I've been wondering if there's any desire to create a "writing forum" here where all the disparate threads about how to write, advice in writing, tools for writing, Questions about your fic, etc., can all be located in one place, instead of spread out over the WbA and FanFiction Extras Forums.

For instance, I'm now coming to the place where I'm realizing how shifting stative verbs to adjectives/adverbs can enhance my writing, and I want to ask others about it. But, where do I post it? It's not a discussion about a fanfic, so it doesn't belong in the Fanfic Discussion sub-forum, and it's not an Original Fiction or WbA discussion either.

Generally, these threads get dumped in the Fanfic Discussion section and then get lost. So I was wondering if there were others who would benefit from a section on the art/science/helps of writing in general. I'd think it would also help declutter a few other sub-forums and threads, as well as provide a library of sorts of common DLP wisdom about writing.

 

Wouldn't that be overextending? DLP's purpose isn't exactly to teach its members to write well, rather it is to write well in the context of fanfiction.

 

I'm not talking about teaching members to write well in either context. Instead, it's to help gather resources and discussions that already exist here in a central place and also not clutter up other forums.

It was just something I've been mulling around and figured there was no harm in asking about it.

 

I find that going through the WbA threads, discussion threads and all tends to somehow teach a writer what to do/what not to do, while getting them acquainted with the forum culture. Those discussions in context, with all the searching and hunting needed to get to them are an integral part of DLP for me.

After all, with the exception of a few parts of DLP, all of DLP is basically a writing/criticism forum in the context of FF.

 

You could make it an Academia subforum, even though Academia is pretty dead. That seems like a pretty good way to centralize resources in one place.

And Khan, DLP has expanded way beyond a fanfiction writing forum. Like a lot. Take a look around some time.

 

I don't agree with this at all.

Edit: Have you SEEN the Anthology stuff that goes on here?

 

@Atum and @Zennith, I know that, you're totally right. I might not post a lot, but I love lurking. What I meant to say was that getting a lot of these writing tips organically, going through the forums and seeing the thought process behind them is a tiny bit better than having all these tips organised in one forum. A large sticky with some general purpose tips might actually serve this purpose a bit better, for if you look at the threads here which serve the original purpose of DLP, you get a lot of tips. If you want tips for writing a particular scene, WbA is your friend, right? If you want to see the pitfalls you can fall into while writing a particular sort of fic, just do a forum search and read through the reviews. They're usually brutal, and pretty accurate too.

My point is that the original purpose of this forum was to get HP FF lovers and authors together to look for, discuss and generate quality HP FF. The entire board's original point was to help FF writers write better. Despite the fact that we've branched off in many directions since then, DLP still fulfills its original purpose quite well. What's the point of creating a separate "Writing" section, when almost every part of this forum is already about writing?

 

There already is a thread that contains a lot of great resources and tips for increasing your technical writing skill, but I couldn't tell you where it is off the top of my head.

 

In fanfiction extras, all over the subforums. This sticky thread gives the following list:

-- Writing Assistance --​

1. How to Write Dialogue
2. Better Writing - Oxford Style
3. For Writers - Scrivener
4. Short Fiction Markets and Contests

All of these exist in Fanfiction Extra forums and at least two have been stickied at some point.

 

Personally, I'd love a general writing area on DLP. I'd love to get some more discussion going on the underlying techiques and craft, as opposed to the more specialised focus on fanfiction that we see elsewhere. Most of us here write, but the format of a discussion board like this is inevitably more suited to readers than writers.

I've often thought about posting little writing tutorials, guides, and general thought-vomit, but always felt like it was ever so slightly off-topic here.

 

This tells me I need to become more active here now. Enough with the lurking!

 

And this is why DLP is awesome.

Well, one of the reasons.

 

This sounds like a great idea. I've been writing for 10 years, and still only feel like I've scratched the surface. This community is full of writers, with varying strengths, that could offer each other support and argue the merits of various writing.

I'd go as far to say the only reason I finished an original novel was because of the honest feedback I received from DLP on my fanfiction.

You bastards made me.

 

Have there been any further thoughts on this subject? It came to mind because I went to post a question in one of the subforums asking a question about writing, but it doesn't really fit, and really wouldn't fit anywhere.

The more I think about it, the more I think we could just have a subforum in the WbA section. It makes the most sense there since its where the active authors and critiquers are anyway.

 

Write about Dragons isn't really about writing about dragons but it's about writing and it's done mostly by Brandon Sanderson who wrote a bunch of really good fantasy books like Firstborn.