❛ the lazy writers ❜ V2

[KawaiiPanda58]

Haha... Just letting you know that I'm still alive. I haven't written anything in a while actually, I'll go do that now!

Oh! And, love the free writes morioh! I think They're really descriptive. It's amazing what you can get think of with the inspiration of a single object.

[passione]

I enjoyed your poems, @morioh! c: Are they true, or did you create a character(s)? o,o c:

Only "smell" contained original characters. The others were true and "Sound" and "See" were based on past relationships c:

@Teya & KawaiiPanda thanks! it's the first time I've done any creative writing in a while c':

Okay, there have been a lot of questions since I was last here so I'm answering all of them to the best of my ability

What do you do with the story if you don't get the character?
I cry and roleplay. Otherwise, I don't really write the story at all. And then I get stressed. ANd then I listen to music and the stress goes away.

How long can you ordinarily write for without having to stop for a break?
I'm not proud of the answer to this one, but I can only write for about 30 minutes before I need to stop and inspire myself again. If I go past 30 minutes I'll get distracted with other things and I'll never be able to return to the task at hand.

How late have you stayed up to write?
Roughly 4am trying to wrap up a chapter for nanowrimo. It wasn't a good choice but I pulled off a really good chapter so it was worth it.

Whats the longest you've stayed up in general?
Not sleeping for 3 days?? There were hallucinations. It was very no fun.

How did you discover your love for writing?
I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift when I was a kid. Up until I was twelve and discovered minecraft fanfiction, I wanted to be a lyricist like her. Things have changed a lot since then.

Have you ever written about a character created on CS? (if so, were you trying out for them or did you create them here yourself?):
Definitely. 80% of my characters were created on CS via roleplaying. Of course, they were all created for the purpose of roleplaying but I eventually moved them all into one timeline which I am currently writing about.

What is the longest time you've been absent from writing?:
About a year and a half because there was this time in my life where someone who was very important to me just left the country without a word. He was my inspiration. My motivation to write and even live. When he left, he took my inspiration with him and I didn't get it back for a year and a half. When I did get it back, the first thing I did was write and compose an album of sixteen songs about him. I still haven't gotten all of my feelings out of my system but it's definitely much better now.

What tips do you have for outlines? Like do's and don'ts?:
Bullet points. Keep separate documents for different categories for your outline. Don't use paragraphs unless it's absolutely necessary.

Have you ever had to put off posting writing / starting the real story because you didn't have one of the characters for the story yet?:
It's happening right now with a novel I'm writing. I'm giving one of the side characters a love interest and that love interest is not in the least developed. However, they're very relevant to the plot so the story is currently being put off until I can decide what the character's personality is like.

Is it okay to write your story out of order?
Absolutely. I do it all the time, but if you're going to be writing something out of order, there's going to be a lot of editing to fill out any plot holes.

Do you have problems with giving characters names?
haha, no, I actually have more problems giving characters personalities and faces. I have way too many name ideas in my head and not enough of literally anything else. I created an entire species with seventy-two characters just to satisfy my need to make characters named after flowers.

Have you ever made characters by using personality type systems (MBTI, Enneagram, etc)? How did it work out for you?
I tend to create my characters, giving them names and faces before roleplaying with them to develop them. Only then do I assign personality types but I only use the D&D morality chart.

What tone have you been using lately in your writing?
For some reason, I've really strayed away from my angst. I've been doing a ton of satirical writing, even for characters that are usually gloomy and depressing.

When you start writing a new thing, as a first draft, do you focus on your grammar straight away? Or do you write it out, then go back and edit the grammar?
I try not to focus on grammar, but I eventually do, seeing as I'm usually way too lazy to edit after i write the initial draft. It's a bad habit of mine.

Have you started any of your stories because of a scene that popped into your head, a character that popped into your head, or because something happened to you and you thought it would be fun to write down as a bigger adventure?
I had six characters developed for roleplaying. Xia, Amelia, Mallius, Vaxas, Bellaluna, and Wisteria. Initially, that was it, but as I roleplayed I developed more and more characters, all revolving around the same world and timeline. I eventually got inspiration and plotted out a book series which I'm calling "Lost Children". I finished writing Children of the Slain (the fourth in the series since i'm jumping around a lot) for the most part and I'm currently writing Children of the Sun which is the third part.

Do you read any online or hard copy comics? Have you ever written a comic and posted it online?
I've never posted or written a comic since I can't really do much with visual art, but I loved reading online comics when I was younger. I read "Always Raining Here" which was an LGBT comic, and now I've gotten into reading Marvel comics which I usually borrow from my brother.

Do you have any coding advice that you use to make your story look more "pretty" / "nice to look at" kinda thing?:
Small text is nice. Usually between sizes 82 and 90 works best. It makes things look sophisticated. Indentations using the color=transparent code gives the structure a nice touch and it's always good to colour code your dialogue. Some people have a difficult time telling who's saying what sometimes and the colour coding definitely helps.

When in a writing competition, how do you stay optimistic about your competitors which seem much better than you?:
I think about them as people I can learn from. Obviously, in every competition, there will be people better than you. The best way to remain optimistic is to think about future opportunities in other competitions and to write what you believe is best— Not what will get you in a higher place. I find that the further you strive to be the best, the harder it is to become inspired.

When you have to make a story a certain word count, (my limit is 14k words) how do you balance trying to stretch the story out but it's NOT boring filler and is actually interesting and adds to the story?:
I had this problem with Nanowrimo. I jotted down all of the important plot points and then added subplots under them. I didn't write all these points in order and I ended up writing past the word limit, actually, with certain chapters with 7k words and others with hardly 1.5k. The most important part, in my opinion, is to get down all of your potential ideas on paper first. Then expand. Better to have too much than not enough— cutting the clutter isn't too difficult of a task

Any other advice to help me not get murdered in this competition?:
Believe in yourself. Take breaks when necessary. Don't be on your computer or slaving over a sheet of paper all day. Your will to write will dwindle down into nothing if you don't clear your mind once in a while. Take care of yourself.

have you ever been inspired to write a story by a song? inversely, are there any songs that remind you of your current or most recent project?
haha..ha. that's a funny question to me because I cannot write anything without music by my side. Music was my first love. Without meaningful lyrics and a captivating tune, I cannot write a single thing that I grow to be proud of. My current project is a novel called Children of the Sun. It follows the story of a family of 11 and the youngest is the main character, however, every one of the nine siblings has a character arc. This family is special to me because they were developed through roleplay and they were the first non-white family I've created since I used to resent the fact that I was Asian. I actually hated being my race so much that I refused to represent them in my writing. Oppression does things to you. Anyway, my writing for Children of the Sun really took off when I found faceclaims for my characters. It was the faceclaims of the second and fourth eldest sons who really inspired me because uhh... park jimin and min yoongi are made of magic holy crap. Yes... faceclaims got me into k-pop. TO THE POINT. First Love which is sung (rapped) by the fourth son's faceclaim is my inspiration for his death scene.

what do you enjoy in a writing style most? how would you describe your own writing style?
Flow. Alliteration. Comparing literal objects with metaphorical things. I incorporate all three of these into my writing and those are the three things that stand out about my style. Flow usually comes with my slam poetry (which is inappropriate for CS, mind you) but I also like to slip run-on sentences into my angsty writing. I like the idea of the narrator becoming breathless trying to describe a situation. It's very intense.

Do you have any habits in your writing that you picked up from other authors after reading their works?
I actually picked up on dialogue-based writing and third person from authors of several fanfictions I've read. I used to write in first person a whole ton and roleplaying/reading has definitely helped me with changing that.

[mooney]

I haven't been on in quite a bit lol
Mainly had to catch up with a few essays.
Today in writing class, we were given a few materials and we had to do a freewrite based on the materials.
What I received: rose perfume, a photo, a cracker, a device (so we could listen to a song of our choice)

What came out of it:

Smell
The distinct blue and silver I’ve seen in a past life. I’m sure of it. Sapphire sprouts and cerulean skies. The strength of its aroma stands out to me as that was all my nose touched when i was ten years old. Little Amelia Masdurett with her cobalt dress, hand in hand with her younger sister who she couldn’t dare to love more in fear of overloading the world with this sibling kind of fondness.

Taste
Twenty dollars for a mushroom soup was worth it. Cheesy, chunky, infused with truffle oil. This soup was the best I’ve ever tasted. It was essentially God’s vomit served on a pristine porcelain platter. With each spoonful, I could feel an oncoming addiction. I felt full but I couldn’t help but continue to stuff my maw. “You’re eating so violently,” my brother noted, taking the bowl brom my grasp before placing a chunk of iceberg lettuce in my empty, waiting hands.

See
I turned to her, absorbing the details with my eyes. Her fingers brushed against the feathers of the dreamcatcher I had suggested for her to hang up above her head. She had no siblings, but the black-framed bunk bed still remained in the corner of her room, you see. Dirty blonde spilling over featherdown and memories— her seaglass eyes cast on her shattered phone screen now. She was so happy. She was so happy with her worn down futon and dusty floorboards, the cold seeping in from a cracked window. She snapped the picture when I wasn’t looking. It wasn’t a pleasant photo of me with my crooked smile and split lips, but the wrinkles under her eyes and the white of her teeth covered up my imperfections. She was my makeup— The sun that rose each morning. My soul.

Sound song: first love - min yoongi (BTS)
He flashes in my memory— An image that appears and disappears with the beat of the drum. His glasses which were too tight for his face, his hazel eyes and hair like the Sahara desert at night. I remember him as my first. My only. The only one I could see with a body. For him, I slaved over the piano because with his emotions, his body language, I saw cosmos. And when he left, he stole my motivation to write, to move, to even live. I continued to live because I couldn’t die. For years after he took that plane into the unknown, I was drunk on isolation. Every time I took the pencil in my hand I would feel sick. I couldn’t place my mind on anything that wasn’t him. Every word I spilled with blood, sweat and tears was for him. The ink was as crimson as my heart— Every beat, every emotion, every second I continued to live and suffer— It was for him.

I love all of these, I adore your writing style! and I so envy you for having writing class - we don't have such subjects at my school. we were writing stuff at my previous school but it wasn't a priority - now even less so.

[FuryBotWimzie]

I had six characters developed for roleplaying. Xia, Amelia, Mallius, Vaxas, Bellaluna, and Wisteria. Initially, that was it, but as I roleplayed I developed more and more characters, all revolving around the same world and timeline. I eventually got inspiration and plotted out a book series which I'm calling "Lost Children". I finished writing Children of the Slain (the fourth in the series since i'm jumping around a lot) for the most part and I'm currently writing Children of the Sun which is the third part.

Truth be told, this is making me feel more confident about the fanfiction side of my works atm. It's a series involving three separate stories, but in order of release begins in the middle. There's a sequel to it as well as a prequel, but the sequel has a little more development going for it right now. I've written tidbits of stuff for the sequel and prequel, but I've wondered if maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself writing so far... well... ahead. I've even drawn cover art for each story, which I thought may have been my way of procrastinating actually writing, but I think they all look really good so I'm giving it a pass. XD

I also get what you mean about the narrator "becoming breathless." I concur, run-on sentences are good effects for the story at times! c:

You have a beautiful writing style, incidentally; I didn't mention that in my last post. ;u; As I said, flow is something I strive for in my writing, but boy does it take work. It seems to me you have definitely put in the work!

[~Teya~]

Do you have any coding advice that you use to make your story look more "pretty" / "nice to look at" kinda thing?:
Small text is nice. Usually between sizes 82 and 90 works best. It makes things look sophisticated. Indentations using the color=transparent code gives the structure a nice touch and it's always good to colour code your dialogue. Some people have a difficult time telling who's saying what sometimes and the colour coding definitely helps.

When in a writing competition, how do you stay optimistic about your competitors which seem much better than you?:
I think about them as people I can learn from. Obviously, in every competition, there will be people better than you. The best way to remain optimistic is to think about future opportunities in other competitions and to write what you believe is best— Not what will get you in a higher place. I find that the further you strive to be the best, the harder it is to become inspired.

When you have to make a story a certain word count, (my limit is 14k words) how do you balance trying to stretch the story out but it's NOT boring filler and is actually interesting and adds to the story?:
I had this problem with Nanowrimo. I jotted down all of the important plot points and then added subplots under them. I didn't write all these points in order and I ended up writing past the word limit, actually, with certain chapters with 7k words and others with hardly 1.5k. The most important part, in my opinion, is to get down all of your potential ideas on paper first. Then expand. Better to have too much than not enough— cutting the clutter isn't too difficult of a task

Any other advice to help me not get murdered in this competition?:
Believe in yourself. Take breaks when necessary. Don't be on your computer or slaving over a sheet of paper all day. Your will to write will dwindle down into nothing if you don't clear your mind once in a while. Take care of yourself.

I used to use color for certain characters speech; I may try that again, but usually I just bolden what characters say

I always try to keep an open mind about my competitors. We'll just have to see. xD I think I'm doing what I want for this story, like you said I should. I'm not positive if the judge will like the world I've made, but, I'd rather them not be happy with it than me feel as if I've cheated myself. ;u;

Thanks for the advice. I think I might try just going for writing the real story now since I did a story outline, plot points I need to hit, & both chars back stories. I usually do a chapter outline, buut, I feel like I might've done enough already to dive into the real thing C:

I've basically been slaving over my computer ever since the comp opened. I totally agree with you, if I keep doing this everyday for a month (when the comp ends) I will be utterly dead inside by the end x'D I guess I can't help myself :p But I'll try to stop myself when I start to get burned out.

Thanks for everyone elses responses, as well!

[Marastia]

Could people please read my work? I'd like feedback....
(I removed this link due to NSFW)
Thanks in advance!

Most of the problems I noticed were simple ones.
You should learn how to make dialogue stand out from the rest. It’s a minor issue but I feel like it would help improve the readability of your work. Here’s and example of proper dialogue positioning.
————————————————-
Bla bla bla description paragraph! Ooh look here’s some details about some stuff. That wall over there is really nice, don’t you think? I like all the detailing the bricks and the moss.
“Boo! My name is dialogue and I’m gonna scare you! Spooky spooky spooky spoo!” Said the scary dialogue ghost. How could the narrator ever defend themselves against something so scary?!
But the narrator retaliated verbally — and valiantly, “GO AWAY YOU SPOOPY GHOST!” They screamed at the top of their lungs. And the ghost scurried away!
Oh wow another description paragraph! That ghost is very translucent. Ooh look a random dust particle!
————————————————-
The little indents are all 5 spaces, which is the standard for indenting in literature as far as I’m aware. Please don’t just push tab to do it because it’s not five spaces.
Your chapters also seem a little short, but that’s up to you honestly. Shorter chapters are WAY better than long chapters, since you can read one quickly then head off to work.
You could also spend a bit more time describing the actual appearance of people, are they tall? Lanky? Average? Eye colour? Hair colour? Etc.
More scenery description would be nice to, you want to create a vivid image in the readers mind. Your dialogue and dialogue descriptions are very nice. I think you need to just focus on world building and clarity. I also found a few typos, so make sure you edit your chapters. I like to read them aloud to myself when editing since it helps to catch any mistakes (trust me, it works wonders).

Most of these are opinion based, I read a lot but I’m no professional. You don’t have to take all this to heart, and improve at your own pace.

[LonelyForestFae]

I just found this thread and yup. I belong here. I've been working on a story for months. I'm finally developing the characters in a way I find easier. I have most of the main characters of the first story(Its going to be roughly like a book series but made of shorter and sometimes never ending stories). Sometimes I get really into writing, but after a day I just forget about it. Any tips on be consistent with my writing schedule? I will be writng in here by the way.

[jolteon!]

I just found this thread and yup. I belong here. I've been working on a story for months. I'm finally developing the characters in a way I find easier. I have most of the main characters of the first story(Its going to be roughly like a book series but made of shorter and sometimes never ending stories). Sometimes I get really into writing, but after a day I just forget about it. Any tips on be consistent with my writing schedule? I will be writng in here by the way.

ah same
i came up with my novel idea about last month and i loved it a lot
so i decided to do some world building to it, ive hardly started just because i keep
forgetting to or im just 'busy' doing stuff like playing on chicken smoothie
i think one way to be a bit more consistent is to set a time, like perhaps set a timer for lets say 6 pm and write until
6:30, take a 30 min break and begin working again at 7

[KawaiiPanda58]

Once again, I am still here, I have been keeping up with posts, just not finding anything to post about. So I will give you a question:

Code: Select all

[b]What is something that you are often inspired by when writing? How does it inspire you?[/b]

I'm not generally inspired by anything, most of the time an idea just pops into my head. Sometimes I'm inspired by something I'm learning in school, history most of the time, but sometimes just because of the way something else has been taught to us. I have a teacher that loves making up stories, so he doesn't stop when he's teaching science.

[FuryBotWimzie]

I just found this thread and yup. I belong here. I've been working on a story for months. I'm finally developing the characters in a way I find easier. I have most of the main characters of the first story(Its going to be roughly like a book series but made of shorter and sometimes never ending stories). Sometimes I get really into writing, but after a day I just forget about it. Any tips on be consistent with my writing schedule? I will be writng in here by the way.

Hi there! I've only been posting here for a short time myself! Unfortunately I have no tips for you on schedule; I'm not so great with that. c:' I merely try to get a fair amount of writing in every day, if I can.

What is something that you are often inspired by when writing? How does it inspire you?
During the action of writing, I find that being surrounded by pleasant smells spurs my thoughts a little more than usual, even if I never include smells like it in the story. That's the biggest contributor. I think, in a way, it makes the world I'm writing about seem more appealing, like I'm looking in at it through a window and I'm associating the nice smell with it (even if the given world at the time is gritty and dark and doesn't smell nearly as nice.) I get the motivation to write more eloquently from that.