justawritershoard

Writing tips time? Writing tips time!

This is for those lovely creative folks that struggle not for a lack of ideas, but for an absolute overabundance.

Do you have stacks of concepts, OCs and fantastic worlds gathering dust all over the place? Do you feel crippling guilt whenever you pick a WIP instead of another? Do you overthink which story could actually be the best, or just struggle to start writing?

Here is a bunch of advice from a very ADHD writer who, thanks to 6 years of ghostwriting, had to learn a bunch of stuff about starting (and finishing) projects real quick. No work = no food was a very effective motivation.

Of course, this is very personal, but comes from a fellow chaos goblin that somehow made it through (now I am in academia, and it is kind of the same, just with more theory and slightly less ghosts). 1. Come to terms with the fact that there is no perfect story. Your other ideas are not better or more interesting -- it will be the execution that makes the difference. The best story is the written one. Put the others aside and think that it is a "later", not a goodbye forever. 2. Once you set the world and have a general idea of the characters, begin writing. You don't need to have the full story planned at this point. Just step "inside" your character and drop them in a random scene. It could be something super mundane, like waking up, cooking, and getting ready for their day. The world and its relations will emerge through the action.

Example: Your main character is 22 years old college drop out Sofia. Your world is a massive, empty cruise ship, navigating in the liminal space between life and death. Drop your character into the world. What does Sofia do? She may panic, check the room for clues, and then worry about important things, like food and water. This is already the story.

3. At this point, the world should have become much more "material". It is usually when I switch to hyperfocus. I need to know how my story ends (and get frustrated at myself when I am too slow). This is when I outline the broader, major story beats, as they can be "grounded" in the world.

Example: You decided that the ship is haunted by ghosts, but also inhabited by other 5 living humans, all coming from different time periods. Their values may clash, but they will have to find a way to collaborate to escape. 4. Now you can begin the (slightly more) detailed outline. Break it down into smaller milestones as you go.

Example: Milestone 1: Sofia meets the first survivor. Milestone 2: They discover the ship's impossible geography together. Milestone 3: The ghosts appear with a deadly ultimatum. 5. Back to writing! Step back into Sofia and start connecting the dots between your milestones. Where could she meet her first companion? Maybe she explores a mysterious library, or heads to the dining hall looking for food—and discovers she's not the only one who had that idea. Let the scenes unfold, using your milestones as guideposts, not rigid checkpoints. 6. Let characters emerge. You might have a fully planned cast, some vague idea, or even meet the inhabitants of your world as you explore it. Ghost number 6 might actually turn up to be Sofia's new love interest (let's get some drama going)! 7. Don't sleep on character studies! I love them. They are a wonderful way to explore your world. You can write snippets (that you might not use) from different points of view, to help you understand the characters better and get a "feel" for how they are as people, not plot devices. You can also post those as extra bits for your fans. 8. Remember that you can always edit! Nothing is set in stone, not even fan fiction (readers of serial/archival publications know that they are reading first drafts, so they will understand if you revise in real time). After all, as you explore and engage with your world, you might find that things you thought were trivial are instead absolutely crucial. Example: That vintage phone Sofia had on her desk? Sure, you wrote it for atmosphere -- but it could be the perfect means for her to talk with the other side. What a genius of foreshadowing you are! (not aha). I love it when "it clicks". For me, the plot "weaving" is a continuous back and forth. 9. Set up for your writing :) To keep yourself in the zone, you have to make the zone. Make a playlist of (non-distracting) ambient music, get yourself cosy. Make it match the story you picked for that extra focus.

This started as a comment to a post in one of my communities, but people found it helpful. So here it is, for the world to enjoy. A complete guide to goblin writing.

if it's a skill, there's rules you can learn

if it's an art, rules are not your concern

make it fucked up or you won't make it

if it's already broken, you can't break it

anything can be fixed with gorilla glue

Fuck staying hydrated by drinking enough water - eat! more! wet! food! (watermelon, cucumbers, SOUP!)

Feels great to be really high up in your house where you can see the whole place (loft bed loft bed loft bed loft bed!)

Express yourself as clearly as possible when people are touching you and you don't want them to.

Optional, but you can also express yourself clearly when your people are not touching you and you want them to.

Sometimes it's important to just go "hmm. actually, I don't care" and wander off.

You don't have to be the strongest or toughest to defend yourself, it's enough to just be difficult enough to not be worth the trouble.

listen. i’m not here to sell you a productivity system or convince you that waking up at 5am will make you a novelist. i am deeply Not That Girl. HOWEVER, here are 5 chaotic little writing habits that quietly rearranged my brain chemistry:

✏️ typing BEFORE i know what happens i used to think i had to outline everything before writing. wrong. i get more done when i let the scene surprise me. just start with vibes and a line of dialogue. the rest shows up once you start moving.

🗣️ saying the scene out loud like a play no joke. talking my scenes out like a script?? life-changing. the pacing, the emotion, the rhythm of it all makes more sense when i act like i’m gossiping about my blorbos in a voice memo.

⌛ 20-minute timers (not for productivity, just to start) i tell myself “just 20 minutes.” sometimes i stop. sometimes i blink and it’s 2 hours later and someone’s been emotionally eviscerated in chapter 12. this one’s black magic. use wisely.

🕯️ re-reading my WIP like a book no editing, no judging, just reading through with snacks like it’s already published. changes how i see the pacing and emotional arcs. also reminds me it doesn’t completely suck.

🧂 leaving in the messy parts i used to delete scenes that felt “off.” now i just write a little comment like “THIS IS BAD BUT KEEP GOING.” turns out momentum matters more than vibes. shocking, i know.

listen. i’m not here to sell you a productivity system or convince you that waking up at 5am will make you a novelist. i am deeply Not That Girl. HOWEVER, here are 5 chaotic little writing habits that quietly rearranged my brain chemistry:

✏️ typing BEFORE i know what happens i used to think i had to outline everything before writing. wrong. i get more done when i let the scene surprise me. just start with vibes and a line of dialogue. the rest shows up once you start moving.

🗣️ saying the scene out loud like a play no joke. talking my scenes out like a script?? life-changing. the pacing, the emotion, the rhythm of it all makes more sense when i act like i’m gossiping about my blorbos in a voice memo.

⌛ 20-minute timers (not for productivity, just to start) i tell myself “just 20 minutes.” sometimes i stop. sometimes i blink and it’s 2 hours later and someone’s been emotionally eviscerated in chapter 12. this one’s black magic. use wisely.

🕯️ re-reading my WIP like a book no editing, no judging, just reading through with snacks like it’s already published. changes how i see the pacing and emotional arcs. also reminds me it doesn’t completely suck.

🧂 leaving in the messy parts i used to delete scenes that felt “off.” now i just write a little comment like “THIS IS BAD BUT KEEP GOING.” turns out momentum matters more than vibes. shocking, i know.

We all hit those blah writing days. Your fingers are ready, your doc is open... and your brain goes static. That’s where writing exercises come in — small creative boosts to shake off the dust and get back into your story flow. Here are six to try when your words feel stuck in traffic.

1. The 5-Minute Word Sprint

Pick a random word (use a generator or close your eyes and point at a book), set a 5-minute timer, and write anything involving that word. No stopping, no deleting.

2. Dialogue Without Context

Write a short convo between two people. No descriptions. No setting. Just back-and-forth lines.

3. Rewrite a Scene in Another Genre

Take a scene from your current story and flip the genre. Drama becomes comedy. Fantasy becomes sci-fi. Romance becomes horror.

4. Describe a Place Using the Five Senses — No Sight Allowed

Can’t mention what anything looks like. Only sound, touch, smell, taste, and intuition.

5. Character Swap POVs

Write a paragraph from the POV of a side character reacting to your main character. Bonus if the POV is brutally honest or completely wrong.

6. One Line Story Hooks

Write 3 one-sentence story starters that make you want to keep writing. (Example: “I woke up married to my enemy, and worse — he knew it before I did.”)

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