[Daily Discussion] General Discussion - August 01, 2026

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• u/des99ill·2·1 авг. 2026 г., 14:46

  I somewhat know how to describe my writing style, but how do I easily find places that align with my style? I haven’t been able to get into reading a ton of journals a literary magazine and definitely don’t read as much as I used too. Is there a website database that summarizes the types of work these journals and magazines publish? I write short stories and poetry that could mostly be described as southern gothic and consists of other worlds, magic centered around character relationships. I’ve been leaning into more sci-fi and horror, but it’s not full on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or killer clowns and ghosts. It’s more subtle. I’ve had a few rejections and while my writing may not be as good as I think, I’m worried I’m missing the mark with where I’m submitting. 

• u/Overall-Habit5284·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 15:06

  Thoroughly enjoyed reading Project Hail Mary on the train back from London the other day. Highly recommended read. However, imagine my horror when the alien that Dr Grace encounters is called "Rocky". The exact same name I gave to my alien character, before I even read that book. Now my science fiction novel is lifting the same trope as the one that got made into a feature length film. Anyone else feel like banging their head against a wall when this happens?

  • u/contain_solitudes·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 16:14

    My advice from my mentors is just do what you want to do because everyone's ideas are so unique you're highly unlikely to be accused of plagiarism even with some similarities.

  • u/FlyinLeviathon·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:35

    It is soooo frustrating! But honestly, I'd stick with Rocky, unless your Rocky shares tons of physical or personality traits as the one from Project Hail Mary. It's not a super unique name, and while some people will probably draw the connection, ideally the rest of your book is different enough that it won't matter. If you haven't yet seen the movie I highly recommend it as well. Faithful enough to the original while still being true to its own medium.

• u/UniquenameorsumIdkok·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 15:34

  Great question. Maybe try searching r/writing's style tag flair or reading authors who inspire you.

• u/[deleted]·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 16:01

  [removed]

• u/Esma13_·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:23

  I'm writing a book where my main character is fourteen. What's something a 14 year old girl would get grounded for?

  • u/donkeybrainhero·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:40

    Being a "mean girl" in school.

  • u/FlyinLeviathon·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:44

    I got grounded for not cleaning my room, not turning in homework, not doing the dishes, lying about doing my homework, coming home late from school, not turning in my phone at night, and a million other things lol I can only imagine what would have happened if I was an actual rowdy teenager.

• u/indie15_·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:29

  Writing an eight year old protagonist, who got a new baby sibling. I want there to be signs in the story that the protagonist is struggling with the adjustment of a new sibling, but I don't want to say it outright right away. What are some signs that my readers would catch onto that maybe this little girl isn't loving having a new sibling?

  • u/FlyinLeviathon·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 18:01

    The biggest thing I can think of is acting out for attention. This could be in multiple ways, from trying to shift every conversation to be about her, or making a big deal out of falling over and crying even if she's not hurt. Anything to reclaim some of that attention that used to belong solely to her.

• u/donkeybrainhero·1·1 авг. 2026 г., 17:43

  Finally "finished" my first full-length novel (90k words). Multiple drafts and editing passes, all that. Tossed out a few queries for fun... I have zero expectations but I thought it'd make for good practice. In the meantime, I've asked several people if they'd want to read it and give feedback. They all said yes, but I've heard nothing since. Oh well. Started my second novel and enjoying applying what I've learned with the first. While its likely none of this really leads anywhere, actually finishing a project like that feels good. It's rare for me to actually see something all the way through, but I was determined this time.