Writer Problems - Blog Posts

How would you indicate/punctuate a message/conversation in sign languague while making a difference between normal diologue?

So far I have been using

*BlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBla*: for the just sign languague transcription;

["BlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBla" Narration]: for when there's speaking interactions of which the non-hearing character is not aware of or there's just no translation for them;

"*BlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBla*": for when a character signs and speaks at the same time;

"BlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBla" Hey! Someone else is singning and the diologue it's just the translation: For when someone is translating to someone who doesn't know signs, but is clear they're just tranlators

*BlaBla,BlaBla,BlaBla,BlaBla*// *BlaBla;BlaBla;BlaBla;BlaBla*// *BlaBla.BlaBla.BlaBla.BlaBla*: To indicate the physical pause between signs for someone who's not used to signing

And the usual, *B-L-A-B-L-A-B-L-A*: for finger spelling, but If there's a diologue translation I'll just put the normal word.

I really want to integrate sign languague in my stories correctly, but remarking the difference between the communication methods in a graphical way. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I keep seeing people making fun of using growled, hissed, roared, snarled etc in writing and it’s like.

have you never heard someone speak with the gravel in their voice when they get angry? Because that’s what a growl is.

Have you never heard someone sharply whisper something through the thin space of their teeth? Or when your mother sharply told you to stop it in public as a kid when you were acting up/being too loud? Because that’s what a hiss is.

Have you never heard a man get so blackout angry that their voice BOOMS through the house? Because that’s what a roar is.

Have you never seen someone bare their teeth while talking to accentuate their frustration or anger while speaking with a vicious tone? Because that’s what snarling is.

It’s not meant to be a literal animal noise. For the love of god, not every description is literal. I get some people are genuinely confused, but also some of these people are genuinely unimaginative as fuck.

Life update.

Guess whose computer fuking died?

Guess who lost everything on their computer with the last thing recorded that could be saved was from June 2023?

Guess who lost the script for their ARG?

Guess whose computer after being restored became slower than a snail?

Me! 😁

I did it folks. I finally wrote a smvtty story without getting shy XD. Is it good? Debatable. Is it finished? Yes (although I might make a part two just for the fun of it.) And that's all that really matters.

The draft has been posted here on my blog in case you're feeling inquisitive.

Tentatively titled "Naptime fantasies." Although that's a bit too on the nose for my taste.

The problem is, when I try to write spicy scenes in my stories I start to get shy for the characters.

*tries to type while looking away*

I'm waiting till it's dark outside, my motivations is like a vampire 🍷

what do you mean i have to w r i t e to be a writer ? rude

Every time I have an idea for a fic, I overthink it and talk myself out of it. I don't know the characters well enough. This doesn't fit the setting/canon. Which is why in all the years I've been writing, I only ever wrote one Pokémon fanfic when I was like 14 and a fictionalization of a Slayers RPG I ran. OCs are easier because I make the canon!

I don't know what to do. I was going through old files on my computer and I found a bunch of stories from when I was still roleplaying. I've got documents that are 35K words or more, but I don't know what to do with them. There's a lot of context missing because I made a whole culture to go along with the characters and I'm not sure anyone else will find it interesting. But I just spent two hours today engrossed in a story I wrote over ten years ago and I kinda wish I could rewrite it.

It me.

Me to myself: no, you can't write something new, you're supposed to be working on WIP! *gestures to sad WIP in the corner*

Also me: okay, fine, I won't write something new. *starts scrolling on social media* Happy?

Sometimes, writing is just editing. Editing is sometimes acknowledging that something doesn't belong in the work no matter how good it is. And that really hurts.

(Don't discard the material though. Save it in a separate file for later. Maybe you'll reuse it or maybe it'll remind you on a rainy day how good you are.)

The problem with not having writer friends or friends who read books is that when I'm really excited, I have no one to share it with.

My BFF is an artist and they can show me drawings that they've been working on for days. I LOVE to see the sketches and evolution from the beginning to the finished product. We don't have the same visual process for writing. Instead, I end up holding my BFF hostage and sound like a nerdy loon while they desperately try to make sense of my rantings. I could work for an hour on a sentence and it looks about the same as when I started to an outsider! >.<

I've been using Microsoft Word for over twenty years and somehow it gets worse each year...

[Image Description: First image is a Microsoft Word screen shot where it suggested that the user change "mauled" to "mailed", changing the sentence to "The body had been mailed to the point that it was unidentifiable."]

I have never liked the the skill versus luck debate, but it's acquired an intolerable dimension with the self-publishing groups I've joined.

The argument is deceptively simple, if you work hard, you should be successful. If you aren't, you aren't working hard enough. It doesn't take into account that luck has a part as well. A chance meeting with the company president may get me noticed. Or coffee spilled on my shirt means I miss that same meeting. Butterfly effect. Neither of those examples take into account how good I am at whatever I do; it's based things outside of my control. It gets more complex when you take into account economic background, education, race, gender, etc., but that's beside the point here.

This blindness gets worse when it comes to self-publishing because it involves two different skill sets: writing and marketing. I could be the best author out there, but if no one knows I exist, then I'm not selling anything. Likewise, I could be a marketing guru with a crappy book to sell and while I might do better initially, people will catch on and I'll not sell anything.

You can sharpen both skills, but only so far because luck is still a factor.

Perhaps I'm just frustrated by the lack of awareness that working hard doesn't always equal results.

Sometimes I look at my writing journey and it looks like I've gone nowhere. I have no audience. I don't know what I'm doing. I have terrible ideas. Worse yet, sometimes it feels like I've gone backward because I read less than I used to when I first started.

Then there are other times that I realize how far I've come. I realized that I'm a plotter, not a pantser, and that's helped me prevent problems before they occur. I don't try to make my first (and only) draft perfect; I realize that I need to get my ideas on paper before I can develop and hone them. I evaluate if a scene needs to be written or if the story needs to change instead of clinging to what I'd originally planned.

For about five years, I didn't write anything, and then when I returned to writing, I only wrote characters in roleplay. Neither helped me improve my writing. (If anything, RP stunted it, even if it did help me develop skills to create realistic characters.)

Now I have so many ideas floating around and very little time. It feels like I'm trying to make up for those lost years, and I'm hoping to start a MFA in Creative Writing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is keep writing. You never know when your self-doubt will pass.

I love this advice!

Perfectionism (most common)

Things that can help:

Give yourself permission to suck

Write with a pen to reduce temptation to erase

These two have helped me improve my writing the most. I used to spend hours trying to perfect a paragraph because even though I knew I was writing a rough draft, I wanted to capture everything on the first try.

When I was in high school, I used to write in a notebook between (and during classes), so I went back to that. My rough drafts are full of lines moving paragraphs or telling me to substitute words (and are probably only readable to me), but it's definitely improved. Instead of getting so lost in "perfecting" a paragraph, I can capture the whole feeling of a scene and remember what I intended rather than lose track of what I intended to do.

You're basically building a skeleton and subsequent drafts allow you to add the muscle, skin, etc., and smooth out the details.

Intimidation/Procrastination (often related to perfectionism, but not always)

Things that can help:

Follow the 2 min rule (or the 1 paragraph rule, which works better for me): whenever you sit down to write, tell yourself that you are only going to write for 2 minutes. If you feel like continuing once the 2 mins are up, go for it! Otherwise, stop. Force yourself to start but DO NOT force yourself to continue unless you feel like it. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to get started

Commit to a routine that will work for you. Baby steps are important here. Go with something that feels reasonable: every day, every other day, once a week, twice a week, and use cues to help you remember to start. If you chose a set time to write, just make sure that it's a time that feels natural to you- i.e. don't force yourself to writing at 9am every morning if you're not a morning person

I've expanded this to 30 min a day, but I do it consistently and I include research time in that period, so if I don't feel like writing or I'm uninspired, I have still contributed to the story in some manner and I don't end up guilting myself into continuing.

Alternatively, I've seen people choose a word count - 200, 300, etc. - and you can break it down however you like to accomplish that goal. I try to do my 30 min in one sprint, but I can't always do that, so I'll do 5 or 10, and even if that's all I can do for the day, I make sure I forgive myself for not always making that goal.

If you're not gentle with yourself and your writing, you end up resenting it. This is a hobby and you should enjoy it!

Things That May Be Causing Your Writer's Block- and How to Beat Them

I don't like the term 'Writer's Block' - not because it isn't real, but because the term is so vague that it's useless. Hundreds of issues all get lumped together under this one umbrella, making writer's block seem like this all-powerful boogeyman that's impossible to beat. Worse yet, it leaves people giving and receiving advice that is completely ineffective because people often don't realize they're talking about entirely different issues.

In my experience, the key to beating writer's block is figuring out what the block even is, so I put together a list of Actual Reasons why you may be struggling to write:

(note that any case of writer's block is usually a mix of two or more)

Perfectionism (most common)

What it looks like:

You write one sentence and spend the next hour googling "synonyms for ___"

Write. Erase. Write. Rewrite. Erase.

Should I even start writing this scene when I haven't figured out this one specific detail yet?

I hate everything I write

Cringing while writing

My first draft must be perfect, or else I'm a terrible writer

Things that can help:

Give yourself permission to suck

Keep in mind that nothing you write is going to be perfect, especially your first draft

Think of writing your first/early drafts not as writing, but sketching out a loose foundation to build upon later

People write multiple drafts for a reason: write now, edit later

Stop googling synonyms and save that for editing

Write with a pen to reduce temptation to erase

Embrace leaving blank spaces in your writing when you can't think of the right word, name, or detail

It's okay if your writing sucks. We all suck at some point. Embrace the growth mindset, and focus on getting words on a page

Lack of inspiration (easiest to fix)

What it looks like:

Head empty, no ideas

What do I even write about???

I don't have a plot, I just have an image

Want to write but no story to write

Things that can help:

Google writing prompts

If writing prompts aren't your thing, instead try thinking about what kind of tropes/genres/story elements you would like to try out

Instead of thinking about the story you would like to write, think about the story you would like to read, and write that

It's okay if you don't have a fully fleshed out story idea. Even if it's just an image or a line of dialogue, it's okay to write that. A story may or may not come out of it, but at least you got the creative juices flowing

Stop writing. Step away from your desk and let yourself naturally get inspired. Go for a walk, read a book, travel, play video games, research history, etc. Don't force ideas, but do open up your mind to them

If you're like me, world-building may come more naturally than plotting. Design the world first and let the story come later

Boredom/Understimulation (lost the flow)

What it looks like:

I know I should be writing but uugggghhhh I just can'tttttt

Writing words feels like pulling teeth

I started writing, but then I got bored/distracted

I enjoy the idea of writing, but the actual process makes me want to throw my laptop out the window

Things that can help:

Introduce stimulation: snacks, beverages, gum, music such as lo-fi, blankets, decorate your writing space, get a clickity-clackity keyboard, etc.

Add variety: write in a new location, try a new idea/different story for a day or so, switch up how you write (pen and paper vs. computer) or try voice recording or text-to-speech

Gamify writing: create an arbitrary challenge, such as trying to see how many words you can write in a set time and try to beat your high score

Find a writing buddy or join a writer's group

Give yourself a reward for every writing milestone, even if it's just writing a paragraph

Ask yourself whether this project you're working on is something you really want to be doing, and be honest with your answer

Intimidation/Procrastination (often related to perfectionism, but not always)

What it looks like:

I was feeling really motivated to write, but then I opened my laptop

I don't even know where to start

I love writing, but I can never seem to get started

I'll write tomorrow. I mean next week. Next month? Next month, I swear (doesn't write next month)

Can't find the time or energy

Unreasonable expectations (I should be able to write 10,000 words a day, right????)

Feeling discouraged and wondering why I'm even trying

Things that can help:

Follow the 2 min rule (or the 1 paragraph rule, which works better for me): whenever you sit down to write, tell yourself that you are only going to write for 2 minutes. If you feel like continuing once the 2 mins are up, go for it! Otherwise, stop. Force yourself to start but DO NOT force yourself to continue unless you feel like it. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to get started

Make getting started as easy as possible (i.e. minimize barriers: if getting up to get a notebook is stopping you from getting started, then write in the notes app of your phone)

Commit to a routine that will work for you. Baby steps are important here. Go with something that feels reasonable: every day, every other day, once a week, twice a week, and use cues to help you remember to start. If you chose a set time to write, just make sure that it's a time that feels natural to you- i.e. don't force yourself to writing at 9am every morning if you're not a morning person

Find a friend or a writing buddy you can trust and talk it out or share a piece of work you're proud of. Sometimes we just get a bit bogged down by criticism- either internal or external- and need a few words of encouragement

The Problem's Not You, It's Your Story (or Outline (or Process))

What it looks like:

I have no problems writing other scenes, it's just this scene

I started writing, but now I have no idea where I'm going

I don't think I'm doing this right

What's an outline?

Drowning in documents

This. Doesn't. Make. Sense. How do I get from this plot point to this one?!?!?! (this ColeyDoesThings quote lives in my head rent free cause BOY have I been there)

Things That Can Help:

Go back to the drawing board. Really try to get at the root of why a scene or story isn't working

A part of growing as a writer is learning when to kill your darlings. Sometimes you're trying to force an idea or scene that just doesn't work and you need to let it go

If you don't have an outline, write one

If you have an outline and it isn't working, rewrite it, or look up different ways to structure it

You may be trying to write as a pantser when you're really a plotter or vice versa. Experiment with different writing processes and see what feels most natural

Study story structures, starting with the three act structure. Even if you don't use them, you should know them

Check out Ellen Brock on YouTube. She's a professional novel editor who has a lot of advice on writing strategies for different types of writers

Also check out Savage Books on YouTube (another professional story editor) for advice on story structure and dialogue. Seriously, I cannot recommend this guy enough

Executive Dysfunction, Usually From ADHD/Autism

What it looks like:

Everything in boredom/understimulation

Everything in intimidation/procrastination

You have been diagnosed with and/or have symptoms of ADHD/Autism

Things that can help:

If you haven't already, seek a diagnosis or professional treatment

Hire an ADHD coach or other specialist that can help you work with your brain (I use Shimmer; feel free to DM me for a referral)

Seek out neurodiverse and neurodiverse writing communities for advice and support

Try body doubling! There's lot's of free online body doubling websites out there for you to try. If social anxiety is a barrier, start out with writing streams such as katecavanaughwrites on Twitch

Be aware of any sensory barriers that may be getting in the way of you writing (such as an uncomfortable desk chair, harsh lighting, bad sounds)

And Lastly, Burnout, Depression, or Other Mental Illness

What it looks like:

You have symptoms of burnout or depression

Struggling with all things, not just writing

It's more than a lack of motivation- the spark is just dead

Things that can help:

Forget writing for now. Focus on healing first.

Seek professional help

If you feel like it, use writing as a way to explore your feelings. It can take the form of journaling, poetry, an abstract reflection of your thoughts, narrative essays, or exploring what you're feeling through your fictional characters. The last two helped me rediscover my love of writing after I thought years of depression had killed it for good. Just don't force yourself to do so, and stop if it takes you to a darker place instead of feeling cathartic

I miss RPing. I had so many OCs and now I keep trying to slot them into other things to keep writing about them. Thankfully I did more than just hair and eye color (and using random pics for their "portraits"), but it's hard taking them out of the original setting, even if I know how they'd react to a given situation.

OC RANT!

In my earlier years, we’re talking about 2012/2013 years era, of RPING (RolePlaying) , writing, and making INSANE AMOUNTS OF OCS (I gave up trying to downsize), it seems that all I did was hair color, eye color, and outfits.

I hate the culture of trying to be a "successful" self-published author. I'm a part of a lot of writers groups and so many want to over-stress marketing: Do you have a marketing plan? Do you have a blog? Do you have followers? Are you on booktok?

That's great and all, but have you finished your book? Have you gotten it edited? Is your book even worth reading? Like, how do you have time to actually write if you're spending all this time being a social media personality? I barely have enough time to come home from my day job to write, let alone try to market as an introvert who is used to the internet being a lovely anonymous space.

writing takes so long and its so tiring but if i dont write for the rest of my life ill die

This helps so much! Thank you 🙏

one very annoying thing about being a writer:

I just googled how do you drown in your own blood so that my writing would be accurate. What comes up is of no help to me what so ever:

NHS- Help for suicidal thoughts

YouTube - Stories for Hope and Recovery

one very annoying thing about being a writer:

I just googled how do you drown in your own blood so that my writing would be accurate. What comes up is of no help to me what so ever:

NHS- Help for suicidal thoughts

YouTube - Stories for Hope and Recovery

What i made instead of writing.....

HOW TO GIVE PERSONALITY TO A CHARACTER

Giving personality to a character is an essential part of character development in storytelling, whether you're writing a novel, screenplay, or creating a character for a role-playing game. Here are some steps and considerations to help you give personality to your character:

Understand Their Backstory:

Start by creating a detailed backstory for your character. Where were they born? What were their childhood experiences like? What significant events have shaped their life? Understanding their past can help you determine their motivations, fears, and desires.

2. Define Their Goals and Motivations:

Characters often become more interesting when they have clear goals and motivations. What does your character want? It could be something tangible like a job or a romantic relationship, or it could be an abstract desire like happiness or freedom.

3. Determine Their Strengths and Weaknesses:

No one is perfect, and characters should reflect this. Identify your character's strengths and weaknesses. This can include physical abilities, intellectual skills, and personality traits. Flaws can make characters relatable and three-dimensional.

4. Consider Their Personality Traits:

Think about your character's personality traits. Are they introverted or extroverted? Shy or outgoing? Kind or selfish? Create a list of traits that describe their character. You can use personality frameworks like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the Big Five Personality Traits as a starting point.

5. Give Them Quirks and Habits:

Quirks and habits can make a character memorable. Do they have a specific way of speaking, a unique fashion style, or an unusual hobby? These details can help bring your character to life.

6. Explore Their Relationships:

Characters don't exist in isolation. Consider how your character interacts with others. What are their relationships like with family, friends, and enemies? These relationships can reveal a lot about their personality.

7. Show, Don't Tell:

Instead of explicitly telling the audience about your character's personality, show it through their actions, dialogue, and decisions. Let the reader or viewer infer their traits based on their behavior.

8. Create Internal Conflict:

Characters with internal conflicts are often more engaging. What inner struggles does your character face? These can be related to their goals, values, or past experiences.

9. Use Character Arcs:

Consider how your character will change or grow throughout the story. Character development is often about how a character evolves in response to the events and challenges they face.

10. Seek Inspiration:

Draw inspiration from real people, other fictional characters, or even historical figures. Study how people with similar traits and backgrounds behave to inform your character's actions and reactions.

11. Write Dialogue and Inner Monologues:

Writing dialogue and inner monologues from your character's perspective can help you get inside their head and understand their thought processes and emotions.

12. Consider the Setting:

The setting of your story can influence your character's personality. For example, a character who grows up in a war-torn environment may have a different personality than one raised in a peaceful, affluent society.

13. Revise and Refine:

Don't be afraid to revise and refine your character as you write and develop your story. Characters can evolve and change as the narrative unfolds.

Remember that well-developed characters are dynamic and multi-faceted. They should feel like real people with strengths, weaknesses, and complexities. As you write and develop your character, put yourself in their shoes and think about how they would react to various situations. This will help you create a compelling and believable personality for your character.

Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?

Does anyone know how to tell if your work is ok, I know constructive criticism can be helpful but I want to make sure the draft I give people to criticize is at least decent. I’m taking mainly about writing in this case as I can spot visual oddities in my artwork more easily than I can notice clunkiness in my writing. I’d love any advice anyone may have.

Ya’ll for the past few hours I’ve been trying to calculate population growth for my fictional world and started going year by year listing out the total population, births, and deaths for each year.

There’s no way this is necessary, and I do t know why I’m doing all this when there’s no way at any point anyones gonna start talking about population growth within the story.

Idk what Im doing and have decided to share with you the nonsense I’m getting up to.

Might delete this later might not.

I’m trying to remember the narrative issue where someone keeps raising the stakes till there’s nowhere else to go within fiction except to undo character progress. I’m not super certain what I’m thinking of but I’m trying to look up how to avoid raising the stakes so high that there’s then no where to go from there story wise. Idk if there’s a word for this lemme know if y’all have any input.

I've started writing a book! Well, a short story kinda thing.

IT'S GONNA BE A SERIES!!!

I think....

My ADHD makes me not wanna keep stories 😒

But I feel like I really wanna do this

I'm gonna make my own language for it as well!

Would that be lame? I dunno 😅

I wonder if people even read these...

:\

well I hope you all will like it! ^^

I'll keep you all updated on how it goes ;p

Me rn. I should be writing Bat...man? or Beyond the walls but i dont wanna. The trans Jason Todd story demands to be written.

The fact that I can write an 1800 word oneshot in under three hours really makes me wonder why it was so hard to write a 2000 word essay in highschool. My brain is so much more alert now.