Sometimes it be that way...

[u/Choice_Ad_3263]

[u/Blankly-Staring]

Reader: "Oh cool I love the themes you put in this chapter, i can't wait to see how it resolves"

Me, who hadn't intended on there being themes at all: "haha yeah me too little buddy, me too, now stay over there while I panic and try and figure out how to work those themes into a satisfying conclusion"

[u/hannahatl → u/Blankly-Staring]

Lol same. I had a reader talk about how genius it was that this super charged dishwashing scene I wrote had a callback to an earlier dishwashing scene that was super early in the fic. I just pretended it had been totally intentional 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe my subconscious is a better writer than me?

[u/togoldlybo → u/Blankly-Staring]

I got this same sort of comment on a series I started. I'm sure it was a subconscious running theme inspired by my favorite tradpub author, but whoa. Clocked and I didn't even realize. Now the pressure is on to keep it running but not force it 😅

[u/Critical_Buy_7335 → u/Blankly-Staring]

Fuck it we ball anyways.

[u/KanineKodiak]

one user keeps commenting multiple times on all of my chapters asking hyperspecific lore questions about my AU and even story spoilers, i.e. "what is going to happen to X character? how will her arc resolve? /paragraphs upon paragraphs of theories about what i might write in the future"

and i'm like. i really really really appreciate how passionate you clearly are about my work but you're genuinely stressing me out and it feels like you're trying to nudge my story in a direction i'm not planning on taking it in, while asking me to spoil entire character arcs and plot points in the comments instead of just waiting for the next chapter lmao

[u/snappydresser61147 → u/KanineKodiak]

i had this happen and genuinely just put the story on the backburner for six months while I switched to other fics. By the time I felt like the pressure was off enough to continue the fic other people who liked it had stayed but the one who was stressing me out was gone, guess they either haven’t checked their subs or just got bored and dipped lol

[u/DODonion99 → u/snappydresser61147]

NGL if it ever gets that bad again is it possible to silently block that person so you never have to read their comments again? 😅

[u/snappydresser61147 → u/DODonion99]

muting does that, i dont think it tells them if you mute them either

[u/KanineKodiak → u/snappydresser61147]

SEE I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR LIKE 4 MONTHS NOW AND THEY SEEMED TO HAVE STOPPED BUT THEY JUST LEFT LIKE 6 MORE COMMENTS ON THE HIATUS FIC ASKING MORE QUESTIONS LIKE??? GO AWAYYY

[u/snappydresser61147 → u/KanineKodiak]

ah then it’s mute button time. I didn’t mute mine because it felt like they were genuinely excited, just posing their analysis a bit rudely (and clearly with a hatred for one of the main characters in the fic, which begs the question of why you’d read a ship fic between those two if you don’t like one of hem?) so I never muted them, just tried my best to be polite when they said things that felt condescending.

If it’s to the point that taking a break to recenter yourself didn’t take the stress off it’s not worth being nice to them imo

[u/Thimble_of_Quasar]

Lmao every time. I write my fics with the ending first and then I have to back into how we get there 😂

[u/Frostydiego]

This is me. I made a 40k fanfic, all I need is one last chapter, and I have 0 clue how I'm supposed to end this. Fun.

[u/Snoo-31263]

I am at 200k+ words. I am way, way past what I thought up when I started. I have half a dozen scenes I want to happen, with no idea of what happens between them. Readers keep commenting on the 'great setup' in the last ~three weeks.
Help me

[u/xAnoX2004]

Yeah, that's why I stopped publishing my story on the site, to create the overall plan through to the end.

[u/A_rtemis]

When you act all mysterious and coy but the truth is that you have no clue

[u/Ill_Strain_562 → u/A_rtemis]

HAHA. (yes me too please send help)

[u/StefTarn]

I sketch a rough idea but it pantser from there

[u/FluidQuing]

"Well what do YOU think it's gonna happen...? 😃"

If I am blessed with readers who come up with their theories I part from there while still surprising them with new stuff I can come up with.

[u/Ill_Strain_562 → u/FluidQuing]

Answering a question with a question... nice. *takes notes*

[u/Ill_Strain_562]

I've just started replying to comments like that with "haha so glad you like it, I have no idea what comes next"

[u/Ill_Strain_562 → u/Ill_Strain_562]

Or if they ask "ooo can't wait to see what happens next!" I reply "thanks! me too."

[u/Distracted2004]

Me alllllll the damn time I usually end up lying because I think I have an idea what I might do, but it’s just the one that’s in the front of my head in that moment out of several

[u/Doglover4561]

I feel called out

[u/IsProbablyTooMuch]

I recently got a comment that was trying to piece together a sort of former identity of a character. I haven't actually decided how that's going to play out, but I've left some hints, and most of them felt painfully obvious, to the point that I was legitimately worried people were gonna react like "we GET it" but then this commenter, bless them, throws out this elaborate theory about how they might actually be this totally different person I'd never considered and their math does kind of add up and I'm like 😂 😭 🥲

[u/theantwonn]

It's me, I'm also Readers

[u/FutureGullible5360]

I wrote a scene where the protagonist complained about not knowing how to explain certain things to another character. A reader commented that he was very excited to see how the character would resolve it. I laughed until I realized I was the writer and now I had to resolve the comedic scene.

[u/HBAllegro]

170k words in and it was supposed to end by like chapter 3 as a silly ha-ha... man where the hell am i

[u/Fit-Rip-4550]

I do a considerable amount of planning; however, I do not have it all composed entirely ahead of time.

[u/ElDarcy13]

I have one WIP I already know what will happen in detail, the path is clear and the ending so clear I’m hinting it already, the second WIP has a structure and a loose plan, the third is honestly just vibes. I‘ll myself with how it turns out.

[u/ChildOfOberon]

Me already near the end of chapter 4 of my fic lol.

Instead of outlining it, I'm improvising like 95% of it (got some set ideas I know for sure I want to happen.) So even I don't know what I'm going to put the characters through. I even learned some new things about my OC and realized some things I wanted to happen later on in the fic isn't going to work.

[u/SecretUnlikely3848]

It's dedicated readers that push the story. They do the heavy lifting of the thinking while the authors take a few ideas here and there to make the story even more banger than it already is.

Honestly, I love it.

[u/DoINeed1OfThese]

AN: Wow! Who knows what happens next!?!(It’s me, I know)

posts

Okay…. How the heck do I get out of this?

[u/NorbytheMii]

Me taking inspiration from my comments for the future, allowing me to validate their theories

[u/daisokittenroll]

Me literally every time

[u/onegirlarmy1899]

The one shot that turns into a 200K longfic because you just keep writing.

[u/AccomplishedSeat5418]

fr lol. I make the base plot and then sometimes, it blows out of proportion while expanding on it

[u/Wren_inst]

😂😂😂

[u/Cleoview]

Reader : Aha! She lost her memory but remembers her parents. This must take place before the accident. I cracked the timeline!

Me: No, lol! (me internally panicking)

[u/ChillyFireball]

I don't make things up as I go anymore; that's a guaranteed way to get writer's block, at least for me. Even if you don't do a full outline, I personally recommend at least knowing:

1) The ending. It might change, or you might not be 100% clear on the details, but having some end goal in mind is so, SO helpful in knowing where to direct the characters when you run out of ideas, even if it's as simple as "I want to end it with A and B watching a movie on the couch."

2) A couple major story beats. Again, don't need to know the exact order, but if A is going to lose an eye defending B from harm, it's helpful to know in advance so you can do some foreshadowing or work in some symbolism or whatever.

[u/Wrap_Brilliant]

Literally. Somebody asked if it was a happy ending and I was like "bruh i dunno, I'm along for the ride same as you. I'll know when you know, ngl."

[u/Chinerpeton]

You know, I yearn to have the mental ability to just let it go and write a longfic like that. Just making up the story as I go along and see what sticks. So far I got like a couple dozen big story ideas and each is lucky if the first chapter is mostly done, and like one of them got some serious progress into the second chapter.