bigfieldstraveler

[bigfieldstraveler]

Hello! I have ADHD and autism and lots of ideas. Once I sit down to write a story, I get overwhelmed by the need to plan and write and edit and write and edit and write and... You get the idea. Is there any suggestion you could think of to make the process easier?

Streamlining the Writing Process When You're ND

I think this is something a lot of neurodivergent writers struggle with, and to a degree so do a lot of neurotypical writers, because it can take a long time to work out a writing process that works for you.

Planning - It may be worthwhile to sit down and think about how much planning/what planning tools you feel you need before you sit down and start writing. Like, if you feel you could probably write the story with just a beginning to end summary, make writing that summary your one planning item, and move on to writing. Or, maybe you want to do an outline/summary, character profiles, and a map. Make yourself a list somewhere for each of those things--maybe even breaking it down into the necessary sub steps, and deem yourself done when you've finished them. You may still have an urge to do more, but reassure yourself that you don't need to. And, remind yourself that you can plan as you go to fill in the gaps.

Writing - It might help to think of your first draft as a "zero draft." Or, in other words, a very rough draft that is just really there to help you get ideas down in a semi-cohesive manner. Write it beginning to end, and then check this off your list.

Editing and Revision - This is where you can get caught in a bit of a whirlpool, but this is where it's useful to think of your drafts as revisions. Read through the zero draft and make notes of things that need to be changed, added to, rearranged, or polished. Make it a list, then go through the list and complete the tasks. Once the list is done, that revision is done. Now, do it a second time, but this time only mark down things that are a genuine problem. Try not to listen to your nagging doubts or your brain being wishy-washy--look for things that are actual fixable problems. Make another list and complete the tasks. When that list is done, that revision is done. Then, if you feel it's necessary, you can do another read through specifically looking for typos, spelling errors, etc. Make another list and go through it. When it's done, it's done. And you can check off this story as finished.

You might even streamline my suggestions in a way that works for you. Also, if you haven't seen it yet, there's an app called Goblin Tools which is amaaaaazing for when you get overwhelmed by projects that have a lot of tasks. You basically put in a task like "write novel" and you can set how detailed you want the task list to be, then it generates a list of tasks you can complete to get the project finished. It can be really, really helpful in getting things done. :)

I hope that helps!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[bigfieldstraveler]

Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right.      Ani DiFranco

[bigfieldstraveler]

[bigfieldstraveler]

8+ months in and we haven't obtained the key. Want to join us in reminding Netflix that they have to help us find it? Join us today 12 oct:

⏰ 1 hr starting at 18:00/6pm UTC

✍ Phrase & hashtags:

WHERE IS THE KEY

#Save1899 #1899Netflix

[bigfieldstraveler]

[bigfieldstraveler]

❤️ Rest in peace, Reckon.

I will always remember how much joy and light you brought to us on forum.

Ave Reckon!

Monday I learned that Reckon, (adored and respected by so many of us) passed away recently.

All of us who met Reckon at STD back in 2012 knew how much she loved Melissa McBride, Carol, Rick, adored Glenn & had a wicked-sharp sense of humor that kept us laughing every day.

Reckon was kind, funny, passionate about animals & fiercely protective of those she loved.

She was remarkably open about living with breast cancer for the past few years, but rejected pity. She never wanted anyone to worry about or fuss over her. Instead, she’d ask about your day, share a joke or be a little snarky to make others laugh. She had a lot of great one-liners.

We kept in touch via email and texts. I sent her jam & catnip from my garden; she sent me a lovely photo of her gamboling kittens after a “Nip Party”. She gave us some wonderful Contest prize items, too.

We joked about someday being old ladies squabbling about music, cats, TWD and good meals. Of people thinking we’d be crazy instead of just being ourselves. She truly had a merry heart.

So many of us remember her hilarious fan fiction contest entries, the sort we all wished would come true on TWD.

We were lucky to know her for 10 years of TWD fandom.

Reckon was an extraordinary woman who shared so many important traits with her beloved Carol: fearless living, joy (even in adversity) & loyalty to friends and family.

[b]In a fandom which can often be less than kind, Reckon was beloved of many of us.[/b]

I know many of you will share my deep sadness that she is gone. She was one of us who loved Melissa and Carol. The world feels emptier & darker without her in it.

[bigfieldstraveler]

How do plot a trilogy?

Plotting a Trilogy

The best way to plot a series is to make sure you have a story that requires being told in multiple parts. And the best way to do this is to come up with a big story, from beginning to end, without worrying about dividing it up just yet.

Once you understand the big picture story arc from beginning to end, all of the major plot points, the timeline, and individual main character arcs, you can start to look for the natural breaks in the story. Start by thinking about basic story structure:

An easy way in is to look for big events that fall in the first third, second third, and final third of the story. These will serve as each individual book's climaxes.

From here, you can think about the conflict that leads to each climactic event. The conflict is a problem the protagonist wants to solve, and the climax is the final attempt to do what needs to be done to resolve that problem.

Now that you know the conflict and climactic event it leads to, you can think about the protagonist's motivation and goal in resolving this conflict. In other words, why do they want to resolve the problem and how do they plan to go about it? With any luck, many of the steps they need to take in an effort to solve the problem (and end up at the climactic moment) should be naturally built into your story. But you can tease them out and expand on them as needed. Remember to think about the antagonistic force that places obstacles in the path of your characters as they try to resolve each individual story's conflict.

Finally, you can look at things like character arc (which goes from the beginning of book one to the end of the final book), world building, and all the little details needed to tie everything together.

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Learn more about WQA

See my ask policies

Visit my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions

[bigfieldstraveler]

I love planing out my ideas in great detail but when it comes to actually writing the story it’s like pulling teeth. It goes from being fun and interesting to being nothing more than a dull chore. I’ve tried planning less to see if having some things unknown might help, but that didn’t work. I could spend forever writing and rewriting my ideas and making changes to them. But when I try to write an actual story it’s like I physically can’t. What should I do?

Details Planned But Unable to Write

If you have the details of your story planned out but still aren't able to write it, it's probable that one of the following things is happening. See if any of these strike a chord with you...

1 - Details and Plot Are Not the Same - Sometimes writers say they have all the details in their story planned out, but what they actually mean is they've fleshed out character and setting details, maybe even backstory and some general scene ideas, but they couldn't tell you what the story's conflict is, what the inciting incident is, what goal the protagonist is pursuing and why, what's at stake, or what the major plot points of the story are. No matter how detailed your story is in terms of characters, setting, backstory, and even general ideas about scenes, if you don't have a conflict to tie them all together, you don't really have a story. You just have details. A plot can't be moved forward if it doesn't exist, and if you don't have a conflict, goals and motivation, stakes, an antagonistic force and obstacles, etc., you don't have a plot. Solution: take some time learning about Goals and Conflict, Plot Driven vs Character Driven Stories, Basic Story Structure, and How to Move a Story Forward.

2 - You Lost Interest in the Story - If you have your story properly plotted in addition to having the details fleshed out, and you're still unable to write, it could be that you've simply lost interest in the story. This can happen when we spend a lot of time on a story, especially if we spend a lot of time fleshing things out. Solution: Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write, Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists, Getting Excited About Your Story Again

3 - Something in the Story Isn't Working - Imagine someone riding a horse and they come to a rickety old bridge, but the horse balks and refuses to cross. The horse may just be stubborn, but it's quite possible it's picking up sensory information its rider can't... creaks and groans the rider can't hear, a worrisome tilt or sway the rider can't perceive... If you sit down to write your well planned out story and can't, the same thing could be happening with your gut instinct. Like the horse that doesn't want to cross the bridge because it senses danger, something inside you is saying "this story doesn't work" and isn't excited to get involved. Solution: Read through your outline or plan and see if you can spot the problem. Maybe the character's goal doesn't make sense with the events of the story. Maybe the antagonistic force isn't doing enough to oppose the protagonist. Maybe the character arc is out-of-sync with the events of the story. If nothing else, talk it through with a trusted writer friend to see if they have any thoughts. Sometimes just hearing the questions they have about the story can be enough to highlight what isn't working.

4 - Life Stuff Is Getting in the Way - Even if your story is well fleshed out and thoroughly plotted, and everything works and you're excited about writing, there can be other things going on in your life that stand in your way. If you're putting too much pressure on yourself to write or reach certain writing goals, it makes writing feel stressful and our brains are wired to avoid stressful things. It could be that you're not feeling well physically or mentally. You could be distracted by other things you want to write or do. You could just be too busy with other things to really get into it. Or you could just be not in the mood to write. Solution: Try to pinpoint what's getting in the way and see if there's a work around. For example, if you think writing has become stressful and that's why you're avoiding it, figure out what you can do to make it fun again. Or, if you think you're just not in the mood to write, figure out some things you could do that would put you in the mood to write.

5 - Fear Is Getting in the Way - Details are easy, writing is hard. No matter how much planning and plotting you've done, actually putting those details into coherent words in a way that is compelling and well-paced--that's not so easy. And, the tough reality is that until you've had a lot of writing experience, your writing probably isn't as good as you want it to be. You want it to be good, and you know what would qualify as good, but you're just not able to produce that quality yet. And the only way to get your writing quality to that level is to let yourself write things that aren't as good as you want them to be. You have to write a lot of "just okay" stuff before you can write "really great" stuff. AND THAT'S SCARY!!! And--that's not even the only thing that can cause fear for writers. Maybe you have written a lot and your writing is where you want it to be, but maybe your fear is with the next step... sharing it with others. Maybe you're afraid others won't enjoy it as much as you want them to. Solution: figure out what's causing the fear, whether it's quality-related or next step related, then try to push through it. Remind yourself that writing not great stuff is part of the process. Remind yourself that sharing with others is part of the process (usually, unless you're writing for yourself.) Have a spin through the bottom half of my Motivation master list for other fears and solutions.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Learn more about WQA

See my ask policies

Visit my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions

[bigfieldstraveler]

1899 - Concept art by Valentin Petrov

[bigfieldstraveler]

To all those keeping Maura x Eyk tag on ao3 alive, you are the real heroes and I love you

[bigfieldstraveler]

Eyk: Do you talk to Ms. Franklin often?

Daniel: I do not. Not often, no. I, um. I barely know her.

Eyk: Really? [points to a note Daniel left on Maura's door] Because it says right here that you love her.

Daniel: ... It does, doesn't it. Yeah. You know, um... It's the way that I end my notes. As a goodbye, you know. Like, "goodbye, see you later, I love you."

Eyk:

Daniel: Because you never know... if you're never gonna see someone again. You know, sometimes people die, and that was the last time you ever saw them. So, you know.

Eyk:

Daniel: I have to run, I have a thing that I need to get to. So, see you later.

Eyk:

Daniel: Nice talking to you.

Eyk:

Daniel: ... love you.

[bigfieldstraveler]

There is another petition exists. It's so small and probably won't go anywhere forward but id wish it did. It demands Netflix to release rights for our favourite shows so we would get chance to get proper endings to our shows, at least to some.

Please feel free to sign and share everywhere you can.

Please don't be mad at amounts of tags i want it to be seen as much as possible

#twd #caryl #the walking dead #warrior nun #netflix #1899 netflix #save 1899 #save warrior nun #inside job #save inside job #the oa season 2 #sense8 #archive 81 #anne with an e #mindhunter #maura x eyk #society #television #cancel netflix #fate the winx saga #winx saga #melissa mcbride #ok last one because i know she would be watching some of these and would be hella annoyed like us #half bad #aneurin barnard #dark netflix #first kill

[bigfieldstraveler]

Some of us are writing fancy letters to Netflix...

More info: Reddit

[bigfieldstraveler]

what do you mean netflix cancelled 1899???? babe, they’re right there. maura and eyk are making out in the corner. clémence and olek are playing chess. jérome managed to connect netflix to the prometheus and ángel is making him watch ru paul drag race with him, ling yi, ramiro and krester. lucien is having some weed in the sofa with tove. yuk je, virginia, anker and iben are playing cards on the other room. no bad vibes, only playlists and guns and a handmade sign on the wall that reads: “fuck you ciaran !!”

[bigfieldstraveler]

Okay gang how do we turn 1899 into a trendy TikTok whatever to get Netflix to renew it? I’m not above playing dirty, I will make the sacrifice of downloading the clock app for this

[bigfieldstraveler]

https://chng.it/VJGd8HK52n

SIGN TO SAVE 1899!!!!

[bigfieldstraveler]

"The One the Other Will Contain"

I'm beyond disappointed to see such an original TV series cancelled by Netflix... it's a true tragedy of short-term capital return over long-term treasure of heart and soul. Best wish to the creators behind 1899, I really wish to see more of what they have for us.

I hope what is lost will be found.