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Writing Is Hard - Blog Posts
that feeling when you have a fire idea for a fanfiction but don't have enough motivation or writing skill to make it more than just your imaginary story you think about at night
happened to me this morning tbh i’ll just die at this point
reblog if you believe fanfics are as valid as books that were published and sold by authors who write as their main careers. I'm trying to prove a point
The hardest part about starting a new chapter is deciding what events are important to start with and whose perspective to put it in. And sometimes the perspective determines what events are important but then I'm like "am I picking favorite characters cause I use this perspective a lot" but then I'm like so much of who we are is determined by how people see us and chose to love us anyway but then it's also how we see ourselves and trying to compact both views from the same event into a paragraph that flows is really hard
I NEEDED THIS SM
helpful sites for writers
i have a little collection of websites i tend to use for coming up with ideas, naming people or places, keeping clear visuals or logistics, writing basics about places i've never been to, and so on. i tend to do a lot of research, but sometimes you just need quick references, right? so i thought i'd share some of them!
Behind the Name; good for name meanings but also just random name ideas, regardless of meanings.
Fantasy Name Generator; this link goes to the town name generator, which i use most, but there are lots of silly/fun/good inspo generators on there!
Age Calculator; for remembering how old characters are in Y month in Z year. i use this constantly.
Height Comparison; i love this for the height visuals; does character A come up to character B's shoulder? are they a head taller? what does that look like, height-wise? the chart feature is great!
Child Development Guide; what can a (neurotypical, average) 5-year-old do at that age? this is a super handy quickguide for that, with the obviously huge caveat that children develop at different paces and this is not comprehensive or accurate for every child ever. i like it as a starting point, though!
Weather Spark; good for average temperatures and weather checking!
Green's Dictionary of Slang; good for looking up "would x say this?" or "what does this phrase mean in this context?" i love the timeline because it shows when the phrase was historically in use. this is english only, though; i dig a little harder for resources like this in other languages.
Telling myself this every day so here's a meme
I don't usually talk about Exorcise The Gods on my blog because it's still in the early stages, but I'll probably start to talk about it and the characters more often now as I'm getting more confident with the plan!
I really want to share this story some day, even if nobody's interested. It's something I've been working on for five years now, I don't know if I'll wait to post it as a comic or just post the written chapters and make a comic. Whatever I do, I just want to get it out there eventually.
Anyway I just started planning Chapter 23, which is what prompted this... it's a little spontaneous. Have some sketches of the main character.
I ended up doing little sketches cause I'm having fun with this. It looks much better in person I swear. I tried to do some neck crown but I don't know if you can really tell. Also I don't know what a NASA hoodie would look like, forgive me. Too lazy to find a reference.
We don't mention the one on bottom, okay? Okay.
Okay okay okay long post but,
I need to say this cause it's nearly midnight and this idea is keeping me awake! Please tell me if you like the sound of the idea or if you think it's a bit of a stretch lol
So I started thinking about this today and cannot stop but y'know those Danny Phantom AU where Danny has a space obsession but everyone assumes it's actually a protection obsession?? I had an idea where, what if they're not assuming and Danny's pretending to have a protection obsession because he doesn't want his rouges to feel guilty about keeping him from his obsession?
Here me out! What if Danny feels like pretending to have a protection obsession is necessary to keeping his rouges happy and content while fulfilling their obsessions? He wants them to be happy because it means they'll be more satisfied and will come around less (he hopes). His rouges are more than happy to attack because they feel like they're helping Danny fulfill HIS obsession!
Eventually Danny starts to think of it like he's performing for those around him, like he's the star of the show he didn't realize he was in- He finds himself watching plays and operas and broadway shows and he enjoys them?? Which he didn't expect! Soon he becomes a bit obsessed with putting on the perfect performance for others, but obviously that has side effects on his mental health.
Maybe we can bring in some Ghost King Phantom? Like he becomes the Ghost King once he's graduated university or something and to his surprise, Frostbite tells him that he has a new Performance Obsession and of course this can give an opportunity for angsty spirals... Also if I'm being completely honest, the design and personality I have in my head for him is reminiscent of Furina from Genshin Impact, which I'm pretty sure was an accident, especially because I finished the newest quest yesterday... But whatever... I'll worry about it later.
If enough people like the idea I'll probably put a story and designs together, might even throw some dpxdc into the ring who knows, I sure don't! Anyway, my first time actually putting thought into an AU idea and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Let me know what you think!
Okay okay okay long post but,
I need to say this cause it's nearly midnight and this idea is keeping me awake! Please tell me if you like the sound of the idea or if you think it's a bit of a stretch lol
So I started thinking about this today and cannot stop but y'know those Danny Phantom AU where Danny has a space obsession but everyone assumes it's actually a protection obsession?? I had an idea where, what if they're not assuming and Danny's pretending to have a protection obsession because he doesn't want his rouges to feel guilty about keeping him from his obsession?
Here me out! What if Danny feels like pretending to have a protection obsession is necessary to keeping his rouges happy and content while fulfilling their obsessions? He wants them to be happy because it means they'll be more satisfied and will come around less (he hopes). His rouges are more than happy to attack because they feel like they're helping Danny fulfill HIS obsession!
Eventually Danny starts to think of it like he's performing for those around him, like he's the star of the show he didn't realize he was in- He finds himself watching plays and operas and broadway shows and he enjoys them?? Which he didn't expect! Soon he becomes a bit obsessed with putting on the perfect performance for others, but obviously that has side effects on his mental health.
Maybe we can bring in some Ghost King Phantom? Like he becomes the Ghost King once he's graduated university or something and to his surprise, Frostbite tells him that he has a new Performance Obsession and of course this can give an opportunity for angsty spirals... Also if I'm being completely honest, the design and personality I have in my head for him is reminiscent of Furina from Genshin Impact, which I'm pretty sure was an accident, especially because I finished the newest quest yesterday... But whatever... I'll worry about it later.
If enough people like the idea I'll probably put a story and designs together, might even throw some dpxdc into the ring who knows, I sure don't! Anyway, my first time actually putting thought into an AU idea and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Let me know what you think!
CHAPTER 7 IS HEREEE
Please enjoy :)
Heyy, so...(warning: rant)
The chapter five of A Little peek into the Universe is almost 14 and a half pages long, right?
But, there's a problem, and it's the fact that IM STILL NOT FINISHED. IN FACT, I HAVEN'T REACHED THE BEST PART YET.
which makes me mad, even if I spected it to take a lot of time, considering the many things I'm trying to cover in a single chapter.
I don't want to keep delaying the project any longer, and I promised myself that after this chapter I would focus on my original story and ocs, BUT GODAMM ITS TAKING TOO LONG ARGHHHHH-
guys I know I've been gone for Tumblr knows how long, but hang on, chapter 5 is taking a LOT longer than I thought.
Don't worry, I'm already getting the half of it!
(I think)
( I'm improvising mostly)
Hehehe this is for my boy Leo, who ive literally never posted about, but I'm going to start now >:3
1.Appetite of a People Pleaser by Ghost and Pals
2.Bitter Water by The Oh Hello
3.Mice on Venus
4.Message from the Goddess -LoZ Skyward Sword
5.silly cat song on recorder no I do not know what it's called and I cannot copy paste the actual name by Mitchiri Neko I assume idk
6.hell's coming with me by poor man's poison
7.Let you break my heart again by Laufey
8.Golden hour by JVKE
9.Two birds on a wire by Regina spektor
10.Misery fell by tally hall
11.the last words of a shooting star by mitski
12.everybody wants to rule the world by tears for fears
13.the moon will sing by the crane wives
No I will not be explaining any of this
But
Im time I hope to post more about my ocs here soooooo
You'll find out soon maybe
Make a playlist for your OC
A song that represents their childhood
A song that represents their general outlook on life
A song that would play over a montage of them getting ready in the morning
A song that represents their happiest moment
A song they would listen to to cheer themselves up
A song that represents a struggle in their life
A song they would dedicate to a loved one
A song that represents a current relationship/love interest
A song that represents a past relationship/love interest
A song they would request a DJ at a party to play
A song that represents their saddest moment
A song that would play over a training montage
A song they would sing in the shower
(you can do more than one song per element or skip some completely; these are just suggestions!)
I read a lot of writing in my line of work and while that’s amazing, I see the same flaws again and again. Below is a list of 7 common writing mistakes in fiction and how you can fix them. This list is by no means complete. In fact there’s a great list over at The Editor’s Blog that covers even more mistakes.
1. Bad dialogue
Sometimes writers can forget that they’re writing a conversation and thus not write a conversation. The dialogue can be boring, stilted and unnatural, and I’d rather listen to the territorial call of an Australian Raven than read one more word of it.
There are many things that contribute to bad dialogue, but here are the three that really get on my nerves:
Not using contractions–I’ve seen work that is modern and still doesn’t use contractions. Consider this: “You are going to be late.” Unless the speaker is trying to sound like an irritated mother and is leaving an emphatic silence between each word to sound threatening, use contractions. It sounds really drawn out and like the speaker is pointing their nose in the air. We generally don’t speak like this in real life, so neither should your characters.
Using complete sentences–Not only is it natural for your characters to chop their sentences, this can also contribute to their voice. Does your character say “I don’t know.” or “Dunno.” Would he/she say “I missed the train and had to find a lift home.” or “Missed the train. Had to find a ride.” In casual speech, we often only use the words necessary to convey our message, even if it doesn’t form a complete sentence. You shouldn’t apply this to every line of dialogue, but consider it if your dialogue sounds stale.
Using characters as a conduit for research and plot information–Sometimes writers like to show off their research (looking at you Jurassic Park), backstory, world building and plot by having their characters talk way too much. If your character says “Once this valley was home to an ancient race of elves, who looked after the land and treated it with respect. One day, the secret magic spring dried up and then the goblins came. Without their magic spring, the elves couldn’t fight back, and they were killed by the goblins. The goblins didn’t respect the land and now it’s uninhabitable.” he should probably shut up. It sounds less like a person talking than it does an audio tour. The information he’s shared could be given in a much more interesting way.
How you can fix it:
Listen to and watch the way real people talk to each other. Do they speak in full sentences with full words? Do they speak with grammatical correctness? Do they speak differently in different situations? How do hand gestures, body language and facial expressions help them communicate?
Read your dialogue out loud as if you’re practising lines for a movie. Does it sound natural? Does it flow?
Test every piece of information your characters give out. Does it all need to be said? Would your character say all of it at once? Do they need to say it all in so many words?
2. Passages of uninterrupted speech or thought
Sometimes you might want to avoid telling the reader about something and have a character tell another character instead. Sometimes you might want to avoid telling the reader how a character feels about something by having them think about it excessively instead. If this goes on for longer than a couple of paragraphs (or less), you risk allowing your reader to drift out of the scene.
The only thing anchoring your reader in the scene is your characters and what they’re doing. If the characters are talking or thinking for a long time without interacting with anyone or anything else, they might as well be floating in space, which can make the reader feel like they’re floating in space. That’s not to say that they’ve forgotten where the scene is taking place or who else is involved, just that it can feel that way if this is how the character acts.
How you can fix it:
If your characters have a lot to say, try to include the other characters as well. Have them ask questions or make comments so it feels like a scene and not a soliloquy.
If your character is around others when he/she is deep in thought, try to include the other characters in some way. If the POV character is thinking about something that the other characters can see, why not give voice to one of the other characters in between thought paragraphs?
If the character is alone when he/she is deep in thought, is there a way they can interact with their environment? Unless they’re standing in front of a wall, they should be able to see, smell, feel or hear something.
If your character is absolutely, completely lost in thought, is there a way you can bring some sort of image into it? For example, on page 216 of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss is thinking about how to treat a burn she receives. Almost the entire page is a paragraph describing a memory; however, there is still action in this memory and, therefore, there is something for the reader to imagine.
3. Not knowing when to/not to use said
Some people will tell you to use descriptive speech tags and others will tell you there’s nothing wrong with said. Both are true, but when do you follow the former and when do you follow the latter? And when do you use no speech tags at all?
Using anything but said and using nothing but said both get exhausting and boring very fast.
How you can fix it:
Below is a rough guide to what kind of speech tag to use. Please bear in mind that it is only a guide and will not and should not apply to every situation.
Said is unobtrusive–a way of letting the reader know who’s talking without making a song and dance about it. Specific verbs (e.g. whispered, shouted, mumbled) give the reader information about how the words are being said. Adverbial tags can also give extra information about how something is being said, but more often than not they can be replaced with a stronger verb (e.g. she said loudly can be replaced with she shouted). Writers can also fall into the trap of telling where it’s better to show when using adverbial tags, which can make the writing bland. Sometimes telling is better, but with speech tags, it’s usually better to absorb the reader in the conversation. If you’ve used an adverbial tag, go back and have a look at it. Is there a better way you could get the message across?
What you need to pay attention to when determining what speech tags to use is the context of the speech. If the reader is already aware of the manner in which a character is talking, it won’t be necessary to remind them every time the character speaks. If there are only two characters in the conversation, it won’t be necessary to finish each quote with he said/she said. Going back to #2, you can also do away with speech tags entirely and use action to demonstrate how a character is feeling, while also grounding the reader in the scene.
The key to avoiding repetition and blandness is to find a balance between using the unobtrusive said, using something more specific, and mixing it up with a bit of action, which means you might not even need a tag at all.
4. Too much description/overwriting
Sometimes it’s better to tell and not show. Some details just aren’t important enough to warrant a lengthy description. If you want your reader to know that it’s raining, you can write something better than “It was raining”, but there’s no need to go overboard and write a poem about how the puddles on the asphalt looked like a great abyss.
Think of description like camera focus. The more you describe something, the more focus you put on it. If you put enough focus on something, you eliminate everything else. What’s this? A close-up. What does a close-up in a movie tell you? That object of the close-up is significant.
Be wary: when you write thirty words describing the way the moonlight is reflecting off the inky black lake, you might not be just setting the scene. You might also be giving the lake undue emphasis, and it’s probably going to irritate your reader when they realise there’s nothing significant about the lake at all, you were just showing off your imagery skills.
How you can fix it:
Keep it real. What would the character notice, what would they think about it and is it worth the attention? And try not to focus on sight. Your characters have more than one way to perceive their environment, and incorporating their other senses can help build a 3D setting for your reader rather than just painting them a picture. Give the reader enough to imagine the scene, and no more.
5. Not knowing when to/not to use adverbs
There’s a lot of writing advice out there that will tell you to cut all adverbs. The result is that many writers now think adverbs exist only to eat their children and wouldn’t dare to ever use one.
There is truth to the advice, but to say “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”? Really, Stephen King? And his dandelion analogy assumes there’s no editing process.
Adverbs aren’t evil, but there is such a thing as using them ineffectively. Which of the below are more descriptive?
She ran quickly or She sprinted
“It’s a long way down,” he said nervously or “It’s a long way down,” he said
He was shamefully prone to anxiety or He was prone to anxiety
She sprinted not only gets to the point faster, it also creates a more powerful image for the reader. “It’s a long way down,” he said gives no indication of how the speaker is speaking or feeling; however, “It’s a long way down,” he said nervously is telling, not showing. Rather than using an adverb here, the writer could describe the speaker’s body language. He was shamefully prone to anxiety tells you how the character feels about being prone to anxiety and there is no stronger word to replace “shamefully prone”.
How you can fix it:
Ask yourself:
How would the meaning of the sentence change if the adverb was removed?
Can the adverb and verb be replaced by a single verb?
Does the action really need clarification?
Does the adverb add something to the sentence that can’t be described in another way?
6. No conflict in the beginning
The first few chapters of a lot of stories I’ve read involve the main character plodding along in their daily life. This is a good thing as the reader needs to get a feel for your character before the big plot things happen, but that doesn’t mean the first few chapters should be without conflict. I don’t want to read about a character waking up, looking at themselves in the mirror, getting dressed, getting coffee, going to work, getting home, going on a date etc. for three chapters. It’s boring and I don’t care about any of it.
The confusion might be caused by common story structure theories that say the main conflict enters the story at the first plot point, or 25% into the story. But this doesn’t mean there should be zero conflict at the beginning! At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Harry was told ‘no funny business’ or he’d be grounded. Not long after that, there was some vanishing glass and an escaped boa constrictor. After this happened there was a mysterious letter addressed to Harry, and he spent an entire chapter trying to get hold of it as the weirdness escalated. There’s conflict and a goal right off the bat, and the story hasn’t even really started yet. In The Hunger Games Katniss faces the Reaping. In The Hobbit Bilbo finds himself hosting a dinner party for dwarfs and being asked to go and fight a dragon.
How you can fix it:
Take a look at all the books you’ve read. Most of them (if not all) start with some sort of problem or goal. Study up on this to help you realise what makes a good beginning.
Don’t fill your first few chapters with characterisation and nothing else. Build your character in the context of a problem or goal.
Keep in mind that you find your characters more interesting than your reader does. What you like about your character might not be enough to keep the reader’s interest.
What’s going on in your character’s life? How is this going to influence what happens when the conflict or story goal takes the stage?
What would happen if you cut your beginning out of the story? Would the plot still make sense? Maybe it’s better to start the story at a later point.
7. Lack of story structure
When you write a first draft, whether you’ve planned it or not, there are going to be structural flaws. Maybe halfway through you thought of a way to solidify a character’s motivation. Maybe at the climax you thought of a way to strengthen your conflict. Maybe somewhere in the middle you had no idea where you were going with this and slugged your way through some boring scenes. It’s all good; this is how stories come together.
What should happen next is that you revise your draft with story structure in mind. There’ll be a lot of “I should add a scene here about this” and “what was I thinking when I wrote that?” and after a few goes, you’ll have a story.
Writers don’t always do this though (which, by the way, makes my job take longer and cost more). They’ll go through and fix all of the obvious problems, but what remains is a manuscript that still lacks a solid structure. It’s messy to read, it’s confusing, it’s clearly not thought out, and it feels like the writer is giving me the finger. I’ll regret paying for the book, stop reading it and leave a negative review on Goodreads. Is that worth not giving your book a good edit?
How you can fix it:
Read a lot. Make sure you have a decent grasp on different story structures. Make sure you understand the way stories progress, the way they’re paced and what keeps the reader engaged.
Re-outline. Or if you pantsed your way through the first draft, make an outline. Write a checklist for what each scene should accomplish and what each chapter should accomplish. Make a timeline of how the events progress and how the tension increases. Don’t base this on what you’ve written, base it on what you’ve figured out about your plot.
Edit ruthlessly. If a scene doesn’t measure up to your new plan, cut it. If it’s in the wrong place, move it.
wish I have the mental capacity to actually write it down but otherwise, real
i am about to create an au SO self indulgent. the target audience is 1 person and that person is me
I have so many fics planned(Over 100) with the plots ready to go but no will to actually write them
Literally me trying to write on Ao3
i want to write so bad but everytime i open my word doc this is how i look at it
I feel bad for not updating my infection au (I now understand why it can take weeks for fanfic writers to update) doesn't help that I fell down some stairs yesterday, I'm fine just bruised and aching.
As a consolation, here's what I think the Mercs would be if they were cats! !!Warning!! ⚠️, there's mentioned abuse of animals. It breaks my heart to think about, but it unfortunately happens:( please be kind to everyone and everything and I by all means do NOT endorse abuse of any kind to anyone or anything)
Scout: mixed breed/Egyptian Mau
I literally looked up fastest cat breeds and Egyptian Mau was the one they gave me. He has his own cat wheel, those spinning treadmill for cats, he's not allowed outside because he's nearly die 4 times from fighting strays or coming home injured. he keeps harassing miss Pauling to mate with her, she keeps batting him.
Soldier: American shorthair
This is the cat breed I think of when I think of when I think of American cats, I like to think he's an orange cat. They're notorious for being dumb and being odd. The administrator let's him run outside, he's really, really loud and she's gotten noise complaints from neighbors when she first brought him home.
Pyro: Sphinx (elf)
They were burned by someone teens who thought it was funny to harm them. The administrator gave them a set of pjs, a stuffed unicorn toy and a little mask because of they're anxiety. They're bonded with engi.
Demo: Scottish fold
Ya ya I get it "this was an obvious one to choose for demo, it literally has 'Scottish' in the name". His previous owner would make bombs in his house and sell them on the black market. One day demo was messing around (he was a kitten) and due to his owner's negligence, demo lost his eye (and some scaring) as well as the death of his owner, who was drunk and passed out, in the explosion that followed. He now has a tiny eye patch and has to take medicine. He has a parrot stuffy
Engi: munchkin
Lol smol cat. He's the only one who wasn't adopted by the administrator, she owned his father and his grandfather before him. He's highly intelligent and has bonded with pyro. They basically just bath eachother
Heavy: Mainecoon
Lol big cat. His story largely stays the same, from Russia, has 3 sisters and his mother, lived in the gulag (I think that's how to spell it). The difference is that he was sold to the administrator and his mother and sisters remain in Siberia, he misses them severely and will only calm down if the administrator put on classical Russian music or video calls his family's owner. The owner doesn't mind at all.
Sniper: Mandalay
His previous owners were a sweet old couple who had a sheep farm in Australia. He was a farm cat and was extremely good at hunting birds and mice. He now likes to climb up in high spaces.
Medic: German Rex
His owner was a scientist who would experiment on birds, medic bonded with one of these birds. When the administrator took in medic, Archimedes was brought with him. She likes Archimedes more than she thought she would.
Spy: Birman
Spy was pampered by his previous owner, who was an old, wealthy, French man with no children or wife. Everything in his position went to spy and his (spy's ) lineage. By adopting spy, the administrator gained all the wealth that came with him. She took scout in because he's spy's only living blood relative from when he snuck out near the end of his owner's life, met Scout's ma and had him. He bullies his son
Miss p.: Devon Rex
She's constantly stoping the others from breaking things and has basically bonded with the administrator and is completely done with scout
This took me so long to write and research
Edit; I forgot to remove the fillers for engi and heavy, I kept them in tho:3
The Seven Stages of Writing:
1. Having the best idea for a story
2. Making a bunch of character sheets, plot outlines, snippets of scenes and playlists for inspiration
3. Sitting down to actually write the story
4. Realizing halfway through you don’t know anything about *insert random topic here* and go down an Internet rabbit hole to become an armchair expert while bullshiting the finer details and hoping no one notices.
5. Getting stuck for too long on a scene/ trying to make a character or plot Do A Thing™️ it’s not doing without it being contrived.
6. Wallowing about how terrible your writing is and how the whole story is basically a dumpster fire that should never see the light of day.
7. Going back to edit the whole thing and realizing it’s an absolute masterpiece and you were worried about nothing all along.
what people think is hard about writing: describing the joy, love, beauty, grief, loss and hope that form the richness of human experience
what is actually hard about writing: describing basic actions such as turning, leaning over, reclining, gesturing, saying something in a quiet voice, breathing, getting up from chairs, and walking across rooms
me planning out my story: this will be so straightforward and easy!
me writing: why is there a subplot about flour?