I just joined this sub and I keep seeing posts with a bunch of comments and either 0 up/down or negatives.

It's making all of you look like snobby assholes. People are just asking questions, you can help or ignore but when I'm seeing these negative interactions it makes me hope that whoever is sending out those negative vibes. Never finishes another paragraph or sells another book.

TLDR: Stop being pricks.

So a little bit ago I was having a chat with a friend and the subject of writing came up and how I was writing a book. He was super stoked with the idea and I ended up showing him some of the other book ideas I had for the future in my notes app, to which he again was really excited about. He then told me about an idea he'd had for a book and I ended up writing it down in my notes app, and yesterday I was super bored and wanted a break from editing so I just started writing the first chapter of his idea. It was totally unplanned, more along the lines of how I write my short stories and this morning I finished the chapter and sent it to him and he told me it was really good, and that he didn't really read that much normally but wanted more after the end of the chapter. That's about it. Very glad that he liked it and I hope to continue with this project. Kind of funny because, to me, it was pretty much just like a draft zero without any planning for fun.

I feel like throwing my whole idea for my series away....even though it's everything to me. And I am just..at this point of like oh did I get the characters together too fast? Is that too overpowered for magic? Oh this really dark. No one will like that. I can't even get through the first ten chapters without trashing it and starting again.

I'm at a loss. I don't want to give up. But I just can't stop...hiding it!

Ive written a good chunk of what I hope will be my first book, the twist ending is that whole concept, that I want to lean into more on the second and third book I have planned.

Any ideas on how to make the concept less generic? What tropes to avoid? Happy to answer any questions you need about plot/characters!

Hello! I am not a usual Redditor, but I started seriously writing recently and find myself faced with one too many ending ideas!! I have five main ideas that I have ranked from happiest to saddest (one being happily ever after, five being La La Land ending 1).

I have classified them as:

1. together forever
2. kiss and make up
3. pining
4. sad
5. la la land

As writers and/or readers, what type of ending are you most drawn to? I feel like I can do them all successfully, but am not sure which one will be best received. Tysm :>

Does anybody have any advice for how to write when ADHD & autism play havoc with concentration? (Officially diagnosed autistic, waiting to get seen for ADHD)

Have you ever submitted a story to a critique site and explained the symbolism in the story?

I have a couple stories where I have allusions to myth and only a few critters have picked up on it. You don't have to pick up on it to understand the story but it does give the reader a greater understanding of the story. And the writer's intention is for these allusions to inform the work so maybe highlighting them in the critique process can be helpful.

There's one moment in a fictional story that I'm writing where a small army comes in to wipe out a town, trying to leave no survivors. This means that women and (most) children aren't saved or imprisoned. They are unfortunately killed. Writing about children being murdered feels wrong and am wondering if there's a better way to convey to the reader that there was no mercy. I have thought about changing out the child for a friend (who's at least has lived more of a life), but, like I've overstated, want the reader to know not only the adults were being targeted. I could also not write about it and pull an order 66 moment (like, "the women and children too." line to make it softer). If anyone has any tips, recommendations, or examples (examples from authors who have written it well), it is welcome.

And by that, I mean a series of stories or chapters that don't necessarily go anywhere or develop an overarching plot - just random stuff your characters do in their day-to-day life, or at best, mini-arcs that can be resolved within a couple of chapters.

Is this something that, like, exists, or is it uniquely an anime genre?
I ask because there's no way I'll ever be able to stick to a plot for more than 20-30ish pages, and I don't think I want to, either, but I think I'll be able to write a heap ton more if I don't have to worry about sticking to a coherent plot.

I just accidentally rediscovered an old writing piece from the 6th grade, and oh my god!! That year was basically when I started writing in my free time and enjoying it.

What was I thinking, honestly? Moreover, why did the teacher tell me it was so good and why didn't she tell me to give it an actual plot?! The idea is both very much there and nowhere at all.

The entire basis is that they're rich as fuck, and all have similar names as a family?

They all start with A and are 6 letters and there's 6 kids and the conflict was legit that the parents didn't like the daughter's boyfriend cause his name didn't fit in and was James

8 perspectives?

Every part of the story being fully repeated in each perspective so there was literally no progress in plot!!

I even made a photo collage of each character and what the cover should look like! Girl, that is not getting published by anyone––ever!!

My other partial pieces from that year are not like that at all! They actually have plot and enough substance to mean something

Literally, what was I thinking?! Did I just want to pretend to be rich and live vicariously through my writing?!

That's it lol, just wanted to make myself realize how dumb this "story" was

I haven't written in years. The idea makes me feel dizzy and nauseous. My plan is to just write and suppress my discomfort through mindfulness, but I am wanting more tools.

I think I attach my sense of self to my writing so if it's negatively or positively received I feel that's a reflection of me in some way. However, I also recognize that everything is subjective and I am not my work. So, why do I feel like I'm going to throw up at the idea of mediocrity? Why am I not allowing myself to be flawed or fail in the eyes of others? I certainly don't seem to care that much in other areas of my life.

Why do I give it so much power? It's nothing. It's a written work. I am threatened by the idea of a positive reception as well, because that sets up expectations and demands consistency.

TL;DR I'm neurotic. Please, advise.

I just started writing my new novel/story and I was wondering what’s a good website or app that I can use to post my new work on.

Preferably something that is free but feel free to drop anything that does cost a subscription.

Thank you.

For the past several months I have been working on my first book while simultaneously working a full time job. At first it was rather easy for me to feel motivated to write and I was always finding time for it. But lately it has been much more difficult for me to find inspiration and excitement for writing. I have a good idea and format for how I want my story to go, but I just feel unmotivated and end up procrastinating more often than not. How can I get that spark back and get excited to write again? What are some tricks you guys found that help?

So I am currently writing a fantasy targeted for NA/adult readership. It’s a love story but not a romance. While it takes place in a fantasy setting, it doesn’t lean too heavily into the fantasy elements and instead focuses on the emotional and interpersonal relationships of the characters. It involves a love triangle that’s flipped on its head. Basically it’s two rival men playing hot potato with the girl’s virginity and trying to get the rival to sleep with her.

Ok so some background. The girl is a virgin priestess who comes from an isolated matriarchal society of women (like Themyscira from Wonder Woman) and rely on sex tourism for procreation and economic growth. It is a misandrist society where sex is purely transactional. Emotional or romantic relationships with men are a capital offense. She goes on a mission outside her homeland and meets Guy A and Guy B. The girl is the guardian of a Macguffin that can’t be forcibly taken from her. Both men try to manipulate her into forming a romantic/emotional relationship so they can gain access to the Macguffin. They are rivals for the Macguffin and would be seriously fucked over if the other guy gets the Macguffin. Sex with her would be highly detrimental to their goals because it would reinforce her cultural detachment and ruin her emotional investment in them. She feels obligated to lose her virginity because of cultural pressures. Thus, the two men try to get her to sleep with the rival and sabotage each other by making the other seem irresistibly sexy. At the same time, they are competing to secure her emotional investment.

So my concern isn’t about whether it’s a good or unique premise. It’s about its marketability. If I were to self publish it, I assume it would probably have a narrower readership given that it doesn’t lean too heavily into a certain genre and because of its premise. I wouldn’t have any problem self publishing. However, I am considering traditionally publishing but I’m not sure if it lacks the broader appeal a traditional publisher would want. I know that while they do go for unique stories in an oversaturated market, they also tend to favor safer stuff as well. Does the premise narrow it into a small, niche readership? Is it worth trying to get it traditionally published?

Hey, all! Just to preface this, I'm a half-white artist who has an Afro-Indian character in a comic I'm creating. I've done as much research into Indian culture as I can so as to portray her as accurately and naturally as possible. But I have a question that I'm not even sure where to begin in terms of looking this up myself.

My question is, if this Indian character has a partner, is it okay for me to portray her kissing or in sexual encounters with said partner? I know that kissing or overt sexual themes are not allowed to be portrayed in Indian media, and I want to be as respectful as I can while portraying this character.

Any answers that lend me some insight as a white creator would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

I've been trying to put together a remotely cohesive outline for my book for a seriously long time with no success. I'm great at coming up with ideas, I am in love with my premise, and I have what I think is an amazing magic system. What I can't seem to do is take this big mess of ideas and turn it into a plot that doesn't fall apart the moment you put any real weight on it. I'm constantly running into plot holes, or corners I've backed myself into. I make some progress, and then I find something that totally discredits a plot line or makes absolutely no sense. I'm aware that this is part of the process, I'm just not sure how to move on from this step and get any farther.

YouTube is FULL of videos and channels dedicated purely to writing tips. Many of these channels offer some fantastic advice, but even the best channels I’ve seen offer some questionable or downright wrong information. Many are authors and editors, so it’s understandable for new writers to trust them. However, a lot of this content needs to be heavily scrutinized.

The most egregious examples I’ve seen come from “do and don’t” list videos. Half of these feel like reading a tabloid. “Top 20 things writers should never do!” ought to set off warning bells in your head. Pay attention and do not take everything spoken as gospel. These videos would almost always be more appropriately titled “top 20 things writers should consider carefully before doing, and some that I just personally don’t enjoy very much,” though this wouldn’t get as many clicks.

A friend who has recently started writing was asking questions about a video they had watched from a sizable writing channel. I watched it and nearly turned it off after the creator said “don’t use double negatives.” What? Instead of telling writers to consider the use of a double negative and ask if it is contextually appropriate, the creator blatantly said “do NOT use these.” In another video, the creator told people that using language such as “her eyes followed them around the room” was problematic. Why, might you ask? Not because it’s cliche, but because the sentence “made it sound like the eyes popped out and were following him.” Then, they offered the alternative “she watched him walk around the room.” Now I’m just angry.

Listen, I get it. From a business perspective content creators have an incentive to churn out videos, but putting out subpar content with misleading or downright wrong advice is not acceptable. Yes, many people are able to figure out where to put a mental asterisk, but not everyone. Please be careful about what you take on as advice.

Im curious about this from other writers, do you already know how your story ends, from start to finish? Im writing the first part of what I hope to be a long fantasy series, and so far Im just writing it chapter to chapter. I have the goal of wanting to add a lot of hidden clues and hints that will make sense later on, but so far Im just roughly thinking of things as I go along. Does anyone else have this problem or do you map everything out before you start?

So lowkey I have the premise of the book I want with the plot and everything with only a few small details missing. But what would be the best way to plan it. Some people tell em to write non stop and then edit after. And what I've don't recently is write 15 chapters briefly went back to edit it. However my problem with that is that my word count isn't high enough and I need to combine chapters together. So when I'm now planning i'm not sure how to structure it.

So like how should i plan and write that still leaves room for edits without adding or taking away too many chapters

I have a really hard time writing unless I HAVE to write. I'm in a creative writing class and we've made two projects so far: one fiction and one non-fiction. Making both projects was like a literal pain for me. I put them both off until the day they were due and hated it. But both projects I wrote in a day and once I started it came very easy and I just did it. Specifically the one I did recently, is like one of my favorite things I've ever made. I just feel like I can't get myself to write unless I'm forced too and I also always feel like everytime I make a good piece I will never make a good piece again and this is it. also so hard for me to come up with ideas. Does anyone else feel like this sometimes?

I'm looking to get an editor for a family member's autobiography, and its looking to cost me $11,000 for something that's probably going to go into Amazon's print on demand hell and not make anywhere near as much.

How are all these fanfiction and harem/isekai fapfic writers affording it? Is the market just that good? Are they using bots (the other term is getting me auto-deleted) to edit? Are they just not using editors at all?

I really like Critique Circle. The format is great and user friendly and the critters in general are pretty good.

I tried Scribophile and I'm not feeling it. The critters are kind of snarky. It seems to be more geared towards Sci Fi and Fantasy and the format is confusing to me.

Are there any sites similar to Critique Circle?

For a little bit of reference, in the story I'm writing, the main theme revolves around dreams being the strongest weapon of mankind (there's supernatural abilities charged by dreams in this world) and for the first time I'm writing a villain who doesn't go against those themes, rather is one of the biggest reinforcers OF that idea, but while some characters believe in the idea that some people don't need to dream vs some can ONLY dream, this person believes that only certain dreamers can dream (since some people rely too much on their ambitions and believe they'll carry them all the way through life rather than using it as a tool to push through while combining it with their own efforts)

I'm not asking for full-blown tips to change the current direction of this character, but I would like a few light pushes to slightly change my viewpoint from some second opinions. Also to use this advice for some potential other antagonists down the line.

I can only write at my desk for so long. I've got the ergonomics on point there. Wrist rest, office chair, adjustable table level--zero pain even after long hours.

When I switch to writing on the couch, my body rapidly degenerates in all the ways people say bad posture habits and long stretches of sitting will. Unfortunately, I am ultra productive when I alternate desk writing with couch writing.

I have tried...

-Couch desk (hurts)

-Couch desk made from a large pillow (hurts)

-Laptop with separate keyboard (hurts eventually)

-Phone typing vertical (hurts)

-Phone typing horizontal (hurts)

-Dictating (hate it, wife doesn't appreciate me doing that in the living room, also hard to do with anime on)

-Liberal amounts of THC balm (still hurts but a little less)

-Wrist stretches (feel like a dork, can't tell if it actually helps)

TLDR: I would love a magical way to type on the couch efficiently that doesn't hurt my carpal tunnel. Bonus points if it respects my back too.

I am aware this is a longshot and also the wrong way to address a health issue.

I'm currently writing and I thought about it and my novel doesn't have any moral for it and I just wanted to know if all books need morals for the reader to follow

How do you express internalized emotions that a person doesn’t physically show? Like if a person was reflecting on a situation from the past, and they say, I felt like my world was falling down. Is this an instance where you show versus tell? If so, how do you show the feeling of someone’s world falling down and other strong emotions?

I am about to have my first novel looked at by beta readers and I’ll finally be letting friends and family know. (I told nobody except my wife and kid.) Soon after that I’m going to attempt to venture towards finding an agent.

I am considering utilizing my social media accounts (and starting a newsletter) to let people know and possibly use to update them on the journey forward. My thinking was that even though the book would be a long ways off from publishing (if it ever even garnered interest), it could help to establish a different social media presence than I’ve had and possibly use to network with other writers. Also, the book heavily references music so there’s potential for connecting with followers of the bands referenced.

I’ve seen conflicting advice on this. Curious what thoughts are on this: Is it better to largely keep quiet on the journey towards publishing or fine to take people along for the ride?

I've been reading fanfiction for years now, and frankly I'm starting to get bored of it. I want to write my own stories and create my own characters.

The problem is, I'm absolutely terrible at writing. English is my 3rd language, and while I can speak somewhat fluently my grammar and writing are terrible. Sometimes, when I can't even write convincing arguments against a post, even when I know exactly what I wanted to say.

Any advice? Do I just start and figure it out from there?

Do y'all ever catch yourself forgetting to describe what a character looks like or what the setting is because you visualize it as you write? Thats me right now as I realized that I completely neglected to describe anything in my first chapter because it was all playing out in my mind already

Not the spelling, not the grammar. Not the dialogue.

But oh my god trying to find a place to insert a few scenes for some more clarification and plot information is a chore I did not expect. This isn't the first time I've had to add a little more to this story, but I thought I was done before and everything was flowing perfectly, and now that I have to add more it's throwing off everything.

Ughhhh. What frustrates you most about editing?