#plotters and pansters

[tanaor]

Want some easy tip to make your characters 100% more believable??

I learned this some time ago, and wanted to share it because it has really helped me A LOT.

Think of your characters and imagine how they would be in their best moment and in their worst. But not like, happiest and darkest moment. Think of it as their healthiest and most toxic moments. Everyone is healthy sometimes and toxic sometimes. USE THAT. Write a about it, describe them and their actions in both situations.

Maybe you have a character that can be crazy possessive when toxic, but really supportive when healthy. Who knows?

Once you write that, chances are you already know how their gonna behave in almost any situation that pushes them to be healthier/ more toxic. Plus, you can also use it for your characters' positive/ negative arc or to develop relationships with other characters.

Happy writing!! 😙😙

Other tips for writers: next

[slayingfiction]

Plotters VS. Pansters

In the world of writing, there are two types of creators often discussed: plotters and pantsers. These terms describe a writer’s approach to crafting stories. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned novelist, understanding these styles can offer valuable insights into your writing process. Let’s dive into what makes plotters and pantsers distinct and how each approach contributes to the art of storytelling.

Plotters: Architects of the Written World

Plotters, often referred to as ‘architects,’ are writers who plan their stories meticulously before diving into the actual writing. They are the mapmakers of the writing world, charting out each twist and turn of their narrative.

Detailed Outlining: Plotters create extensive outlines, character profiles, and world-building elements before penning their first sentence.

Controlled Storytelling: This style lends itself to a controlled narrative with fewer inconsistencies and plot holes.

Time Investment: Plotting can be time-consuming initially, but it often makes the writing process smoother.

Famous Plotters: J.K. Rowling and John Grisham are notable plotters, known for their detailed story planning.

Pantsers: The Free Spirits of Storytelling

Pantsers, or ‘gardeners,’ as George R.R. Martin likes to call them, write ‘by the seat of their pants.’ They dive into writing with a general idea or none at all, discovering the story as they go along.

Spontaneous Creation: Pantsers often begin with a basic concept or character and let the story unfold naturally.

Flexible and Dynamic: This style allows for more flexibility, often leading to surprising and dynamic plot turns.

Adaptable Process: Pantsing can be less intimidating for some writers, as it doesn’t require extensive pre-planning.

Famous Pantsers: Stephen King and Margaret Atwood are known for their pantser style, crafting intricate stories with a more spontaneous approach.

Which Approach is Better?

The truth is, there’s no ‘better’ approach. Both plotters and pantsers have their strengths and challenges. Some writers are strict plotters or pantsers, while others fall somewhere in between, employing techniques from both styles.

Mix and Match: Many successful authors use a combination of plotting and pantsing. They may start with a rough outline but allow room for the story to evolve.

Personal Preference: The best method depends on what works for you as a writer. Experiment with both styles to find your comfort zone.

Genre Considerations: Some genres, like mystery or high fantasy, might benefit more from plotting due to their complex plots and world-building.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in between, the most important thing is to keep writing. Each approach offers unique pathways to creativity, and understanding your own method can enhance your writing experience. Embrace your style, and let it guide you in your storytelling journey.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to write a story. The beauty of writing lies in the diversity of its creation.

Happy Writing!

[nemaliwrites]

anyway i started couch to 5k this year and it’s been so long since ive thought about myself in terms of an identity that now im having a crisis

it’s kind of funny tbh…as someone who’s written daily for the last few years, I still feel weird thinking of myself as a Writer

and now…what is this. am I a Runner? or am I just a person that Enjoys Running? (something I literally did not think was ever possible for me but who knew…sometimes if u try new things you end up liking them..wild)

what is a Real Writer? who does that person look like?

who is Nemali?

[theeccentricraven]

Nothing wrong with being a planner, panster, or planster. You do what works for you. I'm a planster through and through.

Some writers: *meticulously plan out every plot point and the tone and meanings before they start writing*

Me:

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

how do i get my character out of the corner i wrote myself in without a dues ex machina😭

How to Not Write Yourself Into a Corner (and How to Write Yourself Out of a Corner if You’re Already In One)

One of a writer’s WORST fears is writing themself into a corner.

It’s easy to write your characters into death-defying situations��but it’s not as easy to write the actual “defying death” part.

Some writers, in their desperation to get their characters out of a bind, employ the use of a Deus Ex Machina, as mentioned by anon:

Deus Ex Machina: (Translates to "god from the machine") A plot device where a seemingly unsolvable situation is fixed by an out-of-the-blue occurrence. The term “deus ex machina” is a reference to Greek plays, when actors playing a god would literally be lowered into the scene via a machine to magically solve any situation.

Unfortunately, this plot device is often ridiculed by readers, cited as a hack-job solution for a writer out of ideas.

How do we avoid this situation, then? Here are some tips and tricks on how to not write yourself into a corner, and how to write yourself out of a corner if you’re already in one!

Note that these tips may not work for everyone, so make sure to use your own intuition as a writer— you know your story best.

1. NIP IT IN THE BUD— OUTLINES ARE KEY!

I’m sorry to all of you pantsers out there, but the key to prevent writing yourself into a corner is to already have an idea of how each scene is going to turn out; don't make a problem without making a solution! If you keep on top of your outline, you should have no worries about writing your characters into a situation they can't get out of it.

It may be easiest to jot down ideas about a couple of scenarios and then select the one that works best, especially when it comes to dire climax scenes that have a lot of moving parts. 

Check out my posts below for more in-depth advice about outlining!

How to Outline

Plotting for Pansters and Pantsing for Plotters

This advice, although essential, does require a ton of foresight and time to plan…and if you’ve sought out this post, it may mean that it’s too late for preventative measures. The subsequent tips in this post are going to be for people who are already in the thick of it and need a way to save all of their writing progress. 

2. FORESHADOWING IS YOUR FRIEND (AKA “CHEKHOV’S GUN YOUR WAY OUT OF THAT SHIT”)

Foreshadowing: A narrative device wherein a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. It helps maintain believability while subverting expectations and making plot twists.

Chekhov’s Gun: A narrative device wherein a seemingly insignificant element or object in the story becomes useful later on. Sometimes used synonymously with foreshadowing, but usually refers to a specific object.

Examples of Foreshadowing/Chekhov’s guns in media:

The 1981 Quarter (Or Extra Life Quarter) in Ready Player One

“Don’t Cross the Streams” in Ghostbusters (1984)

Winchester Rifle Hanging over the Bar in Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The Rita Hayworth Poster in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Water Bottle in Bullet Train (2022)

In my opinion, a Chekhov’s Gun is the more refined twin of the deus ex machina; although it may seem like it comes out of nowhere, observant readers or those who go back into the story will realize that this event was set up from the beginning.

Foreshadowing is the key to turning a deus ex machina into a Chekhov’s Gun. It’s spreading breadcrumbs to maintain believability even when unbelievable things happen.

My advice: plant a line here and there referring to the object/element that will get you out of the corner.

These lines can be about a healing potion that a character carries around to save them when they’re at the brink of death, the fact that the city they’re fighting in often suffers from sinkholes, or that a character has a seemingly useless skill. 

However, haphazardly inserting foreshadowing into your story may come across as heavy-handed; make sure it aligns with the narrative beats. Particularly big Chekhov’s Guns, especially ones that “save the day," may require multiple foreshadowing elements.

It can take a lot of work to incorporate the foreshadowing smoothly, so make sure it actually saves you time in comparison to rewriting the whole scenario/plot point.

3. TAKE A BREAK

Sometimes, the solution to your problem may not come to mind because you’re too immersed into the writing process and not thinking of the bigger picture. Or maybe it might just be good old-fashioned writer’s block. Take a step back, reassess, and return with the scene properly re-evaluated. Maybe start a new book or TV show to get some inspiration, or check out one of my posts below!

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

How to Get Inspired to Write and Regain Creativity

4. ASK FOR HELP

Sometimes, it might be best to have another set of eyes on your story! A situation that may seem unsolvable to you may have an obvious solution to a writing buddy.

5. KNOW THAT SOMETIMES RE-WRITING IS NECESSARY

I know this sounds horrible. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish upon any writer.

Sometimes, however, no amount of foreshadowing can get your characters out of the debacle they’ve put themselves in. Either that, or the work that it would take to insert the foreshadowing would be more than it’d take to rewrite the scene or the plot point.

My suggestion would be to search for the last place that you didn't feel lost, and then cut out everything after that.

(NEVER DELETE MAJOR CHUNKS OF YOUR WRITING! ALWAYS CUT IT AND SAVE IT IN A SCRAP DOC—IT COULD COME IN HANDY LATER!)

Then, take the time to outline the scenario and figure out the solution to your problem beforehand. It will suck, but trust me, it'll be worth it in the end.

HOPE THIS HELPED, AND HAPPY WRITING!

[writers-potion]

What are some suggestions/plotting/planning ideas you have for plotting out your story and characters before you write it?

My Plotting/Character Development Process

Honestly, I don't do much character work before I start writing a first draft. I always feel like my characters do what they want anyway, so I'd come up with a brief character profile (like age, nationality, major likes and dislikes,etc) and let myself figure them out on the way.

Here's a brief breakdown of my plotting process:

Come up with a logline, usually using the format: When [something] happens, [MC] must [do this] in order to [achieve this]

Expand the loglin into a 500-700 word summary

Take the summary and divide it up to the 15 beats of a story from by Blake Synder. You can use any other plotting structure, at least breaking it up into the three acts.

Make some notes about scenes/dialogue if it comes to mind

Start writing the first draft.

Other things I would do:

Dedicate a physical notebook for diagrams/notes/scribbles for the story.

Talk to others about the story

I'm somewhat in between a plotter and panster, but I would have a clear ending in mind.

And a list of questions I use for character profiles (I won't try to answer all of them before I start, just pick and choose):

Name

Age

Height

Eye Color

Physical Appearance

Strange or unique physical attributes

Favorite clothing style

Where do they live? What is it like there?

Defining gestures/movements

Things about their appearance they would most like to change

Speaking style

pet peeves

fondest memory

hobbies and interests

special skills

insecurities

quirks and eccentricities

temperament

negative traits

things that upset them

things that embarrass them

this character is highly opinionated about

any phobias?

things that make them happy

family

deepest, darkest secret

reason they kept this secret for so long

other people’ opinions of this character

favorite bands/songs/type of music

favorite movies

favorite TV shows

Favorite books

Favorite sports/sports teams

Political views

Religion/philosophy of life

Physical health

Dream vacation

Description of their home

Description of where they sleep

Any pets?

Best thing that has ever happened to this character

Worst thing that has ever happened to their character

Superstitions

Three words to describe this character

If a song played every time this character walked to the room, what would it be?

[differentnighttale]

Writing Tips

"Writing a book is easy---" said no one ever but don't worry with the right mindset and determination everything is possible.

Ok,alight let's dip our toes in the icy,cold world of writing.*applause * starts dancing to Lady Gaga.*

*Gets back into reality*Are you lazy,a procrastinator or just prefer to be in the clouds.

That's me.

Please don't take my advice to literal tho.Its mostly stuff I use to advise myself tho.

Una questro:first things first ,ask yourself.Are you a panster or a plotter?

So a plotter  is someone who plans and outlines their works usually by chapter by chapter or scene by scene and planned number of chapters (I, for one is a mix of both ,I'll get to take part later ) A panster  is someone that 'wings it' someone who delves in ,plunges into the cold ocean without a second thought.They type and write whatever the inspiration hits or what they imagine real time ?

Yeah ,I a mix of both. Please plan your writing or jot it down.When the inspiration hits:type it or write it.

But it all depend on you the writer whose writer the book.

Now it's up to you to set up your writing  habits. What time do you feel most comfortable to write ? Ask yourself this :in the morning,afternoon or evening or even midnight.

Yeah now be determined to see if you can do it. Or dopo.

Drafts:

There would be drafting,a lot of it.Writing a book isnt a day thing unless you are a pro or continuous writer than yeah planning would be cool  and easy as ABC.Then.

A city wasn't built in a day.All the books you're reading have been drafted over and over again before they were placed in bookstores.

You could write a million drafts before you get the purr-fect book ready.

Read ,read and read.Read your genres and read against and further.Try to understand their reading and writing habits and the genre a feel.

Until next time.

(Feel free to give me more advice so I improve and comment if I've made any mistakes tho.)

Ciao grazie for now.

Dopo,dopo.

[greeneyedsigma]

Chasing Dreams and Other Ambitions Status Update

Just wanted to ramble for a bit regarding what I currently have going on with my One Piece long fic, Chasing Dreams. Not bad news or anything, to be clear. Everything is going well, and work continues at a pace I am happy with...after an unplanned 4-month hiatus.

I have officially committed to a multipart series, rather than one monster fic. Chasing Dreams is creeping closer and closer to 100k words, and I personally have a hard time reading fics that exceed 200k. There are exceptions, of course, but hoo-boy, as I have gotten older, anything longer than 200k scares me. Chasing Dreams, which will be part 1, is (I am estimating) going to be around 25-30 chapters long. I am expecting it to end up being around 40. In preparation for this multipart status, I have preemptively created a series which can be found here ---> Chasing Dreams and Other Ambitions (go and bookmark or subscribe if you want to keep up with the story hint, hint.)

With my most recent chapter (18, if you missed it), I have finally worked through all of the chapters I had from the original version of the fic, and I am now traipsing into uncharted waters without a care in the world. For those who don't know, I am 90% panster and 10% plotter. So while I do have some plans for where the story is going and a good idea of what the plot is, I am flying by the seat of my pants the rest of the time.

Gives me the freedom to change shit whenever I have a whim. Example: I decided just yesterday, "You know what; I want fem! Bastille." Is this a necessary change? No. Imma do it anyway, though. Are Yamakaji and Bastille going to be doing some light flirting when Bastille arrives on Everheart Island? Mayhaps.

Chaos, lol. It's how I thrive. Keeps my mental health out of the gutter.

~|Upcoming Chapter title previews|~ (and any chapter progress)

Chapter 19: [There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...] approx. 33% complete

Chapter 20: [...then are dreamt of in your philosophy.]

[clementineofmine]

"Some Things Just Take Time," #2, 4, and 14

Woohoo, thanks @rockinlibrarian for another ask for Some Things Just Take Time!

2: What scene did you first put down?

This is the second fic in a series, so by this time I had an idea of what the characters were doing and what I wanted to happen so I started with the first scene with Five and Dolores! And then I did actually attempt to plot this out chapter by chapter, but of course that changed wildly over time. I'm a panster, not a plotter, at heart, so even my best laid plans are often waylaid by the characters making their own decisions and not telling me ahead of time.

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Yay, I wrote much more dialogue for this fic than I ever had before, so I'm glad I get to answer this again! One of my favorite scenes is Five and Diego in the aftermath of some shenannigans. In this scene, Diego's been pissed at Five for some valid and some not very valid reasons for quite a while now, and I wanted to give these two a chance to connect and potentially heal old grudges. Sorry this is more than dialogue but eh I get to answer it how i want :)

“Remember that stupid board that Dad had? That he insisted on those stupid bullshit scores?” Diego asked. “I didn’t think they were bullshit,” Five shook his head slightly.  Diego looked at Five, and had to do a double take. Whether it was the resurgence of memories or the way Five’s hair had fallen across his face, Five looked incredibly young, and so much like the teenager Diego remembered.  Diego blinked to clear that thought. “Yeah, well that’s because you were usually on top, asshole. Half the time you cheated.”  Five scoffed. “Technically, using our powers wasn’t cheating.”  “Technically,” Diego scoffed back, “means bullshit and you know it.” Five looked at the ceiling before he spoke next. “You and Luther were always so full of yourselves. Allison, too. Like, just because my number was five, instead of one or two, I was supposed to let you beat me or something.” “Well, I—” Diego bit back a smart retort and started again. “No. It wasn’t that. Dad just always seemed to like you better. And then when you left…” he swallowed the rest of that sentence, tasting the bitterness of the words.  When Five had left, their father spent the next three years pushing the rest of the siblings, as if they had to make up for the loss of his favorite. He had pushed them to achieve, pushed them into fame, but it was always with a sneer on his face, always with a taste of bitterness. It was untenable, and Ben had been the first to break. After that, they had all found their way to leave.  “...it was like he was punishing us. For you being gone.” 

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

YES THERE IS. I'm not the first or the last author to do this, but what drove me to write this fic is wanting to show the siblings working together, working through their dysfunction, to succeed. And secondly, for them to realize the value in working as a team. I also wanted to showcase Five as I see him, as an old and tired, half-mad, flawed person who makes mistakes but is never going to stop, never going to give up until he saves his family. He's a character driven by love, even if he doesn't quite understand what that means.

Thanks so much for the ask! It was fun. And, it forced me to remember my tumblr password so I could do this on my computer, because doing asks on mobile is bullshit.

Fic ask game

[isabellebissonrouthier]

I'm genuinely so curious

[ryanlanz]

The Goal is to Have Motivated Characters

Everyone has heard of the Plotters vs. Pantsers camps for authors. Plotters take their story and attack it with outlines, guidelines, plotlines, and beat sheets. Pansters take it in a more relaxed way, writing as the story flows with plenty of detours as needed. Continue reading The Goal is to Have Motivated Characters

[olenvasynyt]

Hello! I read A Court of Embers and Sunlight, and I really liked how layered your characters and plot feel. Do you have any writing tips?

Aww thank you for reading, I'm so glad you're enjoying it!! I never had anyone ask me for writing advice before omg, I take that as a huge compliment!🥹💕

Idk I'm still technically a baby writer: I have written for years now but this ACOEAS was the first fic I publically shared, but I'll feel like I can come up with a few tips about writing plot and characters

balance between being a planner and panster

keep lists and summaries of your plots and characters

study your plots and characters

include parallels to make your chapters flow well together

do not strive for perfection, especially with fanfiction

I feel like it's important to learn how to be both a plotter and a panster. I'm a weird person who kind of does both but just at different times: I can spend agessssss plotting out a certain character and imagining what I would do with them, but I have a huge habit of writing out of order and just starting random scenes that come to me. But you have to figure out how to balance those.

Planning your plot beforehand helps you figure ou the flow and consistency and it's easier to spot any potential plotholes or inconsistencies. I like to plan by writing a list or a chart. They can be a short, chapter-by chapter summary that's easy to go back and reference later. Lists like that help you figure out how to tie plots together and include fun easter eggs that makes the writing flow real nice. But you have to let yourself write organically too! Writing as you go can help inspire you to add to plots, edit plots, or find some inconsistencies you might have missed.

Being just a plotter or just a panster can make you get stuck sometimes, especially when it comes to big, plot-heavy fics. So write in order, out of order, whatever you naturally do, but make sure to have a healthy balance of writing organically and planning ahead.

Study your plots a lot. Think about what led up to the plot, who the big characters are, how your main characters would react, what the consequences are, etc. Little example: one of the biggest plots in ACOEAS is the human war. What other plots can connect to the war? How did the war impact Beron, Eris, LoA, the brothers? What did Eris do in the War, what does he think about the War. The lesser fae are also important in this fic: how would they be impacted by the war? Did they fight with or against the humans even though this was about the High Fae enslaving the humans? How would the loss of human slavery impact the lesser fae? How would that impact certain characters like Jesminda? When you think about the consequences of certain plots, you can figure out character backstories, certain connections between characters that you might not have realized before, etc.

Lists are excellent with characters too. Write a little character summary of all your characters that can include small fun stuff like appearance, age, favorite things, etc, as well as important things like their motivations, personality, how they react to certain things, their backstory, stuff like that. I also like to include certain relationships with other characters and a summary of their relationship. This can help you figure out plot too, as well as discover some really cool parallels that you might not have initially planned.

And parallels! I feel like they're not super necessary but they're a fun thing to have, and I feel like it's a way to make your writing flow together. Everyone loves an easter egg or parallel, and I am such a sucker for them, I think it's so fun to be able to spot them and analyze them; they just make everything feel connected. I was initially going to have this fic be just about Jesminda and Lucien but I realized they aren't the only forbidden relationship in Autumn: there's also LoA and Helion, and Eris with my male OC. It was so fun to discover that and branch out all of the plots and have them intertwine together.

Parallels can also be connections between smaller things that happen chapter my chapter. I do this a bit with the flashback chapters I've been including in ACOEAS. In Lucien's flashback chapter I might mention something, and then bring it up again in the next chapter, or a chapter that's in LoA's or Eris's POV. I'll repeat certain sentences and phrases that are important, whether it's Lucien simply remembering what Beron or LoA said, or a significant bit of prose that I feel like would work well in the new chapter. Always go back and read your past chapters or any future chapters you have planned out, write notes, reference those past or future chapters, and you'll have a really nice, connected layout.

I feel like I have to note that fanfiction is not about being perfect with your plots or characters. Yes, it can be a good way to practice writing if you want to be a published author, but fanfiction is about being passionate! It's about being in fanbases! Get super into your plots and adding cool stuff like parallels and symbolism and stuff, but also just have fun and enjoy yourself and be passionate about the characters / ships you're writing about! Like yeah I really wanted to write about some deep stuff and go heavy with plot, and I will spend literal years plotting out this fic, butttttt I also just like writing about Eris being all angsty and sexy, and Jesminda and Lucien having fun and teasing each other. Yes, you're a writer when you're publishing stuff on Ao3, but you're most importantly a big ole nerd in a fanbase lmao.

Thank you so much again! And also don't be afraid to DM me too if you want to talk about writing and stuff! Talking to anon and any other person reading this too!💕

[someobscurereference]

Thank you for the tag! This was interesting. I think I’ve definitely learned to be a planner over time. Sometimes I’m struck by moods, but it’s much more helpful to have an outline, even though I don’t always enjoy making the outline, lol.

I don’t have anyone to tag, so if you’re reading this, feel free to reblog and do it for fun!

What type of writer are you?

Tagged by @mistresslrigtar 😊

I am actually laughing because never in my life would I ever describe myself as intuitive or a pantser, but I guess when you write with minimal outlining and a whole lot of ~vibes~ this is what you get 😂

I don't know who to tag 😬😬 @daemosdaen have you done it? Maybe @waythroughtheice too if you're up for it.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Do you have any advice for writing your first draft?

I’ve just finished an outline for a fic of mine, and like all my projects I abandoned them at the first draft because I lose interest in the story.

So, how can I stay interested long enough to complete my draft and move on to actually finishing the story?

HOW TO WRITE A FIRST DRAFT

A first draft is the hardest draft you will ever write; it’s creating something from nothing, without the benefit of using a previous draft as a base. Obstacles such as writer’s block and motivation may oppose you at every turn, and it can be easy to get sidetracked and frustrated when you have ideas for the “middle” of the story but somehow can’t get to it. 

Just know that everyone is different and writes in a way that works for them, so don’t feel pressured if these tips don’t work for you or don't fit your style of writing!

1. Start With a Good Outline

Since you don’t have a previous draft as a foundation for your writing, your outline will take the place of this! Refer to my posts below:

How to Outline

Plotting for Pansters and Pantsing for Plotters

You can also refer to my FAQ, which includes a variety of resources on getting started. This includes posts on how to get into writing fiction, how to write consistently, and how to combat writer's block!

2. Know that You Don’t Have to Write in Chronological Order

Write what inspires you! If you have no idea what your first scene is going to be but have very specific ideas about a coffee shop interaction during the middle of the book,  write the coffee shop scene instead of staring at your blank word doc for an hour and giving up!

Writing is better than not writing, even if it’s not the part of your story that you “need” to get done. In fact, it can be easier (and more cohesive!) to write all of the major scenes you’re excited about first and connect them together, than to write out everything in the order from start to finish.

3. Give Yourself Permission to Write Incomprehensible Garbage

This goes hand-in-hand with the tips I highlight in my post about overcoming writer’s block. When it comes to a first draft, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT, and QUANTITY OVER QUALITY. It is totally okay if your first draft is covered in placeholders for scenes and conversations that you don’t feel like writing.

For example, rather than getting stuck on writing about your characters on the car ride to the carnival, just write and highlight in red “THEY DRIVE TO THE CARNIVAL” and come back to it later. That way, you can have fun actually writing the carnival scene instead of struggling to write the stuff leading up to it. Momentum is the key to getting your first draft done, not producing writing that “sounds good.”

If you’re just going to go back and edit it later, why bother getting stuck on that now? This leads me into my next point:

4. STOP EDITING!!!

When it comes to a first draft, opening up the doc and editing the things you already wrote for the 712123979843th time is not progress; now you just have one REALLY good scene and no rest of the story. Save the editing for later; you’re more likely to lose steam and feel stuck if you keep getting caught on the same things over and over again. 

I am calling myself out on this one, as I am INCREDIBLY guilty of using editing and rewriting as an excuse to not write new material, but unfortunately it has to be said. Having it in your mind that you’re making progress when in reality you’re using editing as an avoidant technique will not help you in the long run (as much as I wish it would). 

This can sometimes be helped by writing each chapter (or scene that’s getting you stuck) in a new document so that you have no choice but to focus on what you’re currently writing; sometimes the temptations of editing are too great to resist when you have all of your writing in one place!

5. Set Specific Goals and Document Your Progress

Setting goals helps you break up the huge task of “writing a book” into more manageable chunks. 

For example, heading into a writing session with the goal “finish this chapter” or “finish this scene” or “write this dialogue” can make it easier to overcome writer’s block; you are solely dedicating your focus on doing this specific task, and are less likely to get distracted. It’s better than barging head-first into it with no direction, and may also have the added bonus of keeping your writing cohesive.

Documenting your progress can help hold you accountable for reaching the goals that you set. If you like to perform under pressure, maybe you can document your progress online or with a friend; that way, you feel a bit of a pushback from outside sources to get things done! Keeping consistent will also help in maintaining a steady flow of inspiration—you’re always thinking ahead!

However, you should remember that life happens, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re struggling to reach your goals or deadlines! Nobody is a writing machine!

Hope this helps, and happy writing!

[sentience-if]

How do you plan your IF? Are you more of a panster than a plotter?

well I certainly feel like a pantser but I guess I actually do have most of it planned out. I've got a rough plot outline and then different tabs for each chapter on onenote so I can organize the bits I've already written. And I have the various endings more or less planned which definitely helps keep me on track.

[tcsernisauthor]

Hi, I am a young writer and have started writing a story that I hope becomes a book. I just wanted to ask if you have any tips for writing stories and books?

One thing I can say is write for yourself. Writing for others/market is a big cause of burnout. I mean what’s the fun in writing something that isn’t fun for you? I’ve had to literally force myself to write something before and it isn’t worth it.

Second, whether you’re a plotter, panster, or planster, I feel like it’s always good to have at least some plot notes written down to refer to. It’s very easy to get lost in what you’re writing and if you go too deep, it’s hard to find your way back to the path.

Third, don’t compare yourself to other writers. Everyone is on their own path, have their own ideas and methods, and work and their own pace. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Also, don’t push yourself. If something isn’t working, it’s okay to delete it and start again. It’s okay to rewrite a scene or chapter 15 times. However, a lot of people say not to stress too much about your first draft. Vomit words if you have to. That’s what editing is for. Get your story down first before you start obsessing over the way things are worded 😅

I hope this was helpful!