#so my brain is like “YOU GOT EM ALL DONE TIME TO OPEN THE ASKBOX”

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

me trying to get some stuff done vs my brain in its gremlin voice wheedling at me "OPEEEEEN THE AAAASKBOOOOOX"

like brain

no

I still have 130 motherfucking things to do, I am NOT opening the askbox even for a little bit TILL THEY'RE DONE

[butteredonions]

I used to write a lot when I was younger, and I really want to get into it again! Do you have any advice for improving/coming up with ideas/staying motivated?

Ohhh you do ask the good questions, dear anon…

This got quite wordy (surprise, it’s me!), so I’ve tucked it beneath a readmore. I really wanted to make a joke about “let me peel back the layers of how I write for you”, but that felt a little….self-indulgent :)

Some Onion Writing Tips - Below the Readmore!

Some of these are cliche, sure, but honestly they really do work. Probably the biggest piece of advice I have is to take all of this with a grain of salt. Everyone’s advice is different, and what works for me might not work out for you. Experiment around with different tricks and habits and processes. You’ll find something that works if you stick with it.

Onion Writing Tips On: Improving

Onion Writing Tip #1: Do the thing.

Honestly, at the base and simple level: at some point you have to just sit down and do it. Writing is a honed skill like anything else. You don’t get better at playing the piano by wishing; you have to put in a few hours on your scales at least. You have to practice. There’s kind of a misconception out there that writing is Easy and Anyone can do it; maybe, but the folks who put in more time and practice are going to bring something a little different to the table. Dedication helps - but honestly so does just doing the thing.

Onion Writing Tip #2: Carve out a space where you can let that happen.

I am lucky enough in my life right now to have a dedicated space and a time where I’m able to say “I’m writing”, and the folks around me know that’s my time. I try and keep it around the same time every day. For me it’s at stupid-o-clock in the morning. For you it might be different. This is my time to shut the door, put on some music, pick up the mug of coffee and get some work done. The habit, honestly, really helps.

Onion Writing Tip #3: Give your first draft permission to absolutely suck.

A big part of improving is not only finding the time to practice, but giving yourself permission to get it wrong. Again with the musical analogies, you can’t hear what you’re doing wrong unless you try to play the piece. See where your baseline is. In the same vein, my first drafts are almost always really bad. They’re riddled with typos, with [bracketed words I don’t want to stop to look up right now], with [new planet names] and [name this character Lisa] and [feelings] and repetition and filter words absolutely everywhere. That’s okay. Nobody sees my first draft. It’s the second draft I can go in and add the emotions, the better analogies, fix the pacing, etc. I can’t do that unless the words are on the page in the first place. I can’t do that, unless I’ve got the words at least out so I can see where the problems are. I can’t do that, unless I’ve given myself permission to have the first draft suck. Otherwise I’ll just sit here, paralyzed, stuck on wishing and not on writing.

This goes hand-in hand with tip #4:

Onion Writing Tip #4: Don’t stop to edit while you’re writing.

Don’t stop to edit while you’re writing. 

You’ll get stuck on things you could fix, or things that aren’t working, and spend hours and hours fretting on how to fix them. Write your horrible first draft first, then fix it. Once the ideas are down on paper, however awful, however rough, you can fix them. You can’t fix the words if they’re still in your head.

Onion Writing Tip #5: Editing is not just for typos.

Editing is where I give myself permission to pick at exact word choice, or exact feeling or pacing. Have I used that same adjective already in the same paragraph? On the same page? Pick a different one. Are my filter words everywhere? Write them out. Searching for repetition is huge for me - not just with single words, but with ideas. Have I described clouds the same way in every single chapter? Maybe I should try a new angle. Do my characters always react the same way to a situation? Maybe I need to research some nonverbal body language a little more, or alter the situation so it’s less predictable to them and the reader. The rest…honestly, I trust my gut a whole lot on this. If it feels wrong to me, it’s going to feel wrong to the reader. If it’s not giving me a sucker-punch to the gut where I want it to, it’s not going to do that to the reader.

Onion Writing Tip #6: Retype.

On the second draft, and sometimes the third, I retype the entire first draft.

Every single time.

No exceptions.

This lets me do most of my editing as I go. It lets me find typos (and sometimes create new ones when I’m typing too fast); it lets me catch if I’ve used the same word, or if my paragraphs are all starting the same way - lots of things. Retyping it forces my brain to retravel the pathways I was on when I wrote the thing in the first place, and more often than not it absolutely helps me go deeper into character, setting - everything. For me this is the equivalent of speaking my writing out loud (to check for tone, flow, etc). I can’t recommend this method enough.

Does retyping the whole thing make a slower writer? Yes. Does all that editing make me a slower writer than some? Yes. But - like I said - grain of salt. This works for me. It doesn’t work for others. This is all about finding what works for you. Whatever helps you get the words out: do that. Get ‘em down. That’s really all that matters.

Onion’s Favorite Writing Tip, #7: Filter Words

Take them out. Take all of them out.

Filter words are anything you can fit a “to” in front of: to notice, to see, to feel, to think, to watch, to seem, to sound, to hear, to know. These slow down your writing by forcing a filter on your audience. We don’t need to know that “Hunk saw the grass was orange”. If Hunk’s the narrator, we the readers are fully aware we’re reading about what he’s observing. “The grass was orange” - that’s it. That’s all you need.

Sometimes you need to keep one, for character perspective or pacing. 95% of the time, honestly, you really don’t. I have a sticky note stuck at eye level with these filter words written on it. I have filter words in my first draft. I take them out when I edit.

Seriously.

The linked article explains it really well. I’m kind of passionate about this one, so feel free to ask if you have more questions. I could write a whole post.

Onion Writing Tips: On Coming Up With Ideas

This is probably one of the hardest things to put into words. Hopefully this helps a bit!

Onion Writing Tip #8: Don’t try to force yourself to come up with an idea.

My best ideas have come completely out of the stinking blue. If I’m stressing about it, the idea isn’t going to come. Never has. My ideas come to me when talking with friends; when I’m supposed to be sleeping; when I’m driving or in the shower. When I’m outside, or sometimes even doing something mundane at work like cleaning. I can’t predict when these ideas are going to happen. All I can really do is stay open to the knowledge that, at some point, they’re going to. And I’m ready to roll with them at least a little ways and see where they go.

Onion Writing Tip #9: Write everything down.

Everything. Once you have something in your head you really like, don’t take the chance it will be around later and you’ll remember it; if you’ve got it, write it down. Smartphones make it really easy these days to tap out a quick phrase of dialogue, or an image, whatever. Even if you never use it, it’s written down now and sometimes that can free your brain to keep thinking (rather than stress about having to retain it). No matter how small or how silly, keep track of it. Even if you don’t end up rolling with it just then, those ideas can form an Idea Bank you can pull from later on when you’re struggling or just want to write a little thing.

Onion Writing Tip #10: Talk about things you enjoy with other people who enjoy them, too!

At least 85% of my ideas come from talking with friends. We’ll be chatting about fandom or about characters - someone says ‘hey have you thought about this’ - and next thing you know the idea’s way more fleshed out than it was just by myself. Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary thing. It’s okay to reach out to others for a bit of inspiration.

Onion Writing Tip #11: Seriously, don’t sweat it.

You’ll know when you have a Good One. Something will feel different about that idea compared to others. Something about it won’t let you go. That’s the one you’re meant to write. That’s the story only you can tell. Trust me.

That’s not to say you need to Wait for the Good One before you can write. On the contrary - start somewhere! Try some little writing exercises to get the juices going. A quick google search will give you so many out there to choose from. Open your askbox for prompts - either generic, or pick from a prompt list. You might be surprised with what you get, and you very well might surprise yourself with where you go.

Onion Writing Tips: On Motivation

Onion Writing Tip #12: Find A Group Or A Friend To Write With

I can’t stress enough how vital this has been to my writing. Writing can be a super solitary field; you spend a lot of hours staring at a laptop or a notebook, working hard, by yourself. No one else can do your writing for you, right? The best thing you can do though is find other people doing their own writing too - and write together. My little writing group (the Thinktank!) has been so amazing for me in terms of staying on task and staying motivated. Usually every night one or another of us pops into chat and says “writes?” - and then whoever’s around sets a timer for 20 minutes and does the writing. Together. We compare word counts when we’re done, like it’s a little competition. If nothing else it keeps me working; most of the time it propels me to keep writing after that 20 minutes, too. It’s just about getting started. (And also it’s fun to have a great group of people helping each other stay semi-accountable with our projects. Support!)

Onion Writing Tip #13: ….deadlines

Set them. Stick to them. Try not to wait until the last minute for them, but honestly? sometimes that’s what you need. My very first longfic I told myself I had to finish by the time the school year was over. Another longfic came out of joining a Big Bang and sticking to that calendar. I’m scrambling now to get Smol Shiro done before season three (OR ELSE, good Lord). Weeks? Exchanges? This fandom is crazy blessed unique in that there are so. many. options for deadlines, framed in fun and engaging environments. If you can’t set one for yourself, try joining a group that’s already got one! A deadline can also be as simple as - oh hey season three is coming in a month, I really need this fic to be done before then. Or, I’m starting school mid-August, I need the serious writing to be done by that time. Whatever is in your life that you can hold yourself to for a writing deadline: do it.

Onion Writing Tip #14: Persevere

It is worth it.

Writing is hard work. It’s hard work more often than not. It’s frustrating, it’s upsetting, and sometimes there’s really nothing stopping you from giving up. when the words aren’t coming. when the ideas feel dumb. when you feel stranded and alone about something that used to excite you - something that isn’t working now. Sometimes it just feels like it would be easier to give up and let someone else write this story.

Here’s the thing.

No one else will.

Not the way you see it in your head. Not the way it grips at your chest. This story in your head won’t touch anyone else the way it touches you unless you write it.

The work is worth it.

You don’t have to show your work to anyone unless you want to. But sometimes - and my last piece of advice - sharing your work with people can be the biggest, stupidest, giddiest motivator for continuing to create art that exists on this silly little planet. 

It’s also single-handedly the most daunting thing about writing - but it too is so, so worth it. 

Share your work, when it’s ready. Draft it. Edit it. Get it out there. And keep going! It’s hard work, but if the story’s meant to be there - it’ll come.