I've been in a writing rut since I started getting serious about writing, and I've identified the issue in the past month or so: I slant heavily on the gardener end of the writing spectrum and all the advice on writing I've ever seen was for architect-style writing. Not once in the eight years I've been serious about writing did I find any guides on gardener-style writing (and if it says it's gardener-style, it'sreally just architect-style with gardner aspects), and my experience has just been more or less jamming a square peg into a circle hole, getting nothing written and feeling bad about it.

Now I'm unlearning all the architect-style habits that are destructive to me as a writer, but I can't find any resources for gardeners aside from Stephen King's On Writing. If you or any of your followers know how to help a gardener's writing, that would be great. I have so many fic ideas I want to write, but can't since I'm learning to write all over again.

For those who don't know what gardener and architect refer to when it comes to writers, a gardener is a writer who starts with the seed of an idea and lets it grow in whatever direction the light shines. They prune it and weed it as they go but otherwise let the idea lead the way. An architect, on the other hand, plans their stories out first and then writes them. They have a structure and the details all mapped out first and then the writing is just executing on that vision.

As a gardener myself, my biggest piece of advice is to avoid writing advice. Like you've said, the majority of it is aimed at people who do things like plan and plot and worldbuild ahead of time. Because of the structure that that writing style enjoys, providing "one size fits most" writing advice works well for it.

I tend to find a lot of that advice to be counter to what I need to do. Planning a story out ahead just makes me feel like it's already written. Building out the world before I start writing it feels like a hollow exercise - more like writing an encyclopedia than developing a land and culture for my characters to inhabit.

What I find useful is taking an episodic approach to writing. The entire story will be like a season of a television show and each chapter is like one episode. I always have my eventual "season finale" end goal in mind, but any particular chapter can meander closer to or further from that goal. It's alright to take a circuitous route, as long as I get to my destination in the end.

It's also alright if my destination changes as I'm writing. Sometimes those meandering paths take me in a more interesting direction than I was originally going down, and that shifts the story. As long as you're vaguely following a three-act structure (or 5 act or 7 act), the flow of it will feel familiar to your readers and they probably won't really notice it happening.

This advice I'm giving might not ring true to you either. You didn't have a specific problem to address, so I've been wandering a bit in my reply. Really what it comes down to is paying attention to yourself and your needs. Figure out what it is that keeps you writing and what it is that makes you stop. Do more of the former and less of the latter - and don't worry if what you're doing is "weird" to someone else.

I write directly into the AO3 window (which AO3 specifically tells you NOT to do, btw) because drafting first in google docs or something takes the fun out of it for me. I post my chapters without previewing them first. I write in 800 to 1500 word sprints, and I focus on dialogue, and I almost always try to end on a joke or a pun or a cliffhanger. These are all things that make writing an activity that I want to do.

When I was getting started writing, a lot of the "hero's journey" "save the cat" stuff you see get talked about was like nails on a chalkboard to me, because it doesn't fit how I conceive of stories at all. It's also a very narrow notion that has largely become popular because it's a good structure for blockbuster film, not because it's really the one-size-fits-all of writing. Oliver's story is certainly not a hero's journey, for example, and I doubt I would be interested in writing it if I had to fit it into that structure.

"It would hurt less if you would stay still, y'know?" Caretaker retorts, trying to hold whumpee still as they stitch whumpee's wounds.

An uneasy silence falls upon the room as caretaker continues to work on whumpee.

"You don't have to take care of me, I hope you know that." whumpee whispers as they scoot away from caretaker, inching closer to the edge of the bed the two are sitting on.

KNUCKLES IS A MALADAPTIVE DAYDREAMER

I wrote a snippet beneath the cut if anyone wants to read

can be more or less have fun

Ooh okay!

1. In SB:R, the triplets have two biological moms, Queen Aleena and Bernadette. Aleena is trans!

2. Sonia and Manic exist in Reloaded, but they and Sonic have never met. Sonic and Manic don’t even know they have biological siblings. Sonia on the other hand…

3. Reloaded and Supporting Me are actually part of the same paracosm, just happening in different dimensions. I just need to figure out when it falls on the timeline.

4. Reloaded follows a strict timeline, and the characters age as time passes. Amy just had her sweet 16 during my paracosm’s version of TMoStH, and Knuckles had to spend his 20th birthday trapped in Cyberspace on Starfall Islands. Sonic also spent a birthday in prison during Sonic Forces, but I can’t remember what age he turned.

5. Similar to the above, Sonic starts growing scruff (like facial hair but it’s just the fur of his muzzle growing out) when he’s around 16. He usually trims it down to look how it was before, but once he and his friends get trapped on Starfall Islands he can’t anymore. Once they get back, he finally decides to keep it scruffy.

6. There’s an evil version of Blossom, similar to how Sonic has Metal Sonic and Shadow has the Shadow Androids. However, Phantom Blossom was made by Infinite, not Eggman. After Infinite gets sucked into the Phantom Ruby and thrown into another dimension, Phantom Blossom desperately finds a way to bring him back.

7. There’s a few subplots in SB:R about some of the mercenaries hired to take down the main characters. The first is obviously Espio, who is revealed to have become a mercenary to feed and house himself and Charmy. Vector is the one to discover this fact, and convinces him to join the good guys, offering him a job and a home. The other is Echo, who, unlike in Reloaded, is a highly competent kunoichi, and is Espio’s rival. She goes after him once he switches sides, but is later revealed to be one of the last kitsune, with her small village guarding one of the Master Emerald shards. Tails is also revealed to be a kitsune in this arc, but he decides that his species doesn’t matter, and knowing why he has two tails isn’t going to change who he is.

8. The main villain of Ruined World was originally named Natas. It’s Satan spelled backwards. I haven’t thought of a new one for Her yet, even though She’s changed to a more eldritch, unknowable being. Maybe She has no name. (Which is why I usually just refer to Her as Her. Also, Her pronouns MUST be capitalized.)

9. Ruined World is currently being reworked, going from one big city to a bunch of different locations, all connected by one train (because I love trains). These trains are nearly impossible to get to unless you’re a member of Her cult, who She obviously favors.

Having someone hold them still as they drill/saw a chain off.

Untying them gently to reveal bad bruises and cuts from weeks of fighting.

Whumpee staying still until the second their restrains come off.

Restrains that are actively hurting them.

Rescuers know the restraints are the only thing keeping everyone safe, so they leave them on until sedation kicks in, or whumpee collapses from exhaustion.

Having to move them from chains right on in strapping them down on a gurney.

Whumpee pulling themselves to the end of their chain to keep distance from the strangers in uniform.

whumpee who has to be dragged out of a hiding spot by the chain.

Whumpee who cries with relief and fear when they remove the restraints

Whumpee who begs the kind strangers not to hurt them.

Whumpee who screams because being untied/released hurts.

The dynamics aren't the same. They can't relate to anyone anymore. Friends talk about their lives and accomplishments, but Whumpee has nothing positive to share aside from "Well, I'm not dead?"

Part 1

“Drink this,” Villain said, handing Hero a cup of tea.

“Thanks,” Hero mumbled, voice sore and eyes tired as they breathed in the warmth.

“Do we need to have a talk about hiding injuries?” Villain asked whilst the bath was still running.

“No,” Hero assured.

“Good. Then I’ll ask: do you have any serious injuries that need looking at before I leave you alone for however long it takes you to have a bath?” Villain gave Hero a pointed look.

“I do not.”

“Because I have a first aid kit,” Villain pressed. “And a doctor on call who’s very discreet.”

“I promise the worst that I got is probably just some heavy bruising,” Hero smiled reassuringly.

Villain was most assuredly not reassured.

“Sorry,” Hero said sheepishly. “I was aiming for light-hearted, but I guess I failed.”

“It’s hard to pull off when you look like that and sound like you’re two seconds away from crying again.”

Hero looked down at their mug, hair falling over their eyes.

“Who did this to you?” Villain asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Of course you don’t. But I’m sure you’d rather get this part over and done with than let it continue weighing on you.”

Hero said nothing. Continuing to avoid eye contact with Villain.

“I’ll find out either way of course,” Villain said casually, which suddenly got Hero’s attention. “But if you spare me the trouble, I may take into account your opinion on how they’re dealt with.”

“You can’t kill him.”

“Killing him will be the least of his concerns,” Villain smiled, mentally noting Hero referred to their attacker as ‘he’.

Hero tried to stand, ready to protest or argue or something they hadn’t completely thought through, but they flinched at the first movement as pain wracked their body, hot tea spilling against their hand and onto their lap.

“Don’t be silly, sit down,” Villain tutted, taking the mug from Hero and using a tea towel to dry them off. Thankfully the tea wasn’t boiling. Villain looked up and their eyes met with Hero’s bloodshot ones, still as on the verge of tears as they had been when they picked them up. Their face was fine for the most part: slight graze on the side of their forehead and a split lip. Villain could tell by how reluctant Hero was to show them that the worse wounds were where they couldn’t see. “He’d deserve it, you know.”

Hero bit their lip as they tried to think of a solution or some way to convince Villain not to seek vengeance on their account. Their mind came up annoyingly blank however as their aching body kept dragging their thoughts back to the alley.

“Can I have time to think it through?” Hero asked in a desperate attempt to stall for time until their brain finally cooperated.

Villain considered them for a moment.

“No,” they answered. “Tell me now, or I’ll find another means.”

Hero’s heart sank.

“This isn’t fair.”

“I know,” Villain answered gently. “I’m not a good person, darling. But you knew this when you called me. Just like you knew I would do everything in my power to protect you and that includes dealing with the scum that dared to lay a finger on you.”

Hero curled into themselves more and Villain knew they were pushing them, but they couldn’t stop themselves. A rage burned inside them that begged to be sated. Hero wasn’t safe- couldn’t be safe whilst there was someone out there who thought they could do this to them and get away with it. And if they did it once, they would do it again, and again, and again-

“You can’t fight him,” Hero muttered as they aggressively rubbed away tears. Their voice so quiet it was a wonder how it managed to cut through Villain’s thoughts.

Villain picked Hero up gently in their arms, shifting the two of them around so that Villain sat in the armchair with Hero curled up into their lap, holding them and rubbing their back, waiting for the sobbing to stop. In this position, Villain’s eyes landed on the small box of belongings Hero had left beside the door. It was a ridiculously small amount of things that Villain was sure couldn’t possibly be everything they owned. However, feeling Hero’s small frame hiding beneath their clothes, Villain did begin to worry that was the case.

“Do you need somewhere to stay?” Villain asked, a puzzle beginning to form and slowly solve itself in their head.

Hero nodded against Villain’s chest.

“And you’re asking me? What about friends or family?”

Hero shook their head.

“Friends kicked me out,” they muttered. “Haven’t got any family.”

“What about your team? Don’t you guys have a headquarters or something you can stay at?”

Hero stiffened, and the last of the puzzle pieces fell together. Because at the end of the day, Hero didn’t just call Villain for help. Villain asked Hero to join them, and Hero finally said yes.

“Oh, I’m going to kill them,” Villain hissed, holding Hero tighter.

“Don’t,” Hero said, fists clenching against Villain’s shirt.

“Not today,” Villain assured. “I’m not leaving you now, don’t worry.”

“Don’t fight them. Please.”

“That depends. Were all of them involved or was it just one specific person?” Villain asked, knowing the answer. Hero said nothing and Villain sighed. “Give me a name, darling. Let me focus my rage on one person and I won’t go digging to see if anyone else is worthy of it.”

“I don’t want you to hurt people because of me.”

Villain lifted Hero’s chin so they could look them in the eyes.

“Him getting hurt will be the consequence of his actions, not yours,” Villain said, desperately wanting Hero to understand. “You are not to blame for any of this.”

Hero went silent for a while and Villain let them; unsure whether Hero was thinking things over or decided to be stubborn. Either way, Villain held them close until the bath had finished filling.

They found a singular set of spare clothes amongst Hero’s things that didn’t look comfy at all and decided to grab a set of their own for them to wear. They led Hero to the bathroom and pointed out where everything was before leaving them to it.

“…Mentor,” Hero mumbled as Villain was about to shut the door. They looked back to see Hero facing away from them and towards the floor. “It was Mentor that- we had an argument and I…” Hero took a deep breath, and the weight on their shoulders seemed a little lighter. “I put myself first for once.”

Hero turned to Villain, a big grin on their tear-stained face.

“Felt good.”

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