Writing tips and tricks?

[MilkJar]

I'm looking for some ways to keep myself from doomscrolling on reddit as much as possible, because my ADHD ass brain requires stimulation 90% of the day. I'm looking towards writing again! I used to do it a lot, some in college and some regularly in the past few years, but I've never been able to make a huge habit out of it (and i've never been particularly good at it  ).

I would like to do some short stories or just random writings, but can hardly ever think of a topic or story idea. Do you have a favorite spot to find writing prompts? Or do y'all come up with that shit off the dome?

Any tips and tricks for writing?

[invader_gvim]

I'm looking for some ways to keep myself from doomscrolling on reddit as much as possible, because my ADHD ass brain requires stimulation 90% of the day. I'm looking towards writing again! I used to do it a lot, some in college and some regularly in the past few years, but I've never been able to make a huge habit out of it (and i've never been particularly good at it  ).

I would like to do some short stories or just random writings, but can hardly ever think of a topic or story idea. Do you have a favorite spot to find writing prompts? Or do y'all come up with that shit off the dome?

Any tips and tricks for writing?

This thread has some cool things to read for inspiration. I've seriously found that the best alternative to the kind of "easy reading" you get from a reddit post is reading a comic book. You can find a huge variety of comic books to read online, for free. Who cares if its legal? Be a rebel.

In terms of writing prompts, I've always tried to read stories on fan fiction sites, or other things where its written by someone smaller. Reading something big for inspiration can fill you with a deep sense of inadequacy, or worse. If you are reading to emulate something like Tolkien or Lovecraft you might end up writing like you are in the early 1900s. Here is the book I just finished reading. It's written by a first time author and it is very good. 

I have a dark sci fi series I just posted chapter 3 in. I actually have chapter 4 done, but I'm editing it. There are trigger warnings on that page too.

As far as inspiration, writing prompts never did it for me. Try to think of something you are passionate about, something that you want to tell the world. Write a story about someone who thinks that, but everyone fights against them for it. Write a story where your idea or belief is the fulcrum upon which the whole world spins. In my story, everything revolves around the question "Is it right to cause pain for the greater good?"

[MilkJar]

Ahh thank you! Those are really good tips!
I've never really thought about reading stuff from others who aren't necessarily published authors  I've heard a lot about AO3, maybe I could give that place a try. I'll take a look at your story, too! Sounds interesting   
A story revolving around a single question is a really interesting thought too, I'll have to think about that!

[candycanearter07]

Maybe try doing some small writing prompt stuff? That's what I'm trying to get into writing a bit.. I'm personally using these because it also comes with a webring, but you could use anything

[Aarix]

Great idea! Writing is an awesome hobby, I hope you have fun getting back into it.

I write a bit here and there--truth be told, I've become more of a roleplayer than a writer. Well... I suppose it is a hobby which involves writing, but I consider the two to be separate, albeit related, things.

In the tips and tricks department, I heartily recommend the youtube channel Writing With Andrew--the eponymous Andrew has some useful advice for all kinds of writing, including academic writing, but he has lots of content which focuses on specifically creative writing too; everything is presented in a really digestible, engaging, and encouraging way :) he's even got some fun writing exercises you can do!

I think a useful question to ask yourself might be--what are you hoping to accomplish with your writing? I pose this question because the answer could be any number of things. Is it an outlet, a way to untangle your thoughts, a way to build characters or worlds, a way to play with language? All of the above? Do you hope for an audience, or are you okay with it being just for yourself? Knowing why you're drawn to doing this thing will help guide the way you approach it 

[MilkJar]

Maybe try doing some small writing prompt stuff? That's what I'm trying to get into writing a bit.. I'm personally using these because it also comes with a webring, but you could use anything

oooo bookmarked!

[MilkJar]

I think a useful question to ask yourself might be--what are you hoping to accomplish with your writing? I pose this question because the answer could be any number of things. Is it an outlet, a way to untangle your thoughts, a way to build characters or worlds, a way to play with language? All of the above? Do you hope for an audience, or are you okay with it being just for yourself? Knowing why you're drawn to doing this thing will help guide the way you approach it 

Honestly yeah that's a good question. I have a tendency to let my mind run a little crazy with project ideas, and things get out of scope very quickly, so I have to bring myself back to some realistic expectations for myself. I don't expect to write the next big thing or anything, but I sure do like to daydream about it. Only as long as it stays a daydream and not an expectation though, because I also tend to set myself up for failure by expecting too much of myself immediately.

I think I need to be more forgiving on myself when writing. In my head it's always "this reads like crap" or "this paragraph sucks" blah blah blah, because I set up these huge expectations for myself and my mind expects shakespeare to fall out and gets frustrated when it doesn't.

I like to do writing because it's a fun creative output. I try to do it firstly for myself, for fun and creativity's sake. I like to try to create a world and a story, and improve my ability to do so. Beyond that, if people like my writing, that would be very exciting! I would love to submit short stories in competitions or something, once I'm more confident at least. But if my stories never make it farther than my fiance or my family, that'd be okay too.

I think that if I can bring myself back to earth every now and then and remind myself to not expect something phenomenal to just flow out of me, I'll be able to write consistently and keep improving. It's a hobby first, and a hobby should be fun!     

[candycanearter07]

I write a bit here and there--truth be told, I've become more of a roleplayer than a writer. Well... I suppose it is a hobby which involves writing, but I consider the two to be separate, albeit related, things.

Any ideas how to find a group that won't kick you out

Honestly yeah that's a good question. I have a tendency to let my mind run a little crazy with project ideas, and things get out of scope very quickly, so I have to bring myself back to some realistic expectations for myself. I don't expect to write the next big thing or anything, but I sure do like to daydream about it. Only as long as it stays a daydream and not an expectation though, because I also tend to set myself up for failure by expecting too much of myself immediately.

I think I need to be more forgiving on myself when writing. In my head it's always "this reads like crap" or "this paragraph sucks" blah blah blah, because I set up these huge expectations for myself and my mind expects shakespeare to fall out and gets frustrated when it doesn't.

I like to do writing because it's a fun creative output. I try to do it firstly for myself, for fun and creativity's sake. I like to try to create a world and a story, and improve my ability to do so. Beyond that, if people like my writing, that would be very exciting! I would love to submit short stories in competitions or something, once I'm more confident at least. But if my stories never make it farther than my fiance or my family, that'd be okay too.

I think that if I can bring myself back to earth every now and then and remind myself to not expect something phenomenal to just flow out of me, I'll be able to write consistently and keep improving. It's a hobby first, and a hobby should be fun!     

I think I write more because I'm attached to the characters? IDK.. I also tend to get caught up in trying to be involved in the big projects other people do without having a good base so like idk

[MilkJar]

I think I write more because I'm attached to the characters? IDK.. I also tend to get caught up in trying to be involved in the big projects other people do without having a good base so like idk

Being attached to the characters is probably not a bad thing! A good excuse to write more stories surrounding them.

[Aarix]

Any ideas how to find a group that won't kick you out

Actually, I've only ever done one-on-one RPs--groups are too hectic for me. I have one serious RP partner at the moment, whom I found via an unrepeatable fluke (Toyhouse worlds forum, of all places...). I think a good place to find people would be RPnation--I've had some luck there in the past. It does take a bit (a lot) of perseverance to find people you click with, so don't be discouraged if you don't hit it off with the first dozen or so roleplayers you meet...

I think I write more because I'm attached to the characters? IDK.. I also tend to get caught up in trying to be involved in the big projects other people do without having a good base so like idk

Yeah, as MilkJar said, nothing wrong with enjoying some characters :) it's a good place as any to sink your teeth in, plus (if your characters are fandom characters) I hear fanfic is a big thing (😄)... though I would be wary of picking up "bad" habits from it!! Fanfic has its own sets of conventions, and often takes a few shortcuts which are fine in the context of fanfic but less get-away-withable in original fiction. That being said, if having an audience isn't a priority you at this point, then you don't have to worry about what a hypothetical stranger might think of your writing at all! It's a good idea to be gentle with yourself at first and not get too worried about whether what you're writing is "good" or not.

What kinda big projects are you interested in? And what do you mean by "a good base"...? Like, confidence in your skill as a writer?..

[candycanearter07]

Actually, I've only ever done one-on-one RPs--groups are too hectic for me. I have one serious RP partner at the moment, whom I found via an unrepeatable fluke (Toyhouse worlds forum, of all places...). I think a good place to find people would be RPnation--I've had some luck there in the past. It does take a bit (a lot) of perseverance to find people you click with, so don't be disco

uraged if you don't hit it off with the first dozen or so roleplayers you meet...
Yeah, as MilkJar said, nothing wrong with enjoying some characters :) it's a good place as any to sink your teeth in, plus (if your characters are fandom characters) I hear fanfic is a big thing (😄)... though I would be wary of picking up "bad" habits from it!! Fanfic has its own sets of conventions, and often takes a few shortcuts which are fine in the context of fanfic but less get-away-withable in original fiction. That being said, if having an audience isn't a priority you at this point, then you don't have to worry about what a hypothetical stranger might think of your writing at all! It's a good idea to be gentle with yourself at first and not get too worried about whether what you're writing is "good" or not.

What kinda big projects are you interested in? And what do you mean by "a good base"...? Like, confidence in your skill as a writer?..

I'll try that once I emotionally recover

And I like try to not worry about being "good" or not but agn it gets to me..

Like if the group I was in was doing a kinda collaborative storyline thingy and I kinda tried to get involved with that but was denied which yae

and by good base like confidence yea and actual characters with personalities

[Aarix]

the group I was in was doing a kinda collaborative storyline thingy and I kinda tried to get involved with that but was denied which yae

Again, RPs are fickle things. It sucks to be excluded, the good thing is that there's always plenty of other stuff out there to participate in whenever you're ready :) don't worry too much about it--finding RPers to truly vibe with can take a long time and a lot of failures. It's just part of the hobby--try not to let it get you down

and by good base like confidence yea and actual characters with personalities

If you really don't know where to begin with character creation, I find that filling in some kind of character sheet/template is an easy place to start. Find one that you like, that's relevant to you. Some will be more RP oriented, some will be more "just for fun", some are even geared toward literary fiction. Find a character sheet that aligns with your goals/tastes and just have fun filling it in.

An even better idea might be to jump straight into a character-focused writing exercise. Again, you'll have to find one that you like, which feels relevant to your interests....


Getting back to the idea of Just Getting Writing Again in general... I've got a writing book rec to drop in here--even though it's aimed at younger writers (and is an extremely retro throwback to 2008), I still think it's got a lot of fun exercises in it for writers of any age--it's called Juicy Writing and it's by Bridid Lowry, and you can read it for free on Internet Archive. Maybe you will think it's lame and that's fine--it's just one of many possible places to start.
This Tobylitt guy has a few ideas/advice that I think is valuable too (if in doubt, check out his beginners course--the more advanced ones might be a bit harsh if you're not in the right headspace). Again, it mightn't be for you, but check it out and give some stuff a try.
Some of these exercises are character-focused, some are not. They're also aimed at beginners, so you might already know a lot of the stuff they're talking about. But there's no wrong way to start writing, and I reckon a fun writing exercise never hurts anyone. If neither of these resources appeal to you, find something which does!

Really, very best thing anyone can do to get your writing juices flowing and to get inspired is to read a book or several. Maybe make some notes about what you liked or didn't--or don't--read purely for pleasure and just absorb some competence via osmosis; both are really good for your writing brain and will increase your authorly aptitude 💪. If books are too much, read short stories. If you don't like the thing you're reading, drop it and find something you do like. It can be hard to find a good book but so worth it! Do you know what genres you're into?

[candycanearter07]

Again, RPs are fickle things. It sucks to be excluded, the good thing is that there's always plenty of other stuff out there to participate in whenever you're ready :) don't worry too much about it--finding RPers to truly vibe with can take a long time and a lot of failures. It's just part of the hobby--try not to let it get you down

If you really don't know where to begin with character creation, I find that filling in some kind of character sheet/template is an easy place to start. Find one that you like, that's relevant to you. Some will be more RP oriented, some will be more "just for fun", some are even geared toward literary fiction. Find a character sheet that aligns with your goals/tastes and just have fun filling it in.

An even better idea might be to jump straight into a character-focused writing exercise. Again, you'll have to find one that you like, which feels relevant to your interests....


Getting back to the idea of Just Getting Writing Again in general... I've got a writing book rec to drop in here--even though it's aimed at younger writers (and is an extremely retro throwback to 2008), I still think it's got a lot of fun exercises in it for writers of any age--it's called Juicy Writing and it's by Bridid Lowry, and you can read it for free on Internet Archive. Maybe you will think it's lame and that's fine--it's just one of many possible places to start.
This Tobylitt guy has a few ideas/advice that I think is valuable too (if in doubt, check out his beginners course--the more advanced ones might be a bit harsh if you're not in the right headspace). Again, it mightn't be for you, but check it out and give some stuff a try.
Some of these exercises are character-focused, some are not. They're also aimed at beginners, so you might already know a lot of the stuff they're talking about. But there's no wrong way to start writing, and I reckon a fun writing exercise never hurts anyone. If neither of these resources appeal to you, find something which does!

Really, very best thing anyone can do to get your writing juices flowing and to get inspired is to read a book or several. Maybe make some notes about what you liked or didn't--or don't--read purely for pleasure and just absorb some competence via osmosis; both are really good for your writing brain and will increase your authorly aptitude 💪. If books are too much, read short stories. If you don't like the thing you're reading, drop it and find something you do like. It can be hard to find a good book but so worth it! Do you know what genres you're into?

Hi, sorry for waiting so long to reply, emotions and stuff.

I'll try to maybe look through the wiritng advice book

I like uh comedy sci fi, but i havent really read a book in forever...

[MilkJar]

I like uh comedy sci fi

Ooh if you haven't read it, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a great comedy scifi

[candycanearter07]

Ooh if you haven't read it, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a great comedy scifi

I have the entire box set (The more than complete collection)