New Writers Don't Know How to Get Useful Feedback
11 posts across 2 communities in the last 60 days; 91% from r/writers.
“Right now I'm writing a story a week and am hoping to make it a side hustle out of it, but I'm an author who absolutely cannot draw. It's difficult for me to break down the layers I have questions about so I've just included an example for us to play with and figure out how to…”
“I have seen only a few times where a character is based on someone in the author's life. The biggest example I can think of is Angela the herbalist from Eragon, who is based on Christopher Paolini's sister. In my book, I have a character named Corvus Dain who is based heavily on…”
“i’m a fanfic writer, and roleplayer. I sometimes (although rarely) write things involving my characters sense of smell, but I have no idea how as I can’t actually smell anything. I want tips on how to write smells better because I completely lack a sense of smell (and its…”
Multiple writers are seeking advice on various aspects of their craft, including character development (fruit/vegetable characters), critique reception, world-building, plot progression and dialogue. There's a clear need for guidance and feedback in the writing process.
SOURCES (60)
“Things like word difficulty, jokes and general story beats could perhaps be too childish or too complex for the age group the story is intended for, but running everything past a test panel of kids also seems like a stretch in my situation. I think…”
“So I’m new to writing and I’ve been working on a fantasy for about 2-3 months by now and right now I’m struggling to show oppression in the world I’m trying to build and I’m honestly really lost on how I can show it. The story is set in the late 1800s in a continent that just got done being in a large scale conflict and the main 3 types of oppression I want to show in the story are Religious Persecution, classism and racism. So I’m hoping to get some advice on how I can show it rather it be medi”
“Following up on some great feedback from our last post about character conflict: a huge challenge in writing a political RPG is making sure the characters actually have weight without turning the game into a wall of text that the player just clicks through. If your advisors (ministers, generals, ideologues) are constantly arguing about budgets, past wars, and reforms, it's super easy for the scene to become an exhausting lecture where the player feels like a passenger rather than a ruler. Fo”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about character failure lately, especially with a protagonist who is very capable but definitely not supposed to be perfect. I know the usual advice is that a character should fail because of their flaws, not because the writer suddenly makes them stupid. But I feel like even that can become really predictable. Like if you have a reckless character, the obvious failure is they rush into something, refuse to retreat, somebody gets hurt, and they learn they need t”
“So I’ve been wanting to make a book about the Celtic mythology it’s inspired by Percy Jackson and the storm runner series but a whole diffrent thing and right now I’m in a rough draft phase and am currently stuck and would appreciate any suggestions or advice that would help Chasing the Celtic tides (rough draft) Settings and names The locations will be camp marrow bay Main land will be Blackwood. Main villain a minor Celtic god of the forest/land. 2 main characters are James Mazda (sun of king”
“I'm a teenager wanting to be an author in the future but there are so many skills I have missing before becoming one. Me and my friends are passionate on making a game in the future and I want to make a novel at the same time, as well as being a psychologist because I found the study of how we people work profound and genuinely fun. No self-glaze, but I'm extremely and I say this: extremely good at concepting and story execution. In a timespan of under an hour, I was able to make two gre”
“So, I've always thought that the whole 'describe your book in one sentence and see if people like it' is kinda bullshit because I wouldn't he doing it justice with five POV characters that become a team after quite a few dozen pages. submitted by /u/So_exist_iguess [link] [comments]”
““Show, don't tell” is one of the popular advice in writing, but some people say that showing and telling should be balanced. But how can you do "telling" effectively? What would it look like on the page? What should be its purpose? submitted by /u/Time-Development6429 [link] [comments]”
“Right now I'm writing a story a week and am hoping to make it a side hustle out of it, but I'm an author who absolutely cannot draw. It's difficult for me to break down the layers I have questions about so I've just included an example for us to play with and figure out how to do this. What do need to get the first story picked up by the traditional market? And after that do they all have to stay in a theme or is simply staying with animals enough? There is a snail. His name is J”
“I originally planned the plot as a YA fantasy novel and have already written up to the middle chapters, but now that I think about it, the plot seems better suited to MG. It has a whimsical, fantastical atmosphere, and the romance is only about 5% of the story compared to 95% adventure. The male lead is kind and earnest, and I want their relationship to end on an ambiguous note without any physical affection or even an explicit “let’s date.” I don’t think YA readers would expect and like this ki”
“I've been trying to write a crossover fanfiction (also just generally my first time writing something in years) where my favorite fictional character (Siffrin from In Stars And Time) replaces the main character in the game Undertale. My vision for it was third person limited, but after looking up some things I realized I was actually writing closer to distant limited. Now that I know a *little* more about how perspectives work though I realized Siffrin specifically is going to be very weird”
“Hsd anyone ever experienced this? I"m working on a story (more a collection of short stories in the same world featuring overlapping recurring characters) as a hobby with a vague intention to self-publish. Erotic Fantasy. Lately, I find the series has taken on a life of its own. --Plot lines, even entire chapters form themselves while I'm working, driving, eating, lying awake at night. --I learn things about my characters, the various Fantasy Races featured in the stories, and the world”
“I'm currently writing my first draft, and the trope is childhood friends. Now, I searched what were the opinions about it, and most of them were negative. Should I change it? What are your opinions on it? Edit: While it is a romance book, there are others plots, concerning their respective parents, and I do want them to have character developpement throught the book, apart from romance. submitted by /u/Advanced_Fix8583 [link] [comments]”
“I have seen only a few times where a character is based on someone in the author's life. The biggest example I can think of is Angela the herbalist from Eragon, who is based on Christopher Paolini's sister. In my book, I have a character named Corvus Dain who is based heavily on a friend of mine from high school. The problem is, we had a really weird falling out and are no longer talking. That by itself is not really the problem, but it causes me to heavily procrastinate chapters with th”
“Hiii I need some advices/ideas on how I can make my main characters meet in my story 🙏 I've been stuck for a long time on it and I really want to move forward as it's currently preventing me from starting to write. Here is the context of my story : Genre : medival vibes romantasy MMC's vibes (a knight (part of the highest position of the Royal Court's knights)) : gloomy, I've-never-learned-how-to-smile type of guy, get-the-hell-out-of-my-face-before-I-crush-you-with-my-bare-”
“Do people have any favourite examples of plus sized characters that were conveyed as fat or plus sized in a unique or interesting way? Many times when I’m reading a book it’ll just be pointed out in a very, ‘her hair was brown and her eyes were blue’ type manner, but I know amazing authors like Pratchett convey information like this in a fun, unique manner submitted by /u/technicolourUFO [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I am writing my very first story and it is about a warrior seeking freedom, I loved the idea of giving him bladed tonfas that are fused to his arms but I am having a hard time explaining how it looks without just saying "durr, i have bladed tonfas fused to my arms" any advice on how i could explain it without overcomplicating it or just making it sound dumb? I am writing it on first person. Thanks! :) submitted by /u/WeirdInterest2433 [link] [comments]”
“So currently, I'm writing a story in a universe I created. I'm not going to lie, it's starting to take a mental toll on me to where I don't know if I ever wanna continue riding within this universe ever again. And I'm either looking for alternatives to where I could change this universe into something else, inspire myself to continue writing it. Or maybe completely pivot to a different type of writing, but it's just completely disheartening to feel this way. submitt”
“Would love to know your go to method of creating multi dimensional characters who feel alive and real. Wondering if you know of any blind spots other writers tend to have, contradictions you see often or just something writers tend to forget when creating and writing a character. I feel like my WIP is doing an average job of making the characters feel real, but want to know how to step it up and notice things I’ve perhaps missed! Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/thelovebirdsandme [”
“i’m a fanfic writer, and roleplayer. I sometimes (although rarely) write things involving my characters sense of smell, but I have no idea how as I can’t actually smell anything. I want tips on how to write smells better because I completely lack a sense of smell (and its depressing) submitted by /u/TheoneSparks959 [link] [comments]”
“So I understand that it's important to describe a character's appearance (especially if they're a main) early so the reader has something to visualize throughout the chapter/story, but how do you go about it without interrupting the scene? Is it really necessary to include every part (hair/eyes/face/body/clothing/etc.) in that moment? I'm more-so trying to focus on factors of a character's appearance that are unique or at least relevant to the scene so the reader has somethin”
“Iʼm a newbie write who wants to incorporate my experience into a character. I sometimes vented using writing and I thought why note us those vents and add them into characterʼs point of view who had experience the same? Iʼm a reader who write for the love of novels, and I also use writing as a coping mechanism, the characters I wrote are the what ifs on my mind and also the most dearest Iʼll ever had, thus I want them to feel life-like and not dull. Please, be aware that English is not my first”
“Outside of plotting and structure and writing scenes that will be in your final script… what exercises or questions do you answer to help you develop your characters? And then, how do you talk / organize your thoughts about these characters in a way that’s easy for others to understand and for you to keep track of? If you’re creating characters for a show, how do you help other writers understand your character? submitted by /u/jsfilm23 [link] [comments]”
“In almost all of my stories, I use 3rd person as it allows me to showcase all of my characters. However, there is one project of mine that works better with 1st person due to the character's emotional turmoil, self-loathing, and occasional hallucination. However, I find it extremely difficult to show other character's turmoil (especially in private or when they're not with the MC) when writing in first person since I (or, we) don't get to see the other character's thoughts or”
“Since last night I can’t figure out what this is called so bare with me- in a book when there’s conflicts and stuff like that there’s usually the main conflict but there’s a bunch of little conflicts as well. I’m writing my first book and I don’t have much of a plan. I’m writing the whole thing and then I’m gonna go through and clean it up or write it again if I’m not happy with a lot of parts. But my issue is I don’t know what smaller conflicts to add other than the main big conflict. I wanna l”
“Hey everyone, I write occasionally for fun. It’s just a hobby, and I don't write every day, but when I do sit down to write, I'm genuinely passionate about crafting a great story. My biggest hurdle right now comes down to how my brain generates ideas: Working Backward: My ideas almost always start with a major climax, a late-stage plot twist, or an epic mid-story event. Because of this, I really struggle to construct linear plots. I end up trying to start a story I haven't fully f”
“I'm in the planning stages of a novel at the moment and I'm really struggling to put characters in settings where they talk and discuss things without it seeming unnatural or like it's happening because I said so. Anyone else ever had this issue and any advice to combat this? Thanks submitted by /u/Suspicious-Egg6398 [link] [comments]”
“I'm trying to experiment a little with a new story, but am having issues with writing fighting scenes and also simply don't really like them. My current story is set in a dystopian city which used to be a cyberpunk city with the latest technology due to a superior energy source. As it suddenly stopped, it is now overtaken by mainly nature, raiders are raiding buildings everywhere as the economy has collapsed and trade is the way to go. That is, until the main characters get a lead to rai”
“I can’t talk to really anyone about writing. They either don’t write, don’t read, or don’t care to discuss. I know the “don’t write in purple prose” “don’t get too poetic” has been hammered down and posted “DO NOT DO IT” over and over again. I get that, in this economy, we’re all go-go-go and we have like 10 mins in lunch before we work our 3 jobs. Makes me a little sad as someone who also loves poetry. OKAY actual question now: What about a story that gets right to the point. Clear concise word”
“Almost all critique I get is 'Every character is too blunt'. Similarly, when I ask people for how I can better myself, they always say 'Be less direct'. I didn't even realise I was like that, but apparently it comes through very clearly in any dialogue I write. Do I need to use more filler phrases? Like "In my opinion that's wrong", instead of "That's wrong.", even when the character knows for a fact that that particular thing is wrong? It's al”
“I've seen writers say they wouldn't marry a writer. Just yesterday, I saw this post where someone talked about using their wife--who has an english degree--as an editor, and most people who commented were saying, sharing creative work with your spouse is a no-no. It made me curious why. What have been your expeirences, and were they bad or good? P.S. I'm single. submitted by /u/Dangerous-Duck-3493 [link] [comments]”
“I always try to create stories with different contexts and diverse characters; I want to write/draw so that people can identify with them and recognize themselves in them. At the same time, I'm afraid it won't be good enough, or that it will be "too different" and won't appeal to people. I usually combine things I like with topics I think need to be discussed and create my characters, spending hours drawing them and creating a story for each one, thinking about scenarios an”
“So, im writing many stories by now (they're gonna be made for comics if it's important to know) But I have the problem of marking my mistakes, miscalculations, bad ideas. And I sometimes fail to find them. I have 4 friends that I tried to share the drafts with, but none of them have done so in anyway. One of them straight up hates the stuff I've made (says that he doesn't like it), one literally forgets them a day after, another one listens but is only a yes-man and doesn't p”
“I’m trying to write a novel… I used to do this a lot on wattspad back in middle school… but now I struggle hard… I have ideas and everything for my characters and world building etc and so on but I don’t know where to start!!!!! Do I start with the outline? Or do I start at the character profiles?? But I feel like that should be last because I can change the characters at any point… 😫😫😫 Should I just say forget it and word vomit on paper? I don’t wanna give up because I love this hobby and wa”
“The question popped into my head, and now I wanna hear people’s thoughts on it. I’m a new writer (currently on my third book, about to start my fourth soon), and wonder what qualities make a book addicting to read and impossible to put down. In my readers perspective, I know things like mysteries make a book hard to put down. A goal of mine is to write a book people “can’t put down,” and could anyone give me some advice about it? thanks! submitted by /u/Honest_Farmer_9102 [link]  ”
“Well, this is going to be embarrassing. But for years I've been trying to write something. I started out on fanfiction during my late teen years. Learned a few things and got into writing. So I tried moving on from fanfiction to original writing. Which has been going to zip. I had many projects that went no where. From World War III to epic fantasy, nothing stick. But now I got my first chapter finished, but the genre for it is not typical. In fact I did it after reading a random prompt. Whi”
“I’ve been writing mini comics and stories since I can remember, I never was much of a video game kid. But even after all this time, I still can’t finish a single story. It sucks because I have so many creative ideas but don’t have anybody to help add to them or help me write. I need someone creative minds so if anyone wants a writing partner hit me up. submitted by /u/2Barbaque4bray [link] [comments]”
“I always described writing to my friends as "imagining something and transcribing it onto paper," but they described it as "writing words until they fit together into a scene." That got me wondering. How would you guys describe writing out stories, and what made all of you love writing? submitted by /u/Rich_Music1640 [link] [comments]”
“Whether you’re mentally/physically exhausted or hit a block in not knowing how to progress your story how do you find the motivation to just sit there and keep going. I’m really really bad at just giving up for days when I hit a block like this. submitted by /u/TheSkullio [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I would like to share my journey with writing and then receive some feedback on ideas for what I could do. Writing seems to be a community and “popular”, but I have never been a huge reader or around any writers just fyi. I wrote a 100 pages book about one of my parents, a bibliography of their life written from my perspective where I digest my memories along with theirs. My therapist said I should become a writer etc and meant it. She read it all. I have always liked writing, and I write mo”
“Recently, I've been trying to flesh out some of my other characters in my book series, and I've been procrastinating fleshing out this guy for a bit, until a few days ago. It's been a bit difficult trying to create a compelling character when I only know his baseline personality traits, but I know he has potential. Fast forward a few days later, I think I'm getting somewhere! I got a couple ideas, wrote them down and some baseline stuff for him I know, and filled out fifty questi”
“So I’m a filmmaker, and I’ve been writing films I wanna make. There’s two films that I’m pretty passionate about. They both include a main female character. And I really want to get them right so that they don’t feel unwatchable. Here’s the gist for both characters… 1. The first female character is from a film I’m making that takes place in a fantasy fairytale esque nature world. It’s almost like Wizard of Oz, while having a 1980s fantasy movie style. The story is about a lonely guy who lives a”
“Im asking, because personally, I want to add my own personality traits into a character, but now that i've seen the reactions gooseworx got im not sure if thats a good idea. Whats your opinion? and if so how should it be executed? submitted by /u/Dapper-Athlete-4473 [link] [comments]”
“I'm currently writing the end-scene for my story, and it's supposed to be written in 1st POV. But I got a problem. How do I write a scene from character's dissociative-worldview? How does person perceive this state? I mean, what are tells, and what changes in the worldview and interpretation of things? The scene is happening after a death of another character, whom MC spent whole story looking for, before the objective changed from "Find this person" to "leave this tow”
“I’ve been trying hard to describe my book to people without giving away the plot. But every time I write my book blurb it’s either too stiff or too much detail. This is what I’ve been using thus far: Callie finds her self attracted to two men in a short period of time. Connecting with both of them on an emotional and physical level. However with recent wounds of her past reopened -and her as big debut as an artist approach’s- she feels torn by all the possibilities that lie ahead. With the uncer”
“I just finished up my latest book outline. I'm in my head about it because I'm going to try to write a book to traditionally publish as a personal challenge. I feel like the outline is good (at the moment at least!) but I'm going to take another look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. Do you outline? If you do, how many times do you fix it, change it, mull over it, etc before you start writing? Thanks! submitted by /u/WhatALongShot [link] [comments]”
“I don't know how to write. i genuinely just don't know how to do it. I want to write fanfiction, but I cannot do it without using artificial help (since this subreddit will not let me say that word) or anything like that. I don't know how to write anymore. I really just need help. I'm too old to be writing fanfics like I'm in first grade or without the help of artificial help. I don't know who to go to or what to do at all. I'm really just asking for help. I need help”
“Hello, first time posting. Lets get straight into it. I am working on a story. Setting in a fantasy world in the modern era. Following young Heroes, navigating a world where they questions what it mean to be a hero in the modern times. A short simplify version. I have two different approach on the story. Still the same, but take place on different point. Here is the approaches. Version one: We follow 15 years old Nathaniel Romulus. Attending his first year at Wings Academy, Training ground for f”
“I am not exactly sure it’s about writing as it is about the human psychology. But humor my thoughts for a second, and I think it’ll be interesting to get an author’s opinion on this. Realistically in a fictional setting, what’s the best order to describe the events in, such that it becomes believable. Here it goes: A fictional character has been abducted by aliens. Or perhaps worse, the government of United States Of America. It’s name. Is You. And in front of it are 3 chambers. You doesn’t know”
“I consider myself a pretty good writer. At least with the planning part. I can come up with amazing plots and engaging characters to go with it, but when it time to try and put things all together, I start panicking! I suddenly don't how it should start or how my main character should act towards others. And that's just my own original stories. I'm choking on fanfics too! I'm worried I'm not adding enough characters or focusing on the reader's life too much and not the ch”
“I'm writing a book about a group of teens (and adults) that are in a dystopian Zombie apocalypse. Here's one character I need help with: Name: Kairo Age: 17 Gender: non-binary Pronouns: any gender neutral pronouns, e.g they/them, xe/xem, ze/hir etc Cannon partner: a girl named Valencia Hobbies: cooking, baking, fighting, watching Valencia bicker with her best friend Idana, annoying their older sister Roobie Personality: introverted, perfectionist, shy when xe meet someone new, quietly ch”
“I have been journaling, my everyday life, but when I journal, I write it in a comedic tone but everything is what really happened and not exaggerated in the slightest, but people love it when I read them some of it. I get asked to share it all the time. So I have all these entries but I don’t know how to combine them all and make it a book. How do I do that without using the realism of it? I’ll show you some examples. July 5: of half asleep, I wake up to Jonah's mom coming in the house to wa”
“Hello everyone! I am currently working on writing a new book, and I have some questions that I’m hoping you all can help with. Context. My book is a lesbian YA romance set in the modern day. There are two characters with POVs, the MC and the love interest. The love interest gets less POVs but still has some influential chapters for herself. Here are the questions; - When you are reading a YA romance novel, do you prefer a first person POV or third? I’ve heard arguments for both, but what do you”
“Do you think my character as a kid need to get over they situation and act more mature about his situation I'm not asking to writer my story I'm asking for actually advice or criticism Context I'm planning on showing this character backstory amd showing him as kid. you see his have a very abusive mom that hates him and abandoned him in the world all by himself cause him to become a homeless poor kid. make things worse that people in the small town that be brutal alienation and discri”
“i have a general idea for a story. i have pretty intricate ideas for the setting, characters, and GENERAL plot points. however, i have almost no idea where this story or these characters should actually go, or how they should make it to their endings (which actually are pretty planned). i change things completely basically every month, i constantly have to take notes on new ideas or else i'll completely forget them and be really mad about it (adhd), i can't decide on what to do with a lo”
“A problem I have noticed in my own writing is that my sentences seem too stilted and disjointed. Maybe I'm being overly-critical of myself, but I feel like I try too hard with my sentences. I sometimes re-read what I wrote and find it could be written better to flow more, or that I could express it in a less clunky way. This may be personal bias, but I think I write better in first person than third person. For now, I'm not too concerned with getting better at imagery or descriptive lang”
“Does anyone else think the most blaring thing separating good, published works and the rest is that the characters and world feel real? So much seems to be said about 'good' writing, flowing prose etc. but for me the one thing that all novels have in common is that they have interesting, believable characters. They paint a world that has depth. It really doesn't matter if they have sentences that seem badly written, cheesy metaphors, whatever. I've noticed this when I pick up a n”
“I am still in highschool and therefore I dont have much experience in writing (I didn't write a book yet). I had created multiple ideas over time but for some reason they are difficult to elaborate since the story plays unnaturally in my head especially with the world and just seems random idk. But recently I have been getting ideas from my dreams and videogames that help make the elaboration process come to life. For example, I had an idea of making a story using Fortnite as the base of the”
“When I’m writing, moments between characters and dialogue is by far my favorite aspect of it. Even though world building is fun in my head, when I put it to paper I just get bored, it feels colder to me. Even when I frame it from the eyes of a character I who would have a reaction to it. submitted by /u/johndoe09228 [link] [comments]”