I let myself feel elated for 20 minutes

And now it's back to work-play. The editing phase begins.

Sorry, my baby. I'm going to have to cut off some giant pieces

After three months, I had a first draft down. I thought it was perfect. I shared it with betas and got mixed feedback, that was a reality check that I definitely needed. But the foundation was there. I did a huge first edit pass and put it back out there. After sifting through the scammers and bots, I finally found a handful of trustable beta readers. And the feedback I got this time was overwhelmingly positive.

I found a few more people that I knew to love reading and read several books a month and even got a creative writing instructor to read it. The instructor found issues, as I expected. But they weren't insurmountable. I found fixes and discussed them with her until I was confident in them. Then the real test in my opinion, swaying the two people who read more than anyone else I know and doing so when my book is not their preferred genre.

Both of them loved it. Both of them want a second book. They had their feedback and what they wished would be different and what they'd like to see change. I expected it, but I didn't expect them to like it so much. I already have plans to fix what they pointed out and I went over these ideas with them and they agreed, these would help fix the issues.

But these are readers and teachers. Their feedback is invaluable to me, but they aren't inside the industry. So now nearly a year after I started this project, I'm taking a chance and taking this book seriously. So I finally hired an editor and I cannot wait to hear what they have to say. I cannot wait to hear their insight as to what my book might be missing, or what it probably doesn't need.

I just wanted to share this milestone with you all as I work on my next pass so the book is where I think it needs to be before the editor gets his hands on it. Especially since I never imagined I'd get this far with this pet project.

Hiii That challenge is really it for me, turns out I don’t need to wait for a wave of inspiration to write !

Some days I was close to 500 words, some other I went up to 3000, it really depends on the day but writing 500 words puts me in the mood and makes me love so fast plus it’s very satisfying watching the words and page counts go up !

I was wondering if some of you were interested in having this challenge together like doing a group or something so we can share our progress with each other every day to stay motivated ?

I think writers sometimes put too much pressure on themselves to make something dramatic happen immediately because they're afraid readers will get bored.

Don't get me wrong, a strong opening matters. But I don't think every story needs a fight, a shocking revelation, or a major plot twist in the first few pages. Sometimes the most interesting thing you can do is introduce a character whose ordinary life feels real enough that readers want to understand it.

The key is that something still needs to be happening beneath the surface. A quiet conversation can build tension. A character avoiding a particular subject can create curiosity. Even an ordinary day can establish a desire, a conflict, or a relationship that becomes important later.

Slow pacing isn't the same as having nothing happen. A story can be quiet without being aimless, just as an action-packed opening can still feel empty if readers have no reason to care about the characters.

Personally, I'd rather read a slower opening that makes me emotionally invested in someone than a chapter full of exciting events involving characters I barely know.

For me, action becomes meaningful when there's something at stake beyond the action itself.

For me, it’s info-dumping, character head hopping (in 3rd person omniscient pov), and dialogue tags with adverbs (“she said, timidly”).

I usually avoid the big mistakes that craft books are always warning against. Yet I see these same mistakes in published novels everywhere.

The whole point has been lost to me so I wrote the ending/climax first just so I can get that spark back.

My entire awesome idea has backfired and I’m exhausted but I’m so close to the end!….

….then on to book three

So, I want to categorize superpowers in my world but I don't know how to group them. I went on research and found all psychic powers (Telekinesis, mind control) would go under the "Psionic powers" and super strength, body enhancement etc. would go under "Physical & Bodily enhancement" and the larger catergory for these two types would be Categories by Function.

For context, the definition of having superpowers in my world is "something you are born with" via inherited or mutation in the womb but strictly, it is being born with since the beginning. Those who implement the "power" to themselves via technology, machinery, human-made tech doesn't count as superpower havers. Artifact users also don't count for having superpowers since their ability comes from the object they use. They are still human, just with a connection to the artifacts.

So, to ask again: what are the names of the categories that superpowers could be grouped into?

I'm working on a translation other languages such as English, french, Japanese, russian and polish

I write for fun I don't plan on publishing anything

also I'd like some feedback or ideas for chapter 2 or what I could do better for chapter 2

I have a story I am about to start writing, but I am stuck on one big choice. I cannot decide whether to write it in first person or third person.

It is a sweeping story spanning a few decades. It follows one main character from their youth all the way into old age. But there are also several other important people in their life. Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, the story needs to show all of them and their POV too. The themes are about culture, community, a blend with modernity.

The first person feels intimate and honest. It sounds like someone telling their life story. But I worry it might feel too narrow, like I can only show what this one person sees. The third person feels broader and more flexible. I can show more people and more moments. But I am afraid it might feel a little distant.

Which one would you lean toward for this kind of story? And what are the things you wish someone had told you before you chose one or the other? I would really appreciate any thoughts or personal experiences you can share. Thank you.

I recently thought about writing a Pinocchio story set in a different region of the world before figuring out that one, I could never stay attached to a different country for long and two, I don't think I was all that attached to Pinocchio as a character to begin with, followed by three, where I learned that something similar had been done by a souls like game called Lies of P so I'm off to play that now.

What do you think, double edged sword of writing or just a gimmick to draw readers in?

A craft question for anyone writing more than one book in the same world or universe.

In my fourth novel, set in 1986, my main protagonist is a teenage photographer. His darkroom walls are covered with time-accurate posters and various photos, including two characters from my first novel, set in the same town and school year.

They're never named as cameos or crossovers, and don't affect the plot. Readers who know the first novel catch it—those who don't do not notice.

Have you done this? In your opinion, where's the line between a quiet Easter egg and something that pulls a new reader out of the story? Have readers ever found one you forgot you planted?

I have verged upon distraction, for no writing application affords me any pleasure. Ellipsus, with its themes, possesses some merit, yet it falters with lag should the volume of text grow too vast, its arrangement remains mediocre, and one cannot affix custom covers.

Hitherto, I have incorporated those elements which please me, while lamenting the absence of a proper browsing interface for the various works one has produced. Furthermore, the designated space for a "user name" serves as a repository for one's pseudonym, seeing as this application is intended to run locally without network connection, wherein switching this moniker dynamically alters the displayed library of works, offering an alternate method of organization.

Presently, I miss a generalized search procedure for the works associated with that pseudonym, one distinct from standard file directory sorting. I contemplate imbuing the interface with a glass-like atmosphere to alleviate any sense of claustrophobia.

I possess no knowledge of programming or software creation, yet I have reached a juncture dictated by my compulsion, in pursuit of a refined writing environment that preserves my spirit upon gazing at the screen.

Chapter 2 of The Saint's Salvation is FINALLY underway!

I came to a realization not too long ago; there's no way my writing could impact anyone. From that I realized, that there is a gap between me and the greats. A WIDE gap, that is. There stories impacted people positively, and therefore, are above all of us aspiring writers, obviously. It's easy to say "Eh, I'll just write for myself." But what makes stories beautiful in my eyes is that, you connect with the author's soul through reading it, through understanding it. It helps us make sense of the world.

It's not a saddening realization to me, but it feels weird to know that it's highly unlikely an amateur author's story will end up impacting anyone.

So then I'm asking, even if no one cared about your story, even if it's nowhere near as good as the story that inspired or impacted you, would you still write it?

Hi, I dont really interact much on reddit so I dont know what the response to this will be, if there will even be any at all. I grew up writing little snippets of stories, and comics on blank white sheets of paper. I'd do these every once in a while, but it never went farther than just a quick "doodle" to pass the time.

However, I ended up deciding to try and actually take it farther when I was going through high school. I wrote the first couple of chapters and ended up asking a teacher I had a really special bond with if they wanted to check it out. Little did I know, they would end up checking it out, enjoy it, and that would become a big part of the driving force that led me to write a first entry, a sequel, and start the third. (Crazy fact: when I was halfway through the book, I had the entire plot and ending of the third in my head already)

The issue is that when I was about halfway through the third and supposedly final entry in the trilogy, I went through something very hard and I lost the pleasure in almost every hobby I had.

I barely wrote throughout this very hard time in my life, producing less and less chapters. I even had to scrap some chapters because it felt like they were just conversations between characters.

2 years later, I have no motivation to write at all. I'm still able to get ideas for the trilogy and even a Google doc full of completely different story ideas. I can get really excited talking to peers about these ideas I get, but sitting down with the computer feels like I'm looking at a stranger (if that makes sense)

So Im done with my manuscript of 14 pieces of poetry intended for chapbook printing. It my first time as a writer to get to this point. I know I have to have this manuscript reviewed and I plan to ask my literary friends (only 2). My question is do I find more people to review and like ask them? Since I cannot afford to pay professional editorial reviewers and whatnot, will this be enough?

I intend to sell them (and like raise funds for a volunteer project for children in the orphanage and such).

There’s an old (apocryphal) story about a newly published science fiction author who was attending an NESFA convention and was asked to help assemble some fanzines. The guy indignantly refused, saying something along the lines of,

“I’m a published author now. I don’t need to waste my time on little things like that anymore.”

Right after he said this, Isaac Asimov poked his head out of the back room door and asked if anyone had more copies of page 54.

Turns out Asimov, one of the most successful and prolific science fiction authors of all time, was back there happily helping staple the fanzines together.

Yesterday I thought I was the second coming of Hemingway and today I feel no better than r/im14andthisisdeep

Whoa. I have to admit, I never knew this was a thing! I just stumbled upon a video by accident - and it described PERFECTLY how my current novel was written. Honestly, I always just dabbled in writing, the occasional short story or whatever, but...watching this video, my jaw literally dropped. Is "discovery writing" common? I apologize if this has been well-covered, but I'm not someone who spends a lot of time discussing the craft. Here's the video: Discovery Writing