#who is actually gonna read ~1k words on average if not less

[mezzmerizd]

Oh my fucking god i just realised that if i switch to a new phone literally ALL of my writing will be gone,,,

^^^ uses samsung notes like a goddamn lunatic

[yoursummerfrost]

absolutely interested in your thoughts on longform plot beats if you want to share!

*shows up three weeks late with Starbucks*

So, the first thing about writing longfics is that I try pretty hard in general to not pressure myself into writing something of a certain length. And actually as pretty much all my friends ever can attest to, I tend to underestimate how long something is gonna be xD and I find this is actually helpful, because stories are wonderful at any length and trying to force them to be shorter or longer than they want to be can easily lead to feeling frustrated and discouraged. So, I would recommend practicing some affirmation and acceptance when possible. Specifically, practice telling yourself that your story has value at whatever length it ends up being and that your story will be the length it needs to be in order to get told.

That being said, I think there are probably two main areas that contribute to ending up with a completed longfic. The first is developing the plot itself and the second is developing the motivation and practice to physically complete the writing itself. The rest of the post will be under the cut :)

Plotting

Certain plots will lend themselves to longer or shorter stories. It also depends on your genre, of course. While almost all my fics include romance, I tend to focus the most on the character study aspect when I plot something out. I try to ask myself, "what does this character need in order to grow? how do I want them to change by the end of the story?"

Usually, that growth will be driven by their relationship with at least one other person. Let's take Geralt as an example. Geralt's growth is usually centered around learning to put more trust in others and allow himself to experience his own emotions and desires more fully, because his previous experiences have taught him that trust is dangerous and his emotions will only cause him more pain. 

So, when I flesh out a plot, I'm largely looking for examples of how to demonstrate where Geralt is on that journey. I want to put together a collection of scenes that will subtly demonstrate these kinds of changes. In an early scene, Geralt is resistant to Jaskier's blatant affection. In a later scene, he accepts it begrudgingly--but only when it's offered to him first. By the end of the fic, he permits himself to ask. And I want all of these things to be "shown" more than they're "told."

In other words, while I have it in my back of my mind that a scene's primary purpose is to move us along that journey, the actual scene doesn't necessarily say that on the page. Instead, I write the following three scenes: 1) Geralt claiming he wants Jaskier to go away but making him a drink anyway, 2) Geralt picking up the phone when Jaskier calls him at 3 am, and 3) Geralt calling Jaskier when Geralt can't sleep. 

This can quickly become compounded if you want multiple character arcs in a story. Sticking with the Geraskier example, I probably also want some character growth for Jaskier (or at least some exploration of his refusal to change, because he's a bastard like that). So I'm also trying to add in scenes that will show off that for him. When possible I want my scenes to multitask for me, but sometimes you really need a scene to do one specific thing and that's okay.

When plotting longfic, I really do find it useful to outline. I can sometimes get away without it, but being able to look at this progression planned out in front of me has definitely been super helpful. I use question marks and sarcasm liberally in my outlines. They're also really helpful for answering the "what next?" question because you can stare at gaps in the path and try to figure out what fits there. I also daydream about my fics pretty much constantly, so I’m informally outlining in my head before it ever gets to the page. 

Motivation and Execution

Honestly, the biggest motivating factor for me is having someone I trust who will read the damn thing even before it's finished. It's really lovely to have someone who will occasionally say nice things and offer encouragement, if not also provide some beta as you go. It also helps me stay engaged with the story instead of being distracted by a shiny new idea. Posting as a chaptered WIP can kind of substitute for this, but it doesn't really do it for me in the same way tbh.

So if possible, I do really recommend asking a buddy to read chunks as you go :) it can be scary at first, because it's unedited!! What if they don't like it? What if you totally change something halfway through and ruin the experience for them? That's why it's good to find someone you vibe with to do it, and who doesn't mind living in WIP land with you. But knowing there's someone specific waiting to read more of my writing is incredibly motivating for me. It's a tangible and immediate kind of reinforcement that kudos and comments on a WIP don't really replace. 

(Kudos and comments are wonderful. It's just a different kind of satisfaction.)

Another important aspect is finding time and energy to write, which isn't always easy. About a year ago, I actually started writing on Google docs on my phone in between meetings/classes at school and it was a total game changer. Getting in fifty or a hundred words a few times throughout the day really adds up! Obviously this doesn't work for everyone depending on your resources and general life situation. I'm very lucky that I work in a field that allows me that down time.

No matter how your time is spent day-to-day, I do find setting attainable goals for when you're able to write to be helpful. Learning what's attainable takes a little bit of trial and error as well as self-reflection. Generally speaking, I like to write every day and I try to write at least 1k each day. On average, that's attainable for me personally.* When I'm feeling blah and like the words aren't happening, I gently nudge myself by saying, "Just try to get to 1k. If you're still not feeling it after that, you can stop." I almost always get to 1k, because I was kind and encouraging to myself and knew that 1k was realistic even though I wasn't ~in the zone.

That just happens to be my number. Remember that all progress is progress, and the goal is to feel rewarded and accomplished by meeting the goal. If you think your attainable goal is 50 words, that's fantastic! You'll write 50 more words than you would've if you felt too discouraged to try at all. Writing stamina is also a thing, and you might find that after a while 50 becomes 100 becomes 200. 

It honestly really helps that writing is usually fun for me! I see a lot of posts on Tumblr about how writing is terrible and we all secretly hate it and I do find the humor in them, because I do have those moments. But deep down, most of the time? I'm writing something that I find fun. I'm writing an idea I care about and makes me smile (or laugh evilly, depending on the angst levels) and I hope other people will find fun too.

In all things, I believe honoring negative emotions and thoughts is important. Acknowledging that it can be frustrating to write, that you're tired of your WIP or feel stuck, etc, is helpful so you can address it. At the same time, I think a big factor that contributes to how often I, a massively neurodivergent pal who has 73382 ideas at any given time, am able to so often finish longfics is that I have worked really hard to focus on the positives too. Things that I am enjoying writing or the fun scene that's coming up if I finish the one that's annoying me. 

*I've been feeling super uninspired for the past two weeks or so and have written way less than average in that time. I'm working on a fic I objectively really care about and it's still like pulling teeth! So I’ve knocked my goal down to 200 words a day. And that's okay. Clearly my brain and the rest of me need a break. I wanna normalize that, too.