#writing analytics

[writingdotcoffee]

Challenge: Write for 10 Minutes Every Day for a Week

It's a common misconception that a daily writing habit takes a huge amount of time and effort to maintain. It doesn't.

With the right tools and systems in place, it can be as leisurely as a walk in a park. You don't have to lose sleep over it. You don't have to chain-smoke cigarettes. You don't have to quit your job and move into the woods to do it.

I'm not sure what is causing this sentiment — perhaps memories from when you joined NaNoWriMo and tried writing thousands of words daily (or a similar push to hit a crazy deadline). While it can work for some, most writers don't write thousands of words every day like that.

This week, I want to challenge you to write for just ten minutes every day. There's no daily word count goal. If you sit there for ten minutes and nothing comes out, that's a success too.

From Dreamer to Writer

Hang on a second. How can you get anything done with just ten minutes per day? I'm glad that you asked!

If you stick to it, you'll write for just over an hour per week, five hours per month and 60 hours per year. According to my writing stats, I average about 1,500 words per hour. That's 90,000 words per year. I'm not a particularly fast writer, but even if you did half of that, you're still in the 50,000 words/year range.

That's a lot of words, considering you're only writing for 10 minutes a day. But there's more.

Occasionally, you'll be in the mood for writing. Your ten minutes fly past, and you're nowhere near done. Maybe you write for 30 minutes, perhaps an hour, working on an exciting chapter of your story.

The words add up faster than you think.

The Challenge

Starting today, write for at least ten minutes per day for a week. You may work on your current WIP, write a short story, blog post or journal.

There's no word goal. As long as you sit down to write, it's a success!

I set up a challenge in Writing Analytics if you'd like to join:

https://app.writinganalytics.co/challenge/647f2785e7b6ddfbda265635

One great thing about WA is that you can set and track time goals for your writing sessions. That makes it super easy to build a writing habit like that:

Happy writing!

[mischiefiswritten]

Writing Update | 7.8.23

Today has been a tough one. It's been hard to get the words to flow and to see the scene in my head. But I'm still proud of myself for persevering and getting started. I've written for three days straight now and written a couple hundred words a day. That's a big win for getting my writing practice back in order!

I've been thinking about new ideas of this new sci-fi WIP for a couple months now, and I'm starting to see some more concrete concepts. I've been working on the prologue, which is honestly the only part that I know what I want it to look like lol, but it's been fun so far!

[torchstelechos]

I love that Isabeau is the one to bring up the "what do we do if you die" conversation cause its a very good insight to his character at the very start of the game. Isabeau is practical, smart, and loves everyone dearly and wants to know how to help them when shit goes sideways. He's the one to ask about Bonnie too, which is a delightful read on how he thinks because everyone else shuts that down instantly as a "That wont happen and cant happen" but we see later in the game it can happen which is such a startling thing for a game to do but justifies the foreshadowing of Bonnie can die what do we do if that happens? Isabeau, despite everything, is also the one who gets to the heart of the matter even if its not something must people are willing to talk about. All without it being part of his friendquest, thats just him naturally. Which! Says so much about him and how he is! His character when its not about his relationship with Siffrin is a very intriguing thing because it feels like a very classic hard intellectual stance that's been softened after many years of learning to better communicate healthily with others. A reflection, if you will, of Odile but in a very drastic direction. I find him fascinating and I also want to scoop his brains out and study them under a microscope to see all his little brain thoughts.

[sweatermuppet]

i think some of the best literary + film analysis advice i was given was from my high school fiction into film teacher who told us she would grade us well on finding any meaning in any symbol or motif so long as we could back up that feeling or meaning from source material, no matter how personal, minor, or long-reaching that meaning was—if your argument was good & could be grounded, she would accept it, even if you were the only student who interrupted the book/film that way

[cosmichorrorlesbians]

thinking about Her.

[gennyrthewriter]

I'm celebrating the DEFINITIVE (second) edition of my first book being released on Amazon! If you like colonial-era inspired low fantasy with political intrigue, moral ambiguity, ideological struggle, and of course, two gay men coated in blood fighting each other with swords at the climax, give it a chance!

Click here for a link to the Amazon page

In a forgotten backwater colony, a power hungry general, an exiled city guard, a lost queen, and a rogue agent clash over the scraps that each feel they were entitled to. When those hungry for power fight, can anyone truly win?

[hydeposting]

The realisation that every J&H character is an unreliable narrator is such a key point of the story to me and I’m kinda shocked they never explicitly say this to us. You really CANNOT take anything a character says at face value. They all hide their own stuff from us and have distorted viewpoints.

Why is Enfield out so late? Why is everyone fine with him being the “man about town”? Is it as long as it’s women he’s pursuing? What the fuck is Utterson’s deal, just in general? What was ACTUALLY wrong with Jekyll, before the Hyde stuff? What was ANY CHARACTER’S DEAL, HONESTLY?

[sodasa-was-taken]

Why Suletta and Miorine's story is a romance: A Mobile Suite Gundam: The Witch from Mercury story structure analysis by Sodasa

So, I recently watched The Witch from Mercury, and I felt compelled to write an analysis of the show's use of the story structure of romances. I'm a hobbyist in the history of trends in genre fiction with a particular interest in romances. I thought it would be fun to use my area of expertise to talk about how the budding relationship between Miorine and Suletta is intertwined with the story of G-Witch.

Something particular about the romance genre is that, unlike other genres of fiction, it's mostly defined by its story structure. This means that just because a story is about two people getting together does not automatically make it a romance in the same way having magic in a story qualifies it as a fantasy. The flip side of this is that while you can't have a fantasy without fantastical elements, a romance can be put in any setting. As long as the story hits the required plot beats, it's still a romance. This makes Romance simultaneously one of the strictest and most versatile genres, as the plot can be anything as long as it ties into the main characters' developing relationship. Use this structure in a story about financial politics and mechs, and you get a story like The Witch from Mercury.

I think the show uses this structure very effectively. In my opinion, a great romance should, first and foremost, be an exploration of the part of the human condition where previous bad experiences make us reject intimacy. The romance story structure is designed to have the characters come face-to-face with their inner demons by giving them a reason to overcome them. Something that's a lot harder to pull off outside of romances, as not many things in life require us to overcome some of our deepest insecurities instead of just pushing them down.

G-Witch is a great show to use as an example of what makes a romance a romance as it follows the story structure almost to a tee, but it's also not the kind of story that most people usually think of when picturing a romance. I also believe that seeing the show through the lens of the romance structure leads to some juicy character psychoanalysis for Suletta and Miorine. I'll go over all the plot beats of a romance and explain how they apply to G-Witch and, if applicable, why I think you don't see those plot beats outside of romances. The names of the plot beats are taken from "Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels" by Gwen Hayes, which is also my primary source, along with my own extensive experience with the romance genre.

I hope someone gets something out of this. I have seen some excellent analyses and theories for this show, but they have been on things I don't know much about myself. Since the only part of story analysis I excel at is the structure of romances, I thought I'd lend my own area of expertise. I want to clarify that while I might sound matter-of-fact, this is just my opinion. I'm by no means saying that you have to think that G-Witch is a romance. I'm just arguing for why I personally consider it to be one.

[zukosdualdao]

i'm literally insane about the last agni kai and the lightning scene(s). i swear i've rewatched it 10+ times since my last rewatch of the show (which was my first watch in years) and like. azula sees katara come into view from behind. zuko doesn't. he follows azula's gaze and sees katara and is immediately horrified. he doesn't even think or hesitate because he doesn't have time and for once he doesn't have to look back at azula to figure out what she's doing because he knows what she's doing and he won't let it happen. time dwindling into slow motion as a haunting score plays? and zuko literally yelling out "no!" because that lightning absolutely cannot hit katara. as soon as he sees it there's no chance of that ever happening. and then katara watching in horror as the lightning flashes against features in what is probably one of the most hauntingly beautiful animated moments of the show? zuko hitting the ground still convulsing with lightning and katara crying out "zuko!" and immediately trying to run to him before azula attacks again? and the next scene we cut back to with them, zuko is groaning weakly and trying to lift himself up, and we see katara literally gasp in surprise as she realizes he's still alive (i'm sobbing because i do quite literally think she thought he was dead) and immediately tries to run to him again, nevermind that she knows azula is still there, and the hand katara uses for healing is already doused in water as she reaches for him. but then azula starts attacking again. and zuko, despite literally being in so much pain that he can't stand and can barely even move at all without whimpering, still tries to reach for the spot where he can see azula attacking katara. katara is forced to hide from azula's attacks. and as azula is mocking "zuzu, you don't look so good" down to zuko, the perspective shot is such that you can SEE that katara is also looking at where he lies prone in the distance, surrounded by flame (probably wondering how much time they have before it really is too late) before looking back up at azula and realizing she needs to defeat her as quickly and handily as possible so katara can get to zuko. obviously katara would have done this anyway (the whole reason they were THERE was to halt the continued cycle of the imperialist regime of the fire nation), but the scene is specifically framed as katara trying to figure out how to stop azula so the obstacle to her getting to zuko is no longer in the way. katara's defeat of azula was epic and deserves its own post. but then after making sure azula is securely chained, she runs to zuko, looks at him with such immense sadness and horror and fear as she hears him in so much pain, tenderly turns him over so she can get a good look at the wound. and she cups his head? briefly but so gently? so that he won't hit it as she turns him over? and when she tries to heal him you can tell she is so genuinely unsure if it will even work, and so relieved that she starts crying tears of joy when she sees it has (at least enough to keep him alive and somewhat lessen his pain.) they thank each other (and you can tell it's still really hard for zuko to talk and his eyes are barely open but he thanks her anyways i'm.) and she thanks him back and!!! when he starts to try to sit up she makes a little surprised face and then immediately helps him to do so (and puts a tender hand to his chest while she does!!!) and obviously that last shot of them standing together is also one of emotional support, but katara's hand on his back is also partly because i still think (and certainly katara still thinks) trying to walk/stand on his own would be a bad idea, so it's definitely not happening.

[exclamationpayne]

One of the most underestimated friend dynamics in the show to me is Shirley and Abed. They have the cutest little moments sometimes and I think: Damn I want to write that friendship one day (and I will when I figure it out).

I wanna say they get a cute moment per season but only s01 and s02 is fresh in my head because I kind of live there rn (like S01E18 when Abed meets her kids and says she's a good mom and S02E05 when Shirley impedes Abed's Jesus movie after hearing him pray for a way out and by the end both admit they learned/were humbled by each other). There might be other moments but my brain does not retain everything, just moments here or there lol So if I'm wrong about anything I don't mind being corrected lol

Anyway, both moments Abed doesn't object to physical contact either and accepts it from her with a smile. He does with with other characters too but still it's cute. A part of me thinks it's what he misses about his mom because before she left maybe they were close? Or maybe he gets to see the potential of that kind of maternal love that may have been missing? I don't know, hard to tell because she left but then she visited him every year for Christmas but then she just kind of said "you're an adult now, new life and new kid bye" lol So idk how to interpret how close he was with his mom (and any headcanons I have it's usually limited per fic and not necessarily set in stone because I'm not super rigid with headcanons for anything tbh) but regardless I wonder if that correlates with his relationship with Shirley.

Anyway, I know they play on her mom traits of guilt tripping and baking and being the disciplinarian and being sweet but my favorite parts are when she just radiates mom energy in a way that's like a hug or a really good soft cookie. I wish we saw more of this in the show and kind of sad of the could've been for a S04 that doesn't exist where we might've gotten more of that and S06 where Yvette left for personal reasons so no Shirley at all :'c

[speedlimit15]

.

[writingdotcoffee]

Writing Challenge: Fast Drafting

Fast drafting, or vomit drafting, is a pretty self-explanatory approach to writing. You try to get the first draft down as fast as you can. Contrary to what the name suggests, it's not all about speed (or, well, indigestion).

In this post, we'll go over the benefits of fast drafting and why you should try it at least once.

Why Fast Draft?

Although you write faster than usual when fast drafting, speed isn't the point. For most writers, speed isn't a concern at all. Who cares whether it took you three, six or nine months to finish your book?

The problem many writers face is getting bogged down and never finishing at all. You probably heard the stats before. Nine out of ten writers who start working on a book will never finish the first draft.

Often, the issue isn't time or energy. These aspiring authors are paralysed by self doubt, second-guessing everything.

I still remember my first attempt at writing a novel. I spent weeks writing and rewriting the first few paragraphs — about 700 words. And that's it. I never got beyond that.

It starts by going back to edit stuff — rephrasing a few sentences here and there. Any bigger issue you can't fix right away will gnaw on you. Suddenly, you've got this feeling simmering inside of you that the story won't work.

You go back to your outline and start moving things around. Maybe you killed the sidekick too early? Isn't the build-up too predictable? Ugh! The whole thing is a mess, and you don't want to be working on it anymore.

How Fast Drafting Works?

The goal is to keep your mind focused on making progress. You don't want to give it a chance to second-guess anything until you've finished the first draft.

It's surprisingly difficult to do if you haven't done it before.

Your first draft will be a mess. All first drafts are. But you will have to ignore that and keep ploughing ahead. Your inner perfectionist will be in agony.

To stay disciplined, many writers don't allow themselves to fix anything. Mistyped a word? It stays in. No exceptions.

Editing is a slippery slope. You fix a typo here and there. Next, you're fixing the odd structural issue, moving a few paragraphs around. Before you know it, you're outlining again, wondering whether you should rather kill the sidekick in chapter 24.

That said, a messy first draft can be a blessing. Instead of seeing your first draft as this seemingly polished thing, you see it for the mess that it is. No matter how much you edit during the first draft, it will never be perfect.

When you start editing, you'll fix the typos and obvious issues. That will help you get into the flow and be ready to tackle the big things next.

The Editing Lock

Writing Analytics (the app that I built) has a thing called the editing lock. When you enable it, you won't be able to delete anything from your draft.

Every time I use it, I'm surprised just how much I go back to edit stuff. It's so helpful.

It was a suggestion from one of the readers of the blog a while ago (massive thank you 🙏).

If you'd like to try it, the app is free for everyone for the first two weeks.

The Challenge

Spend an hour or more this week fast-drafting a story. Come up with an idea and stick to it until the end — no matter what. Put the editing lock on if you're struggling and crush all the self-doubt that comes up with a steamroller.

I set up a challenge where you can write along with me (and others):

https://app.writinganalytics.co/challenge/646c860be7b6ddfbda016a9c

[pl4yingcards]

something about c!Quackity being most vulnerable when he's in the prison torturing Dream

i mean, look at him. a man who performs in all aspects of his life, from political position to political position. you walk onstage and you grin and you bear it, and you leave your drinking problems and cigarette habits behind closed doors where they won't reflect on your country

there's no public eye to watch him in the prison, though. arguably it's one of the only places that has no eye to watch him because he's made so sure to keep that door closed

at the same time, i think quackity is a man who feels trapped more often than he'll let on. sure, in las nevadas, he's created the prison, but is a caged animal any less caged if its prison is made of its own claws? he got to choose his image this time but it doesn't make him any less trapped in the picture-perfect lens he's framed himself in

when that entrapment becomes more literal, when he is practically literally trapped in this cell with no eyes to watch him but the eyes he is forcing to pay attention, it's like externalizing the feeling of being trapped. he is more at home in a cage than he is in a cushy office

and then, of course, there's the torture element. a place to really let go of the image he's crafted for himself. he doesn't have to be the president, the vice, the collected showrunner he presents himself as. with nobody watching, he can be raw and vulnerable. not sad-vulnerable, but angry

anger doesn't fit his image, the showrunner, the cool and calm version of himself that deals cutting remarks and losing hands to others

[swingingspaceageidiot]

Jared’s cut Dear Evan Hansen song (Goin’ Viral) sounds like he has gone viral and it ruined his social status/reputation that’s why he hasn’t got many friends except Evan and partially Alana.

Where Jared says “Trust me, dude, that shit will linger” it implies that he has gone through that before because he knows what it’s like. In addition, the tone that is used when Jared says “Once your letter first gets tweeted, that stuff never gets deleted” makes it sound like Jared has tweeted something before and it has been used against him and or to bully him. Also, he says “You’ll be the poster boy for ‘gay and lame’” it hints that Jared gets bullied for being gay and lame because of his ‘Goin’ Viral’ experience. Aswell, the way he gives the advice “So either kill yourself or change your name” suggests that he spiralled and had suicidal thoughts when he went viral. This is further supported when he says “You’re life’s gonna spiral” in a tone which implies he spiralled in his own experience.

Goin’ Viral also reminds me of The Smartphone Hour from Be More Chill which is a song about a person called Rich Goranksi going viral on twitter after burning down his friends house and going to hospital. Goin’ Viral references fleeing to Bombay when it says “You flee to Bombay and still, you’re trending” and in The Smartphone Hour it says “Rich set a fire and fled to Bombay” which further proves my point. Also, this does make me think that there could’ve been a chance of Jared and Rich being friends, most likely online, because they had similar experiences in songs.

In conclusion, above are my reasons to believe that Jared has gone viral and it is his reasoning for not having many friends and getting bullied.

[vagueeyes]

Propaganda for today's @insideno9bracket poll is appreciation for the costumes in THE TROLLEY PROBLEM.

Drew wearing dark colours and Blake wearing light (with dark underneath!) was easy to spot early on. But rewatching the episode today I finally realized what they resemble...

It's chess pieces. They are playing chess the entire episode. How did this not occur to me before??

Also, I've not read the script yet, but this has always been my favourite bit of dialogue - it summaries a lot of the show very well:

[gydima]

The problem with my new, sudden urge to write Paddy/Eoin fic is that I don't have a poetic bone in my body. There's no way I can think like Paddy or write believable dialogue for him.

I mean, I might write something anyway, but whatever I come up with is definitely gonna lack the linguistic flourish so central to his character.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯