/lit/ - Literature

Honest advice: you're too old to start and maybe you simply don't like reading. Maybe it isn't for you. "Plato, Kant, Smith" you're just spouting memes, boi. Most importantly, the idea that reading books makes you smarter is the dumbest memes. I know a lot of idiotic bookworms. They rip through books and come out dumber.

Read Nietzsche's Zarathustra or Beyond Good and Evil like some anon said, and if it doesn't make you feel like your blood is boiling, forget about books, they're not meant from you. Get your wisdom elsewere.

>>16004

This is a good idea. Russell's work is known to be unfairly critical in philosophers who hold ideas contrary to his own. I would say begin with Plato, and then figure out which issues Plato discussed that interest you specifically. Then read Aristotle's treatment of the topic. From there you can try to follow the issue by school of thought(Platonism is a rich history, commentators on Aristotle generally arrive later but are no less influential) or by topic. You could also go back to the pre-Socratics if Plato's and Aristotle's treatment of their ideas wasn't to your likingThough IIRC there isn't such a great amount of their works still available. Lots of stuff is learned by Plato's and Aristotle's accounts of them

There is generally a decisive split in philosophy centered around the time of Galileo and the scientific revolution. It is possible to view this as a return to a certain pre-socratic view of the world and in some cases this assessment is accurate. Certainly it builds up differently, but the core ideas that motivated modern philosophy can be glimpsed in the thoughts of the pre-socratics. Anyways, If after you read Plato and Aristotle, and decide you really disagree with what they are saying, then you could look for the moderns and contemporaries on the same topics and see if that more aligns with you.

>>16014

>"Plato, Kant, Smith" you're just spouting memes, boi.

Obviously that is what he is doing, he doesn't know where to begin so what else can he do? A person new to carpentry will obviously say "I need a hammer, nails and a saw right?", why should a person new to philosophy not say the same?

>>16004

It took you two fucking years to reply to that, OP. If you haven't read the entirety of western philosophy by now then you were never really serious about this.

>>13179

>I suggest just skipping all of the Greek philosophers, they are memes

Ignore this retard

>>13179

>greek philosophers are memes

<ebola is totally legit and high iq though

Is there a rule against writing fiction in 2nd person?

Personally I find it far easier to get across what I want to convey by writing the main character in 2nd person, then side characters as 3rd. Any recommendations, should I rewrite what I have so far into 3rd person or stick to my guns?

>>14637

There's no rule as such. It's usually considered a usual error of a neophyte writer, one struggling with the whole idea of POV and how to deploy it. For commercial fiction it's discouraged as being unpleasant for the common reader.

Reasons in favor of using it include: attempting a specific effect on the reader where it would serve such, as a form of high literary technique for where nothing less than avant-garde would do, and purely as an exercise.

If you are looking for common readers to view your work you have to be careful, and fairly well experienced as a writer, to accomplish this.

>>14615

>Am I a dope for making an extensive history to my world that'll never get used in full?

Take it as a challenge to get more creative with how you think through and write the details of your story. Whatever bits of the history you're coming up with you don't think you can find an organic place for in your story - find an organic place for each of them anyway.

>>14637

>>14638

In addition, you want to be sure that character is engagingly sympathetic, or intensely interesting (or better, both!) to your readership.

>>14637

No, but maybe give an example of what you mean so we can judge better.

>>16039

Does internet magazines count? I like Abyss & Apex.

>>16043

>Does internet magazines count?

It honestly seems like that's about all that there is these days. Is Clarkesworld any good?

>>14522

[spoiler] Flavour Town [spoiler]

>>14522

Honestly, I would look for an english teacher or somebody who reads a lot of short stories.

Don't forget that everybody has a different opinion on how writing should be, so don't take what they say to heart, but compare it with what you know. "Is what their saying biased?", "Are they comparing basic structure not personal preferences?" Don't ever take what people say 100%, make sure their feedback is not bias and your good to go.

Good luck

Entirely wrong way to go about things in my opinion. First, you should have read enough to know what you like and what you don't like. When you find yourself rewriting sentences, improving confusing descriptions, repairing plot holes, etc. - then your education is gaining momentum. Finally when everything you read is shit, and the only way out is to create your own holy work: this is the time to start writing. But even then, you are writing for yourself and nobody else. Feedback? Are you fucking kidding me? Writers who depend upon feedback is the reason there is so much shit.

>>14522

>Where do you go to get feedback on your writing? I'd rather not post my shit on 8ch or Wizardchan but they're the only places outside of Reddit I know with writing communities who aren't pozzed to shit.

Why does it matter to you?

>>14522

I had private classes with people (authors) who offered their services thru facebook. I read some of their work and appreciated it, so I showed them muh shit.

I think its a great place to start, if you find a honest and talented teacher. They wont hold their punches if you don't flinch (so don't!) and you will grow a lot.

Of course they will heavily influence you but its your job to make sure of keeping your own literay strand untouched.

The best method of learning is and will always be reading moar

His ideas for stories are pretty good, but his books are trash. I think he's the only writer who consistently has screen adaptations made that are better than the book they're based on

He has a couple I like:

The Gunslinger (Dark Tower through book 3-4 is alright)

The Stand

Salem's Lot

Firestarter

Cycle of the Werewolf, but it's not really a standard novella

>>13555

IIRC, The Gunslinger started out as short stories that he ended up joining together into a novel. The second book came out like a decade after the first short story was published, so he probably didn't envision it as a series to begin with.

>>13999

I actually like the magic because it amplifies the Good vs. Evil aspect and isn't widespread. The Stand's main issue is that it suffers from serious bloat, mostly because there are more characters than King knows what to do with.

>>14603 No, the first Gunslinger was touted right from the start to be an epic continuing series. I vaguely remember from the first edition introduction that his inspiration was The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and he wanted to create his own magnum opus.

He wrote the same book over and over again. He's a best-selling asshole. It all deoends on wheter you like bestsellers or not.

Carrie was "decent" but I wouldn't call it good

>>15818

>I wrote one awhile ago, so I can say this without being hypocritical. In a month, after I read more, I plan on actually working on my writing skills, so that I'm not just a consumer.

Are you the faggot with the 30K+ word fanfiction of some 90s hentai?

>>15819

It was about a guy who woke up with a head injury, so no thats not me.

Is anyone else sick of looking at threads opened with a wojak edit picture?

>>15909

>They weren't all that interesting to begin with but what can one do? Them's western imgageboard culture, such as it is.

No, it's halfchan garbage.

>>12418

A lot of Byzantine literature falls into a few categories, one that I remember is histories. Those fuckers loved to write histories. From wikipedia, the categories:

1. Histori(es/ans) and annal(ist)s

2. Encyclopedias and essays

3.Secular Poetry

3.1. Epigram

3.2. Panegyrics

3.3. Satires

3.4. Didactics

3.5. Begging Poem

3.6. Romance Novel

4. Ecclesiastical and theological literature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_literature

Sage for double post.

>>12243

sorry to show my ignorance but this is the only byzantine"literature" i know of

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Juris_Civilis

does this count?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Consolation_of_Philosophy

>>12418

Yeah, I knew about those. I was just wondering if there was some other more obscure stuff that Google and Wikipedia didn't mention.

>>12419

>Romance Novel

It's strange that they wrote so few novels. I wonder if there were more and they just got destroyed when the Turks took over. I've heard that they had a habit of destroying any non-Muslim literature that wasn't purely scholarly when they conquered civilizations.

>>12422

I'll check these out, thanks.

Read the Alexiad.

It's fucking good.

It is an epic about the accomplishments of Alexios Komnenos.

Nice both for the historic and literally value imho.

g

Book request

>>12139

Yes, but there more preserved* in reality than in data.

*Besides fires, of course

>>12141

*they are

>>12141

Yes, that, only the precise opposite, for obvious reasons regarding what information is (noting "reality" and "data" as being false distinctions) and in how it may most simply be distributed.

>>12141

>>12144

Alternatively: I can assure you that M-Discs are cheaper per megabyte than ink on parchment.

++

>>12747

this is the first time i hear about this, sorry.

I never really read those books as a kid, even though I had 3 different ones. I don't know if I still have them or if I donated them to the library.

>>12747

i'd prefer the 1978 version, just cause its the version i read, not because it's more visually appealing or whatever

+

Why not forgo the numbering and just write the scenes you feel like writing? Eventually you'll have enough material to make it easy to write the scenes you don't really feel like writing. You might even find that many scenes weren't really that important at all for the overall story.

And if you don't feel like writing at all, why bother?

…

I liked lord of the flies to the point where i pretty much memorized it in high school while writing the essay we had to do.

>>15950

I hated House on Mango Street when I read it in high school. I never gave a fuck about spics. The fact that it was about some minority living in modern US whining turned me off to it immediately because it had nothing to do with things I cared for at that time: heroism and glory although I still care about those things, I have found others. Great Gatsby was nicely written but wasted on mundane, trivial things in my opinion.

DR SEUSS IS GODLY LITERATURE

Timm Thaler, or the Traded Laughter

>12950

You know, I really enjoyed the Martian Chronicles. We had the choice between Slaughterhouse 5, Martian Chronicles and one other book I can't remember. I decided on the scifi one, and honestly while I don't remember any of the specifics, I do remember it being an enjoyable read.

Also have to agree with >12972 that Lord of the Flies was amazing, hands down.

>>13987

This. Saint Elliot proved in his Manifesto that this book is clear gibberish bullshit.

>taking reading recommendations from women

>>13948

>If you want something enough and if you actually work towards getting it enough and keep a position expectation that you will receive it, then yes you'll get it. That's what happens.

That's complete and utter horseshit.

The fact women are recommending it is testament enough that it should be avoided. Do you not have a fucking brain?

>>13871

>All women I've talked to.

Shit, my deepest commiseration and sorrow man.