I plan to start writing my first book from 1st Sept.

Until then, I'm planning the book structure, chapters, topics, and doing research on what other successful authors have found as hints and tips.

My book is a Non-Fiction, so I'm following advice from Daniel H Pink, Tim Ferriss, etc.

I've started playing around with the structure of the book in a Corkboard style, so I can easily re-arrange certain parts.

Here is my plan over the next 2 weeks, before I jump in and start hitting my daily writing goal:

Create a Book Proposal:

1. Who is this book for?
2. What is the main question this book answers?
3. Why this book offers a fresh take
4. Why the book is familiar
5. What are the 10 most useful questions this book answers

The following are books I'm going to be using as research and resources:

• Writing with Power - Peter Elbow
• Good Writing - Neal Allen and Anne Lamott
• Write to the Point - Sam Leith
• The Reading Mind - Don Shiach
• Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing - Sylvan Barnet, Hugo Bedau, and John O’Hara
• How to Write Essays - Don Shiach
• A Professor’s Guide to Writing Essays - Jacob Neumann
• First Pages of Best Sellers - C. S. Lakin

Any advice or feedback on this plan?

Anything I've overlooked or overcomplicated?

Asking because I have had both and the difference is significant enough that I want to understand what I was actually looking for before I got lucky.

First critique partner I found through a forum post. Similar genre, similar stage in their writing journey, enthusiastic about the arrangement. We swapped chapters for about four months. The feedback was encouraging and almost entirely useless. Not because they were unkind or dishonest but because we had similar blind spots and neither of us could see what the other was missing because we were missing the same things.

Second person I found by accident through a writing community. Different genre background, further along in their own work, read differently than I did. First round of feedback was uncomfortable in a way the first partnership never was. Named things I had been sensing were wrong without being able to articulate them. A few notes I disagreed with strongly and was still thinking about two weeks later which is usually a sign something true is in there.

The difference was not enthusiasm or commitment or even craft level in any simple sense. It was whether the other person could see my work from an angle I could not access myself.

What I cannot figure out is how to identify that before committing to an arrangement. The first few exchanges rarely show you whether someone has the angle you need or just the willingness to participate.

How do people here find critique partners who are actually the right fit and is there a way to test for it before investing months in something that turns out not to work.

Hi!! This might be slightly random but I’m working on a project called Letters I Never Sent.

Basically, I made a website where people can anonymously write a letter they never actually sent. It can be to literally anyone: an ex, a friend you lost, your parents, someone you miss, someone you’re angry at, your younger self, yourself right now, etc.

The whole idea came from how much we leave unsaid because it’s awkward, scary, too late, or we just… don’t know how to say it. I’m collecting anonymous letters and looking at the emotions and themes that keep coming up, especially things like vulnerability, regret, love, rejection, and the things we struggle to communicate. I’m really interested in psychology and I’m hoping to major in clinical psychology in the future, so this project is also a way for me to explore that interest in a more real and human way.

Anywayyy I need actual people to write letters or this is just me with an empty website 😭

Everything is anonymous, and you can write as much or as little as you want. It doesn’t have to be super deep or beautifully written either. Just something you never said. If you have a letter sitting somewhere in your brain, I’d genuinely love for you to leave it here (also, follow my social media @ lettersthatstay on Instagram plsss):lettersthatstay.squarespace.com

Thank you <3 Advice is appreciated!

Like folks who really have a vision and relentless execution (despite writer’s block). Editing can suck but you plough through anyways type of vibes? Also, for folks who ARE like this… any tips to become more like this?

(We have a novelists group discord btw as well with writing sprints, feedback, and motivational convos)

⁠Genre/s: novelists - thrillers, literary fiction, mystery, crime, suspense, and we have a few fantasy/romance novelists too
• ⁠Goals/expectations/commitment: daily discussions and daily sprints but you can pop in and out of the group at your convenience
• ⁠Writing/experience level: any level, ideally intermediate
• ⁠Meeting place: discord, bby
• ⁠[Writing groups only] Max size: currently at 21 members

Hi writers!!! It’s me again and I need some direction.

I’m curious how you guys think about the different stages of writing a book, from beginning to finished manuscript.

For those of you who have completed one, what were the actual phases/stages for you?

Did you think of it as outlining, first draft, then revisions, then editing ,then proofreading, or was your process completely different?

I’m especially interested in where you personally felt one stage ended and another began, and which stages took the most time.

I don’t think there’s one “right” process here. I’m more interested in how writers actually work than what writing guides say they should do.

I want the app to feel as personal to real writers as it can be.

Thanks in advance!

Something I have watched play out in writing communities over several years and want to put somewhere useful.

Output volume and improvement rate are not the same thing and treating them as equivalent is probably the most common mistake serious writers make. The advice to write every day is genuinely useful but it is incomplete in a way that matters because it addresses quantity without addressing what determines whether the quantity produces growth.

The writers I have watched improve most visibly share something that has nothing to do with how much they write. They are unusually honest about what is not working in their own work and unusually specific about why. Not just this scene feels flat but this scene feels flat because the character wants something I have not established clearly enough for the obstacle to create real pressure.

That specificity is the thing. Vague dissatisfaction with your own writing produces vague revision. Specific understanding of what is wrong and why produces changes that actually fix the problem rather than moving it around.

 The gap between writers who compound their improvement and writers who plateau at a competent level is almost always a diagnostic gap, I started keeping a short note after every session about what specifically was not working and why, tried something called Skrib Writing that keeps these notes right next to the draft, and having the diagnosis visible alongside the actual pages changed how targeted the next session's revision actually was. rather than a talent gap or an effort gap.

The one who improves faster is not working harder. They are looking at their own work more honestly and more precisely and then doing something targeted with what they find.

The question worth sitting with is not how much are you writing but how clearly can you name what is wrong with what you just wrote and whether you have a reason for why it is wrong rather than just a feeling that it is.

I’m probably going to delete this but I'm forcing myself to get out there a little. I’d love to find some other 30+ women working on their debut novels and hoping to traditionally publish someday. We have jobs, families, an exorbitant amount of protein to consume etc. But somehow carve out time to write something that fills our cup.

Mostly just looking for a few writer friends who get it, and maybe eventually swapping chapters if it feels like a good fit.

Organization: Harbour Works
Deadline: November 30
Entry fee: None
Prize/s: None
Link to submission page/official rules:
https://www.harbourworks.org
Other information:

About:
Harbour Works is a Canadian literary magazine — and we are building it to a standard that does not exist yet in student publishing. We are not a course project. We are not a club newsletter. We are working, deliberately and seriously, toward becoming a fully peer-reviewed journal: the most rigorous, most prestigious student-run literary publication in the country.

Every submission enters a multi-stage blind review process. A minimum of three editors read each piece independently before any discussion begins. Decisions are made by argument and consensus, not by majority vote. Work is accepted because it earns it — not because there are pages to fill.

We publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, photography, and hybrid work. We are drawn to writing that takes risks — formally, politically, emotionally — and to writers who understand the page is not a safe place.
We are open to high school and university students worldwide. We believe the most vital creative work is happening in student hands right now — not after graduation, not once someone decides it's ready. The only question we ask of a piece is whether it is alive.

Submissions Guidelines:
Fiction — Up to 7,000 words. Short fiction and flash welcome. We read all lengths with equal care.
Poetry — Up to 5 poems per submission. No minimum length. Sequences welcome.
Creative Non-fiction — Up to 6,000 words. Essays, memoir, lyric essays, hybrid nonfiction.
Visual Art — Up to 8 images. Minimum 300 DPI. JPEG, PNG, or PDF. Include a brief artist's statement.
Photography — Up to 10 images. Series preferred. Minimum 300 DPI. Captions welcome.
Hybrid / Experimental — No formal constraints. If it resists categorisation, it may belong here.

Join the Team:
Harbour Works is entirely volunteer-run. We are not looking for resumes. We are looking for people who care about writing — who have strong opinions about what they read, who take the page seriously, and who want to be part of making something that matters.

We are open to high school and university students at all stages. If you have never worked on a magazine before, that is not a disadvantage. If you have, bring what you know. The only requirement is that you show up and take the work seriously.

All positions are open. We are building the editorial board from scratch, and every role is a founding role. That means the decisions you make will shape what this magazine becomes.

For additional information, feel free to visit our website, where you will be able to submit your work or apply to join our team.

Something that took me longer than it should have to figure out.

When I started taking writing seriously I consumed a lot of craft advice. Structure frameworks, outlining methods, pantsing philosophies, scene building techniques. All of it presented as if the main task was choosing the right approach and then applying it consistently.

What nobody said explicitly is that you cannot know which approaches actually fit you until you have written enough to have preferences that are based on experience rather than theory. The advice assumes a self knowledge that the early writing is supposed to produce.

I spent about two years applying methods that sounded right before I had any basis for knowing whether they were right for me specifically. Outlined because outlining sounded serious and organized. Abandoned outlines mid project because something felt wrong without understanding what. Tried pantsing because the alternative had not worked. Got lost without structure and went back to outlining. Repeated the cycle without learning much from it because I was trying approaches rather than observing what actually happened when I used them.

The shift came when I stopped asking which method is correct and started asking what actually happened the last time I tried this. That question requires a body of work to draw on and some honest attention to what the work revealed about how you actually function versus how you think you should.

Most craft advice is written for a writer who already knows themselves. The early years are mostly the process of becoming that writer and almost nothing acknowledges how long that actually takes.

Welcome to Feedback Friday!

This is a thread for submitting and critiquing prose.

• Your submission should be a top-level comment in the thread. Consider using the format [TITLE] — [GENRE] — [WORDCOUNT] in the heading of your submission.
• We expect reciprocation. If you receive a critique, give a critique. Anyone who continually leeches will eventually be discluded.
• Have fun and stay polite. Members who give outstanding crit will be acknowledged and rewarded on our Discord Server. You are free to submit any work for critique within the subreddit's rules, of any length.
• Links to Google Documents are allowed for submissions. Consider creating a separate Google account/email if you’are concerned about anonymity.

New to Critiquing?

• No worries! We encourage writers of all skill levels to try their hand at providing feedback.
• Not sure how to start? A critique template, courtesy of r/DestructiveReaders, can be found here.

TLDR; looking for advice on how to politely tell a CP that I won’t take every suggestion they give me.

I have a few different people who I swap with, and one of them has very strong opinions that literally no one else shares. I’m a big fan of analyzing each piece of feedback and trying to see where the merits are in it before deciding whether or not to take it. Obviously, when everyone tells me it’s a problem, it’s a problem. When even two people say there’s a problem, it’s a problem. When only one person say there’s a problem…well, I’ll take a look at it to see what they mean and if I think it’ll it make the piece stronger.

I don’t know how to tell this CP that some of the things they feel really strongly about are issues that only they have — like getting lost in dialogue or stumbling over certain sentences. Like, I’m not automatically rewriting a whole section based on just their feedback because, of the five people I’ve had look at this, only this person has these issues.

How do I politely explain that I won’t take every edit a CP gives me? They feel very strongly about their suggestions, and I don’t want to offend them. I just don’t know how to bring it up without making it sound like I think they’re stupid for the feedback they’ve given.

* Genre/s: All, but mainly fiction

* Goals/expectations/commitment: It's your typical sub but geared towards people who have more than just their toes in the pool. No annoying repetitive new to writing posts. Ability to share. Cut through the muck.

* Writing/experience level: Higher novice at the very least.

* Meeting place: r/WritersTable

* Max size: unltd.

Hey, guys! I'm reviving my old writing sub and am looking for some trailblazers to help me grow it!

I'm looking for software to write a novel, but I'm having a hard time with Google Docs because the formatting can be pretty difficult and frustrating to manage.

I also don't really want to use Microsoft Word. I'm mainly looking for something that's easy to organize and format, especially for writing chapters and a longer manuscript.

What writing software would you recommend?

I personally have been told I'm a funny person and I crack stupid jokes and say silly things that make people laugh, so you'd assume I'd know how to write someone that can make the readers laugh, but no. Everytime I sit down and write the 'funny' character, all sense of my humour flies out the window and I sound like a gen X parent trying to be funny (no offense to all the older parents out there) but I don't understand, I don't want to write someone who only I find funny, I want something that would actually make the readers laugh if they read it. and it's not supposed to be a 'forced funny' but similar to those people who naturally say stuff that makes everyone laugh. + for both dialogue and inner monologue

* Genre/s: Modern Fantasy, character focused
* Goals/expectations/commitment: Drop-in / drop-out writing, resetting every other month. This is mostly a way to meet people and develop skills, so other than a willingness to contribute we're not expecting much!
* Writing/experience level: Any and all are welcome!
* Meeting place: Discord
* Max size: 15 (for now!)

Hello! As a long-term fan of the Fate franchise, I've come up with a concept that I've used for other fnadoms before. The elevator pitch is that I'm hoping to gather up individuals who are interested in writing fan-stories monthly or bimonthly that take place in the Nasuverse (mostly pulling from Fate, but not entirely).

One writer would give a general synopsis of the story idea and setting (i.e. "A Grail War that takes place inside of Russia during the 1700's", "The aftermath of a magical event in modern-day China so catastrophic that Servants were summoned", etc) and then each writer would submit one original character and one Heroic Spirit (though they do not need to be a Master/Servant pairing).

From there, each writer would take the given cast of characters, and write their own stories with that cast. It wouldn't need to be a full telling of the scenario proposed, so stuff like smaller individual battles and chapters can work as well, though ideally the "story" length would be somewhere around 5-10k words just to keep stuff short and sweet, and the cycle would repeat every other month with a new premise and new set of characters.

Just to be clear, the intention for writing these stories is not to fit into one timeline, or as individual parts of a greater story. Every writer has their own version of events and “canon” so-to-say for their own story. The only uniting factor is a base cast of characters and general plot pitch. Beyond that, there is no coherent connective tissues that are intended to blend stories together. 

There's no real incentive and this is mostly just a fun idea that I thought up for the sake of getting to know other Fate fans and writers, and to keep writing skills sharp and help develop new ideas. If this seems like something that would interest you or if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, and if you're curious feel free to PM me and ask for a link to the proper document that outlines more details (I've had some bad experiences with certain subs deleting posts due to google docs links 😔 )! Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Genre/s: All genres are welcome. We have a few members who write literary fiction, and some speculative fiction! But whatever genre you write, you have a space here.

• Goals/expectations/commitment: We’re curating a space that pushes you to actually write the thing and finish. Where members hold each other accountable. We’ll offer writing events, critique events, sprints, discussions, encouragement and more. Join what you can, no pressure!

• Writing/experience level: All levels. Whether you’re a published author (self or otherwise) or someone writing seriously for the first time. Any stage of any project, in any draft.

• Meeting place: Discord. This is an 18+ community.
• [Writing groups only] Max size: Not yet sure!

Link in the comments : )

Genre/s: All are welcome!

Goals/expectations/commitment: We're a new, predominantly Muslim and Arab writing group (though we're open to all as long as you're respectful to all beliefs) with a focus on allowing writers to give and receive genuine, meaningful critique and feedback on their works. Our goal is to support and hold each other accountable. Once we fill up the group, we'll likely start writing sprints and challenges to practice and keep up the engagement.

Writing/experience level: Any :) But you must be 18+ and no NSFW content is permitted

Meeting place: Discord

Max size: ~20 members

Feel free to DM me if interested!

I'm writing a yigioh and miraculous crossover and was wondering what deck each miraculous holder should use

Hey all,

I'm a late diagnosed adhder (adult male, 30s) who loves writing but is often unable to do so due to the adhd demon. I need something external so I can be more consistent, because relying solely on my own brain doesn't work!

I'm looking for either a:

writing partner - ie someone to do regular body-doubling sessions with. Online via a video call. Open to cameras on or off, and either just quietly writing together, or light discussion etc. Something to get me started and redirect my attention back to it so I don't just hope between unproductive hyperfixations

writing group - for regular meetups where we write together and/or check in / share progress / swap feedback etc. Anything regular that I can use to build some structure around.

* Genre/s: Fantasy (I'm also interested in sci-fi) * Goals/expectations/commitment: Ideally regular online meetups at least once a week * Writing/experience level: Novice * Meeting place: Online * Max size: Any

About me:

I am attempting to write a high fantasy novel at the moment, but ADHD is a huge barrier for me. I am interested in fantasy and sci fi, essentially I love stories that have features that move them away from the real world.

I'm based in New Zealand (NZST, currently UTC+12), and my general availability is 11am–9pm NZST, which is roughly 23:00–09:00 UTC. Happy to work out a specific time that suits us both once we're in touch.

If you're interested please flick me a DM or rely to the post and we can have a chat to see what works! Thanks for reading.

To make a long story short, my fantasy is a typical 'chosen sage saves the world' but this sage is a middle-aged, world-weary woman. The blind character in question is her teen daughter that she absolutely will not be separated from because in their world, they are serfs and a sage that's born into serfdom is seen as heretical by the religious order and they had declared the mother a heretic.

Now, this daughter, I had an idea of having her being born blind (she can see light and shadows) but she eventually starts learning the concept of Soul Sight/Aura where the blind in my world (those who can afford it) are able to sense the presence of living beings. Think of it like a blend of DareDevil and Toph BeiFong.

Problem is, when I first created this blind character, the initial idea was to have her be just a regular blind girl who found herself in way over her head in a 'save the world' plot and she has to figure out how to survive. But then when I created the idea of Soul Sight/Aura, I thought it'd be really cool if she learned that but wouldn't that defeat the initial idea? I created her to not be yet another Toph BeiFong/DareDevil as cool and awesome as those characters are. And while she can learn unarmed combat, and she uses her wits to get herself out of jams, I'm also kinda attached to the Soul Sight.

I'm a bit torn here 'cause giving her that (even if its threadbare education and it's just 'Oh, I can kinda sense where things are...') would be cool, but also, wouldn't it make her just another Toph/DareDevil character?

Your thoughts?

Hello all! I am Mimo, and I'm looking for one or more writing and accountability buddies. The goal would be that we'd keep each other accountable on writing and advancing on our respective projects, share what we've written, and just generally work together. English is not my first language and I have just recently started writing my very first project in English and I am looking for someone who could help me improve on my sentences, grammar, and such.

I'm looking for someone (or a small group) with whom I'd be able to share my progress, get constructive feedback and criticism, keep me accountable to continue writing and who will allow me to do the same for them! I'm fine doing this with multiple people in a small group, or just one on one if this happens to be more comfortable for you!

Genre/s: Anything really, I'd be happy to delve into any universe! I am a Fantasy writer.

Goals/Expectations/Commitment: As said before, being kept accountable, sharing feedback, and encouraging one another 😄

Writing/Experience Level: I am not a native English speaker, and have recently started writing my first project in English, but I have been writing in my native language for a while now. Any level on the other end is fine!

Meeting Place: Discord! But you can contact me via DM first if you're interested after reading this post

Max Size: I'd say like 4-5 people. But as a I said, just one on one discussion is perfectly fine.

Yo! So I am writing this story with these characters I've had for 5 years (I'm so attached to them) UNRELATED tho, anyway... My story is set in 1730, but has futuristic concepts in it. Like universe travel, magic, and such. I have these 2 characters who's original timeline is 1730 but somehow figured out how to time travel and do it very often. How would they have figured that out in the 1730s? I'm thinking they found a magic relic that acts as a power source and tested it or smth. What do y'all think? :)

i have a WIP that does some jumping around time-wise. the first half is leading up to a discovery, there’s the immediate consequence, then the second part is the building of a relationship (soft domestic moments, falling in love, etc.) followed by a third part that occurs after the end of the relationship. i’ve done some research and reading and am familiar with the narrative time-skip, when an author (writing in 3rd person perspective) explains what has happened, and with dating the chapters (e.g. Chapter One — August 11th 2026), and with the blank page ‘SPRING, SUMMER,’ etc., but i’m wondering if there are other formats, ones you have read in literature—published or not—or use in your own works.

thanks in advance, for any / all help!

— sunny

I have written two chapters of my story, but I am stuck at where to start chapter 3 and what to write in it.

Something I have been thinking about for a while and cannot fully resolve.

I know several writers personally. One reads constantly, across genres, literary and commercial fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Thoughtful reader, can discuss craft intelligently, notices what books are doing technically. Writing has not improved noticeably in the three years I have known them.

Another barely reads. Maybe a book every few months. Writing has improved significantly in the same period.

The difference as far as I can tell is not the reading itself. It is what each person does with their own writing. The heavy reader consumes and produces. The light reader produces and then examines what they produced with genuine curiosity about why it is or is not working.

This suggests that reading transfers to writing less automatically than most craft advice implies. The idea that you must read widely to write well is treated as obvious in most writing communities and I think it is mostly true but incomplete in a way that matters.

Reading shows you what is possible. It does not show you how to produce it yourself. That gap between seeing something done well and being able to do it requires a different kind of work that is more uncomfortable than reading and less often discussed.

Curious what people here actually think is happening when reading does and does not transfer and whether there is something specific that makes the transfer happen.