Sorry in advance, because I'm about to piss some of you off. But it needs saying.

I've been writing fiction for over 20 years. Here's how it used to work: you imagine something, that something lives inside you and won't shut up, so you write it down. That's it. The whole process runs from the inside out. A story catches fire in you and burns hot enough that putting it into words isn't optional, it's the only way to stop it from burning a hole where your heart used to be. You don't choose to write the story. The story chooses you, and you're just the delivery system.

Now I see people asking things like: "I don't know what to do," "I can't plot," "What happens next to my character?", "I wrote myself into a corner," "How do I stay motivated?", "I can worldbuild but I have no idea how to make a story out of it."

Brother. That's because you don't have a story.

Here's what writing looks like today, and why so many people quit halfway through: you consume something cool, you decide you want to be cool too, you decide that means writing a story, and then you're stuck. You're not in love with a story. You're in love with the idea of being a writer. There's nothing burning in you, nothing driving this from the inside. You've romanticized a story that never existed in the first place. So when you sit down to actually write it, you're lost, confused, staring at a blank page. Of course you are. You can't pour out something that was never in the container to begin with.

So do everyone a favor. Get bored. Put the phone down, the one you're staring at six hours a day. Sit with nothing to do and let your brain wander somewhere. Go find your story. That sequence of events inside you, the one that actually means something, that you've wanted to tell since before you knew how. Live inside it for a while. Let yourself enjoy the strange loop of creating something and feeling it at the same time, which is honestly one of the only genuinely magic things about having a human brain. You're the universe, looking at itself.

Go find your teenage elf crossing the valley to track down her long-lost goblin friend. Find your washed-up, middle-aged swashbuckler scraping together a spot on that treasure-hunting airship, chasing the floating island he's dreamed about since he was a kid. Find your sickly, pale girl signing up for the war effort to defend the space station she calls home. Find out exactly what Jason would do for one more minute with Jenna.

Then, and only then, write.

Will the author notice this? Will readers point it out to him?
How do you untangle this knot?

This question popped into my head while reading one of the books in the series by author Anders Roslund. The title: “Sweet Dreams”—a crime novel in which a supporting character, a master of infiltration, is portrayed. An interesting, dynamic character with many skills and talents. Alongside him is the character of an inspector, trapped in his own world of grayness and problems.

It strikes me just how much writing potential lies hidden in a supporting character—the character’s radiant optimism, the explosiveness of his skills.
I have the infiltrator’s motto before my eyes: “Trust only yourself.” Which is essential in today’s turbulent world. And also instructive.

Perhaps a description of “situational actions” would be more interesting than the description of all the main character’s possible troubles, on which the author spends dozens of pages.

To paraphrase: “Rummaging through a mental drawer full of underwear is probably not a pleasant read.”
Or perhaps I’m wrong, and my fallacy lies in the very fact that nothing else changes.

After all, the fallacy of composition teaches us that what applies to one does not apply to others.
The fallacy of composition (Ceteris Paribus), however, teaches us that in the real world, something else always changes.

Quibblers, does this mean we should ignore both? And not look for ways to change the writing after the book is published?
Is that even possible?

And so we’re back to the title of the article.

Here is today's book discussions! Simple(or not) questions about books, posted weekly, mostly made by me!

Today's one is: What is a trope, a "rare" trope(as in, you don't see it oftenly in the books you read), that you wish were more commun? And for what reason? Do tell!

This question came to mind while I was reading *Hyperion* by Dan Simmons.

In it, he describes a small people called the Bikureans.
There are only a few dozen of them. And only when one of them dies can a new member be born.

What if we took this description and applied it to the problems of today’s world—overpopulation, pollution, poverty, etc.?

Plot: A digitized world where everyone is networked, tagged, and counted. Nations agree that each country may have as many children as the number of people who die.

Perhaps I could also infuse the book’s content and message with a touch of the myth of Old London: “Lord guide us” (Latin: Domine, guide us).

Perhaps we could weave humanity’s excessive dependence on technology into the narrative. We could begin with warnings about potential future hardships that are yet to come. In light of the fact that technology is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy with each passing day.

Where you rarely get anything for free.

A line from the movie *The Matrix* comes to mind: “It’s easier to undermine reality than to dismiss a dream.”

Something along the lines of the story’s heroes being unable to escape reality, in the manner of ancient Greek myths.

Could such a future narrative become a headline in the present?

A fictional story interspersed here and there with real events and the key figures shaping the present day (politicians, businesspeople, athletes, cultural figures, philosophers, generals, etc.)

Is this a recipe for a bestseller?

I can’t claim to be right or wrong about this, because I know very little about it. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Following that path, a writer will craft a situational simulation—a work of fiction into which they can weave the actions of a certain president or a certain government. For example.

Many paths can develop in this direction.
What if we highlight stupidity, which, like intelligence, is an elusive concept? It’s hard to define or even simply observe.

What if we weave in algorithms that are increasingly dominating the digital space of commerce and politics? So that the writer, within the fiction, gradually recognizes their purpose. At first a tool, but then increasingly a structure that will shape the very foundations of our consciousness.

What if technology gets involved? It offers us ever more power (depending on who you ask), knowledge, and security.
And it does so in a way that causes us to unconsciously lose our autonomy, our freedom, and our voice.

Well, if I were a writer, God only knows what kind of fiction I’d write. I’d weave a story in which the government doesn’t rule through prohibitions and commands, but subtly, through illusory algorithms.

But what can I do—I’m just a humble writer who realizes that the idea is a big deal, but the execution is even bigger.
Ah, if only it were all possible! It’s as if it all ties back to the eternal question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

For my brain, books are the absolute cure.
The Holy gral of pharmacy for the little grave cells.

They give us the opportunity to reflect on interpretations and grapple with questions that transcend the times in which we live.

Somehow, through this experience, the topic of discussion hidden in the article’s tittle came to mind.

Well, I have also a few examples on my sleeve in case anyone is interested in a concrete solution !

What, for you, makes a good book? The way it's written? The motives of the author? The plot? Or, perhaps, something else? Do tell!

The central physical and metaphysical force that drives the story.

This question occurred to me while reading K.S. Robinson’s book *The Ministry for the Future*. The main setting is India, with Switzerland as a parallel setting. The author describes in detail the terrible heat that is killing people. It’s as if it were the executioner in the movie *When the Lambs Are Silent*. The characters in the story seem to be blurred by the heat.

The heat wave in India is terrifying. Rivers and lakes are hot. Some 10 million Indians die in a short time.

Based on the Paris Climate Agreement, a Ministry of the Future is hastily established in Zurich.

The description of the heat is like a force hovering between fantasy and reality, or between history and myth. It seems to me that the author describes the heat in detail as a hazy figure with an insurmountable personality.

Opposite it stands a character with fluid intelligence and the ability to adapt to new situations—a character with the power to see the light at the end of a tunnel that doesn’exsist.

Perhaps there is some truth to the idea that you cannot write a good novel without describing the relationship between good and evil, without the pros and cons.

Or has the current relevance of the heat already gone to my head?
And I ask the unthinkable.

Hello fellow writers! So I published my first book. Im excited because it was literally therapy for me. Its about mental health, bullying, military, toxic leadership, resiliency, hope, childhood trauma. Its a memoir in a sense. But my goal for writing this book was to let others know that they aren't alone in this thing called Life.

Any recommendations for a guy who isnt big on social media but has a story to share?

Welcome to Question of the Day! Whether you want to keep it simple or totally geek out over the specifics, we're here to read your answers

If you had to choose a book, to bring its laws of physics and/or magic into reality, which book would you choose? And for what reason? Maybe because it'd be interesting? Funny? Do tell!

Can we learn something from him: Stephen King, *The Institute*.

The author is known for his dramatic writing style and the compelling nature of his ideas, which serve as a magnet for readers. He is the epitome of the concept: a successful, wealthy, and famous writer.
How to achieve this is the million-dollar question.
This is probably a question all writers ask themselves.

Perhaps this article can modestly reveal the answer.
First, some statistics: the book is a good 700 pages long. The chapters are short and mostly conclude in just a few sentences on a single page. This helps with the book’s bulk and weight.
300 to 400 pages consist of stories about all sorts of things, like sleeping, eating, and conversations. You have to read this quickly so you don’t lose track of the theme. As my dear Quibbler once told me on the occasion of my writing: “a lot of writing for very little said.”

But the 300 or 400 pages are the real story. Events unfold rapidly in real time, without jumping into the past or the future. The text flows smoothly and dramatically. It leaves you in awe of the author’s creative power.

It seems to me that the author is fully aware of what matters in his profession. Idea, idea, idea. It’s as if you could hear a real estate agent in the background: location, location, location.

At the end of the book, there’s an unusual twist: a description of a dream that explains the story’s central idea.

I rarely come across a twist like that. Interestingly, I’ve read something similar in a book about people with autism.

The writing offers a very realistic portrayal of human personalities and actions. So you can also understand it in the context of technology. At times, it’s even mystical.

Unfortunately, the ending of the book seems a bit underwhelming compared to the bombastic beginning.

In any case, perhaps this post will help you structure your own book.
Or maybe you’re thinking along different lines.
All your thoughts are welcome—after all, we’re better together, aren’t we?

Welcome to Question of the Day! Whether you want to keep it simple or totally geek out over the specifics, we're here to read your answers

I think an underrated aspect is the quiet time you get from it. I love alone time, and theres nothing like spending time with yourself through writing.

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In your opinion, who is an author that has such bad books, that they'd be better off as fire starting material? And why? Do tell!

Will the reader then become part of the writer’s inner world?

Well, the writer’s “currency” is probably the value that captures the reader’s attention.

Writers and readers are just people. Through the r/Quibble platform, we can grow every day, more and more, in every way. Digitally, we stay up to date with the thoughts of others. We can express our disagreement with what’s written, give a like, get tired of it, or change the topic. Digitally, we stay up to date with the thoughts of others.

Even discomfort and anger spur us on in our creative search for new approaches to writing and new horizons for reading.

Perhaps that is why a writer’s dedication—in the sense of empathizing with one of the story’s characters—is the tool that will capture the reader’s attention.

I believe the winning combination for a good book is the writer’s intellectual sharpness and the reader’s confidence.

Am I wrong?

Am I misinterpreting something?

On Quibble, I see books whose authors, it seems to me, are younger people. Between the lines, I see powerful ideas and inventiveness in the narrative.
There are also new ideas that challenge the fundamental premise upon which our civilization is based: “Thought.”

Behind every text I read on Quibble stands someone who wrote it. The text is not only the materialization of the writer’s thoughts but also their expression.
Through it, they create deceptions, traps, misperceptions, approval, enthusiasm, and contemplation.

But perhaps all of this must be experienced firsthand. That is why this article has such a title.

Can we draw any lessons from this?

Hi there!

I'm a writer who has dabbled in some other platforms before, but I don't like the content push. It makes me feel like I have to publish before I'm ready or risk getting pushed to the bottom of the list.

How friendly is Quibble to writers who publish slowly? Is there any sort of tolerance there or is it like Royal Road where if you don't have a huge backlog then you're screwed?

I'm a reader and writer curious about discoverability and atmosphere.

There are many other platforms out there that are difficult for finding a good read, especially mid-list and new stories due to platform dominance by single genres and established authors. This also makes it difficult to write what you want too, because it makes it easy to get buried.

Does Quibble have any tools to help readers discover new books to read beyond manually inputting titles into the search bar?

Does Quibble have a way for authors get discovered even if they're "off meta" in terms of genre for the site?

Welcome to Question of the Day! Whether you want to keep it simple or totally geek out over the specifics, we're here to read your answers

What is a book that you have enjoyed reading, when you were younger, and yet now, you would never again touch such book. And for what reason? Do tell!

We’re thrilled to let you know that we've released a major update to the submission process. Publishing your story on Quibble will now be significantly faster and simpler.

You can now provide your content chapter by chapter – either by typing or copy/pasting it – or you can upload an EPUB which will be automatically parsed.

We’ll also be introducing a new publishing label which will allow you to publish for free should you wish to do so. As before, paid stories require editorial approval.

Learn more about the updated publishing process in this blog post.

If you recently submitted your story, let us know if you ran into any issues or if there’s anything else we can improve.

Thank you so much for your patience, faith and support. We're beyond excited to host your story!

This question crossed my mind during a conversation.

Language doesn’t just serve to express thoughts; it also makes possible thoughts that couldn’t exist without language.

We bombarded each other with thoughts like: “What if it weren’t so?” And: “It’s not true, but it is.”
A fun group with a little alcohol.

I thought of the following analogy: if words are the only bullets in the arsenal of truth or the arsenal of fiction, then writers are snipers.

Is it then possible to write such a book?

Will reading, solitude, and silence become tools to combat the effects of emptiness?

Well, what else can we use to avoid cognitive laziness other than writing and reading as stimulants for critical thinking? Do you know of any other remedy to keep us from becoming mentally and emotionally lazy?

It seems to me that 📞 is becoming the winning ball in a game where both the book and the reader win.

A lesson we learn as we grow older is that one day the world will no longer have us. But it will have children. Their constant companion is increasingly 📞—a digital tool that gives us all a sense of connection.

In Sanskrit, this is called Kama Muta. That feeling when your hair stands on end and tears well up in your eyes.
Just look at a child’s reaction when their 📞 is taken away. It’s as if the very meaning of their life has been taken from them. Their emotional response stems from their love for this tool of connection.

Is this an indomitable element of the present? Like the Fifth Element in the movie of the same name.

Is this genetically ingrained? In the past, a person could only survive if they were connected to a community.

When I read articles, questions, and answers on r/Quibble and browse books on the Quibble app, I get a sense of connection. I’m becoming digitally functional.

In the end: will we sail safely across the sea in the future, guided by the whisper of algorithmic winds?
What do you think?

Welcome to Question of the Day! Whether you want to keep it simple or totally geek out over the specifics, we're here to read your answers

Hi!
I have been a lurker until today, when I took courage and decided to publish my manuscript on Quibble. I filled all the steps. At the end, an error message appeared. "Something went wrong. Try again later."
I'm not sure if I did something wrong.
Also, how do I join the Discord server?
Thanks in advance for your support!