I write a bit! I'm an aspiring author who is working on gaining confidence in my work, but I do have a few tips!
-Don't compare yourself to other writers- your writing is uniquely you, only you can bring it into this world, so don't waste your time feeling down because it doesn't sound "as good" (which is a nonexistent term when it comes to writing) as others!
-You are your own worst critic- don't let yourself get into your head. Am I saying not to edit when you believe something could be changed? No. What I am saying is don't let yourself get caught in a constant editing spiral because its "just not good enough"- it can lead to ruts. Move on, and come back to it later- perhaps you'll find it's amazing the way it is.
-First drafts are you telling the story to yourself. It doesn't need to be perfect- in fact, it's not supposed to be! This is the time for plot holes and simple sentences, planning and at the end you may look at it and go 'wow- this needs a lot of work.' And that's perfectly okay! Your book isnt going to be a best-seller on the first go- and if it is, you have amazing powers my friend- so don't let yourself fall down the rabbit hole of exhaustion and defeat. You can do it!
Welcome to the writing family, my friend! I hope you have a wonderful time letting your stories forth into the world!
I write a bit! I'm an aspiring author who is working on gaining confidence in my work, but I do have a few tips!
-Don't compare yourself to other writers- your writing is uniquely you, only you can bring it into this world, so don't waste your time feeling down because it doesn't sound "as good" (which is a nonexistent term when it comes to writing) as others!
-You are your own worst critic- don't let yourself get into your head. Am I saying not to edit when you believe something could be changed? No. What I am saying is don't let yourself get caught in a constant editing spiral because its "just not good enough"- it can lead to ruts. Move on, and come back to it later- perhaps you'll find it's amazing the way it is.
-First drafts are you telling the story to yourself. It doesn't need to be perfect- in fact, it's not supposed to be! This is the time for plot holes and simple sentences, planning and at the end you may look at it and go 'wow- this needs a lot of work.' And that's perfectly okay! Your book isnt going to be a best-seller on the first go- and if it is, you have amazing powers my friend- so don't let yourself fall down the rabbit hole of exhaustion and defeat. You can do it!
Welcome to the writing family, my friend! I hope you have a wonderful time letting your stories forth into the world!
@
SolarManta use the crow poem!
One for sorrow
Two for mirth
Three for a weeding
Four for a birth
Five for silver
Six for gold
Sven for a secrete never to be told
Eight for a kiss
Nine for a wish
and Ten for a bird you must not miss
It helps with foreshadowing!
@
SolarManta use the crow poem!
One for sorrow
Two for mirth
Three for a weeding
Four for a birth
Five for silver
Six for gold
Sven for a secrete never to be told
Eight for a kiss
Nine for a wish
and Ten for a bird you must not miss
It helps with foreshadowing!
Do you have any experience how to write? I used to try but it was bad :D Honestly there were a lot of situations when I had to write even simple essay and I failed. Since then I tried to improve my writing skills - I used to read more books, got help from proffesionals to get example of really good paper work. After all I improved myself and now I wrote good enough and I write light novel last week. Make a purpose - get a result
Do you have any experience how to write? I used to try but it was bad :D Honestly there were a lot of situations when I had to write even simple essay and I failed. Since then I tried to improve my writing skills - I used to read more books, got help from proffesionals to get example of really good paper work. After all I improved myself and now I wrote good enough and I write light novel last week. Make a purpose - get a result
I write, but I'm bad with giving advice on writing lmao
Something I've learned over the years though (I'm 21 now, been writing since I was in the fifth grade) is to not be afraid of your first drafts being imperfect. I find if I focus too much on making a single chapter really detailed and nice, it might drain me and give me writer's bock. Even if I'm frustrated with the poor quality of the chapter, I finish it with what I can muster, and come back to it when I'm doing my rewrites and refining. When I'm rewriting, I'm focusing more on making sure everything sounds nice and plays out well, rather than weaving the story itself. Because of that, adding details becomes easier, as I can keep my flow and add in the necessary details and such without draining myself.
As an example, I wrote out a chapter that shows an interaction between three of the "minor villains" (they're kinda more antagonists; annoying to the main cast, but only two of them become a big problem later when they join The Big Bad, as I call the villain lol), revealing a bit about how they act when they're alone together, outside of the perspective of the main character. I made what details I could, then left it at that. When I went back to it (with help from my bf, who's kinda like a mild editor), I was able to fox dialogue that was awkward before, and add in details I'd missed or only just realized should/could be added.
Does that make sense? I'm so bad at explaining myself haha...
I love writing, I have two coworkers that write as well, and we could talk for hours about our characters and plans! I also helped my one coworker with a problem she had. And I've had outside eyes reading my story point out things I'd missed or messed up.
Oh, a fun thing I learned recently - try to avoid cliche sentences, such as "(s)he stared like a deer in headlights". People are so used to these phrases, they don't really picture a fully-fledged scene anymore, and they might even feel pulled out of the story. Rephrasing them entirely (a simple example, "(s)he froze in place, and turned to see an angry face glaring at her/him from the doorway") helps keep a person from feeling taken out of the story atmosphere, while still giving off the intended vibe/scene.
Edit: To expand on my rewriting part, I once made a story in the fifth grade about dogs. All the way up into the 11th grade, I was rewriting it (I was writing other stuff too, and I didn't do it daily, hence the long time it took). I rewrote that thing at least 5 times, completing the rewrite each time before starting again. I had finally gotten it to a place where I was proud of it! Where I felt the hints, the plot, the dialogue, and the pacing was as good as I could get it. You don't need to make yourself do that (that was just my thing), but by allowing yourself to just complete the story, and fill in the blanks later, you'll have a better final product you're happier with!
Sadly, my computer ate that file, and when I tried to recall it and rewrite it, I made too many changes from the original direction and it all fell apart. Oh well. Now I make multiple save files in MANY different locations! One on the computer itself, one on google docs, and one on a memory stick. Just in case
I write, but I'm bad with giving advice on writing lmao
Something I've learned over the years though (I'm 21 now, been writing since I was in the fifth grade) is to not be afraid of your first drafts being imperfect. I find if I focus too much on making a single chapter really detailed and nice, it might drain me and give me writer's bock. Even if I'm frustrated with the poor quality of the chapter, I finish it with what I can muster, and come back to it when I'm doing my rewrites and refining. When I'm rewriting, I'm focusing more on making sure everything sounds nice and plays out well, rather than weaving the story itself. Because of that, adding details becomes easier, as I can keep my flow and add in the necessary details and such without draining myself.
As an example, I wrote out a chapter that shows an interaction between three of the "minor villains" (they're kinda more antagonists; annoying to the main cast, but only two of them become a big problem later when they join The Big Bad, as I call the villain lol), revealing a bit about how they act when they're alone together, outside of the perspective of the main character. I made what details I could, then left it at that. When I went back to it (with help from my bf, who's kinda like a mild editor), I was able to fox dialogue that was awkward before, and add in details I'd missed or only just realized should/could be added.
Does that make sense? I'm so bad at explaining myself haha...
I love writing, I have two coworkers that write as well, and we could talk for hours about our characters and plans! I also helped my one coworker with a problem she had. And I've had outside eyes reading my story point out things I'd missed or messed up.
Oh, a fun thing I learned recently - try to avoid cliche sentences, such as "(s)he stared like a deer in headlights". People are so used to these phrases, they don't really picture a fully-fledged scene anymore, and they might even feel pulled out of the story. Rephrasing them entirely (a simple example, "(s)he froze in place, and turned to see an angry face glaring at her/him from the doorway") helps keep a person from feeling taken out of the story atmosphere, while still giving off the intended vibe/scene.
Edit: To expand on my rewriting part, I once made a story in the fifth grade about dogs. All the way up into the 11th grade, I was rewriting it (I was writing other stuff too, and I didn't do it daily, hence the long time it took). I rewrote that thing at least 5 times, completing the rewrite each time before starting again. I had finally gotten it to a place where I was proud of it! Where I felt the hints, the plot, the dialogue, and the pacing was as good as I could get it. You don't need to make yourself do that (that was just my thing), but by allowing yourself to just complete the story, and fill in the blanks later, you'll have a better final product you're happier with!
Sadly, my computer ate that file, and when I tried to recall it and rewrite it, I made too many changes from the original direction and it all fell apart. Oh well. Now I make multiple save files in MANY different locations! One on the computer itself, one on google docs, and one on a memory stick. Just in case
i've always loved writing since i was really young, but i'm not too great at it :p i'm especially bad with planning, so i think that's definitely something to focus on! i always just write when i want to or when i'm inspired. try to plan your plot and characters out ahead of time, or at least write down things you want to implement so you don't get stuck in a rut after the fourth page.
i've always loved writing since i was really young, but i'm not too great at it :p i'm especially bad with planning, so i think that's definitely something to focus on! i always just write when i want to or when i'm inspired. try to plan your plot and characters out ahead of time, or at least write down things you want to implement so you don't get stuck in a rut after the fourth page.
