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F#$@ This Ending!

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  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    I really hate when people scream as if a bad ending invalidated how much they enjoyed the rest of the damned thing

    the shit you liked didn't suddenly become bad because this new shit happened! that old shit still exists!

    it's like the people that whine about the home run chase in 1998 being ruined by people finding out years later that those dudes were all roided up

    well, fuck that, that was fucking awesome and come on, you could clearly tell they were on steroids what the hell is wrong with you idiots

    While I agree that a bad ending doesn't necessarily negate the enjoyment a person experienced while reading/watching/playing up to that point, in my opinion a terrible ending can spoil the memory of a thing, and taint any attempts to re-watch/read/play that thing

    For movies that I absolutely hate the ending of, I usually just stop it after I finish watching the part I like, but in the back of my mind I still remember that a pile of shit awaited me just six minutes past where I paused

  • existexist Registered User regular
    what if the next neil gaiman was somewhere in that stack

    UmPiq.png
  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    Antimatter wrote:
    that's really sad, though

    there's gotta be at least several undiscovered talents stuck in there that might've been missed out on just because of the taste of the students

    this is an absolutely baseless assumption on my part, but I do get the feeling that the students in this role would have at least been asked a few questions regarding their tastes to determine if they're the right fit for that particular job at that particular publisher, so I doubt it's just the individual taste of one person that can doom someone to failure

    not saying you're wrong, just saying that 'the taste of the students' wouldn't be the only factor

  • MorivethMoriveth BREAKDOWN BREAKDOWN BREAKDOWN BREAKDOWNRegistered User regular
    I should maybe finish watching Lost sometime.

  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    in fact this slush pile has me really nervous

    i mean, i don't think i'm a GREAT writer

    i'm okay

    better than some worse than quite a few

    but i want to get SOMETHING published

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    Anti word of advice

    you want to get something published, writing it really helps

  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    Oh speaking of endings that sucked, WICKED

    I mean the rest of the book mostly sucked as well, but there were bits that had glimmers of promise, and those glimmers convinced me to read onwards. BOY that was a mistake!

    Can't believe I finished that piece of shit

  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    edited September 2011
    Antimatter wrote:
    that's really sad, though

    there's gotta be at least several undiscovered talents stuck in there that might've been missed out on just because of the taste of the students

    Well, maybe.

    Probably.

    Almost definitely, come to think. I mean, most writers who talk about that kind of thing mention just slamming into the wall until it breaks, but there's got to be people out there who just go "Forget it. Not worth it." and go into accounting or whatever when they could write pretty well.

    How many authors were only discovered posthumously when their friends were dicks and didn't burn their stuff when they were asked, again?

    And if you're going to write, best to read On Writing, probably. It's Stephen King's best book. It has a lengthy section mentioning the beginnings of his career and huge stacks of rejections.

    chiasaur11 on
  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    edited September 2011
    Didgeridoo wrote:
    Oh speaking of endings that sucked, WICKED

    I mean the rest of the book mostly sucked as well, but there were bits that had glimmers of promise, and those glimmers convinced me to read onwards. BOY that was a mistake!

    Can't believe I finished that piece of shit

    yes

    oh my god yes

    jesus fucking christ, that goddamn book was just atrocious and I hate it for existing

    you know you fucked up when the mass-market musical is a striking improvement!

    e: Shorty: hi5 for that joke and also the advice and it's kind of moot since I'm moving more into scripts which is where resolution is more or less vital to the form

    YaYa on
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Antimatter wrote:
    that's really sad, though

    there's gotta be at least several undiscovered talents stuck in there that might've been missed out on just because of the taste of the students

    I guess statistically it could have happened

    it's just that a truly talented writer rarely submits just once

    even if a good story is rejected there's a chance it's just not appropriate for the market

    if you are genuinely a good writer, and you're writing good stuff, and you submit it to enough publications, you will eventually be published

    I mean that's almost a guarantee

  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    i just feel like my worst judge and i'm worried i'm going to spend tons of time working on something i think is genuinely good only to turn out NOPE YOU SUCK SO BAD HAHAHAH POINT AND LAUGH AT THE ASPIRING ARTIST

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    the synopsis of the wicked musical told me everything I needed to know about wicked, namely that I would probably hate it despite my high tolerance for musicals and wizard of oz

    I think I really just hate "haha, no, this is how it really happened!" stories like that

  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    Didgeridoo wrote:
    Oh speaking of endings that sucked, WICKED

    I mean the rest of the book mostly sucked as well, but there were bits that had glimmers of promise, and those glimmers convinced me to read onwards. BOY that was a mistake!

    Can't believe I finished that piece of shit

    Is the book different to the musical?

  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    edited September 2011
    Antimatter wrote:
    i just feel like my worst judge and i'm worried i'm going to spend tons of time working on something i think is genuinely good only to turn out NOPE YOU SUCK SO BAD HAHAHAH POINT AND LAUGH AT THE ASPIRING ARTIST

    and that is why we redraft, and work on other things, and improve

    I literally cannot read things I wrote a few years ago, things I loved and thought were surely my ticket to stardom, because of how much I have improved now

    just write, and write more!

    Pipe: extremely

    YaYa on
  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    the sequel to Wicked the book is about her illegitimate son

    it's called Son of a Witch

    I am not kidding

  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    wanted?

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    Antimatter wrote:
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    wanted?

    wanted was less dumb than it was insulting and boring and insultingly boring

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

    Absolutely my line of thinking. I know it's not going to make me any friends once I get stories pumped out, but it's what I like.

    Oh, and that slush pile thing sounds like an abomination. But it's not an insurmountable one- just gotta keep cracking on it. It's a good idea to find a trusted editor. You know, someone who doesn't shit all over your work without meaningful commentary on its pros and cons.

    Miss me? Find me on:

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  • TLHTLH Registered User regular
    Wicked is one of the few books I didn't finish reading.

    And Dark Tower: when
    Blane the Train
    died, I put it down. There were no longer any characters I gave two tugs for. But I know many people who love The Dark Tower series. So I'm willing to be wrong.

  • TLHTLH Registered User regular
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    The entire Spiderman musical?

  • tech_huntertech_hunter More SeattleRegistered User regular
    You all could be published writers in like 5 minutes, thanks to amazon just submit your ramblings as an amazon E-book, there you go foot. in. door.

    Sig to mucho Grande!
  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    Antimatter wrote:
    i just feel like my worst judge and i'm worried i'm going to spend tons of time working on something i think is genuinely good only to turn out NOPE YOU SUCK SO BAD HAHAHAH POINT AND LAUGH AT THE ASPIRING ARTIST

    if anyone does something like this they've proven how terrible of a person/professional they are and you should find someone better to talk to

    Miss me? Find me on:

    Twitch (I stream most days of the week)
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  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    Dubh wrote:
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

    Absolutely my line of thinking. I know it's not going to make me any friends once I get stories pumped out, but it's what I like.

    The thing of it is, as long as you make it clear that your focus is on the characters, then you should probably be fine. And if people bitch, well, they're fucking idiots. God, I hate to keep harping on the Lost thing, but I think it was fairly clear from a pretty early standpoint that the show was more about characters than it was about mysterious bullshit.

  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    @#pipe I've never actually seen the musical, but as I understand it, it differs significantly from the plot of the book! Namely in that the muscial focuses almost entirely on the middle portion of the book. As I recall the book has 3 main portions (covering the witch's early childhood and late adulthood as well as the 'school' portion), and the second one was the only one that had any hope of being decent at all, so I guess they made the right choice in adapting it?

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    TLH wrote:
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    The entire Spiderman musical?

    well first of all, use the hyphen, dummy and second of all the spider-man musical made it even more okay to make fun of bono and the edge so it is a success in my book

  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Dubh wrote:
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

    Absolutely my line of thinking. I know it's not going to make me any friends once I get stories pumped out, but it's what I like.

    Oh, and that slush pile thing sounds like an abomination. But it's not an insurmountable one- just gotta keep cracking on it. It's a good idea to find a trusted editor. You know, someone who doesn't shit all over your work without meaningful commentary on its pros and cons.

    I could be wrong here since I'm not that experienced in the field but I don't think this is something you're going to find until after you've been published. Editors typically do not respond to unsolicited submissions with anything other than a form letter. The most I've ever gotten is a hastily scribbled compliment at the bottom of said form letter (which was actually pretty encouraging- funny how your perspective changes when you're trying to get published).

  • TLHTLH Registered User regular
    I taught a writers workshop once for a high school. I spent 20 minutes telling them if they really want to be writers they better like writing and they better write. Gave them a few suggestions on how to get started and I spent the next two hours sitting at a desk quietly.

    You'll either keep writing and you'll grow or you won't be a writer.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    Dubh wrote:
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

    Absolutely my line of thinking. I know it's not going to make me any friends once I get stories pumped out, but it's what I like.

    The thing of it is, as long as you make it clear that your focus is on the characters, then you should probably be fine. And if people bitch, well, they're fucking idiots. God, I hate to keep harping on the Lost thing, but I think it was fairly clear from a pretty early standpoint that the show was more about characters than it was about mysterious bullshit.

    The fantasy story I'm hammering out is focused on the characters. I'm not sure how wise that is with a world-altering plot underlining everything, but I'm hoping it makes the resolution that much more meaningful. Getting tired of seeing the heroes save the world and my final reaction being: "Yep. They sure did."

    Miss me? Find me on:

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  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    YaYa wrote:

    e: Shorty: hi5 for that joke and also the advice and it's kind of moot since I'm moving more into scripts which is where resolution is more or less vital to the form

    high fivin' erryday

  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    Antimatter wrote:
    i just feel like my worst judge and i'm worried i'm going to spend tons of time working on something i think is genuinely good only to turn out NOPE YOU SUCK SO BAD HAHAHAH POINT AND LAUGH AT THE ASPIRING ARTIST

    Again, read On Writing. Heck, Greg Rucka had a blog post today on that exact subject, that also might be worth looking up.

    And keep writing. Your writing almost definitely sucks right now.

    Not a specific judgement. Just playing the odds.

    But it probably sucks in a distinct way. And if you keep practicing, the distinction comes through more, and the suck less.

    Some day, assuming you have any talent and really try to get better, you'll probably be good. And, good work tends to find an audience, if you keep at it.

    Probably, I mean. What all the successful writers seem to say.

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    on writing is such a good fucking book

  • TLHTLH Registered User regular
    TLH wrote:
    it's hard for me to imagine anything being dumber than the end of wicked the musical

    The entire Spiderman musical?

    well first of all, use the hyphen, dummy and second of all the spider-man musical made it even more okay to make fun of bono and the edge so it is a success in my book

    A success because of how many dumb decisions were involved? Middle ground, yeah?

  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    Cause man, I loved Wicked the musical

    I know that it was expertly crafted to be as consumable as possible and I don't give a shit. I didn't even mind the ending.

  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    off the top of my head the only ending I can remember really pissing me off is the Little Shop of Horrors movie

    Seymour murders a bunch of people but gets a fairytale ending because he realized at the last possible second that hey maybe that's not an okay thing to do? Fuck you.

    And also the original correct ending is great and it is sad that it didn't get to stay in the movie

  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    i've read On Writing
    it was helpful insofar as i've tried to eliminate adverbs from my writing

    but yeah i should practice more. i'm just scared i won't like what comes out of my keyboard/pencil/pen.

  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    hell if Jim Butcher can find an audience, it shouldn't be hard for someone who seems infinitely more interesting than him, @Antimatter

  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    Shorty wrote:
    hell if Jim Butcher can find an audience, it shouldn't be hard for someone who seems infinitely more interesting than him, @Antimatter

    awwwwwwwwww <3

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    Shorty wrote:
    Dubh wrote:
    I'm more of a fan of character work than plot stuff, I think. Which I would assume is a big reason why certain things work for me even if they leave dangling questions or whatever out there.

    Absolutely my line of thinking. I know it's not going to make me any friends once I get stories pumped out, but it's what I like.

    Oh, and that slush pile thing sounds like an abomination. But it's not an insurmountable one- just gotta keep cracking on it. It's a good idea to find a trusted editor. You know, someone who doesn't shit all over your work without meaningful commentary on its pros and cons.

    I could be wrong here since I'm not that experienced in the field but I don't think this is something you're going to find until after you've been published. Editors typically do not respond to unsolicited submissions with anything other than a form letter. The most I've ever gotten is a hastily scribbled compliment at the bottom of said form letter (which was actually pretty encouraging- funny how your perspective changes when you're trying to get published).

    I was talking about someone you show your first draft in exchange for a complete analysis of your work. Friends, a published author you know- someone that's going to help you make your story.

    Miss me? Find me on:

    Twitch (I stream most days of the week)
    Twitter (mean leftist discourse)
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