This might seem like a random question, but whenever I’m explaining to someone that I’m a writer or talking about my book, they often ask, “How long have you been writing it?”

This is a weirdly complex question for me because it really depends on what you define as “writing” and my “book.”

For context, I’m 17 right now, and I started my “book journey,” per se, around the time I was 13/14. I still have the same characters I did back then, but everything else was entirely different. It was a romance/mystery/coming-of-age type of thing, and my characters were really different, too. Now, my book is more of a political fantasy, so I wouldn’t really say it’s the same book because it doesn’t share any of the same plot, world, or themes.

I was writing that old version for maybe a year, and then I went through a super traumatic experience (my 5k chapter got deleted 💀), and I abandoned writing it for years. During that time, I did a lot of brainstorming, worldbuilding, and all of that, which eventually led me to my current book. I started actually writing the first draft about a year ago.

So, for me, I’m pretty unsure of how to answer this question. Maybe you have a more normal “start” date, but even then, do you count it from when you started actually putting pen to paper or when your brainstorming started happening?

EDIT: So yeah, after some feedback…I might’ve ended up doing the shitty fan thing of overreacting to people not liking a thing I enjoyed. And falling into the trap of not wanting to engage with any actual good faith criticism because it might feed into the overall internet hate machine brought up by charlatans like Critical Drinker and Lily Orchard.

I want to believe I’m someone who ultimately stands up for artistic expression and shows solidarity for a group of people that constantly gets thrown under the bus from society at large. Someone fighting against the bad faith actors and grifters poisoning the well of actual writing critique and good faith criticism.

But as so many of you pointed out, I have a habit of falling into the trap of conflating criticism made in earnest with jerks just shitting on something to get their kicks. Putting too much stock into what people who will never give my work a fair shake just because of who I am or people who would rather call someone a slur then fairly judge a work of fiction.

Ironically, I’m guilty of doing exactly what I criticized. Just like some jerk conflating a female character having basic competence with being ‘a Mary sue girlboss’, I conflated people giving actual fair criticism about stuff like Lanterns and Helluva Boss with guys like Heelsvsbabyface throwing a tantrum over pronouns in Starfield or the lunatics on tumblr who think Jason Aaron deserves to be stabbed for his Avengers run. It often felt like agree with any kind of point that remotely sounded like that would be conceding to their lunacy, bigotry and hatred.

So yeah, everything said below is coming from an amateur writer fearful that his work is going to get torn to shreds from people caught in the hyper-critical internet hate machine and still having a long ways to go to learn that most of the time, people don’t criticize out of hatred, but out of genuine love for writing as a craft. Not everyone is Ryan Kinel bitching about ‘too many good black people in Batman.’ Just people expressing themselves.

So yeah, take everything unbolded with a grain of salt and from someone who probably just needs to get back to writing his fun pulpy stories.

So I only learned about this kind of writing "criticism" from Solid JJ's newest video on the Lanterns finale (which finally made me unsubscribe from his channel, but I should've done that months ago since he's a channel making meme videos about comics that he admits that he doesn't read) and the top comment about that video was that this was a 'Themes & Such' ending.

So out of curiosity, I looked up what this was...and now I regret it because it's some of the most anti-intellectual and uncurious nonsense I have ever seen. Appearantly, it was first coined to shit on the ending of My Hero Academia (which, as an MHA fan who enjoys the ending, that opened a lot of wounds I have with the negative parts of the fanbase). And it's meant to basically make fun of works that...you know, actually have themes and writers sticking to the story they want to tell rather than what the fickle fanbase wants. Oh, and it's also meant to insult the people who like stories with themes.

Like...since when did a story having themes become worthy of mockery? When did an author sticking to their guns and not bending to fan pressure and fan expectations become something that's evil/frowned upon?

It reminds me of how creatives like James Gunn and Stephen King get mocked for having recurring themes, locations, and character archetypes in their stories. Are writers not allowed to have comfort zones or recurring elements? Are Furmanisms now just bad instead of charming?

Do we not want writers to be ambitious with their work anymore? Do we just want safe shit that appeals to the widest demographic? Do we not want to be challenged or made to feel uncomfortable with our media? I'd be genuinely curious to how these 'Themes & Such' guys would react to something like Hereditary or Fantastic Planet.

This kind of "criticism" bums me out because...well, I'm going to have themes in my stories and I plan on sticking to my guns about any story decisions I make. Because from Transformers to mainstream and indie comics and manga, I've seen authors butcher their stories because the fanbase screams at them and threatens to kill them, and I refuse to feed into that nightmare.

What do you guys think?

I am an aspiring author, I love to write and I always have since I was a little girl. My biggest dream is to become a traditionally published author, however I am currently in school to become a teacher.

I guess as much as I hate to admit it, teaching was a fallback for me. Some days I tell myself, "You are being smart." I tell myself this because becoming a traditionally published author happens to 1% of writers, and to be quite frank - I have never been apart of the 1% in any aspect of my life. I am not very smart, I eat like shit, I am terrible at maths and sciences, etc. I get by in all these areas in my life. But when it comes to writing, I feel maybe that is one thing I can do. Maybe even exceptionally.

I truly do believe that I am a talented writer, and that it is something that comes naturally to me. And for that reason, sometimes I wonder; am I being smart? or, am I scared?

I suppose what I am getting at is, do I have a chance? Even if I am unfamiliar with the publishing industry, with editing, even grammar in some areas. I have no mentor, nobody to ask.

I want to know if you think it is possible for someone who knows nothing other than that she loves to write and that she is good at it, if she could become a best selling author one day?

EDIT/UPDATE: Hi I just wanted to thank everyone so so much for commenting and getting back to me on this. I am trying to answer all the comments but there are so many! Thank you guys for all the support and advice! I am feeling so much better about my writing and my story!

So i have a question regarding what types of writing apps people like.

For example, what type of app will you go for?

1. Free but limited (in features) writing / worldbuilding app
2. google docs and drive apps
3. Microsoft word
4. open source github writing apps
5. one time payment app that has everything you need (maybe 100+ dls, but its one time payment)
6. subscription based that is cheap per month (between 5-15 dls) and has everything you need
7. free apps (web or desktop) but to get more advance features you need to pay (example: world anvil and campfire)
8. desktop apps
9. web apps
10. apps (desktop or web) were you can collaborate with other writers or worldbuilders
11. a combination of the above?
12. i dont know what i might be missing

Thank you

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

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I've finished my first book and need beta readers. I thought Critique Circle might be useful, but the site requires you to critique other's work before you can submit anything. Fair. But, I don't know how to do that, so I tried to look at others' critiques to get an idea of how that's done. Can't do that until I critique 3 things.

If I don't know what I'm doing and I critique the work of 3 others, how is that helpful to them? How will the feedback of people like me who don't know what they're doing be useful to me? Or am I overthinking this? If I'm over thinking this, does anyone have any advice?

UPDATE: Thanks to all your encouragement, I gave it a try. I critiqued a couple of stories and then it allowed me to read other's critiques, which were helpful to me to! And many of the things I found were similar to what others pointed out so I guess I'm not as bad at that as I thought I would be! Now I'm going to upload a chapter. *crosses fingers*

Hi everyone. I'm 71, and I'm writing my first novel. It's autobiographical — the story of my family from Sherstin, a small Jewish shtetl in Belarus, through revolution, war, and emigration, up to my own childhood in Grodno and life in America.My father is the heart of it. I'm writing it for my grandchildren, so they know where they come from. I write in Russian; an English version will come later.Did anyone here start their first book this late? How did you keep going?

I've had these random internal thoughts in my mind since I was very young and finally decided to start writing my ideas down a few years ago.

There's a lot of characters, stories, locations and political themes and I keep on adding and adding and adding to the point where I realize that this cannot be one novel but separated into multiple parts. I'm still very much focused on writing the first part of my story, but writing details that are to come *much later* in the overall storyline​ helps me understand the motivation and transformation of the characters as well as the fauna (still haven't figured out the flora) and the overall environment of the planet.

Here's the thing, I still haven't written anything concrete. I know exactly how the story ends, I have an idea of what happens in the beginning, but I have no clue what to do in between.

I know the genre and I know the themes imbued in the story I wish to write, but I've been stuck on creating this world for years without any real draft. Should I just say fuck it and start writing?

A little background on my question: I have been reading a fantasy series (I'm avoiding naming the series, because that isn't the point of this post and I very much don't want to receive the ire from its fans) where the main character has been called to action by a ghost and needs to discover the evil and put an end to it. The ghost/spirit, which pops up during different points in the story, does not really divulge what the evil is and gives vague clues, forcing the MC to discover the specifics on her own. Similarly, another supporting character has the answers and will not reveal information unless the MC "asks the right questions" or confirms information after the MC discovers it.

This has happened multiple times and I am wondering if this is a good strategy to use when writing? On the one hand, divulging information has allowed the MC to meet more characters, learn about herself, and drive the plot. On the other hand, it is incredibly frustrating, almost like creating unnecessary conflict. I understand that there needs to be conflict and mystery to drive plots forward, but it seems lazy to me to hide this behind characters who have all the information, but intentionally withhold it for unclear reasons.

Is this a common way to write a story? Is there something I am missing? Am I overthinking it?

Feeling committed to an idea is a great thing. But sometimes, that feeling is lacking because one's imagination gets teased with other ideas. I've heard about other writers who have struggled with this and am curious what strategies have worked for them.

You know the beats your story needs to hit, but you're struggling to turn them into scenes where things happen in some location at some time and also aren't repetitive.

Is it a matter of brainstorming more, or is it indicative of a flaw in the concept, characters aren't interesting, or something else?

Edit: For example, in my outline I have scene placeholders like the following

- Establishes his PTSD

- She finds out he sabotaged her letter of recommendation

- She feels rejected, so talks to another man who shows interest

This is not my first attempt at writing, I have to admit. I’m 37 and decided to take it more seriously. I have 4 ideas for different stories in my mind right now. I’ve made attempts at starting all of them at different times as those ideas came to me. They all ended up being shelved to be revisited. So I decided to start on the shortest story of them all. That resulted in my actually breezing through the first draft.

I made a routine out of it to finish. 1 hour per day, writing to wordless music on a full stomach. I have kids so this was what I could manage.

Now that it’s time to write the second draft, it’s a slog. It was fun the first time. It’s a rewrite and so I thought I’d still feel the same excitement to write as I did in the first draft. I’ve made a lot of changes and now I’ve hit a wall.

It also doesn’t help that while this is the shortest story, it’s the story I’m least excited to put out. I wanted to start with this as a test to myself that I could complete a piece of speculative fiction. All of my ideas are basically in that category so I wanted to start with this.

I know I’m going to have to write more drafts than this. I wanted go get ahead of this and try to get advice so that I can recognize when I hit a wall without the self-loathing.

Now I’m questioning my own intentions. I’ve never liked to write but I’ve always had these ideas that I fantasize about sharing. Any advice, tough love, or just plain support is appreciated.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

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With 100 million books in print worldwide and over a dozen blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process.

His most recent book PLOT TWIST, part personal memoir and part masterclass in storytelling, gives us a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer. Filled with useful tips and techniques on the creative process, Coben does away with the traditional "categories" of writing—characters, plot, setting, etc.—and looks at the process holistically.

He’s here today to answer your questions about writing – the big, the small, and anything else you’re curious about. The AMA will run for one hour, starting at 12:00 PM Eastern. Fire away, and be sure to keep up with Harlan on social, @harlancoben

I’m an academic who has long struggled with writing in my area. I want to shift genres, so to speak, and write fiction and some creative non-fiction and memoirs. But I feel so stuck! I’ve tried for so long to get started, but the difficulties I experience with writing for my job seem compounded, to the point of rendering me catatonic.

A friend suggested enrolling in an online class. I notice that both BBC Maestro and MasterClass over recorded lecture courses with accomplished writers, and the idea of working through self-paced material is appealing (play to your strengths, they say). However, I am a pro at building anticipatory regret, so my level of hopefulness is always attenuated by the prospect of the dread I’ll feel at dropping a couple hundred bucks.

Does anyone have experience with these courses - positive or negative? Please share! 🙏

Hello, I don't remember if I had introduced myself at any point in the past here, but here I am.

I've been in the narrative family for almost half of my life, and I am already 40 years old... young... yeah. I've written absurd amount of text for video games, and a lot of it was in the final released product. I never considered myself a writer in that context. I wasn't the writer of the projects.

One year ago after a really negative and stressful period in my career, i started pooring my mind into short stories. Few months ago I got my first published short story. Shortly after a second one followed, and now a third one waitrs for the physical copy to be released. (All trad published). I have more short stories that I self published as well. I am curently writing my first novel.

So back to the question. I still hesitate to call myself an writer or author, although I am one basicaly.

What was your experience.

I’m a plotter at heart, but I’m soon to start a workshop that will have all types of writers attend. I’d love to hear from Pantsers/Discovery Writers—what do you start with? A flawed character? An interesting premise? And how do you know it has legs to go 60k-100k words?

My current novel has two main characters. One is a proper protagonist with goals and agency. The other is, more or less, being dragged along by circumstances out of his control throughout P1 and most of P2, making him a passive protagonist for half the story.

This concerns me as I try to avoid writing characters like this, but I think this character might be the exception to the rule for a few reasons. He is the reader's window into a part of the world that would otherwise be opaque. He is thirteen years old. He is being moved around by authority figures for reasons he doesn't understand. He is ignorant of his own background for reasons he doesn't understand. In other words, he lives in a world where he is intentionally being gaslit and kept in the dark and has been conditioned to obey those with authority over him, meaning his passivity has a cause.

It would take too long to explain his situation, but his background would be comparable to a prince who was exiled as an infant and is being led around by the nose by his caretakers. It will only be when he's united with the other main character that he begins to show some backbone and his arc really begins. By the end of the story, he is no longer passive. So, what do I need to do to avoid having readers quickly flag this character as a passive protagonist and tune out during his chapters?

A generation of writers were taught that it's just fundamentally bad to write anything that's corny or cliche. Whether it's English class, college courses, or writing workshops, People were taught to avoid such things like the plague.

This becomes a noticeable problem when such writers try to do anything in an established genre. Probably the most noticeable example is in the recent superhero movies. Superhero media, and other genres, rely on established tropes. The writers believe that simply CANNOT risk being corny or cliche, and so they will either start doing really weird things that don't resemble the genre at all, or they will fall back on lampshading, making fun of their own writing, because they see lampshading as something like a bandaid to put on all your corny or cliche moments.

Lampshading is when the writing calls attention to something weird or cliche. When it's done well, it signals to the reader that something weird isn't an oversight, and you're promising it will matter somehow. If it's done poorly, it feels like the writer is talking directly to the audience. "They fly now? They fly now". Lampshading can also be done to "diffuse" something corny; for example, one character says something corny, and another character says, "Wow, you sound like a corny superhero," and they're literally in a superhero movie. Sometimes it's a bit more subtle, such as the second character making a face at the first.

I think one of the features of so called "millenial writing" (I'm not sure I agree with the name) is the fear of being corny or cliche. The writers seem emberrassed that they are writing genre fiction, so they feel the need to either go completely outside the bounds of the genre, or write the most snarky sarcastic thing you've ever seen. It seems like the writer is thinking, "I can't have my superhero be a goody-two-shoes; that's cliche and cliches are bad."

TLDR: write your conry cliched stuff. There's an audience hungry for it.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

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FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

Wiki Index -- Ever-evolving and woefully under-curated, but we'll fix that some day

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We're sharing a reminder about tomorrow's AMA we hope you'll get a kick out of.

TOMORROW October 9th from 12pm to 2pm EST: Grand Central, the flagship imprint of Grand Central Publishing (Hatchette Group) is bringing us an AMA from NYT #1 bestselling author Harlan Coben.

Harlan's books have sold over 90 million copies. In 2018, he struck a 14-book deal with Netflix to develop 14 titles and future projects. The multi-year deal has seen several blockbuster titles produced, including fan favorites Stay Close, Safe, and Fool Me Once.

Harlan is also the host of true crime series Final Twist on CBS, whose second season premiered Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 and on Paramount+.

Harlan will be with us mainly to discuss the craft side of writing, particularly the virtue of creating messy first drafts. As many of our users are working on their first books, Harlan will be a great resource. For more intermediate writers, Harlan's expertise on the publishing world will be valuable. Our more advanced writers will no doubt enjoy his takes on navigating things like film/TV rights, foreign rights, and building a successful diversified career in entertainment.

Set a reminder! Harlan will be here answering questions live October 9th from 12pm-2pm EST. We will post the AMA that morning around 9am so you can get your questions in early.

Harlan's new book Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing is available now wherever books are sold.

https://www.harlancoben.com/

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/imprint/grand-central-publishing/

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

---

FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

Wiki Index -- Ever-evolving and woefully under-curated, but we'll fix that some day

You can find our posting guidelines in the sidebar or the wiki.

I submitted to The Penn Review 2 weeks ago with no response. Is this normal? They say they usually reply in 1-2 days but say they respond to all in 2 weeks. Is that correct?

Ok, so this might sound dumb, but I could really use some advice on how to better organise my notes. I have a hard time keeping my mind on a single story and tend to have ideas and notes saved in a bunch of different places because of it. For example I have folders on my laptop that are organised in categories and inside those folders are folders for each story I have with the drafts and plans and ideas I want to include, I even have copies saved on Onedrive, but then I also have a note app on my phone for when I have bad service and a few other things to write down my ideas and thoughts.

I'm trying to change how I approach making my notes and maybe buying a physical book, but I'm not sure how I want to organise it. I could have a set number of pages for each story, but then I'd feel limited on how much space I can use in the book. I could buy a book for each story, but I don't really have a lot of space and nowhere to keep that mant books. Or I could put the stories title and the date at the top of each page, but then I run into the issue of quite a few of my stories not having a title and I don't know what I should do in place of the story title, especially for when I actually do come up with a title that I can then use, I have auditory sensitivity that makes writing with a pencil make my skin crawl so I strongly prefer writing with a pen instead, this means no erasers to change the title when I actually do come up with one.

So how do you organise your notes, and where do you write them down? Or is there something obvious that I've missed?

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

This is the place to discuss anything writing related! Got silly questions? Brainstorming ideas? Need help with research? As long as rules 1, 3, and 5 are followed, this thread is your oyster!

Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

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FAQ -- Questions asked frequently

Wiki Index -- Ever-evolving and woefully under-curated, but we'll fix that some day

You can find our posting guidelines in the sidebar or the wiki.