n3wt0n-5

[n3wt0n-5]

people telling you they reread your fic is the biggest compliment you could ever receive. there are thousands of stories out there begging to be found, to be explored, but your story meant so much to someone that they came back to it eagerly, they went over every word again. to love is to return and loving a fic is rereading it. thank you to all readers and rereaders <3333

[n3wt0n-5]

I really don't understand how "without getting kudos or comments a fanfiction author is going to assume that people who clicked their fic didn't like it" became a controversial take.

I don't know why some people think an author should imagine, or guess that people who click their fic enjoyed it it when nobody is telling them that.

If you're re-reading a fic constantly, or leaving it up in your tab so that it re-loads every day for a hundred days the author is not going to know that unless you tell them. They'd love to hear it. It would make their day.

And if you don't tell them you liked their fic, there's no reason for them to assume you did.

[n3wt0n-5]

Me: I'm writing for myself, I started this fanfic for myself, and because I have a passion for writing

Also me: *doesn't get new comments in a week* Fuck, I should just quit right now

[n3wt0n-5]

BTW i see these posts all the time like "ohhh i dont know what to comment on fics.." and every response is "keysmashes! or hearts!! anything works :3" and thats GREAT!! thats helpful!!

but: consider. if u genuinely like analyzing writing.. do u know ur just allowed to go through and quote your favorite parts and ramble abt what they mean to u and the author will LOSE IT WITH HYPE?

genuinely. i felt SO WEIRD the first time i did it.. but like. holy shit authors love it. its crack for authors. the first time i did it, it was on a fic that hadnt updated in half a year, give or take, and the author made 3 updates that month BECAUSE OF MY COMMENT.

LIKE. as an author every comment is INCREDIBLE!!! but also, dont feel like your comment has to be short or otherwise ur invasive or smth!! authors ADORE long comments more than ANYTHING.

[n3wt0n-5]

The research is as important as writing the story itself, and often a lot more enjoyable!

Things I learned the hard way-ish

I used to think I could just slap a job title on a character and call it a day. I mean, who needs to research when you can just make stuff up, right? Wrong.

Looking back at my old stories, I can totally see where I messed up. Like, if your character’s a lawyer, don’t just have them say legal jargon they pulled from a crime show. Actually watch those lawyer shows, read the books. Same goes for doctors, detectives, or really any specialized profession.

I’m not saying you need to become a lawyer or doctor to write about one, but you do need to make it feel real. If your character is supposed to be a seasoned pro but has zero idea how their job works, it shows, and the whole story can start to unravel.

[n3wt0n-5]

[n3wt0n-5]

workplace relations (thinking about helly's "i'm not your new petey" and how mark survived his job prior to the show/unionising his coworkers lol)

[n3wt0n-5]

Sometimes, you need to stop to move forward

The best way to overcome writers block is often to stop. If you simply can’t be creative, just stop trying and do something else.

Go for a walk. Do some chores. Drink your favourite beverage and listen to some music. Read a book or watch a film. Creativity often strikes when we least expect it.

[n3wt0n-5]

nobody talks about how much of writing is just you staring at a blank document, begging your brain for one good sentence.

[n3wt0n-5]

your writing doesn’t have to be perfect. it just has to make someone feel something.

[n3wt0n-5]

That fic you've been putting off? Just write. Just start it, even if you don't have a plan or an outline. Write "The", even if you aren't sure what comes next. Just stare at it for a few minutes or even a few seconds. Put a few words down, even if it's the sloppiest start you've ever written, even if it's nonsensical, even if you end up erasing them later. Just put something down

[n3wt0n-5]

So what if I'm not good enough?

No, seriously. So what if I'm not 'good enough'?

Who am I hurting by not being good enough? No one. Writing is a craft that gives, not takes away. Even the worst stories in the world can give the reader something, whether it was meant to or not.

So what if I gain a reputation for being a 'bad' writer? So what if people avoid my work for all the reasons I fear? So what? No seriously. So what?

I own who I am. I write my own words. They come from my heart alone. I don't use the plagiarism machine. I don't lie about my ethnicity. I don't exploit other people. I don't harass others, or chase them off social media. I don't hurt people to lift myself up, or for my own selfish fun. I'm not an asshole, at least, I try not to be.

So what if I'm not 'good enough'? So what if you're 'not good enough'? There's so much worse things to be than that.

And at the end of the day, I'm pretty sure, the only person who thinks I'm not good enough is myself. I mean, have you ever once looked at another person, nevermind a writer, and gone 'you're not good enough'? I haven't. I bet you haven't either.

Maybe you and I, we should show ourselves a little kindness tonight.

[n3wt0n-5]

For aro/ace writers:

- you don't have to write sex scenes. Tolkien didn't

- you don't have to write romance. Lewis didn't

- you can write very close friendships that have nothing romantic nor sexual in them. Scott Lynch did

- you can write sexual relationships that don't involve romance. Sapkowski did

- you can write romantic relationships that don't involve sex. Pratchett and Gaiman did

Don't let anyone tell you that some kinds of relationships are impossible or that a story must contain some themes. It's your story, write it the way you want

[n3wt0n-5]

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

[n3wt0n-5]

if you're an outie in the severance universe and you're a smoker does that mean your innie is just constantly on edge and miserable and craving something they can't even put a name to because they've never experienced it? if you drink too much on a weeknight does your innie just have to suffer the headache and nausea of a hangover without knowing where it came from?? if you have tattoos on parts of your body that are always covered by the lumon dress code, does your innie just walk around not knowing about them? what do you do if you get a hickey?? do you think any innies have ever gotten naked in the bathroom just to see the entirety of the body that they're not allowed to own???

[n3wt0n-5]

the writing process is basically this:

think of a great idea.

convince yourself it’s terrible.

write it anyway because what else are you going to do with your life?

[n3wt0n-5]

Not sure why I’m posting this but I need to put my feelings somewhere and this is as good a place as any, I guess.

Recently I’ve been having a crisis about my writing. I have spent the last three years reading and writing fanfic about my beloved PatPat from BBS and I have loved every moment of it, but am now wondering if the time has come to stop.

While I wish them every success in their respective careers, I have no interest in the actors who played Pat and Pran beyond the fact that they will always be Pat and Pran.

What I enjoyed about writing fanfic was the community I found with other writers/readers in the fandom. But understandably that community has changed, and a lot of the writers whose work I love and admire have moved onto other ships. That’s great, I’m happy for them, but their new ships don’t interest me, so I feel completely disconnected as the community I was once part of has fractured.

I’m a little lost and unsure of where I go from here. I love writing, I find it helps me relax. I love the writing blogs on this site—I want to learn more about writing, to improve and progress, but I am no longer sure what I want to write about.

I tried branching out from what I know and wrote a number of fictions about a couple from another series I love. Those stories were very well received so perhaps this is something I should explore more. But after three years with the same character’s voices in my head connecting to new ones was hard, as was coming up with suitable story ideas.

To give myself some space I tried joining in a new fandom for a different creative outlet, but the fan wars online are so toxic it’s soured my enjoyment of an artist I respect and admire, and whose work I am passionate about. Unfortunately this toxicity pollutes fandoms and has made me really sad as it’s nothing to do with the artists and everything to do with their so called fans.

Ultimately I suppose I don’t really need to go looking for answers as I’m sure eventually inspiration will find me if I’m patient. Maybe I should just stay away from fandoms altogether and focus on reading and other activities for a while.