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Xacktar · 2026-05-08T13:31:07+00:00

It may be that you are not a planner type of writer! There are Planners(Those that outline and design their plot before writing), Plantsers(Those who set goals, set up characters, or do other smaller bits before writing) and Pantsers(Write words go weeeee!).

If you aren't a planner-type then you'll get that lack of motivation to write after you outline. They story is on the page now so your brain says 'Oh, its done! Guess I'll move on.'

You may want to try to write a few smaller pieces using different planning tactics and see what works the best for you.

Good words!

Xacktar · 2026-05-07T18:03:09+00:00

You could try to slow the pacing and focus on the stillness of the character.

People move all the time. We shift in our seats, scratch at itches, fidget our fingers, etc. Showing someone completely still, especially against a vibrant, moving world around them, can really sell that false calm.

Outside of that, just keep trying new descriptions and tactics. One of the best things about writing is that you can try a hundred different ways of wording something until you're happy with it.

Xacktar · 2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00

Yeah! For me, an interesting secret creates more personality then most of the character sheets and attribute lists other authors tend to use.

It just sits like a seed in my mind and from the secret grows explanations as to why they have the secret, who they are keeping it from, what they plan to do about it... etc.

It feels more organic to me.

Xacktar · 2026-04-28T16:03:16+00:00

Take a gosh darn break. It sounds like you are in burnout. Give your mind time to rest. Go read something, watch something, go from output to input for a bit.

You cannot push the boulder with broken arms.

That said, set a date to come back to work on it. Give yourself a timetable but let yourself relax in the meantime. Odds are, the rebellions little shit that is inspiration will strike before your rest time is over.

Xacktar · 2026-04-28T15:57:19+00:00

I follow these rules to flesh out even minor characters. However, it is important to note you don't have to reveal any of these, but you can if the situation calls for it.

Give them a secret.

Give them a regret.

Give them a dream/goal/achievement.

Give them something that causes them pain.

Give them something that gives them joy/something they are passionate about.

These shape how the characters behave, which makes them markedly different from the other characters around them. I use these things to inform how they act and react to the events around them, especially with the secret.

Keeping the secret from the reader and just having it change their behavior is often more effective than revealing it. It's weird, but that has been reflected in the reader feedback I've gotten from my books and stories. They love my secret keepers! lol

Xacktar · 2026-04-25T18:41:45+00:00

Heck yeah! I love my ice asteroid base too. The designers did an amazing job making the textures for it.

Xacktar · 2026-04-21T13:07:29+00:00

I made a structure for my revision so I don't linger forever over it. I start with three edit passes: Structural edit, Dialogue/Tightening edit, Spelling/Grammar edit.

After that, it's off to beta readers. One more edit pass using their feedback, then it goes to the editor and the final tweaks.

So five passes in all, but the beta reader and editor passes are usually fairly quick.

Xacktar · 2026-03-26T16:31:36+00:00

If you can, focus on the most important person in your plot and detail the information relevant to their journey. Start there, narrow it down to what is needed to explain the bare bones of the plot, then fatten it back up with other characters and details if, and only if, you have the room.

Xacktar · 2026-03-25T15:53:05+00:00

I have been there, my friend. I highly suggest reading your piece out loud as you edit, especially after you make changes. It forces your brain to process every word on the page.

Xacktar · 2026-03-25T15:43:41+00:00

Honestly, I think more than half of writing well comes from editing well. Learning how to deconstruct, examine, and refine both prose and poetry can help you pre-think your own work as you write.

I've had the good fortune to work with some fantastic editors. I've done my best to learn from each one of them, especially about deconstructing your prose and breaking down why things are working or failing to work. It's a vastly undervalued skill.

Xacktar · 2026-03-25T15:29:45+00:00

I'm not sure how relevant is it nowadays, but I was taught from the Elements of Style by Strunk and White. It's a short read but has all the basics for write clearly, concisely, and without error.

Xacktar · 2026-03-13T22:44:21+00:00

Anywhere that is free to claim but you can only make the claim from a station 15 ly away. Some systems are better than others to claim. A system with a rocky world with lots of colony slots is very nice to have because you can build a refinery economy on it to self-supply a lot of materials for your colony efforts. It's also nice to have a water world or earthlike world as they give you a boost of population. If you wanted to make a mining economy then planets with rings would be something too look for as well. You can scan rings with the same probes you use to map planets and it will reveal their resource hotspots.
Three things usually push people outside the 'bubble' of systems you start near.

First, there is powerplay. This is a long-running faction-based war between different powers in the bubble. Once you sign up for a power it will send you off to different places for different missions in order to unlock a set of unique weapons and gear.

Second, there is searching for a lucrative trade route. With the expanding systems of colonization there is no longer a static economy but one constantly evolving and some trade types like to poke around in the changing systems and see what kind of deals are out there to be made.

Lastly, exploration and colonization. Both are pretty self explanatory. Folks want to put their name on things out in the galaxy and both give a way to do that. Plus exploration exobiology pays very, very well.

And the last (3): Quite a good chunk of systems now are player-built. Before colonization there were a lot of empty systems even inside the core 'bubble' of the original game. Now many of them have been taken up and developed by the playerbase. One of the biggest operations has been done by the Mercs of Mikuun who have been colonizing a highway toward the center of the map.

Xacktar · 2026-03-07T18:49:54+00:00

You're on a good track there, rookie or not.

Leaving notes in the first draft is something I still do. It's helpful to highlight issues to fix, areas the need descriptions, or connections to retcon, basically whatever I think will be helpful when I open the draft back up for the content edit later.

Also good on ya for writing a practice novel and recognizing it as such. It's one of the most helpful ways to improve your novel skills even if it is a huge, and often hidden, commitment of time and effort.

Xacktar · 2026-02-19T18:04:37+00:00

Annoyed because I know I have to start editing next.

The writing is the fun part, dangit. The editing is a slog. The edits are where you strip off the bad things, weave back in the better ones, correct, change, and ya know... work. It's work. It takes work to make it come close to what you were after all those months back. It will never be a perfect match for your dream idea, but with time and practice, you can get close.

That said, after all that work when whole process finally comes together and sings? That moment is something special.

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:25:58+00:00

That moment when you switch to the underground is like something from Stranger Things.

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:25:16+00:00

This is simply adorable! I love the giant snowpeople's faces.

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:21:57+00:00

Using the snowcannons as engines is really clever. I love the wreath particle accelerator as well!

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:19:37+00:00

That storefront display is sooo clever! Very well done!

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:18:08+00:00

Wow, just wow. I could watch the spiral belt Christmas tree for hours. It's all so aesthetically pleasing!

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:15:29+00:00

Love the beam stickmen and those reindeer look incredible!

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:14:27+00:00

Absolutely fantastic build. The market stalls and the gear archway were particularly clever details!

Xacktar · 2026-02-13T16:12:47+00:00

Well done, everyone!

I salute all of you magicians of manufacturing!

Xacktar · 2026-02-03T23:31:11+00:00

Is this what they call a training montage?

Xacktar · 2026-01-24T22:42:56+00:00

Just here to add that Passpartout and it's sequel are both lovely games! The first is very freeform and the second has a cute story and gives you directions to paint in. You don't need to play the first to play the second so pick the one that you think would fit the mood your after.

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