#advice is hard

[i-am-a-fish]

I'm very sorry to ask something like this, I've really been struggling with this question, and I wanted to ask the combined wisdom of the people on this site

I would like to know why you keep going, and what drives you to keep living. I know there are a lot of reasons to stay alive and enjoy life, I can think of a few that personally resonate with me, but I really want to know what your reasons are

You do not have to comment on this if that's too big of an ask, and I'm very sorry for asking something like this, I really need someone's help, I feel like I don't have much purpose

Also if I may ask, please don't post any suicidal ideation in the comments of this post, I really can't handle something like that right now

[nondelphic]

every writer knows the pain of having an idea that’s “too good” to write because you know you can’t do it justice

[byoldervine]

Types Of Writer’s Block (And How To Fix Them)

1. High inspiration, low motivation. You have so many ideas to write, but you just don’t have the motivation to actually get them down, and even if you can make yourself start writing it you’ll often find yourself getting distracted or disengaged in favour of imagining everything playing out

Try just bullet pointing the ideas you have instead of writing them properly, especially if you won’t remember it afterwards if you don’t. At least you’ll have the ideas ready to use when you have the motivation later on

2. Low inspiration, high motivation. You’re all prepared, you’re so pumped to write, you open your document aaaaand… three hours later, that cursor is still blinking at the top of a blank page

RIP pantsers but this is where plotting wins out; refer back to your plans and figure out where to go from here. You can also use your bullet points from the last point if this is applicable

3. No inspiration, no motivation. You don’t have any ideas, you don’t feel like writing, all in all everything is just sucky when you think about it

Make a deal with yourself; usually when I’m feeling this way I can tell myself “Okay, just write anyway for ten minutes and after that, if you really want to stop, you can stop” and then once my ten minutes is up I’ve often found my flow. Just remember that, if you still don’t want to keep writing after your ten minutes is up, don’t keep writing anyway and break your deal - it’ll be harder to make deals with yourself in future if your brain knows you don’t honour them

4. Can’t bridge the gap. When you’re stuck on this one sentence/paragraph that you just don’t know how to progress through. Until you figure it out, productivity has slowed to a halt

Mark it up, bullet point what you want to happen here, then move on. A lot of people don’t know how to keep writing after skipping a part because they don’t know exactly what happened to lead up to this moment - but you have a general idea just like you do for everything else you’re writing, and that’s enough. Just keep it generic and know you can go back to edit later, at the same time as when you’re filling in the blank. It’ll give editing you a clear purpose, if nothing else

5. Perfectionism and self-doubt. You don’t think your writing is perfect first time, so you struggle to accept that it’s anything better than a total failure. Whether or not you’re aware of the fact that this is an unrealistic standard makes no difference

Perfection is stagnant. If you write the perfect story, which would require you to turn a good story into something objective rather than subjective, then after that you’d never write again, because nothing will ever meet that standard again. That or you would only ever write the same kind of stories over and over, never growing or developing as a writer. If you’re looking back on your writing and saying “This is so bad, I hate it”, that’s generally a good thing; it means you’ve grown and improved. Maybe your current writing isn’t bad, if just matched your skill level at the time, and since then you’re able to maintain a higher standard since you’ve learned more about your craft as time went on

[erraticprocrastinator]

A reminder to all my lovely fellow writers: progress is progress, even when it isn't. Writing four thousand words in a session is progress. Writing a hundred words in a session is progress. Removing an entire scene because it doesn't flow well is progress. Rethinking your plan for the plot in order to get unstuck is progress. Development looks different for every writer and every story.

[stellamancer]

10, 12, 17, 23 <333 (esp 23 pls i need advice)

MAOMIIII gibs u smooch

10) Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up.

I'm doing this for & here i am alive because i actually haven't used the word in shine on the sea at all. Also two version: the first actual instance of the word in the fic and uh, a the first unposted version of it showing up.

Deku blinks owlishly at you, no doubt confused by your reaction. (chapter two)

and then

Izuku blinks and then answers. “I honestly really like the ten zaru soba, but Todoroki swears by the regular zaru soba if you’re not feeling tempura.” (chapter sixteen)

as a bonus:

I think that's pretty low for a WIP that's sitting at a total of 56k. LMAO.

12) how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

Ahahaha. I won't lie, it does make me a little sad because I'm like 'i shared it please look!' but at the same time, it is what it is, you know? It kind of ties into my 'write what you want because you are your main reader philosophy.' It is a little sad if something I worked on or threw my whole writerussy into doesn't get acknowledge, but, at least I get the satisfaction of writing something I liked?

I kinda go into posting things with the mentality that it won't get a lot of readers or engagement, so anytime someone says something really nice about my work I turn into a little niku puddle.

17) What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

I try to go do something else. Try not to worry about it. I got games I can play or stuff to watch.

When I'm actively trying to write something and I'm having a hard time trying to word what I will do is go do something else (wash the dishes or whatever) as I'm trying to write. It sounds really counterintuitive, but I think it can help when the writing isn't the main focus. Because like... it feels like, pretty often, my brain wants to go into writing mode when I'm doing something else. So if I can just sneak in a sentence or two when I'm at work... hehe.

23) Best writing advice for other writers?

Hm, so this is a couple things: 1) write out the sentence even if you think it's absolute shit garbage 2) highlight it or change the font color to come back to it later and can keep writing.

I will say, this is way easier said than done because I know it's so easy to get hung up on making sure one sentence sounds sexy before you move on. But it takes longer to make sure the sentence is sexy!!!

It's not exactly the same as scene jumping but. At least you get something out, you know? And then when you go back to fix it, it maybe feels like less work because you have the rest of the fic done, you just gotta fix the problem spots. And if you have a beta, they know what the font color and stuff means then they can know that that's a point where you are like 'HELP!!!' so they know to focus on that.

On a completely separate note, for you in particular, just let your horny guide you. LMAO. Not just guide you, but let it consume you whole. uwu

[agirlwithglam]

“If you aren’t willing to work for it, then don’t complain about not having it”

[veronicaleighauthor]

[theunaestheticstudyblr]

You should never have shame about your academic journey. It's a journey. You're growing and learning. You're going to face challenges alone for one of the first times in your life. Shit's hard. It's ok to struggle.

I haven't had a pretty journey at all. I'm graduating with a bachelor's degree at 25. I've been in college nonstop since I was 18. I've failed a lot of classes and had to go part time. So many things have happened. But I will have the degree. And that degree is worth the exact same as someone who got it in 3 years. The knowledge I have is mine to keep.

How I got here doesn't matter. I'm here. I am going to graduate in a few months. I have won this chapter of my life. And to those who try to shame me for how I got here and how long it took, I pray that you never experience the things I have that have made it take long. May you live a life of comfort and luxury and have hands soft as silk until you die. And hopefully I will get the same grace from the universe eventually.

[redysetdare]

I don't think a lot of people realize that lot of their advice to disabled people often boils down to "Get over it." they are trying to be helpful but their idea of helpful is "Just do the thing" because that's what they do. for them they just do things. It comes naturally to just do it.

They don't know how to bridge the gap between you and the task. For them the bridge is already pre-built and stable. For disabled people the bridge is run down, not well kept, it feels unsteady and is hard to get across without being slow and cautious - hell for some people there is no bridge and we need to build it ourselves but we don't have the bridge building tools and no one gives them to us.

"Just cross the bridge." They say before walking over their pre-built bridge. They never gave you the tools to build a bridge to cross.

[herzspalter]

If you struggle with learning to draw Transformers or other mecha characters: It's all about bullshitting. As long as it looks consistent in itself, it doesn't matter at all if it's not too accurate. It's about having fun, and if you need to cut some corners, go for it! Fuck it!

[casualavocados]

Learn from who? Learn from you?

Chen Bowen as CHEN YI & Chiang Tien as AI DI KISEKI: DEAR TO ME (2023)

[scarlettohairdye]

PSA to printed zine makers

As a 37 year old who's been running a sole proprietorship for the last 10+ years, I just want everyone who is planning to run a fandom project that involves accepting money for printing & shipping costs to know that you're actually running a small business and you need to plan for taxes. It doesn't matter if you don't make any profit: that is business income and the IRS will see it as such if you get audited.

If you only take enough money in to cover the cost of printing & shipping then you can write that off as a business expense and probably not pay taxes on it, But in order for that to fly you actually have to do business accounting, especially if you're doing it at scale. Like, you can probably skate by without reporting a $500 project; I absolutely would not fucking risk it with a $5000 project.

Back when I was producing shows there were years when I was where I made $20k in ticket sales only to turn around and immediately pay $18k to my performers. I only made $2k for myself, but I had to report the entire $20k, because it was ALL INCOME. (I only paid taxes on the $2000, because that's how writing off expenses works!)

Yeah this is boring grownup shit and I'm getting my boring grownup fingers all over your fun fandom, but boring grownups doing boring grownup things are the reason fandom spaces exist at all (paying for servers is deeply boring), and I'm way more fun than an audit

[nondelphic]

my brain when i sit down to write: “i have no ideas.”

my brain when i’m trying to sleep: “here’s 50 plot twists and a perfect line of dialogue.”

[byoldervine]

How To (Realistically) Make A Habit Of Writing

To clarify: Works with my autism. WORKS WITH MY AUTISM!!! I’ve been meeting my goals since I made them my New Year’s resolution! Anyway I’m so sick of all those ‘how to’ guides that don’t actually tell you what the process is they’re just like ‘just do it, but don’t burn yourself out, do what’s best for you!’ because you’re not telling me what I’m not supposed to be burning myself out over but okay, so I made my own. Hope this helps

1. Choose your fighter metric. What works better for you as a measurement of your progress; time spent writing or your word count? Personally I get very motivated and encouraged by seeing my word count go up and making a note of where it should be when I’m done, so I measure by that. At the same time, a lot of people are also very discouraged by their word count and it can negatively impact their motivation to write, and in that case you may be better off working from how much time you spend writing rather than where the word count is

2. Choose your starter Pokémon time frame. How often can you write before it starts to feel like a chore or a burden rather than something fun you look forward to? Many people believe that they have to write daily, but for some people this can do more harm than good. Maybe every two or three days? Weekly? Figure out what fits your schedule and go with it

3. Choose your funny third joke goal. Now that you’ve got your chosen time frame to complete your goal in, what’s a reasonable goal to aim to complete within that time frame based on the metric you chose? If your metric is your word count, how much can you reasonably and consistently write within your chosen time frame? If your metric is time spent writing, how much time can you reasonably and consistently spend writing within that time? Maybe 1000 words per week works, or maybe 10 minutes per day? The goal here is to find something that works for you and your own schedule without burning you out

4. Trial and error. Experiment with your new target and adapt it accordingly. Most people can’t consistently write 1667 words per day like you do in NaNoWriMo, so we want to avoid that and aim somewhere more reasonable. If you feel like it’s too much to do in such a short time frame, either give yourself less to do or more time to do it in. If you find yourself begrudgingly writing so often that it constantly feels more like a chore than something fun, maybe consider adapting things. And if you think that you gave yourself too much wiggle room and you could do more than this consistently, give yourself more of a challenge. Everything needs to suit you and your pace and needs

5. Run your own race. Don’t feel like you’re not accomplishing enough in comparison to others or not working fast enough to satisfy some arbitrary feeling of doubt. Everybody works at their own pace and slower work doesn’t mean worse work. You could be on one word per day and you’ll still see consistent results, which is still one word per day more than you could originally count on. All progress is progress, regardless of its speed

[nenelonomh]

getting the most out of life

so often, i notice people living online - consistently doomscrolling or playing meaningless games. i think that they forget how life is the journey. you need to make sure you don't miss it.

know yourself understanding who you are at your core is crucial. reflect on your values, passions, and strengths. this can help lead to a more fulfilling life.

set goals define what you want to achieve in life. having clear, actionable goals gives you direction and purpose. if you don't know what you want - then you have to get out and try things! experience! understand what you want and don't want for yourself.

stay healthy take care of your physical and mental health. regular exercise, a balanced diet, and mindfulness practices can significantly improve your well-being.

be present focus on the present moment. enjoy the small things. being exposed to social media and electronic devices from a young age has lead gen z to information overload and stress.

studies show that we experience higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to previous generations. try mindfulness to promote relaxation and emotional regulation. learn how to return yourself to the present moment - to be able to get offline, and out of your own head.

build relationships surround yourself with positive, supportive people. strong relationships can provide emotional support and enrich your life.

keep learning this is something that i will forever preach! never stop learning and growing. whether it's through formal education, reading, or new experiences, continuous learning keeps life interesting.

❤️nene

[rheas-chaos-motivation]

REMINDER

THE POINT OF A PLOT TWIST IS TO ENRICH YOUR STORY, NOT OUTSMART YOUR READERS!!!! SPRINKLE IN YOUR FORESHADOWING!!!! LEAVE CLUES!!!

(im not saying to spell it out/make your plot twist cliche or boring. we are going for a "how did I not see that coming" vibe)