What are your general writing hot takes?

[ElijahRyne]

Only so many zeroes you can add at the end of a number.

Measure the stats in scientific notation

 

[Corty]

A satisfying ending entails an epilogue where we get to see what happened to the characters we have grown to care about.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Measure the stats in scientific notation

No, that’s worse. You have to be able to go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[ElijahRyne]

No, that’s worse. You have to be able to go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

1x10^1 1x10^2 1x10^3 1x10^4 1x10^5 1x10^6 1x10^7 1x10^8 1x10^9…

 

[Deleted member 84247]

1x10^1 1x10^2 1x10^3 1x10^4 1x10^5 1x10^6 1x10^7 1x10^8 1x10^9…

98174772781883718377183861837618471

 

[ElijahRyne]

98174772781883718377183861837618471

9.81747727818840054681004403392 × 10^29

 

[Deleted member 84247]

9.81747727818840054681004403392 × 10^29

Okay, valid argument. I concede

 

[ElijahRyne]

Okay, valid argument. I concede

I win.

 

[Succubiome]

Most stories here on SH would benefit massively from having a minimum of 5-10 pages of world and character development/introduction before the inciting incident(s), and if it has multiple pov’s this will have to be repeated. Otherwise, like it does to some extent now, it will feel like most characters/worlds in most stories are unimportant, and different stories will feel like they use the same unresponsive/cliche characters/worlds just with different names in different plots.

The argument that then the pacing would be too slow, is moot and missing the point. You can have character and world interactions that are interesting. Of course a 10 page exposition dump is boring and a mistake, but that is not what I am saying. Take some time and show, through the interactions between the characters and the world that they inhabit, who and what those characters and the world is. And if you think that is too much of a risk tease some action in a prologue.

What are yours?

My hot take is kind of the opposite!

Writers should start writing what interests them, the writer, with an absolute minimum of onboarding to get there, unless the onboarding is an important part of it or fun-- someone's going to be at their best when writing about what they're interested in.

If that's worldbuilding, great! If that's character development, great! If it's a cool fight scene, great! Start from where your interest lies, and give readers enough of whatever else they might need to give them the context they need to understand what is going on, to be with you in that interest and the style of your story.

-----

To be fair, that's kinda optimizing around my own brain-- it's easier for me to start writing whatever I'm truly interested in. But also, I do think a lot of new writers follow the prescribed steps that a "story must go through" rather than finding what they want to write and basing their first chapter centered around that.

I often enjoy worldbuilding as a way to add texture and vermislitude to people's relationships and emotions and interactions, and reading worldbuilding when someone is into it can be super enjoyable... but if someone's writing something where they aren't that interested in worldbuilding, and they just wanna write a cool buddy action comedy which is all about hype fight scenes and one-liners and terrible puns and a developing relationship, I'd rather they get right to that as soon as possible then trudge with them through worldbuilding they aren't interested in.

 

[Corty]

First-chapter reviews are worthless.

 

[Deleted member 1244]

First-chapter reviews are worthless.

Spicy!

But, yes

IMO At least 3 "turn of events" so 3 to 12 chapters are needed for a WN review.

 

[Corty]

Face-slapping OP MCs are more fun to read about than a struggling, gritty MC who has to fight tooth and nail just to get from Monday to Tuesday.

 

[Story_Marc]

Here's mine: there's a giant portion of the writing community who don't want to actually be writers. They want the status from stuff or see their ideas manifested, but they aren't interested in doing the real work.

 

[ForestDweller]

Here's mine: there's a giant portion of the writing community who don't want to actually be writers. They want the status from stuff or see their ideas manifested, but they aren't interested in doing the real work.

That's me.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Agreed. These are failing points of so, so, sooo many stories. There is simply not enough to the foundations, and so they are lackluster. This is why... *looks both ways*... @SailusGebel 's thread on Worldbuilding is super right!

Thank you! Have a cookie.


My writing hot take, huh? The more unique you try to be, the less unique you end up being.

Writing super artistic, complex, "deep" stories is infinitely easier than writing a simple story that ends up becoming complex and "deep" via perception of readers.

 

[greyliliy]

All abandoned, unfinished novels on this site without being marked to be on hiatus should be deleted automatically after 3 months of inactivity.

You take that back.

Some of my favorite stories are unfinished and covered in dust. If it's not marked hiatus, it could still update. I can wait. :P

I don't have a hot take unless "people need to use the Related Series feature instead of sticking multiple books in one work" counts, which is doubtful bc I know they do it for the reader/view counts. Xd