Avoid the "The Writers' Group" here on Fim Fiction

It's full of a bunch of people who snub any writing advice that would actually result in better writing. They show nothing but disrespect for solid advice with clear methods and instead tell people that "you should just feel pacing" and "you'll know how to do it after you write enough and become a better writer the natural way."

They make the ridiculous assumption that the Hero's Journey can't be reverse engineered and used to make better fiction. Questioning whether or not that works is like questioning whether or not combustion engines work. Telling people to avoid using tools which have proven value and are used to create works of fiction many love is actively bad advice.

Everyone should study the Hero's Journey, learn from it, and know it. Don't write blind. Check out Propp's Functions as well. If you want to improve, study things!

In short, they are a bunch of pretentious prats and not worth your time. (The few that have their heads on right are pretty quiet in comparison to the ones with their heads up their plots) If you want real writing advice, you won't find it there, just a bunch of posturing.

Avoid that group. They will only make you worse at your craft.

If you're in that group and you don't like this post, tough cookies. Clean up your act.

Comments

[Azure Drache]

Hey,
don't you think you overdo it a bit? The group has 7782 members and only 5 where against your good suggestion.

That the smarter people mostly stay silent is sadly a typical phenomenon in our society.
I would like to quote, I guess it was Master Miyamoto Musashi, could also be Sun Tzu though.:

A wise man can keep his mouth shut, even when he knows more on a subject than anyone in the group. A fool cannot keep his mouth shut, even when he basically knows nothing, for his heart demands that he belching foolishness.

[palelordhiphis]

4853955
I understand what you're saying and I also understand that online communities are made by the conversations that happen in them. When the loudest and most frequent voices are ignorant people giving bad advice, you've got a "bad community" no matter how many good people are quietly there. :(

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that people join that group. I also think I have a responsibility to warn other writers, especially those beginning, to stay away from it.

This is not the first time I've dealt with pompous people with no clue over there. I've run out of second chances to give...