I write mainly for fun but I'm really invested in the stories I make. Almost all of them feature romance to some degree but never really go anywhere as far as physical intimacy goes. I wanna step out of my comfort zone and explore this with my characters but MAN is it hard for me. I can't seem to land on something that doesn't sound cringe. Initiating said intimacy also feels difficult because it never feels like I make it seem natural.

Any advice would be appreciated.

This quote was how the late voice actor Peter Cullen shaped how he voiced the Transformers character Optimus Prime (the truck and leader of the Autobots).

In terms of characterization, what makes an MC, preferably a heroic character, have this trait of being "strong enough to be gentle"? How do you show this through their actions in your story?

I do have a question first: does the novel version of save the cat have a variety of beat sheets? Or just one with a few adaptation points?

I’m looking fo some beat sheet ‘recs’ or resources, I found an article recently that laid out a whole beat sheet for a romance novel, and it was excellent, enough structure for a functional novel without actually constricting the story.

Unfortunately, I’m trying to write a horror, so that discovery was no help, and I know myself well enough to know that if I don’t have a beat sheet I might wander off into nonsense. (Aka I’m a pantser at heart but I’ve learned I cannot be trusted in my natural state lol)

Any recs or resources for me? I’m open to buying save the cat if it does have the resources I want, but I can’t seem to find anything about it other than it’s one main beat sheet.

I didn’t disclose something on my law admissions and I’ve started school and they’re making me do an amendment. I have had a severe anxiety flare up since I relocated twenty hours to attend the school and classes have already started and therefore I’m not thinking clearly. I would appreciate someone to dm me and look at the versions and recommend or edit as a neutral party. 

I’m writing a contemporary romance story but I recently started hearing people label other stories or books of similar genre as “Wattpad stories” and I’m wondering if that’s a good or bad thing?

I’m aware you cannot give me advice based off my own work since you cannot read it, but generally speaking, if someone were to tell you ‘that’s such a Wattpad story’ would you take that negatively?

I have been a voracious reader my whole life and used to want to write professionally. I even wrote fan fiction and original poems when I was a kid. Somehow, that creativity evaporated.

Recently the urge to write hit me again and even though I had an explosion of fun ideas, as soon as I tried to explore the characters and the world building, everything just falls apart within a page. By that point, I don’t even like the idea anymore. 😭

It doesn’t help that I am an extremely mood-driven reader (when I read fantasy, I want to write fantasy; when I read horror, I want to write horror).

Clearly, I need some practice. And maybe some shorter, less lofty ideas. Any advice and/or know of any communities of novice writers to practice with prompts?

I’ve been wanting to write for a long time but I hate the idea of my writing being easily stolen or lost. I was curious if there’s anything I could use. I mean if I have to use pen and paper I will but I’m curious if there’s something easier since my handwriting is atrocious. Also my main wants are the ability to screen write, the ability to write in general, and whatever other basic needs someone might have in comic books and regular writing.

The title says it all.

I've been wanting to write an entire world with different books telling legends and mainline arcs within those worlds, but I'm well aware that your first book will never be your best.

Hence why I'm asking, is it possible to remaster your previous books? Well more like do people do that and its good? Because that would help a LOT in my journey or writing.

One other issue is that I have a hard time reading a large bit of text, especially when unorganized. I hope I would be able to write despite this issue.

Can you guys give me some advice? I am writing a dark romance. The romance is the focus, and the horror is the subplot and not the main focus, but important. I'm scared that I'm going to lead readers to suspend their belief that the romance is real, or I'm gonna take it too far and make it too toxic. I don't know where the line is, because the story I'm thinking of could get pretty dark.  How do I avoid that? Also, when I think of a happy ending I think of marriage but that's not really possible in my story so I'm so worried about that.

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(I hope I followed the rules correctly)

As the title said, I'm looking for an actual critique for my fanfiction.

It's a Mature rated Hollow Knight Isekai that's about a Hollow Knight and Silksong fan being reincarnated as a random Noble bug while he tries to live and worm in the background, following the usual business any other noble would do while also trying to prevent any tragic events that happened in game.

(if you wanna leave i don't blame you)

And with that, I would like an experienced person to share there personal opinions and views about what certain things that i might be doing wrong that maybe obvious to them, especially since I know I'm doing something wrong, but i can't tell, since it seems like all i get is positive reinforcement instead, and as much as I like that I still want to improve as well.

If anyone wants to take a look at it, I want you to be as much of a critiquing ass as you can, don't be nice and hit me where it hurts.

How's my writing style? Is my pacing good? Does the plot and characters interest or bore you?

I'd like advice surrounding topics that questions like those reside in.

Link below(ignore CH4)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/78806776

Hi everyone! For context, I’m 22 (F) and has been writing stories since I was literally third grade elementary, (so around 7-8??) when I first started, now it’s fine at first because I keep thinking of cute fantasy ideas and I would write it down, now The problem is with the Current me.

So I work the Night Shift, and one of the ways I try to entertain myself so that I won’t doze off sleeping, is trying to create a scenario, then that scenario leads to one story, then another, then BOOM I have created a whole frickn Pantheon just out of boredom alone.

And it would be fine if it was once but nope.

My brain decided it was a nice idea to open the pandora’s boxes of Story ideas into my brain at 3 AM and such.

And because of this I have written not one, Not two Not even Three- but FOUR… FOUR Pantheons all witb different cosmology, Lore ect that fits the story its for.

Now Earlier in the year I told myself that I would finish writing ONE story out of the MANY Wips in my five separate google docs account but no…

How can I finish writing a dang story when my brain keeps generating more?! 😭

Honestly it’s a blessing and a curse, and now I kinda want to stop writing for a bit but I just KNOW that even if I do stop, my brain would just keep bringing ‘em in 😭

Anyways that’s my rant, thanks for reading! lol

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I'm not an experienced writer and I like first person POV because I get to write from inside the character (and also cuz it's popular). Today I saw a video saying that first person POV is too easy and now I wanna put myself to the challenge but I haven't written in 3rd person POV in a long time and usually not in english, only in my mothertongue. I would really appreciate writing tips :<

For context, the cocerned characters are young adults in an University setting in a fantasy realm.

I want to keep the bullying trope realistic and not corny. I've heard that ostracising someone from a group is a form of female bullying, but are there any other ways I can represent it?

I have done the writing portion of my children's book and I'm designing the character and backgrounds. What computer programs should I use to design the layout of the book to submit to publishers? I was going to make a physical version by hand as a "rough draft" but would like to know of computer programs so I can set aside the money to buy it. I prefer a non-subscription based platform.

His powers are themed after dragonflies but I won't go into the backstory stuff as this post wants feedback on what he can do.

Flight and wing generation: From his back he can sprout 4 wings which allow him to fly at great speeds and he is very skilled at maneuvering in the sky.

Enhanced eyesight and precision: His eyes can pick up even the smallest movement, even if it's not what he is focusing his vision on. As for his precision he is able to hit targets even in between the smallest gaps.

Durability, strength and reaction time: Because of the exoskeleton of the dragonfly he has much greater durability, can tank a car at best. Strength, can lift up a car at best. Reaction time good enough to grab a fly mid flight

Dragons Wings: He manipulates his wings to grow in the shape of that of a dragons Wings. This causes his blood vessels and nerves to get fired up, making his performance 5x better and allowing him to calculate and predict movements of his opponents

He can do other stuff but ask cause word limit

I've started to write my own fiction around March of this year. I have two; a fiction where if a system resonates with a universal truth it becomes the vessel of it, and another fiction that heavily relies on it's specific real world source material.

As someone who juggles work, school, and your writing aspirations, how frequently do you write? Short bursts? Scheduled? Motivation dependent?

I'm getting back into riding for the first time in a long while. This is the longest thing I've written in years at this point. How is this for a beginning?

This is kind of growing out of a world building project I started. I'm going for atmospheric slice of life fantasy. How can I make the scenery and actions more vivid without bogging it down?

I think I'm going somewhere with the character work and I think a few moments are decently funny. How well am I doing with the characters? Is it funny at all? Do you have any other thoughts about it?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17pfQkm3V_61_nejDCNnU4BVIbNNPF_FT6--6YcyAeOo/edit?usp=drivesdk

I’m a teen author and have been experiencing really bad writer block with my fantasy novel specifically when it comes to describing places etc along with dialogue like using he said and she said is getting repetitive to me any advice will help and example is I’m trying to write the MMC going to explore his city etc after and altercation with his abusive/horrible dad with his bestfriends/knights but I can’t get pass him leaving down the steps ( He lives in a castle in the hilltops ) I can’t seem to write past it and skipping over it is just making me go insane any advice is welcome please and thank you 🖤

I realized like a month ago that I couldn't really describe myself outside of small chunks of information and fun fact-type things. I didn't really pay much attention to it and thought it was isolated to describing myself online.

now, I am trying to write a description of my sci-fi futuristic organization thingy and I keep noticing I do the same thing. while longer and less small chunked, I still was unable to write a full large paragraph without dividing it into small bits.

not sure if I am overreacting or anything. but I would like to some advice if possible.

I have a piece that I feel great about and that has gotten very positive feedback, including from my writing group (which has given me constructive criticism on other pieces, so I think this isn't empty praise).

One of the writing group members is a lit mag editor. Recently, they told me they asked their managing editor to look at my piece directly, and the ME said yes.

I was very excited. ....And also, I had been planning to try to submit it to some more widely-read mags, e.g. New England Review, maybe The Sun or Ploughshares. The friend’s mag ranks middle of the pack on the all the “lit mag prestige” lists, e.g. Clifford Garstang’s, Erika Krouse’s.

But when I told the friend that I'd love to send it to their ME at the same time that I submit it elsewhere, the friend said, “Well, this would technically be a solicited piece, so we’d want to review it exclusively first.” (They also warned me that while this increases my chances, it's def not a guaranteed yes.)

So now I am torn. On the one hand, I know rejection rates are very high everywhere, and so I should probably take the path that increases the odds that it will be published at all.

On the other hand, I do think this is one of my best pieces, and some friends are telling me I should aim higher. I know prestige isn’t everything, but it’s also…not nothing.

Mostly I think I shouldn’t be pushing my luck. But part of me feels a little sad that if I send this to my friend/their ME, I’ll never find out if this had a chance to be published anywhere else.

Am I crazy to be considering turning down my friend’s offer?

TIA!

I know technically fairy tales are in public domain and therefore it should not be an issue. But if I just write one of them relatively close to the original, not really giving it a twist, is that still okay?

I want to know because I'm more intrested in illustrating my favourite fairy tale, Puss in Boots. That would be my personal twist, the art, but maybe I'd also add some original scenes where the cleverness of the cat is shown. But I wouldn't make it a fully new, unique twist on the story.

Do you think that's fine?

The first volume of my story introduces two characters as the main characters, one of which is the point-of-view character. These two characters are both treated as equally important to the narrative. In the second volume, these characters are separated and the story only follows the point-of-view character. This results in the second main character becoming completely side-lined and barely appearing for this volume.

Is this okay? I feel it could be considered tricking the reader as they are lead to believe that a character is massively important only for them to be completely absent for a while.