#writing chat

[fanfusionfriend]

Super interesting to hear other's thoughts on this. I typically default to 2k per chapter but more out of general limitations to my editing patience and output capacity than deliberate thoughts on pacing...

Could you explain the word count to chapter count ratio thing you mentioned (from the which metrics do you look at for picking AO3 fic post)? I'd be curious to hear more, never thought about that before!

I have gotten a lot better with this (and seeing if a fic is using a specific format like chat messages or epistolary) but the first thing I look for with a fic is the word count to chapter count ratio. There is an enormous difference between a fic that is 3 chapters and 15,000 words vs 8 chapters and 15,000 words. It's a structural thing, it's a pacing thing.

Similarly, when I'm writing, I tend to aim for 4k to 6k words per chapter with important Event Chapters getting higher. In my pretty extensive experience, that's the sweet spot for episodic storytelling and engagement.

[infamous-if]

This is more of a writing question as I really admire your work and I’m trying to write my own IF but am kind of stuck. I’ve done a lot of the character drafting and plot drafting, but when it comes down to actually sitting down and WRITING the story (even just a small portion) I just get stuck.

So I guess my question is, is how did you start writing the actual story of Infamous? How do you get about moving the story along?

Thank you and OK! This is going to be long because I'll share my beat sheet for the first act of Infamous!

So I've talked about this very briefly, but I will never stop championing beat sheets. I get so many questions every day asking me how I write so much and so quickly, and it's because I already have a layout planned that's basically just holding my hand. I'm not a magical wizard with a writing wand (though I wish...)

This is a traditional novel system and my only background is writing traditional novels. Infamous is my first IF, and I did have to tweak how I approach writing because they're just not the same. IFs are different because they're essentially multiple novels in one. One route can look completely different to another route, but the basics at least helps you with narrative plotting.

Once you recognize the building blocks of a story, it'll become easier to write it. For example, here's the beat sheet for Hunger Games. It is known that Hunger Games follows a beat sheet beat by beat and does it very well.

I will give you my beat sheet for Infamous

MC has a dream of the final goal of the band. It's meant to mirror what the end goal of the story is supposed to be. Ruining it by wakening up is meant to hook the reader by making them realize it's not true yet. Set up the story conflict: the tour. I introduce the characters and their dynamics (orion getting angry at MC for sleeping, Rowan joking around with Orion, Iris and Devyn etc.) I foreshadow a few things and I set up the stakes of the tour and how much the band needs this. (They talk about their gigs and how they want to do more.)

The inciting incident for INFAMOUS is winning the audition and finally getting on tour. That's what incites the story! The first dilemma is getting into a fight at the party due to cheating allegations. Now the reader is aware that this isn't all sunshine and daisies. We're all just fucked, basically. j/

Well. This is pretty obvious. Having to make a choice on the bus. It helps that the tour hasn't started yet and both options deal with characters that have conflict with MC and the band (Seven and UWB) so now it's like: this decision will impact the rest of the tour, and makes it much bigger than just choosing to ride with a band every other week.

obviously this is all spoilery but your goal is basically: how do i make my MC suffer as much as i can? conflict is fun to read, it's what drives people to continue watching/reading/ investing. For IFs it goes beyond that, because people like making decisions on how to fix conflict or make it worse!

I love talking technical writing on my personal @amyreads I don't talk about it much here because it can get boring. But yeah! If you have more questions you can swing by there :)

That's all! I hope it helps a bit! <3

[amyreads]

Amy!! You’ve been writing for a long time and I’m curious to hear if there are any other genres/character types/tropes you’re interested in writing, whether it be for future projects or just for fun? Honestly I consider Seven to be, like, the pinnacle of a fictional character, beyond me just being attracted to them and a lover of an enemies to lovers romance (lmao) I think they’re so complex and well written and I would love to pick your brain about future things you’d like to write❤️

this is such an old ask sorry but I do want to write a vampire story one day! I love vampiresss I would want to do a very gritty, dark vampire story like just the ugliest parts of it all and very raw, it would still be super romantic but I think in a...non romantic way idk

maybe one day!

I also kinda want to stick to writing celebs. I think writing a story that involves celebrity culture gives you a lot of freedom to push them to their limits, everything feels 10x worse when you're doing it in the public eye

body double is still always in the back of my mind it's just so lore and plot heavy that Im unlocking a whole new literary skill I didnt have. its so different from infamous as well, I wonder how it'll be received?!!

anyway thank you so much thats so nice and thats all I want to hear so ahhh :,) im very proud of having created seven, they're definitely a character that I really love and feel protective of

im always open for you to pick my brain! I love talking writing and tropes :))

[polyabathtub]

Eetu and Gus score and I’m like “oh great game for my favorite strippers,” AU pilled by my own drafts

[latte-cucumber]

inserting needlessly indulgent house of commons procedure references into my latest fic. you don't know what speaker denison's rule is? well you're gonna find out

[loxosceleslolo]

Once upon a time I wanted to deconstruct the "destined soulmates across reincarnations" trope by having the destined couple be a 1000+ year-old vampire and his concubine's fourteen year-old human maid. Just to really lean into all the ways that trope can be dark and fucked-up and badwrong. (And this would have been in a setting where there is no free will because everyone's fates are predetermined)

Then I got scared of the fandom police and put that foolish draft to rest

But maybe I'll get around to writing it one day

[terristernwrites]

Hi, happy STS~!

This week, I want to know: Have you ever had to say goodbye to a character, be it because of their death in the story, or their role in it having finished? How did you feel about it?

(from @tisiphonewolfe)

Thanks for this ask, this is really cool.

Oh boy yeah I have haha!

I killed off a very sweet character in ch1 of my recent novel and the sequel will have much more killing! I don't do it lightly, because it can become super ineffective, but there's something to be said for establishing how bloody the world is willing to be via actual bloodshed.

I am wary of killing off main characters but I will do it if the story really, really demands it. I much prefer sending them off to the farm though!

[typewriter83]

Let’s chat - that’s what this blog was started for 🫶🏻

Please Reblog This If It’s Okay To:

Send questions about yourself

Ask questions to/about your characters

Ask about your headcanons 

Send questions about your works (fanfics, art, music, RPs, etc) 

Ask about popular ships/headcanons

Ask about plot ideas you’ve had but haven’t acted upon yet (snippets of AUs, a scenario you wish to write/draw but haven’t gotten to yet)

Questions about other ships/headcanons that aren’t as popular or are rarepairs

Questions or comments about favorite tropes, headcanons, characters, foods, weather, or anything else you are okay in answering!

[admiral-michova]

“IM here…it’s me”

Elanor whispered to herself. Walking down the hall of their top floor suite, Elanor sees her reflection in a mirror and stops, elanor could’ve sworn she looked older? Or is she just losing it? Then lines on her face seemed like they’d been filled in over night and her eyes, the blue in them became piercing. Elanor touched the mirror where her reflection stood and jn her mind she saw it ripple, she saw the young Elanor…her face stained with running make up and tear streaks, but she was smiling…smiling? Elanor felt a wave of warmth cold and weakness all at the same time, her reflection reached out and touched where Elanors hand was placed and it was cold…they pushed each palm together and the coldness from young Elanors side, her smile softened and her eyes welled with tears, the coldness faded and it bursted into overwhelming warmth, Elanor pulled her younger self through and into a hug, the back of young Elanors dress was shredded and her back was covered in lashes and bleeding, older Elanor could feel those scars radiate heat and pain but she stood unfazed and let her younger self cry into her shoulder, Elanor let the warmth overtake her and allowed the realization of change and uncertainty to be what her reality is

“Danke, danke für unser Überleben”

Elanor blinked and found her hand just on her reflection, her broken pieces felt something, no not fixed that wasn’t it…it felt like they’d been cleaned up and set aside. Not thrown out but saved to be re used. The first night she met sovfia and the two talked she found a kindred spirit, and then meeting the rest of the crew she found a new home, patience, tolerance understanding and gentle guidance from everyone around her ensured Elanor felt at home, still looking at her reflection she was amazed, still missing pieces but despite the fact they may be missing or broken, a part of her feels new and ready to start again. Time to try again for her new life and this was part of the ticket for the ride

“I’m what I always wanted to be…free”

Elanor hopped in place and turned to jog down the hall to meet Sovfia where she was waiting, now was not the time to stand still it was time to get a move on and move fast with a direction in mind, she got a ring on her wrist unit and had to flick it open and answer jogging still trying to maintain a decent breathing pattern

“H-hello!”

“Elanor g’morning luv, are you making your way to training?”

“Yes”

“Good! I’ll be there soon too”

“John?”

“Yes?”

“Still hope you aren’t taking it easy on me”

“Trust me, I won’t be”

With that the comm hung up and Elanor continued her jog, the elevator wasn’t far off now and Sovfia sat leaned against the wall waiting for Elanor

“Let’s go let’s go Löwin a full day awaits!”

“Okay Nora let’s go!”

[wolgerrswraith]

And finally, for real for once, I finished Bloodbound Hearts. The little "Just 3,000 words or so" story ended up at 10,000, but whatever. Just need to do a final edit for my usual carnival of typos and misused punctuation, and it can be published.

[aropride]

[dawnbreakersgaze]

My username was Sagarakitsune (revealing my old inner weeb 🥴). I wrote for Naruto (my big fic was an Iruka one I legit still have the chapters for saved 🤣 I love to reread them when I'm feeling particularly bad about my writing) and Trigun (Nicholas D Wolfwood).

I'm pretty sure my start on there was cir 2004~ and lmao oh god yes I remember Lemons (and the "implied smut" they called Limes 🤣)

Damn now I feel extra old. Good times man. Good times. It's so funny skipping from Quizilla all the way to tumblr since I haven't written anything in between lmao. I feel like I've missed steps lol.

the three generations of fanfic:

livejournal, fanfiction.net and ao3 which one were you?

[infamous-if]

Hi sunshine!!

Hehe I’m gonna pretend I was the first to send an ask to your newly-cleared inbox 🤣 I was just reading your writing advice post about beat sheets and I was wondering if you had any more writing advice? Mainly how you’re able to write so much but also how you’re able to do so in a linear fashion.

I have..absolutely no writing background and my writing process is very instinctual rather than organized. I type with my eyes closed so I can visualize scenes like a movie and I follow a beat sheet consisting of “fuck it we ball”

it’s dope that you have a novel writing background, little me would think you’re like the Viola Davis of literature if she heard that. (23 year old me thinks you’re cool too dw HEHEH)

Anywaysss you know I love your IF and I’m sending you a virtual hug!! 😁

Hi! and lolol I'll pretend you were too hehe

And good question! I think having a novel background does help since I've gotten used to writing a lot. I really respect IF authors who jump into IF with no writing experience because no only do you also have to code and write multiple books (routes) in one, you're also sharing that work to the public almost immediately.

It took me having to post fanfic + indie publishing to grow a thick skin and an understanding against hate and criticism, so people who choose this as their first foray into writing have my immense respect lmao it's not easy!

Mainly how you’re able to write so much but also how you’re able to do so in a linear fashion.

I've said before that I'm able to write a lot because I plan everything before hand. I'm not capable of pantsing and I'm a plotter through and through. When I know the beats to a scene and have a goal, I can just focus on reaching that goal instead of trying to come up with a purpose.

For example, I'm currently working on a novel as well as Infamous, and I just spent like....eight hours today just working on the outline (again). I think I have about 15 different variations of the outline, but I can't write if I don't know what's coming up next. I think I spend more time working on the outline than the book. (For example: One book I spent one year working on the outline and then wrote the book in 3 months lmao).

Anyway, almost every conversation in a book has a purpose, even if it's not obvious. Sometimes it's to express motivation, further the plot, create conflict. Sometimes it's to add depth to characters which usually results in conversations that seemingly have no purpose (like the band talking about whether orion would be a good band member or not) but they do! (its to establish the dynamic and level of closeness + personalities). When I know what I want to tell in a scene and what I want to express, I don't meander as much. So I plan plan plan plan.

But really, if you work best off instinct, I encourage you to go that way. There's no right way, and you don't want to force yourself. Sometimes people write their best when they're figuring it out along the way. I'm not capable of that hahahahah

As for linear, I can NOT jump around as much as I wish. I need CONTEXT like...I love referring back to old conversations and using the older conversations as context to newer ones people who can jump around and write non-linearly are superhuman.

Typing with your eyes closed seems so cool. I do have a cinematic approach to writing as well, but I also only type with three fingers lmao (I never learned how to use all your fingers for typing) so I need to see plshfhsdfhdsj

thank you!! I love your IF as well and your energy! Your posts are so fun to read and Memento Mori is SOO GOOD!

[amyreads]

its 1AM and Orion's POV chapter is done. 5.6k words YEAH

every single line, every choice...and it was so fun ha

[thebawdybaldurian]

Stay Tuned

I had to start a new job that has totally fucked my sleep schedule and all motivation to do any writing. It’s the first time in six months or so that I’ve gone more than a day without writing anything. I have a lot of new ideas, including my Fallout NV story, but I only have the energy to mindlessly scroll. 😞

Thank you to everyone that has liked, reblogged, commented, and tipped. You kept me going this long.

Hoping to get back to it if I can adjust to this…capitalism just feels bad man. 🫠