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

.:.:.

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.

How not to be a writer #19: Don't participate in NaNoWriMo

Everyone is different, and some writers don't want to participate in writing events or challenges. That's fine. The purpose of naNoWriMo is to help writers have a deadline and a goal, and establish a habit that will be the building blocks of their writing career, or solidify their existing ones.

Case in point, if you don't want to be writing consistently, and don't want help in establishing a habit and a routine, then don't bother trying NaNoWriMo 2017.

I've been doing NaNoWriMo since 2004, a vet. I didn't do it every year, but I did the first 7 years in a row, until life took over. Then I did it every other year.

I would love to do it this year, but I have a WIP story in progress, and per NaNoWriMo rules, you need to be writing a whole new story from the beginning. Right now, I'm at 25k words, and my goal is to write 80k words. That means I have 55,000 words left, and NaNoWriMo's challenge is 50k words in 30 days... so, I COULD join in and be a NaNoRebel. But naw, I'll be there in spirit.

Are you going to join in?

Structuring your Story

All stories have structure, or they would be confusing or boring.

To help you write your story, I recommend reading the blog series on storyfix.com. It's a great read, and I suggest you study it in depth. Once done, you can try the following spreadsheet I'm going to use to drafting new stories for me to write. Whether this is for a short story or a series of books.

The first column below is where the structural point is located in the story. The last two columns are to jot down your answers as well as the outline notes.

I've also added two more places to put your thoughts in: Beginning and Conclusion.

Feel free to snag it and put it in a spreadsheet or word document!

Location	Structure Points	Ask these questions	Story's answers	Outline Notes
0%	Pre-Plot Point	Where does the story begin?
20-25%	First plot point	What changes the stakes for the main character? What will be the result or consequence if it's not taken cared of?
33-40%	1st Pinch Point	What event reminds the character about the stakes? The character is usually reacting, lying low, training, etc
45-55%	Mid-point (revelation)	What new thing that completely changes the story? A truth about the stakes or the narrative
55-65%	2nd Pinch Point	What second event reminds the character about the stakes? Charcter is usually ready to take on the stakes
75-80%	Second Plot Point	What event is requiring the character to give their life for? Literally or otherwise
90%	Conclusion	How does the story end?

My thoughts about the status of my writing these days

As you've no doubt noticed, I've got a gap in history in my blog. That's part of my journey as a writer, and I will leave it as that, a chronicle. The big reason for such a big gap is bcause of the birth of my daughter. Becoming a parent will do that to you. I tried to continue writing while she was an infant.

Being a nursing mom 24/7, that's basically impossible. Not to mention that a certain nephew destroyed my computer monitor, so I couldn't use my computer regularly. Exxcuse my language, but fuck that guy.

Regardless of such a gap, I'm trying harder than ever to get back into writing regularly. I'm happy to say that I am at day 6 of my unbroken streak in writing my story I'm working on!

So, here's to many, many more session. I may even hope to participate in NaNoWriMo again.

Regards,
New mom since 2015, Wrimo since 2004

How not to be a writer #9: Don't read, TV will do it for you

TV is a great source of inspiration and storytelling elements to be used in stories we write. They are also a great source for how to write stories. Wait, what?

Television--whether it's on your TV proper or an internet channel like YOuTube, will never equate to writing in the sense that it doesn't show you sentence structure on a page. The word choices to describe a setting, an emotion. Writing digs in deeper than any shows ever can.

So, sure, watch some TV, but reading is much more important for writing as it will help lend a hand in shaping your style of writing. Only watch television if you're writing screenplays.

Otherwise, stick to reading stories.

How not to be a writer #18: Pass on your writing to someone else

In the last post, How not to be a writer #16, we covered routine. I mentioned in passing that you could pass on your writing if it is taking up too much of your effort.

Well, you do need yto put the effort in.

As writers, we can't pass the writing on to someone else unless you're doing ghost writing, in which case, that's different. The main thing is, your writing are your OWN words, your own ideas, our own style. No one else can do that for you.

End of discussion.

How not to be a writer #17: Don't be consistent in where you write

Humans are, for the most part, reliant on habits to form their daily routines. That's why infants and toddlers do well when there's a set routine so they know what to expect next. For us adults (and teens), when we have such routines, then it's easier to get things done without much effort.

So, if we want to always put so much effort into completing something we don't want to do, then it will never become a habit as we continually try different ways of tackling the undesireable tasks. And perhaps hopefully pass it on to someone else. More on that in the next post.

Anyway, not having a routine requires a lot more effort to get things done because we have to think about it.

Set a time every day. Set a place, and go there to write and nothing else. Well, little else. YOur desk has your computer, and computer is more than just writing, but you know what I mean.

Develop a routine, and you'll get a lot of writing done. Today, I am happy to say that I finally have a desk and a computer chair today! It is so good to be sitting properly and not in an armchair. I can write so much more. So, think writing from your armchair is nice? It's not all cracked up to be. So make sure you consider the location of where you write when you do your routine.

How not to be a writer #16: Don't aim for 10,000 hours of writing time.

Writing is not something you want to do if you don't want to take the time to write. To remain a mediocre writer, practice writing less than one hour a week.

There's some studies and analysis out there that show  who are masters at something have amassed at least 10,000 hours of practice time. That's about an hour and half a day for 19 years. 3 hours in less than ten years.

You have to be truly dedicated to what you want to do, because you're in it for the long haul. Write, edit, read. Though, for the most part, reading isn't counted towards that 10,000 hours of writing time, especially if you are not actively analyzing the book you're reading.

Practice one hour a week is 10,000 weeks, and by that time, you're dead. 192 years year old masters don't exist.

How not to be a writer #15: Always use passive voice

Do you want to illustrate a life of a character as boring? Illustrate his life in passive tense. Don't heighten action with verbs first and nouns last.

Use nouns first then action. Then you're on the right track to having a monotonous story.

How not to be a writer #14: Don't play with words

I've been reading J.K. Rowling's new books from Pottermore. Reading some of them gave me insight into her thoughts about the wizarding world she built. It's beautiful.

And some of that magic came from her playing with words, whether its to combine two foreign words into one (how she came up with Azkaban) is ingenious. It's really inspired me to start playing with words.

So, if you don't want to be a writer, stop playing with them. Don't stretch outside of your limited knowledge of what words can do for your stories.

How not to be a writer # 13: Literally only what you know

So, your day job is a software engineer? Great! Let's write a story about a man who goes to work and create the most amazing app for the smartphones. And the story would contain lines and lines of code from various stages of work in progress versions.

Nobody is going to read that,except in a computer science classroom.

Writing what you know means drawing from the life experience in your life. How do you eat? How do you express emotions? How do you live life? We put these experiences into stories ranging from the historical fiction to the high fantasy. None of which we could never experience but in our imagination.


So, don't write in a literal sense.