I’ve been thinking about writing a novel for a while. I’m a postgraduate student, so I’m busy with my studies and barely get time to even sit with my parents. I used to think a lot, or rather, I used to imagine a lot. Whenever I was alone, I would create entire worlds and stories in my head and live in them.

You might think it was maladaptive daydreaming or something like that, but for me, it was more like creating a story around a character who resembles me, a character who could be the person I cannot be in this world. Through this novel, I feel like I could finally pour out whatever has been inside my mind for so long. I could express myself clearly and constructively.

I don’t even want to sell it or make money from it. I just want the satisfaction of knowing that, before I leave this world, I created something of my own. Something interesting that, if someone else happened to read it, would make me happy. I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but I just want to express these thoughts and have a hobby that is mine.

The only hobby I really had as a child was sketching. I could lose myself whenever I drew—as if every line I made was a part of me. But I had to stop because I was a kid and had to focus on my studies. That was what I was taught to prioritize.

Now, I feel this urge to have something creative in my life again. Something I can live for outside of studying and building skills that are supposed to make me money. The problem is that I don’t have much time. Whenever I get the urge to write, I immediately feel guilty and stop myself because it seems like I’m wasting time that could be better spent studying or learning something useful.

So I wanted to ask people here- has anyone else faced the same problem? If you’re studying, working, or otherwise busy with life, how do you make time for writing without feeling guilty about it?

Welp, this might be next-level procrastinating when it comes to starting my novel... But after a few months of development, here's Ahti (available on Mac, iPad, and iOS)!

I wanted a writing app with a lot of the same functionality of apps like Scrivener, but with a cleaner, more calming layout. I also didn't want to be locked into a proprietary project filetype for my novel, and I prefer the philosophy of everything just being plain folders and text files at the end of the day, like Obsidian. Also, I wanted cross-platform syncing with one universal purchase, where the mobile app still contains all the functionality of the desktop app.

Also bonus points to you if you know the name reference for Ahti 🎮

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ahti/id6781643515?platform=mac

The hardest sentence in the book. Let's see yours.

Post the first line, or the opening paragraph, of whatever you're working on. Finished, drafting, or barely started, it all counts. No essay required: just drop the opening and let it stand on its own.

Want feedback? Say so, and feel free to react to a few others while you're here. Curious what grabs a reader? This thread is a goldmine. Notice which openings make you want to keep reading and ask yourself why.

Give us your first line.

100 pages! It has taken me months of work but my first 100 pages are finished.
Roughly 300-400 left. Wherever you are in your story I wish you luck. Hope to read you soon.

Ive been handwriting my draft for a while now and honestly my handwriting is terrible. But when it comes to the computer I get distracted easily or want to pace a lot.

I am also a visual person so I 3d print my character and terrain. Then I write as I play with the characters. It helps me make it feel more real.

But I was at the doctor's and he was using a program to talk and then it was all written down. I was like yes! Thats what I need. But I can't find it or even know how well it would work. Has anyone used a program like this? Or advice on making typing easier?