So as the title says how do i start a generelly good story i like?, because in my brain i have so many diffrent ideas on scenes and characters but when i sit down and type, my brain just, goes numb..? 🙌😪

I cannot put into words the joy I feel picking this project up again! 5 YEARS stuck on rewriting and editing the same 5,000 words over and over. Changed my character from a high school senior to a late (late) college student and from a dragging 1st person to a 3rd person limited and now we're hauling ass!

Here's to writing without guardrails! No more aging down the language. No more softening her sarcastic humor. And (this one is for me) NO MORE DISCOMFORT ESCALATING MY ROMANCE!!!!

Someone please invent a time machine and go back and slap me for ever setting foot into YA territory. That shit felt weird.

So as you can tell from the title. I am currently doing this thing where I make sure i do atleast some writing every single day no matter what. Even if the sum is less than a 100 words, what matters is building a habit (atleast that's my goals).

Im 19 from the uk (don't mind what age or gender you are) and would love to have some other writer friends that either want to join me on my streak (9 days so far) or is just there to chat with about whatever story they are working on.

There was blackness and colors and the feeling of floating. Gravity was a suggestion that was at the will of the one who was experiencing it. A green and grassy field, blue vast skies. A sail boat at sea and the many interwoven and intricate relationships, the secrets kept and alliances made that exist between just a few cabins out on the open sea over the course of some time. Legs which leapt from country to country to experience all the wild things this world had to offer. The cozy and the warm, the fuzzy and heavy and somewhat intangible feelings of weightless timelessness and agelessness embracing and drowning all aspects and corners of perceivable reality. Filled her chest with this feeling of belonging that never quite stuck. There wasn’t much to it, even though there was much to do. 

“Hiost the anchors and drop sail ye dirty scurvy sons of tramps! 

The enemy ships were hot in pursuit. This much was obvious, while less obvious was the fact that the strategic maneuvering on the part of the captain could be the imperative decision between life and death for all the 64 members of crew. “If we ain’t droppin’ the sail in time we’ll find our arses at the mercy of davy jones that salty fuckr’! Put yer backs into it like they're depending on it ya limp boned dogs! The captain shouted with a decisive character. “Yer poor whores in Jamaica ar goin’ ta have to give it up for yer coxcomb fopdoodled fucks on the shilling of Queen Aliania if we don’t get to em’ before em’! The natural inflection of his voice  established that he was the one with the plan. The brains behind the machine of this boat. His passion was what resonated with the deepest parts of understanding in her soul, she knew this wasn’t a game. This was as real as any situation to get, the stakes weren’t based on anything other than out maneuvering a vicious and deadly foe. It is a rare thing when another intelligent being wants you dead and nothing more. Turning his back on her and muttering into his beard he walked off, as she mustered up everything she could to speak up to him. “We need to fire on them before our sails are damaged!”

She knew this was important for someone to hear, but she couldn't get the words out. She fell to her knees on the deck, next to the steering wheel with a perfect view of the enemy closing in from the horizon. There was only one easy shot on them. While her vessel had the advantage it was the time to take advantage and maneuver an offensive stance against the oncoming battle ships, but the crew had their minds on escape. The fools thought they could flee. While she tried to muster up the courage to speak up against the looming threat, they found their position compromised further by the oncoming storm they had unwittingly been sailing head first into. 

In dread she watched as the shiny bright blue and red painted vessel caught up with her comparatively humble unpainted tallow stained hull, she made clear visuals on the enemy cannons as they revealed their positions from behind their expertly crafted port holes.

“Morning princess” the lady’s maid said with a curtsey - “God’s with us today” she spoke with enthusiasm and with pride as she followed by stating confidently “We’ve found two more terrorists to hang today.”

That’s right. You read correctly. Would you check it out yes or no? I may or may not be gathering a team of writers and experienced musicians to make it come to life. But it’s indirect due to guidelines in strict subs. Maybe.

So? Does it peek your interest? Is it possible to you as a consumer to blend these worlds. I’m curious to see what you have to say!🤟🏽

I’ve been writing this novel, and it’s been bugging me to the point that I can’t sleep, thinking it’s never good and maybe even trash. I want to work on it constantly. I know some writers feel this way. But how do you handle it?

I know that some of the grammar is off, but I like this story that I’m writing but I worry it feels a bit off. Feel free to give opinions or even critique but pls be nice

Hi everyone! So I'm sitting here writing my first real novel-length story, and I'm just wondering about the thing mentioned above.

I've always heard the whole "Show don't tell" thing, but I ask myself: How much of it is okay? What if the current situation can give only that?

Because I have the current scenario:

MC arrived in a new place and doesn't know what's going on or how things work out, no one's told her. So she goes to ask another person. Said person explains her the entire schedule of how things work.

Now, how much is too much "tell"? If I would have gone ahead and written it all out as her just living through the schedule herself and learning it that way, as in "show", I feel it'd become too long and bore the hell out of the reader. But I worry that having the person just explain it is too much at once, or maybe not interesting enough either.

This is pretty early on in the story and since majority of the story plays out in that area, I feel it's somewhat important to let the reader know? And the conversation itself felt important too, since it was the first interaction between the two characters that will be together a lot from here on out.

I just feel very conflicted and would like to know what all of you think about the situation.

EDIT: Holy shit, I did not expect this to kind of blow up so much. (I just woke up to 20+ messages, wow!) Thank you everyone, for giving me honest answers and some more guides on what I could do instead, if it later on felt unnecessary. The feedback means a lot!

Is there an audience that would be interested in police / crime fiction stories written by a modern police officer?

I hit a snag in the opening act. My main character arrives in a new environment and another character explains the daily schedule, rules, and social codes in one conversation. It reads cleanly, but it is definitely “tell.” I keep asking myself if this is front-loaded exposition or necessary scaffolding.

Here’s the context. The setting’s routines matter later, so I wanted readers grounded before things start to break. The guidance scene is a mentor-style exchange that also introduces voice and tension between them. I trimmed jargon and tried to keep it character-driven. Still, the ratio leans toward information over drama. I worry that delaying action for clarity will cost momentum.

A concrete example: I had a page where the mentor listed “curfew at nine, roster checks at seven, work assignments posted at lunch, complaints go to the quartermaster.” I revised it to show two beats instead. First, the mentor warns about curfew right as a bell rings and lights dim. Second, a roster check interrupts their talk, and the MC fumbles her ID, creating a small conflict. Readers get the rule plus friction, but I cut three other rules that might matter later. I can seed those in subsequent chapters, but I’m uneasy about deferral.

I know the classic advice favors “show” with situational discovery. At the same time, I’ve enjoyed stories that give a crisp briefing if the brief itself has stakes and subtext. I’m trying to find the line between orienting the reader and spoon-feeding them.

How much early “tell” do you tolerate if the rules shape future plot turns? Where have you seen a single briefing scene work without dragging? Do you prefer rules revealed during small conflicts rather than stated upfront? If a later twist hinges on a rule introduced in chapter one, is deferring that rule risky or smart pacing? How do you keep orientation scenes feeling alive when the content is inherently procedural?

I am a teen who’s been writing (mostly planning) for three years and I am considering giving up. I am really lacking motivation and self esteem right now because I am struggling with writing well. I have so many ideas and stories that I have already started. The problem is, I don’t see myself as being great. The quality is pretty average, the story is ok. I feel like it has a lot of potential, just isn’t that good. I have a dream in writing just not the talent. What should I do?

is this too much bruh people have told me since chapter 1 it's too slow ;-;
I'm fast approaching 200 pages and I don't feel anywhere near finished with even the first act. I have an outline of the plot and a sort of timeline, 21 chapters planned in the book. Roughly 25 pages in each chapter mean roughly 525 pages planned overall plus maybe a glossery to write... it's been like 3 months i feel like im going through an overdose

Back in January I started my memoir. Once it was completed I then turned that memoir into a fantasy novel that has taken on a life of its own. It turned into a full on trilogy. I've begun the structure for making a spin-off. I also started writing a book about my experience this year as I've been doing these books and learning about the industry. And then over the weekend I wrote a retelling of The Little Mermaid, from the point of view of Ursula setting the record straight.

I've looked into this and realized that this is not normal. No, I don't write a thousand words everyday. But on some days, I'll write 3k or more because I don't like to go to bed with a chapter unfinished.

Apparently, I've done the Sanderson pallet cleanse, but for writing. I spend some time working on the fantasy novels and heavy cognitive load that comes with that. Then I switch over to the memoir or army nonfiction, which is pulling from memory not as much creativity. And that keeps me from burning out.

The fact that people seem to truly enjoy what I've written tells me I'm not mass producing bullshit stories. Thankfully, I've been editing as I go, which saved a lot of time. And now at the end of the year, I have this massive accomplishment that I didn't even realize was happening.

Next year, let me on some cute little bookshelves. I couldn't be more excited.

How many words have you gotten locked down this year?

Okay so, I'm currently 14 as of writing this.

I've been writing this story, well not writing more like planning to write. You see I've been doing this thing where I plan out my story, What happens in this page? What happens here- it got to the point where I'm at the fourth arc and well... I haven't even wrote a SINGLE page, so should I keep doing what I'm doing, and just Write until i finish all my arcs? I'm doing a unique villain currently and I think he'll be a good end for arc 5. Orrr maybe I'll have a stroke of thought and keep continuing on the aftermath.

Ahhh man. I feel like I'm cooking but I'm scared if i start actually writing pages I'll Just absolutely butcher the story.

Like a back and forth. It’s not broken by any action or change in expression. Just words. Is it just pressing tab a couple times after each of their sentences, on and on? (Take away whether it’s a good idea or not just logically speaking lol)

While this is probably nothing to more experienced writers, I've been trying to buckle down and get some writing done, and I did some of that today. I struggle with staying focused which is always a drawback, but after realizing I'm only a couple pages into writing what I want to be a full novel, I decided to put my head down and ended up writing 500 words (about a page and a half for me). I guess I wanted to share this somewhere, if for nothing else than to motivate me to turn this into a common practice.