i have lots of questions about writing lol i hope you don’t mind! — do you have a writing schedule? how long does it take you to write one work? ++ what’s your best writing advice? thank you !!
not gonna lie, I kinda looked at this for a second and was like am I a person to be giving advice 😅 but I’m also so touched that you even thought to ask and was reminded that we all learn from each other, and there is joy in sharing our little behind the scenes. so thank you for that reminder, and I don’t mind at all, I enjoy them! I tend to get a little wordy so I hope that’s okay 😬
I don’t have a writing schedule, but honestly, I think I should make one. when I first started posting I was dropping fics every three days-ish, but I did a lot less interacting and talking to people then. now that I’m a bit busier and have a couple more things to do (in a tumblr sense, I’m now an admin for another account, beginning to dabble in editing, and juggling a lot more requests) I think a schedule would be beneficial to just keep my activity steady—I went almost a month without posing a full length fic, and my wips have sort of been sitting there getting a couple of sentences added at a time. that’s a lot different than how I used to work, but I think it’s because I haven’t been taking into account the wider scope I’m engaging in.
theoretically if I’m working on one fic at a time, it takes me a couple hours to write, (shittily) proofread, and format it. my style is to usually get a whole idea out in one sitting, but I think in reality the whole process takes a couple days from ideation to completion (so that includes when I write the idea in my notes app, research any concepts I want to include, and daydream about it in my head). sometimes I’ll write that One Scene (you know what I mean) then leave it for a day to think of how to fit it in to a story! the longest I’ve taken to write an idea to a fic in one day was five hours for cannonball, but that was also two story ideas I combined into one so that doesn’t include the days I spent forming the storyline in my head. I suppose the division of ‘writing’ the fic and its ‘lifespan’ are two different things.
(my minis usually take less than an hour! those are more spontaneous, unplanned drabbles that have little to no plot which is definitely the biggest factor for their write time.)
gosh, best writing advice? again I look around to see who the ‘writer’ in question is lolol but truly, I think the best advice I ever got was to write for yourself, first and foremost. such as most of life, your own desire should be the biggest reason for putting the time and effort to bring an idea to life, and with that mindset, I think that’s how I’ve continued to enjoy a hobby I just randomly picked up in may and sort of just haven’t stopped.
I have a hard time saying ‘notes don’t matter’, because they do, and are highly encouraging, but the takeaway is that they’re not ultimately the goal. so long as you love and are proud of what you’ve created, that’s the most important thing.
so, write what you love, about what you love, and the process becomes less of ‘writing’ and more expression, if that makes any sense. I think the last thing you want is for it to feel like a chore.
all this to say, these conversations are another big part of why I love being on tumblr and sharing pieces of my brain on here. I really do appreciate the chance to talk about something that has really been a haven during this crazy time, even though I have yet to see myself as accomplished or anything. but from one practicing ‘writer’ to another — I wish all the enjoyment to you (and hope this was sufficient!)
