#It's actually really fun to expand on the concept and outlines

[bbnibini]

Okay, it's the long weekend for me and I'm having a lot of fun outlining Barbatos' OE B! This seems like a pain to write tho;

So far from the outlines, there might be branches that would lead to:

Belphie's Ending

Normal Ending

Which means some previous options in Barb's common route might change. Once this is done, we only have two more endings (OE C and Good Ending) left before Barbatos' route comes to a close!

Due to how heavily related "Father Time" is to PSISLY, I might move this in the side stories collection in Memoria instead of the new separate short stories I'm planning to write.

We ran out of options. Sorry, Kronos :(

[mochiwrites]

Would you have any writing advice/tips for someone just starting out? I hope to one day be as skilled as you are!! <3

oh my gosh this has been sitting in my inbox for way longer than I've wanted it to T^T but yes!!! I have Many a tips (also sobs??? at you??)

write down. everything. little ideas, dialogue ideas, notes for yourself, future scenes, even if it's one sentence or two. write them. even if you think you'll remember it later

this one is kind of a give or take since I know some people are organized chaos and work better with that but -- try to keep all of your notes for stuff in one place. organization helps a Lot with writing (I say, as I have my notes for songbird spread out over four different apps)

outlines are your friend!!! I love outlines! chapter outlines, fic outlines. they're incredibly helpful in keeping yourself on track and knowing where your story is going. of course, this comes with saying: your outlines are Not set in stone. sometimes while you're writing, the story takes a different direction than you thought it would, and that's okay! sometimes plans change and the original image you had in mind doesn't fit with where the story is going. don't be afraid to plan something again with different ideas! it's all a part of the creative process

outlines also help a buuuunch with pacing of a fic.

speaking pacing, pacing is incredibly important to a story. you don't want things to feel super rushed or super slow either. granted, pacing can be tricky to figure out, but that's something that comes with lots of practice. I suggest looking at like. other fics or even tv shows (I use some animes I'm very familiar with as examples for good pacing)

research. if you're dealing with a topic or a concept that you don't know much about, do some research. I know this one sounds like a given, but I cannot tell you how many times I've read a fic that dealt with something like ptsd and. it was So abundantly clear the writer didn't do any research on it. and was writing based on very old fandom stereotypes that are Not in line with what ptsd actually is. so research is important!

if you're like me and you have trouble visualizing things, get reference images! they're super helpful. I use reference images a ton when I'm describing rooms and buildings. I can't visualize those too well in my head, so I go to google and look up the kind of building or interior I'm trying to describe. ofc, this expands to basically anything too -- clothes, items, scenery, cars

this is probably the most important piece? don't write for numbers. I know it's a lot easier said than done, because at the end of the day we're all human and we like sharing, we like talking about what we've created. and sometimes it's really easy to compare to others and get caught up in how well a fic is doing based on the kudos/comments/hits, etc (god knows I'm incredibly guilty of it jhhgfhfjg). but the really important thing is that you write for you. write because you're passionate about an idea, or you're excited to see something in your head come to life on the page. focus on your passion, your excitement, and you will find the people who share that. it'll happen naturally. write for the excitement and fun of writing <3

(I also have a whole tag now with other advice posts >/////< there's a lot of stuff in there that I hope can be helpful!!)

[actualbird]

Hi Zak!! This is a pretty random ask but i was just wondering if you have any tips for starting a fanfic/story? I just keep getting stuck on how to start one (I really love your work/blog 🙏 feeds my tot brain rot fr!!)

hi anon, im glad you like the stuff i make ;w; !!! and ohhh, sure i got tons of tips for that!.....so many that i actually wish i cld get u back here to ask what specifically about starting a story u'd want tips on but for now, i'll go for a general overview :D!!

cuz....to me (i.e. based on my writing process, which i'll be drawing heavily from for these tips), the act of Starting comes in three distinct steps, one after the other:

Idea Generation (what is the story gonna be about and how do i get ideas for that?)

Concept Organization/Outlining (how is the story going to be about this idea and how will i be executing it?)

Creation (GAH, HOW PUT WORDS ON PAGE!?!?!?)

so i'll give general tips for all three!!!

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Idea Generation Tips

(this is the step that i personally have the least trouble with because my brain makes 5 new ideas every day. it's kinda a curse now because it leads to me having too many wips and concepts and only 1% of them gets to the Creation period jhvjhVJKSHFVHJS BUT ANYHOO, TIPS-)

Check Out Prompt Lists (super fun and easy way to get an idea! theres tons of story and fic prompts out there that you can search up here on tumblr, some of them being lists of lines of dialog or lists of AUs or scenarios. even if you dont follow a prompt exactly, they can be great at kickstarting ur brain into thinking of something related that you Do wanna pursue)

Open/Ask For Prompt Requests (if ur brain doesnt have any ideas, u can ask around and see if anyone ELSE has ideas theyre alright with you writing! my tot fics "reviews for Time's Antiquities, South Stellis | Average Rating: 4.8 Stars" and "but little do we know, the stars welcome him with open arms" were both inspired by anon asks i got!! to those anons who sent those asks, i owe u my life....but yea, maybe other people can give ideas to you! or, again, give Something that can inspire another thing in ur brain to take shape)

Just Ramble With A Friend (SO MANY OF MY FIC IDEAS started because i was just goofing off and playing idea volleyball with fandom buddies in our DMs (shoutout to sam samsspambox, z lukevonhagen, and beck beckthebeetle for being the main culprits of this). like, what started out as a joke conversation eventually makes go "oh no wait i actually wanna see that as a fic" and then boom, Idea Has Been Acquired. but fr, talking with another person makes your brain create things u never thought about before. it's both tons of fun to chat with a buddy as a sounding board, and it yields awesome concepts for stories!)

For Fanfic Specifically, Think About What You Want To See In Canon But Hasn't Happened And You Want It So Bad It's Driving You NUTS (this can be anything from missing scenes you wish were expanded on, scenes you wish went a different way, character relationships you wish you could see more of in canon, go nuts! the fun thing with fanfic is that it's a fertile playground for all the what-ifs, and a lot of my fics' ideas were simply found because i thought "man i know tears of themis is never gonna show me deep found fam moments/artem ptsd consequences after main story 6.2/mariluke, so imma make it myself" JHVSJDHF. ideas are hard to make sometimes, but brains are so good at desiring things. and all those desires? those can also be Ideas for a fic!)

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Concept Organization/Outlining

(very much skippable if your writing style/personality is more receptive to free-wheeling!! im just the type of writer who always needs an outline to begin something. it helps me structure a raw idea with no shape into something clearer that i can envision a story for)

Outline A Rough Chain Of Events Chronologically (this can be as simple as three bullet points, what happens at the Start of the story, the Middle, and the End. or maybe you can go list down the portions of your fic according to the Freytag's Pyramid Plot Structure: Exposition, Inciting Incident, Rising Action, etc etc.)

Outline A Rough List Of Stuff You Just Want To Happen In The Fic (if your brain is like mine and isnt too great at chronological thinking, make a list of just all the plot points and events or even dialog exchanges u Want to see in the fic. you can organize it in the order u want later once uve put everything down)

Outline The Themes (moving away from plot, many stories are more focused on feelings or characterization or themes. so make a list of the Concepts you want to tackle. this is something i do for my fics that are more introspective, so i outline shit like "EVENT THAT MAKES LUKE INTERNALIZE SELF-LOATHING followed by EVENT THAT MAKES LUKE'S VIEW BE NOTICED BY ANOTHER CHARACTER")

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Creation

(the worst part of writing....is the writing JAVFJVSDKHFDJHJ but nah fr this is the part i have the hardest time with, so here are tips that help me kickstart the word engine)

You Dont Have To Start Writing The Fic From The Beginning Of Its Story, Start Writing Wherever (confession: a good 75% of my fics are ones where the first scene i actually wrote down was not the start. instead, i just wrote the scene i was most excited to write. and usually thats somewhere in the middle! i do this cuz it makes my brain happy, and a happy brain is much easier to pull words from than a sad brain. plus, when i see the scene I Like Best already written, it gives me motivation to do the rest of the fic because oh my god i want everybody to sEE THIS ONE DANG SCENE!!! start writing the fic at whatever point you want, in whatever order comes most naturally to you, is my point. you can fill the rest in later, but hey, starting to write where you Want has gotten you Started. now you just gotta finish, and finishing when you already have something down is much easier than starting from 0)

Set Tiny Wordcount Goals. And When I Say Tiny, I MEAN TINY!!! (writing is intimidating but if you set a goal of say, 100 words written for a wip per day, at the end of one week, you'll have 700 words. at the end of two, you'll have 1400 words. at the end of a month, 3000. small goals help since it makes you do Something, and that Something will inevitably compound, no matter what goal uve set. and let urself be proud of the goals uve achieved!!! writer brain gets happy when you tell it it's done a good job at reaching a wordcount goal, and like i said earlier, happy brain is much easier to work with than sad brain)

Give Yourself All The Time You Need (i know this sounds counterproductive but sometimes....the best thing you can do for the part of your brain that wants to start creating....is waiting til it's ready. dont pressure yourself, cuz brain will get sad. dont be too hard on yourself, cuz brain will get sad. start when you want to start in the way that works best with your brain and see where things go, but be patient with yourself. sometims Starting is actually the longest part of writing a story and thats fine. it will happen. trust)

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thats all the tips ive got! and of course, what will work for me wont always work for other people, so please feel free to take what you think applies to you and discard what doesnt resonate.

i hope some part of this can help! happy writing :D

[zorosmalewife]

Chain Reaction Notes - Chapter 11

Please remember that this is an unposted chapter! The second one, in fact. Missed chapter 10's notes? Read them here! If you want to know what's to come, and what I as the author think is important about the scenes, read on. If you don't, then don't expand the readmore! You could always come back here after the chapter is posted :)

Each chapter's notes start with the theme of the chapter. Then a list of the scenes, structured as follows:

scene number as depicted in the outlines from my update posts on this tumblr - POV character - one line summary of the concept - (time left until they return to Sabaody) (how long Ace and Zoro have been together)

- list of relevant variables, details, etc

Then, after listing all the scenes, I decided on a title!

Theme: exposing Zoro's flaws. Cracking him open to let the light in. He is loved

9.5 - ZORO - family dinner. setup for 10 (1 year 6.5 months left) (together 4 months) - Zoro doing mental gymnastics to justify being kind to Perona - "God, he loves her. (Shit, he loves her. Goddamn it.)" - Observation haki improvement - Zoro is 'kind of obsessed' with Ace

10 - ZORO - Perona doing Zoro's nails. Ankle scar convo (1 year 6.5 months left) (together 4 months) - fun, comfy dynamic b/t the 3 of them - Zoro's not ready for red - Zoro "wants to throttle and kiss him at the same time, and if that's not love, I don't know what is" - Perona actually conceding and asking for permission from Zoro (mutual respect for real now) - Perona and Ace upset about Zoro's sword-jumping thing [tendency to jump on any sword that presents itself, regardless of the actual situation] - the girls are fightingggggg

10.5 - ZORO - makeup sex dot png (1 year 6.5 months left) (together 4 months) - Ace falling asleep ment. - Zoro is made to understand that his sword-jumping thing hurts those he loves - he didn't even know he was doing it - Ace almost says he loves Zoro but catches himself and diverts instead - Perona picked out a mystery novel for Zoro and he's actually reading it - Ace: "I'm scared of how scared you make me." - Monumental sex. Zoro feels cherished. Not tender, really. Intense. (mirrors when Zoro tops later) [SPOILERS LOL]

11 - ZORO - Feesh! W/ Dadhawk :) (1 year 5.5 months left) (together 5 months) - Zoro just letting Mihawk boss him around (he feels indebted to Mihawk) - Zoro thinks he 'loves Ace and Perona' but doesn't really notice that he had that thought - Mihawk interrogates him. Decides to face him properly in their spars <- Mihawk respects him

11.5 - ZORO - Bath convo family dinner (1 year 4.75 months left) (together 5.75 months) - Ace's Bath Issues - Mihawk pointing out that everyone has vulnerabilities <- Ace and Mihawk @ odds once again - Ace 'I'll heat your bath, stud'

Title: growing pains

[qoldenskies]

Taking a break from homework to ask 11, 12, and 30 from that ask game you reblogged (I’m super super interested in the way other people go about writing their fics lolol 🙏)

YIPPEEEEE

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

truthfully it kind of depends! whenever i write i tend to have The Scene in mind and if i get impatient i'll usually write it, but i try to avoid doing it because i notice it messes with flow (but flow and pacing is something im just very conscious of, even though i observe that because im writing it my brain is reading it faster/skimming so its partially a me problem LOL)

in caged lungs im skipping around only because im trying to go with a draft format instead of editing as i go, since its so long itll help when i see everything connected, and there's a few scenes i plan on changing/rewriting completely when i get it all out. technically everything ive posted up to this point is a first draft, and its a habit i hope to break !!

12. Do you outline your fics? If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

i doooo yes, its mostly just a list of things/interactions i know i want. for cvd i have plans for up to chapter 9/10 or so, and just a bunch of scripts/concepts for later. with canary continuity i have a description for each scene on the google doc and i just add the content in as i go, with my actual notepad (thing i discovered i had on my laptop and have been using liberally) i mostly have quotes and passages i want to put in the story

and also for cc in particular im keeping really close track of the motifs and how i want to work them back around. already thinking about the healing part of the arc and implanting scenes/chekhovs guns that are going to loop back around WAY down the line is very funny... i actually do some of this for cvd too, i love to write intentionally like that.... i am weirdly pretentious and earnest about my turtle fanfiction. people have no idea what im going to do with that lamp and i bide my time. also the clocks. and the laundry room. and the ocean (actually that one's fine its just a parallel). and the rooftop. and the cameras oh my god the cameras. i plan on committing so many horrors

really just things i know i WANT to be consistent with is the biggest thing i keep track of (although sometimes things will just pop up AS i'm writing and i roll with the punches, like the security system being a metaphor in coming undone, and also all of the very intentional trust fall parallels and the way it conveniently worked with the chapter names. fun fact for metaphors, i REALLY planned to expand on the chess thing between leo and donnie but it messed with the pacing so im keeping it for cvd.... ive got some ideas)

OH EXCEPT FOR THAT SEP AU IVE VAGUELY TALKED ABOUT. i have EVERY SINGLE chapter plotted out, its 52 chapters long. i am NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW its a far in the future thing. but its also the only au i have that isnt like,,, specifically canon divergent, so i wanted to pay close attention to how i set things up. 4 later (currently the working name for it is where we went wrong, after the song by the hush sound, and honestly im tempted to keep it because it makes the acronym wwww which is beautifully ironic because they take NOTHING BUT LS ITS JUST ONE AFTER ANOTHER OH MY GOD)

30. How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft?

OH I KIND OF ALREADY ANSWERED THIS ABOVE OOPS. im trying to break out of the habit but i mostly just grammar correct through google docs and then throw out the first draft haphazardly, and it can kinda come off polished anyway because i tend to edit as i go. sometimes it means i'll fix mistakes in fics like a month after releasing them, impatience is my Weakness

wow i yap a lot LMFAO the yapperrrr

[concerningwolves]

Hi. Hope you’re well! I’ve been focusing on writing my first book for months but I’ve yet to complete an outline (I need an outline to be able to write). I know the start and the end and have developed characters but the rest feels impossible. I get overwhelmed by the possible ways I could take the story and the different concepts I could incorporate and yet any ideas I have for conflict feel hollow and not true to the characters and story. My novel is a fantasy and I just keep falling into the ‘protagonist fights bad guy somehow’ route, which I know isn’t a bad thing but it all feels very forced and false in my story. I don’t know how to fill the gap between the start and end and I feel like even if I did, it wouldn’t be enough to be a whole novel. I want to focus on the relationship and conflict between the main characters but can’t think of actual things that need to happen. I really hope this makes sense, apologies if it doesn’t!

Hello hello, I'm absolutely mortified to realise that this ask came in seven months ago and I am SO sorry. I hope I'm not answering so late that my answer is of no use at all.

I’ll answer in two parts: first, some tips for outlines and what to do when you’re stuck with them; second, some thoughts on what counts as conflict and different ways it can be used to create plot points. The TL;DR version of this answer is:

Instead of trying to make an outline "stretch" to cover a whole novel, shrink the story to fit your outline.

Reverse-engineer plots of stories that you find inspiring and see how it’s done there.

Conflict and relationships between characters absolutely count as “actual things that need to happen” in a story.

What we consider the actual events of a story are basically the result of various reactions between sources of conflict and characters.

The conflict and reaction – i.e., the actual events – look different depending on the genre

Genre can offer a guideline, but you don’t have to be defined by it.

Part I: Troubleshooting Outlines

1) Scale down the story

Instead of trying to make an outline "stretch" to cover a whole novel, shrink the story to fit your outline. Try a novella or short story first! You may find once you've written the short version that you've learned enough about your world, characters and plot to expand it – or you might be happy with it as it is. It may even be helpful to ditch the confines of novel/novella/short story etc altogether and just outline without regard for length (unless of course you like having that structure to work within!).

The fun thing with working on a smaller scale is that it's easier to try out all those different ideas, too. No writing is ever wasted, even if you don't make a finished piece out of something.

2) Try a different plot structure

Reedsy has a very helpful article about seven different types of plot structure – it’s not exhaustive, but these are the most common types, and they’re very well-explained here. If you feel like you’re trying to make your outline meet with certain genre expectations, then choosing a more “adaptable” structure such as Dan Harmon’s Story Circle might help shake something loose.

This is also the point where studying media that uses these plot structures is useful – study how the plot moves from point to point, and ask yourself what you could to replicate that.

3) Cut up the outline

Instead of looking at the big picture, zoom in and work out the series of events for a smaller section of the story. If you’re following a set structure, work out the series of events of the first part/act. So if you were working with the aforementioned Story Circle structure, you’d take maybe the first part (A Character is in a zone of comfort) and break that up into questions like:

What is their comfort zone/status quo? – sets up the story.

Why do they still keep it? – tells readers about your character and their situation.

What could possibly compel them to step outside of it? – sets up the character’s/characters’ goals in life; leads into the next stage of the plot structure.

You could even only write that first part, as if it’s an isolated piece of story, and see if any more inspiration pops up while you’re writing. Sometimes you need to grease the wheels of your brain by experimenting before they’ll start turning.

Part II: Plot outlines, conflict, and genre-blending

In any genre, the plot points are (basically) generated by the character’s reaction to conflict. There are different “sizes” of conflict. Some are big and have stakes that could make or break the whole world. Some are small, and boil down to the relationships between characters, or a character’s own inner conflict with themself. All of these can drive a story forwards.

Fantasy typically deals with those broad, world-sweeping conflicts, but the smaller conflicts can drive the plot just as well as the big ones. Let’s take The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien as an example. The initial source of conflict – the reason the story exists – is the existence of The One Ring, and the threat that if the Ring ever returns to its creator, the entire world would fall into shadow and destruction. By a series of unlikely chances, the Ring is now in the hands of a hobbit called Frodo. The inciting incident – the thing that sets the story moving – is when Frodo learns that the Dark Lord has sent his agents to reclaim the Ring, forcing him to flee his home in fear for his life (and also for the fate of the world, but that’s less of a consideration for him personally at that point).

The first major arc of the story concerns Frodo and his friends’ flight from the Shire to Rivendell. Many things happen to them in that arc. Sources of conflict include a sentient (semi-sentient?) forest, the enemies pursuing them, undead kings, traitorous humans, a guy called Bill Ferney, and the mysterious absence of the man who was meant to be their guide and protector. It’s a series of events presumably devised by Tolkien asking himself “how can I draw these characters deeper into the plot?”, “what could make their situation worse and/or better?” and “what cool worldbuilding can I make relevant/utilise here?”. (These are all very useful questions to ask yourself when building an outline!)

What I find the most interesting about the plotting of The Fellowship (and the entire trilogy) is that, for all the high stakes and despite the sheer scale of the threat, it’s often the “small” (i.e., interpersonal or internal) conflicts that have the biggest impacts on the story. At the climax of The Fellowship, the company breaks up, not because of some devastating blow from the bad guy they’re fighting, but because of

Interpersonal conflict: two characters fundamentally disagree about something (Boromir and Frodo disagree about who should carry the Ring/what to do with it).

Inner conflict: Frodo is overcome by his fears that he’s bringing his friends into danger and that his own friends could become a danger to him.

Granted, there are other narrative and fantasy world aspects going on as well (because there can be layers and/or multiple sources of conflict), but ultimately it’s the conflict between characters and one character’s reaction to this that decides the outcome!

In other genres, the plot is entirely built up from these kinds of personal conflicts. Romance is the strongest example, but not the only one – soap operas, family dramas, slice of life and certain classical novels all use them as a framework. Perhaps romance isn’t your cup of tea, or you don’t want any romantic relationships in your book, but I think there is still a lot to learn from studying the plot of romance stories – particularly if you want to write something that focuses more on character relationships, as opposed to genre-typical conflicts. Authors like Rainbow Rowell (The Simon Snow trilogy) and Joy Demorra (Hunger Pangs) have blended romance and fantasy genre elements to tell stories that feature the best of both.

And if you want an example of a story with a plot that’s mostly driven by a non-romantic relationship, look at the video game The Last of Us. Although there’s the overarching plot of travelling across the country in hopes of finding a cure for a zombie virus, it’s the found family relationship between Joel and Ellie that carries the story. Just off the top of my head, there’s a significant plot point created by Ellie thinking that Joel is using her as a replacement for his dead daughter, so she runs off. It’s compelling because by that point, the big stakes (Ellie is humanity’s last hope for a cure, on her own in a dangerous world) are almost secondary to what this might mean for their relationship. At the final climax, it’s Joel’s internal conflict (his affection for Ellie VS the possibility of a cure for everyone) and his reaction to it (choosing Ellie) that carries the story to a superb ending which has haunted me for well over six years.

Which is all to say that genre is far from being a rigid box you have to work inside of. You can absolutely borrow elements from other genres and recontextualise them to tell the story that feels more authentic to your characters; the story that you want to tell. Play with different possibilities! Write multiple outlines if you need to, and see which one feels right. Try asking yourself a series of questions such as:

If my story was a [romance/family drama/medical drama/slice-of-life, etc.], what might happen next? – i.e., what kind of conflict could your characters face next, and where might it come from?

How would my characters react to this plot point? – what choices would they make that could then move the plot forwards? (Note that a character not reacting can also create a plot point: the important thing is there needs to be some sort of consequence, which acts like a stepping-stone to the next plot point).

What kind of influence does my fantasy setting have on this? – i.e., What parts of my fantasy worldbuilding can I use here? What are the external/background sources of conflict/stakes in play? What other consequences might there be for me to work with?

Or, would this plot point have an impact on the fantasy setting? – does it change something big or have far-reaching consequences?

Hopefully something in here will help you get unstuck (if you haven't already (⌒_⌒;) Again, apologies for the long wait!).

Best wishes with your writing! x

[sugoi-and-spice]

Okay Hi again. I'm the Anon that made Dust Daddy Bible a thing. I wish to open the Dust Daddy Bible again and take a few new notes as I am curious if you can reveal some hcs about the Reader that once again has already been revealed/you wish to share? Maybe even some Hcs bout other characters like Spinner? Maybe some hcs that'll never see the light of day that you wish to share?

I'm also a bit curious on what inspired you to write PN and how does your general planning looks like for the series? I was inspired by you to start my own fanfic but alas...making hcs and an actual story is very hard and ends up in the dirty mostly white gutters fast.

Hey Anon! So glad to hear that my weird little Au fic inspired you!! I'm certainly happy to explain my inspiration and process a bit!

This took A LOT longer to write up than I anticipated, but I wanted to be thorough lol. So, in an effort to not make these novel of a post any longer than it needs to be, I'm just gonna answer the second half of your ask, rather than the headcanon stuff. But if you wanna re-ask that in a separate message I'll be happy to answer. ^_^

Alright, onto Spice's Fanfic Plotting 101!

So full disclosure: I get a lot of (if not most) of my ideas from other media and in some case other fanfics. For Play Nice, I was really inspired by the fic: The Danger Next Door by ratmonkey. I really liked that dynamic of the creepy forced friend with the popular girl and wanted to explore that in a one-shot. But of course, as I got writing, I ended up taking it in a completely different direction that I thought better suited the types of long-format stories I liked to tell and fit better in my writing style. And they went in two wildly different directions.

I'd never be ashamed of that idea origin though -- and neither should any of you. If you decide that you want to write literally the plot of Titanic but with Jujutsu Kaisen characters, fucking do it - it'll be original just on the basis that it'll be written by you. It's as the saying goes:

Good artists borrow, great artist steal.

So that's where the original idea came from. But as for expanding an idea into a full fic? Lately, I've been using the three following steps to do that:

1. Pilot.

2. Outline.

3. Schedule.

Self-explanatory right? No? Haha, well then--

So a pilot, in the way that I'm using the term, is the first episode of a tv show that serves as a prototype of a series. When a network likes a concept that they're pitched, they'll typically order a pilot episode to showcase the series' potential and gauge audience interest before committing to making a whole season.

This is essentially the same thing I do with a fanfic concept - a Pilot Phase. I write the idea as a one-shot or short multi-chapter fic, something that has a satisfying ending if I leave it as is, but that I could also expand on later. I measure how good or poor the response is as well as my own enjoyment and inspiration while writing, and if it's all great - I'll move forward into turning it into a longfic.

After that, I move into the Outline Phase. Outlining goes such a long way in keeping a fic consistent and motivated, imo. There are a lot of writers that start writing without any goal in mind, and then eventually burn out because they run out ideas. No shade to anyone who does btw! There are writers out there who can write without an outline and make something complete and amazing. And even those who do end up running out of ideas and abandoning a fic, fanfiction is all about fun at the end of the day. But for someone looking to break out of that habit and finish their long fics consistently and with quality, outlining and having a clear direction can really help mitigate these pitfalls.

Outlining can also work wonders for eliminating the ever-dreaded blank page. If I'm starting a chapter, even copy-and-pasting a word for word description like the following gives me something to work with:

"The beginning of MC and Shigaraki’s new routine. Bratty back and forths. Although by the end of it, Shigaraki decides that the time they have together is not enough and sets a new plan in motion."

And then I can expand and flourish the language from there, I'm not starting from nothing.

But of course, writing out a whole outline can be just as intimidating if not more so - after all, how do you go from a blank page to "here's all the plot!"? Well, this is why the Pilot and Outline Phases actually go hand and hand for me. Writing a Pilot/One-shot version when I'm first inspired by an idea means that when I start expanding it into a long fic, I'm also not starting from nothing! I already have a story or dynamic started, so it's a lot easier to build ideas and plot-points off of that, rather than just pulling a whole story out of thin air. They're very symbiotic.

Now, writing a good outline could easily be a whole giant post itself, and there's no one right way to do it. For me, I really like to use my outlines to track character arcs and different storylines. Play Nice has about four major different Plots and Sub-Plots going on that I label alphabetically and track in each episode.

Now as anyone that has read Play Nice can tell, these story beats are not necessarily all separate scenes or plotlines or anything - the A, B, & C Plot of this episode are all part of the same actual scene, but I still like to note them and the different effects that even one line of dialogue has on all these different plot points!

Identifying which story beats belong to which plot points helps me keep track of the progress of each one so that I don't write five chapters in a row just about Shigaraki and his relationship with AFO and suddenly realize "Oh shit! MC hasn't been in the story for like five chapters!" (Extreme example, but you get what I mean lol).

I also write out character guides and such in my outlines with the characters' wants, needs, and - in these AU fics - their alternate backstories. Crafting those things for a character however could, once again, be it's own whole post - but knowledge of Want vs Need and keeping character arcs in mind is what takes any piece of media to that next level, not just fanfic. :)

(You can find a great brief on Want vs Need here - welcome to Spice's film school friends xD)

One last note on outlines, is that you don't have to be beholden to them. I move around plot points I've outlined for earlier episodes into later episodes all the time. Play Nice was originally outlined as like a 15 chapter long-fic, but as the story has developed, that's obviously doubled (potentially tripled as I already brain-storm the sequel lolol). But yeah, Outlines are a map, not a bible.

So the Pilot and Outline phases make up the bulk of my patented fanfic process lol. But the icing on the cake that really keeps a fic moving for me is to keep a Schedule.

Full transparency if you didn't know already, I've worked professionally as a freelance writer for a little over three years now. And before that I got a BFA in Screenwriting. So I'm admittedly pretty used to having weekly deadlines for my creative writing now. My grades and rent have depended on it for 7+ years. There were absolutely weeks where, even on a project I loved, the absolute LAST fucking thing I wanted to do that week was write. But I had to push through if I wanted to get paid.

By setting the same type of schedule and expectations for myself, I'm able to hold myself accountable and force my way through even the worst writer's block. There's no real other trick to this one, I'm sorry to say. You just need to set a doable schedule and stick to it.

Now, I am fully aware of the irony of me stressing the importance of schedule right when Play Nice is in a bit of a slowdown - but I am only human. And while I have switched to a monthly posting schedule, I do still keep a similar writing schedule: I try to finish at least a rough draft of a chapter every two weeks. It just takes me a lot longer to edit the chapters now because they're so freaking long these days.

And, you know, this isn't my job. I write fanfic to have fun and explore ideas and themes that I don't necessarily want connected to my personal brand (*cough* Non-Con & Problematic Relationships *cough*), as well as to write for fun without the worry of whether or not an idea is sellable. If any of you do decide to take these tips and tricks for yourself, please remember to keep having fun and not put too much pressure on yourself!

(Also, a little Step 2.5: I try to have at least two chapters - preferably three or four - written past what I'm posting that week. For example, Chapter 20 is the last chapter I uploaded, but I'm actively writing the rough draft for Chapter 23 at the moment. I write in little arcs essentially, that way I can switch out moments between episodes and make edits to keep them all connected).

So, yeah! That's more or less my process! There's a lot more I could say but this post is already way too long, so if you have any follow-ups please feel free to send them in. Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk lol. I hope it was helpful for some of you and not just super lecture-y and pretentious. 😅 At the end of the day, whether you write a one-shot or a long fic, finish or abandon it, the fact that you put your ideas into existence is amazing.

¡Adiós!

[shrillvoices]

i love your writing, but i have to know. how do you outline/plan the plot? your writing seems so good and cohesive and sometimes i find my pacing to be off or i’m rambling off in random directions lol. how are you soo good at keeping it together and concise?

⚠️Long post ahead, TLDR at bottom⚠️

Alright, the first thing I personally do is think of a random snippet of the fic. Maybe I think of a good dialog line while drawing, or I think of a good description for a cool setting while outside. Literally anything works. Whatever pops in your head, write it down. You can expand later. ('I've stopped running' was written off a 3 sentence concept the popped in my head at 2am. I just jotted it down before going to sleep)

Then I pick out what the overall idea I want. Do I want angst? Fluff? Characters interacting? Dialog or description heavy? Inner focus or outward focus (how character thinks vs how character acts)?

Usually, a main character comes to me at some point during this, but if it doesn't, I try to think of the best one for the role. I consider the facts above. Boom! Character(s)!

After that comes the fun part - actually writing out my idea. I don't concept, I don't outline or anything (sorry to disappoint), I just think of the ending. For 'I've stopped running', I knew how I wanted it to start and I knew how I wanted it to end; Kyborg questioning at first, then him getting some sense knocked into him. But the middle part? That comes to me naturally. (By "naturally" I mean I spend 4 hours at school hunched over my computer between assignments, of course).

I don't really know how to explain it- its just easy to write 12 pages when you have a concise beginning and end.

Don't forget that I'm still a beginner writer. My advice probably isn't the best 😅 What helped me immensely was reading books and short stories, gave me many ideas. I'm still working on descriptions, getting a flow that doesn't go all over the place, dialog, etc. (Descriptions are the worst absolute bc I have aphantasia really bad, can't see or hear anything in my brain)

TLDR; My advice is to practice writing things like episodes and podcasts and stuff, which helps me to get a good feel of writing a single plot. Just a lot of writing pre-plotted media, honestly!

[hannahsliteraryhaven]

Brother

by Ania Ahlborn

★★★☆☆

This was a neutral read for me. It was predictable, and as another reviewer said, very tame. Some plot points didn't really make much sense to me or weren't expanded further on to enough of a degree for it to make sense. Some events felt like they were thrown in just for effect, like the author suddenly realised that not much was happening. Yet, I felt the quality of writing was actually quite good; as I could vividly imagine the movements of the characters and the scenes well. After hearing about the plot of this book on booktok though, I was expecting a lot more than it delivered.

How Brother was described to me, through a TikTok video I came across sharing horror reads, was that it tells the story through the eyes of Michael who was adopted/kidnapped into a family of murderers, who kills girls to eat them. Pretty wild concept, right?

Except, not a lot happens for the first half of the book. In fact, it is almost half way through that they actually kidnap and murder a woman. Even then, although it is mentioned, there was no real emphasis on the fact the family eat the victims. Also, Michael and Rebel talk frequently about having to bring home strawberry blonde girls for momma but not once do I remember momma explicitly requesting that they need to get another girl, say because they're running low on food. In fact, the mum and dad are very flat characters. I was expecting them to be very fleshed out brutal characters that murdered for the sadistic pleasure of it and ate the meat as a bonus, but they say and do very little. It is Rebel/Ray (I wish it was just Ray), Michael's brother that is the strongest character.

I assumed that the family were poor and that killing people was their way of simply feeding themselves, yet Reb drives a car (how does he pay for fuel?), the dad has a car and they live by woods and own guns, so they could hunt animals instead. You might be thinking, 'well they're just sadistic people and they kill for fun', but Reb seems to be the most unhinged. Like I said, momma never explicitly asks for them to kill for food, so I felt like this wasn't developed enough to where I could pinpoint their actual reason for killing women.

I still don't know the reasoning behind why -SPOILER- and what exactly that added to the story. It's stated by Michael that momma did it to protect him but that doesn't make any sense. Protect him from what exactly? Again, this felt like it was thrown in for effect, yet most of the characters are so flat that you'll have a hard time feeling sad for anyone that dies.

There was some allusion to momma just disliking having daughters, and also that she kills girls who look similar to her or her other daughter, because she wants to kill the anger inside of being abused as a child? This side of the story just didn't feel solidly developed and the mum was such a neutral character that I didn't care.

Michael is seen as the weakling of the family, very shy and pushed around by Rebel. He does what he's told because that all he's known, but also because he has a slight fear about what the family could do to him if he disobeys - fair enough. Except, Michael does something quite uncharacteristic when he was younger that turns out to be the catalyst to Rebel's final plan for Michael.

That leads me to the end of the book. As Reb's plan unfolds, Michael leaves the house to follow clues. The parents who are clearly in on Reb's plan, and would expect Michael to return in anger, go to bed? Surely, if they know that -SPOILER-, but they go to bed? It would have been a more satisfying ending if Michael actually confronted his parents; it would've given the parents a chance to show a little more of their thoughts on the whole thing.

Maybe I was wrong for believing a TikTok video that outlined the general plot of this book and expected too much, but reading other reviews tells me I'm not alone in my perception of this book. I'm surprised at those calling this a rollercoaster of a book, when to me, it felt like a kid friendly flat ride with the odd twisted surprise. It feels like the only people thinking this book is wild are those who mainly read romance and are just dipping their toe into the realm of "horror".

[leighmaris]

Jan. 1, 2024 | Germination and January.

So I am one of those writers that feels their writing must be perfect in order to write or talk about it. And I know there are a lot of other folks out there battling this same, obstructive...what do you call it...limiting belief?

Yet throughout 2023, I actually wrote. I practiced writing without caring what came out (or forced myself to as best as I could). I wanted words; I wanted something over nothing; I wanted characters to cover the screen in front of me. And it was really difficult to get used to not caring so much. But I did end up writing, and I did care a bit less, which felt great and resulted in expanding the number of working manuscripts on my hard drive. Thinking back on it now, this means I did actually make progress in my writing journey last year, even though this little voice in my head was telling me I hadn't because I have yet to publish such words.

Recently, I began reading When Life Changes or You Wish it Would, and in one of the opening chapters C. Adrienne discusses the concept of germination. That creative work requires a period of germination. This resonated with me because, over the course of 2023, I realized that writing is a process (yes, a huge epiphany that not a soul has ever had before, I know). While fairly obvious a statement, that really did not register with me before the last year. A story takes time to develop, and no matter how much planning or outlining you do (if that sort of thing is for you), a story is shaped and reshaped in its own making. A first draft is only one life of the story - only the beginning of its own evolution. Stories require germination, and it is hardly fair to push and push and expect a story to pour from your fingers in whole form immediately.

So in this year, 2024, I would like to continue that battle against preventive perfectionism (preventive because it frustratingly prevents any work, no matter how lucid or horrid). I aim to publish one small piece each month - to say SO WHAT to preventive perfectionism, to avoid it from plaguing creativity - and to try and blog a bit more as part of the creative process. I have found it quite fascinating what strategies have helped me create more (some strategies stick and some are pleasant surprises), so this could be a fun adventure to look back on as well. Likely the most useful strategy is realizing anything I write is exploratory. I get to explore characters relationships to each other, to their worlds, the structure of each world, the impact my thoughts have in creating these.

This January, I have a few story ideas I would like to play with: one being a story where a globally supported mission to a water covered planet results in technological advances for an Earth that is expected to be 60% underwater in 7 years, and another being a story where recent scientific discovery regarding genetic brain anomalies leads an engineer to attempt to create a robot with the ability to perceive planes of existence outside of human perception.

So...I guess I'll go get started.

WIP Age of Acquarian: 0 words WIP They Said These Don't Exist: 0 words

[thedarkmistress16]

Because of the oc ask, I figured I'd give you a comprehensive list of the typical things I do for writing inspiration, how I usually write things, and what goes through my brain as I write and develop ideas and characters. Feel free to pass around and jump in.

I'll usually always want to find a pic but mainly a gif of the character I'm writing about for both headcanons and actual stories for inspiration as I work, like visualizing their expressions morph to the scene I'm thinking of (the gif helps with this immensely). In other words, jumping off the canon page into my own vision. Two gifs if I can help it at the most-one for the beginning of the piece and one for the end, with different expressions portraying the fic's progression, but exuding a tone I'm going for in the piece itself (as an example, my yan!ts blurb was written before I thought of the gif placed at the end of it, which conveys an expression/similar action I visualized during the story, compared to the other yan!ts blurb that was inspired by the gif itself and was placed before the writing itself.).

Some of you may already know I used Sims 4 CAS for my OC reveal in one ask, and it was a lot of fun to do then since that game can have some stellar cc content (praise to all modders). But I also like playing dress-up/avatar creator games online for existing fictional characters or OCs to see how many details I can get accurate to the source material or my own concept; and, again, done in various art styles so win for variety. Really aids me in adding more or different details to my characters (yes, this is also an endorsement for Ambition's Dream Girlfriend and YES, you should play it. You legit get so many MR outfits for free in events and the gacha it's INSANE.).

Transcribing hand-written words to digital ones is something I'm recently trying again and is actually very helpful for my writing process. I'm the type of writer that tries to make every sentence perfect as I go along digitally, like writing and revising constantly, and I usually don't make that much traction in the long run when I have very few ideas or plotlines to begin with. Writing by hand not only makes me think more meticulously about exactly what I'm writing and how to word it, but also the bigger picture in general. I'm also less afraid to make mistakes on paper because when I go to transcribe it, I get lost in the scene again and end up adding more details I haven't thought of before due to already having the mental building blocks down. It's similar to physically stepping away from your work and literally seeing it in a new light- or format- in this case. Also, handwriting, while slow and tiring, is very therapeutic on the soul for me especially when I've stared at a screen for too long.

I go back and re-read my work ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes it yields ideas, sometimes I edit one word or add another and close it. Other times, I have nothing to add. But most of the time, I pretend I'm pitching it to other people as I read through it. Helps me pick out problems within my own writing to re-explain things or expand upon another. It's a cruel mistress on top of a bad habit- I'm either my own hype guy or my own worst critic, usually not accomplishing much of anything in terms of actually writing something.

I can easily stare at a gif or pic or amv for hours and sit there doing nothing but daydreaming, planning out the entire fic in my brain, and then measly writing a plot outline and never returning to it to flesh it out because I forgot most of the details and that I had technically already finished it in my head.

Like any true writer does, I keep all of my ideas no matter how shitty or out of place they are in the current document. I never know when I'll need it for a different scene or if I come up with something else it works much better with contextually. Or, y'know, when you get that fandom brain rot knocking on your door again.

I flip-flop a lot between adding details and taking them away. I initially try to add as many as possible that I think I can get away with without it being too overbearing before condensing it down later when the writing style doesn't justify it. More details help me paint the scene much better like the environment, character relationships, and senses, but including as much as I do on the regular is usually unnecessary. To include that much detail is really only helpful to me when I've been away from the piece for too long.

Most often I'll completely forget what I'm writing about and go off on a completely unrelated tangent that is vaguely connected to whatever I tried to do. Keeping it floating there in blank space as I re-write it again or revising pieces of it usually helps. See #6 for additional results.

In case no one who's seen my blog notices by now, I tend to be quirky when I talk about my writing; usually in a shitpost-esque style, and then the story/narration itself taking the concept either completely seriously or being aware of the batshit insanity of it all and rolling with it (see, uh, my yan!rpf headcanons for an ex. of this utter derailment.).

Of course I throw myself into my own writing situations, OC or no; what kind of self-indulgent writer doesn't? Also, what easier writing perspective you can write about than yourself?

Side note, being addicted to songs and playing them on loop while I happen to write occurs A LOT and isn't necessarily inspiration, but it certainly helps my mood and flow when it comes to writing.

[centrally-unplanned]

It's so wild to see people discussing megatokyo again. I still have the posters in my closet. I gotta ask. Whatever happened to the visual novel? I checked the forums and the most recent post was like a year ago on the vn?

Oh that is a fun one - the short answer is that Megatokyo author Fred Gallagher bit off way more than he can chew and it collapsed into dust.

To expand on that, the Kickstarter in 2013 was shockingly successful, hitting 300k from a 20k target, and as part of that success the project expanded in scope to multiple chapters of light-novel length and additional side story arcs with non-core characters. Fred stated his intention from the outset to do the lions share of the writing, art, and even coding - he was solo on Megatokyo after all, its how he does things.

As anyone who knows anything about game dev will tell you, these goals and targets were wildly unrealistic. 20k is barely enough to make a demo of a VN, let alone an actual game, and even though he raised more money he did so by adding more content on top of each stretch goal. Additionally, inspired by his success, Fred aimed to add a stylish 'limited animation' concept to the art, which of course massively expands net art needed. And his plan, despite the expanded scope, was still to do most all the art and writing himself to preserve the megatokyo 'style'. All while still writing the comic.

It fell apart really quick of course, but only blog posts in 2016 started to show the cracks, with talk of missed deadlines, difficulty working with a team, and Fred's insistence on centralizing the work with himself. He started trying to scale back the ambitions, ditching the animation-esque elements and tightening the story, but the money was gone, the work done previously wasnt built for that new approach, and by 2017 the other person he hired to work on it left the project. Now it sits in limbo hoping the worked elements can be 'repurposed' somehow, which given that Fred still does the comic and works part time is a faint hope.

There was no moment or twist in production on this one - Fred's conception of the work flow and financial model for the scope of the project were broken from the very beginning. The product outlined in the kickstarter was never going to get made. Always have your project plan reviewed by experienced industry folk before you launch, everyone!

[jawsofbalmung]

so as im playing more and more aa games im thinking about like, capcom is definitely going to keep coming out with aa games, it's a massively popular series and one of their flagships, and if they can keep making money on something they will. but im realizing lots of ways in which they could and probably will (and already have, in some spots) jump the shark if they keep dragging out the two aa timelines we have, and i thought of some future ace attorney game concepts that i would actually want to play, and would actually do a service to the existing world and characters (if done well of course). spirit of justice and dgs spoilers below!:

i can't claim this idea since ive seen a million fan variations on it, but returning to the heart of og ace attorney with a prequel game like mia fey ace attorney would be, maybe a little mid in the grand scheme of the series, but have a lot of potential for a fun game that actually probes deeper into a character as beloved as mia, as well as shows a more rounded and dynamic approach to phoenix's character without overusing him as a protag as ive seen people complain about before. i think it would probably end up disproportionately popular on here too given all the talk ive seen about wanting something like it.

i think another very, very likely concept would be a post-soj sequel focusing more heavily (or even entirely) on apollo and nahyuta's work in reconstructing the khura'inese legal system. most likely this would involve nahyuta staying as a prosecutor and helping apollo puzzle out cases as his opposition as aa prosecutors are prone to do, but i think it would honestly be more interesting if nahyuta was more like apollo's co counsel or even a secondary protagonist, and we got a brand new prosecutor. this would be probably the most exciting game for me personally, and id be very interested in seeing how rayfa's personality would change as she got older and her life got completely upended, and i personally love the divination seance mechanic and look forward to how they would use it in interesting new ways, having a game that takes place entirely in khura'in.

also not a concept i can claim to own, as ive seen a bunch of different ideas for it, but while im not super excited about more [prosecutor] investigations games because i feel like a lot of it will be jumping the shark, there have been some interesting concepts floating around. i really like this one (dd spoilers in the link) though its very very unlikely given that capcom likes its games to be able to stand alone with minimal knowledge of prior aa games, and i feel like dual destinies was so poorly received that they're trying to pretend it didn't exist and move past it. that's what i would do. but my favorite idea that i genuinely, deeply want is a barok van zieks investigation game taking place post-dgs2. it would be a fun way to expand the dgs universe a little more, and show us more of barok's sweeter side after things were resolved for him. i feel like his story isn't quite over yet, and i would quite honestly kill and/or die for a game that focuses on him. @van-zieksy has a good post outlining a bvz investigations game here!

along the lines of extending the dgs storyline, a trequel to the dgs series may be unlikely with how much they packaged it as a duology, but still possible, and something that could be done pretty well or very badly. personally, i think it would be fun to have a dgs game that takes place almost entirely in japan, in which some or all of our english friends wind up there. it was briefly hinted in the dgs2 epilogue that sholmes and iris might be making a trip to japan very soon, and on top of it being fun to see the englishmen being the out of place foreigners for once (especially barok) this would make a good leaping off point to focus partially or even entirely on susato's budding law career, in how she (and ryunosuke) tackle not only uprooting the unfair judicial system in japan, but slowly incrementally making misogynistic policies fade out as susato proves herself as a (very unconvincingly crossdressing) female attorney.

finally, i believe ive seen a fangame(?) concept for it, but a more visual novel-y approach to a dgs prequel would be so fucking cool, and if that is indeed a fangame development i saw, i am beyond stoked to get my hands on it tbh. i don't have the link anymore, but if anyone knows what im talking about, please hit me up with it!

[presumenothing]

Friend-in-law! I like that XD

I was wondering how you did your text wipes in photoshop? I’ve been playing with text in my current project, but I come from a video background so mostly I do it via video editor first. I’m sure there’s a way to do it in photoshop but I can’t for the life of me figure it out😅

❤️❤️❤️

…i admit, i had to check what a text wipe was LMAO. literal enough. anyway i'm gonna assume you are:

using timeline mode, not frame

familiar with layer masks

a cat person (not necessary, but recommended)

the other thing you'll need to know is how to add keyframes, which look like this on the timeline:

expand the layer to be animated on the timeline

click the stopwatch on the property to be animated

a keyframe gets automatically added at the playhead (a) when you first click the stopwatch, and (b) when you change this property (e.g. moving the layer = new transform keyframe)

so, if you turn on the transform stopwatch at the start of the timeline, then go to the end and move the layer (so another keyframe gets added), you get this important message:

with a (helpfully?-outlined) layer mask added, things start to get fun:

and we haven't even animated the mask yet! nyahah. get that stopwatch on layer mask position, and make sure you're moving the layer mask (unlink it if needed):

technically, if you’re animating both in tandem like this, you could probably just stopwatch both properties to start with and move them at one go, but i split them up for Demonstrative Purposes. yes i used stopwatch as a verb. no you can’t stop me.

and in case you thought i forgot what a text wipe was (i probably will, in another hour or so), here’s something closer:

(for the record, if you decide to turn off the animation for a property, move the playhead to where you want it to fix it before you un-stopwatch it. much verb.)

now, if you’ve not fallen off the train with everything above, we can get REALLY fun. with a properly-sized layer mask that actually covers the whole text:

actual effect, without the outline box:

and at this point you can just duplicate the text layer and invert the mask for Magic:

true words indeed!! if i may say so myself.

ETA: some examples of the increasingly ridiculous ways i’ve used this concept!

[gerrydelano]

okay but no, i really am just constantly thinking about what i plan to do with jon's development in PBR given that he's not the archivist, like. it grants so much more freedom that just keeps expanding past assumption the longer i let him grow naturally and OKAY i didn't think i'd need a read more but i have to infodump about jon right now or i'll die.

he's a little more open and affectionate here because he's not trying to put up a front founded in the notion of superiority. he's able to pursue things he wants to learn about because he has access to resources and people with experience that are willing to work with him. he can comfortably assume leadership in moments when he's actually fit for it because they all take turns! he's just able to become so much more well-adjusted when he's not forced into a position that he knows from the outset that he's not qualified for and so trying to compensate for debilitating fear of failure.

my goal is that it still feels like HIM even if he's not going through the same events, even if his opinions on certain things are almost polar purely because the information was given to him in a completely different way, and i do actually feel like i'm sticking to that fairly well so far? this last chapter really drove it home for me that it's Possible, For Real, and i am so. EXCITED.

he's got more room to have a different understanding of even the powers because GERRY explains it to him in a straightforward and candid way on day ONE rather than having to fight for his life trying to figure it out as things are intentionally hidden and taken from him. he can form different opinions with more perspectives to weigh against each other and more evidence of the different shapes humanity can really take!

i literally just had him snap at elias and almost rush him with his cane at the end of that chapter because despite the genuine fear and suspicion he still has for the guy, he Also knows enough about what his real capabilities are that elias isn't even hiding much here! they're all so mask off that they can be a lot more visibly bitter and pissed off! the chess game is loud and jon actually knows he's playing! he's going to play as hard as he can and he's not playing by himself!!!! he's being MENTORED by ADELARD DEKKER. of all people! he has a real chance here!

it's so fucking cr*zy how much can change when you make certain bits of information available, and then see what conflict that brings instead. jon is going to have SUCH an intense trajectory and it WILL be his choice this time, and honestly? no joke? he's going to be so Cool he's going to cultivate an actual image he's going to come into himself in ways he didn't actually think were possible enough to want and he's gonna THRIVE. this latest chapter was so much fun to write because i got to get a feel for what i want for his future beyond a couple of broad concepts in my outline and i can't even say how excited i am fjdbdj.

i just think he's SO INTERESTING and i love puzzles like this kdbdkf for the same reason i like playing with pre-canon? i like reverse engineering to figure out, "how did this character end up this way, with these hangups, with these beliefs, with these strengths, with this interest in this thing." filling in the blanks is so rewarding! i am governed by pure autism.

and so on the flip side of that, i love just! starting from the beginning, assessing innate qualities that a character seems to have at their core, and going "okay, well, how would it manifest in this situation instead? is this subject to change, or is it a universal constant? how different could they become while still remaining identifiable as themself?" it's just SO MUCH FUN. the CHALLENGE.

if you compare a character's first appearance to their final one, in many ways you should be looking at two different people. that is a huge huge huge writing aspiration of mine when it comes to original stuff and so working with this is good practice just for how to, like. spot the smaller intricacies? see what's possible, what writes itself, what you may not have even planned to do but become SO attached to by the end. and seeing how other people respond to it really helps too because it gives you a metric for what works and what doesn't so i JUST!!!! i am having fun i feel really good about this right now almost especially regarding jon because, just.

g-d i cannot wait for his stuff to really take off. i think it was important for him to be the one to break sasha out of her spiral when even tim couldn't, it really sets the stage for what he's going to be capable of when he gets more confident in this really elaborate game of eldritch pokémon he's trying to play.

he's running with a very specific crowd now, here. dekker, gertrude, salesa. mary. leitner. smirke. all people who walked the lines between the powers without tethering themselves to only one.

none of them had to be avatars to be powerful, or for someone out there to shake at the sound of their name.

[marriedzukka]

help.

how tf do you write long chapters.

im writing a zukki fic and i need help

great question lol. I never planned to write something as long as retgmt, it just kind of.....turned into what it is. I think the first chapter is like 5.6k words, the last one I put out was almost 35k words (???????) and by the time it's done it's definitely going to surpass 200k words which is just fucking wild

The chapters keep getting longer because the story kind of morphed into something I never expected...i started out with a goal in mind, but as I really got into it, it became clear that there were certain concepts or ideas that I needed to explore more, so I just kind of...kept writing. And I always think of new scene ideas AS I'm writing, so those inevitably get added in too.

It takes a lot of planning and a lot of work, at least for me. But when I'm able to hit that groove where I've finally figured out what I want a chapter to look like, it's fun for me. Until then it's a lot of throwing random ideas into a google doc and crying until it starts to make sense.

(I don't know if it will help you but if you're curious what my actual, boring, practical process is like, here's that...under the cut bc it got kind of long:)

I work out of a few docs when I'm writing:

outline: general for the entire story/the big picture.

scene ideas: for each chapter, i start out brainstorming scene ideas. Any random idea I get that I think might work, I throw it in here (this doc is usually a MESS lol). What I usually do is keep a list of any specific dialogue, phrases, or concepts that I know I want to use or explore in the chapter. For each individual scene idea, I give it a title so that I can easily refer back to it later (ex: "sokka flare up" or "zuko x azula conversation about [x]"). Most of these ideas are just bullet points but sometimes I'll end up writing bigger portions of the scene here too, almost like a rough draft...just depends. Again...it's a mess.

rough chapter outline: using the titles I wrote for the scene ideas, I try to arrange them into an outline. I think about where the characters are at the beginning of the chapter and where I want them to be by the end of it. All of the scenes I cooked up are just the stepping stones to get there, so I try to organize them in a way that flows and makes sense.

rough draft: using the rough outline I made, I work on drafting the scenes. I usually hop around, writing bits here and there for each one as I get inspiration, taking what I wrote down in the scene ideas doc. This is the hardest part of the entire process for me. It's really hard for me to write at all if I don't know where I'm going with a scene, so until I get the outline really nailed down, writing doesn't usually flow for me.

rough draft 2 (or 3 or 4, etc): I go back and see if there are any concepts, moments, or emotions that I need to elaborate on or show better. Sometimes this requires adding in another scene to really showcase it, or maybe just some expanded dialogue or longer description of inner thoughts/feelings. If I get stuck on a scene, I ask myself: what was its original purpose and is it accomplishing that? does it flow with the rest of the chapter where it is? would it work better from a different character's POV or in a different setting? and I change it accordingly.

Another way to add some length to your chapters is to rewrite a scene from another character's POV. it's a fun exercise but also adds more to the word count! (ex: in retgmt, at the end of chapter 1 when zuko shows up late to the group and they meet for the first time, it's in Sokka's POV. at the start of chapter 2, i wrote about zuko reflecting on that night and why he was late in the first place. this directly tied into the next scene when zuko decides to go to the group early, and runs into sokka again).

After all of that it's just....general editing and final drafting once I'm finally happy with what I've written.

TL,DR: MAKE A PLAN. general story outline > scene ideas > chapter outline > drafts. Break it down scene by scene. Move things around, add more scenes, elaborate where needed, or take things out during the writing process depending on where you want the chapter to end up.

Honestly though...all of that being said, my biggest piece of advice when writing a long story is to take breaks when you need to. Every story is different and sometimes your chapters might be shorter, or they might end up being longer than what you planned. It really just depends.

Writing can be really fun but it can also be really hard too, so go easy on yourself. I'm still learning how to do that.