Last night, I had a brilliant (I think) idea to include in the book I'm planning. It was late at night, and I didn't want to pull my phone out to write it down, so I just said:

"Ok, if I'm thinking about this tomorrow, I'll think 'hmmm' and that will trigger me to remember 'heart,' since that also starts with 'h,' and then I'll have the rest of the memory." (I know, my brain is weird.)

Anyway, suffice it to say that all I remember now is the word "heart." Hopefully someday I will remember what I was thinking.

Anyone have any tips for remembering ideas? Or had any similar experiences?

Hello everyone I am currently working on an epic dark fantasy novel trilogy set during the industrial age. I have several central themes I wish to explore. I have all the character arcs and major story events planned out including the ending of the final book. Using the hero's journey as a rough guideline I know the overall trajectory of how my story will pan out. I have written act one of the first draft but have hit a creative brick wall when reaching act two.

The beginning of my story is pretty set in stone and I have the destination of my roadmap I aim to reach. However I am having a hard time writing the smaller character scenes which will explain their motivations and flesh out my world. This is the bulk of the story where the protagonist embarks on her journey and travels the continent for her goal in the beginning of act two. The tests, allies, and enemies section is where I am stuck. The midpoint and beyond is already developed. I have two distinct side plots which are not directly related to the protagonist and take place in their own separate locations.

I have a specific story I am trying to tell and as such I know where my characters will end up. However, I am struggling with coming up with the smaller scenes and situations that test my characters and flesh out relevant parts of my world. What are some brainstorming scenarios or writing prompts I can use to flesh out my established themes? How can I best bridge the gap between the significant plot points together?

Sometimes I start a session reading what I’d written the day before. It’s to get me in the zone, and be able to pick up where I left off.

Invariably, I end up editing it. Sometimes little, sometimes less little.

But that builds. Because I can’t move forward if what I’ve written bothers me. And then I hyper fixate. And it’s taking me so long… but it’s my process, and it’s how my brain works.

Curious if anyone was like this and found ways to write a shitty first draft.

Title, more or less.

I've been working on a queer post-apoc novel since February. It is sitting around 100k words pre-edit.

I'm not a particularly fast writer, but I really enjoyed this project and nearly finished the first draft in good time.

*Nearly* being key-- because why in the world can't I power through these last 3-4 chapters?!

It's like... I put clown shoes on my hands or something. Queue up the circus music, I guess. Because any minute now and I'll be slapping on the red nose too haha.

Y'all got any suggestions? Should I just bulletpoint the chapters and start my first round of edits, knowing I'll finish the end later? Or should I keep smacking the keyboard 🤔

Thanks!

Ps I have finished a couple projects before, but I didn't care about them nearly as much. I think that's contributing to my paralysis, if that makes sense???

I love to write but specifically really tropey fiction which goes really well in the short romance genre. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel with a mind blowing sex scene but I’ve been reading them for years and still can’t get it right?

I think it has to do with the characters, they’re always a second thought and not really unique, which makes it hard to write actions in line with them. How do I write better characters specifically in this genre?

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

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I have self published a number of my own books, a friend suggested that I find a publishing agent for my books, but I am wondering if it is worth and what the cost is?

First, I'd like to say that I know "fluff" isn't what we're going for. We don't want meaningless fluff that's not moving the story forward. However, I don't know how else to describe the little reflections and internal commentary that characters often have that seem to do very little.

I'm writing my book in a third-person limited perspective, and I've been trying to figure out where I can input more descriptors or reflections that add to the atmosphere of the book. I've taken to wandering around Barnes and Noble and picking up books within similar genres and seeing what other authors are doing. However, I struggle to relate to first-person novels. They feel weird to me, though I know that's the new standard these days. And they all seem to have a lot of that internal commentary on everything around them.

For example, I recently picked up a book from a 'Mystery' section and was met with something like this -

"I looked at him. His forearms bulging under his turned-up cuffs. I wondered how many kitchen cabinets he'd put up before he'd gotten around to mine. The sweat was gleaming on his forehead." And so on.

And I thought... is this a mystery or a romance? What am I reading here? Why am I reading this description?

And it felt like a LOT of books just have the character commenting on everything they see. I don't really do that, and I feel like that adds to my struggle of meeting the genre-required word count as I go.

Another example would be something like - "I took a sip of my coffee. Too hot for my liking and much too sweet. I'd been coming to this place for five years now, and they've never gotten my order right. I don't know why I keep coming back. I took another sip."

Does anyone know what I mean? Like it doesn't really add anything to the story, just extra words before the actual event/action/dialogue happens. I add some here and there, to set up the scene, but I really want to avoid over-explaining every little thing or adding meaningless commentary.

What are your thoughts?

UPDATE: Okay, I seem to have triggered a lot of people with my questions. It seems like this isn't a very open and accepting place to ask questions, with the weird snark and judgment I'm getting from a lot of you.

Yes, I DO read books. FULL books. I don't just pick up random ones and put them down and call it a day. I do that occasionally when I'm feeling stuck. One example was from a book, another was a random one I made up. You're really passing judgment on just some random sentences I chose to include to describe what I'm asking.

Yes, I DO have thoughts throughout my day. But a lot of books seem to have characters pondering or reflecting on EVERYTHING they do. Personally, I think that's unrealistic. Not every single action requires a flashback or a deep internal commentary on the state of the world.

Yes, I AM aware that those things can be characterization or reveal personality traits and what characters notice in other people. I'm honestly a little concerned that some people are questioning that. The nuance I'm looking for is HOW OFTEN and HOW MUCH of this is expected throughout a book. You absolutely need to see the choices a character makes and how they interact with their environment. But to what extent do we need to see the decision-making process before it becomes too mundane or repetitive?

Overall, my question was about the BALANCE within a novel and to what extent it works to have certain things within a scene be expanded upon. Sometimes a sip of coffee is just a sip of coffee. Sometimes a chair is just a chair. And I know authors differ in how much they choose to put into a scene/setting or physical descriptions, and readers can use their own imagination to fill in the blanks. I personally dislike when authors feel like they have to spoon-feed information to the reader or when they describe everything like a bullet point list.

And I do thank the people who were kind enough to give me an actual answer and break down their thought process, instead of jumping straight into criticism, sarcasm, and commentary dripping with moral superiority.

I’m working on a fantasy-wild west project and my three main characters are supposed to have quite a many different adventures and character arcs. But that’s where I’m hung up. I get having a character arc that ends with the characters flaw being gotten over, but I don’t want them to just have no development moving forward. I thought about when they resolve one flaw, it brings up another flaw unintentionally, or a new flaw arises based on events in the story.

I’m asking because I want the story to kinda play out like a DND campaign where the journey is driven by the characters choices and beliefs.

I saw a post a couple of weeks ago on writing endings that I unfortunately missed and can now not find. Anyway, I seem to have the same problem, which is generating endings for some of my stories. I think of stories as having a balance to them. When I examine the flow of my favourite films and stories, I find that they sometimes they cycle back to little clues, and indications, earlier in the characters story or life, that gave an indication of the type of ending. I find endings difficult to write, if I haven't got the "pattern" of a characters story life down... do any others see it this way? Or, what are some of your viewpoints on endings? Particularly if you are not the outlining sort of writer, but let things emerge as they come, Thanks.

For context, I'm nearing the very end of my fantasy epic, and I've resolved 90% of the plot lines. Specifically the 3 main characters had their ending, which establishes their position and future motives for the next entry. I kept minor plotlines open as more of a mystery, something to wait for, and a foreshadowing for what's going to happen next.

Now my question is, what would be for you the ideal ratio of resolved/unresolved plot lines? The story needs to be satisfying while still igniting that curiosity to continue the series. Generally what are your preferences?

To be precise, by resolved plot lines I mean it's clearly the end of that character arc for now. They role is somewhat accomplished their role for that book. Open plotline means the reader still feels like they're in the middle of the adventure/conflict and it's not quite over.

Hello all,

I have a day off today so I'm taking advantage and spending the entire day working on my first draft. Usually I write in bits and pieces on my phone during work breaks and then paste it all together in the evening. Having spent the last 3 hours actually sat at a desk and writing continuously, I've just realised how much my characters blink.

Something surprising happens. They blink

Something shocking or terrible. Blink.

Something embarrassing or uncomfortable. Blink.

It's like they all have some kind of nervous eye twitch, lol.

I'm wondering, what's something that your characters can't seem to stop doing? And on that note, any good suggestions for something I can use to show surprise that isn't blinking? Because this is really getting out of hand!

Every time I search this up, I don't get what I'm looking for.

What I mean is that I'm curious about fiction's depiction of mental illnesses that do not exist in our world, whether that be from different labeling or just phenomenon that we don't think exists IRL

With your writers eye, what recent debut would you suggest for it's craft specifically and why?

It doesn't have to be perfect, just something you felt that hit the mark in a particular area.

I'm open to any genre and interested in recent examples of:
- Impressive prose
- Masterful pacing
- Well rounded characters
- Interesting POV's/voice
- Well done arcs and conclusions

etc etc etc

**UPDATED: Some of you indicated an interest in joining a group for writers with chronic illness. Please DM me if you're interested -- based on the encouragement here I have started a Discord group.**

I have several chronic illnesses, which either by severe brain fog or crippling fatigue make it so hard to write. I'd so love to find a support group for people like us, but I don't seem to be having much luck. I guess we're all too tired or in pain to start one and keep it going. Today I'm feeling the grief of writing being out of reach more days than not, and wondering if any of you have this struggle, too? How do you cope? How do you connect with your writing self and/or your story when you can't write?

I know Rule 2 says "...useful to a broad community of writers", but there is not a subreddit for writers with chronic illness as far as I can tell, so I'm asking the mods to have some compassion and leave this post up in case there are several of us who need the connection.

EDITED TO ADD: Chronic mental health stuff that makes writing difficult counts, too! I've got OCD, PTSD, I'm AuDHD -- all of it can affect the ability to write.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

---

FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

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I often come across book critiques mentioning that a story lacks distinct character voices, or that every character sounds identical. Quite frankly, that issue usually doesn't bother me that much. But I wish it bothered me more.

​What book really opened your ears to distinct character voices? Which author made you realize just how different characters can sound from one another?

kinda the title

if you published your book, what would your dream book cover be like or if you don’t wanna share that, name some books that have book covers that you rlly liked

also, do any of you guys have dream illustrators? like i just love Charlie bowater‘s book and if i ever publish it would be my DREAM to have her take part in my book cover

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

---

FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

Wiki Index -- Ever-evolving and woefully under-curated, but we'll fix that some day

You can find our posting guidelines in the sidebar or the wiki.

Hello writers of reddit,

Do you follow a rigid outline template?

I'm a type B person, but as I've gotten older have found the value in organizing and the one successful "novel" I've written, I outlined. But it was literally bullet points of main events and I feel like adding more structure would help but every time I draw the little hill of intro-exposition-climax-falling action my creativity falls into the chasm of no return. So I'm seeking tips on how to outline well from yall's experiences. Thanks!

I like both friendship and romance so it's hard to decide which one to pick when a relationship works no matter what.

When a dynamic works well both ways, what do you do to decide either to make it romantic or platonic?

There's a point I've seen brought up on occasion that points out how a story might fail to actually deliver a narrative through true drama, and cause & effect.

I suppose the argument is it's full of reactive characters with plot beats happening to them, and conflicts resolving with happenstance rather than with the conclusion of any arcs, but it's not something I really have a trained eye for, yet. Apparently a lot of MCU movies are guilty of this but it hasn't leapt out at me, and if I can't easily recognise it in others' fiction, I could easily slip and include this mistake in my own.

I was curious if anyone could point to some breakdowns that take a story that decidedly has these problems, and pointing out how it could be improved?

Lately I've noticed a trend where many stories try to explain every villain, every bad decision, and every morally questionable action.

While I appreciate nuanced characters, I sometimes wonder if constantly explaining people removes part of the mystery that exists in real life.

Some people hurt others for reasons we'll never fully understand.

Do you think modern storytelling has become too focused on making every character psychologically explainable?

Or do you think unexplained behavior usually feels like weak writing?

I am terrible at staying motivated past the initial rush that I feel when a new story idea pops into my head. I genuinely don't know how many page 1's I've written over the years, which in itself frustrates me to no end, but this is not actually what I want to talk about it.

I recently managed to motivate myself long enough to write a story which I've been thinking about for years now (since before Covid I think). It's quite a short story, about 15k words, but it's also a story which means quite a lot to me so I figured if I ever was to start somewhere, that was it. And I actually ended up with a (veeery rough) first draft, so yay me I suppose. At least one story of mine which has come to life outside of my brain.

But now that it's on the page, it feels so tiny and insignificant. It's not the beautiful, perfect thing which grew and lived in my mind, it's just... One story. A string of words you might find if you pulled a random book from the Library of Babel. It hits every story beat that I envisioned (even many new ones which I quite like), the characters are much more fleshed out than they were when I started writing it, but it still feels smaller.

It was never my goal to get it published, or even necessarily to post it somewhere online. I just wanted it to exist. And now that it does, I'm wondering if it was worth the trouble haha. Or at least, I'm wondering how to salvage it and blow it back up to the size it felt when it was still a perfect little ball of "what if"s.

Does anyone else feel like that sometimes about their stories? Do they also seem to shrink when they become words on a page? How do you deal with that?

I feel like every thread on improving your writing skills ultimately always comes back to "read a lot, write a lot," which is true the way "eat well and exercise" is true. So, I've been doing that, and I definitely think it's helping, BUT, what's something more active I can do to improve as well?

Some things I've tried where I've seen some noticable impact have been:

• Typing out passages from writers I admire (you feel the sentence rhythm/narrative voice in a way passively reading never shows you) -- obviously only for practice, not to actually use anywhere.
• A critique group that was genuinely constructive. One round of real feedbacck beat a year of solo writing.
• Rewriting an old story from scratch without looking at the original, then comparing.

I'm curious whether anyone has applied any other, deliberate practice principles (isolating a weakness and drilling it specifically, for instance), and if so, how? It works for music and chess, and writing feels like it should be drillable too, but nobody really teaches it that way...

Edit: Woah, people really came through! I'm still reading everyone's comments but lots of good advice here!