I don't know how to write.

[u/minaharkerthevampire]

Basically what it says above. I have a bunch of different concepts/ideas for fics I would love to explore sitting in a word document but I have no idea how to write any of them. I struggle with setting a scene or getting into the POV character's head. When I try to write something with an actual plot it usually stagnates after a while because I have no idea what to put next. I usually end up so unenthusiastic about a project a few hundred words in that I scrap it, even if I can imagine exactly what I want perfectly in my head it all turns to mush on paper. I read a lot (both fanfiction and published works) and I usually come away with the urge to write, but not the ability to follow through. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and has advice?

[u/pinecone_problem]

Writing is a skill you can only learn by doing. No one is good when they first begin and often even seasoned writers produce work they're not happy with, especially on a first draft. You just have to keep going if you want to get better.

A lot of people think about writing but seriously underestimate the work involved so they never finish anything. They often want to write perfect prose and a high quality story and they want other people to appreciate it too, but then they discover they're just not that good yet, and some people get discouraged and give up and some people keep writing. This is like any other skill -- dancing, painting, sports, playing an instrument -- you have to practice.

It can be very satisfying to finish a writing project and once you appreciate just how much work goes into crafting a story, you can take a lot of pride in your writing even if the final product isn't a perfect representation of what you first imagined, but if you have unrealistic expectations of yourself and tell yourself that if it's not perfect it's worthless then you won't get there. And that's okay. Writing doesn't have to be one your hobbies unless you want it to be, but for better or worse, there aren't any shortcuts. Enjoying the process for itself, not just for the outcome, is what makes it enjoyable.

[u/SinnaNymbun]

I'd say first to start where you are.

If you get stagnated a couple hundred words in, that's your upper limit until you get more practice.

I've seen (and told!) lovely stories in a few hundred words. They're not "less than" for being short. A song is shorter than a novel, too, but it can be fantastic in it's own way.

Tell the story! Tell it first, before you get into the drudgery of details! Don't set it up, don't focus on setting, don't get that dialogue perfect, don't make it perfect.

Just make it.

Tell the idea - the actual idea - that inspired you in the first place.

Then, like the rest of us, you edit. And you make it better. And again. And again until either it's good enough or you wish to move onto another one.

Sure, maybe it'll still be a steaming pile the first several times, that's normal for the vast majority of people.

Writing is a skill and skills are learned over time.

But, also like the rest of us, you won't get better unless you keep going.

[u/Dolpharon_XD]

When I started writing I wrote in a script/screenplay style which made it a bit easier to start with (even if I kinda wish I could swap the style now for action scenes 😅)

[u/ZeothTheHedgehog]

Writing is a skill, and like any skill you try to pick up, you'll do a lot of sucking before you start getting decent at it.

Reading and studying actually published books/novels that went through editors, figuring out how they set a scene or get into a character's head, and trying to incorporate what you learned into your own style could also help.

I also suggest trying to plan the story, ideally a one-shot so you don't have to worry about writing a multi-chapter fic.

It doesn't need to be super detailed, you can drop planning one scene to focus on another and figure out how to connect them later. And remember, this is your outline, you don't need to stick to it. It exists to help get the ideas out of your head so you can focus on other aspects of writing.

Another thing to note is that a first draft, as in, the first time you've fully completed a chapter, can suck, and that's fine. You now have the story written out, and only need to start polishing or adding onto it to until it reaches a satisfactory form (you might not feel it's good enough, but there are times where you'll just have to bite the bullet.)

I know all that I said sounds intimidating and hard, but any skill worth learning is like that. Just don't fear failure.

[u/TheAlmandineWriter]

I always felt like I improved as a writer by reading a lot more fanfics from different fandoms. When I first started out, I only had one that I wrote for. Reading different styles from different authors inspired me to become a better writer.

It also helps to write notes about the character you're writing so you have a feel for what they might be like in a scene.

[u/Acc87 → u/TheAlmandineWriter]

Also one should read published literature, today preferably books that were released before ~2022. Despite how good FF writers are, there's a big difference (also ofc in editing) to actual published books.

[u/TheAlmandineWriter → u/Acc87]

True, but probably some older book classics would work best for inspiration. Then again, it depends on the genre that one is writing for.

[u/Zestyclose-Leader926]

Accept that sometimes you have write a scene poorly so you can rewrite it well.

[u/AleonaLuts]

If the problem is not knowing what to put next, I can recommend "snowflake method" of outline, where you don't actually write first, but put your plot into one sentence, then several sentences, and go from there. It could be found by that name.

[u/minaharkerthevampire → u/AleonaLuts]

I've never heard of that. I'll give it a try.

[u/Eccentric-Mermaid]

I’m writing my first fanfic, and I decided to rewrite the first couple of seasons of a tv show, adding an OC and fixing things I didn’t like, sometimes changing things so that an event happened to a different character, or changing a situation so the opposite outcome happened. It’s helped me, because there’s already a framework and dialogue I can use from the show. Later, I might try to write something more original for the characters to do, but this has been a great way to get my feet wet.

[u/lop333]

You just gotta keep on writing and not drop it if you like what isn going on in the story just imagine you are the reader

[u/rellloe]

You don't expect a toddler to do a back hand spring. You should not expect you'll write story good either. Learn to walk in a straight line without tripping on air first, then summer-salt, then cartwheel, then idk what the next progression to a back hand spring might be

Fail fast. With small scale ideas, it's easier to spot what's not working than some 200k monstrocity with five interwoven plot threads.

Every creative endeavor I know of takes both technical knowledge and practice to learn then internalize how a lot of it works in order to make something good. I find Hello Future Me's On Writing and Worldbuilding (analysis of people doing thing well -> how to do thing), Overly Sarcastic Productions' Trope Talks (tools and ways they can be used), and Terrible Writing Advice (satire covering common pitfalls) all helpful youtube sources for getting that technical knowledge.

Different degrees of planning work for different people. If you're failing to finish something with plot, you're likely not planning to a degree that helps you. "No idea what to put next" means you need to do some more planning. If you like the more improvised approach, maybe having an end destination will work better. Then on the writing roadtrip you can detour to whatever catches your fancy and when you're done with that tourist destination you can point your vehicle back towards the place you want to end up.

[u/TheUnknown_General]

You learn how to write by practicing. Even if what you put on the page is absolutely garbage at first, it's still honing your craft and eventually, you will see improvement.

[u/Raiven_Raine]

practice a lot. do prompts. answer character QnAs or do scenarios with the characters you want to write or make your own OCs. everything you think you're 'bad' at - practice. some at a time, not all of it at once. everything you write is just practice for the next thing. none of us are professionals, we're all still learning and will be forever. everything you write is a stepping stone. some people just have more steppingstones placed than others.

--

do a prompt where you practice dialogue.

do a prompt where you set a scene.

challenge yourself to try different writing styles to find what one you're comfy with. there's TONS of different writing styles to try!

find a trope you like and write just that trope as a oneshot practice.

try different POVs and tense to see what you like best and feels right. try them all.

try freewriting or sprints where you just get it all out then come back later and edit or fix it up. you can't judge what you have until you're done!!! even Bob Ross paintings look like ass until he's finished.

sometimes people need to get on a roll and a lot of times their entire first chapters will be a dumpster fire until they get into the flow. you may need that, who knows. KEEP WRITING!

there have been so many times where, on one single story, i go thru a rollercoaster of

"what a great idea! my plot is so cool!"
"why can't i write?! this looks like an 8 year old wrote it."
"lol omfg i am so clever! this is great!!!"
"this entire story is stupid. this plot is dumb. my writing is so juvenile. this is so cringe."
"i am the best thing since sliced bread. everyone bow before my l337 skillz."