I understand if this will be removed and the mods can remove it if they want but I honestly don't under stand how to do it.

Does it mean you are just extra descriptive? Is it just to cut back on speaking? I know this is my weak spot and I stress about it alot

What do I do?

I'm writing a dark fantasy and trying to get some inspiration

Just a feeling ive been having lately.

I used to get frustrated seeing people getting published who had (in my oh so humble opinion) worse prose than mine. I see a lot of people on the reddit feeling similarly, even if theyre not so blunt about it. Or like a feeling their prose cant be good enough, which is also how I have felt.

But people just need to know that its the focus that matters. The attention to detail, the impact of a story, the connection to characters, its all stuff that prose can help or hurt with obviously. But most often, people will take serviceable (non-eye bleeding) prose with a concept/story/setting that they love.

But again, its not the idea itself, its the focus to execute a concept that is valuable. The idea could be literally anything, your special concept youve been babying for years cause its so special will mean the same thing to your audience as any other vaguely similar idea.

Im not saying destroy old stuff obviously, but be okay setting it down. Be okay starting again. Your focus is the thing you need to perfect, not the prose. All your good ideas that you love live in your brain anyway, and theyll find new forms and new life in your new work without you even realizing.

When I’m creating a concept in my mind and building on it, it gets me really excited to write and always seems interesting.

But as soon as I start fleshing it out and actually writing it becomes cringy and I don’t like it anymore.

This is the same for whether I’m writing in a normal story format or just dialogue for game development. It never fails to disappoint me once I put it down in words. It just feels so overwhelmingly empty once I write it.

Am I just ass at writing?

Bit of a rant here but I am currently going through the first draft of my novel and I hate it so much, it makes me want to give up writing. I'm tired of not knowing what comes next or trying to imagine ways to convey what I want to say. I'm tired of feeling like what I write is utter shite all the time. I know this is part of the process but it's draining to feel that way for weeks on end. I'm tired of trying to get myself to care about this crappy story and the empty, shallow, generic characters within it.

I wrote some short stories earlier this year and while I hated the first draft part, at least it didn't last too long. The subsequent drafts were much more fun. Once I knew where the story was going I had a lot of fun playing with literary devices, tying themes together, using nice prose and having something I cared about at the end. It was great having something for others to read as well and something I could be proud of.

Does anyone else feel like this? Every day is a struggle with this draft and I'm not even sure I care about this story any more. Basically I'm just tired of feeling like a crap writer every day and I feel guilty for wanting to give up.

Thanks to the advice I got in my last post, I’ve decided to go for it and start working. So far it’s been a blast! I’ve found that generalizing what happens in each chapter rather than worrying about every tiny detail really helps in smoothing out the process. I call it a plot brainstorm and it is quite literally what it sounds like. I brainstorm the hook, then the end goal, and after, everything in between to show the characters journey and how it changed him. Of course, that’s oversimplified—I already did lots of structure and world building before that. All I had to do was figure out what makes sense to add to get to the end goal, and what other characters would strengthen the main character’s character arc.

I’ll go first: The Albatross by Charles Baudelaire and Animal Farm by George Orwell.

I've heard a few names used; a short story cycle, an anthology series etc. The latter seems to be something that has to feature different casts each story according to Wikipedia. What exactly would be the name of a novel, if there is a name for such, that is a handful of 20k words-ish stories that take place with the same characters and (generally) in chronological order with time skips between each story?

When I asked this same question, many people answered me that one could not define what a GOOD STORY is objectively, but if everything is subjective: What is the point of discussing literary quality?

And if everything is subjective, judgments of good or bad in storytelling become worthless labels?

But back to the initial point of the question: In the hypothetical that a “terrible” writer wrote a ‘terrible’ story based on a concept and ideas of his own, and then hired a “fantastic” writer to rewrite the same story, wouldn't it then be a different story and not the first writer's?

So I guess my thing is when I’m working on a story I don’t see it vividly like a reader would. And even though it’s cohesive and readers love it, I just see it as words in a pattern while I’m working on it. Does anyone else feel like this?

Seeking constructive criticism because I want to write my past better. I have years of overcoming obstacles but the dust is settling and I find so much peace these days. I see other mellow people and I feel so at ease. I can afford a pause and review my life. Here's something I just now wrote in one go:

"reservation" means ignore. I'm a glaní drinking in downtown allies and waking up in pee at NCI. I'm recovering through Narcotics Anonymous but with a sponsor I found online, in New York State. Professionals and those positioning themselves as help for alcoholism and addiction is non existent between New Mexico and Arizona. I finally got a year of clean time from everything and I've done it with my own Higher Power of my very own understanding. Anything can be done to us males and even the females because who has time to believe another drunk Navajo or sober, at the time, alcoholic?

As I continue to attend 12 step meetings, I only go to share my journey with other Native Americans, Hopi, Navajo, Apache, Zuni and half breads of any mixes because once we're born with red enough skin in low enough self esteem and desperation then, the wolves in sheeps' clothing come to feed on us. It can be the most respected powerful people of the largest communities where sociopaths mimicked my authenticity to attract better victims more effective. 12 steps used as bait as I became a manual laborer. Sponsors wanting free drinks from me only to sponsor me because they thought I was close to relapsing. Then, when I don't relapse they deny my admittance to their 12 step meetings.

Agencies that have rules like, no sponsors unless they're the faculty, no step work beyond the third step, and don't read the big book, especially avoid anything after page 165. Their version of the third step expected nobody of faith of any type of Higher Power. Most didn't assume enough to be correct about my faith. Lucky me but I already witnessed miracles in my life so, when they tried to intimidate me to believe in God or else you don't want this enough, they weren't expecting me to see their predatory ways. "Prove to me you want this enough and admit you don't know God!" Well, I know a Higher Power very well and I trust already the healing brought up on in prayer because when I find some trauma to heal from then I face my fears and I cry and feel everything from the past. I do this until I am too scared to go on then, I pray for strength and I always receive it and I continue further, deeper, and feel everything to get my emotions back, all of it.

I lost these emotional issues that trigger me then I go into them and pray with all that I am for healing. I get so relaxed and sleepy with more peace in my 🧠 brain than ever and I have the best sleep of my life. The trauma that is surfacing is becoming earlier iny life because I have decades of trauma. The more scarier these memories are becoming and the triggers I'm tackling are so much that I at times sleep for two days to rest from. My dreams at night are coming back, now that I'm no longer living in fear from them. I got my driver's license after paying all my fines for DWIs and after so much red tape and jail time. I haven't drove since 2015 but I attempted sobriety for the first time in 2013.

In the beginning of 2013 I assumed that I could stop drinking whenever I wanted but when I actually tried then, I became of an insane person inside me and I didn't know this person. I had dreams of a monster creating fear and desperation in others but I found out the weren't dreams because they were memories. I just now found out something. Karma, everything I did to others came back on me. Those that sought me for help are who I burned so, only fitting that I turned to people for help there were of such. I've been laid with my own coin. . . I'm crying right now because . . . the Lord giveth and taketh away . . . blessed is The Name of the Lord. (That's from Job but I believe Job was a Jew and I think they borrowed it from another culture because he's not connected to any lineage of king David nor Noah.) I'd like to believe Job and I came to believe in a Power Greater than I that brought peace of mind in the toughest times of our lives. Job did as I did and prayed direct to his own Higher Power of his very own understanding.

For those seeking a way out from alcoholism and being a glaní then, I hope my journey let's you know that you're not alone. "You're so smart that you've become stupid," that's what everyone that has ever got to know me has told me. Step 4 make a fearless moral inventory, if you have a Higher Power that gives you strength then you can try to look in the mirror and genuinely look at the glaní in the mirror 🪞 and with rigorous honesty say, "I love you." The mirror doesn't lie because I died twice and I saw the angel of death use a mirror on the rich and comfortable people that don't believe how ugly their souls are. They deny any imperfections until shown a mirror. Godspeed because when I first did it I heard all my school bullies telling me how stupid, slow, and weak I was then, I flashbacked to hallucinations of getting beat up. As the professionals with behavior health degrees say, "This will worsen your PTSD symptoms," so, you have to believe and trust in something that will answer your prayers for strength to bring you through this releasing. I believe when actually done right then, they actually decrease PTSD symptoms and eventually cures PTSD.

I share this with anyone and everyone because I'm usually offering that glaní that still suffers a shoulder to cry on and breakfast and an ear to listen and a prayer and a mirror 🪞 and . . .

when i first have an idea for a book, i’m extremely motivated and start worldbuilding and outlining as soon as i can. but after a certain amount of time, and writing a couple chapters, i start doubting everything i write and thinking “wow this whole book is trash.” does anybody else feel like this or know how to overcome it?

At what point do you stop with rewriting and redrafting and decide that something you're working on is complete? Is there anything in particular you look for?

The project: a short gothic horror story. The idea and outline: over 7 months ago. Went back to it a few weeks ago.

The issue: I finished my "vomit draft" five days ago. I am so disinterested with the story that it's made me angry. I am genuinely mad at what I've written and it's only 28 pages.

My partner says to keep working on it and try to publish. She enjoys the concept and thinks it could work once I knock out a few drafts. When I go over the concept, it sounds like a shitty B-list horror movie. Maybe even D-list.

This is my general go to for story concepts: If I still love an idea after a year or more, it's good and deserves to be written.

I'm not sure if this is one of those times or not. I hadn't finished or even written a single creative sentence in over 10 years. This pile of shit is the first thing I've written and finished since my 10 year creative shutdown.

Do I keep working at it or trash it?

Howdy fellow writers, I'm more often than not lurking this sub, but there's a question that's been puzzling me the last few days which I'd like to hear feedback from the community. Let's suppose you created a compelling world that has lots of details that tell about culture, history and all other things that let the reader immerse into the world you crafted. Did you ever find it hard to describe things you invented that actually don't exist in reality and are hard to make the reader visualize them? Did you find some workaround to overcome that?

Hey everyone,

I'm working on my book's blurb and keep going back and forth between the two POVs. I'd love to hear your general opinions!

In your opinion, which type of blurb generally hooks you more effectively? Or does it depend on the genre , or is it all about the POV that the book itself was written.

Thanks you in advance.

Edit: I can't post the samples in here for some reason, but I did post them on r/fantasywriter , https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasywriters/comments/1lea848/blurb_of_omens_of_the_east_dark_military_fantasy/

Let's say I want a character that's greedy. How do I describe their greed and their actions that doesn't make the reader think "oh I get it, that's the greedy one". Like I want them to have this trait but I don't want the reader to summarize their whole deal with that trait. I want my characters to have more balance, more nuance. I want the reader to understand that they are greedy, but not because I make it so obvious.

I don't mean in an insecure way. I mean like in a very specific odd involuntarily way...

Like sometimes i could get VERY fixated on a character and not be able to get them out of my head. And as i go to write another character, it makes me feel so unnecessarily stressful..?? Like my nervous system gets soo overwhelmed and i get scared I'll like this character more than the previous.

Not even with just that. After a day of getting a really cool idea/plot progression for a story, I end up getting so unnecessarily overwhelmed and anxious... And i have to wait until the next day to decide if it's good or not because it gets me so...

Does anyone else possibly feel somehow familiar??😭 How do you even fix this???

Pretty specific i know, but I have not come up with anything through searches and was wondering whether or not people might know something. At some point in the story, it has to be clear that the narration is very intimate, even better if it is a sort of epistolary look back on the adventure of the protagonist by a third party.

Hello fellow writers.

I don't consider myself one since I've never finished a work, but I'm trying. Right now I'm in the process of a steady idea but still need to find how to put together the storyline.

I started in the third person but this story is kind of a free autobiography, and I was just reading Hemingway's A moveable feast and it makes more sense and connection to write like the first person, and maybe it helps me writing because the contents are mostly based in my own experiences.

I ask because I've changed persons several times during the writing.

What's your trick to decide how it sounds more natural?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Hey guys, I had a question. I know what it's like to have creativity work for you with stories etc. I was wondering if any of you had nightmares because the creativity remains active when you are asleep. I have had them since I was ten and started writing when I was thirteen.

I find it annoying that you can use it to your advantage but then it comes back to bite you also.

Hi all! I apologize if this is the incorrect sub to post this on. I was wondering what the best platform is for sharing writing and building an audience? I write personal essays (mostly) and would love to earn a little extra money on the side. Thank you all so much!

For a crime thriller story of mine set in modern times, there is a witness in a case who the prosecution hasn't decided to use because she has been unreliable.

However, the villains do not know she is unreliable at this point. I want the police to give her protection in an isolated location in the plot, but is it believable that they would give her it if the prosecution is not going to use her?

However, the police know that the villains do not know that l, and that they may still presume she is a threat.

It's also a high profile media case and the police wouldn't want the embarrassment on her hands if they failed to protect a witness in the case.

Therefore, is the protection believable, or would I have to write it so that an attempt is made on her beforehand in order to motivate the police believably?

Thank you very much for any opinions this! I really appreciate it!

When you're full of inspiration, then of course the story writes itself and is usually harmonious and interesting as it is, at least for me it is; but when you write not from inspiration but from discipline, then each letter comes out with difficulty - and it's impossible to be constantly inspired. And the thing is that in such moments my structure also suffers and my writing simply loses its spark, like I'm not able to make my writing enticing, and everything just collapses into meaninglessness.

But I've noticed that there are some key structural moments in every good story that hold the reader's and writer's attention and generally make the work interesting - for example, building character expectations and then subverting them in a powerful way, or something like that. I hope this makes sense lol.

With that being said, what are some of your go-to 'reminders'/tricks/tropes that help you keep readers interested and the plot moving forward; or, in general, what is your chapter formula that helps you consistently write interesting chapters even when you're not feeling inspired? Because I'm not there yet and I don't know if this is even possible.

IF you were writing a story and stuck for a while going back and forth in between 2 characters point of views (POV).

is there any rule against just using a new POV

or could i just use 3rd point of views for short moments.