Your Job Isn’t To Impress. Your Job Is To Make The Reader Forget They’re Reading.

i swear my writing process is just me laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking "what if they kissed and it ruined their lives?"

"I want to be a dragon."

Every writer has that one story that they don't even intend to write down anymore, but that is forever stuck in their brain.

It’s frustrating when writing is your restricted (special) interest, and it’s all you wanna do, but you have things you have to do so you can use all your energy on it. Like it’s making me (more) depressed, but if I write now I’ll be too tired for poetry practice later.

(Sorry if this grammar is bad, again, I’m very tired and not okay)

Unfortunately I speak this language

What I Say vs. What I Actually Mean When Talking About My Writing

Ah, writers. We’re like caffeinated raccoons with a thesaurus—erratic, dramatic, and perpetually on the verge of either brilliance or a breakdown. We love our craft, we loathe it, we panic about it, and sometimes we have midnight sword fights with it (metaphorically… usually). For my long-suffering friends and family, here’s a guide to decipher the cryptic ramblings of an organism like me.

"I’ll finish this draft by the end of the week."

I will procrastinate for six days and have a meltdown on the seventh.

"This chapter just needs a little tweaking."

This chapter is trash, and I’m about to rewrite the whole book instead.

"I love my characters so much!"

I’m going to emotionally devastate them for fun.

"The plot is solid, I just need to flesh it out."

The plot is six sentences, half of which are question marks.

"I’ve got a new idea for a book!"

I’ve abandoned my current project and am fleeing the guilt.

"This is just a first draft."

Please don’t judge me for this dumpster fire.

"I’m doing research for my story."

I’ve been Googling ‘weird medieval punishments’ for four hours.

"I don’t care about reviews."

I’ve read every review. Twice. And cried over three of them.

"The ending needs a little work."

The ending doesn’t exist yet, but thanks for asking.

"I’m editing today."

I’ll spend 30 minutes on commas and four hours rearranging furniture.

"My characters took over the story."

I have no control over anything anymore. Send help.

"I think this draft is almost done."

There’s a 40% chance I’ll delete it tomorrow.

"I’ll outline my next project properly."

HAHAHAHAHA. Sure, Janet.

"I’m working on character development."

I’m Googling psychological disorders and debating tragic backstories.

"I’ll just jot down a quick idea."

I’ve accidentally written half a novel on a napkin.

"I’m worldbuilding right now."

I’ve spent three hours naming a forest and none on the actual plot.

"I don’t get attached to my characters."

I would die for this fictional idiot and cry over their demise daily.

"I’m starting fresh with this new story idea."

I’ve given up on my last three WIPs but refuse to admit defeat.

"I don’t need a deadline to stay motivated."

Without pressure, I will accomplish absolutely nothing.

"My characters feel so real."

I have arguments with them in my head while washing dishes.

"I just write for fun."

I obsess over every word and feel personally attacked by constructive feedback.

"I’m creating a writing playlist."

I’m avoiding my manuscript by curating vibes for the 30th time.

"I’m a writer!"

I am chaos personified, and I occasionally open Google Docs.

Biggest Mistakes I See While Editing

These aren't things that you should obsess over while writing your first draft, but if a scene feels flat, this could help:

Sentence length. Vary your sentence length, seriously; sometimes you can change a whole paragraph from flat to exciting by making one sentence only two or three words and by making another an extended sentence - a lot of people have a tendency, especially when editing, to make every sentence a first part, a comma, then a second part. Try changing it!

Dialogue tags. Have you perhaps obsessed over dialogue tags and now you have a hundred different ones? You don't need the word questioned. You really don't. Similarly, where someone might have used a hundred different dialogue tags, said can work better; sometimes you don't want a dialogue tag at all.

Vary paragraph lengths. Not every paragraph wants the exact same set of sentence lengths.

Take a hike. If it sounds terrible, sometimes it's not the sentence. Go on a walk, touch grass, read a book, watch a film; stop looking at the work and do something else. It will feel evil if you keep staring at it.

Wanting to be poetic to the point of being unreadable. Purple prose is real, but it's probably not the problem. Sometimes, however, you can say grass, and not "verdurous green malachite swayed like a dancer along the legs of the local children".

It's okay to tell the reader something. Often, the way to use telling instead of showing is a matter of pacing, so ask yourself is this action important? Opening a door to find a monster behind it can use suitably long retelling, that builds tension; opening a door to get to the other side mid conversation not so much.

Trust yourself. Don't go into editing thinking you're awful. Sometimes, you will know best. I'm not telling you to never take critique, but you don't have to take all of it. It's your story, and you know what you want to do with it.

Of course, there's no need to take my advice. Use what works for you and leave the rest. I hope this helps!

So right now I have 9 wips (well, and 2 other ideas that I’ll come back to eventually).

4 of the wips are fanfiction. Because I don’t always finish things, I haven’t posted them yet, but one is close to posting level, probably in the next few weeks if I have time.

3 of the other wips are all different books in the same series that I know for sure I want to publish one day. (I’m just taking my time with it because I need to sort my life out before I’m able to dedicate time, money, and energy into publication)

1 wip I barely ever touch. It will be a series as well and I’ll get to it after the other series.

The last wip is one I’ve had mixed feelings about since I had the idea.

But today I had another idea, that would involve getting rid of the last wip to use the world building and one of the characters.

My life is still a mess, so publishing won’t happen any time soon, but there’s a part of me that wants to abandon my fanfics and just write original stories. I’ll just have to be okay knowing nobody will read them anytime soon.

You don't need anyone's approval for the stories you write and the art you create. But it's also absolutely valid to want some approval from your audience. Kudos and likes don't determine your creation's worth. But it just feels amazing to receive them.

Ah hello plotline that I forgot to write down but wanted to remember, nice of you to show up at a time where I *still* can't write you down. I will remember you this time.........I think.

Nothing frustrates more than the realization that the world behind your eyes will never look back at you like a mirror from the page. But the frustration dissipates when you realize that if you fill the entire page so airtight with your world, then there would be no room for the reader.