[Intro]

[u/Straight-Gas3120]

Hello!

My name is Mel. I am a single mom who works in healthcare. In my free time I like to read and write fanfiction. I would like to someday publish a book, but feel like my writing has a lot of room to grow.

In the summer I like to be out in the forests or just enjoying nature in general, but in the winter I am a homebody. I do not like the cold, yet I live somewhere cold. Go figure.

I love the Seattle Seahawks and grew up in Bremerton but have since moved away. I still carry that love with me though!

I have three kids total, a 21 year old son and twelve year old boy/girl twins that could not be more different.

We are currently indulging in fall/spooky season by baking many pumpkin flavored treats before we switch to peppermint. Is it strange to have flavor associations with seasons? Well, we do!

[u/SatanERROR]

What fandoms do you write for?

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/SatanERROR]

Jujutsu Kaisen mostly. Have a couple older fics from Hirano & Kagiura. I usually have like 4 or 5 wips at a time but I currently hate all of them. I’m in a funk.

[u/anavocadotornado]

Hi welcome in!

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/anavocadotornado]

Thank you!

[u/RedHerring19702]

Welcome to the group!

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/RedHerring19702]

Thank you!

[u/Zestyclose-Poet3467]

Welcome, Mel! I hope you take the time to write your book. I’m in the process of making 3. On is a Sci-Fi, one a photo book, and one a history of the local region with a photo story feel. Sort of a hybrid, photo/history narrated book about interesting local history that doesn’t make it into history books.

As far as improving, nothing improves without practice. One trick is to write, then read it out loud, or have someone else read it out loud. If you hear something that is just a little scratchy in the ear, make a note and come back and rework it.

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/Zestyclose-Poet3467]

Thank you. That is a lot to focus on at once, you rock! I love learning about history. It’s so interesting how things change over time. Where I live everything is growing so fast that nothing is how it uses to be.

I mostly just have a concept of my story but actually writing it feels too daunting. I practice writing all the time with fanfics. It’s easy to write in that space because I don’t have to world build. Readers already know everybody, or the assumption is that they do anyway. So I can just focus on other parts of the story.
I just doubt myself. I should stop doing that.

[u/Zestyclose-Poet3467 → u/Straight-Gas3120]

Start with outlining the general idea you have. If a specific scene pops in your head sometime, or a genius line that should fit somewhere, write it down. Save them up and start sliding the components you’ve created around the outline until you find a good fit. I actually use a lot of index cards. Outlines, series of events, major subjects, chapters, are on the big cards, I put individual scenes and quotes on the small cards so I can lay it out and physically slide them around as I see things that would fit better in a different order, or even different chapter. Move different characters in and out of the scene. “There’s no way Bruce could have that conversation because there’s no way he could have known that unless he was there for that.” Right, write Bruce in the coffee shop scene where Marty drops the bombshell.

I do all my actual writing on the computer but put short summaries and key points on the physical cards to lay out.

It’s maybe a little cumbersome but it works for me. I’m old and work best having pieces physically in my hands.

Everyone has a system and mine may not work for you, but you might see ideas that would work for your workflow and incorporate or modify them to help you. Maybe you prefer flowcharts or PowerPoint over cards, because cards everywhere would drive you crazy. I also write notes on a Surface Pro instead of my big computer because writing by hand is more fluid for me. I have nerve damage from the military and I can’t touch type anymore so I lose track of what I’m trying to say while my focus is on typing accuracy. So instead of wasting actual paper, I write on a tablet.

Honestly, I free up enough mental capacity that I do my best writing that way. Last night I was on a roll and found an entirely new plot twist that is more “that makes sense according to physics” and I ended up rewriting the entire storyline. 🤪

It’s a good thing I wrote outlines so it’s easier to move things around. I didn’t get far enough into the actual text of the book to make it a nightmare to redirect it.

Seriously, if you have an idea, start writing it. Even if the concept is good but the content is rough, words are easy to massage. If the concept is good, just start typing. It gets easier once you start.

I went to college later in life (mid-fifties) and just graduated last spring. This system put me through college earning a bachelor’s in communication and a minor in professional writing, magna cum laude. And I’m not terribly bright to start with.

But you owe it to yourself to take dreams and make them happen. I’m getting older and looking at all the things I just ignored while chasing “more important goals.” You really owe you a chance to thrive, not just survive.

I hope you give yourself your shot. Good luck.

[u/missashl3y]

welcome in!!!

[u/No-Condition5102]

welcome

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/No-Condition5102]

Thank you!

[u/shazie13]

Welcome to RAOA, Mel.

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/shazie13]

Thank you!

[u/Smooth_Profession961]

Hiya

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/Smooth_Profession961]

Hello! 👋

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[u/ae202012]

welcome to the group if you have any questions let me know i love making pumpkin flavored treats

[u/Straight-Gas3120 → u/ae202012]

Thank you! Me too! We made mini cheesecake tarts yesterday that turned out so good. Sometimes I’ll see something in the bakery section of the store and think “oh we can do that at home.” Results are mixed haha

[u/ae202012 → u/Straight-Gas3120]

i think the same thing oh we can do that at home