#go over grammar. sentence structure. etc etc. thats so.

[krytus]

looking into some self-publishing options..... because i’m Insane.

[rigelmejo]

In updates:

I'm not as organized with study plans as I used to be and honestly that won't change for a while. That said, I do have 2 challenges I'm trying for myself. I don't know if I'll accomplish them, but just the fact I'm Trying to is getting me to study more. So we'll see where I am in April on these.

1. Listening through Japanese Fluency 1-3 Glossika files

I'm on file 10 out of 104 in Japanese 1. Then there's 104 files in each of the other two files. On the upside? I think even in such a small amount of files listened to so far, in some ways these files have already covered more than what i ever managed to hear in Japanese Pimsleur 1. I think I've heard at least 100 words so far, and a lot of grammar examples in sentence patterns (maybe 20? Maybe 30). I think JapaneseAudioLessons.com's 36 lessons probably cover grammar faster, but I'm not sure if they cover as much vocab as Glossika aims for (which is 3000 sentences, and 2000-3000 words). They might, but I don't know for sure. Also on the upside - the glossika files are easy to listen to, I can pick up stuff from them even when I'm working too or driving or playing games. So it should be easier to stick to using them ToT (just like it was for Chinese Spoonfed audio files).

My goal right now is to keep listening until I finish. In an effort not to give up ToT I'd like to be through the first module Japanese 1 by the end of April. But honestly if it takes longer thats fine. I just want to try to focus on progressing through it for as long as i can. I think it's an easy way right now for me to reinforce what I know, learn more words in a structured way (Clozemaster is a good backup but isn't as structured), improve my listening comprehension (which will make learning from Clozemaster audio later less intensive, learning from anything else where I need quick listening skill), get used to understanding the things I know faster (lately I've tried a bit of Japanese immersion and it's so Clear to me that 50% of my comprehension issues are a speed problem... I'm failing to comprehend a lot of stuff I've studied and just don't recognize instantly). If and when I get bored, I plan to either immerse in video games again or watch lets plays, or try listening reading method.

I've been watching a few Japanese lets plays on YouTube (and found Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts in Japanese on there). And I think with things like that, which I'm already familiar with in English, I can just enjoy and pick up some stuff. But I'd like to get my listening comprehension to a better level before making immersion my only study plan for a while lol. Because right now so much I could be reinforcing is going over my head.

I think audio focused Japanese study still is suiting me, like it was last summer. Reading is still mostly Stronger as a skill despite me not purposely trying to study it so much. I think it's because written Japanese has clearer grammar distinctions for me, and the Kanji are like "similar cognates" enough of the time they help me much more than when I'm just hearing a word. So I'm going to continue most purposeful study plans using audio. After I'm sick of glossika, like I said I want to probably use mainly lets plays with audio or listening resding method (so I can hear sound constantly with all the new words). One of my biggest problems with picking up Japanese words is the all kana words, and the Kanji pronunciations.

2. Reading through Zhenhun. With audio playing (optional).

In my dream world I finish this in 2 weeks. In A Nice situation, I finish this in a month. Realistically? I'm hoping I just get further into the novel before giving up than last time lol.

I genuinely think if I just read MORE quantity wise, my reading skill will get better - reading speed, words I learn etc. And I just really want to read it! I was reading my print version, which has extra scenes I love, and I was figuring out plenty of words from context even if I didn't get every detail.

I started reading the webnovel version in my ebook reader Moonreader (although Idiom or Pleco would also work), because it will play the audio aloud as I read. It's helping me read faster instead of dwelling on a hard portion, which is nice. It's also making me recognize what I know faster since I've got less time to recognize it before the audio moves on. I'm getting somewhat less time to figure out new words, but honestly a majority of unknown words priest uses get clarified by the context after a couple paragraphs if they're important. Like I'd forgotten a few words that I just saw enough to remember again. And then the obvious benefit - audio is making me hear all the hanzi pronunciations I forgot and the pronunciations for new ones (like I forgot 拐 was guai until I kept hearing it, I kept guessing it was ling). I think using the audio is making me read faster ultimately (and more well rounded study since I've got visual text and audio listening) even though it means I have to set myself up to do it with more effort.

Anyway! Surprisingly Moonreader app is making me more motivated to read. Why? This:

At the bottom of the page it shows me how many digital pages I've read, and the percentage I've read. I restarted reading yesterday, and today I'm at 50/901 pages, 5.3% read. Just this amount of detail is really motivating for me ToT. Honestly I think it's because it shows me how far ive come, and helps me plan how long it will realistically take. 5% took me about 2 hours. So like. 40 hours to finish this at my reading pace. Oh god. But also? Hey, on the other hand?! Now I know if I just spend 2 hours a day I could finish this in 20 days. If I had some days I got really into it, I could maybe finish faster. I very much have the Urge to see 10% down there lol. And that urge to keep progressing is helping me ignore my urge to pause and re-read the vague parts.

I read a guy's advice on improving in another language and they said to read a webnovel (300 pages) in 2 weeks. Ad one of your first novels. And try not to take longer. And while that is a brutal goal for a beginner, I do agree the more you read the easier it gets and the quicker it gets. When I read xiao wangzi it took me 2 weeks for those under 100 pages. But I did make myself finish it in a couple weeks. Now my reading level is higher, and I can probably get myself to finish at least 300 pages of this in 2 weeks. ToT my reading level is probably decent enough to manage that. That's only 1/3 of guardian tho lol (clearly that guy wasn't reading chinese webnovels).

I saw another person who really motivated me to just wanr to read MORE:

Tarvos basically did what I did for French. But way better than I did (more extensive reading and harder material). And it clearly worked. And I remember it worked for me too - read and follow the main idea, don't worry about what you can't comprehend or what is vague. Then somehow the next book is a bit easier. Then later you go back and read at a level that used to be challenging and you comprehend way more.

I know that in chinese at least (and French ToT) I know enough words that I do not need to stop and look words up to keep reading. I can follow the main plot, and so if Mt goals extensive reading then I just have to DO IT. Just read 2000 pages lol! And the more pages I get through, I know the easier it will get later on! I just need to push through the initial hurdle and READ MORE ToT.

I am going to be so overjoyed and shocked later if I push through a bunch of a novel now, and later find I understand more and read faster.

I already see results of that, from back when I made myself read like 60 chapters of a pingxie fic last summer lol! Now, going back to stuff at that level? I open up tsomd or SCI something brand new to me and realize I can also follow the main overall idea without a dictionary now. Whereas I used to usually need to look up some words in the first chapters of new stories just to pick up some key genre words and recognize names. But clearly my reading level increased from just reading more last time. Now some old stories I could understand okay generally without a dictationary I now follow almost all details (tamendegushi, dmbj, saye). And stuff I needed to do some initial prep work for, I could now just read extensively and follow the main idea, if I wanted. I'd probably get used to them if I just Kept Reading. So like... I definitely think... I just need to push through that awkward feeling of not quite full comprehension, and just read MORE. ToT

And. First: I know that advice works... I know I've just Read MORE before, then later I just Could read and comprehend more easier. Second: I know more pages is just what's needed to improve reading speed... ;-; I remember reading once an article which suggested 8k-10k words to get a native like reading speed and comprehension of vocab. More pages for some languages, but that was the basic idea. And tbh it sounds logical to me, because I'm sure I read that much in my native language before I comprehended novels like I do as an adult.

An FYI to anyone trying to learn Chinese by extensive reading: I can confirm it will work. At minimum I would recommend you either start with graded readers at your level, or else familiarize yourself with 2000 common words before starting (you don't need them memorized but you should probably know 1000 common words decently and fairly certainly know what they are if you see them, recognize and be able to guess 1000 more, and recognize at least 1200 hanzi enough to guess pinyin to look up in a dictionary on occasion). If you start with intensive reading, you can start with less vocab knowledge. If you plan on extensive reading, at least vaguely recognizing 2000 words will be enough to find some webnovels you'll be able to follow the main idea of without a dictionary (and many manhua). So about 6 months - 1.5 years into study (depending on how fast you study vocab) or earlier if you start with graded readers (theres some graded readers you could probably start within a few months of starting to study, then you can continue fairly comfortably with graded readers until you learn 1000 hanzi or more, some amount more vocab, and are up for looking for webnovels). There's a lot of nice graded readers made from 100 hanzi, to 2000 hanzi. From 100 unique words, to 3000 unique words (I think some even go up to 5000 unique words for chinese). But once you're vaguely familiar with 2000 common words? You know enough to start reading some webnovels extensively, if you're up for it.

And it will work. You will gradually pick up more from context. (As usual, yes, intensive reading and/or SRS flashcards will help you pick up vocab faster, but you'll gradually improve too just from the extensive reading). You will gradually increase your grammar understanding, vocab, reading speed, ans reading comprehension.

Only things I needed to be ready to learn from extensively reading? 1. Vaguely familiar with 1500 common words (but I'd recommend someone less eager than me prep with 2000 words so they run into less unknowns to annoy them). 2. Vague knowledge of the Chinese radicals (skills like being able to go 拐 is the hand and the 另 hanzi, and break down new hanzi you see into recognizable components, will help you guess pinyin to look up when needed based on one of the building blocks pinyins, and help you guess the meaning of new hanzi - 拐 shows up in abduct/turn/corner and thinking of it as hand-another like another's hand giving you directions to turn, another's hands grabbing to abduct, another's hand reaching around a 拐角 corner etc will help you remember the new hanzi. It is beneficial to know beforehand about radicals, how sometimes one hints pronunciation and one hints meaning). 3. Ability to follow the bare minimum main idea of what's going on in the story. If you can't even do thar, the reading material is too difficult. If you can follow the basic main idea, it's okay even if a TON of details are incomprehensible or vague, because you comprehend enough context to gradually keep picking up more. (Although the More you understand the less effort it will take you to pick up more from context). So say you're reading Alice in Wonderland - if you can grasp "there's a girl Alice, there's a rabbit she interacts somehow with, she follows it and ends up in a new place" then congrats you understand enough of chapter 1 to read it extensively. You could also understand more like "alice was bored, the rabbit is late, Alice falls down a hole, Alice is sad as she falls." But even just the bare minimum is enough. The more you understand of the basic main idea, the easier a read it will be. When I started reading in French a ton of stuff I only followed the basic main idea, and I just kept reading extensively and things got easier lol. (And if you're impatient or want to read intensively, feel free to read these less comprehensive things with some word look up to speed up how fast you learn new vocab, until you're sick of looking up vocab and just want to read extensively again - I kept reading intensively until I got to about 2000 known words, and from 1000-2000 words in chinese I kept switching between extensive and then intensive to pick up a few hundred words faster).

4. Optional - Some prior grammar knowledge like reading a grammar guide or having some class/textbook prep etc (not necessary, but it helps seeing a sentence and having some vague guess what's a noun verb adjective past tense present future negative positive etc even if there's still complex grammar you don't get yet).

I read on the forum discussions about getting into extensive reading, the question "well thar worked with Swedish, but would a language like chinese take more prep work?" Because chinese requires hanzi recognition, word and phrase parsing without spaces, and less cognates. And how to pronounce the words you're picking up.

The person above prepped with FSI, and had the benefit of cognates. But I'd still imagine that added up to 1000-2000 words basis of knowledge and some grammar basics before they started learning from reading extensively. Which was about the same amount of prep work I had for chinese. And extensively reading in chinese worked fine for me with that much prior knowledge. So I think extensive resding is very doable at that level in chinese.

How I'd address the concerns:

1. Hanzi. If you know around 1000 and have some familiarity with radicals, picking up hanzi is not too bad when reading extensively. Pick graded readers if you want less unknown hanzi per page, and as you gradually pick up more hanzi comprehension from context you will find you stop running into as many critical unknown ones. Also hanzi pickup is tied in with vocab pick up. You'll learn 方向 as direction then 方向盘 as steering wheel (direction wheel) and realize 方 is often direction related, 盘 is often a circle shape thing then see 盘子 as plate then see 椅子 as chair and realize 子 is part of some nouns. You'll also see 椅子 and realize 椅 it's the tree wood radical and then the yi part like in 倚 for a chair (a sometimes wood thing pronounced yi). Or hug 抱, you see the the sound from 包 bao like bread 包子 and the hand radical. A word maybe with pinyin bao that has to do with hands and is someone touching someone. Once you know enough hanzi, you start to remember new hanzi easier as built of components you've seen before. Same applies to new words - you know one word with a hanzi, then see a new word with that hanzi, and either its 2 hanzi you know in a new combo or only 1 new unknown hanzi. But you have some building blocks to guess the new words. You can't rely on cognates like with English to French, but as you learn more hanzi they help you guess words like cognate similarities do. If too many unknown hanzi keep popping up and it's driving you up a wall? Move to graded readers for a while until you pick up more (so the book is made to teach you them) or read intensively for a while until the remaining unknown hanzi get easier to handle (that happened for me after knowing about 1500 hanzi and finally new unknown hanzi i couldnt fathom at all stopped popping up so much).

2. Word boundaries. Genuinely, just read Chinese more. Start with graded readers so the grammar isn't confusing you as much. Read more. It gets fairly natural to parse Chinese word/phrase boundaries after enough practice. Grammar constructions and function words and time phrases separate phrases quite clearly if you recognize 有 没有 了 以后 以前 就是 的 得 地 那个 那些 来 会 在 过了 过 一会 去. And they're all common so you'll pick them up soon. Chinese words are usually 1 character (if super common), 2 characters (most of what you'll see), 4 characters (idioms and phrases, and a lot of the 2 compound words like 路灯literally streetlight (and 3 character words like 方向盘 literally direction plate/steering wheel) are fairly understandable compounds if you know the hanzi. So you will quickly get to a point where you run into sentences where the unknowns are verbs or nouns or phrases you don't know (you may not know an adjective/descriptor but it's often followed by 的 地 so you'll know it's a part of that). A lot of the phrases will be 4 character chunks and be 2 words combined or 4 words combined. A lot of the nouns and verbs will be words acting on other words (verbs). Basically... the more you read the clearer it gets where the usual word boundaries are. I recommend more graded readers if the lack of spaces is bothering you, I think it's just a matter of getting used to it with practice (and graded readers will ensure there's less distractions and more focus on just parsing word phrase boundaries). Once you're used to word boundaries, it will not be as much of a struggle in harder materials. I'd imagine this is similarly true when applied to Japanese. Japanese grammar and conjugatjon and use of Kanji, use of particles, helps separate sentence elements. For me the tricky part is knowing when kana words are nouns and not conjugation, but I think i just haven't practiced enough.

For pronunciation of hanzi/words you're learning while extensively reading: many people solve that problem either by reading with audio for chinese (to hear the words), or doing listening study separately such as doing audio only extensive listening, or watching dramas with chinese subs so you get some reinforcement of hanzi wirh their pronunciation at some point. While you can guess the pinyin sometimes from the hanzi parts, it's not always right. So with chinese I think doing some additional listening including studying is just necessary for fully learning words. You can still learn to read plenty of words just extensively reading and figure a vague pronunciation for it (which is how I know a lot of more obscure English words I probably do not pronounce correctly). But yeah eventually if you think it's a word that would be useful to pronounce correct, you'll want to do some listening study. Either separately studying the sound of words you want to recognize in listening (with audiobooks, audio lessons, watching shows, convos, dictionary with audio lookup, srs, or reading with listening etc) or understand you may "relearn" a lot of the important words by first hearing them and later learning their spelling, or by first reading them and later finish learning them when you hear them in a podcast or show or conversation. (Even if you totally incorrectly guess a hanzi pronunciation, you'll eventually hear the word used again in some audio like an audiobook or show or convo and realize it's the hanzi word you learned, and you'll fix your pronunciation... the same way I couldn't pronounce futile or windowsill or rogue until I heard them a few times). As long as you are doing some reading and some listening activities, you will eventually pick up both aspects of words. You can speed it up by purposely studying both aspects together, but either way it will be okay. As a total beginner? Audio with graded readers, dialogue with transcripts and audio, shows with chinese subs, srs flashcards or apps with audio and text, will help you pick up both listening and reading recognition of a lot of the common words asap.

Tldr: extensive working does work for chinese too.

----

Summary of study plan:

1. Going through glossika japanese 1 (by end of April hopefully we'll see)

2. Going through 300 pages (33%) of zhenhun (within a few weeks hopefully)

Future study plan:

1. If I get bored/done with glossika japanese, watching a full lets play of KH or FFX, or doing a Listening Reading Method experiment with a Japanese Duoreader story.

2. If I get done with zhenhun? Somehow? And I'm done with japanese glossika - switch to listen to Chinese Spoonfed audio files and FINISH THEM THIS TIME. If I'm not ready for audio study? Continue with zhenhun... or continue on reading another novel probably qi ye, tian ya ke, silent reading, or who knows honestly I have a lot of options. Lazy option: if my manhua I ordered come in, just read them uvu.

[nako-doodles]

prof jin as a username seems accurate then! lol. and i feel you, ive been having to help teach my 6th grade brother at home for online schooling and 😭im not cut out to be a teacher.. i dont have the patience so bless ur heart. but also any tips for teaching a kid thats not good with english/language arts? ive run out of ideas. he's not good with english & idk how to help :/ like his reading level is probably 3/4th grade if we're being honest. i dont understand why he doesnt get it :(

this is going to be a really long reply so I put everything under the cut. i hope this helps both you and your bro 💖 godspeed sweetheart!

the most important thing you can do with your bro is to figure out where his problem spots are. is he struggling with the reading? the phonetics? the vocab? the grammar? the structure? the comprehension? the answering questions? seeing the whole picture or reading between the lines? and start from there. since im not too sure which areas hes struggling with im going to give you some basic tips

1. start at his level instead of where hes ‘supposed to be.’ trying to teach him things that are beyond his spelling/reading/writing/comprehension skills is an exercise in futility until you get his skills up. ex. if he has a smaller vocabulary than what the homework is at, youre going to have to start getting him to understand the vocab before doing anything else.

2. both you and your brother is going to be frustrated. part of trying to ‘catch up’ is always feeling like things are futile. dont fall into the trap! be very encouraging!! try to break down his homework into smaller more digestible parts and take frequent breaks and awards. ex. one of my classes really struggle with reading for main idea. so, I usually ask them a lot of leading questions for them to migrate to the main idea. ask him to repeat back what youve said, or ask him to teach you the problem spots hes having. dont be afraid to give him some really super easy questions to answer! itll build his confidence and let him be more comfortable with the whole process. you can also try sprinkling in humor and awards system. i give my 6th graders lil star stickers and stick them all over their faces when they get it right. positive reinforcement is the best and fastest way to make this process less painful and go by quicker. 

3. show him exactly what you need him to do. reading between the lines and other more complex reading and thinking engagement wont happen until he truly understands what the article is saying, and what the teacher wants from him. if you explain something and he doesnt understand, try a different method. some kids learn better by hearing instructions. others when given examples. or some understand things when theyre writing or talking it out. just try explaining things simpler. get a feel for how your brother learns and meet him there. just because you think its easy or a simple logic jump might not seem so to him. 

4. be clear and explicit in your strategies and instructions. ex. to use the previous example of main idea, I would give them a 5 step plan like: 1. read the title 2. look at the pictures 3. read the first sentence of each body paragraph, the introduction, and the conclusion 4. use 1-3 words to explain each section 5. find the commonality and BOOM theres your main idea. 

5. if you have time, give him a lot of practice! like if one of my target skills for my class is to learn how to summarize, I would constantly ask them to summarize things for me. summarize my directions. summarize this paragraph. summarize this paragraph. summarize what your classmate just said. summarize your fave tv show ep. etc etc. a lot of language arts is getting used to thinking and processing information a certain way, and some students might need more time to get used it. its nothing to be ashamed of! everyone learns at their own pace. 

6. try to make his homework in something multi-sensory. like used colored markers! make it a game show! get him moving. itll make this process faster and more enjoyable. those sparkly gel pens and fancy highlighters and coloured flash cards are going to be your best friend. if he needs help w vocab you can compile the words onto quizlet and how him play games w it. 

tldr; meet him where hes learning at, break things down, be explicit, and use plenty of encouraging words. just bc he thinks hes old enough to not be complimented w everything good he does doesnt mean its not going to make him feel encouraged. best of luck, love! 🌸

[hsmithphotobook]

Week 3

Don't bore them to death with too many words but also don't give then too little words that they don't understand whats going on

Font choice is important - make sure its relevant to your subject

Slant - Aaron Schuman

Starts the book with a quote

Relevant to the town it is based off

Text extracted from local newspaper

Party - Christina de Middel

A reinterpretation of Maos Little Book

Covered over words to recontextualise the book with her own images

My Birth - Carmen Winant

From archives of various peoples’ photo albums

Includes first person reflective text from Carmen

My Life - Junpei Ueda

Includes conversations between the author and his mother, in letter form

On the other side of the mountains - Rob Hornsta Made of newspaper - no binding, folding etc Unfold 2 copies of the newspaper and you can make an exhibition

Monsanto - Mathieu Asselin Documentary mode Includes documents from archives, captions, maps etc.

Picture Summer on Kodak Film - Jason Fulford Includes poetry by Gillian and Heather Frise

Writing model from Betty Flowers

Madman - Within us there is a character with so many ideas, endless potential and imagination.

Architect - A plan, shows where different pieces to go, all about the structure and continuity

Carpenter - All about the sentences and the grammar, finessing everything

Judge - Parent/teacher figure thats telling us we aren’t doing it right, tells you to calm down and your ideas are silly. Useful for final touches and seeing if everything is fit for purpose

Talking to group about my idea:

My idea: Continuation of past project about the decay and cracks of Wellington, but make it different/better

Feedback:

Play with the materiality of the book

Maybe talk to council about what buildings are being pulled down

Comparing new and old buildings

Close ups?

[juuuuzou]

darcy ,,O King of Text Fics ;what be your advice to people wanting to write one themselves

ooooooo Boi lets see if i cant put it into words okay

keep it at one conversation at a time

u gotta remember that they dont know what the other is doing while theyre texting. so in some cases u gotta have them subtly or conversationally mentioned where they are, what theyre doing, or who theyre with if its relevant to what theyre talking about

punctuation and Internet Speak and Type Styles™ are your friend. they help create distinct voices

itd be good and help develop character if there were certain texting mannerisms that were unique to a character ie. i tended to make remus’ texts more grammatically correct while sirius used more shorthand

ADDITIONALLY punctuation and grammar can convey emotions like when u keyboard smash or fucking crytyping. when characters are happy or anger/venting they will most likely forgo punctuation and their sentences will run into each other

USE THE PROS AND CONS OF TEXTING. pros: i can eloquently convey exactly what im feeling. cons: the other person might misinterpret my sarcasm

u can use these pros and cons for tension and pacing. esp if u do time stamps on the texts. depending on how long it takes for someone to reply could suggest that they had to think over what they wanted to say or they were avoiding it, or they had something going on at their end (which could be a Plot and cause conflict and tension etc etc)

SO ITS A GOOD IDEA for you to know where, when and with whom ur characters are during each convo. like i mentioned above only mention it if its relevant to the convo/plot but even not its better for you to have that picture and build the scene more structurally. 

consider how different times of the day and who ur characters are with will change how engaged they are in the texting conversation. i think i might be repeating myself a bit here whoops

MAKE IT CLEAR WHO IS WHO if u do this thru like text talk and have the different formats or different ~start and end signatures~ but u gotta keep it consistent. also helps if the characters use each other’s names/nicknames every now and then, esp if its a long convo and people might forget

keep track of what the characters know about each other and how they might interpret that. 

i think mostly u just gotta think about how YOU text people and how they reply. im pretty sure i could read one of ur text posts and without a url or pic i’d know it was you bc u have a distinct Voice which is You. also think about how i tell u my drama stories with people youve never met and never heard of until i start telling the story (and how i use descriptions of them so when i talk about them again u remember who they are)

anyway i think its basically like role playing but ur playing both of the characters lmao so if u do get stuck maybe ask a friend whos in that fandom to role play with you and find a flow

thats all ive got off the top of my head!!!! if u have any questions or need a beta im v happy to do that even if im not in the fandom bc rin. i assume this is for kpop.

hope this helps frienderino!!!!

[writing-gifts]

Hey Giftie, I found you through your Datura fic on AO3 and really admire you as a writer. Reading what you put out there is such a joy but it made me wonder how you manage to write something with multiple chapters. Can you maybe tell a little about your process and how you keep yourself motivated or what you do when it feels like you've written yourself into a corner? If this is a lot to ask I'll understand! Anyways, thank you for putting your writing out here, you're awesome <3

thanks! ^^ ik my stuff can get a bit niche at times so i'm just glad there are ppl that aren't just me can still enjoy them

i'm gonna try to be helpful and not ramble too much...

i know writing multi chapter stuff can be hard (i have fics that i started that are just sitting incomplete and i have no idea if i'm going back to them 😅) but i found these things helped me finish datura

this is the most important imo when it comes to motivation, make sure you're writing something you want to actually write! for a multi chapter fics it's crucial that it's not just something you're doing cause you think people will like it

ik having readers who like your stuff is good motivation too but there have been times where that wasn't available or straight up wasn't enough to get me to continue with making something

for datura i made some sort of outline, rough drafted parts of future chapters and wrote down things i knew that i wanted to happen, even if i wasn't sure where i wanted them to go

the longer the fic is the more necessary i see this

(if it's a fic thats not too long and you think you are okay with just drafting all the chapters before posting then a super quick outline or just jumping straight to it is what i'd do)

the more fleshed out and organized an outline is the less problems there are while writing since it's easier to notice these issues before that part of the story is posted

but i don't expect everyone to do a full outline or want to! the one i made for datura was messy and wasn't complete when i started posting. i added to it inbetween updates and some spots were still pretty vague, however what i had still helped me. 85% of the time i already knew where i was going and it was just a matter of how to get there, instead of me not knowing where i was heading at all

i don't write completely linear (i think for a lot of ppl it's like this)

sometimes i just wanna write a specific part of a story so i just jump there and get it done, i can come back to whatever part im avoiding later worldbuilding 💀 (i usually go back to that stuff last cause my excitement to show off my favorite parts helps me finish)

skipping around is also my favorite thing to do when i get stuck!

(and if i'm still having trouble figuring out how to proceed after that, sometimes writing a different story, bouncing ideas off other people, or just not writing for a little while helps me)

btw i like to write my rough drafts without focusing heavily on grammar and sentence structure, and then while i do my 500+ read overs of one chapter i fix all that lol

i don't just write on my laptop 📱

getting in front of a computer and staying there can be hard for me so i found using my phone is much easier

i can use it while i'm laying in bed, anywhere in the house, walking, outside, etc. and it's how i get most of my writing done at this point

set a schedule/goals

a schedule only 100% works if someone is super disciplined (and honestly i don't care for them) but i still try to set goals

they can be strict or loose based on what you prefer at any given time

for example: i'll try to update every week or every two weeks

or

i'm gonna try to finish a draft of this chapter before the week ends

or

i'm just gonna try to write something this week

since it's a hobby there weren't really any consequences if i didn't make the goal i set for myself but it did help me get moving! so yea i didn't finish "on time" but i still made progress 👌

i hope this helps some and that i made sense! if anything's confusing i can try to explain better!

and just gonna throw this out there, i think it's good to try to finish what you start but writing should mostly be fun, you can go at your own pace and if you don't finish a fic it's really not the end of the world 👍

[notionposts-blog]

As we always say, writing a novel is an art. Whether if is their first or nth, no one can just finish writing a book without proper planning. From creating a unique plot-line to penning a mind-boggling climax, there are many aspects involved in writing a novel. You can simplify the book publishing process by writing your book in the most flawless manner possible. Ever helpful we have compiled a guide that will help you through the various stages of how to writing a novel. Here is a definitive guide to writing a novel before you go to an international self publishing company.

Story:

When you decide to write a novel, you obviously have a story in mind. A two-liner is enough to create a bestseller, provided you know how to build an interesting piece from this simple plot-line. Start developing your two-line story to a four-liner by adding more relevant context.

For example, if your two-line story is “Seven people take a tour to Jim Corbett. One after another, they start disappearing.”

Now, build the context. “Seven people take a tour to Jim Corbett. Each of them hides something from the rest. One after another, they start to die. They start to suspect each other.”

Go on, and on until a point, where you are clear on how the story is going to unfold. You build your foundation and your structure this way.

Structure and Genre:

You have created the heart of your story and expanded it. Now it’s time to flesh it out. Lay the framework and see how you’re going to move to from point A to point B.

So these seven people have gone to Jim Corbett. How did they get there? How do they know each other? Who dies first? Is it one by one? How much focus is there going to be on the deaths? Is the more of a story on bonding or a good thriller?

This is where knowing the genre of your book comes in handy. Now this is never going to be set in stone. You could start with a drama and launch into a thriller depending on where imagination takes you. But knowing the genre you’re aiming for helps guide you. It gives you something to aim for and stick to if you veer too far off track.

Your story could be about a murder, but you can still make it a funny novel. On the other hand, you can also write a horror movie with a romantic backdrop.

Also, do not choose a style just because it seems fancy or intriguing. One of the biggest mistakes many writers make is choosing the wrong genre. If you have written short stories in the past, you might, by now, know which genre you are good at. Pick a genre that you’re comfortable with, especially if it’s your first novel.

Some authors have even won the Booker Prize for their debut novels. While they did write a genuinely intriguing and exciting story, most of them wrote in the genre they are good at.

Characterization:

This is the most crucial but often ignored aspect of novel writing. Readers prefer to read novels that make them feel a connection with the story. Even if you are writing fiction or fantasy, people would love it if they could relate to your characters.

That being said, the characters shouldn’t feel confusing. Therefore, before even writing your first chapter, create a character map. Jot down the name and the primary characteristics of each and every important character in your novel. Note everything from their eye colour to their hobbies, how they act in a particular situation to their pet peeves. This way, you will be clear about each and every character. This list will be helpful in defining each and every character in your novel.

The point of view:

Once you have decided on the characterization, story, and genre, you must decide how the story is going to be written. This is different from structure as it is through whose eyes the reader will explore the book’s world. It controls how your structure is shaped.

There are six basic types of point of view:

First person: This is when the story is written from the point of view of one of the protagonists of the story.

First person peripheral: This is when the narrator of the story is a supporting character in the novel and not one the protagonists. This way, the narration still uses “I” but some scenes in the story will happen to the protagonist and the narrator will not have access to those events.

Second person: The story will be told from the perspective of you. This is mostly used in non-fiction and self-help books.

Third person limited:The story is told from a third-person’s point of view, but the narrator’s knowledge of events is limited to that of one of the characters. In simple terms, the narrator will tell the readers only what one of the characters knows. This kind of point of view works well for thriller novels.

Third person multiple: The story is told in a third-person point of view, but the narrator moves from one character to another. In short, the narrator tells us from the point of view of more than one character.

Third person omniscient: The narrator knows and shares everything. It’s more like voice-overs in movies. The narrator says plenty of things about the characters that the character themselves won’t know. This kind of point of view works well with romantic novels.

Study, understand, and choose your point of view before starting your novel. Don’t wait till editing to follow a proper point of view. A good novel is something that has clear narration. A recent trend is to write in first person multiple, i.e. writing the story in a first person point of view, but the narration shifts from one protagonist to another.

Tense

Before writing the novel, another thing that you must finalize on is the tense in which the story is written. Most stories are written in either past or present tense. Very rarely is future tense used. No matter which tense you choose, it’s important to maintain the consistency in the tense used. Most editors hate tense change errors.

Novel length

Have a rough word-count that you want to hit when you finish the novel. Most novels are somewhere around 70,000 words. If your story demands it, you can consider stretching it by another 30,000-35,000 words. Similarly, there are excellent novels that are short and crisp at maybe, 50,000 words. Depending on your genre and writing style, have an upper and lower limit set.

Writing the first chapter

After all the thinking, pondering over, re-thinking, and deciding, there comes the time where you have to write your first chapter. Remember that the first chapter is the one that your editor, publisher, or even a potential reader will read before deciding to pick the book.

The good old proverb, “a first impression is the best impression,works perfectly well in this context. Start with a bang! However, do not be fake. While introducing characters in the first chapter is not a bad idea, it is better if you start by setting the mood of the story.

Some of the tips for writing a great first chapter are:

Keep it short and simple, somewhere between 300-500 words.

Mention all the important things in time period, location, season, etc.

Reveal the core of your book – it can be a character, an event, or dialogue that to start your first chapter with that.

Write, re-write, and re-re-write until you are happy.

Dialogues:

Your book should neither look like the script of a stage play with too many dialogues nor like a monologue or press release without much dialogue.

Try to have a balance. Understand which scenes feel good when conveyed as dialogue and which will feel good as narration.

Read our blog on How to write scintillating dialogues? to know more.

Telling vs. Showing:

More than once you would have come across people talking about telling vs. showing. If you are wondering what its all about, read on.

A common mistake that many debut writers make is to tell the reader the events of a story or how a character is feeling rather than showing it.

In report writing, article writing, and journalism, telling a story works. However, when it comes to writing a book, especially if it is fiction, creating the illusion of being there in the story is what people prefer. Seeing events happen is what many readers want from a book.

For example, when we read the Harry Potter series, we felt like we were right next to the boy wizard. Thats what works in fiction writing.

Words to cut from your novel:

Okay, so you are finally at a great writing pace. At this juncture, you must pay attention to the words you write. There are a few things that you must avoid:

Repetitive adjectives that we are bound to use common adjectives like beautiful, amazing, etc. very commonly. Try to replace those common terms with relevant synonyms.

Time-based adjectives –  Time-based adjectives are bound to make your prose weak. Avoiding them is wise.

Verbs that end with -ing –> Similar to time-based adverbs,-ing verbs also seem to weaken your prose.

Use tools like Grammarly, Ginger, Copyscape, etc. to check the grammar, sentence flow, and authenticity of your work.

Here is a list of Top Writing Tools for Authors.

Punctuation and Grammar:

Last but not the least, punctuation and grammar is quite important in any form of writing. While your editors will rectify grammar issues, you must make sure that your grammar and punctuation is good to the extent that both you and the editor are on the same page when it comes to knowing the meaning of a sentence.

If your work has none or minimal grammar errors, it gives the editor more time to re-read your book and improve the plot further.

We hope you find this guide useful. What are some of the other things that you follow while writing a novel? Share it with us in the comments section below.