r/writinghelp

For a scene I'm writing, there's a makeshift surgery scene to remove a device from the back of a character's neck and I wanted to know if that's possible without causing lasting problems (it's not near the major arteries, and not extremely deep). And also, what would that process feel like? I've got a tangible idea about it but I'm stuck on the level of pain and the specific sensations, so I'm very open to suggestions.

Hey everyone! I have been writing the first draft of my epic science fantasy novel. And it's messy to say the least. My story doesn't make any sense, my characters dont seem to be doing the logical thing, or at least they dont end up where they are supposed to be through proper means. The prose is bad sometimes, but sometimes its good, I have a seventeen page outline that I refer to again and again, but its just starting to feel as if I want to achieve those plot points and not how those moments connect. In short my story does not make sense, my characters are not well fleshed out and I feel like I would have to create a new story from scratch after this draft is done, which scares me because I dont want to be stuck in forever first drafts. I have written some 58k words till now, and nothing makes sense, maybe it does but it's so so confusing. and I am losing motivation really fast, like its really frustrating to write something this bad you know.

Hello, wonderful people. I’m currently working on a fanfiction and I need help with the legal side of it. Not sure if this is the right place to go to, but r/legalhelp doesn’t allow made-up scenarios, so I figured here was my best shot.

A character in my fanfiction spirals into depression after believing his brother was murdered. He gets so far gone that he hallucinates (this is undecided, but something like it is probably going to happen) his “dead” brother telling him to kill his murders. He follows through with it. This leads to him hurting multiple people several times (no one ends up disabled) so he can get close enough to murder the perps (which doesn’t happen because they get away), and then one final showdown where he gets the chance to murder them but actively chooses not to. There is no knowledge about any of this by the police until the character confesses because the criminals sure aren’t gonna report a crime.

What is the most jail time he could get? What is the least? Is there any chance he would just get sent to a mental institution instead or would that coincide with jail time?

This part of the story takes place in New Jersey, USA, btw.

It’s not a super important aspect of my fanfiction, but I want to it be as accurate as I can make it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks. :)

Hi everyone :)

I have an interesting idea for a short story which could be a decent short film as well. The only problem is developing it past that initial seed. It has been so long since I've written short stories. I usually write poetry or scripts these days but I used to do them all the time back in the day. Do you guys know any decent exercises that can help me figure out where to go?

Could also do with some feedback on the idea itself.

It's a gothic Victorian setting, has supernatural themes but isn't scary so not technically horror. Just melancholic vibes.

A poor orphan girl of 17, Imogen is so overcome with loneliness and desperation to finally make a friend that she starts communicating with the dead. She wanders alone through crumbling cemeteries, hoping to reach out beyond the veil to befriend the lost souls on the other side who are lonely, too.

Think Victorian memento mori vibes, Edgar Allan Poe, sadboi poet stuff. Very emotional. The spirits aren't frightening, though. They're just tormented and melancholy.

Any ideas of where to go with this one?

In my mystery, the murderer is transporting a corpse in a car/van. I need:

• the body to not be squished into a box or luggage case, so it has to be a long box/bag

• it'll be a van with the back seats pushed down into the van to make space. Ideally the person riding next to murderer in the passenger seat cannot look back and see it OR can see it but thinks it is a common box

• the box/luggage case/bag has to also be a not-abnormal thing. It should be something that if he were stopped by a police officer/asked by the passenger, he could just say "Oh I'm just transporting X item in its packaging"

So I wanted ideas for X. Is there any typically large things that vans are used to move? It also doesn't have to be a van but could be a pickup truck, SUV, etc. I just needed ideas.

Thanks!

I, and from what I hear a lot of writers, struggle to create the main part of the story. I can always find a beginning, most of the time an ending, but inbetween ? All the "Unknown" part of the Hero's Journey ? Just some independant ideas, that I struggle to link together. And sometimes nothing come.

I wanted to know if you have some advices, testimony or citations/writing methods that have helped you or are useful.

Thanks by advance

Have a nice day

I love writing ideas for conversations and ways to shoot scenes and how the camera should move and what the cinematography should look like and what different character archetypes im interested. Only thing I struggle with is dialogue. Do I read books, watch any videos, just start writing? How do I make all the characters not sound like me? I don’t even know what I would sound like. I usually just ask questions all the time or say oh that’s cool or just describe something I like. That’s really all I know to write or talk about

I'm trying to nail down my blurb and it is SO hard! My first book is with my editor and almost complete. I am planning to self publish. Feedback and advice on my blurb for slow burn, low fantasy book would be greatly appreciated!

Rhivah must marry before she can inherit her father’s throne. She has decided on the groom, but her father refuses to accept her choice. She thinks she has plenty of time to change his mind. And she’s never been one to give up easily.

Elan is the dagger in the dark - working for the King. Or for the King’s rival family. Or for gold. Or information. But, for once, he’s decided to work for himself. But the details of his personal agenda are for only him to know.

When Rhivah meets Elan in a seemingly chance encounter, he seems odd, but harmless enough. Even kind of interesting. At first. But when Elan’s friendliness sours and he starts demanding answers to questions he has no business asking, Rhivah is furious. And shaken. 

She composes herself for dinner with another suitor her father wants her to meet - whom she knows she has no interest in. Only to have Elan interrupt the meal, being warmly welcomed by her father.

Before the following morning, Rhivah’s father is dead and, as duty demands, she is married. To Elan.

I have found a lot of online writing coaches, exercises etc are not at all geared towards literary writing. I want an app or workbook or \*something\* that helps me practice pulling apart sentences. and I'm not talking about just removing filler words and adding in some smells. I need something more advanced but that can still help me with the fundamentals... heavier word choice, pinpointing the emotional undertones of each sentence, learning the different ways to properly convey them, working in metaphors etc. I've been really struggling to find such a thing & I don't want to waste any more money on classes & books that aren't really helpful to the style I'm writing

I've been working on a story of mine for a while now, and almost every name I use is a placeholder. I often use AI for naming, which is a habit I'm trying to break, but how can I get better at naming? Anything would help at this point.

So basically I’m doing the world building making clans and stuff like that but I’ve gotten writers block and after a bit over a month I’ve had ideas for the story but feel like there would be holes due to the blockage on world building or am I over thinking it any advice would be greatly appreciated I’m writing a fantasy adventure novel bta

In my writing style, characters can't really say numbers:

"Did you know you had four thousand cancerous cells?"

"Did you know you had 4000 cancerous cells?"

So how would I say 'CO2'? Would i just say the full molecule's name, or just use the abbreviation?

I've got these two characters, early twenties. Gonna get into an intense fistfight (probably no weapons, unless it's like a rock off the ground or something) and I need them to both die. Preferably at each others hands for plot reasons. It can be a bit silly but I want it to be relatively reasonable. This is at night outside a gas station if that helps. Thank you <333

So I’m having this problem where I’m grabbing my paper, licking my pen but can’t get anything out, it’s not like I can’t come up with ideas and sentences, I totally can but i realised I’m like so bad at the technical writing stuff, I probably should’ve paid more attention to English class in school but I already come from a non English speaking country so the curriculum was probably already shii, but I just want to make sure I get better at the thing I want to do (which in this case is obviously writing), but I’m just not sure how to learn, I mean I’ve been starting to read alot more, write smaller stories, poems at times so instead of doing something big im rather honing my skills for writing but that’s not really helping me grow my technical side, and I’m wondering if anybody knows any good resources to get good at this, it’s not like I can’t look them up myself but I have no idea how, I’m not whatsoever knowledgeable about things like linguistics, literature, high vocabulary and stuff idk what else, I literally have no idea how to even start to look for these resources or what exactly I’m looking for in the first place, can anybody lend a bend bleasee?

I am currently writing a fic with some OCs and canonish characters with no personality in canon. I have some base personality for them but do not know how to write them as well rounded characters instead of them having basic personality with no flaws or too perfect or only written them as the best, as very good people all that, etc. My setting for them is they have their own issues but all have the same values and morals. They are good people but I feel like they cannot be all the same. It is a wizarding world AU.

two of my characters are brothers and both of them are very close and somewhat similar im personality such as they are both cheerful, carefree people as well as somewhat mischivious and funny, and they sometimes do pranks. their father are also like this as well. It seems like its a bit too similar , I have thought about their flaws maybe some arrogance but I do not set them as very arrogant , or maybe anger issues and do things without thinking? maybe one of them can be mean at times but still a good person? or maybe one of them is more brave?

I do have some ideas trying to differentiate them, maybe the younger brother is more ambitious and is more morally grey than his brother? maybe he's more resourseful? the other is maybe do stuff without planning but even this I feel like its too little difference.

some of my other Ocs are also similar and mischevious so this is why they become a friend group but I do want to add some other things in it as well. I do have other ideas for the rest of my OCs though that is more differntiate but I feel like all of their personalities are eventually loyal and some of their diffrence might make me think they are not too similar to become friends. while the brother's best friends are somewhat the same as the brothers.

Any ideas?

I've just got Reddit and am struggling to acclimate compared to using other sites.

When is the right time to start posting? Once the account is old enough? What is the right amount of karma?

I have some stories I want to share, to get feedback on the plot and writing style. I'm not the best writer, but grammar and punctuation will improve with practice - I just don't want to waste time on stories people won't like.

Like getting my paper plane to fly, and see how far it soars, before waiting until I've designed it a jet engine first, hehe.

I just don't want to ruin the little karma I have with downvotes over small issues and not plot points. Or to post too early that no one will see the work, and the stories won't appear in people's feeds.

Sitting by, commenting on other people's posts, hoping to gain crumbs of karma, is a really rough and demotivating way to get on a site, especially when I've only just gained the confidence to share my work.

Also, what subs are best for new writers? There are so many to choose from. As I've said, I'm not a professional writer, so I don't want to just be critiqued like I am supposed to be one. So I want a more beginner-friendly place that will get reasonable views.

Just putting it body text because it's a requirement.