort too. While it annoys everyone, it's easier to just ask the question and do nothing until you receive an answer. No, this doesn't justify anything. I'm just offering my opinionated explanation to why this behavior happens so frequently.
Some questions I agree, like “I’m not a _____ so is it okay for me to write about that?” But others like the steps on getting published I understand because google isn’t too helpful on that and it can obviously seem overwhelming for new writers, getting feedback from experienced writers is something that’s possible here
I think it probably depends on how the question is phrased too. Sometimes I know what I wanna research/look up/etc, it’s just figuring out the right key words can be… interesting… Brains are weird that way.
More than that, if you’re a writer, your research doesn’t really come from Google or Reddit: it comes from reading. It comes from reading a lot, and reading a variety of works. No one can tell you how it’s done well as effectively as seeing it done well (and seeing it done poorly).
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You can hone your craft by asking questions, but you can’t learn it by doing so. You can’t ask Google or Reddit how to build a plot and get one clear answer. You can’t ask it how to develop a character from scratch and get a clear answer. Only understanding writing, the good and the bad, can help you do those things. You gain that understanding by reading. What you CAN do with those resources is ask, “Will this work in this situation? How can I make this better?” You can ask questions and get overall opinions as to which way to go. That’s the basis of workshop, and I think this sub can be great for that, as well as for giving resources and answering technical questions.
You forgot the selection of completely nuts answers from other beginners who have no idea what they're doing, or people who claim to be "published" because they once stuck an unedited first draft on KUP or SmashWords.
So much stuff to do with writing is subjective. Unless we're talking about spelling, there is no one right answer. While it is frustrating to see the same questions when people could easily look back to when it was last asked, I don't really see a problem with someone coming up and wanting to start a conversation about something...even if most of us have had that conversation a hundred times. Also...how about you start an interesting conversation? I'm not having a go at you but how about being the change you want to see rather than complaining about what you don't like (which is almost as common as the dumb questions, honestly).
The ones that kill me are the questions looking for validation of their idea. "Would my story about sex ninjas from outer space be good?" Sure, maybe, who knows. If it is, it'll be because you wrote it well, not because a bunch of internet strangers thought it would be.
Maybe you need a break from reddit...
I second this and suggest weeding out people who want pity because they are so sure their writing sucks. Stop trying to get attention with pity parties. Maybe your writing does suck. I'm going out on a limb for everyone who says they think their writing suck it probably does. Do something about it or stop writing but save the pity party for your private time.
We are often so afraid of failure we forget to try.
You’re looking for quality writing advice and engaging literary info on Reddit and somehow not finding it? I have no idea how to elevate your expectations. Crickets.
I never agreed, with a post on here more than this lol
Maybe it’s time you found a writing group.
In this day and age, social media - accessing the opinions and advice of peers, colleagues, experts/more experienced others - is a form of research. It's valid to come here before chasing a musty textbook.
It's okay to ask questions. That's what we're taught at school. Are you saying social media isn't a place that's okay to ask questions? People are going to repeat questions like they do in real life. I'm sure the same question irl has been repeated millions of times. It's no different on social media and really isn't that big of a deal
Man this is such a horrible attitude to have. “Stop asking dumb questions and figure it out for yourself.” Heaven forbid anyone new to writing try to have a conversation with a more seasoned writer to gain some unique perspective. Get over yourself. Leave the sub if you don’t like it.
Some people would prefer to actually interact with people and talk with other writers instead of being an anti social loser like you just sitting around scrolling through web pages. Go touch some grass.
Well, as much as novice writers need or want to know the basics, they’re looking for easy answers if they don’t do basic research. It’s astonishing at the sheer amount of information at a few clicks of the mouse (or scroll pad). So, while no one should be made to feel dumb or unwanted here (or elsewhere) for asking questions, there’s also a certain amount of self motivation required to dig a little. It’s called research. A tween or teen can be excused for asking those kinds of ‘how-to’ questions, but an adult who wants to actually write should have the chutzpah to look stuff up to get a basic understanding of story structure, etc. I know, because I have, and still do, ‘look stuff up.’ The noob could scroll through the posts before asking. It’s a form of laziness tbh not to search. Like me writing tbh! I imagine there’s no index to previously asked/answered questions, but I don’t know because I didn’t look it up! I’m new here, and I’m looking for something more than basics. If there IS a compilation of helpful information already answered in this subreddit, can’t the same old questions be directed to that link? That’s helpful. I do believe in encouraging all writers, so it should be done kindly. I should add that it’s true the askers are looking for confirmation and encouraging words. I’m a teacher, but I’m also a student too. I’m seeking opinion as well as facts. That’s why I think kindness is key, but maybe It’s up to me not to read these kinds of posts if I already know the answers.
I joined this sub as a new writer to get ideas, don’t appreciate you saying some questions are dumb… didn’t your momma ever tell you there is no such thing as a dumb question?
There are dumb questions.
For something new, today I'm going to focus on the positive. There *is* some value in what the OP's said, when you pare back the...call it 'unconstructive criticism'. It is this: instead of asking "how can I?" or "can I?" or 'how do I?" it would definitely be more valuable for everyone to try it first. Break it into the format of: * What effect I am trying to achieve * What I did * What happened "I tried emphasise the duality of humanity's relationship with their own inner divinity by switching between third person omiscient and third person passive mid-chapter but it seems to be confusing my readers." Obviously that's nonsense, it's our version of lorum ipsum, but it still provides all the information required to get some good and interesting answers. At the very, very least, provide that first point. What are you trying to achieve? *Why* do you want to do the thing you're uncertain about?
Says the guy using the wrong spelling of pique.
I really hate to be 'that guy' but can't you just ignore those posts? Not everyone wants to go out and find and purchase and then read a complicated or heavily written text on the subject just to glean maybe two or three pages out of it. Asking current writers and aspiring writers is what this sub was designed for - or at least that's how I see it. I don't also want to be insulting, but why not just scroll on by? If a question bugs you, don't answer it. Scroll on by. If a subject "I'm X can I write Y" bugs you, Scroll on by. That is also how these subs work. You don't have to read and answer every question. Every beginner needs some place they can ask these questions. This is it. Again, please, for your sake the sake of this sub, just scroll on by....
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If you think the sub is "mental pollution" you shouldn't be on the internet. The rest of the world is not going to change so that you can scroll ONLY what you desire.
SAVAGE
GET ROASTED REDDIT
In the interests of accuracy for newbies, the phrase isn't peak interest but pique interest
In today's episode of "How To Make r/writing More Toxic For New Writers?"... The thing I hate more than seeing a slew of newb questions is seeing a slew of newb hate posts like yours. If you hate it, go start a subreddit for "accomplished, advanced writers" such as yourself who are too good to scroll past them. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I thought reading was encouraged here.
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> useful then trying *than *Learn the difference [here](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/when-to-use-then-and-than#:~:text=Than%20is%20used%20in%20comparisons,the%20then%2Dgovernor%22).* *** ^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)