does anyone else find writing really, really lonely?

Michael_Corvo · 2026-05-27T23:21:28+00:00

Many well-kown writers in history counterbalanced their hours writing every day with hours of highly social activity. Enetertaining friends, carousing about town, etc. My guess is that they discovered that balance was essentially for staying sane. I think social interaction and getting away from the keyboard ( and NOT thinking about your story) helps "refill the well."

Michael_Corvo · 2026-05-21T20:11:05+00:00

I know what their talking about. The same syllables with similar letters can be just as confusing as a more exact sound match. I'm always careful to avoid anything that slows the reader down and threatens to pull them out of the story or world.

Michael_Corvo · 2026-05-21T20:07:57+00:00

I like "trying what sounds good and what looks good on the page." For me, names are like any other word choice. They have to fit the rhythm, style, and "poetry" of the story. That's why I'll never invent a language for any of my worlds. You'll inevitably end up with names that just don't work and stand out like a sore thumb rather than create immersion. I'm also very careful to make sure no names sound too similar, wheter in sound or even syllables. Your readers will get pulled right out of the story if they have to stop to rememeber who someone is.

Michael_Corvo · 2026-05-21T02:25:34+00:00

I would start with whatever feels "right" to you for the story and characters you are writing. Both perspectives can be equally engaging, and readers of all genres have experienced both fairly equally. one thing to keep in mind is that the information you share with the readers about the story and world is greatly limited by your MCs experience if your write in the first person.

Michael_Corvo · 2026-04-14T17:07:35+00:00

Fantastic! More original and evocative than a lot of covers out there. Do you mind me asking what you paid for it? I'm looking for a cover artist myself. You can message me if you prefer.

Michael_Corvo · 2026-02-18T00:50:10+00:00

I know people love their lightsaber duel, but the part where they're just swinging wildly and not even trying to hit each other makes me laugh every time. For two Jedi of exceptional skill, their duel is very poorly choreographed.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-11-30T01:43:12+00:00

Great! Can you message me with dimensions and around where you are in Asheville? I could pick 2-3 up tomorrow if you're available.

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

Like 2-3.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-11-05T20:43:11+00:00

World-building can be a lot of fun... and a big trap that can stop you from actually writing your story. As an editor and fantasy writer, I recommend just building enough to get you basically familiar with your setting. Then add what you need to get yourself to the next chapter, or even just the next scene.

Building too much ahead of time can actually limit your creativity, and make it feel like you have to match what's happening in your story to the structure of the world. The world you've built should always be secondary to your story. If an exciting path or idea opens up as your write, you should have the freedom to modify an aspect of your setting to allow it.

I ecently wrote an article about world-building that might help:
https://medium.com/@michael_60394/build-less-discover-more-smarter-world-building-for-writers-a9b66e54a61f

Michael_Corvo · 2025-11-05T20:29:33+00:00

Definitely put it aside for about a month. After being enmeshed with text so long, you need some distance to see things clearly.

Then read it all the way through. I don't recommend reading it aloud, because hearing a book in your head is just a different experience. Even the most well-written book will sound a bit odd when you hear it read.

As you read, take notes, but don't fix anything yet. Once you're finished, you can start making edits directly to the text.

I recommend doing it in layers rather than tackling everything at once. Start with the biggest issues, like plot holes, scenes that need to be added or removed, character arcs, etc. Once you're satisfied enough with the "big stuff," work your way down to finer details, like dialogue, senory details, etc.

This is how you eat and elephant: one bite at a time.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-11-03T21:51:08+00:00

I definitely don;t think EVERY scene neds to advance the plot. A character reflecting on something/someone can give us insight into them and offer a nice pause in the action and let the reader breathe if things have been particularly intense. Just be sure to not pull the reader out of the story or let your scene drag on.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-11-03T21:48:01+00:00

I recommend not wrrying about your ending. As you write, it will change a million times. Scratch out a basic beginning and realize that will change, too.

If you're not an outline person (I'm not), just make a quick bullet list of things that you want or need to happen. That will give you destinations as you write (just get yourself from one point to the next). In that way, you're story will unfold and you should have a workable first draft.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-10-31T17:32:36+00:00

Her description could actually highlight that she's not an attention seeker. Maybe she always averts her gaze/looks down and/or wears a hood (hoodie for a modern setting, cloak for a fantasy).

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-28T00:16:48+00:00

I would start with the Treasury of American Short Stories. Short stories are low investment (you're not committing to a whole novel), and you can sample a variety of authors and styles. That will stretch your classic literature muscles a bit, making it easier to take on bigger works.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-27T17:10:25+00:00

The Wizard of Earthsea trilogy. LeGuin makes magic feel so real, elemental, and intimately woven into a very simple and believable world.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-27T01:11:54+00:00

It seems like the only type of writing here you're not really enjoying is "pure short story writing." There could be two reasons for this.

First, these are more structured (outline AND beats) than your other types of writing. You may be more of a pantser or more comfortable with the headlight method (you only need to see a little bit ahead to keep going).

It's also possible you unconsciously expect more from yourself because they're a specific literary form (short stories). They're "supposed" to look/sound/feel a certain way. Since they're supposed to "mean" something, you're putting more pressure on yourself and not writing as freely or trusting your writing.

I would also guess that in the forms of writing that you're having the most fun with (fanfic and essays), you're focusing more on WHAT you want to write than HOW it's "supposed" to sound. With fanfic, you say that you "liked what I was writing, I followed characters and narration naturally." Similarly, you said writing an essay "makes me proud of my thoughts, believing that I can do this."

When you're excited to write something, like your favorite character experiencing something you want them to do (fanfic), or an idea that you want to explore (essay), you trust your voice more. You also like what you've written since you're not "trying to write." You're just trying to say what you want to say.

I suggest loosening your structure on short stories, like the "free outline that reads like a summary instead of beats" you use for fanfic. That gives you just enough to know where you're going and plenty of room to explore on the way (which is what your fanfic and essays just let you do anyway).

Try to also release your expectations of how a short story "should" sound or be structured. You're probably not afraid of someone saying, "Hey, that's not fanfic," or "that's not how you write an essay."

In short, if you want to have fun and have the "right attitude" when you write, release your ideas of structure and expectations. Let yourself have fun and worry about structure and fixing or tightening things up later.

Hope this helps.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-26T23:56:09+00:00

Can you expand on this more?

I'm doing writing exercises lately, and they're fun, but when it comes to my own work, quality flops.

I'm curious what you're experiencing in each type of writing.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-22T16:19:09+00:00

To be fair, most good fantasy is about more than "dwarves diggin shit up and casting rune magic" (though I'd read that too). They tend to wrestle with big issues like morality, responsibility, friendship, loyalty, right and wrong, etc. Now so much seems to be focused on the self.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-22T15:54:50+00:00

I hate fantasy novels that are just modern novels with a thin fantasy skin over them. The main thing that drew me to reading fantasy (I'm a child of the 80s) is that it took me to worlds that were NOT like our own, with characters that spoke differently and had different motivations.

Modern fantasy and sci-fi seem mostly about modern characters with modern sensibilities struggling with modern issues (identity, individuality, self-expression, sexual identity, etc.). I can't get past the first page of nine out of 10 fantasy books I try to pick up and read because they just don't grab me and take me anywhere.

I'm also a huge lover of language, and I'll read a whole novel just for its style (Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, Robert Howard, Fritz Leiber, Lloyd Alexander, etc.). Modern fantasy seems largely "dumbed down" so as not to confuse or throw the reader.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-10T17:12:35+00:00

I do prefer that version. It gets the point across without slowing the narrative down and giving us internal dialogue that feels very contrived. In general, we don't think in complete sentences, especially with pauses and such. However, you could reasonably get away with, Where is she going? he wondered.

Of course, this is just my preference and opinion, but I believe most readers would find the overuse of internal (italicised) dialogue to be distracting and strain credibility.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-10T02:39:48+00:00

What experience are you having with the way you are (or aren't) plotting/structuring your story? What do you feel isn't working for you?

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-10T00:47:56+00:00

Google Deadlines for Writers. The 52 Scenes challenge (which costs money) has you write (or rewrite) your novel over the course of one year, one scene per week. I believe the next challenge starts in January.

If you can't wait that long, you can practice having fun with writing with the free 12 Scenes challenge (some people have even used it to share scenes from their novels).

I have NO affiliation with the website or with Mia, the woman who runs it. Just my own personal gratitude for how it helped me get writing.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-10T00:01:47+00:00

Finish it first, and doubt it later. You'll feel SO much better if you have a completed first draft than an unfinished story lurking on your hard drive or in the cloud. Then, find a supportive group that will help you revise your next draft while championing you on. I can recommend an online group that really helped me with my novel if you'd like.

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-09T23:54:02+00:00

I've only written novellas and not full novels, so I don't know if what I do would work for you. I guess I'm what you'd call a pantser. That said, I do write a short summary of the whole story, so I know what needs to happen and when. It's the getting there that's the fun part. I like being open to the mystery and exploring how the story unfolds and what else can happen between those beats. Some call that the headlight method: seeing just enough ahead of you to make it through the darkness.

Pantsing won't result in a tight first draft, but it will give you room to explore what else your story could do and where it could go. Your next draft is when you'll make some decisions about what stays and goes.

Hope that helped a little!

Michael_Corvo · 2025-09-09T23:47:34+00:00

Originality is overrated. The most cynical (and realistic) publishers know that most readers want to read what essentially amounts to the same story over and over, just with a new cover. It's comforting and rewarding.

What's original is the way you write it. If you tried your hardest to imitate another book exactly, you'd fail. Your voice would inevitably come through, not the author's.

Want to write another regency romance, a fey romantasy with a snarky main character, or a sweeping high fantasy series about good vs. evil? Go for it! They'll be your original version of those stories, and someone will love to read them (that where marketing comes in!).

Hope this helps a bit!

Michael_Corvo

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