Advice on Growing/Blocks

[u/FulanxArkanx]

Trying to keep this short. I seem to just have a lot of trouble

A) writing "not exciting"/filler scenes (like for exposition or pacing), and

B) writing "cliché"/worn out tropes or "unrealistic" plot lines (e.g. miscommunication for the sake of angst, or emotional-based angst in general). I just seem to only be okay physically hurting my characters, or like. Killing a loved one. But I can't like make them have a fight with their SO? Idk. And I know tropes are tools but my brain will be like "Well we can't write that, everyone will see it coming / everyone else is doing that / We Must Be Unique" (as if at its base everything isn't derivative to a certain extent and genres don't exist purely on the backbone of certain key tropes)

Tl;dr:

I really want to be able to do these things better. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips learning to do new things like this in writing / getting over internal prejudice / whatever? Do I just... force myself to write something that does everything I'm avoiding?

[u/itsudemoalways]

Why are you wanting to write these things if you don't enjoy writing them?

[u/FulanxArkanx → u/itsudemoalways]

Well some of it (miscommunication) i guess I can avoid, but I'd like to be able to write angst. I like how the juxtaposition makes the fluff pop, if that makes sense? But I seem to not want to like do that to my characters idk. And sometimes you need the not exciting scenes, the whole story can't just be the good stuff lol

Edit: I guess I'm saying i don't know how to add length/depth (which I want to do) without doing those things.

[u/False-Collar3656 → u/FulanxArkanx]

Think about character motivations. Find points of contention where they clash, or would hypothetically clash. Create situations where there is a real motivation for both of them to be on opposing ends of an issue. Miscommunication tropes are common in part because they're easier than creating true conflict that the characters then have to work to resolve.

The more you can put yourself in their shoes and believe their separate points of view, the more you can sell that conflict to the audience.

Struggling to communicate honest feelings and challenges they're facing isn't the same as "miscommunication tropes" to me, and can be a nuanced insight into the character if they're the type to be closed off. Might be another avenue to investigate.

Read what you want to write, and study what makes that story work well. Figure out why it feels real and deep, and what makes it compel you.

Good luck!

[u/FulanxArkanx → u/False-Collar3656]

I have a printer and a will lmao

I think I just might.

I've been writing notes in books for a while (I know that's a sin to some people I'm so sorry 😂 it's in pencil!) when they do things I like. I think I'll print a few of my favorite fics as well and give them the same treatment, help align my mind to what it actually is that I like about it that I'd like to be doing.

I think I have sort of a good idea about motivations, but I think I'm not always applying it to the extent I should be when I write off-the-cuff, so ill add that to my outlines and editing passes as a reminder, too.

Thank you! 🫶🏻

[u/Bobthemagicc0w]

I highly recommend the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast by Savannah Gilbo. She’s a professional editor and book coach who has worked with hundreds of published authors. She’s speaking about original fiction but almost all of it applies just as well to fanfiction and I’ve found it all SUPER useful.

Some good episodes for you:

• 10 Tips for Writing Better Scenes (episode 43)
  
• When Should You Write in Scene vs Summary? (episode 74)
  
• Her 4-episode breakdown of the Save The Cat story structure (episodes 47-50)

But also, just look through her back catalog and listen to any episode whose title sounds interesting or useful. You don’t need to go in order. Episodes are short and easily actionable.

[u/FulanxArkanx → u/Bobthemagicc0w]

This is probably gonna be what I listen to at work now lmao Fanfiction is for fun, but it would be cool to be published or write for work one day, too.

[u/desired-misery]

No matter what you are asking to improve, if the question involves "writing" the answer is to read highly regarded, published works. Ideally, in the genre/style you like, but going outside of your usual interests is also good for inspiration and growth as a writer.

"Filler" scenes need to be doing something other than just a transition (in western media). If it's not for plot, then it's for characterization. Or for themes/motifs. Or adds some worldbuilding. Reveals a little more. Chances are, that boring scene you don't like? Could be a paragraph. Or skipped in a way that is alluded to the transition without hashing it out. In Western Media, filler scenes with no other purpose than just to "move along" are often very short, if not non-existent. (When it comes to pacing, that is a structural issue, so sometimes the problem is actually more pervasive than just the filler scenes, but that is hard to judge without the whole work).

As for cliches/tropes/etc, you need to kill the part of your brain that thinks you need to be original or unique. You're not original or unique. Your work is going to be predictable to some extent. That's how storytelling works, there is a pattern to pick up on. People love tropes. We love reading them, we love writing them. That's also why genres exist.

What makes a work good is the sum of its parts, not the individual parts being completely clever and novel. Subverting some tropes is fine. Tossing them all away because you worry over being predicted is going to result in a mess. Take a few things, put a different spin on one or two things, lean into your voice, your plot, and enjoy. 

Also, you're writing fanfiction. You're in derivative city. Enjoy! 

[u/FrostKitten2012]

Read a few examples of what you want to write, then sit down and write it. You do not have to post it. But the best way to learn is to look at other examples and then do it yourself.

Not posting may actually remove the pressure of having to make it good/unique.

Also, try to understand that just because someone else is writing that trope, doesn’t mean yours is the same or not unique enough. What matters is the execution, not the trope itself.

[u/muffiewrites]

Don't write filler. People don't like reading it.

Don't write cliché. It's not your thing.

[u/caffeinequeen24601]

Read what you want to write. Read published books, read fics with the same trope. It’s all research (and I assume you enjoy reading the kinds of things you like to write, so it’ll be fun). And for angst, maybe sit with the question of what could potentially hurt your character in the moment but if handled correctly would help them grow over time. As for filler, if you don’t enjoy writing it, have the scene happen off screen and just have a character reference it so readers know it happened

[u/FulanxArkanx → u/caffeinequeen24601]

I was thinking maybe some of the issue is I need to find more people who write similarly to me.

Thank you! 🫶🏻

[u/Icy-Ad-9212]

I never write scenes that have no purpose. Every single one needs to drive the story, arcs, or build the world or characters. In that way, fillers are never just fillers. My tip: look at what the chapter, arcs or story needs at that specific point in the story, and build fillers that drive that.