#writeblr positivity

okay but can we talk about writing advice that actually made my writing worse for a second

like not in a “this is bad advice for everyone” way in a “this absolutely sabotaged me personally” way

because ??? some of this set me BACK

1. “show don’t tell” (taken too literally) this one almost ruined my prose

i got so scared of “telling” anything that every sentence turned into… over-explained action

instead of writing:

she was nervous

i’d write:

her fingers tapped against the table, her leg bouncing, her breath uneven, her gaze flickering toward the door--

and it just KEPT GOING

like yes, showing is important but at some point you’re not “immersive” you’re just exhausting

2. “cut all adverbs” this made my writing feel so stiff it hurt

i started replacing simple phrasing with weird, clunky sentences just to avoid using one single “-ly” word

like… why am i doing gymnastics to avoid “quietly”

no one is giving out medals for adverb avoidance 😭

3. “write every day no matter what” this one burned me OUT

because instead of listening to my brain when it was fried, i forced myself to produce words i knew weren’t going anywhere

and then i’d reread it later and hate everything i wrote

which made me want to avoid writing even more

consistency matters, yes but forcing it when you’re running on fumes just trains you to associate writing with dread

4. “plan everything before you start” this killed my excitement SO fast

i’d spend weeks outlining every detail and by the time i actually started writing…

the story already felt “done” in my head

no curiosity left. no momentum.

now i leave gaps on purpose so i actually want to keep going

5. “make your writing sound pretty” this is the one that made my writing feel the most fake

i was so focused on making sentences sound “good” that i stopped focusing on what was actually happening

everything turned vague. floaty. kind of… nothing

like yeah it sounded nice but nothing hit

now i care way more about clarity and impact than sounding impressive

6. “your first draft should be terrible” okay this one is half true but also messed with my head

because i took it as: “don’t even TRY”

so i’d write things i knew weren’t working and just leave them

instead of… fixing them a little? making them better?

your draft doesn’t have to be perfect but it also doesn’t have to be painful to read 😭

idk i think the biggest thing i’ve learned is:

advice isn’t universal

what helps one writer can absolutely wreck another

so if something is making your writing worse, harder, or more miserable

you are allowed to drop it. immediately.

no guilt. no “but everyone says this works”

like okay… it doesn’t work for ME.

what are some of your favorite characters/relationships/WIPs from around writeblr? hype up your friends!

oooh, this is a hard question!! There's so many good answers! But uh, let's see. In no particular order, and definitely forgetting several people:

Quintin and Nikolaos by @oh-no-another-idea

Isi, Robin, and SB + Aella and Theo by @akindofmagictoo

Ailin by @diphthongsfordays

Literally everyone from the Valloroth universe by @space-writes

Maura and Keelan by @reneesbooks

Aspen by @ashen-crest

like how much attention are you getting that people being interested in your work is "labor" and "rude" to you

i wish i was getting enough notes for tagging people to be a chore

how is this "making authors and artists do free work for you" like there's a billion reasons someone might not want to actually follow my blog but like certain kinds of my content

"oh just follow or get post notifications" on this broken website? the known dysfunctional website? that sends me hundreds of notifications a day? most of which are nonsense?

like actually be so for real right now

anyway if you see this and you saw that other post don't let it discourage you i jump up and down with joy every time somebody asks to be on a taglist of mine

i don't consider it work to invite you to see my content cause i know posting it will bury it and i want you to see it! i want you to like and reblog it! i want to see your commentary and tags! please don't be afraid of interacting with me and other writeblrs because a couple of people got so popular they don't want to engage with others anymore

Not everything we love has to be of the highest quality. If that low-budget, slapped-together, hot mess of a story/show/etc. hits home with you? Love it. Talk about it. Be unapologetically thankful for it! 

Thank you so much for the ask, @kaylinalexanderbooks! This was one heck of a crazy month for me! But here we go (:

My current hairstyle! It's still short - because I can't stand my hair when it gets too long - but it's grown into a style I've been wanting to have for a while but hadn't quite be able to achieve it. I'm super stoked with how it looks like right now though!

My ability to tell stories and create characters - it still amazes me how, through writing, I can be able to create entire new worlds out of thin air!

The way I look after getting ready for a brand new day. It's nice to be able to like how I look after being judgemental about myself for so long!

This is not necessarily about myself, but I like laughing. I like watching something funny that makes me laugh and feel genuine joy after a tiring day!

We have so many stories within us that can't wait to be written down and shared because we're so excited about them.

Tagged by @writernopal here 💜

Gently tagging: @pandoras-comment-box @elbritch-kit @clairelsonao3 @thatndginger

1. What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

Don’t let the past define you. Each MC is weighed down by something in their past: A reputation, a legacy, trauma. They will explore their grief in many ways, and while some of them will overcome it and grow, some will let it consume them.

When I started writing again, it was to help me process some really heavy stuff that I went through last year, and I realized I had let the situation overwhelm me to the point where I didn’t recognize myself anymore. It happens in little ways over time, and I’m sure others have experienced the same thing. I want people to know that the things that have happened to them, the things people have done, they don’t go away. Not completely. But if we learn to accept them and confront the emotions, those things become easier to overcome, and you don’t have to lose yourself in the process.