hi, i lovee your writing and hcs so much, do you have any tips on how to improve writing skills, bcs like i’ll have an idea and i try to write it, it just looks like an ugly blob of mess :((
oh sweetheart :( first if all, i promise you it’s not an ugly blob of mess 😭 i think every writer looks at their own drafts and goes “😕 what is this...” because you’re comparing the picture in your head to words on a page, and they’ll almost never match on the first try
something that helped me a lot was accepting that first drafts are allowed to be bad. they’re not supposed to sound pretty, yk, because they’re just there to exist as a proof that you started and that you tried. you can always make messy writing prettier, but you can’t edit a blank page
another thing is to stop thinking about writing “well” and start thinking about writing specific. instead of “they’re feeling sad”, what are they doing? are they picking at their nail polish? rubbing their face a little to hard and making it all red? laughing a little too nervously in a poor attempt to cover how much the situation hurts them? as for me, tiny details make writing feel alive. you just kinda have to imagine it all in detail in your head. like what would you do, as a human being, if you were happy/frustrated/confused/scared/in love etc
also, read!! not just for the plot, but like a little detective. if you read a sentence that makes you feel something, pause and ask yourself why. was it the pacing, the word choice, or the dialogue? getting inspired by someone else’s technique (not the same as copying or stealing!!), especially by the writers you admire, is honestly one of the best ways to improve your skills
and also i would definitely say don’t be afraid to rewrite. sometimes i’ll write the same scene three different ways before one finally clicks. i do it almost all the time with my fics, and there’s a different version of the same scene i’ve had in mind like 90% of the time. that’s completely normal, and it’s not a sign you’re bad at writing
most importantly, be patient! with! yourself! ☝️ writing is a skill. you’re not a magician. every draft / story / sentence you finish or don’t finish, even if you don’t love it, is making you a better writer than you were before, always
and pls be nicer to yourself 😭 your writing deserves more kindness than calling it “an ugly blob of mess” <3
ps. if you ever want someone to read your drafts before you post them, i’d genuinely be happy to!! sometimes all you need is a second pair of eyes or someone to tell you “wait no this actually eats”. so don’t be shy if you ever need that 🫶
