#this isn't the best example because I used the shitty and fun art generator but there are some really good ones out there

[diazisms]

Hello to one of my fav 9-1-1 writers!

I was just wondering how you find the motivation to write? I'm struggling with it right now and will appreciate any advice you can give!

HI FIRST OF ALL THANKS!!!! you're sweet :')

i'm in a bit of a slump right now mostly because all my writing juice is going towards my assignments for class (shocker, i, a writing and literature major, have to write about literature), however i think getting into the habit of writing consistently is so important. if not everyday than as much as you can. it doesn't even have to be that much but just a little bit of creative writing to keep the story going and you're brain used to having to work and think that way.

one thing that REALLY works for me in terms of longer writing is plotting as you go. i'll plot the first three chapters and then when i get to the third chapter i'll plot the next three. i like sticking to my outline it helps keep the story going in one clear direction, but i also get so frustrated when i plot an entire 90k fic or book and the narrative naturally starts unfolding in a different way. trying to beat the story into submission is...not easy. and then i always end up giving up. outline a little at a time but also having a general idea in mind to guide the plot works best for me.

also, for longer works, you can't just sit and write 90k in one go. that doesn't work and is probably not possible. but sometimes if you leave a scene you won't be able to go back to it, so i leave myself a little 1-2 sentence summary of where i planned for the scene to go so i don't stare at the words trying to figure out what the hell was supposed to happen next.

for shorter fics like one-shots under 10k i'll kind of just let it go where it wants to. and if i don't like where it's going i go back a few lines to figure out what changed and where the tone shifted into a direction i didn't like and couldn't continue in a way that felt...good or organic, i guess.

oh! one of my best tips and something i am ALWAYS doing in my writing that keeps it flowing because it keeps me really focused on the words and the story i'm telling is trying to make a conscious effort to not start sentences and paragraphs with the same letter. sometimes it's inevitable, but i do my best to make sure that doesn't happen.

for example, this is from a fic i'm working on

Tommy slows down like he’s about to pull out and Buck whines, high and throaty and embarrassingly needy. He hears Tommy laugh a little, teasing.

originally, i wrote it "Tommy slows down...Tommy laughs a little." but that felt repetitive in a way that had no real purpose or added to the story, you know? so i paused and tried to figure out how to reword the sentence so i'm not starting it all the same way.

it's really easy to get trapped in the "he did this. he did that. other character did this." which makes it feel stale and then it pulls you out of your own because you're staring at it like....this isn't fun.

and writing should be fun!

having to reword your sentences and rework your paragraphs so it's got a different rhythm to it and it isn't necessarily the same structure forces you to stay present in your writing and makes it more engaging. also, it makes for a better read as a reader.

it's annoying but sometimes you have to force motivation. you gotta sit down in front of whatever it is you use to write — laptop, cell phone, type writer, notebook, you name it — and stare at the blinking cursor until words come out.

shitty writing is still writing! you can edit a paragraph that you think sucks but you can't edit nothing. write. even if it's not the best thing ever. if you have a story you want to tell, put it in words. maybe it'll take you a day maybe it'll take you a year to write it, but that's okay. time will pass anyway, right? might as well create along the way.

no art is bad. no art is useless. if you're writing something and you scrap it, great, now you know what went wrong. what didn't work.

force it until it comes. that's my go-to move, to be honest. turn off distractions, write in a different window where you have no other tabs, really familiarize yourself with the text and story you're telling.

and you'll be golden :)

[izzet-league-mad-scientist]

honestly who even needs picrew. I can't see anything wrong with these images at all