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Helicopterdrifter t1_j6akvru wrote

It may sound like a negative motivator, but terrible stories are probably my biggest motivator. Lately, our media outlets seem intent on pushing out quantity over quality, so I aim to create stories that raise our standards.

En masse, I think our standards have decayed to some extent, where I also fell for entertainment shortcuts. Prior to my learning about storytelling, I’ve missed many of the flaws in our entertainment. It’s a lot like someone in a technical field watching a show about their field, where the creators didn’t do any research---think a nurse watching a drama involving nurses.

Of late, I’ve learned a lot about the gaps in my writing capabilities, and I’m working to fill those in. Every time I see a poorly told or developed story, it spurns me onward. I don’t intend to reinvent the writing wheel. I just want to write and present stories worth a reader’s time, while raising the average value of the stories that flood our current media outlets.

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MajorParadox OP t1_j6arp6o wrote

Ah so kind of like a “I can do it better” attitude? That works!

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Helicopterdrifter t1_j6ato9b wrote

Yes and no.

If a 12" ruler were the current measuring stick for media, I think a lot of our story content is hitting around 5 or 6. We have widely accepted writing guidelines that will land you around an 8 if you adhere to them, but there are obviously great storytellers out there that surpass that.

I'm not aiming for a 12, but I do strive for more than an 8, which benchmarks our agreed upon standards. If I provide meaningful story experiences, it will serve to inspire others to strive for the same marks.

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xwhy t1_j6bf0m0 wrote

I attribute a rejection for one story with getting a different story published in a different market. It was a flash story, third person. I switched POV characters in the middle for a scene and switched back. It gave the editor whiplash. I didn't realize that this was such a no-no in short fiction. I thought it was one of the benefits of using third person instead of first. (It is not.)

Anyway, I rewrote my Portrait of a Lady Vampire twice, once making the artist the POV person before realizing, Nope, it's the Lady Vampire's story and wrote it again. Daily Science Fiction bought it. They wouldn't have if I hadn't fixed it.

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Helicopterdrifter t1_j6bgyow wrote

Congrats on selling your story!

And you’re absolutely right. It can be disorienting to switch POV within a scene. I’m paying a lot more attention to that now, but I didn’t in the past. I have to remind myself where the camera is, and it can create some flow issues when you don’t stick with a POV.

Tense shifting is the nemesis in which I regularly do battle, but I’ve cut down on a lot of those issues by maintaining a POV.

Rewriting in itself probably helped a lot too. Even without focusing on the POV, a rewrite can make a world of difference!

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Tomorrow_Is_Today1 t1_j6bpdvr wrote

Love that attitude! I feel similarly but about particular aspects rather than story quality overall. I focus especially on emotion and on proper, respectful inclusion of groups that don't often get highlighted in media (or when they do, it's highly offensive).

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Helicopterdrifter t1_j6bvc95 wrote

Indeed. It still falls into the group of nurses watching shows about nurses, doesnt it? If you're going to write a story about something, I don't think you have to be that thing, but you need to know enough to satisfy the audience you're including.

The inclusion bit is a whole other issue. My biggest gripe there is what it's doing to the younger writers that want to create but are paralyzed because they don't want to offend anyone.

I believe you can write whatever you want, in whatever way you want, but you need to be mindful of who your audience is and actually learn about the factual elements that you use.

The writer fear thing is from not understanding the value behind freedom of speech. You shouldn't feel pressured to write a story that will please absolutely everyone. If you do, you'll please no one. Just write a story that will be the highest value for your audience.

Can you imagine trying to include all of the genres in a single, linear narrative? 😆 That's essentially what people are attempting when they flex a story to encompass more folks.

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