#(first draft problems)

[sachermorte]

the only real way to write a fic is to have the characters talk shit constantly while one person desperately tries to get the plot back on track

#first draft problems #in which roland just lets whatever nonsense is spinning around in his brain leak out and decides to clean it up later #oje #shitpost nach sacher art

[lexiklecksi]

Happy WBW! What are some significant events in your world’s history? Did they have lasting consequences?

Sorry for the late response, but your question just made me realize that I haven't included significant events in my world's history in my first draft. Most of them happened in the past and are not that relevant to the plot and my story is purely character driven. But I should definitely include some background lore, so that will be a second draft problem I'm afraid. I will work so much more on my worldbuilding in the second draft, but first I need to do right by my characters and get the story out and then later insert some history facts. Am I doing this wrong? Ah I hope not.

#wbw ask #answered ask #writing fiction #tumblr mutual #first draft problems #writing fantasy

[my-own-lilypad]

This week I have begun a new writing project. I've gone from the last edits of the last project to starting afresh with the new one, it's quite a different process and it's been a long time since I started from scratch; I've usually always got a piece of writing already written that I'm editing. So i feel a bit lost and at sea with it.

The first problem I have - as always - is tense. My 20 pages of notes are written in present tense. And it feels right to keep it that way, immediate and indicative. But then I've been reading online that people hate reading books in the present tense, that they turn away almost immediately. 

And then I picked up Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale because I was looking for a quote and noticed for the first time that it's written in present tense. Lol, I am not on a par with Margaret Atwood, but it seems to me that even the greatest writers see the use of it.

Of course I shouldn't be caring about this at such an early stage of drafting and should just write. Atwood said she's like a skier she just free falls the first time and worries about all that later. I should take her advice. And Steinbeck who said just get the whole thing out on paper first. But I'm certainly not free falling, more like yacking up hairballs.

Then I came on here to distract myself from doing the actual writing.

#margaret atwood #john steinbeck #writing #amwriting #first draft #literature #first draft problems #which tense to use in writing #present tense #past tense #distractions #the handmaid's tale

[paperback-peasant]

Me: I want to write a drama in a royal court!

Me when I have to write the tenth dialogue scene in a row:

#writing #nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2022 #fiction #i love writing dialogue but eventually they need to DO something #first draft problems

[armesstein]

I am one of those writers that will obsess over every little word I'm putting down, almost to the point my writing looks choppy. The reason for this is because my first draft raises my anxiety to groundbreaking new heights. I'm talking out of orbit, floating around somewhere in the void. Oh, yeah. I hear advice about how my first draft shouldn't be perfect. Like, I know that. My anxiety even knows that; it just refuses to commit those teachings to memory.

#anxiety sucks #writers #writing is hard #first draft problems

[mhoganmell]

Cherry Picker To-Do List

Get a better idea of who my characters are as people. Holland seems to switch from sarcastic and strong to scared and fragile easily. Give background characters more context. At the moment, they only appear when needed. We don’t know what their actual relationship to Holland and Hudson are other than just a prop to be used for dialogue. Hash these side friendships out more. Add inner thoughts.…

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#current WIP #first draft problems #ideas #inside thoughts #things to fix #to do list #writer

[harmonictechnicality]

Steve wakes up around three or four in the morning almost every night. He’s always careful getting out of bed. Small movements, slow footsteps. Minimal bones cracking. Doesn’t want to wake Eddie. Not that he needs to be this careful because his boyfriend could sleep through several natural disasters (and if someone bothered to wake him in this scenario, he’d put an impotency curse on them or some equally fucked-up shit). 

But that’s one of the reasons why they work. Not because of the sad-dick curse thing. They just exist on different sides of the scale. The raging insomniac and the deepest sleeper known to mankind. It balances out in the weirdest possible way.

Still… he’s always careful. Can never be too careful.

Steve doesn’t really do much when he wakes up at this ungodly hour. He sort of walks around their duplex, drinks a glass of water, opens a window to breathe in that pre-sunrise air. It fills his lungs up differently than normal air. At least, it feels like it does.

Like less people are breathing it in. Like he can take up space without feeling selfish. The logic doesn’t really add up but whatever. Concepts like logic and science are overrated at four in the morning.

After another lap around the place, he slides back into the covers, drapes an arm over Eddie’s waist. His t-shirt is rumpled up to his chest, so Steve is met with linen-warm skin. His fingers curve into Eddie’s sides, pulling himself closer. 

Steve yawns, breathing out all of his pre-sunrise air. Inhales the scent of his boyfriend instead. Smiles like an idiot into the pillow because it’s totally a fair trade.

And Eddie… well, he doesn’t even budge - doesn’t even stir when Steve settles in next to him. He just continues to wheeze through his nose, mouth slightly open. Not quite a snore, but Steve will probably tease him about it in the morning regardless. 

This right here. This makes Steve’s shitty sleep cycle worth it.

The sun pokes through the window blinds. Eddie pokes Steve’s cheek. Too much poking going on for Steve who definitely didn’t get enough sleep, per usual.

“You got up last night.” Eddie mumbles, still lazily poking him. 

“How’d you know?”

“Bed felt different.”

Oh. The way Eddie says it. A crash of honesty. His voice sounds weathered, unused from sleeping. Barely awake. It sort of hits Steve’s heart like a crime he didn’t even know he was capable of committing. 

Honestly, he doesn’t get why last night would be any different. Steve gets up most nights, not just last night. But Eddie looks particularly wounded by this (new) realization, so Steve probably shouldn’t point that out right now. Maybe in the afternoon when Eddie is more alert. Less… offended.

“Well, I’m back now.” Steve grabs Eddie’s index finger, the one poking him, and places it over his own lips. Bites at it gently till Eddie pulls away in protest. He’s smiling as he swears. Lets out a string of half-hearted threats about how he’s gonna pour Steve’s hair supplies down the sink for such a vicious attack. 

It’s a little irresistible when Eddie gets like this. When he’s the pouty one instead of Steve. All he can think to do is reach out, curl his hand underneath Eddie’s chin and pull him in. Eddie moves so easily, gives up his one-sided fight long enough to kiss Steve. Hands running up his back, legs hooking around Steve’s thighs.

Drowsy, morning kisses are so good. So, so good. Their lips feel heavier, their motions feel thicker. Every touch is guided by pure need. Steve fucking needs this, to feel Eddie curving into him, arms framing his own, groaning every damn time they break away. It all makes Steve feel needed too. Needed by the guy who changed the trajectory of his life by asking Steve to ‘hang out or something’ two years ago. 

Or Something turned out to be absolutely everything.

“New rule.” Eddie huffs, drags his lips down Steve’s jaw. “For every hour you spend awake during the night, you owe me.”

Steve laughs. “I owe you, huh?”

“Mhmm. You owe me an extra hour of wallowing in bed together in the morning.”

“What about work?”

“The hours will have to rollover, I guess. Accrue interest.” Eddie lifts up from Steve’s neck, eyebrows raised. Clearly having too much fun with this. “We can hash out the details over coffee and burnt toast.”

Typically, Steve would play along, continue the little comedy routine that Eddie starts up. But he’s so damn tired from the lack of sleep and early fucking wake-up call. So instead, he tugs Eddie back down by his collar and whispers, “Whatever you say, baby.”

Because that’s what it boils down to. He’d do anything for Eddie to kiss him this deep, till their lips blister and their jaws ache. Steve would give every fragment of lovesick happiness in his heart, just to hear the way Eddie says his name all breathy and raw. 

He can’t say that out loud, dear god no. Eddie would mock his ass into next century. So Steve just hums into Eddie’s mouth, twists the collar of his shirt enough to permanently wrinkle it. They’re verging into that gray area between cable-approved makeout sessions and dry humping till the alarm goes off. If there wasn’t an alarm to worry about, Steve would already have Eddie’s boxers already his ankles and moaning his name the way he likes it best.

Whoever invented alarm clocks are the ultimate boner-killer.

Steve ducks his head into the crook of Eddie’s neck, lays a few quick kisses on top of his shoulder. Hopes that translates to, ‘I wanna suck you off till there’s nothing left, but I’m a boring fucking adult with a boring fucking job.’ 

The translation must be clear enough because Eddie rolls off of him and heads to the bathroom. Seems just as grumpy about it as Steve. Good. They can be cranky together.

When he comes back out, they get ready for their respective work shifts. Steve looks over, watches Eddie struggle with a tangled portion of his hair, before giving up.  Accepting defeat way faster than Steve ever would. “Uh, Eddie?” He tries his best to hide his snickering through the question.

“Yeah?”

“Why does it matter if I wake up sometimes?” Okay. Most times.

“You’re gone.” Eddie shrugs. “Simple as that.”

The reaction is too mellow for Eddie though. Shrugging and dismissiveness? Nah. He’s downplaying the shit out of whatever he’s feeling, and Steve’s not having it.

“What do you mean it’s simple?”

“It’s just… I don’t know. Doesn’t seem fair.” Eddie checks the clock, then sighs. “I want more time.”

More time? More time with Steve or more time in general? Either way, it doesn’t add up. They’re young - they have all the fucking time they could ever want. Also, they live together and have all the same friends. It’s not exactly a logical theory.

Then again, neither is Steve’s ‘pre-sunrise air supply’ theory. None of it makes sense. But at least they’re here. Wanting fresh air and each other. That’s enough logic for a lifetime.

“Hey.” Steve walks over and takes Eddie’s hand. He taps over his ring finger, the one that symbolizes something they can’t have. Not now, not in this society. Still. It means something. So he stares intently at it, rubs over the place where a ring might sit. Thinks that Eddie would pick out something bold. Something gaudy and perfectly him.

More time. Steve gets it, he does. He releases Eddie’s hand and nods. Smiles.

“I’ll steal us as much time as I can, Eddie Munson.”

#steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #this is the first little thing I've written since submitting my Big Bang draft #it’s a lot softer than my normal stuff but hey #insomnia writing do be like that sometimes #(so yeah - I projected my sleep problems onto Steve) #(and yeah - I projected my tangly hair onto Eddie) #let me liveeeeeeee

[dykeyaoi]

I feel like a lot of fanon tends to miss what seem to be three pretty crucial things about Teru, and it's weird because they are easy to miss, but they're also so important that without them he's very superficial. it's part of why he gets so yassified almost every time he's adapted (see: manga into anime into fancontent)

one is that this kid is smart. on my first watch of his debut arc I assumed he was psychically cheating to be one of Black Vinegar's top students. now though I don't think so: firstly, I'll admit, because he doesn't actually seem to have a way to do that except blackmailing other kids for answers or something; but secondly because throughout the series he's just good at figuring stuff out. he picks up complicated psychic techniques more quickly and frequently than anyone else, including Mob. he was the one who almost beat Shimazaki. he figured out that Psycho Helmet was Dimple from the fact that he was a spirit who knew Teru's name, not a lot of info to go on. he draws conclusions in the somewhat haphazard but very clever way a detective does.

two, he's motivated so much by anger. this one's something of a hot take but it's so there to me that I can't leave it out if I'm Teruposting. before meeting Mob yeah he thought he was special and important for having powers but he was also extremely lonely and subconsciously mad at everyone else for not having them. he's the only one who has to deal with Claw he's the only one who has to live alone because his powers make it dangerous for his parents, he's the only one strong enough to be the shadow leader. he'll do it because he's the Protagonist but god he's gonna be pissed the whole time. it's not what he wants (we only get to see what he wants later with Mob and Reigen and everyone else) but it's all he has for a long time. seventh division shows the intersection between I Should Be Satisfied Now Teru and I'm Better Than These Guys Teru very nicely

last and kind of most important is his thing for Mob. I absolutely believe ONE wrote Teru to be queer and he definitely had or has a crush on Shigeo, but I also think that at least part of said crush is him misconstruing his adoration and the pedestal he's put his friend on. until after the Confession Arc, the two of them getting together would be really tricky and probably not good. Mob still feels bad about what he did at Black Vinegar for most of the rest of season one, and the only reason Teru changed in the first place was because of the cavernous gap in power between the two of them. until he declares Shigeo his rival and realizes that he has faults and any destruction he causes isn't perfectly righteous, Teru can't love him.

there's as much to his character as there is to the other main characters, and I get the easy appeal of the flattened version of him but when he's flanderized into this sparkly gayboy who's also sad sometimes, it makes me sad.

#this has been in my drafts for months it needed to be finished #teruki hanazawa #hanazawa teruki #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #yaoi hivemind #<- they're the reason I added the last point instead of just writing the first two #not to add another character to this post but ummm Shou is also smart #Shou is the pre-planner he's a really good strategist #Teru puts pieces together as he goes & solves problems once they appear #Ritsu's weirdly psychological in his analysis of opponents but it works #and Mob fixes the unfixable #mob posting 100

[sachermorte]

what is ludwig filming?

the contents of a locked suitcase, for legal purposes

we're about 50k words in so this is the culmination of a lot of other stuff that goes on. someone gets pushed into a koi pond in zürich

#might have to switch some events around idk #but like I said before #first draft problems #askertorte

[xxxtosoxxx]

Me to other writers: It's okay and totally normal for your first draft to be unorganized and it's just important to get the ideas down. Perfection is not the goal, you're doing fine! 🖤🥰

Me to myself looking at my first couple drafts: Why does this read like a toddler wrote it?

#writing #writeblr #writing community #writerslife #writers on tumblr #writing problems #rough draft #drafts #first draft #struggling with perfectionism

[tvaccaro]

It's okay if your first draft sucks!

Creating is hard. You're literally sifting through the dark recesses of your mind piled to the brim with chaotic thoughts and ideas, and desperately hauling them out into the light. Of course it's gonna look like shit at first!

Be patient and kind to yourself. You need time to take what you've brought back, rearrange and experiment with it, and eventually curate it into a beautiful story.

You're still getting to know your work. Don't give up on it just before you discover the beauty beneath.

#writers problems #writing problems #writerblr #writing advice #writing tips #first draft #book wip #book writing #novel writing #writing inspiration #writing is hard #writing issues #writing is a process

[maxkirin]

If you're stuck in the first draft of your novel, these three words will set you free:

Fix it later.

Right now, all you need to do is get the story on paper. You'll have time to make it perfect. You'll have plenty of chances to fix everything. For now, just write. 🤞💚

#writing #writer #amwriting #am writing #writing advice #writing tip #first draft #writer problems

[jayswing101]

Fill for G1 - Black Cloaked Envoy on my Guardian Bingo Card!

The base pattern is taken from this daxiushan (大袖衫) pattern. To make this daxiushan (Heipaoshi's Version), I shortened the sleeves a bit, added extra length to the body, added a hood, and added the weird gauzy bits on the back. I also added some cording on the shoulders and the sides of the hood, following the design from the show as closely as I could. You'll also notice a couple decorative bands of black ribbon on the chest and at the waist, as well as a square of skightly different black fabric on the back — these are also embellishments added to follow the model in the drama.

Fabric: raw silk noil, cotton lining in the hood, a silk habotai square, silk gauze, silk ribbons, cotton cording. Entirely handsewn using waxed black linen thread.

#guardian #heipaoshi #guardianbingofest #cosplay #(ish) #fanARTifact #handmade #modified hanfu #this was my first time making anything other than a basic circle/half circle skirt and it was very fun and im very happy with the result #there are places i could for sure improve for next time (and there will be a next time - this is one of the comfiest things I've ever worn) #but for my first time drafting a pattern and sewing anything more complex than a circle skirt #i say this is a job very well done #also the hood was so scary but it was actually pretty simple to make!! it's also GIANT #i could for sure hide a big black cat in there no problem #i am also planning on making the rest of heipaoshi's outfit (belt and little hand guards and all!) #we're posting just the cloak bit and calling that square filled bc i won't have the rest finished before the end of January 😅 #but i keep getting intimidated by the closures on the yuanlingpao im making and then not sewing for months on end so. #jaysart

[useless19]

Do you think Bowser has hinted at marriage once in awhile randomly or do you think he's chilled out about rushing things finally. Sure he was pretty dead set on marrying the Princess not only from his own interests and political benefits but prehaps abandonment issues caused him to see marriage as mostly a way to insure himself they wont leave him since it a final say writen on papers? (divorce exist but if you got unspoken issues the smaller details are usually ignored)

Honestly I've always been fascinated by peoples take on Bowsers possible attachment or abandonment issues

He absolutely has.

"Or I could just lock you in the dungeon when it's time for you to go back," Bowser said. He laughed when Luigi started to protest. "I know, I know. No kidnapping. It was a joke." -Bowser, in the middle of planning Luigi's kidnapping.

I imagine a lot of the earlier proposals got passed off with a similar 'I'm joking' sort of thing. But because Luigi's still got fairly low self-esteem, he takes Bowser's word when he brushes off Luigi's bemusement with a 'I'm not being serious' or the like whenever Luigi comments on a pretty place and Bowser hints that it might be a good place to have a wedding.

Ultimately, Days!Bowser had a (at his best) distant dad, a mum who died when he was barely old enough to remember her but not young enough to have not remembered her at all, and some relatives who couldn't be around very often for their own safety. And then he only reinforced that by kidnapping people. So yes, he sort of thinks that marriage will make someone stick around (and it did during the main plot!).

(I considered going for a Bowser who lost both his parents at a terribly young age (playing into the fact that some of the Yoshi games refer to him as King Bowser, even though he's a pretty young kid), but a Bowser who has literally never been accountable to anyone is going to be different to the Bowser I was putting together for Day 7/9.)

Anyway, this means it comes as a shock the first time Bowser goes all out on a proposal. Luigi is not a fan of surprises or being the center of attention, and Bowser's not going to half-arse something as important as a proposal. It'll be loud, there'll be a crowd, and Luigi's going to have the frightful time of figuring out how to say 'no' without Bowser assuming that's the end of the relationship. (He doesn't do great).

Luigi escapes the resulting fiery chaos and retreats to his room. He feels awful and has some miserable thoughts on whether or not this relationship is viable if they keep having stuff like this happen. (It's not been that much that often, Luigi's just spiralling here). He gets ready for bed automatically, but doesn't get any sleep.

And trying to figure this out turned into just writing fic... It's first draft, but here you go.

Luigi yelped when his bedroom door slammed open. Bowser stomped in, only to stop short when he noticed Luigi.

"Knock, please," Luigi said.

"You haven't escaped yet?" Bowser said.

Luigi clutched the heavy book he'd been trying to use to send him off to sleep. "Do I have to escape?" he asked carefully.

"Not yet," Bowser said. He began to pace around Luigi's room.

Luigi put the book aside and laced his fingers together. It was hard to even know where to start. How were you supposed to tell your partner that you weren't ready for marriage when they so obviously were?

"I'm sorry I messed things up," Luigi said.

"You should be," Bowser snapped.

Luigi flinched. Bowser stopped pacing and took a deep breath.

"I'm furious," Bowser said on the out breath.

"I'm sorry, I -"

"You said you wouldn't leave without telling me why," Bowser said, looming over Luigi.

"Do you want me to leave?" Luigi asked.

"What? No!"

Luigi patted the bed next to him. Bowser huffed. Instead of sitting next to Luigi on the mattress as Luigi had intended, Bowser slumped to the floor and leant his head on his folded arms on the bed.

"I don't want to leave," Luigi said.

"Then why didn't you say yes?" Bowser asked, a note of hurt in his voice.

"Because I don't want to get married yet," Luigi said. "It's a lot to say yes to. It's a huge decision."

"Figures I managed to bag the one mushroom person afraid of commitment," Bowser grumbled. "What do you think a relationship is except a precursor to marriage?"

Luigi hadn't considered it like that. "I don't know. There's still a lot we haven't talked about with... us and everything it entails."

"The proposal can be a surprise but the engagement shouldn't be," Bowser said.

Luigi blinked in surprise. "Exactly. Where did you hear that?"

"Can't remember." Bowser shrugged, knocking Luigi off balance.

Luigi lifted his hand to put it on Bowser's arm then hesitated. Would his touch even be welcome right now? When he dropped his arm, he caught sight of Bowser's red eye watching him.

"Hate me so much you can't stand the thought of touching me?"

"No." Luigi braced himself. "Do you hate me?"

Bowser closed his eyes. "I asked you to marry me a few hours ago, what do you think?"

"I think a lot of people would hate someone for saying no."

Bowser huffed and reached out to pat Luigi's leg. If he wanted to hurt Luigi, it would have been so easy, but he didn't. Luigi reached forward and threaded his fingers through Bowser's coarse hair. Something he hadn't realised was tense relaxed as Bowser gave a rumble of contentment.

"Was it just a no?" Bowser asked. "Or was it a not now? Because it felt like the former, but you waffled a lot before you got there."

"That's it exactly," Luigi said, relieved beyond measure at finally getting the right words. "I don't want to get married now, but I might change my mind in the future."

The lateness of the hour hit Luigi and he was unable to stifle his yawn. It must have been gone midnight by now. Tomorrow was looking better than it had been, but too little sleep wouldn't help anyone.

"We should probably try to get some sleep," Luigi said, untangling his fingers from Bowser's hair with a pang of disappointment. "Would you stay with me, tonight?" he blurted out before he could wimp out of asking for what he wanted again.

"In here?" Bowser waved at Luigi's quite-big-for-Luigi-but-small-for-Bowser bed.

"If that's okay?"

Bowser crawled onto the bed. There really wasn't much room for Luigi, but he'd spent enough time in too-narrow or too-short beds on adventures that he could probably doze off. Bowser curled his hand around Luigi's body. Luigi put his hand over Bowser's finger.

Heavy, absurdly long breaths were becoming a welcome sound to drift off to. Luigi snuggle down, enjoying the extra warmth a fire-breathing Koopa added.

"How long will it take before you're ready?" Bowser asked in a tone that he'd probably meant to be casual but missed by miles.

How long did it usually take before people were comfortable taking the next step in a relationship like this? Luigi had known people with whirlwind engagements who would have had a kid already on the way at this point, and others who had been together more than five years before they even hinted at marriage.

And it didn't matter how other people did it, Luigi had to figure out what worked for Luigi.

"I don't know," Luigi said. He clutched Bowser's fingers. "If I try to pick a date, then I don't know if I'll be ready by then and the extra anxiety over whether or not I'll be ready by then will probably just make it take longer. And I don't think you'll do very well with a specific date to get your hopes up for."

Bowser grumbled unhappily, but didn't disagree. Luigi rubbed Bowser's claw with his thumb and was relieved when Bowser gave him a gentle squeeze in return.

"I can promise that when I'm ready, you'll be the second person to know," Luigi said.

"After Mario?" Bowser said, disgruntled.

"After me," said Luigi.

Bowser laughed sleepily.

#bowuigi #days #fanfic #ask #this got long #would've loved to work in Luigi making a comparison between his certainty that no one likes him with Bowser's certainty that everyone leave #but i couldn't figure out where to fit it in #(first draft problems) #(who knows that it would even make sense here)

[aimlesspoet]

okay but cringe culture needs to die because how are people supposed to become better writers if they're afraid of writing in the first place??

#yes this is about me #i am afraid of reading my first draft #might be a personal problem but still #writing #writers #poetry #fiction #literature #books #dark academia #chaotic academia #light academia #cringe #cringe culture

[testing-reblogs]

Hiiii I made a core picrew if u wanna check that out I think that would be super cool <3

#i spent way longer than i thought i would on this #turns out making your picrew lineless brings up a lot more problems than you'd think #i am open to suggestions on this btw!!! if u make anything with this i would love to see it if u want also : ) #the color palette may be a bit wack bc its my first time making something like this but!! it was fun!! #its been in my drafts for a few months and then suddenly motivation showed up at my door and i finished the rest of it in two days #thanks adhd very cool can you do this for my school work instead actually please (I'm literally procrastinating while writing this) #<- (its not happening) #portal #portal 2 #picrew #im gonna finally let myself make a self reblog sometime later #i should probably reblog this onto my reblog account maybe #can u tell i really want people to see it bc im very happy with the result :3!!!!!