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reblog to fucking bite the person you reblog from

How I learned to write smarter, not harder

(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)

A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.

The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.

As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!

Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!

2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)

Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.

Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.

I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) (Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.

Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!

This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.

As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.

When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD

People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.

What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!

What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.

You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.

And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.

And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.

If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?

And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD

In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.

Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.

Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)

And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)

I just need to survive... Until the bo6 beta...

Also I wrote smut about one of the characters in that game if anyone cares-

... I need to be put down-

I love having a life where I get to do nothing the entire week besides the things I need to do until I get a mental breakdown because then I CAN'T FUCKING COMPLAIN BECAUSE FUCK ALL HAPPENED!

Seriously, I go to discord to "vent" is the most horrible thing because I say "I going crazy" and everyone is wonderful at supporting me, and then they vent about HOW THEY FUCKING WENT TO THE VIETNAM WAR AND GOT THEIR LEG BLOW OFF AND I SIT HERE CRAZY AND SAD AGAIN!!

The fuck I suppose to do!?!? Say things will get better!? MOTHERFUCKER HAS LUCIFER (biblically accurate) UNDERNEATH THEIR BED AND I SUPPOSE TO JUST SAY "relax" WHAT THEN I SAY?

AND I GET SAD, HORRIBLE, CRY FOR THEM AND AAAFGSHGDHDJCJ-

at least today my mom is going to make hamburgers and brigadeiro (very good chocolate basically) and I ate ice cream. Has to do with the fact I acting erratically, singing loud and screaming into my pillow? Possibly.

Uuuuuurrgh, sorry I guess I just venting here because of course, nobody is going to comment anything 🙃

Just to say you didn't read this for nothing, here to you:

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚍

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚢, 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝚃𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚊𝚢

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛, 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎

𝙱𝚎𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 average 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 average 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗

𝙱𝚎𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 average

𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 average

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚍

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚝

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚝

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝚢𝚘𝚞

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝔨𝔫𝔦𝔣𝔢

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 ｍｏｕｎｔａｉｎ

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝕥𝕚𝕘𝕖𝕣

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝐇𝐞𝐦𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚝.

_____________________________________

Writen by Charles Bukowski, music by Whitey.

God how I love both of their arts, ones poems and the other songs. I don't know if they are perfect but they speak to me in a deep level. Like hearing someone confirm your beliefs.

It isn't well to only hear what you agree on of course, but I always surrounded by the opposite. By the idea that I should simply bow to society, that I need to turn average, seek being normal, when I don't even know what that word means.

And I despise anyone who thinks they know what it means. That preach about what is normal. Because I know it's a lie.

I know the truth... At least my truth. I sometimes question myself, in a unending paradox, if I am the fool and they are not. If I in the wrong.

They never questioning themselves seriously is the only way I know I have a point.

...

My bad going philosophical my original gangsters, I know y'all here for the smut but I guess I just loved this song too much lol.

TOMORROW IS THE 4-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIM DOING IT TO US

National Holiday

Finally watched the both new short episodes of helluva boss

To the racist penguins one: it was cool, wished there was a "the thing" reference with body horror. Bloodhound/10

To the Fan fiction lady one I laughed a fucking lot, I'm sorry. Blitz truly tasting his own medicine let's just say. 10/10 she literally me frfr

Also, we got how the hits are archived so that's nice. Here a shitty edit I made of it for no reason :)