I want to get better at writing dialogue.

Here are some things I've been doing:

• Reading the conversations out loud to hear if they sound natural
• Replacing dialogue tags with action beats
• Cutting greetings and small talk
• Trying to give each character a distinct voice (find this hard though!)

What other tips do you have for writing dialogue? And what are some ways in which you ensure each character has a distinct voice?

So, there I am, editing my latest work and responding to some early feedbacks and I notice an interesting trend emerging. People asking when a follow-up is expected. I can only presume that they enjoyed what they read enough to entertain the idea that reading more from this world I crafted would be right up their alley.

Okay. I should be thrilled about this, right?

But I'm not.

When I sat down to write this tale, I did so knowing full well before even the first word was written that it'll be a one-off. A standalone. No plans for a prequel, or a follow-up, or a spin-off.

That has me wondering openly what others out there think of such a choice from an author?

How would you feel as a reader if you knew that the book you just read (and enjoyed thoroughly) isn't getting any future installments of any type? That what you read is all you'll ever see and know of the world and the characters it contained? Understanding that the only way you'll get to pal around with them again is to re-read the one and only book you have that they're featured in?

Would it upset you? Anger you? Or would you be very meh about it and not care one way or the other since you did enjoy what was provided at least? Perhaps longing for future works, but resigned to the idea it's not happening?

It was enough to prompt me to put out feelers from a reader/writer audience to gauge friction or possible friction.

I'm content to stick to my guns and I've made that clear to those whom I've interacted with about it. That this one book about this one world and these characters will be all that gets written about any of it. I appreciate that if I tried to add a future installment, there wouldn't be any of my heart in it, and I'd only (more than likely) end up doing it for the money and not the feeling it gave me to write it in the first place.

Sort of like writing a sequel to the movie Ghost, Inception, or even Office Space.

Sometimes things are most treasured and beloved because they DON'T have additional entries. They function just fine as standalones and that's part of their magic. Nothing came after or before.

As writers (and readers), where do you stand on an author making it clear that the work is a standalone and will exist as its own thing, never to receive any additional attention?

As I writer, I love writing prologues. But whenever I go on Booktok, there's these comments hating on prologues with such horrific takes on them.

"It's like a DVD feature so it's skipable"

"It's nothing but author yap"

What is your opinion on Prologues? Is this something worth going through if it's only going to bring more hate?

Are prologues actually that bad? (not something I can just search up)

Since reading is fundamental to writing, I wanted to ask:

What's the longest you've ever been stuck reading a single page of a book?

I'm currently reading Blood Meridian, and if you've read it, you'll know it can be a little complicated. The other day I was stuck for almost 10 minutes trying to fully understand what was being said.

After all for being a good writer one need to be a good reader to really see how something can be written. So I put an effort on really understanding the prose of the book I'm currently reading

Sometimes I attribute it to a possible level of dyslexia or ADHD, but it can be hard sometimes to really grasp what's written.

I also write. I've published scientific articles and have written some novellas, so I understand what it's like to write something. But it makes me wonder whether writers such as Joyce, whom I've read as well, or Cormac McCarthy or David Foster Wallace, intended to make their books difficult to read.

I previously wrote a post that got quite popular, despite one of my points being controversial: https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/s/7Hr9t5Dp9J . Someone recently pointed out that I could give some more tips for even more beginner writers, especially for those infamous fanfic-level writers to quickly improve. So here it is:

1. Appropriate paragraph length. Your paragraph length is one of the biggest factor in making or breaking your flow. A paragraph should be a self-contained idea. Generally speaking, if the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the subject changes, it should be in a new paragraph. This is especially crucial in dialogues where every change in the speaker should be in a new paragraph. Sometimes it can be shorter, sometimes it can be longer, but try to get around 3-5 sentences per paragraph during action scenes or descriptions. Maybe it's because of the increasing number of phone readers, but paragraph length seems to be shrinking nowadays, for better or worse.
2. First person is much harder than it seems. Writing in first person forces you to act as the character, so you have to embody him/her really well. It is completely different from writing a diary where you just vomit your thoughts into writing, but rather think of it as the character telling the story. The narration should sound like the character's voice, while still following the basic conventions of writing.
3. Copy your favourite authors. Pick up your favourite book, choose a couple of paragraphs, and rewrite it with your own characters and settings while keeping the original sentence/paragraph structure, lexicon, and overall vibe. See what makes your favourite author's writing works.
4. Unless it's a character speaking, e.g. dialogue or first person narration, minimize the use of contractions. A lot of people will come to me with pitchforks here, but contractions generally make your writing sound too casual, and not in a good way. Compare these two lines: "For now he is finally home, but he stood there alone" and "For now he's finally home, but he stood there alone." It's subtle, but the former has more gravitas to it. Use contractions deliberately instead of as a crutch.
5. When using metaphors, make sure that there's a theme to it. For example if you compared a machine to a monster, stick with it and build on it. Make sure that it growls and chews and threatens. Don't just toss a metaphor out of nowhere and do nothing with it. This is not limited to metaphors but also to most figurative language like similes and personification.

Hope this helps!

Very mild spoilers for The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay:

"Sabrina carries the kitchen trash bin to the middle of the floor. She wipes her hands on her jeans as though her hands have already handled the towels and are covered in blood. She bends and lifts the sludgy-blood soaked towels, and drops them heavily into the bin and two black flies spin into the air like whorls of smoke."

I've been reading the Cabin at the End of the World lately and I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It has also won several awards and been a huge commercial success, so it's basically impossible for me to attack the book on its quality in good faith.

The above excerpt is the first paragraph I've read today, right after picking up the book. I must say, it pushed me right back out of the scene. The repetitive sentence structure, the back-to-back reuse of several words (hands, towels, ...), the "TV script" feel... This is the kind of things I am extremely critical of in my own writing, and these are the kind of paragraphs I spend hours agonizing over. But at the end of the day, Paul Tremblay is a successful published author and I'm an insecure self-criticizing dumbass who struggles to write a few pages in a month.

So, what do you all think? What is your threshold for saying "yep, this is good enough, I gotta move on now"? Do the things I mentioned also jump out at you, or do you find it completely okay? My own dreadfully slow progress has me overthinking and second-guessing everything I read and write, and I don't think I like that haha. I could use some perspective from you all.

I’m working on four fantasy books, some of which I’ve been writing for more than 15 years. I’ve never finished any of them because I always end up overwhelmed by endless possibilities and plot holes.
Recently, though, I finished a nonfiction book in just two years. It had a topic with a clear structure, so I could simply work through it step by step using a to-do list. It’s being published this Friday.
Now I’m wondering whether I need more structure when writing fiction. I always thought I was a pantser, but I’m not so sure anymore.
What are your experiences with this? Has anyone else realized they needed more planning than they thought? And do you have any recommendations for outlining methods that work well for people with a rather chaotic approach to building stories?

I’ve fully polished my manuscript & drafted a query letter. Now I’m trying to find an agent, but I haven’t had much luck yet. My current approach for is as follows:

• Find potential candidates in the acknowledgment pages of comp titles
• QueryTracker to build and manage my shortlist
• MSWL for wishlists

For those of you who signed with an agent recently:

• How many queries did you send before the offer?
• Was anything besides cold querying effective for you?
• How long did the whole process take?

Thank you!

Seems like a lot of writers (like me) have trouble boling down their manuscript into a professional synopsis.

Do you guys approach it with an actual repeatable process, or just wrestle it into shape every time. Do you anchor it to your plot structure? Summarize chapter by chapter? Freewrite an ugly version and carve it down?

Also: where do you find examples to learn from? Which synopses do you look up to and try to emulate? Real published-book synopses are weirdly hard to find in the wild, so I'm curious what people actually use as a north star.

**Welcome to our daily discussion thread!**

Weekly schedule:

Monday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

**Tuesday: Brainstorming**

Wednesday: General Discussion

Thursday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Friday: Brainstorming

Saturday: First Page Feedback

Sunday: Writing Tools, Software, and Hardware

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Stuck on a plot point? Need advice about a character? Not sure what to do next? Just want to chat with someone about your project? This thread is for brainstorming and project development.

You may also use this thread for regular general discussion and sharing!

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I am so close to finishing my manuscript, and I have a set of sequences and things which have to happen in order for me to finish, but I CANNOT figure out how! I don't know if it's just obsessing over it being perfect or if its just overwhelm, but even though I have only around 8-10,000 words left to write, I just don't know how to end this thing. I take it this is a rarer issue to have as most people struggle on where to begin or how to not give up midway through, but I am struggling to figure out how to end it perfectly, even though I have written the final chapter.

Weird question maybe, but...

I have a sci-fi setting in mind, with some fantasy elements. Such as vampires. Here they are a breeding species, a mutant offshoot of humanity, who live openly in society and have strict internal rules about how to get their blood fix, for the sake of not drawing mankind's general ire.

That was an extremely abridged version of the worldbuilding binge I went on after getting this idea. The story I actually want to tell is about a particular vampire who uses her powers to be a bounty hunter in the shady underbelly of her resident sci-fi metropolis. There really is nothing deep behind this; I just got the idea to have a vampire do badass things in a Blade Runner-esque environment.

I'm wondering if I need to hold back until I've figured out a way to make her status as a vampire truly important to the plot or something, aside from granting her powers and a restrictive diet.

**Welcome to our daily discussion thread!**

Weekly schedule:

**Monday: Writer’s Block and Motivation**

Tuesday: Brainstorming

Wednesday: General Discussion

Thursday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Friday: Brainstorming

Saturday: First Page Feedback

Sunday: Writing Tools, Software, and Hardware

---

Can't write anything? Start by writing a post about how you can't write anything! This thread is for advice, tips, tricks, and general commiseration when the muse seems to have deserted you. Please also feel free to use this thread as a general check in and let us know how you're doing with your project.

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FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

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There have been many times when I've written my stories, felt like I was making great progress, only to then find a problem with the premise or plot. Such as realizing a certain power would better fit another character, the beginning chapter should be improved, or the dynamic between two characters should be modified.

Every time, this has led me to heavily edit various chapters or redo everything. Each time, I feel some part of me die inside because I feel like I just wasted my time and should've written the newest version from the get-go.

But whenever I return to these previous versions, I realize how much better the newest version is. Or I realize that I wouldn't have discovered the newest version without making some mistakes at first.

It's for this reason that I recommend you to not fear redoing everything. If you feel like your plot doesn't work, need to change your main character, or heavily edit your world, do it! There is a very good chance that it'll be the right choice, a necessary choice even to make sure your story goes from a 6/10 to a 7/10.

Of course, there are times when redoing can go to extremes. You shouldn't just scrap your entire story just because one tiny piece of your story is imperfect. Or you shouldn't just jump onto any new story idea that appears to be more flashy than your current story. Every new story idea will appear more flashy than your current story. But that doesn't mean it'll be better.

I had a long discussion about theme with a friend recently, and we (perhaps embarassingly) realized that neither of us could define it cleanly.

I landed on: theme is the question a story keeps asking, not the answer it gives. If the subject of a book is "war", the theme is whatever point the book is making about war.

But plenty of craft books define theme as the story's central statement, or the answer to the question it's asking. So which is it?

Can a book have a theme the author never intended? Does authorial intent matter here?? Thank you!

I have fully written a book and now I am at the process of proofreading it. I made grammar corrections and prose corrections at the first few chapters then due to vacation, I had to postpone it for a while. I am getting back to proofreading as of now but I want to know if any of you have some advice on what else should I do while I proofread. Should I plan another novel when I get tired of fixing issues? Should I just try to nail down every issue there is? What is your recommendation?

Hi all, I’m meditating on a particular issue I have with hearing critique (or praise?) and wanted to see if anyone relates.

Overall, I love criticism if it comes at a point where I am braced and prepared to receive it. I see it as integral to the writing process in small doses, and I love hearing from those close to me how they perceive my writing, especially when I get a little snow-blind in how I see my own work. Hearing negative criticism and different perspectives is so helpful to me.

So, here and there, I’ll have my partner or a member of my family read a paragraph or two to see how they react to it.

A problem that I’ve always had is when someone says (in a positive way) “oh this is just like _______” or “This feels like _______” in relation to another work. Like for example, I recently wrote out the beginning of a short story that I shared with my sister. It was just a premise that I had had a dream about, and it’s something that I felt like I COULD expand it into a bigger piece but was a little on the fence overall.

The feedback I got from her was very positive! Which should have motivated me, I think. But she immediately said “Oh I really like this! It sounds like something that would be a statement from The Magnus Archives”

(if you aren’t familiar, The Magnus Archives is a horror podcast. I like it quite a bit)

Even though the critique was positive, I instantly lost all interest in continuing the story. I LOVE negative feedback, because I feel like it’s useful, and I’m proud of positive feedback when I get it…. but something about direct comparisons makes me feel like a failure as a writer. Like I think if I were writing fantasy and someone went “oh like Game of Thrones” I would just want to scrap the whole thing.

I recognize that all works take inspiration from others and don’t feel any shame about that! I am okay with myself saying “oh this is like ______”, but someone else saying it as a positive critique makes me feel like a hack.

does anyone else relate to this insecurity or have any advice to overcome it?

We're meant to be wordsmiths. Meant to guide the reader on a journey that is satisfying in as many ways as possible, correct?

So, under this premise I'm wondering how far are you willing to go when it comes to an emotional scene?

Do you go to the level of UP's prologue? Or Where the Red Fern Grows? Do you aim to reduce the reader to a blubbering mess of tears? Or is that going too far?

I understand that if an emotional scene reads flat and boring, that's a major failure. But I would think so is going the other direction.

It reminds me of all the times something tries to be emotionally heavy, and it turns into comedy. Mocked for it's melodrama.

So, how far do you go, and why?

\*\*Welcome to our daily discussion thread!\*\*

Weekly schedule:

Monday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Tuesday: Brainstorming

Wednesday: General Discussion

Thursday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Friday: Brainstorming

Saturday: First Page Feedback

\*\*Sunday: Writing Tools, Software, and Hardware\*\*

\---

Today's thread is for all questions and discussion related to writing hardware and software! What tools do you use? Are there any apps that you use for writing or tracking your writing? Do you have particular software you recommend? Questions about setting up blogs and websites are also welcome!

You may also use this thread for regular general discussion and sharing!

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You can find our posting guidelines in the sidebar or the [wiki.](https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/wiki/rules)

For example, my story has protagonists that are 12-14 years old, but it’s definitely a book for adults due to its violent, graphic and emotional content. Would publishers even want this? Would an audience even want this?

I know that for YA novels, publishers look for a young adult protagonist range of 16-18, but I wonder if this has ever been broken before by having the age of protagonists not match the intended target audience.

I'm currently working on my YA novel, which I hope to query to agents someday when it's complete. However, my MC is only 14, which I've recently learned may not 'fit' very well into the YA genre, especially when talking about possibly publishing. The line for YA, however, seems rather blurry. I've seen some say 13 to 19 is fine, whereas others say it should really be older than 16, and anything younger is more Middle Grade.

My novel mainly deals with things like grief and regret - it might be less like a "coming of age" story and more of a "coming to terms with the past" story (unless the latter falls into the category of the former, of course, lol), since my MC doesn't really deal with "typical" young people problems. If anything, it's possible my younger MC it might appeal more broadly to the more typical/expected YA audience because it's topics might feel more relatable/ageless.

I suppose I'll reiterate what I asked in the state: just how young is too young in YA? Is it 13? 14? 15? I'm curious to see what everyone's thoughts are.

Pirateaba who writes the Wandering Inn (one of the most famous fantasy webnovels) has said they used to write two 20,000–30,000-word chapters per week. That is roughly 40,000–60,000 words every week, and even after reducing their schedule, they still release around 30,000 words weekly. That’s minimum 4,000 words a day of supposedly peak fiction (I haven’t read it but most people say it’s that good). 8,000 words a day in her earlier years. For a decade straight. Even Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson aren’t at that level of speed.

The Wandering Inn itself has over 16 MILLION words. For reference LOTR is less than 500k words.

How is that level of output even possible while maintaining a coherent story? Is it mostly years of practice, writing full-time, limited editing, or having a specific writing process?

I’m a beginner, and I already find it difficult to consistently produce just 1,000–2,000 words per day.

Does anyone know about her workflow?

I have just finished my first novel. It is 118,000 words. It’s basically a coming-of-age story about a thoughtful young woman and her summer crewing on a boat. Think perhaps of Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. I have beta readers.

I wrote this book in a relatively short time. It took about two months. I wrote every day for about five hours. I interviewed my characters when I didn’t know where the story was going and they told me all about themselves. It was as if the words dripped from my pen at times.

I belong to a small writing group at our local senior center. The teacher has told me the next step would be a developmental editor. Is this necessary? I will have my daughter who teaches writing within the California university system read this for me as well. How essential is a developmental editor? Any thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

PS: let me add that I was in a profession for 40 years where I wrote daily. Not fiction but definitely wrote daily. Thanks in advance again.