Writing – Technoliterate

5 Reasons Why Fanfiction is Easy to Write

August 21, 2019Posted in Reading, WritingTagged fanfiction, Reading, stories, WritingLeave a comment

I don’t normally read fanfiction; I generally despise it, as most of it is the most terribly written, hackneyed, typo-ridden dreck ever conceived. Rife with wish-fulfillment and self-inserts, fanfiction attracts the worst the amateur fiction community has to offer.

However, I’ve recently returned to a fanfiction site that I haven’t touched in over three years, and I realized that this genre of amateur literature (and it can occasionally be called that) has several benefits that make for great stories and easy entry into the hobby. Here are several reasons why fanfiction is easy to write and fun to read.

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I’m Still Reading

February 12, 2019Posted in Reading, WritingTagged goals, Reading, Writing1 Comment

Dearest readers, whomever you are, I thank you for continuing to bear with me during the last couple months. Real life has prevented me from writing as often as I desire, but my passion for the art hasn’t waned. I wanted to share something from On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner that I read just now.

Finally, the true novelist is the one who doesn’t quit. Novel-writing is not so much a profession as a yoga, or “way,” an alternative to ordinary life-in-the-world. Its benefits are quasi-religious—a changed quality of mind and heart, satisfactions no non-novelist can understand—and its rigors generally bring no profit except to the spirit. For those who are authentically called to the profession, spiritual profits are enough.

Gardner, J. (1985). On Becoming a Novelist. New York: Harper & Row, p.145.

I’m still on track for reading 35 books this year, but I haven’t been able to maintain my goal of writing one short story per week. As long as I’m writing something I still feel that I’m making progress, however.

Be Well!

~RP

Seeking Criticism

January 1, 2019Posted in WritingTagged editing, learning, publishing, revising, stories, WritingLeave a comment

As any aspiring writer knows, you have a very skewed perception of the quality of your own work. That’s why it’s important to actively seek out feedback to help you know what areas you need to improve. Here are three sources you can use to find the positive criticism that will help your writing be at the top of your capacity.

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Backing up Your Stories

December 20, 2018Posted in WritingTagged backup, data, stories, technology, WritingLeave a comment

For creators of all kinds, a mysterious and illusive threat lurks in places we don’t like to think about. You’ve probably stumbled upon frightening reminders of this threat once or twice—such as on a gaming mod site like nexusmods.com, or even on Wattpad, when a content creator’s hard drive fails and they’re unable to continue their work. A sad end to some fantastic creations!

Happily, there is something you can do to protect yourself from this kind of disaster. Simply, you need to back up your stories. This is such an easy task that anyone can do it, but unfortunately, it feels too complicated for many people. I hope this advice will make keeping your precious data backed up seem less advanced for you!

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