Idk If This Counts As A Request, But I Loved Your Post On Starting, And I Was Wondering If You Had Any

idk if this counts as a request, but I loved your post on starting, and I was wondering if you had any advice for one step before a writing session (i.e., going from the staring-at-the-wall phase to sitting down in front of some sort of screen and opening the right document). It sounds silly, but that's where I'm at right now; I've figured out how to handle a blank page most of the time, once I'm there, but I'm having trouble getting to that point. Is this something you deal with, and if so, do you have any tips for handling it?

i'm gonna assume you mean the like outlining/drafting stage? like not 'writing' the story but just like making scene outlines and stuff? that's what I'll answer but if it's wrong pls send me a follow up and i'll fix it lmao

outlining is a very person-to-person thing because it fits the story and the style and the blah de blah de blah.

but...here are some basic templates you could build off of and make your own.

the 3 act outline. divide your story into 3 'acts'.

Act 1: set-up and exposition - in the Hobbit, for example, this act would be like the arrival of the dwarves, the setup of the journey, and the beginning of the journey.

This act looks different for every story. you can pick where this act ends, but it usually transitions into the second act right before a point of major conflict or the beginning of rising tension. this act includes the inciting incident and the first 'turning point'.

Act 2: confrontation - the beginning of the intense stuff. In the Hunger Games, this would look like the beginning of the Games, where Katniss is first realizing how dangerous it is, maybe the first time she gets seriously injured. it ends with the 'darkest moment', when the characters feel all is lost and they need a win.

Act 3: resolution - The final act contains the climax, the plot twist, and the fallout. it's the final battle, then any last obstructions to peace, and then the clean-up of everybody going home, wounds being bandaged, the end yayyy.

Personally, I think 3 acts is too vague, so I do 7 acts, which is basically 3 acts divided into two (plus one) to narrow down the different phases. You can absolutely mix it up depending on the story; really big intense stories might benefit from more detailed outlining just to keep the facts straight, whereas smaller stories might not need it.

play around, find what works. if you hate an outlining process, don't use it. don't butcher your story to fit it, just find something that works.

Here are some other misc tips for setting up a writing space:

keep a fact sheet handy. just basic things to remember, if you have a hard time with remembering setting locations (me cough cough) draw up a lil map to keep it straight.

a goal checklist for the part/chapter. write out generally where you want the story to go in that place, and some need-to-happen things. this can help for writer's block, if you don't know what to write next.

remember it's okay to write out of order. make a separate document for things that you liked but don't necessarily have a 'place' in the story yet. keep it on a back tab and if you realize 'oh that piece of dialogue would be great here' do an ol' copy paste and ta daaa

I hope this answered your question and helped out anyone else who needed this! if it didn't please message me again (no hard feelings my skull is thicker than Oscar's ass) and I will write a follow up!

xox love ya

That is excellent advice too, thank you so much! But I was thinking more like this: I am waking up, spending time with a pet, driving home from work/an outing, washing dishes, (scrolling Tumblr 😉), what have you. I want the next thing I do after one or more of those tasks to be sitting down and wrestling with that blank page. Do you have any tricks for making that happen a little more often?

ohhhh so like a motivation thing? ok lemme try again ( i just woke up lmao she's still rebooting)

writing is sometimes intimidating, which can be why a lot of people have a hard time 'getting started.' like in the previous post, it's very altered to the author, so blanket organization tips and motivators might not work.

this is something I do:

before i start a story, i pick a colored notebook and a pen color that match. this is the color of the stationary i use to draft/edit/etc. I like the colors, it's fun and it makes it feel more exciting to plan out the gross stuff. also, if I scribble down notes somewhere random I can remember what story they go to based on the ink color.

I also make a playlist, and I'll take a walk while listening to it to get myself in the mood for writing. maybe certain songs I associate with certain parts, and I'll loop those if I need to figure a scene out.

make a list for everything you want to happen to finish this piece of writing. I mean like

pick title

write draft 1

edit

write draft 2

make a header/banner/cover etc

design fanart

taglist (tumblr specific)

Like I said a couple of posts back (i don't remember which one) productivity is productivity. if you really feel like writing is the last thing you want to do, don't force it out of yourself. you'll grow to resent it. pick something that is productive to the end result of publishing and do that. maybe design a banner/cover/art piece for it. draw your own fanart. it's not cringe. pick a title. draw a map. it'll help you think about your story more deeply without grinding words out of you.

pinterest boards are also fun for me! i like picking the pictures, sometimes I'll see a post and think 'oh that could be a cool setting' or something like that. sometimes I get overwhelmed and end up scrolling for cool jewelry so it's a dangerous choice lmao.

read a book or piece of writing that mimics a style you want to write with. tab dialogue you like and setting, and then while you're writing revisit that to jog your memory. If there was a book you were reading that inspired your current project, reread a couple parts.

writertok compilations are my favorite lmao it's a guilty pleasure. I like hearing about other people writing to make me realize I should get back to it and stop ignoring my 7 wips

xox that's what I got for ya

i have fucking mastered the character archetype of riding the line between being a Fucking Bitch and a Cutie Patootie and i am convinced that is the only reason people like me

life tips 2: self care pt 1 of 3

self care is handled pretty diversely across the culture. it's great and you need it but too much is also no bueno. these are things that i like to do to find a good balance.

Cleaning/taking care of your space:

a little every day. pushing it off to do all in one day doesn't work very well. build a little daily habit of picking up around your space so that it doesn't get overwhelming.

'good enough' is okay. it doesn't need to be spotless. If you can see the carpet on your floor and it doesn't smell like dirty clothes, that's good. as long as the space is useable and it doesn't give you anxiety to be there, that's good. it doesn't need to be magazine perfect.

make sure that the hygienic things are taken care of. clean sheets, clean bathroom, clean sink. 3 things. those things need to be clean. you will get sick. seriously, i love you, if you can't do anything else, do those.

Personal care/hygiene:

baby wipes, deodorant, makeup wipes. keep these on hand, if you can't find the motivation to take a shower/bath. splash water on your face and wipe under your arms, downstairs, and your face (with separate wipes obv). a swipe of deodorant, and done.

don't wanna brush teeth? put toothpaste on your tongue with some water and swish it around for thirty seconds. better than nothing.

if you feel like you're struggling with eating food or drinking water or whatever, pretend like you're taking care of a small child or of your favorite person. You're hungry but don't wanna eat? No, they're not hungry and you gotta make them happy again.

hope this helps xox love you dovey

i want to write but my brain wants to think about middle aged men while i stare at a wall HELP

writing tips: editing software

we all (or most of us) have some kind of editing ai software like grammarly, the google docs editor, etc. these are fantastic for catching things that slip through the cracks.

but.

they are not always the best. I know it's tempting to scour your documents until the little error counter hits 0, or the 'writing score' is top marks, but that isn't a great scale. ai (specifically grammarly) does a terrible job evaluating tone and artistic significance. it uses by-the-book programming that works for emails, but not so well fro creative writing.

this being said, don't just mindlessly clikc the 'accept' button for every suggestion. read the writing, consider what it's asking, and decide for yourself. if it's correcting grammar or suggesting a better sentence, think about why it needs fixing. don't rely entirely on the software. that doesn't build editing and revising skills.

being able to confidently edit and analyze your writing is a huge skill that a lot of new writers are losing because of software. not to say you shouldn't use it, but try to learn with it. if I write a sentence that grammarly doesn't like and it flags me, I'll read the sentence and try to figure out what's wrong with it. then, identify other sentences in my writing that have the same pattern and see if rewriting will help it be smoother.

this doesn't always happen. you might rewrite it and think 'yknow, i liked the original.' great! keep the original. It's your writing, not grammarly's.

xox love you, see you next time