I miss drawing. I wish it didn’t hurt (physically) to do now. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing, and I think I’m a much better writer than illustrator. But drawing always has had a sort of meditative and devotional[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
kittykatninja321: Iāve said this before but I think all sci-fi and fantasy adventure needs a little bit of horror as seasoning. It doesnāt need to be full sci-fi horror or fantasy horror but a little bit of scary adds flavor.[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Sometimes the biggest inspiration and motivation to write something is pure and uncomplicated spite.
bamber344: i don’t get the sentiment that writing isn’t fun. writing is so much fun! it’s so rewarding! yeah it’s hard sometimes but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. I love untangling the mess of plot threads in my head[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
puppygirllaika: puppygirllaika: If you’re struggling to write sex, write food. if you’re struggling to write food, write gore. if you’re struggling to write gore, write sex. They’re all variations on the same themes. it’s all sensation and consumption and intimacy.[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
rockleaves: writing smut is not about the sex it’s about reading about the construction of 1790s menswear on a middle aged woman’s 10-15 year old wordpress blog
Today is a wonderful day to remember that resting, taking care of yourself, and allowing yourself to become re-inspired and re-invigorated, is a vital and necessary part of the creative process!
seeingteacupsindragons: Was wishing there was a positivity post for original fiction writers since I see so many about how fanfic writers are doing so much for their communities even when they’re not actively writing, and then I thought: Be the[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
taylor-titmouse: the secret to writing good smut that doesn’t feel like you’re just repeating the same words for junk and fucking over and over is to spend your effort writing about everything happening around the sex and everything happening inside[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
cemeterything: my desire to see more characters try to self-destruct by vomiting up a deluge of the most damning lies about themselves in a fit of despair and loathing and desire to be punished in some way vs. my knowledge[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
inkskinned: please i love you i’m begging you bring back suspension of disbelief bring back trusting the audience like. i cannot handle any more dialogue that sounds like a legal document. “hello, i am here to talk to you about[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
the-golden-comet: zackprincebooks: By making a writeblr and getting involved with the communityāspecifically, getting involved with people who are interested in reading my work and want to know more about itāI suddenly want to write more. Funny how that works. A[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
mariasklodowskastwixbar: the-bar-sinister: normally we’d be writing tonight but we can’t with our laptop busted š¤· I am currently in the hell that is known as “i can’t progress with this fic because i keep focusing on the perceived imperfections in[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
thenookienostradamus: sourdough-seal: one time a professor asked me if iād ever wanted to write anything āmore importantā than romance. and i said no. i was put on this earth to write about sad people kissing. and if another writer ever[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
jourquet: other writers problems: *too few ideas* me meanwhile: *buried under four piles of WIPs* someone save me. i’ll cry.
coffeewritesfiction: Every word written is a victory. No matter how shitty. No matter how painful to write. No matter if you immediately deleted them, or if you know you will delete them later. If you wrote – if you tried[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
mariasklodowskastwixbar: themightyhumanbroom: My average writing experience: “Alright I think I’m almost done actually-” *Google doc grows second health bar and a choir starts singing in latin* @the-bar-sinister *glancing at our growing Ace Attorney fic spread sheet and starting to sweat*
Uuuuuhhhh….. >_> I think we may unfortunately be the wrong person to ask for good advice about this, unless you just want a pep talk. Almost everything we write (and post!) is short fics, drabbles, and fics under a thousand[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
My philosophy of drabbles (100 word fics) is the same way as I would approach a sketch. It’s not meant to tell a full story, but rather to provide a single, tantalizing snapshot of a moment, to impress an image[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
thestalwartheart: I love it when people take fic writing seriously. I love when it’s not ‘Here’s this dumb thing I wrote’ and instead it’s ‘Here’s this thing I put blood, sweat and tears into. Here’s this thing I slaved away[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Age gaps in a romance between characters who initially knew one another when the younger character was fairly young are really fascinating to work through from a character study point of view. When did they know? If the young party[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
ink-enchanted: sunglasses-in-the-bentley: katoninetailswrites: It never ends WHILE ACTIVELY WRITING the next chapter of my WIP, I opened a new document and started a different one. I need somebody to like hold the reins and keep me on one story at[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
concerningwolves: Full offense but your writing style is for you and nobody else. Use the words you want to use; play with language, experiment, use said, use adverbs, use āunrealisticā writing patterns, slap words you donāt even know are words[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Could I write things that were more popular? Sure, absolutely. Do I want to spend my time and energy writing things that aren’t true to my heart? No.
Letting yourself write and post scenes from your grand masterwork story timeline out of order is so freeing, actually. It removes that evil barrier that makes it feel like it’s impossible to get to the fun parts. The audience doesn’t[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
that feeling when the stupid fluff scene you want to write demands 300k of preamble.
One of the best compliments I have ever gotten on my writing– which was not intended to be a compliment– was when someone told me that the way I described kissing was “pornographic” and asked me to “tone it down.”[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
“it’s bad writing.” “it’s not your best work.” La la la don’t care, I’m having fun, it’s fanfiction.
For writing to happen you need all of these at once: the idea the time the energy the focus Don’t beat yourself up if you’re having difficulty writing because you’re missing one or more components.
ao3commentoftheday: fics that are like 500 to 1200 words or so often have a particular kind of energy to me – like the author sat bolt upright in bed, struck by the most brilliant inspiration of their entire lives, and[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
tvheadfalls: tvheadfalls: tvheadfalls: hey you. indie creator. get rid of the corporate execs and the imaginary writers room in your brain. the cynical youtube reviewers and disney fans who want sanitized uwu gays probably are never even gonna be even[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
v8roadworrier: jld-az: natalieironside: natalieironside: charlon-lumi: natalieironside: charlon-lumi: natalieironside: If u want to write a story about a character thatās just you but hotter with a dark twisted backstory and magical powers and a pet falcon or something, I think u[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
vinecoveredgarden: the-bar-sinister: Due to the way that fandom was at the time AO3 was being conceived and organized, pseudonyms do NOT hide your work from your main identity in any way. All pseuds of one account link back to the[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
brynwrites: Something to repeat to yourself in the shower: My stories are not for everyone.Ā My stories will bore some readers.Ā Some readers will hate them. Some wonāt understand, wonāt connect the dots, wonāt relate to the characters. Some wonāt because[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
writingwritewrite-storymaker:
lizardsfromspace: Writing is so much fun! You can be like “I should process this” and just go nuh-huh, see, I’m going to make up a guy and have them process it for me. Not me! It’s the guy I made!
reminding myself that I write fic for me and not anyone else as I gleefully upload what is sure to be an unpopular chapter.
theglitchywriterboi: I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you’re able to write loads & make lots of progress <3
hungerpunch: too much public focus on the reader’s experience of a fic. too much framing the reader as the expert. the fic is for the writer. the writer is the expert on their work. you don’t like it? zip your[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
writersshitpost: “Can’t wait to see where you take this story” well I can’t wait to see where this story takes me either
gl1tched-g0th: “Wow you write this character really well!” Thanks I knew them personally
open-sketchbook: I have a new theory which has resulted from me writing porn on my phone which im certain is old hat to everyone but is new to me it kinda goes like this basically, as a person or community[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
“Sinister, you really updated FOUR of your ongoing fics today??” Yes, we wrote them over the week and today was the day I edited and posted them. XD
I want to be clear that “The Monster’s Name Was Adam” is on hiatus– but is NOT dead. We are going to return to it. However, (in addition to my focus being AceAt right now) we have realized there are[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Thinking about how context changes our perception of an ambiguous relationship and action. If I post a prompt about character A silently laying their head on character B’s lap, and character B playing with and tugging their hair, it tells[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
coldgoldlazarus: sandersstudies: sandersstudies: sandersstudies: sandersstudies: Every 21st century piece of writing advice: Make us CARE about the character from page 1! Make us empathize with them! Make them interesting and different but still relatable and likable! Every piece of classic[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
sherl-grey: fellshish: @ fic authors what do you personally consider a successful fic? Whatās the bar? actually writing the fic down
scribefindegil: someone: hey I noticed this thing you did in your writing! me, kicking my feet up flirtatiously: oh??? do you want to hear my thoughts on why I did that? do you want a play-by-play of the language choices[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
daily-prompts: Iām sending Good Writing Vibes to anyone and everyone who needs them right now!!!
addicted2coke-theothercoke: And then when we can’t think of how to start it, we create memes Start it in the middle. Start it with whatever scene pops into your head first.. It’s okay to start in the middle. It’s okay to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Save me, chessmaster! So I saw a post today about how there’s a certain character who, when viewed from the typical POV of the series protagonist, seems very put together, cool and aloof. But then, when we see material from[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
gailynovelry: Sometimes it’s useful to look at your dialogue and ask yourself, “would a real human being talk like that?” But it’s also good to ask the follow-up questions of “would the way a real human being talks sound good[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
again-please: sister-dear: shadowen: captaingondolin: nostalgicmess: sometimes i need to remind myself that i’m writing fanfiction for free and i’m allowed to have a shitty sentence or two so many of my fics have remained buried in my drafts because i[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
ad-wills: ALT This goes for writing/thinking about minor canon characters for fanfiction as well.
āØ Write the stories you want to write. āØ Don’t let anyone shame you for the type of stories you write. āØ Don’t let anyone shame you for writing fanfiction, or for writing any other fiction that isn’t seen as[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
beaft: wishfulina: schistcity: “the problem with booktok is that it romanticizes toxic relationships blah blah blah” NO!! the problem with booktok is that its a community that talks about, produces, and consumes published novels the same way people talk about,[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
ad-wills: “is this too cliche?” who cares? bro, write what you have fun writing. stuff your manuscript full of your favourite tropes. the same themes you love. all inspired by things you grew up with. do it all. go off.[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
writingwritewrite-storymaker:
curiositysavesthecat: Writers, would you be okay with it if other writers mimicked your writing styles or *took inspiration from your works? (*take inspiration, NOT plagiarism) Iād be okay with other writers mimicking my style AND taking inspiration from me Iād[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
ryebreadgf: well first you have to be a very sad child
rubyleaf: Honestly? My main piece of advice for writing well-rounded characters is to make them a little bit lame. No real living person is 100% cool and suave 100% of the time. Everyone’s a little awkward sometimes, or gets too[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
allthingswhumpyandangsty: daydreaming about writing: š„°šš„¹ā¤ļøššŗāØš the act of actually writing: šš°šµāš«šš°šā¹ļøš
animentality: actually your characters should be pure wish fulfillment and your writing should be entirely self indulgent and it should all be very, incredibly, undeniably horny.
sugar-phoenix: born to write the beginning and ending, forced to write the middle part.
love when I’m writing and an administrative character is ‘doing paperwork’ or ‘looking over his papers.’ Do I know what the papers are or what he’s doing with them? Absolutely not, but the scene is set and you are immersed.
faitd: Hereās to the fanfic writers who can only write sporadically. Hereās the writers who canāt output enough to keep up with the most popular writers. Hereās to the writers writing even though they get no feedback. Hereās to the[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
whump-kia: reminder that you can and most certainly should be self indulgent in your whump writing. no that’s not too much blood. yes you should add a whipping scene. you think it’s over the top? it’s not enough. if you’re[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
We are a fictive plural system, and we write a lot of fanfiction about our source media.Ā We also have a partnerā also a fictive systemā who is our writing partner. When the circumstances are right, writing fanfiction based on[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
unknownundergrounds: Romance in a fictional story is no moreĀ āunnecessaryā than car chases and sword fights are unnecessary. Some things are just put there because theyāre interesting to watch There shouldnāt be any deep and hard reasoning why romance is featured[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
dis-a-ppointment: me looking up exactly what a 1987 hubba bubba gum wrapper looked like so that I can describe it with 100% historical accuracy in my fanfiction that three people are going to read
TBH we can’t blame anyone who looks at the writing we’re updating every day and is amazed– it feels like a magic trick. We’ve written with our partner at this pace many times before but this is the first time[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
twobirdsonesong: Hereās the thing. I read a lot of scripts. Ā A lot. Ā From professionals to aspiring writers to complete newbies. Ā Features and pilots. Ā Specs and treatments. And 8 times out of 10 the fan fic that Iāve read over the[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Great question, anon! The answer is– it depends. If I know what I want to/am supposed to write next, but I’m having trouble motivating myself to write my strategy is: get up and do something physical. Take a walk. Do[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
It’s always weird when I go back to re-read and edit a chapter, and I’m all ready for it to suck, and then I actually have that moment, of ‘oh wait, right, this is actually pretty good…’
I treasure all authors and all ways of writing– but I sometimes feel like I’m the only writer in fandom who actually starts longfic with the plot. Like if I just have miscellaneous character vibes and feelings I write a[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
snowberry-pie: snowberry-pie: this has been discussed before but reducing female characters to the girlboss braincell holder in the name of combating misogyny in fandom is ironically also a form of misogyny people love love loooove to go on and on[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
nilefreemans: characters in their 30’s and older exploring their sexuality and discovering themselves beyond their teens and twenties is so important and beautiful and worth telling
Technically only half of the words are produced here. The other half are produced by our partner’s body! š But you’re still right that it’s a lot, and thank you!
More kudos and especially more comments will always spur me on to write faster. “In Justice We Trust” has been getting 7 comments per chapter, so I’ve been putting out a chapter per day. But no amount of lack of[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
whumperfultime: Hey idk what writer/artist/creative needs to hear this but: You can create the most garbage self-indulgent poorly made full-of-cliches awkward ugly piece of art on the entire planet and you’re still allowed to be proud of it and share[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
matt-smiths: why are people so against negative character development? characters donāt need to improve and become better people they can get worse and make mistakes and end up in a worse state than when they began and itās just as[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
theegosystem-deactivated2024012: the worst is wanting to create and create and create but being trapped in a body that is so so so so tired
caffeine-and-computers: being a writer is spelling disembowelment correctly on the first try but somehow always screwing up definitliely
allthingswhumpyandangsty: hey you, a defiant whumpee can cry. I know you donāt want your writing to be out of character for them and youāre worried that having them cry or break down might be out of character, but believe me,[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I hope my audience likes detective work as much as I do, or Sunday’s chapter is gonna be really boring ššš
anexperimentallife: Life changing: writer figures out that a single scene can stand on it’s own as a story. (especially in fanfiction)
theoldaeroplane: worried that thing you put in your art or writing or game or music is too self-indulgent, too self-referential, too niche for anyone but yourself? fear not! you can do whatever you want forever. and you should.
thefabledpheasant: Seeing other writers on tumblr talk about writing is so validating because all of them are basically: āI hate writing but I love it more than anything but itās agony but I have a million stories to put to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
macabremoons: crying and sobbing y’all when people said that you only add scenes that advance the plot they didn’t JUST mean the overarching plot. they meant the plot of the book… entirely. like a conversation between two friends can advance[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
allthingswhumpyandangsty: my beloved writers, here’s a daily reminder that your writing is never ever trash or bad as long as you have fun writing it. go wild and have fun. there’re someone out there who will love and cherish those[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
colubrina: colubrina: for the love of god, write all the self-indulgent scenes you want.Ā be utterlyĀ shameless about including every last fantasy.Ā i know everyone likes to share quotes and quips about how miserably hard writing is, but please please[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
rs-hawk: Working on my novel and couldnāt figure out why it felt so empty. I didnāt have any filler. It was all 100% plot. The characters only interacted when necessary. I didnāt prattle on about the scenery or how the[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
lem0nademouth: nothing makes u feel stupid quite like being a writer. out here googling ārooms in a houseā to make sure i didnāt forget one of em. blockhead behavior.
Getting started writing when you first sit down to write and there’s a blank page– whether for a new story, a new chapter, etc– that’s the hardest part of writing for me. This is why I find it easier to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Queer coding exists because queer relationships and characters were (and to some degree in some places still are) considered too taboo and too illegal by society to portray directly in fiction. If there are other types of coding that legitimately[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
No, there isn’t. Queer coding is *literally about* stereotypes. Its when you use stereotypes to make your audience assume the character is queer without saying it directly or having them do anything queer. The word you are looking for is[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…