Hot Word on Reddit - March 30

This is the Good Friday, an important date for many. Happy Easter!

Here are some hot topics going on right now in the writing communities on Reddit, so be sure to check it out!

• Here's a great resource and writing camp for people of color! Prentice Penny (showrunner for 'Insecure') is setting up a free writing camp for writers of color
• A writing contest based in Europe! 400 word story comp. £400 prize. Entry fee waived for 'marginalised & disadvantaged communities, or anyone suffering from economic hardship'
• A Fantasy writer is wondering how to write natural-sounding idioms that are not set on Earth: You know those interesting fantasy idioms and exclamations, akin to the things we say in the real world? How can I create them?
• Where do internet writers go to connect with other writers? Interesting article: Why Did Fans Flee LiveJournal, and Where Will They Go After Tumblr? My money's on Wattpad. Do you agree? Where would they go instead?

Hot Word on Reddit - March 29

Besides it being the 29th Month Birthday of my daughter, today's a another great day for the writing community on Reddit!

• When you plot out your story, How do you make an outline!? I personally do the 4-part story structure where I think of the First Plot Point, pinch points, mid-point, and the Second Plot point. This helps me keep the whole story as a big picture to help direct my characters.
• Do you need a word of encouragement? Look no further than Cinematographer Steve Bernstein on being proud of what you make, no matter what it is
• Want something a little different to read? Pre-20th Century memoirs on expeditions / travel / war might be right up your alley?
• When you write for Kindle, how often should you publish and what kind of stories should they be (short fiction vs long-form novels)? Kindle - Pumping books out vs. polishing one book (quantity vs. quality)

First Word on Reddit - March 27

Here are some of the topics that are hot in the writing communities of Reddit. As always, we will start off with the hottest writing prompt!

• [Writing Prompt] You die, become a ghost, decided to explore space, and then you met a ghost of an alien.
• A poignant question to ask yourself, Why do you write fiction? Join in the discussion!
• Who gets the credit? If TV shows are written by staffs, why is there usually only one to two writers listed as “Written By”?
• Do you like horror? Look for some great suggestions in here: Horror Book suggestions? Your top 10

How not to be a writer: Write boring, static, and flat characters

what draws readers into a book? Is it the setting? Nah. The plot? It helps, but not quite. Characters? you betcha!

Who wants to read a story where the character isn't challenged to act, isn't going to change, or reacts to every event without taking action latter on in the story?

But the big thing to keep in mind when coming up with a compelling character is to write them compellingly. You might come up with the most compelling character ever, but can you write it in an interesting way? Watch how your voice in the story conveys the character you came up with.

Look for other resources on this topic in a Reddit thread that inspired this post:

IMO people get too caught up in coming up with compelling concepts they completely forget about writing compelling characters. What resources are helpful in that area?

Writing the First Word - March 9

Here is the last one before the weekend! I hope you are enjoying some insights into the writing communities on Reddit. That said, I want to mention that I am also writing a story on Wattpad. I invite you to check it out and provide some input on how the story is developing!

On to some hot threads on Reddit today:

• Thursday Theme prompt: [TT] the world follows RPG mechanics such as stats. Your LUCK is so abysmal it is currently 0... but after a glitch lowers it, by one point below the threshold, it switches to 255. This thread got popular after being posted yesterday. You normally don't see these kind of prompts skyrocket to the front page of writing communities. It's a fun one with some great responses as always!
• Six word story of the day: Study, study, study, study, study, C-
• /An interesting question: What do you say instead of the word "society"? My freshman comp 101 professor told us that if anyone used the word "society" in their papers, they would automatically get an F. Do you know and hate any other vague terms and try not to use them in writing?
• A questin for the authors: How do you interact with your readers? Me personally, I am using Wattpad to more directly interact with my readers. With many years of using FanFiction.net, and other fan fiction communities, I've found that I enjoy having this dialogue while writing a story. It reduces the echochamber that is my mind!

Writing the First Word on Reddit - March 8

There are some great discussion and prompts happening today!

• Hot prompt to try your hand at: [WP] At a young age you were abducted by aliens and raised in an alien zoo. Now with a change in management, the zoo is trying to readjust you so they can release you back into the "wilds" of earth.
• If you aren't sure what to do next when you finished writing, here's a great discussion: I finally finished. Now what?
• A six-word story that inspires some deep thinking: "Nobody ever asks, 'Who's actually Waldo?' "
• Are you new to writing short stories? Here's a discussion on what to avoid. What are common flaws in the short stories of novice writers?

Writing the First Word on Reddit - March 7

Here's today's word on Reddit in the writing communities!

Hot prompt: [WP]"This is how it works," Death explained. "You pick the game and we play. Cheating is allowed, but if either one of us is caught by the other, they lose. If you win, you'll wake up back in the hospital and I'll give you another 10 years. If you lose then it's time for judgement. Understood?"

A great prompt! I'd probably pick Go Fish. Can't really cheat at that game, can you? Unless you deal, I suppose.

Dragoning intensifies! Rule 2 is suspended for THIS THREAD ONLY. Post all the stupid dragon related memes you want.

Bring out your love for dragons in the thread.

Hot thread on a writer sharing their set-up of characters in a story:

I asked my girlfriend with a Masters in Anthropology to ask me 20 questions about my fictional world.

Popular six-word story--the title is the story: God is Love; Love is Blind.

Hot Recommendation-request for book/series: Looking for books about sea adventures and/or swashbuckling pirates!

I suggested reading the Bloody Jack series. It's a great one, and I've re-read it many times, like Harry Potter's re-readability. The first book's English is off-putting, but she gets better at speaking in the next book. There's a reason for that.

Writing the First Word on Reddit - March 6

I will be doing this serial on Tuesdays-Fridays and not Saturdays-Mondays. On those days, I will curate and evaluate the happenings that's going on in the writing communities of Reddit. I hope you enjoy and learn from these threads!

Hot writing prompt of the day: [WP] "So let me get this straight" The former UFC fighter looked at the doctor in the eye. "You want to put me in a medically induced coma so my ghost can beat the shit out of the ghost that's haunting the psych ward of the hospital? "Uhh... If you want to put it like that, sure."

This is an interesting prompt! As usually accompanies these popular prompts, there are some great stories in response.

Infographic on meaning of colors for worldbuilding:

[Visual] The /r/WorldBuilding "I know what colors mean" Starter Pack

Humorous, but inspiration and resource guide for using colors and elements in your story.  There's also some great discussion happening in the comments. Particularly how cultural colors vary from place to place. For example, white doesn't always mean purity.

Seeking advice for a writer: Looking for advice - writing ~1800 era fantasy story

The summarized question of this writer is asking if anyone will be interested in a niche fantasy that isn't in 'popular demand' such as medieval or urban fantasy. Personally, you should still write the story, and it may be compelling enough to win an agent who will champion your story. In my experience, it seems that it is the stories that are in 'niche' genre that gets a lot of attention from the masses.

Writing: The First Word on Reddit

For today's hot threads, there are some good ones!

Popular writing prompt of the day: [WP] It worked! You travelled back in time to Renaissance Age. Jokingly, you turn on your Wi-Fi, only to find a password protected network named "iɔniV ɒᗡ"

The top story response rated in the prompt had a nice twist. I wanted to laugh out loud!
 And there are some other great responses as well like cracking passwords.

Popular thought-provoking question: If you knew for sure that no one was ever going to read your work, would you still write?

Personally, I would still write, perhaps the material, things I write would be very different. A la journaling like I used to journal in the past when I could see what I wrote. I don't journal anymre thought. I write now because I want to bring the worlds I dream up into existence, and perhaps for the enjoyment by others.

Writing Resource of the day: How to Write Tension: Breaking Down the Prom Scene from Carrie [RESOURCE]

This one is a video and I have not had an opportunity to view it--I watch videos like once a month since I don't want to deal with trying to understand what someone is saying due to hearing loss. However, there's one comment indicating that it is an awesome video. So perhaps I'll watch it this weekend.

Asking for ideas: How could I rename times of day (morning, evening, etc.) in a world with no day-night cycle?

This is actually a good question, and applies to my worldbuilding in a story I'm writing--in a way. Sun still rises, but the days are reversed. Some really great discussion in the thread.

What's your take?

New series: Writing - The First Word on Reddit

This will be a new series of short articles on what is happening in the writing communities of Reddit. I hope this will both inspire and help you as a writer.

Hot Writing Prompt: There is a writing prompt that is sure to inspire you to write a story! The popular story written in response to the prompt is about a 16 year old princess wanting to visit the village and the dragon says no. It's a cute story and I can easily imagine Disney creating a movie out of it.

You're a powerful dragon that lived next to a small kingdom. For centuries you ignored humanity and lived alone in a cave, and the humans also avoided you. As the kingdom fell to invaders, a dying soldier approaches you with the infant princess, begging you to take care of her.

Link

Hot story discussion: Got into a disagreement about Lord of the Rings? You have an excellent rebuttal. This thread has a lot of interesting discussion going on.

I figured out that you can claim anything you want about LotR, and if someone disputes it all you have to do is say, "Have you read the Silmarillion?"

Link

Hot thread: Worldbuilding subreddit

This showcases a redditor alowisius_tandplak's love of creating (per the reditor) and worldbuilding. It's a scary creature he's created that lives in both salt- and fresh-water. Check his work out!

Link

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I hope you enjoyed today's First Word on Reddit! Feedback is appreciated. I gather these popular threads via the multi-reddit I curated here.