Hey guys. If you have any tips on Writing stories please share them with me. Not only could they help me, they might help someone else too!
Also, if you have any story planning tips, please share them too! I don’t like to take my time to plan stories. I just want to get into the Writer’s Portal as soon as possible! LOL! But I feel like I should take my time and carefully plan them. I’ve seen people plan the episode or whole story out and when they’re done, they write the episode(s) on the Writer’s Portal.
Every author works differently, some are spontaneous and others plan out every chapter, but what I think is most important is that you stay true to yourself and your story because if you don’t like it, you will not write it well.
You also need to be prepared for criticism and hate because that naturally comes with anything that you expose to the public.
Consistency is key if you want your story to succeed, regular updates show readers that you’re a reliable author and are more likely to believe that your story is worth reading because it seems that you will update until completion.
Try to avoid burning yourself out, time management is important. If you spend too much time writing, this could cause tensions between you and friends/family etc. If you don’t spend enough time writing, you may end up feeling unhappy or behind. It’s best to find a happy median.
I’m also going to add a suggestion from @sophookles - plan out your branches and write them into a table so you don’t get lost within your own branching (if you want to do branching).
Avoid really long intros for each chapter… most readers don’t like waiting.
Have your story proofread and tested before publishing, this is so that your grammar is checked over and your story works/appears fine. It also reduces the chance of editing a published chapter and causing readers to re-read (which also annoys them).
Engage with your followers.
Make sure to create diverse characters and do extensive research on topics, cultures, clothing, religions and experiences that you’re unsure of portraying and if you’re still worried - enquire about having sensitivity readers go through your story or ask for the relevant people to help you.
i (a new writer btw) make stories the same way i write essays. it may sound bizarre, but at school i excel in writing so it works best for me personally.
i plan out what’s going to happen, then i start making the scenes not too long after. i try my best to touch them up, but then i move on. there’s no point in making yourself even more frustrated as you’re fixing up a scene because it’ll make it harder for you to focus and continue on the rest. and i found that it makes you less passionate (motivated) when you feel as if you’ve already failed.
when i feel like i’m done, i use the preview button or i go on the app to check if it looks right. if i feel it isn’t as i imagined, i change it completely. i probably play through my stories hundreds of times tbh😭
like in an essay, you have a rough draft. then you revise it, edit it, and double check that’s it to the best of your abilities.
but if you’re like me and you have no coding experience, “the best of your abilities” isn’t all that💀
be sure to plan though, not many people like stories that feel rushed and have some weird plots that make it clear the writer is just dragging the story. criticism is something we all receive in our everyday life (usually) even if we don’t see it, so yeah.
imagine the ending, and the relief you’ll feel if you write something that not only you, but others will appreciate.
I like to plan my stories scene by scene and make correlating folders within the portal, itself. You can make custom folders as follows in the portal:
# I usually write the scene name then a colon and its completion status {
scene goes here
# }
This allows me to jump around from scene to scene based on my motivation rather than attempting to search through to find things. I get demotivated really easily, so being able to see my progress keeps me focused.
More generally, I also write a “scene map” in a google doc and describe each scene, complete with all coding notes. I will literally do a play by play of each scene to visualize exactly what I want to code. (Ex: MC walks to window and comments on the weather. LI is visible in the background, both shown from behind. Switch views for his response so it focues on his face… etc…)
I have been trying to write for months but because I hadn’t planned (I hate planning) I lost all motivation quickly. It took me a long time to find a way to plan and successfully write without giving up. I can tell you planning scene by scene for each chapter is a life changer.
You don’t have to plan all chapters before writing, I would start with 5 planned and plan 2 each and every other day
Know your ending, the ending is the aim so it is always good to know it before starting.
Treat every character as the main character
Don’t let peoples opinions change what you are writing if you want to write a mafia story write it or a well known cliche. No one should stop you.
It’s okay to change some things through out the story but try and stay away from starting all over again if possible. You will lose interest very fast. Keep trying, editing and planning if you lose motivation and I promise it will come back again.
Hey, I made a thread yesterday with 34 questions, these weren’t like “writing” questions, but more questions that could help writers make their plot, characters, etc.
It is all based in opinions though, so if you have something in mind that goes against people’s opinions don’t let them stop you.
It gave me already some ideas for writing the story i have in mind, so maybe it could help you too.
Its on my profile, I could send the link if you can’t find it but want to read some answers.
Write the first draft of your story in as short a time as possible. If you’re writing a short story, try to write it in one sitting. If you’re writing a novel, try to write it in one season (three months).
Don’t worry too much about plotting or outlining beforehand. You can do that once you know you have a story to tell in the first place. Your first draft is a discovery process. You are like an archeologist digging an ancient city out of the clay. You might have a few clues about where your city is buried beforehand, but you don’t know what it will look like until it’s unearthed.
oops wrong tag… How to edit?