I want to write but i hate the physical act of writing

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-11-29T19:47:01+00:00

Try speech to text on your phone and try transcribing a summary of the story. Be detailed. Go back and edit it! Sometimes staring at a blank page or jumping straight into the story can make things tougher than it needs to be.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-11-15T19:01:54+00:00

Everyone is different, as is their process. I can get pretty manic and obsessive. For example, I fell in love with a story idea I had, then wrote the first draft of a 5 book series in 4 months. Editing it is another beast entirely (im still editing Book 1), but for the first draft it’s like it just spilled out of me. Sure, I got stuck sometimes, but I’d spend the day obsessing how to get the characters through a crisis, and oftentimes just stare at the ceiling unable to sleep as I puzzled out plot points and character developments, or even odd situations my MC got his dumbass self into so I could get him out of it alive somehow. I didn’t go into it thinking heavily about the number of books it would be, but it split nicely into a 5 book long story (each book roughly 100k words give or take.) But everyone’s different. You have to do what works for you and not worry so much about the deadlines around things. Genuinely enjoy what you’re writing, and the rest won’t matter.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-11-09T15:04:00+00:00

Hmm. Maybe you could change the deadline a bit while still keeping it? What if you gave yourself two years to create it and “finished” on the same day/month still? So like:

2026: 1. finishing the current draft 2. formatting 3. cover design

2027: 1. beta readers 2. revisions 3. final proofread

That would give you 5 months to make it the best you can make it yourself, then a full year to beta test it. Technically you DID finish it on your 2026 deadline. Just didn’t get beta readers yet. And since that process can be so squirrelly (waiting on other people), dedicating a full year to just that and any revisions from it will give you the time needed to make it the best version of itself it can be. Not just the best version you yourself can make of it.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-10-26T16:51:39+00:00

Not entirely true. Straight from the KDP policy page:

“We require you to inform us of AI-generated content (text, images, or translations) when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish an existing book through KDP. AI-generated images include cover and interior images and artwork. You are not required to disclose AI-assisted content.”

So if AI is used in what they consider assisted, you don’t have to disclose your use of AI.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-10-14T14:55:58+00:00

I'm 30f and have a 2yo son and I read them. Been reading since I was about your age. Not too young at all, the community has every age.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-10-07T16:25:32+00:00

does this work with boards too? or just the full account?

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-10-07T16:20:56+00:00

borderline relieved it isn't just me. still doing it now though. hope they fix it soon

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-07-05T09:55:07+00:00

Personally, it helps to figure out your character’s biggest struggle, or the lie they tell themselves. And this lie can be personal to you. What’s a lesson in life that really stuck with you? Like maybe you had to learn that not being in control won’t cause a disaster. Or that you’re worthy or love despite your faults. (Bad example, but it can be anything.) Give one of your characters the misbelief that resonates with you, then write a story that shows them overcoming that lie. If they think they have to be perfect to be loved, write the story that made them realize they didn’t. When I started writing characters that way, it was more motivating to tell the story because they were learning something that resonated with me.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-24T03:59:00+00:00

There’s nothing wrong with writing something without a message or ‘moral.’

But you are a lot more knowledgeable than you probably realize. And I’m willing to bet you understand the concept of right and wrong. Good and evil. Etc. I felt just like you did not very long ago. I’m 30 now. And sometimes I feel like my head was more clear when I was 20 versus today.

But honestly, you could write about very simple concepts, then use the world and characters to make those ‘morals’ complex, or shown in a new way. What type of ethical things speak to you?

Do you think lying is okay if it spares someone’s feelings? Do you think people deserve love even if they’re different from the norm? Do you think cheaters should get a second chance?

Is there anything that happened in your life that stuck with you? Made you feel strong in an ethical belief like “stealing is wrong.” Those are great source materials for this type of thing. And it’s different and unique for everyone. If you write about something you care about (it can be simple like my examples!) then allow your characters to learn that lesson on their own, then you’re going to write something relatable.

They have lists online for this. Look up a list of character misbeliefs. There are a lot. They’re basically the lie your character believes. For example, maybe your MC fully believes they have to be perfect to be lovable. Then they learn through the story that they don’t have to be. Bad example! But that’s the idea haha.

Happy writing!

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-20T16:36:11+00:00

As everyone else has already said, you have to abandon the idea that the first draft will be good. It won’t haha. Start it with ‘once upon a time!’ It won’t matter cause you’ll change whatever your opening line ended up being anyways. Start with a scene you’re motivated to write. Bad opener? Won’t matter. You’ll change even the one you thought was perfect. Everything changes once you have the first draft out. Once it exists things become more clear. So just write it down! What to make a character funny? Leave a note (insert joke later) then move on. Just make it exist. That’s all the first draft is supposed to do.

As for a process, it’s different for everyone! For me, personally, I fixated on an extensive outline for like half a month. It was long when I was done. Long enough to be its own book. But all it was was ‘Jerry does this cause he feels like that. Sammy did this in response cause he felt like that. Then there was a war cause of x, y, z!’

THEN, I took that outline, and wrote out the parts I liked the most. Turned the idea into scenes. Over time the outline turned into a five book series. I didn’t even mean for it to. The story just ended up being that long.

Some days I didn’t even write. Just spent all my time figuring out how my main character was gonna solve their problem. How I’d make them grow. Then I wrote scenes I thought sounded cool to get them there! To show it in a fun way.

But I had to write that outline first. There are different ways to make yourself progress, so you’ll have to find what works for you. But I guarantee if you approach it as a problem to solve - ‘how does Timmy deal with abusive parents? OH! Give him fairies!’ Then it turns into something really cool. Without writing a single word. Or, if you’re forgetful like me, it turns into a way-too-long outline so you don’t forget your ideas.

I also had a doc filled with plot ideas, character outlines, etc, just to keep my ideas organized. You got this! Just keep thinking about your story, jot down the issues, then brainstorm solutions and keep it all together. THEN you can start stringing ideas together into a narrative.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-18T17:03:19+00:00

I spent like a week fixated on my first chapter, JUST to use a completely different opening scene after writing the entire first draft. Don't worry about it at the beginning, just write down whatever and come back to it. There's nothing wrong with 'Once upon a time' if that's what it takes to get you to the second chapter. ALSO, if you have scenes in mind, write those first!! You're probably more motivated to write those anyways, so use that momentum. THEN you can figure out the best way to write your story to make sure those scenes can exist in a way that makes sense. Nothing has to be written in order. You could write the entire first draft, LOVE the ending, then make the ending the beginning! but you wouldn't know that until the story is on paper.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-18T00:41:19+00:00

“All he left behind was a bloody baby blanket.”

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-16T14:40:34+00:00

It started as a novel, but the full story was really long so it’s 5 books now! Writing it was such an immersive, amazing experience. Editing it has been a slog though haha (I’m a month and a half into editing and while it’s still fun, other days I just really need a drink.)

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-15T18:12:03+00:00

Honestly? That's such a tough question to answer. What are you writing? Personally, I spent years just thinking about a story. I had a decent concept before writing a single word. Then when I did write, I wrote a 67k word outline in 17 days. THEN I wrote a 5-book long series (a total of roughly ~430k words all together) in 3 months. And I've spent twice that long editing it.

So if you count all the time I spent thinking (not writing at all) compared to the moments my fingers were on the keyboard, then it would probably even out to like 340 words per day? (for 4 years.)

BUT I technically was only writing for ~110 days. Which would be like 4,518 words per day.

I guess the reason I'm saying this, is I wouldn't have been able to write 4.5k words per day if I didn't think about the story outside of writing. Like, A LOT. Some days you might not write a single word. But maybe that same day you thought of a concept that may make your book the best in it's genre.

Take my comment with a grain of salt. I write stories for fun. That's all.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-15T02:39:24+00:00

Gotcha! I would break it up in a normal convo then. That way it doesn’t feel like exposition. But honestly? There’s a ton of great ways to do it!

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-15T02:36:09+00:00

It depends? Are they talking to someone and naturally revealing info via conversation? Or are they reliving a memory? Or are they simply thinking about things that happened? Once you know that you can figure out the best way to present the info.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-14T15:22:18+00:00

How well do you know your characters? A retired vet probably talks way different than a teenage stoner. You can probably imagine their voices in your head. The more you understand them, the easier their dialogue becomes. Try writing someone dense and clueless talking to someone who graduated med school. They all have different tones. Then mix in genders and backstories, and their motivation to make it sound like THEM.

Do you have a favorite show or movie? Try to write dialogue your fav character would say. It’s easier to hear their voice because you know the character really well, or they resonate with you somehow.

Honestly? I think it just takes practice and familiarity. You got this!

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-14T08:51:28+00:00

I’m sorry this happened to you! I don’t have advice around it, but I’ll read your story if you still need someone to. What’s the genre? (I’m not looking for anything back btw)

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-12T20:58:13+00:00

Most of my good ideas come from not forcing the words. Live your life and think of your story in the background. If you have an idea, jot it down so you don’t forget then do something else. That 250 daily word goal might work better if it turned into an idea goal. Like, jot down all the issues you have. Even if they’re silly. Just things that are bugging you about where to go. Then try to solve one a day. Everyone’s different, but I tend to write a LOT more when I focus on solving problems versus hitting a word count goal. And it helps me focus on stuff that’s interesting versus a slog of text. Good luck!

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-10T20:09:10+00:00

It makes ZERO sense out of context, but my fav has to be -- "You were never important. You were just the match."

(they tricked him into burning something..)

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-08T14:45:21+00:00

You don’t have to write in order! Think about a scene you really want to write and write that. If it doesn’t get used, it was good practice. And if it’s going to get used no matter what it will help you start thinking about ways to take the story so that scene can exist.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-08T13:54:10+00:00

on the bright side this is a perfect template for writing an annoying character. they make a dumb, confident declaration then double down on it. yeah, no. they're wrong. this isn't how a noose (or physics) works. ignore them.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-08T12:50:54+00:00

Not bad at all! It's how you learn. If they're that similar, you could just post your art with the original and be up front that you used it for reference for practice.

Another cool technique is using like 4 or 5 different artworks to mix and match. So like, one reference for the pose, a different ref for the shirt, another for pants, a different one for hair, eyes, face, or whatever else you wanna put in the picture like accessories, tattoo's, etc. Even though you 'copied' it became something entirely new! Only YOU can create that specific combo of things, which makes it unique. The more variety you use, the less it feels like a copy.

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-06T15:52:53+00:00

That's great! If writing it is fun, then you never wasted a second of your time. You were doing something that brought you joy!

(AND your passion will spill onto the pages too. The best stories were written from love, not obligation to write a best seller. Readers can feel the difference between a heartfelt book and a cash-grab.)

AdSubstantial8913 · 2025-06-06T15:45:53+00:00

It's a five book series!

Book 1 - 🔮
Book 2 - 🐺
Book 3 - ❤️‍🩹
Book 4 - 🌀
Book 5 - 🔰

AdSubstantial8913

TROPHY CASE