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  • TheYayToastTheYayToast Posts: 1,466 Member
    I painted a portrait of my Sim. Cause ya know... Gotta have a painting of your heir.
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    That's beautiful!

    Thank you! <3
  • MadameLeeMadameLee Posts: 32,748 Member
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)
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  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    yes
  • TheYayToastTheYayToast Posts: 1,466 Member
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    I'm super excited about the stairs... Finally, I can design my houses the way they were supposed to be with proper landings! No more odd stairs banging into a random wall since they don't turn.
  • MadameLeeMadameLee Posts: 32,748 Member
    edited September 2019
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    I'm super excited about the stairs... Finally, I can design my houses the way they were supposed to be with proper landings! No more odd stairs banging into a random wall since they don't turn.

    I just wish people would let it go that EA is putting in some Turkey-related stuff
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  • MadameLeeMadameLee Posts: 32,748 Member
    new chapter
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  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    I painted a portrait of my Sim. Cause ya know... Gotta have a painting of your heir.
    img_3816.jpg

    Very nice! I like her. Has a lot of personality
  • Pinmat135Pinmat135 Posts: 346 Member
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    What. When.
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    Pinmat135 wrote: »
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    What. When.

    there part of the new update which comes out tomorrow i think.
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    Pinmat135 wrote: »
    MadameLee wrote: »
    did people hear about 1)configure stairs and 2)culutral content (ie a hijab)

    What. When.

    just confirmed patch tomorrow. between switch games and reborn dolls i haven't been paying as much attention. i'm excited for once i have no adulting on patch day.
  • Acarb90Acarb90 Posts: 608 Member
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.
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  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    Acarb90 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.

    @Acarb90 I don't know what you're talking about. You're one the best storytellers I know. You're writing is great and your story is excellent. I'm looking forward to catching up. Also sometimes less is more. I love the way you use screenshots to tell your story.

    My mother's a former journalist so I think I learnt a lot of my writing from her. She's the scariest critic I know, believe me, she doesn't mess around if she doesn't like something.

    I'm planning to give my novel to her before I share it with anyone else because then I know that the worst is over. :joy:

    I did attend a creative writing course at uni but it was crap. I think the best way to hone your craft is to read lots of books and write a bit everyday. I've been writing in my journal since I was five. I've still got a lot to learn, but I think my journal has helped me develop a voice. It has also been useful for when I want to write kids, because I have some insight into my mind as a child. Although it was mostly full of Alexander Beatle and rabbits. (I loved rabbits). But seriously, there's a big section of my childhood journal dedicated to me writing out the entire Alexander Beatle song. :joy:
    And then, if I remember correctly, I sang it on repeat. My poor parents. :D

    I was also an English major (Graduated at the end of last year), but I don't think it really helped me improve my writing. What it did do was introduce me to some good books. (Although I had actually read most of them already).
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    Acarb90 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.

    don't do that. compare your writing to others i mean. i used to feel like my writing wasn't good because i compared my writing to jes cathtea and citizen. its easy to fall into the their writing is better than mine trap. but once i stopped worrying people started reading.theres nothin wrong with letting screenshots tell the story. i struggle too. i came home from work one day to really confusing comments. i read through them and realized cathtea and jes were having a conversation. lol . theres also nothing wrong with short posts i use screenshots and just enough words yo get the story across.

    i'm writing tomorrow cause of the update.


    so relax write and don;t compare yourself to others.sorry the post is so long my best friend is cathtea. :)
  • ForgottenPixelsForgottenPixels Posts: 11,376 Member
    Acarb90 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.

    Honestly, I just started writing one day and got better over time. I've since edited the original posts of my legacy so if you go back they're better than they were when I started. But, the purpose of this, I've gone back and gotten an original version of it sans pics. If you want a comparative chapter, here.

    Btw, your writing isn't terrible, it's great. :)
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    @Acarb90 I have so much to say about this, having an MFA in creative writing and having taught writing for over 25 years. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how we write and how we learn to write and observing our learning processes.

    We can always learn and improve and grow. That never changes , or shouldn't, if we want our work to stay alive.

    We can also enjoy and appreciate where our writing is at the moment, at the current stage. And I'll share with you that your work is on my list of well-written, significant work.

    If schedule allows I'll swing by later to share more thoughts about the process and also benefits and potential pitfalls of writing classes.
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    mfa? im confused. sorry sis i'm confused had to be added cause the post wasn't long enough.
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    If schedule allows I'll swing by later to share more thoughts about the process and also benefits and potential pitfalls of writing classes.
    i'm intrested too.
  • lillibattenberglillibattenberg Posts: 1,279 Member
    @Acarb90 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.

    This feels a bit unhelpful, but I learned to write by writing. Reading a lot also helped, as once I started developing my own style I noticed bits and pieces I'd nicked from other authors. And don't worry about being stronger on the dialogue - you can turn that to your advantage ;) I've found that if you make the narrator another character (either literally via first-person view or just via a particularly characterful third-person) it makes it so much easier to write the bits in between. I could rattle off a whole list of examples, but this isn't about me.
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  • ForgottenPixelsForgottenPixels Posts: 11,376 Member
    mfa? im confused. sorry sis i'm confused had to be added cause the post wasn't long enough.

    @friendsfan367 I think its some type of degree. That's what google said anyway.
  • Acarb90Acarb90 Posts: 608 Member
    Thank you everyone, for your kind words and advice! :)

    I don't read much (used to when I was younger). I just watch a lot of tv shows, but I think it helps with learning how to develop storylines/characters lol
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  • XantheanmarXantheanmar Posts: 445 Member
    MFA: Master of Fine Arts. It's a US graduate degree.
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  • Pinmat135Pinmat135 Posts: 346 Member
    Acarb90 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I have a question. How did you all learn to write? Were you english majors, did you take writing classes, or did you just start one day and get better?

    I'm only asking, because sometimes I feel like my writing isn't as good as others. I've been wanting to take writing classes.

    I don't really struggle with dialogue, just with the in between writing. It's so hard for me to articulate what is going on in my stories sometimes :/ . That's why I rely mostly on screenshots and dialogue.

    My best advice: read. A good reader (as in, someone who reads a ton) is more likely to be a good writer than someone who hates reading. Not that a "bad reader" can't be a great writer, it's just more natural for "good readers." This is because you've been exposed to more good writing, so you know what works and what doesn't. You can read others' SimLit, books, online stories you found on a whim, anything.
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    So, back with my thoughts, now that they've simmered all afternoon!

    Like others, I learned to write by writing, telling stories, listening to storytellers, reading, watching movies, daydreaming (lots and LOTS of daydreaming), playing music, playing video games, climbing trees, telling jokes, more daydreaming, playing with imaginary friends, playing with friends who thought they weren't imaginary, spending lots and lots and LOTS of time alone, listening to music, thinking, being quiet, watching clouds, daydreaming, watching leaves fall, watching the light....

    I think we learn to write by living in an engaged and curious manner.

    And, @Acarb90 , you've got that in your writing already--loud and clear and distinctively! What makes your writing so good (and the same goes for all the folks who've chimed in with answers to your post) is that your life and observations come through your writing. The way you write isn't like anyone else, and that's because it's saturated with your perspective and observations.

    So the short answer is: think. observe. live deeply. be curious. continue to live as you, and your writing will grow out of that.

    As for writing classes?

    When I signed up for graduate classes in creative writing, I expected they would focus on craft. I thought that we'd be asked to describe a scene from each of the 14-20 senses, then choose one or two to build a story around.

    I thought that we'd sit in cafes and jot down overheard conversations and later work those into a story, analyzing the distinctions between actual conversation and what makes a conversation work in fiction.

    I thought we'd tell a simple story involving three people from the perspective of each character.

    We didn't do any of those things. Now an undergraduate creative writing class or a class focused on technique and craft might do those things--and those might be useful! You can also do those types of activities on your own, and books like Writing Fiction can guide you through exercises like that.

    The program I went to was workshop oriented, so what we did was write a lot, read each other's work, and have our own work "workshopped." Thinking back on it, it was grueling and not all that helpful. The best advice I got was from John Keeble who said, "Say it once, with power, and then move on."

    There was some pressure (though not from my two mentors, fortunately) to write in the current style, which was a weird blend of post-modern, modern, and minimalist. My style relied on more words, and stuck with it, against the grain.

    One good thing that came out of it was meeting other writers and seeing that they're people, too, who happen to live deeply.

    The best learning-about-writing came from my secondary emphasis, which was rhetoric and teaching composition. That actually touched upon the craft of reaching others.

    In my career of teaching, I've observed that we learn to write in a way that blossoms when something opens up inside, and we discover we have a voice, we have stories to tell, and as we tell them, bits and pieces of ourselves fall into place. This can happen at any level of experience--and sometimes what sparks it is when writers feel they suddenly, finally, are allowed to tell their stories, their way. Sometimes it happens when they write and they hear their words on the paper--or they watch someone else hearing their words.

    In the SimLit community, you can find many writers who bring something unique to their work. It's always helpful to note, for example, ways that others use dialogue, scene, description, and the interplay of picture and words. It can be just as useful to notice what seems not to work as to notice what seems to work well!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • squirrelwithacupsquirrelwithacup Posts: 10,475 Member
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    Hey everyone! I have a new chapter today which you can read here! Enjoy!
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    Nightshade: A Simlit || Blogspot || Forum Thread
    See exclusive content and stay updated about Nightshade on my Instagram page!

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