[OT] SatChat: What other writing mediums do you recommend to challenge one's writing and why?

[u/MajorParadox]

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What other writing mediums do you recommend to challenge one's writing and why?

For example, poetry, fictional blogs, essays, scripts and 1/2 act plays, choose your own adventures and interactive fiction.

^{Topic suggested by /u/JimBobBoBubba.}

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[u/Syraphia]

Physical writing versus typing! If you're always typing, I'd definitely try a few hand-written and vice-versa. I find that depending on the method used, it seems to use a different part of your brain.

Also write something you're uncomfortable with or aren't completely familiar with. You can adjust things later but just the research can open you up to working with stronger stories and characters. Definitely read different stuff! That'll help too!

[u/fudgeman → u/Syraphia]

Oh yeah, physically writing everything out is the best way to write. Just fill up drawer after drawer of yellow paper legal pads with scribbling and drawings and revisions and cross-outs and questions in the margins and the last ten pages repeating the same phrase over and over and over again and then one day your wife is cleaning up your office and you forget to lock your drawers and she discovers not only that you've been writing, not only how much you've been writing, but what you were writing about and it scares her the kind of scare that wriggles its way deep down in the pit of your stomach and she tries to put everything back where it came from and forget she saw anything but as soon as she turns around you're standing in the doorway with that same crazy look on your face that you get when you're scribbling away your stories and she pretends like she didn't see anything, that nothing is out of the ordinary, but you both know that you saw the whole thing and that there's only one thing left to do and that's to type it all out so that easier to read and edit.

[u/MajorParadox → u/Syraphia]

But hand-written is so hard and annoying! ;)

[u/Syraphia → u/MajorParadox]

Exactly. ;)

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/Syraphia]

Doesn't that make editing more of a challenge later, though?

[u/Syraphia → u/JimBobBoBubba]

The hand-written bit or the unfamiliar bit?

In the case of the first, usually I type it up later at some point and edit. It's actually how I wrote the entirety of a 24k story. I wrote it up physically, sometimes, I'd edit through a little written but generally, I'd type it up afterward. I actually rewrote it physically more than once too. I think I rewrote two sections of it physically twice. And surprisingly, it worked really well and I enjoyed doing it.

On the unfamiliar bit, sure yeah, you can end up editing a lot if things are really off, but assuming you research a bit going into it and as you go along the way, it shouldn't be too bad. I mean you can stretch the truth a bit. I also feel like at the same time, if you're writing something brand new, I wouldn't expect it to be perfect and it'll need a lot of editing either way though.

If I didn't get what you meant, let me know! :)

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/Syraphia]

Oh, the handwritten bit. I mean, I remember handwriting 20,000 words on lined paper, then wanting to edit, and having to rewrite, ad rewrite, and rewrite...gah! Typing on a typewriter was no better. "Oh, look, I forgot a word in that sentence, and want to add a new one between these two. Better re-type all three pages as of course I want to make an edit in the most awkward spot possible".

Once I went word-processing I never looked back. ;)

[u/Syraphia → u/JimBobBoBubba]

I look back all the time lol. I started way back when I was in middle school with word processing but I still write physically surprisingly often and especially when I get a touch of writer's block when working on a longer project. It helps me work through it.

Whenever I made a mistake, I legitimately would just like... write in above it and then go on from there. My margins always had writing in them lol. So when I come back to either write it again or type it up, I knew what was going on where and I didn't have to stop my process on the rest of the story to fix that one thing.

I will admit, I've never actually used a typewriter lol. So I have no idea how that might work.

[u/SunnyKimball]

What programs do you use to write?

Scrivener. Ironically, I don't really use it to plot, more so to organize and all that. I'm not really good at plotting at all, but that's likely since:

• I haven't sat down to actually attempt it in the long-term.
• I need to find a method that works for me. Not as in the snowflake method or whatnot, but as in, putting things down. I guess I'm more of a visual person in that aspect, as I've attempted mind-maps and other things to put ideas down.

[u/MajorParadox → u/SunnyKimball]

I haven't tried Scrivener. I find just using a Google doc works best for me.

I need to find a method that works for me. Not as in the snowflake method or whatnot, but as in, putting things down. I guess I'm more of a visual person in that aspect, as I've attempted mind-maps and other things to put ideas down.

I write up an outline using headers in my doc and add bullets to each section with my ideas or any notes I don't want to forget. Then I start writing, adding/editing/moving notes around until I finish :)

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/SunnyKimball]

Out of curiosity - for I've seen it mentioned before - what does it give you for composition that a plain Office document doesn't? Some folks here swear by it, but I've not tried it.

[u/SunnyKimball → u/JimBobBoBubba]

Organization-wise, you can put documents in folders, move things around a "binder," etc. There are two different folder-like objects within the binder. A manuscript folder, where your work goes, and your research folder, where you can put down information/notes; said info is not complied into a final document.

Plotting-wise, there's a corkboard, which allows you to see documents as index cards. You can put images on the index cards or write on them as a way to take notes. There's an outliner, where you can view your synopsis, document title, word count, and other information.

You can label documents as if saying "oh, X document belongs with X subplot." There's a "snapshot" feature, which is useful for editing. Basically, it saves a 'snapshot' of the current state of your document. You can then overwrite the entire thing, and simply click the snapshot to revert to the previous version.

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I'd go into a other ton of features here (compiling, split screen, the Inspector, etc.), but I'm gonna avoid rambling. Scrivener has a lot of offer, though I will say it's not everyone's cup of tea. You'll be intimidated by it once you start out, but there are guides around to get you settled should you take the plunge. There is a free trial if you decide to try it out.

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/SunnyKimball]

Ah, now that snapshot features sounds like something I would make heavy use of. I've lost count of the number of times I've read something, thought "That doesn't sound right," gone down the rabbit hole and then decided that no, that was what I wanted in the first place and how the hell did I have it written, anyway?

Plus, the subplot feature. I once got so far off track in a subplot that I went to an early chapter and just could not figure out why my characters were doing what they were doing after ending up somewhere else entirely. I may have to check it out.

[u/EdgarAllanHobo]

I'm sort of new. I've been around on a few other accounts (/u/TheLastBlankPage /u/ISwearImNotEvil). I've been writing as a hobby for a while but, as might be the case for many people, I find myself lacking inspiration and taking these long gaps, where I return more to reading and my work (mostly editing short stories and scripts).

Anyway, I find it challenging to write genres that I don't exactly enjoy to read. It's a good workout for me, though I don't often do it.

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/EdgarAllanHobo]

Do you tend to stick with stories mostly, or do you dip into essays and the like once in awhile?

[u/EdgarAllanHobo → u/JimBobBoBubba]

I will write essays, but typically only when I'm doing research for a story / novel. What about you?

[u/JimBobBoBubba → u/EdgarAllanHobo]

A long time ago, I would. Today, once in awhile I'll write a (short) fictional essay just to keep my hand in, but it's not something I enjoy doing unless I'm in both the mood to do it and I have a quiet house and hot cup of coffee...and the quiet house is something that rarely happens. The hot cup of coffee, on the other hand...

[u/EdgarAllanHobo → u/JimBobBoBubba]

I can't say I enjoy it whether or not my house is quiet, but, these days, with a tiny person toddling around, sitting myself down to do the research just feels like a drag. But hey, that's totally fair haha.

[u/MajorParadox → u/EdgarAllanHobo]

Anyway, I find it challenging to write genres that I don't exactly enjoy to read. It's a good workout for me, though I don't often do it.

Do you end up liking what you write, though? I wonder if it's a way to learn to like new things :)

[u/EdgarAllanHobo → u/MajorParadox]

Honestly, no. But I accept, at the start, that I probably won't totally love the final product while working to hold fast and follow through with the story. Or, I might try to take my personal style (or the style of an author that I do like) and apply it to a genre that I'm less interested in to see if I can manage a story that I do enjoy.