#edited only to fix some wonky grammar

[invinciblerodent]

Baldur's Gate 3's Potato Chowder - RECIPE

So a few days ago, I found this recipe around the start of act 3, near the kitchen of the Temple of the Open Hand in Rivington:

[Screenshot of recipe as it appears in-game. Exact steps will be transcribed below, within the recipe.]

It looked... honestly very simple and not dissimilar from a Hungarian potato főzelék/stew (which is a very cheap and homely peasant dish I love), so I just made it for lunch today, and guys....

this soup is uh. really fucking good. I tried following it as close to the letter as possible, but since it's quite vague, I did have to improvise a fair bit- but it's very cheap and easy to make, it's warm and comforting while still quite light (there are like. NO spices in there, it's a very European-feeling dish), and I'd say it's surprisingly filling, but it's. It's potatoes, so there's nothing exactly surprising about that.

I tried to write out the recipe in a very beginner-friendly way, so even if you're not super confident in the kitchen, it should be easy to follow! ❤️

Make yourself some video game soup, it's awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

(For about 6 servings)

A roughly egg-sized lump of lard (This can be subtituted with a different cooking fat if you'd like, but I recommend sticking with lard, as it adds a nice flavor, and it's kind of the staple fat for these peasant stews.)

Potatoes (I used just under two pounds)

Half of a medium leek

Small yellow onion (or half of a larger one)

2 cloves garlic

Roughly 1/2 to 1 cup white cooking wine (optional, substitute given in recipe)

Vegetable stock (or chicken- or beef stock, or water)

2-3 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt to taste

1/2 cup of sour cream/créme fraiche (optional)

Shredded cheese and/or croutons to serve (optional)

(Recipe with transcriptions and exact steps under the cut!)

(This is basically all there is in this. Honestly.)

STEPS:

"1. Put your lard in a pot- a chunky one, mind. When it stops being lard and starts being hot lard, add any good-smelling veggies (leeks, garlics, onions) that you've chopped all thin. Please salt this so it doesn't taste of nothing."

This first step is pretty self-explanatory. I sliced the white part of he leek thinly, cubed my onion, and minced my two large cloves of garlic. In the lard melted in as chunky a pot as I've got (make sure it's not non-stick!!!), I sauteed first the leek and the onion with a big pinch of salt, and once the onion was translucent, the leek soft, and they've released some liquid (around 3-5 minutes on medium-low heat), I added the garlic, and cooked it until fragrant.

"2. When it's soft and good-smelling, chuck in any flour you've got and stir the mixture so it don't burn (note for me - it's very important not to burn it, emphasize)"

"2.5. PLEASE DO NOT LET IT BURN THAT'D BE RUBBISH"

Now we make a roux by adding just enough flour to the mixture that it starts sticking together, and looks fairly dry, but no part of the flour remains powdery. (This was about 3 tbsp for me, but since this process goes quick, I did eyeball it).

It's important to keep stirring, as this can and does stick to the bottom of a pot, but it will determine the thickness of the final soup, deepen its flavor, and give it a nice, creamy consistency. I made mine fairly blonde (light tan in color, cooked just past long enough to dissipate any raw flour smell), but it can go to a fairly dark, caramel color before burning if you'd like the flavor to be a bit deeper. (This should only take a couple minutes.)

Please do be careful- it the roux burns, that flavor will be impossible to get rid of, so.... yeah, it would be rubbish.

"3. If you're fancy and have wine (or have a generously stocked temple wine cellar nearby) add a bit of it now and cook it off. When it's done, add some wedged potatoes and a lot more liquid (not wine this time or you'll have a headache in the morning)."

We now deglaze the bottom of the pot with the wine: after pouring it in, with the wooden spoon, we scrape up any stuck pieces of flour or aromatics that there might be on the bottom.

(Note: If you don't have wine, or would prefer not to use alcohol for any reason, a neat trick is to mix about 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and 1 tsp of granulted sugar into a cup of water, and use this mixture as a substitute for 1 cup of white wine. In most recipes, the wine's main purpose is to add acidity as well as sweetness to the dish- this trick aims to replicate those qualities, and tastes very similar in the end result. I use it often in almost anything that calls for white wine if I happen to not have any at hand. But do make sure to taste beforehand, it's very easy to go too heavy on the vinegar! It should taste sour, but not so much that it's unpalatable.)

Then, I rinsed my cubed potatoes (though the text calls for wedges, those often don't cook quite evenly!) with water to get rid of the excess starch, added them to the pot, and then covered them in vegetable stock. You can use chicken- or beef stock (which would make the soup a bit richer, heavier) or water (if you want it lighter) as well- in this last case you might need to add more salt than you'd think. (Make sure to taste- it should be flavorful, but not salty! Bouillon cubes and premade stocks often have a very high salt content, so if using that, you might find you don't need to add any.)

(It sohuld look something like this.)

"4. Cook for half an hour or so til the potatoes are nice and tender, and mash some of 'em up in the liquid. If you've got any cow products - cheese, milk and the like - add them now for extra delicious results."

From when the mixture starts to boil, it should take about 25-35 minutes of simmering on low heat, covered, for the potatoes to soften- you can test doneness by sticking a fork in one of the pieces, or gently pushing one against the edge of the pot with your wooden spoon. It should give easily at light pressure with both methods.

I then put the sour cream/créme fraiche in a heat-safe container (a mug will do perfectly), and ladled a bit of the hot cooking liquid on top of it, mixing it thoroughly- both to thin it out, and bring the temperatures closer to each other, which should help avoid any curdling. Stirring constantly, I then add the cream mixture to the soup in a thin, slow stream. (Any mildly acidic, creamy dairy product should work here- though I do think yogurt might be a bit too sour, if using that I would probably omit the wine.)

Then, as everything is done cooking and the cream is distributed evenly with no curds, I turn the heat off for safety, and using a very traditional, very fantasy, not at all anachronistic immersion blender, I blitz the entire thing for roughly 30 seconds. You can of course blend it less for more chunks (or remove some cooked potato bits before blending to add them back later), or even longer for a smoother consistency, but I did like that about that much blending left only a few, small chunks of nicely cooked potato in the otherwise smooth and creamy result.

I served with shredded Port Salut cheese and croutons on top- but this is of course optional, and I think just some nice, crusty bread would also work wonderfully!

Go make yourself a video game soup!!!!!!! It's so easy and good!!!!!!!

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate #recipe #potato chowder #soup recipe #potato soup #is this fanart? #would we say that this is fanart? #I probably would tbh #i don't know if anyone has done this before but I.... I did it #and it tastes really good #my partner and I both had two large bowls of it though one would have been enough as a meal #and we'll have enough to have it for lunch tomorrow too #there was also a tomato “dippin' soup” in that same “book”; I might also make that sometime! #edited only to fix some wonky grammar #squirrel plays bg3

[writingquestionsanswered]

hello, do you perhaps wrote some tips on how to do self-proofreading? i mainly write fanfic for fun, but even so i want to give my best so i can look back at my writing and think that i've done all i can. i feel like i have to proofread my writing to achive that. but the thing is, i have a hard time staying objective. im afraid it will only worsen my draft. however, i can't also afford proofreading service. if you have written that topic before, please let me know. thank you! have a pleasant day.

Proofreading

It's important not to confuse proofreading and editing. In editing, you're finding and fixing big picture items like conceptual problems, structural issues, plot holes, loose threads, loose world building, weak character development, thematic incoherence, meandering narrative arc, wonky pacing and flow, etc.

Proofreading is about finding and correcting errors, such as typos, misspelled words, incorrect grammar, bad or missing punctuation, formatting errors, eliminating crutch words, improving consistency and clarity, cutting back on repeat words, limiting use of passive voice, and minimizing overuse of dialogue tags.

While editing is often subjective--what one persons considers to be a problem may seem fine to another person--proofreading is rarely subjective. Incorrect grammar is incorrect grammar. A typo is a typo. A spelling error is a spelling error.

Whether you're talking about editing, proofreading, or both, there are lots of free checklists for both that you can find online. These checklists provide an item-by-item list of things to watch out for. These can be really helpful when you're editing and when you're proofreading. With editing especially, it can help you stay a little more objective about things that need objectivity, like problems with pace and structure. They can also give you confidence that you've done everything you can in self-editing/self-proofreading. You can find these lists by Googling terms like "fiction editing checklist" or "fiction proofreading checklist."

Happy editing/polishing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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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[asterz-playz-official]

Ok so I’ve been re-transcribing the entire original Sweeney Todd story using google docs and sheer force of spiteful will, and I. Genuinely love this????

Like, it’s a little rocky in how it starts, but for a Victorian-era piece of work, it’s pretty damn good with the character portrayals. In my personal opinion, Johanna actually acts — in a Victorian-styled way — like an actual person who is grieving. A late-teen-age person. This includes her thoughts, how she responds to things, just- everything. Oh, and she’s got a goddamn believably nuanced relationship with her parents.

Plus, the narrator has a bit of a personality as well! Sympathy for some of the characters so far, (especially Johanna), for example. I might be reading a bit too far into that one, but eh. Who cares. I like it.

Oh, and then there’s the man himself. His character starts off a bit wonky, to me, but I think it’s around chapter three, (which, of course, would have been the third in the publications of the serial, so by that point, the author would have been in the midst of slowly figuring out the finer details of their story, as they’re not actually publishing the whole thing in one go), that the author really seems to start to take a little dip into Todd’s mind and his motivations/ways of thinking about things, which is, to me, extremely important in accurately portraying any person’s character. From reading the bit where he does so, I feel like the author might have actually only done so on a whim, without any sense of what effect it would have on their perception of the character, and then realized how much more to the man there was than they’d thought, and went on to dedicate an entire two chapters to the logistics of how Mr Todd might figure his way out of a more perilously sticky situation, simply because they found some fascination in how his head was screwed on.

(Excuse the slip into Victorian London grammar/vernacular, it’s really fun to write in.)

Anyway. Having fun with this. Loving it. Glad I didn’t just read it and instead decided to go through and edit/fix a poorly-transcribed version, cause it’s actually really helping me read the story in spite of the Adhd. Very happy with this situation. Trying so hard to not spoil myself on anything beyond what I already know. Yay :D

#sweeney todd #the string of pearls #penny dreadful #random rambles

[unohanabbygirl]

Could you tell me about your writing process?

My writing process is a bit messy in my opinion so I’ll try to explain as best I can lol.

For starters I do my best to outline things (ten chapters at a time if it’s one of my chaptered fics) and for each chapter I think of a good word count and separate each scene. I.e, if I want to write something that’s around 12k I’ll chop up each scene and put how many words I want that scene to be until everything adds up to 12k.

One rule I always stick by is one scene at a time. Sometimes a single scene will take like a week to get through so during that period I won’t write anything else for that specific story until I’m satisfied because my brain won’t let me go on if the scene before next isn’t complete. I kinda short circuit tbh. That includes reading every out loud since hearing your words makes it easier to spot mistakes or weird wording.

I make sure that my scene notes are open so I don’t go off track and just start typing whatever comes to mind. It’s pretty easy considering I usually have so much I want to say but don’t want a single chapter to go overboard on the word count.

By the time i’m “finished” I go back and re-read everything. I delete some stuck, add some stuff, fix wonky dialogue, and try to describe things better if they feel off. Then we go into editing which is just fixing spelling/grammar errors which takes forever and is lowkey too much sometimes cause I don’t have a beta. But i make it work!

Oh, also I listen to music that 9/10 doesn’t fit the emotional vibe of what I’m writing. Right now i’m in the middle of a oneshot for my new verse (it’s porn w plot) and was listening to “this is how we do it” by Montell Jordan while trying to figure out if I should spell it “come” or “cum” last night.

This is probably why I can only get a HIPS chapter out once every eight months.

#asks

[ashvayr]

MY WRITING PROCESS ―

i’ve found that there is a rather small amount of stuff out there for writers wherein they can actually see the step by step process of creating a piece of written work. you don’t really get to see the behind the scenes stuff or the eventually deleted stuff. i am by no means an expert and i still have a lot to learn (a lot a lot), but i still think this might be interesting to those looking for something similar. enjoy!

the following excerpt is from a conversation between lukas tkachov and miko dvorak from my current wip ‘blood and bones.’

- proof i make everything up the first time. - i never expect very much from myself on this first run and a lot of times i’ll delete whole paragraphs. even if something is really good, i may have to take it out because it doesn’t fit the scene. - i keep all of these bits and bobs though (as should you!! never throw away any writing ever, even if it’s bad!!) just in case i might need them later or find a way for them to work. - i do not recommend writing your first drafts in apps like wattpad, because you risk losing them there. not to mention the writing ui is complete horse shit.

- i always just write just the dialogue first, that way when i want to write in the style of the story, i don’t have to switch between tones. - its also a really great way to make sure the people talking sound like people and the conversation is consistent. - if you’re doing this with multiple people you can color code or put an initial in front of the words. i tend to just do extra lines in between because i’m lazy - highly recommend!!! you do this!!! 

- some brainstorming where i fought myself for a little bit in the comment section. essentially i had differed from the planned personality of miko in my outline and needed someone more outgoing than what i had originally decided.  - this happens a lot when i first write characters because ultimately i change their personalities to fit the scene. i have a feeling that is bad and you should probably do the exact opposite, but hey do as i say, not as i do.  - a good time to note: i put all my first draft content in that dark teal color, it helps to remove the illusion of permanence. sort of like i’m typing in pencil and can always erase. i basically trick my brain into realizing that we want any and all content, even if it sucks. (writing in a stupid font can also help!)

- ignoring some very obvious grammatical errors dtrfyghuj - i write the actual writing above or below the previously written dialogue so i can see it as i do. - i also look at notes constantly and edit those notes while i write. - i make sure to read back some finished writing from earlier in my draft, if i have any. this way i know what the hell is going on and can keep writing in the same style. this is why i won’t read other things/multitask while i write because it can throw me off. you do you though. - in actuality, this is what i would call a base layer, its the bones of this operation. for the editing process, this smoking hot pile of garbage is what i’m going to be working with. revel in all its awfulness. then shed a tear for me. - note that this is not all the dialogue i just showed you. - i then rewrite the entire thing from scratch, right above or below and still referencing the previous writing. i will keep some stuff, change some stuff, and expand most of it.   - this beefing up of descriptions when i edit is probably not super great because then i have paragraphs between dialogue. that being said this is the first draft and i don’t care very much. i will care later, but definitely not now.   

- here is a more detailed look into my thought process in this section, why i changed what i changed essentially.  1. i was splitting up the thought of lada between two paragraphs, ideally, I would keep them in one, like the paragraph before when i mentioned her first. this is really only a me thing i don’t think that generally it's a rule that would be applied to anyone else's writing. 2. i put this here due to what i’m going to call......mh...writer’s fatigue. that sounds real. basically, i was lazy and didn’t feel like thinking about lukas’ character. he’s adaptable, curious, and driven, so laughing hysterically is probably something he wouldn’t do. i’ll replace that text with something else or get rid of the line entirely.  3. more of a stylistic change. saying ‘anything’ sounds a bit out of place and somewhat elementary in comparison to the rest of this piece. it doesn’t match, essentially. i’ll probably want to tie this back in with the point i made in the sentence previous.  4. this is what a comment to a specific word looks like in docs. this is when i have removed a line or thought of one that might fit, but am not really certain about, so i put it in a comment, that way i have it save for later.  5. a line i may or may not remove. 6. here is something i will definitely keep, this is characterization. yes it’s sort of rudimentary, but i can work out the kinks in a minute. 

- i personally think that their conversation seems to be a bit impersonal, sort of like they don’t really know each other, but i’ll fix that in my draft edits because i’ll have a much better idea of the relationship after i’m done writing.  - as you can see though, this is a lot less of the conversation on one page as i’ve made some changes and extended descriptions. (what you see is one and like a quarter page.) - it’s also not perfect, but it is a better version of what was before.   - the most important thing to note here is how i’ve moved stuff around and made small tweaks and adjustments. the moving around bit helps it sound a bit more cohesive and that's a really big thing when i move on to final final editing, so the thoughts and actions don’t sound so all over the place.  - this is when i put it through grammarly (use grammarly, love grammarly, marry grammarly, in that order) (no seriously) and let a friend, or sometimes my mom, ilu mom, listen to me read it.  - reading your writing out loud is important!!!!!!!!!! i do it all the time, it makes stuff sound less wonky and you spot more spelling mistakes.  - most stories were originally told orally, too, so if you can say it out loud and it sounds pretty decent you’re probably on the right track.  - now for some Thought Processes (with just the first page lol.)

- we love inconsistant color and font size because i was too lazy to save the other file Anyway (also gross i said ‘issues’ twice?) 1. in descriptions of characters, i find its always really good to ground them to the world. with just a couple of words, you have learned quite a bit about the nobility of vysena. yay learning. 2. nicknames are a good way to establish the previous existence of a relationship or something specific about both or one characters, respectively.  3. when i end parts and then start a next scene that takes place hours or days later, i like to make sure that my readers still sort of know what they’re doing or going through. it can also be interesting to see that character from the point of view of another! 4. for this particular book, supernatural beings and elements are very much real things and things i want people to know about. if it's not a major secret to the characters, i find that the reader should also pretty much be aware of the same things. like pop culture but for magic and also centuries ago.  5.  this paragraph is also something i’m considering removing and putting in a different chapter, but for the sake of this Whole Thing i kept it in. it doesn’t really fit the mood, its a lot more....i dunno...awe-inspiring and less my-dad-just-got-stabbed. 6. when briefly introducing a character, i like to give the readers something to associate them with. this is done so when you actually meet this person later, it is more like you were told a rumor and then can confirm it (if i’ve done my job right.) you also get a sort of negative feeling from the get-go with this character.  7. self-explanatory. 

- my next step, after grammar and reading, is to keep writing. wild i know. - but really i don’t want to dwell too much on one part or i’ll never get anything done. not to mention this is draft one!! i don’t care if its bad, as long as its written. it being bad is a future me problem. - one of the greatest writing tips i’ve ever been given when writing chapters, is to leave the readers feeling a different way when it ends from when it had begun. like this chapter sort of starts of sad, but it ends leaving you with a sense of mystery and suspicion. this can be more drastic too like...sensual to disgusted. obviously, this doesn’t have to apply to every chapter, but the best stories are the ones that make you feel things. - i started with 287 words for the dialogue.  - then went on with 1,169 words for the bones. - and finished with 2,126 words total for that scene.

read the book  follow the tag playlist / pinterest

taglist:  @montevena @evervicious @meegeewrites @the-ichor-of-ruination @starrywritingg @zmlorenz @the-real-rg @noloumna @norawritess @gorelips  let me know if you want to be added or removed!

#i think it has a lot to do with the fact that everyone writes differently no two people outline write and edit in the same manner and that’s #that’s a really good thing tbh because it allows for a lot of diversity. that being said to new writers there is often this notion that the #first draft is always perfect that someone who is a good writer is always good. #bab #mine #that was Really long lmao #hope u guys found it useful though???? #not like my best writing but u know

[justaflipfloppingpotato]

The M3thh34d visual novel, process thread

Monday, September 23, 2019

So, yesterday I decided that I'm going to be changing tmh into a visual novel instead of a comic. I'm not that sure how I feel about this decision but i KNOW I'm gonna have a lot more done quickly and efficiently, I'll be able to tell my story completely without cancelling anything. And since renpy coding is the simplest thing in the galaxy I have a feeling this will be super fun too.

Oke, just some clarifications for myself.

I'm going to write all of the stories code first.

Then I'm going to draw the sprites and backgrounds as needed

Then I'm going to work on major art pieces for it like title pages and large stuff etc

Now for mobile users who won't be able to play, don't worry. I'm planning on posting a play through on my yt channel and I'm going to post the script here with all of the photos and visuals for those who would rather read on their own turn.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

OK, so since school is kind of keeping me busy I wasn't able to do much besides figure out how basic GUI and options editing worked.

Added some about information

Fixed transitions

Added a default text speed of 18 characters per second

I also taught myself how to turn the game into files to download, also figured out a system of how people will be able to download the files without actually having to install it from itch.io, gamejolt, etc.

As far as scripts are concerned I have essentially added dialogue for the entire prologue (though I may edit it because I feel it may go by too fast)

And up to the whisper scene in part 1 (which is around a bit into part one,)

I'm also deciding that I'm going to be posting this thread on Friday/saturday and adding more to it as we go.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Alright! Things I got done:

Added LOTS of dialogue, pretty much around halfway done with chapter 1

Completely rewrote to prologue, its a bit clunky so im gonna need to edit it later to make the dialogue flow better, but for this medium of storytelling its kind of necessary to change it how I did

Brainstormed son sprite pose ideas, I realize I'm probably gonna need some tweek-twitching sprites so that's something I'm going to get on once I start the drawing process

Also found out that typing these things: [] make the code wonky so I can't type [REDACTED] kind of a shame but that's fine

May or may not be using to much of the pause function, but Its not bothering me so I guess when I get someone to test it (yes u heard me, I'm gonna let people test it once everythings,,, y know,,,, playable) and I get some thoughts I'll know how it is

Through this whole process I realized how easy making a simpl e visual novel truly is, and now I finally know how to tell my stories in a way that's both fun and easy!

I've been thinking about making h&h, a never-before-seen card deck au I made like a year ago and never posted, the mythical creek au and a monster au all into visual novels! This is a perfect way for me to stay focused and make stuff!! I'm v excited and happy!! (Let's hope this stays this way because u all know me by now!!)

I may add some complex choice decisions after I get the base game script finished but I have no idea how the story would play out to an alternate ending? Idk I'll have to think about it maybe :p

Anyway I've also been thinking about voice acting in it butttt if I had that they're probably just gonna be mini sound bites like "hmm" or "gah!?" Just stuff from the show probably.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Life is cray and I'm in pain! Here's the shit I got done today!!

Added slightly over 50 lines worth of dialogue

Slight edits here and there about other things

Also im trying to build tweeks character and persona for chapter 1 and I'm finally getting that done

Y know, a really fun thing about visual novels is that I can add as much dialogue as I want without worrying about how crowded it looks

Like, text boxes on comics are NIGHTMARES to add, like u don't want to have a full paragraph of words for one panel! Because no one will want to read it.

But with vn's all you have to do is write dialouge now and then worry about expressions later

No clunk, only funk B)

Also thinking about his ark, now that I'm fully working on scripts and and the story I can finally focus on how to add the hashtag foreshadowing for the uuuuhhhh twist :^)

Anyway I'm having fun and I'm pretty much half way done with chapter one. After I get it done I'm going to reread it and jot down changes until I'm happy with it then I'm going to move on to chapter 2 :DD

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ok!!! Finally done for the week, here's what I did today:

Added an additional 70 lines of dialogue, I now have just over 300 lines

Finished chapter 1

Added a scene where tweek doesn't know how to pronounce hypothermia, that's not important just want you all to know that was a thing

Its been so fun working on this so far, I'm planning on testing it over the weekend to see what dialogue tweaks and grammar/spelling stuff I need to fix. Once that's done I will be continuing onto the chapter 2 script!

I will update this thread on Fridays, I might add some mini weekend updates whenever the time calls for it.

I hope you all are excited as I am for this! Its the first time in a long time that I've felt this sure about a project before!! :DD

#jpspeaks #the m3thh34d #long post #tmh vn process thread

[emphasis-all-mine]

How do you not get discouraged about your writing? I'm trying to write a fic right now and I'm only 2k words in and it is soooo hard not to stop every five minutes and go "wow this sucks" because I have no one to tell me otherwise :/ I know it's different for everyone, but I was suggesting how you might cope with these feelings?

Hi Anon! This is going to get long… I hope something here will be helpful to you. If you want to, I’m always happy to answer messages if you need some real-time advice. Not everything here will work for every writer, but hopefully I can get your wheels turning. :D

So like I think every writer here, we absolutely 100% get discouraged. For me, I take a breath and allow myself to write things that suck. I say “this sucks… but fuck it, I will fix it later.”

I think we sometimes have this weird image of writing in our heads as not being a process that includes editing, collaboration, and revision. We have this image of a writer typing away in a fury, just spinning straw into gold the first time around. So then we think, if it’s not perfect NOW it will never be so why don’t we just give up? Ugh, I fight that voice all the time telling me to delete everything because it’s not perfect right away.

I tell that voice to be QUIET and I write things that suck.

What you’re writing now might not be what you end up posting, so you can fix the sucky parts later. Is the scene dragging on and you want to skip ahead to a different one? Fucking go ahead! I get stuck in a scene and I just say screw it, and I leave a place holder like this:

It’s okay to write out of order. If there’s a scene you can’t wait to write, but it’s at the middle or the end? Just write it. Don’t worry about where it goes yet, you’ll add in the transitional stuff when you have a bigger picture of what it’s going to become. In fact, writing out of order is how I’ve written some of my favorite things, and it helps jump-start my brain to start adding in the stuff that goes around it.

My advice would be to write through the suck, and own the suck. Or if you need to, open up a new blank document, and call it a “scrap file” (I call mine “garbage file” but I realize that name might sound a little harsh). If a paragraph or a scene is wonky and making you want to delete it? Put it in the scrap file. Don’t throw away something you put time and effort into, but it’s okay to cut around a rough edge. You might be able to look at it better when it’s on it’s own, and see how to re-work it into the story. A lot of my scraps usually end up coming back in later on, but it eases my mind to have them out of the way for the moment. Like de-cluttering a messy workspace. And a lot of times I find myself racing for my garbage/scrap file because I finally found the part where that scene works better! And yay, it’s already written I can be lazy and just paste it back in!

Writing is hard, and the easiest thing is to just not write. I applaud you anon, you have 2k of SOMETHING! That is awesome! You might end up with 3k when you start editing it! Editing seems daunting but honestly if I think about it, it’s way easier for me to edit than write the piece. Editing allows me to fix the things that made me want to stop, and I don’t have to create anything from scratch, I have the stuff already written, just waiting for some love and polish. Editing can also mean adding to something, not just deleting or fixing your grammar. Editing for me, sometimes includes adding a whole new section or part or dialogue that finally fixes what I was having problems with (much to the chagrin of my beta who might not see it before I post… whoops…)

You’re sewing a patchwork quilt, pieces can be cut around, taken out, fixed and put back on. Pieces can be already done and waiting for you to get to them. Don’t worry about the quilt as a whole. Take it one piece at a time. I’m cheering for you. Send me a link when you’re done, I’m happy to give it a look! 

#long post #em answers #anonymous #writing #a pep talk to myself #meta #writeblr