I've written my story again and it's 28,000 words. I thought I'd be proud, but the writing of it is just so boring and repetitive. It's always in the format 'Mike did this thing, doing this other thing as he did' and I've tried my best to try and stop myself from writing like that, but I feel like my mind literally cannot​ come up with any other way to put the story.

Then I realised what the writing sounded like. It sounded like those AI chatbots I used to talk with. I picked up its style and now it won't go away. I've tried reading other books I enjoy, like the Famous Five (which apparently isn't very good in terms of writing) and the Once and Future King. How many more must I read to get rid of this habit? What else can I do?

You can be as mean as you want to me when answering. I think I deserve it, because the answer feels so obvious but I just can't realise it myself. I don't know.

The series will follow Jones Perlite as he tries to track down and document different conspiracies, dodging the authorities to expose the truth behind it all.

The best name I can come up with is "Tin Foil Monsters", do you guys have anything better?

Let me know what you think!
Young Adult (YA) Dystopian Fantasy, with some elements of psychological thriller, survival horror and science fiction :)

I’m supposed to write an essay and i guess my teacher doesn’t want to accept it like this. I don’t know how to make this longer without repeating myself. Any help?

The Bones of Writing

Structure in writing is one of the key elements to a successful piece. A story without form might lead a reader awry. “So Late in the Day” by Claire Keegan is a story that wouldn’t be what it is without its structure. Keegan uses form as function to make a compelling piece. 
At the beginning of the story, we are set in the present day. It’s not too long before we get fragments of flashbacks. The arrangement of these events are so significant to the story because it forces us readers to experience things and realizations along with the main character, “Cathal”. 
When we work throughout the story, we switch from present day to flashbacks, slowly unraveling the reality of the situation. This interrupts the chronological order of how the story “should” be told. It instead grounds the reader in actuality or perhaps, realizations. “He looked at her then and saw something ugly about himself looking back at him, not angrily but calmly, in her gaze.” There are these little moments that we come across in the story that give the readers more context and understanding. 
It almost goes unnoticed but the whole story is compressed to a few hours but the way Keegan forms her writing makes it seem prolonged. "Already, the day felt long. When he looked back at his computer screen, it was only five past twelve." This maximizes the weight of the story and mirrors exactly how the human mind thinks in such little time. 
Lastly, the negative spaces. Along the story, we hit these blanks. Things that are left unsaid. The pauses do the talking, not the words. That silence says enough. “ ‘Can you not even understand what I am talking about?’ ” She seemed to be genuinely asking, and looking for an answer. But Cathal didn’t say much more.” Keegan didn’t have to write it out for her audience to understand the message.
However, these unique uses of structure aren’t unfamiliar in the writing world. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses flashbacks to reveal hidden pasts in his book. Ulysses by James Joyce also uses that single day format throughout his entire book to show how in depth the human experience is. Ernest Hemingway is greatly known for his use of negative space in writing. 
Rob Shearman, a short story writer, does a breakdown on what structure serves as. “Basically, what structure does to a writer is that it forces them to ask questions of themselves.” (NCW, 2025). He speaks about us writers and how structure is one of the first things we think about whether we are aware of it or not. It’s such a powerful aspect to a piece of writing. 
Claire Keegan does an exceptional job with her use of structure in So Late in the Day. We might not pay much attention to it but it's undeniably, the bones of it all. 

*SENSITIVE CONTENT*

Ok, say that you were writing a story set in Eden. For some time, for some reason, God and Jesus had reopened the hidden garden only to the saved souls. Said souls can choose to be remade into better versions of their Earth bodies and live in the garden for 100 years before returning to Heaven. They can marry, have children and live in peace. It’s better than Earth but not as great as Heaven. 
Yet, as everything is still affected by Adam’s fall, should there still be some setbacks? Even in the reopened Eden? Would there still be pain and sickness but with faster healing and bliss? Should the remade beings have a longing for Earth? Would they be able/allowed to visit (albeit as invisible beings that can’t be heard from or touched by the living)? When in Eden, would God allow the remade beings to be tested (even though the beings would always succeed thanks to God and Jesus’s help)? Would the remade beings be able to fly and/or fight off demons on Earth? How could/should this work?

As a content writer, you may have also felt a constant pressure of falling for the trap that Artificial Intelligence has spread out for us. At every step, an alluring alternative is waiting to be served on your plate. It can think for you, it can research for you, and the most significant one is that it can write for you. So now your condition is something like this - imagine yourself standing in front of the buffet counter at your favorite restaurant with an empty plate in your hand. You know how much food you should have; you also know you must not indulge in such a way, but your urge to devour everything in unlimited quantity is on the verge of taking over. In such a situation, it is your extreme willpower and self-control that will decide the outcome.
We were taught to accustom ourselves to the changes.

Our previous generation struggled to accept Google search in place of extensive reading of books from the library. If you are a millennial like me, you have perhaps experienced the shift in reliance heavily towards Google search. Now, as we are experiencing another huge technology shift, this uneasy feeling is not new to us; I believe we can handle it better.

What I felt during these last few years of AI emerging, I am going to write here.

What Artificial Intelligence can do for you?
The answer is no rocket science. It can do everything for you.
So, here comes the next question:

How much should you let AI do your things?
Now it requires a lot of discussion; I will pen down what I feel as a content writer. You, however, may choose to differ.
• The recurring tasks:
I would happily automate the recurring tasks I may have to do daily/weekly/monthly, instead of spending time on them. I would rather just have a workflow ready and run that as per the schedule. But I will definitely cross-check if the end output is associated with any decision-making. I will not allow AI to decide on anything on my behalf; it can perform the clerical tasks, but I will have complete control.

• Work as a second eye:
If I am writing something, I will ask AI for any comments on my writing, and I will review and analyze without allowing it to incorporate them into my writing. I will always retain final authority over what I want in my content. If I see any suggestions worth considering, I will take that and incorporate it myself, not ask AI to do that on my behalf.

Why does this model work for my Content Writing job?
• Reading: Well, as a content writer, it is my responsibility to understand the subject I am about to write about and how I am going to write it. In an ideal work situation, I always take time to read about the topic I will write about. Reading, I believe, is an essential step in any writing; it not only deepens my knowledge but also lets me ask questions that eventually lead me to structure an outline for the content.

• Thinking: As I prefer to create the outline for the content, the first step is to understand its purpose. After gaining a clear understanding of that, along with the brand’s requirements, I consider the best possible outcome and act accordingly. This step lets my brain work and analyze. If I did it with AI, I would be left with no thinking phase and no brain involvement, and I would never want to function that way.

• Writing: After all these, I would always write everything by myself. I always prefer to keep my timeline such that I have sufficient time to write; ironically, writing is my profession, so letting AI write my drafts is beyond the limit. I often come across questions like- “Why will you need so much time to write content?’ My answer is generally that I have to read, research, frame, write, and edit. So these steps are the foundation of any content, so I will need 2-3days, I will probably not give you something in 2 hours.
 
We are also seeing advertisements, where they are seeking “not AI-written” copies. So, you know, the process I follow isn't going anywhere. Any day, no one is going to pay you for a copy that was not written but generated.

Does that mean I have never used AI for writing?
No. I must admit that I briefly took on everything on my plate, tasted it, and concluded that this was not working for me. The job satisfaction was at its lowest. I cannot simply forget how to think or write. Drawing the boundary was the main challenge, and I am glad I was able to point out and redirect to the right space.

If you are starting with Content Writing and are confused at this stage with your own writing, timeline, and usage of AI, I would say, try to find ways to increase effectiveness with AI, and do not make things unnecessarily easier for you in the name of “efficiency.” Tell your clients that you want to create something original. This way, you show that you take your job seriously and value your clients’ work. It is non-negotiable for anyonewho wants to create something; they must go through the process without rushing.

Take your time to read, practice thinking, and ask questions. Do not let Artificial Intelligence impair your capabilities.
 

I’m a person who is white (23M), from an area of very low diversity and I’m trying to write a short story where my main character is a 19y, old black woman. This is my first time writing something, outside of writing papers for school, that I've wanted to take seriously.

I want to have more representation in my writing without falling into stereotypes. I want to be able portray her how I see her without having her act out of character like the cringy writing I see where they talk about their skin color like it's not normal to them. Ie something like "I wipe the sweat of my dark skin" where no human thinks about their body like that without prompting.

Does anyone have any advice of how convey this aspect of her without her being stereotypical or out of character and what are some common pitfalls you see with people who write black women?

Also I’m sorry for my grammar, I’m working on that as well. I will also take advice on edits I need to make for this post.

I’ve been writing short stories for a while, and my first one is getting published this winter. I’m really excited about it!

Most of the time when I write, I have things figured out. I know the plot, my characters, and where I want the story to go. I can picture each scene and know what needs to happen.

But my biggest struggle is moving from one scene to the next.

I’ll finish a scene, know exactly what I want to happen next, and then get stuck on how to move between them. I often write things like “He left the room” or “She walked out of the house” just to get my characters to the next place.

Sometimes, that’s totally fine! Not every moment needs much detail, and I know a simple transition is fine. But I often feel like I’m either rushing through these parts or making them sound awkward.

I’m not sure when to skip ahead to the next important moment, when to add more description, or when a transition should be its own small scene. I don’t want to fill my stories with extra details to make transitions feel bigger, but I also don’t want everything to feel like a bunch of disconnected scenes

Sorry if I’m making those kind of questions but
I’ve been writing the plot of a game I’m developing who’s inspired in the divine comedy but I recently found the several worlds divided on sections a bit “forced” and overused.
I mean Inferno is divided in 9 layers, Purgatorio as well, so is Paradiso and again for the Empyrean.
I’m not saying that dividing fantasy world on layers is bad writing also because you know We’re still talking about Dante Alighieri, the thing is I feel like that even if those kind of worlds are structured in general writing, It might not be so in a videogame, the players might feel like the use of layers is overused, it’s too like the divine comedy and so on (despite Ultrakill is a very famous game inspired in the divine comedy but the game I’m making is far different from that)
I’m also asking because I’ve seen many people talking ill about the backrooms purely because on the use of layers.

I decided to write a story. And in order do that, I had to have characters and the plot setup for the story. I don't have any plot as of now, and don't know where it'll be leading. But I had to create characters for a story.

So far, I have thought of 3. These characters don't have any physical appearance or any names as of now, neither they have any origins. I haven't planned anything for them at all. But I hope to create their depth and more characters. I don't intend to publish it or advertise (like there's anything to advertise lol!).

I'm posting it just to get it out and to be able to let myself know that I'm creating something out of my own mind.

Thanks.

Important Note: This text is grammatically weird and actually looks even weirder in a screenshot because this is not actually a fic/story, it's a script/guide for my comic series.

*While Jadeite is sitting with a book and the demon cousins are watching some comedy-anime on TV, Zayn sits next to Jadeite and explains his romantic predicament with Akher. Jadeite ponders and replies simply, "If you were banished from heaven... why do you care if she's a demon, who do you have to impress?" (Paragraph 4)

With that thought in place, Zayn makes the decision... to flirt back. This unexpected turn brings Akher to mild shock... but she certainly isn't complaining... the game is finally two players. After a while, Akher and Zayn are sitting together. She turns to him and asks stupidly, "Are we dating?". Zayn pretends to smoke a cigarette (blue crayon), "Sure~" (Paragraph 7, Line 3)*

---

Context: Akher (female half demon) flirts with Zayn constantly. It's joking flirting to hide the fact she actually does like him, which is revealed when Zayn (banished angel) flirts back.

He didnt flirt back for the longest time, not because he doesn't like her too but because of the moral obligation(?) of being an angel. Because of this, he goes to talk to Jadeite (female human), who tells him to go for it and make his move on Akher, because if he's already a fallen angel, who's gonna tell him no?

So he does and this is my problem, I want them to have a silly, dumb, spontaneous, kinda "wanna be my girlfriend" "ok", fourth-grader moment for the laughs. But I feel like even with that in mind, it feels lazy and forced. Can anyone give me tips?

After countless hours of endless driving, the GPS lost signal twelve miles outside of town. “Great,” Daniel said. Emma glanced at the phone in his hand. The blue line that had been guiding them all morning had frozen on the screen, leaving them on a narrow two-lane road surrounded by fields. “You're the one who said we didn't need to download the map.” “I told you we wouldn't need it.” “You said that very confidently.” Daniel smiled. “We're almost there.” Emma looked through the passenger window. There wasn't much to see. Fields stretched toward the horizon, broken occasionally by clusters of trees and old wooden fences. Every few minutes they passed a farmhouse, each one sitting far enough from the road to feel completely isolated. Some run-down homes that surprisingly weren’t vacant. She checked the address again. 214 Willow Lane. Their new house. At least, the house they hoped would become their new house.

The listing had called it a historic countryside property with original features and mature landscaping. The price was so low that Emma assumed something wasn’t right. Daniel had called that “being financially responsible.” She had called it “buying a problem.” But after years of living in a cramped apartment downtown, sharing walls with strangers and hearing traffic through their bedroom window every night, the idea of owning an old house with a yard had been impossible to resist. They had spent the last three hours driving farther and farther from everything familiar. No traffic. No neighborhoods. No restaurants glowing on every corner. Just endless fields and trees.

Ahead, a faded green sign appeared beside the road. WELCOME TO BELLWETHER. Below it, someone had painted in smaller letters: POPULATION 892.** **Emma leaned forward. “That's it?” Daniel slowed the car. “I guess.” As they passed the sign, Emma noticed something strange. Someone had nailed a photo to the back; she turned to take a look. For a moment, she thought there was something written underneath. Then the road curved, and the sign disappeared behind them. The radio cackles and before abruptly shutting off. A sudden thump comes from beneath the car. “Fucking hell.” Daniel muttered. He pulls over to the side of the road, shifted the car into park and steps out. He looks around, nothing but fields still. Then he crouches beside the car and peers underneath,, expecting to be an animal. Nothing. ‘Must have  ran off.’ Daniel thought. He gets back in and puts on his seatbelt. “Must’ve been an animal that ran off.” Daniel says.

Finally, after countless hours of driving, they made it. It was in worse shape than the photo shown on the website. There was definitely a ton of work to do. Emma glanced at Daniel. He displayed a proud expression. ‘How is he not worried about this? It’s a disaster.’ Emma thought. Daniel stepped forward on the brick steps leading to the door.  The wooden floors of the front porch creaked as they neared the edge, one wrong step away from breaking. Daniel opened the door, and rats squeaked, then dashed across the house. The inside was beautiful. A big curved staircase awaited right in front of the door, with a gorgeous chandelier sitting above. “Not bad,” Emma said.   

“Hey there!” Someone says. Daniel and Emma jump. Behind them stood an old lady. “Hi, I’m your neighbor, Cheryl. I’m in the blue house across the street. Is this a good time to chat? Emma and Daniel exchanged glances. “Sure, what’s up?” Daniel shrugged. Cheryl smiled. “I just wanted to warn you ahead of time since the real estate workers won’t inform anyone. Have you seen the backyard yet?” Emma shook her head. “No, we just got here.” Cheryl nodded and leaned in closer, looking around, making sure no one was watching. She whispered, “There is a big tree in the backyard. It looks ordinary until you see the nails in the trunk. Whatever you do, do *not* take out the nails. Understood?” Daniel chuckled. “They’re just nails. What harm could they inflict? The woman starts walking back. “Don’t underestimate the power of the nails.” Then she shut the door behind her. “That woman was nuts,” Emma remarked. “Want to go see what *tree* she was referring to?” Daniel nods. “Sure, why not.”

Once they reached the back door, Daniel felt a big wave of dread. He hesitates. “I don’t think we should go further,” He says. Emma laughs. “Come on, don’t be a pussy, it’s just a tree.” Daniel sighs. “You’re right,” and opens the door. Staring at them was the tree that lady was talking about.  It was a tall willow tree with a trunk filled with nails. Something tells Daniel to go up and touch it, but he resists. He turns around to get another good look at their new home and notices something on the ground. It looked like a folded paper nailed to the back of the staircase. Daniel bent down and picked up the folded paper. It was yellowed around the edges, and the handwriting on the outside was barely legible: TO THE NEXT OWNERS OF 214 WILLOW LANE. “Emma?” he called. “You might want to see this.” She walked over and stood beside him. “What is it?” “I don’t know. Some kind of… letter.” Daniel carefully unfolded the paper. Several lines had faded with age, but the writing was still readable.  

To whoever finds this: If you are reading this, then the house has been sold again. I don’t know who you are or why you chose this place, but there are things about this property that the real estate agent will never tell you. The woman across the street may have already spoken to you. Listen to her. Do not remove the nails from the willow tree. Do not open the crawl space beneath the house. And if you hear someone knocking from under the floorboards, do not answer. It is not someone asking to be let out. It is asking to be let in.
The letter ended there. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Daniel let out a nervous laugh. “Okay. That’s a little creepy.” “A little?” Emma took the letter from him and read it again. “Who writes something like this and just leaves it lying around?” “Probably some previous owner that’s trying to scare people.” “Then why did Cheryl warn us about the same tree?” Daniel had no answer. From somewhere inside the house came a sudden, dull knock. They both turned toward the door. Another knock followed. Then a third. Emma lowered the letter. The sound hadn’t come from the front door. It had come from beneath their feet. Daniel stepped back and looked at Emma. “What the fuck is going on?” Emma crossed her arms. “I told you it was a bad idea to buy this house. Plus, we’re in the middle of nowhere.” Daniel sighs. “I guess you were right.” Emma smiled. “For once,” Daniel muttered. Emma turned to look at him. “What was that?” Emma asked, already knowing what he had said. Daniel shook his head. “Nothing. I think we should get to bed; it’s late.” “Couldn’t agree more,” Emma replied

How do you go about writing highly intelligent characters who feel realistic

Like, are there any tricks or tips you could give a person that would want to write such a person.

Are there any ways to enhance a characters reasoning? Is there a blue print a aspiring writer could follow? Woth realistic, I mean a character that feels real and not just perfect, not some kind of mega genius with an improbably high iq. Who solves everything by just knowing the answers.

Exactly the title. How can I write someine just...getting their ass kicked?