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Writers: 10 Subreddits to Find Writing Tips You Need

As Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I’m sure that everyone reading this has had plans of writing, be it a story of personal heroic exploits, amazing dreams or life experiences. However, most of us are held back by a lack of writing experience and a lack of a general idea of how writing actually works.

Apart from those two factors, there is a third essential one: lack of opportunity to practice . If you are looking for guidance and direction to help take your writing skills to the next level , look no further than Reddit. It is home to a wide range of communities and even more subscribers, each contributing, critiquing, and encouraging each other to be master of the word.

Here are 10 writing subreddits every writer should subscribe to.

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1. /r/writing

The /r/writing subreddit is a general writing hub where the process of writing is discussed . It’s where suggestions, tips, and anything connected to writing are submitted by users and discussed by redditors. It’s the perfect place to get your "writing” gears running.

There is a weekly critique thread that is stickied at the top of the subreddit in case you want others to read your work. In short, /r/writing is a place for you to share tips, news articles , and anything related to writing for the community to read and enjoy.

2. /r/DestructiveReaders

This particular subreddit is dedicated to having your work deconstructed , mercilessly. The problem with most readers is that they hold back on giving critique – mostly because they think that they are not in a position to do so, since they aren’t writers themselves.

This makes it difficult for writers to develop themselves, since more often than not, they are being cushioned with fluffy commentary . This subreddit gives you an opportunity to have your work critiqued with all honesty and skepticism that a writer deserves .

3. /r/writingprompts

Writing Prompts is perhaps my most favorite writing subreddit. It is a breeding ground for creative prompts and short stories – and several times redditors found themselves writing full-length novels and getting published because of this community.

If you have a creative mind that you must set loose, go to this subreddit daily and try to write your own stories , or pitch your idea for a story for others to build up on. Who knows, a prompt here might just be the story you are looking for to write all along?

4. /r/CharacterDevelopment

Some of the most important parts of any literary piece are, without a doubt, the characters. A novelist can have a flawless writing style, but if the characters are flat and without any dimension, the piece will be about as memorable as a fly on a wall.

This subreddit focuses on developing your characters, providing a platform for exchanging critique and suggestions when it comes to building believable characters .

5. /r/WorldBuilding

This applies to fiction writers who prefer to build a world of their own instead of using real-life places, mostly for fantasy and science fiction writers. World building is an important aspect for these writers, it is the world in which their characters move around in.

This subreddit is the perfect place to discuss such matters – from actual world building, which entails setting up rules of the newly conceived world down to the tiniest of details that may affect the entire plot of the story.

6. /r/WriterMotivation

Every writer, without an exception, will encounter a writer’s block , sooner or later. It is the most terrible thing that any writer can experience. Imagine overflowing with ideas, only to find that no matter what you write down, it just can’t seem to flow , or perhaps you simply don’t have the "juice” to keep on writing .

This subreddit is aimed towards motivating writers to keep on writing, find their mojo, and ultimately get through their writer’s block .

7. /r/Screenwriting

If you’re aspiring to be a writer for a television network or you simply want to write for a film , /r/Screenwriting is the place for you.

Here, you can discuss screenplays, techniques, share and find resources , and basically have a merry time talking about anything that is related to screenwriting.

8. /r/PlayWriting

Writing for the stage is an art itself. Playwrights can share their work for thoughts and critique , submit resources for others and interesting articles to discuss, and generally talk about anything that has to do with the magical world of stage plays.

9. /r/ReadMyScript

And after you’re done with the previous subreddits and have come up with your own script, feel free to post it here for honest discussion, suggestions, and critique . This is much like the /r/DestructiveReaders subreddit, only for scripts (but you can also cross-post your script on /r/DestructiveReaders for maximum exposure).

10. /r/SelfPublish

The dream of every writer is to have their work published . Back in the day, you had to rely on a publishing house for this to happen – and you had to brave many painful and bitter rejections before you would finally hold a masterpiece in your hands. Most writers didn’t even get that far.

However, nowadays, because of the internet, and mostly because of Amazon, independent writers can now unleash their stories out onto the world without the bureaucracy .

Bonus: Genre-Specific subreddits

Most writers have this specific niche that they feel most comfortable in – their true genre, so to speak. Agatha Christie had mystery and crime novels, Edgar Allan Poe was the father of horror, Christopher Moore has the knack for comedy – sooner or later every writer finds their own genre.

To help in developing with whichever genre you’re working on, there exist several subreddits that can cater to your needs.

• /r/fantasywriters
• /r/comedywriting
• /r/WritersOfHorror
• /r/scifiwriting
• /r/crimewriters

As an additional tip, you can cross-post on other subreddits as long as you follow their rules. Generally, smaller subreddits like the ones mentioned above don’t get much attention unless you redirect readers to them . Cross posting is simply submitting the link of your original post to a different subreddit.

Writing is the most beautiful way to lose yourself. It gives birth to new worlds, to haunting characters, and to stories so captivating you may lose sleep just thinking about it. Everyone who has a dream can write, all they need is a little fuel to keep the passion burning , support, practice, and the preserverance to rough it out through the publication process .

Now that you have a starting point for where to go for your writing needs, feel free to tell us in the comments about your own experiences and successes as a writer .

Read more: 20 interesting Reddit communities to get lost in

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I Talked to 150 Writers and Here’s the Best Advice They Had

Joe fassler on seven of the most common writing tips.

I once heard John Irving give a lecture on his process at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, an in-depth account of the way his novels come to be. He kicked it off by writing a single sentence on the chalkboard—the last line of Last Night in Twisted River . All his books begin with the ending, Irving explained, a capstone he works and reworks until it’s ready. From there, he’ll generate a detailed summary that ultimately builds towards the finale, like SparkNotes for a book that does not yet exist. Only when he has the synopsis and last sentence in hand will he actually start writing.

I remember being fascinated by this. The approach had clearly been successful, and made sense in theory, and yet was so unlike any creative strategy that had ever worked for me. Which is an important thing to keep in mind when trafficking in the familiar genre of writing advice: Just because John Irving does it that way doesn’t mean you should. Not only is every writer different, but each poem, each story and essay, each novel, has its own formal requirements. Advice might be a comfort in the moment, but the hard truth is that literary wisdom can be hard to systematize. There’s just no doing it the same way twice.

And yet. In the five years I’ve spent interviewing authors for The Atlantic ’s “By Heart” series—the basis for a new collection, Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process —it’s been impossible to ignore the way certain ideas tend to come up again and again. Between the column and the book I’ve engaged a diverse group of more than 150 writers, a large sample size, that nonetheless has some defining traits. Here are the recurring ideas, distilled from dozens of conversations, that I think will most help you—no matter how unorthodox your process, how singular your vision.

1. Neglect everything else.

It starts with a simple fact: If you’re not making the time to write, no other advice can help you. Which is probably why so many of the writers I talk to seem preoccupied with time-management. “You probably have time to be a halfway decent parent and one other thing,” David Mitchell , the author of Cloud Atlas , told me. That can mean mustering the grit to let other responsibilities languish. As he put it in short: “Neglect everything else.”

Many authors need to put blinders on, finding ways to simplify their experience and reduce the number of potential distractions. That might mean consistently keeping a single two-hour window sacred, as Victor Lavalle does, morning time he safeguards against the demands of parenting and full-time teaching. For others, it means finding ways to ward off digital derailment. Mitchell does this by setting his homepage as the most boring thing he can think of: the Apple website.

Ultimately, the literary exercise is about finding ways to defend something fragile—the quiet mood in which the imagination flourishes. As Jonathan Franzen put it: “I need to make sure I still have a private self. Because the private self is where my writing comes from.”

2. Beginnings matter.

Everyone knows that the opening line is a crucial invitation, something that can make or break a reader’s interest in a book. But far less attention has been paid to the role first lines play for writers , leading them through the work’s dark, uncertain stages like a beacon.

“The first line must convince me that it somehow embodies the entire unwritten text,” William Gibson told me, a radical, koan-like conviction that nonetheless seems to be commonplace. Stephen King described spending “weeks and months and even years” working on first sentences, each one an incantation with the power to unlock the finished book. And Michael Chabon said that, once he stumbled on the first sentence of Wonder Boys , the rest of the novel was almost like taking dictation. “The seed of the novel—who would tell the story and what it would be about—was in that first sentence, and it just arrived,” he said.

3. Follow the headlights.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the kind of writer who plans meticulously: Give yourself some leeway in the early drafts. Throw out all your plans and assumptions, and make room to surprise yourself.

Andre Dubus calls this following the headlights: it’s like driving a car down a dark, unfamiliar road, simply describing as things become visible under the beam. “What’s on the side of the road?” he asked. “What’s the weather? What are the sounds? If I capture the experience all along the way, the structure starts to reveal itself. My guiding force and principle for shaping the story is just to follow the headlights—that’s how the architecture is revealed.”

Dozens of writers have told me some version of the same story. “The writing I tend to think of as ‘good’ is good because it’s mysterious,” Aimee Bender said. “It tends to happen when I get out of the way—when I let go a little bit, I surprise myself.”

4. Sound it out.

Of course, all this is easier said than done. In the absence of a concrete plan, how to know when you’re headed in the right direction? For many writers I’ve spoken with, the answer seems to lie in the sound of the words .

“Plot can be overrated. What I strive for more is rhythm,” the late Jim Harrison said. “It’s like taking dictation, when you’re really attuned to the rhythm of that voice.” George Saunders described a similar process, explaining that sound shows him where the energy is, revealing which aspects of the story are important, which lines to follow. It can help with revision, too. Many drafts in, when he can no longer see the work with fresh eyes, Jesse Ball told me that he turns to his ears. “Sound gives us clues about what is necessary and real,” he said. “When you read [your work] aloud, there are parts you might skip over—you find yourself not wanting to speak them. Those are the weak parts. It’s hard to find them otherwise, just reading along.”

5. It’s supposed to be difficult.

One of the things that’s surprised me most is how much the process—even for best-selling and critically acclaimed writers—never seems to get any easier. Khaled Hosseini ’s piece in Light the Dark is one especially poignant testament to this: material success doesn’t blunt the pain an author feels when the words just come up short.

But writers seem to be masters of deflecting existential despair, the malaise that takes hold in the middle of a taxing enterprise. I’ve covered this in more detail in an essay for The Atlantic , so one example in particular will suffice here: Elizabeth Gilbert ’s concept of “stubborn gladness,” a term she borrows from the poet Jack Gilbert. It’s a promise to take things in stride, to remain cheerfully engaged no matter how difficult things get. “My path as a writer became much more smooth,” she said, “when I learned, when things aren’t going well, to regard my struggles as curious, not tragic.”

6. Keep a totem.

Charles Dickens famously wrote with a series of porcelain figurines arranged across his desk, characters that kept him company as he toiled under punishing deadlines. It’s not as strange as it sounds: Many of the writers I talk to keep a totem—an object of special significance, whether it’s a small trinket or printed slogan—nearby as they work, something that serves as a source of inspiration or a barrier against despair.

Jane Smiley described pasting the phrase “Nobody asked you to write that novel” above her desk, an empowering reminder that creative hardships are voluntarily chosen. Mohsin Hamid keeps a Murakami passage taped to his printer—lines that link creativity and physical exercise, ones that encouraged him to build six-mile walks into his daily writing regimen. And Russell Banks keeps part of an old gravestone in his office, inscribed with the epitaph “Remember Death.” There’s nothing more inspiring than the awareness that time is short, and that the ultimate deadline is soon approaching.

7. Find the joy .

Ultimately, the writers I speak to seem committed to finding the joy within their work, even if that means looking in the most unexpected places. “One of the things that aids me, and which he helped teach me, is this: fundamentally, I do not believe in despair as a real aspect of the human condition,” says Ayana Mathis . “There is great confusion, there is great pain, there is suffering, all of those things, yes. But despair? I don’t believe in despair, and I don’t write from despair. I write from difficulty, absolutely. I write about people who are in great pain, who are desperate and sometimes even miserable. But despair, to me, means an absolute absence of hope. It is a nothing. There is always hope for betterment.”

But it’s not just leaving room for hope and levity on the page. It’s about retaining one’s own capacity to find joy within the process, making sure the work’s difficulty never fully squeezes out delight.

“The joy of being an author is the joy of feeling I can do anything,” says Neil Gaiman in Light the Dark . “There are no rules. Only: can you do this with confidence? Can you do it with aplomb? Can you do it with style? Can you do it with joy?”.

Find the joy, and when you do, there are no rules.

__________________________________

Joe Fassler’s Light in the Dark is available now from Penguin Books.

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How To Use Reddit To Help Your Writing

• by Fred Johnson
• April 22, 2020
• No Comments

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Reddit – the self-declared front page of the internet. This weird combo of a social news aggregate, discussion forum, and content-sharing site has been around since 2005 and, despite the occasional controversy, it continues to be an open, accessible, and mostly friendly place for those interested in, well, anything.

That’s right – there’s a subreddit (a dedicated area of the site) for just about anything, from math to, err, people with bird heads . Of course, this means there are also dozens of subreddits dedicated to books, writing, reading, marketing, and self-publishing. These are the ones that, for writers, are likely to prove most advantageous.

These subreddits can be fantastic tools for writers, and many foster a community spirit by hosting weekly discussion/question threads, interviews, and critiques. They offer a great space to share work and, most importantly, learn new things.

Often overlooked as a home for artistic communities, Reddit can actually be an excellent source of inspiration, information, feedback, and even writing job leads. Let’s see how to make it work for you.  

Find inspiration

So, prospective Reddit user, you’re wondering how to begin using this resource in a positive, writing-supporting way rather than just a time-sink. Well, approaching the writing process where it begins, you need ideas, you need (at least) a vague plan, and you need a kick in the rear to get going. Reddit can supply all three.

Writing inspiration can take many forms. If, like me, you find a still image or a landscape can spark inspiration, you might find r/photocritique , r/oldschoolcool , or r/earthporn great sources, whereas if you’re after writing prompts then r/writingprompts will have your back. If, however, you’re like Bilbo Baggins and just need to be pushed out the door, r/shutupandwrite and r/writermotivation might just give you the get-up-and-go you need.

All good writers are readers, and all successful self-publishers have a knowledge of the contemporary book market, especially the other writers in their genre. To swipe these birds out of the sky with a single stone – to get recommendations for your to-read list, inspiration from other books, up-to-the-minute news on the publishing and self-publishing industries, and insider knowledge how exactly books are marketed and sold – you’ll want to follow a few more general ‘books’ subreddits, whether those be r/booksuggestions (for great recommendations, inspiration, and literary discussion), r/publishing , r/selfpublish , or smaller, more esoteric subreddits appropriate to your work.

Of course, I’m slipping away from inspiration here, which brings me neatly into…

Perform research

Okay, so you’ve been inspired to push past writer’s ennui and have, with the help of some motivating Reddit posts, got going on either writing, publishing, or marketing your book. Maybe you’re planning a new project, or maybe you’ve finally committed to getting your head around sales funnels and newsletter content and social media. The specifics don’t matter; what matters is that you need information, and fast.

Now, the aforementioned r/selfpublish and r/publishing, as well as r/writing , are going to be your three blanket sources when it comes to questions about the writing or publishing process. In particular, r/selfpublish has some excellent content, including AMA (ask me anything) Q&A sessions with several experts and wildly successful self-publishing authors (like this man , who earned $2.5 million by self-publishing nonfiction books about guitars). Needless to say, this kind of community-driven content – direct advice from people who’ve been in your shoes, made mistakes, and eventually succeeded – is invaluable. But Reddit boasts more than just these three communities.

Say, for example, you’re an author of genre fiction. Perhaps you’re writing a historical novel set in colonial Brazil or a science fiction novel set in the far future, and you’ve got niche questions – who can help? Reddit can. A bizarre number of highly qualified experts frequent r/askhistorians and r/askscience , as well as r/nostupidquestions , and the best questions spark lively debate among big-brained individuals. You’re sure to come away with a far greater understanding of the issue you came in with.

Or say you’re writing a fantasy novel and, like Tolkien before you, want to invent some fantasy languages or names. Linguists, etymologists, and word nerds band together to share ideas, creations, and advice on r/conlangs and r/etymology , to name but a couple. Or maybe you’re worried about your characters or your setting; r/psychology and r/worldbuilding have your back.

Of course, that’s all to do with actual writing ; if you’ve already finished your book/story, you’re going to want something a little different. That’s where r/pubtips , r/marketing , and r/selfpublish come in useful; each is filled with discussions on how best to go about publishing, marketing, pricing, and distributing your work. If you decide to post your own question, remember to be as informative, friendly, and clear as possible in order to attract responses; no one’s going to waste time prying for more information if you’ve been too vague.   

Solicit feedback

It’s all well and good having your friends and loved ones read your work, but let’s be real: they’re going to be nice to you no matter what. Besides, they might not be writers or even big readers, so they might not know good from bad. But where else are you supposed to find beta readers without forking out your hard-earned dollars?

Reddit, that’s where. There are loads of useful subreddits where writers, readers, reviewers, and would-be critics gather to share their work and tear apart other people’s. Now, some of these aren’t for the faint of heart, and you’d best reel in that ego (this is good advice in general; no one’s going to want to offer feedback on your work if you get instantly defensive), but the feedback offered is often thorough, detailed, and practical. A couple of my favorite subreddits for this kind of prose butchery are r/destructivereaders and r/writersgroup . The former in particular has a fantastic community of readers who are honest, critical, and detailed in their feedback.  

A word on etiquette: while these communities are valuable resources that offer free feedback, you can’t just expect to swan in, splurge your work, and reap the benefits; many subreddits of this ilk will require you to first offer feedback on other writers’ work before you can submit your own. This is all part of getting involved in the community and giving back as much as you take, and is part of the reason these communities are so valuable.

Of course, remember that these noble Redditors are still just beta readers; they’re not professionals, and are no substitute for trained editors!

Make contacts

Even if you don’t need any of the things I’ve discussed so far – that is, inspiration, information, and feedback – Reddit is still a great place to go to make friends, meet fellow writers, and establish useful connections. You’d be surprised by how many successful people have directly engaged with Reddit; luminaries from Barack Obama to Madonna to Neil DeGrasse Tyson have done AMAs on the website, meaning they’ve sat for a couple of hours and answered live questions posted by Redditors from around the world.

While striking up a friendship with Obama is fairly unlikely, Reddit is full of literary agents, editors, authors, poets, screenwriters, designers, marketing professionals, and those self-made self-publishing millionaires we all hear about; some, of course, are more active than others, but if you make a point of actively engaging in a few lively subreddits, you’ll soon start making connections.

But how does one ‘actively engage’? Well, by amassing karma. Karma is Reddit’s system for scoring an individual’s ‘worth’; if your posts or responses are upvoted by other Reddit users, you’ll gain karma, while if they’re downvoted below zero, you’ll lose karma. Your karma score sits right next to your username, so other users will be able to get a quick idea of how many valuable posts and responses you’ve written. Karma’s not a huge deal, and some Redditors consider it a waste of time, but you’ll find your word carries more weight (and your posts garner more attention) if you have a high karma score.

Regarding the best subreddits to lurk in, they’re more or less what you’d expect: r/writing plays host to lots of literary agents and editors, so can be a useful place to be if you’re trying to gather information about the market or publishing process, whereas r/bookpromotion , r/marketing, and r/selfpublish are great places to find those who know a thing or two about marketing, design, and distribution.

If you’re looking to hire professionals (or if you want to pick up some freelance writing work yourself), you’ll find recommendations on the aforementioned subreddits and job listings on r/freelancewriters , r/writingopportunities , r/hireawriter , and others.

It turns out Reddit is for more than just cat videos and memes – who knew?

Of course, it is very good at those. So, if you’ve done the hard work – you’ve spent days engaging in several valuable Reddit communities and have found (and offered!) inspiration, information, feedback, and contacts – you deserve a break. Sit back, relax, and scroll through r/justwriterthings ’s all too relatable writing memes. Maybe put one together yourself; after all, it’s important to give back every now and then.

Do you use Reddit? What are your favorite subreddits? Let me know in the comments, and check out Want To Be More Productive On Social Media? Here’s How and 9 Places To Meet Fellow Authors (And How To Connect Once You Do) for more advice on online success as a writer.

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14 Great Writing Advice From Authors Who Found Success

Read top writing advice from authors and writers who’ve found success with the written word.

I love collecting writing advice from best-selling authors and famous writers because it offers a glimpse into their creative process. Read enough of this advice and you’ll start discovering common themes about the creative process, first drafts, editing, rewriting and publishing. Below, I’ll share some of the best advice from successful writers and authors, old and new. 

1. Read Widely and Deeply

2. creativity is infinite, 3. keep a daily journal, 4. art is a support system for life, 5. write a little every day, 6. separate writing and editing, 7. don’t fear the rewrite, 8. writing is work, 9. write one page a day, 10. stop when the going is good, 11. avoid cliques, gangs, groups, 12. seek clarity and precision, 13. every story element has a purpose, 14. work through rejection, writing tips from authors: the final word, what are three things that good writers do, what are the traits that make an author’s writing good.

A good writer’s job is to read regularly and outside of their comfort zone. They should take apart these books to determine what works and doesn’t. Writing widely and deeply helps a good writer understand the conventions of their preferred genre and learn more about what readers expect. Stephen King said about the importance of reading: 

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that.”

Nobel-prize-winning author American novelist William Faulkner almost hammered home the importance of reading a variety of genres and books. He offered this piece of advice.

“Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it, just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”

New writers often save a good idea for the next blog post, article or book. They worry they’ll run out of ideas or inspiration. But creativity isn’t a finite resource. Usually, one promising idea leads to another one. Plus, a writer’s biggest challenge isn’t finding ideas; it’s putting them to use. Maya Angelou , noted poet and author of the classic I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , said about the creative process.:

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Daily journaling is the easiest way to build a good writing habit. Anyone can write about their thoughts, feelings and ideas without worry. Usually, these entries are for the writer alone.

A few years ago, I took a writing course by David Sedaris on Masterclass. He explains how his journaling practice helps him write. Sedaris writes up what he does every day, like scenes in a short story. He includes character descriptions, locations, dialogue, colourful anecdotes, metaphors, and even inciting incidents. These scenes from his own life serve as source material for his colorful essays. Sedaris said about this practice:

“I know for myself it’s very important to write every single day… So much happens by sitting at your desk when you don’t have an idea… you need to sit there and not have the internet and see what happens.”

If you want to build a practice, I recommend using a good journaling app. For my recommendation, check out this Day One app review . 

Writers can struggle to find a work-life balance. That’s perhaps because they spend so much time working alone in a room. Working with the written word is an introverted profession. 

Finding a balance between spending time alone writing and cultivating friendships, hobbies and spending time with family can take time to get right. I struggled with this when I started taking writing seriously. Then, I stumbled across this excellent piece of writing advice from Stephen King in his On Writing :

“Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.” 

When Jerry Seinfeld was an unknown but ambitious comedian, he tasked himself with writing one joke every day. He hung a large monthly calendar next to where he worked. If he wrote a joke, he marked a large X through the day’s date and built up a chain of Xs. Jerry Seinfeld said his only job was to:

“Don’t break the chain.”

Seinfeld recently wrote the best-seller Is This Anything? His advice shows writing a little daily is a surefire way to build a body of work and improve your craft and fare more effective than trying to write for hours once or twice a week. Check out our guide on common writing conventions .

New writers often confuse writing and editing. They’re two different tasks that engage separate parts of the brain. Editing while writing the first draft is a surefire way never to finish anything.

When celebrated American essayist Joan Didion finished a draft of an article, essay or book, she stuck it in her freezer and left it there for weeks, if not months. After forgetting about the specifics of the draft, she’d take it out and edit and write ruthlessly. She said about the writing process:

“There’s a point when you go with what you’ve got. Or you don’t go.”

Joan Didion’s approach to first drafts isn’t unique. Tamika Waititi is the writer behind hit films like Jo Jo Rabbit and Thor Ragnorak . He often takes the editing process one step further and will rewrite a script or a draft from scratch months after finishing it. He said about writing and editing:

“I will write a draft and put it away for a year or so. Sometimes it will be two years, sometimes three. Then I’ll come back to it, and I’ll read it two or three times…Then, I’ll throw it all away and start over from page one, based on the memory of what I’ve read.”

A doctor doesn’t complain of not feeling it before surgery, and a plumber doesn’t complain to a client that they’re out of inspiration. So why is writing any different? Sometimes a writer has to turn up in front of the blank page and hit that word count or publishing milestone even if they’re tired or out of ideas. Often, the only way to become a better writer is by doing the work. Oliver Stone said about creative graft, 

“Writing is butt on chair.”

Writing a book isn’t always easy. The prospect of writing thousands of words about a single idea or story is off-putting for new writers. It can take months of commitment to turn an idea into a first draft, edit that draft repeatedly and then publish the result. 

Instead, far better to break writing a book down into much smaller chunks like a daily word count or a single page. That way, a writer can make small but measurable progress on their book each day. Author John Steinbeck offered this advice in a 1943 interview with The Paris Review :

“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day; it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.”

Turning up in front of the page and not knowing what you’re going to write next is intimidating. It can even lead to writer’s block. Instead, successful authors and famous writers set up the following day’s work in advance. They stop in the middle of a sentence or paragraph and leave triggers for the subconscious to work on a story in the meantime. 

These writers ensure they don’t run out of ideas or inspiration when it’s time to write. This practice makes it easier for them to progress through a difficult first draft. Ernest Hemingway said:

“The most important thing I’ve learned about writing is never write too much at a time… Never pump yourself dry. Leave a little for the next day. The main thing is to know when to stop. Don’t wait till you’ve written yourself out. When you’re still going good and you come to an interesting place and you know what’s going to happen next, that’s the time to stop. Then leave it alone and don’t think about it; let your subconscious mind do the work.”

I spent two years in a creative writing group. These groups are a useful support mechanism for new writers because they encourage accountability. They also offer a new writer a chance to get feedback on their work, even if they’ve no readers, audience or budget for an editor yet. 

However, relying too much on feedback from like-minded peers can hinder progress. A younger or newer writer could start editing their work to please their friends and not because it improves the quality of a piece of writing. They may also start to mimic the writing style of others in the group inadvertently. The same piece of advice holds true if a writer spends hours on social media instead of writing first drafts and revising.

At some point, a young writer needs to break from their comfort zone. Author Zadie Smith, author of White Teeth said to the Guardian cliques:

“The presence of a crowd won’t make your writing any better than it is.

I worked as a content editor for a software company several years ago. Executives and colleagues who didn’t write much for a living sometimes sent me their reports to edit. The big mistake I saw? They usually relied heavily on complex words and terminology that hindered the readability of their reports. 

The same holds for most fiction. Clarity and precision matter far more than impressing the reader with your knowledge of the English dictionary of a thesaurus. Consider George Orwell, author of 1984 , who said:

“Never use a long word where a short one will do.” 

Chekhov’s gun is a famous metaphorical piece of writing advice for fiction writers. If a writer mentions a detail or character in a story, it must have consequences for the characters or the plot. 

If a gun appears in act one, it must go off by act three. When a Marvel superhero discovers their powers in Act One, they must put them to use in act three. Chekhov wrote in an 1889 letter to his friend Aleksandr Semenovich Lazarev:

“One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn’t going to go off. It’s wrong to make promises you don’t mean to keep.”

Ernest Hemingway famously poked fun at this rule by introducing two characters in his short story Fifty Grand that he never mentioned again. Modern thriller writers deliberately break this principle and introduce plot Mac Guffins to confuse and intrigue readers. However, best know the rules before you break them!

All writers face rejection at some point in their careers. They may fail to find an agent, land a book publishing deal, or write a best-seller. Learning how to handle rejection and failure is part of the writing process. Usually, writers can use these moments to figure out what aspects of their craft they need to improve. In Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass course , I came across this piece of advice:

“People ask me, ‘How do you cope with rejection?’ … And there are only two ways to do it—one of which is you go down. You get sad. You put the thing away. You stop writing. You go and get a real job, go and do something else. And the other is a kind of crazed attitude that actually the most important thing now is to write something so brilliant, so powerful, so good nobody could ever reject it.”

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out our list of great writing books to read.

Word is a rewarding profession. It’s fun working with the words, creating stories or writing non-fiction readers love. However, it’s also hard work. The most successful writers treat writing like a job and turn up like any good professional. For more, read our guide of author tips . 

Writing Advice From Authors FAQ

Good writers work a little every day on their craft. They separate writing and revising. And they read often and outside of their comfort zone. When they start writing something, they finish it. They also take steps to ensure their writing appears on the market. They keep writing, knowing that a back catalogue is a key part of earning a living.

An author’s writing is good if it informs, entertains or inspires the reader. Their writing embraces qualities like concision and clarity. It also draws on the five senses. Usually, it tells a good story that leaves readers with a meaningful and memorable impression. In short, it leaves a reader wanting more.

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft , Understanding Publishing

Posted on Nov 19, 2018

15 of the Best Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Authors

As enjoyable and fulfilling as writing can be, the truth is that it’s often a solitary endeavor. While we might romanticize the focused artist typing away while imaginary worlds and narratives swirl inside their minds — authors know the truth: writing can get lonely. And moreover, when you’re working on a one-person project, it can be hard to remain motivated and accountable. That’s where writing communities come in.

Writing communities are the perfect place to find answers to your writing questions and to discuss the ins and outs of the writing life with people who actually understand what you’re talking about.

So, if you are tired of listening only to the voices in your head, take a look at our list of top online writing communities. (And if you're hungry for more, check out our more exhaustive list of the very best writing websites !)

Top online writing communities

1. absolute write water cooler.

With over 68,000 members, this is a large and highly active community. Here you can find threads on every genre imaginable, as well as discussions about freelance writing , the publishing industry, pop culture, writing prompts and exercises, and much more.

Perfect for: writers who are looking for a large and active community.

2. AgentQuery Connect

While this forum will come in handy for any writer, it’s especially helpful for authors who have already completed their manuscript and are wondering what to do next. The site boasts a wealth of information on publishing topics such as querying agents, self-publishing tips, and book promotion advice.

Perfect for: writers who are looking to connect with agents and learn more about the publishing industry.

3. Camp NaNoWriMo

If you’ve ever wanted to go to a writer’s retreat but can’t afford it just yet, then this site might help scratch your itch. Holding online “camp sessions” in April and July, Camp NaNoWriMo offers a digital space to encourage and empower writers at any point of their career. Here you can work on drafts, revisions, short stories, or any other writing project that involves word-count goals.

Perfect for: writers who can’t wait until November to crack their writing goals .

4. Critique Circle

Feedback should be a vital part of any writer’s process, and this is exactly what Critique Circle offers. This members-only site allows authors to post stories in exchange for feedback on other people’s writing. You can also find storyboarding tools , writing prompts , workshops, name generators , games like hangman, and much more.

Perfect for: writers who want honest feedback on their writing.

5. Chronicles

As the world’s largest Science Fiction and Fantasy online community, Chronicles offers writers the opportunity to get together and discuss the latest books, news, and pop culture in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy world. This is an active community with thousands of threads that include genre-specific challenges, workshops, critiques, and even publishing and industry information.

Perfect for: writers interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing.

6. Facebook Groups

If social media is more your style, don't miss the chance to interact with your fellow writers by joining Facebook groups in your own niche. Look for groups with a strict "no self-promotion" rules so that it remains supportive and useful to your writing goals.

There are a lot of groups out there in a variety of topics that range from genre-specific writing tips to traditional and self-publishing industry news. Here are just a few of them:

The Street Team — Reedsy's own book marketing group for self-publishing authors. 10 Minute Novelists — a group for the time-crunched writer. Calls for Submissions  — for writers looking for publication opportunities. Fiction Writers Global — a great resource for information about traditional and self-publishing. Writers Unite! — an active group with plenty of support and motivation for novice and experienced writers alike.

Perfect for: writers who prefer using social media.

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7. Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Whether you are a debut or seasoned author, there’s no doubt that writing a book can be intimidating and rife with bouts of self-doubt. The Insecure Writer’s Support Group aims to help you overcome those insecurities by hosting a community of like-minded authors.

Perfect for: writers who have doubts about their writing and are in need of encouragement.

8. The Next Big Writer

This is an international forum where writers can receive feedback on their writing and support on every other part of the creative process from drafting to publishing and marketing. The critiques are often thorough and many come from published authors. Keep in mind that there is a monthly cost associated with the membership, but it might be worth it to be able to bend the ear of published authors.

Perfect for: writers seeking in-depth critiques from an international audience.

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More than just a single writing community, Reddit has countless ‘subreddits’ where writers of all genres, interests, and levels of experience flock. While it may not offer workshops or tools, members can find niche threads that relate to their interests, critique other people’s work, and discover helpful sources of information.

There are so many different subreddits that you can get lost browsing them, but here are a few of the most popular ones:

r/writing — for general writing purposes. r/writingprompts — for user-submitted writing prompts. r/destructivereaders — beware, if you don’t like harsh criticism this may not be the best fit. But if you are willing to endure it, you will come out a better writer at the end. r/worldbuilding — user submitted fiction worlds. r/fantasywriters — for anybody interested in the fantasy genre. r/characterforge — the place to be for character building. r/writerchat — for those interested in talking with fellow writers. r/selfpublish — for anybody interested in self-publishing. r/logophilia — “the love of words and word games,” and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. r/freelanceWriters — for anybody interested in a career in freelance writing . r/books — because reading is just as important as writing if you want to be a successful author.

Perfect for: writers who want niche threads based on a particular interest or need.

10. Scribophile

One of the largest communities in the world, Scribophile offers workshops, tutorials, and critiques for authors in just about any genre imaginable. While it is free to join, only users who pay for a membership get access to all their features.

Perfect for: authors whowant to take part in writing workshops alongside writers of all experience levels.

11. She Writes

With over 30,000 members, this is the largest writing community exclusively for women. Here you can find articles on writing, editing, and marketing for every genre. There are forums tailored to specific needs, like travel writers, writing about trauma, NaNoWriMo, and many other topics.

Perfect for: women writers who want a place to connect and learn from fellow writers.

12. Talentville

If your passion lies in screenwriting, then you’ll want to book a one-way ticket to Talentville. Here you can get feedback on your writing and learn the skills necessary to perfect your screencraft. Plus, you can work on and build your network of contacts: the site is also a frequent stop for industry professionals (like agents, managers, and producers) on the lookout for new talent.

Perfect for: writers whoare interested in screenwriting and networking.

13. Underlined

A writing community by Penguin Random House. While any author can find helpful information on this website, it’s geared more towards younger writers. It has a well-designed platform, quizzes, genre-specific information, the latest news on book releases, Q&As with authors, and even some giveaways and excerpts as perks.

Perfect for: younger writers who are looking for genre-specific information and bookish perks.

14. Writers Helping Writers

This is a free-to-register community where you can find resources for writers, teachers, and editors alike. They offer a vast array of tools to perfect your craft, no matter your level. Their extensive creative library includes webinars, free writing and marketing tools, a thesaurus collection, story maps, idea generators, and more.

Perfect for: writers, editors, and teachers who are looking to build up their writing toolbox.

15. #WritingCommunity

Sometimes, all you need is a hashtag. And indeed, Twitter's own #WritingCommunity is one of the most robust writing collectives on the web. Ask a question, and it'll almost certainly get answered (without a lot of Twitter's trademark snark). The key here is to keep your questions concise, reply often to others, and don't go crazy with other hashtags. The community can tell if you're just thirsty for RTs. Perfect for: writers who are finally ready to use Twitter for good — and not just for procrastinating.

Do you belong to a writing community? Which one is your favorite one? Add yours in the comments below!

13 responses

27/11/2018 – 22:42

Very useful post. Thanks for this. I will be linking to it on my blog.

Dr Jack Edward Effron says:

18/02/2019 – 16:40

You left out taylz.com. It’s truly free. They are not going to give you a rubbish service to make you join their pay site because they have no pay site. Your story can be 8,000 words. They are not going to force you into flash fiction of 3,000 words. One critique out, one critique in: no mucking about with “karma” or critiquing 5+ stories to get one critique. The great new idea whose time has come! And it’s British, not American.

marieseltenrych says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

Reedsy, thank God you are here! I want to ask a question to other authors or self publishers here: I have been approached by OmniScriptum to publish my books (research) with them. I cannot find much about this company online, so wondered if anyone has published with them recently? Thanks Reedsy in anticipation. Marie

↪️ Reedsy replied:

08/05/2019 – 12:29

Hi Marie! Sounds potentially very shady to me. If you haven't already, check out our post on predatory companies in publishing. One of the rules of thumb is that if a publisher contacts you first, be very wary. I just did 20 seconds worth of Googling and found some people who had a bad experience.

Eunice Brownlee says:

I am a member of illuminate, which is a group designed around supporting women who want to share their stories but don't know how. The majority of us write non-fiction essays and memoirs, but we have a few poets and fiction writers in the mix as well. The overall goal is to support each other, especially through those harder moments of not wanting to write, or not knowing where to start. There are monthly themes and prompts, a weekly exercise inside the Facebook group, and cross-sharing of what we're working on. My favorite feature is the expert review, where you can submit any piece you're working on each month and you'll get quality feedback from one of the editors that manage the group. This group is perfect for anyone who is just getting started writing.

↪️ Brittani B replied:

11/02/2020 – 19:27

I tried the link multiple times both from this page and separately searched and was unable to access the site.

Harry says:

05/06/2019 – 07:51

Personally I think you missed out the best writing community: https://community.jerichowriters.com/ Jericho Writers is a free writing community that writers can safely share thought, make friends, swap work and get advice

Christian says:

08/08/2019 – 12:21

I only recommend Scribophile if you enjoy being coerced into groupthink. If you hope to get meaningful critique that will help you, look elsewhere. The critiques here are mostly SPAG, and it's forbidden to discuss your work on the main forums, except in the broadest, vaguest way.

Randy says:

18/08/2019 – 06:11

I have all my dads writing research and copyrights to 18 different books....all this was before the digital world .... many negatives photos ....every major story from all over the world with his .copyright . These are huge stores and his books are really well written ....what should I do with them .....incredible spy work as well

Ratih says:

27/08/2019 – 03:50

As a new writer this article is really useful for me. Thank you reedsy

Jennifer says:

02/09/2019 – 14:15

Hi guys! Great blog! Just wanted to let you know that we linked to you in a blog on the Peaceful Living Wellness Online Magazine :) It will be published on Friday, September 6th, 2019

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

17/09/2019 – 09:04

Thanks! We appreciate that!

Kaylee Downey says:

14/02/2020 – 19:09

Um...what about Wattpad?

Comments are currently closed.

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The Best Book Writing Advice I’ve Ever Gotten

by Kellie McGann | 57 comments

A few months ago, I traveled home for the holidays. This time was filled with loud family political rants and way too many sugar cookies. I had an amazing time traveling all over the Northeast, and in my travels, I got a lot of great life and writing advice.

The Best Book Writing Advice

I was inundated with advice from older friends and family about life, money, and relationships. But the best advice I received came from the an unexpected source: my seven-year-old cousin.

I was visiting her family in New Hampshire and one afternoon I received a reminder about my upcoming chapter deadlines. I pulled out my computer to start working. A few minutes later, my cousin, sad that I had stopped playing with her, roller-skated over to me and asked, “What are you doing?”

I explained, “I'm working on some chapters for a book I'm writing.”

“A book?” she asked.

“Yeah, a real book! It's kind of hard to write . . .” I tried to explain, but she interrupted my excuses.

“No it's not!” she said. “All you have to do is start with ‘Once upon a time' and then turn the page, then turn the page again and again. ”

“Yeah? Until the ‘And they lived happily ever after?'” I asked sarcastically.

“Exactly!” She smiled as she roller skated down the hallway.

And that is the best book writing advice I've ever received. Although this seven-year-old didn't realize it, she told me everything I needed to know about writing a book in that one sentence.

Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Book

As simple as it sounds, my cousin is right. Writing a book doesn't have to be as complicated as we make it. It's as easy as this:

1. Start With Once Upon a Time

Not that I believe every story should be a fairy tale, but I believe most books start with the concept of “Once upon a time.”

“Once upon a time” is a reminder to start your book . So often we wait for the perfect storyline and characters. But what if you started with “Once upon a time” and went from there? You can't help but finish that line. Do it, right now.

Once upon a time…

“Once upon a time” gets our imagination thinking. Our creativity is channeled and we simply have to write.

The concept of “Once upon a time” takes the reader out of their world and instantly transports them to another place and time with new people. What better way to start writing?

Try putting “Once upon a time” at the beginning of your next novel, and take it out afterward. I think you'll be surprised at the creativity and inspiration channeled by those four simple words.

2. Turn the Page

Because when you write a book you just gotta turn the damn page .

Remember constantly Hemingway's advice about this:

The first draft of anything is shit. —Ernest Hemingway

When you write your book you have to constantly turn the page because you're not editing; you're writing. You have one job. Fingers on the keyboard and turn the page.

3. Then Turn the Page Again and Again

There comes a time every writer faces while writing a book— the crying, torture, anger, and hatred of your own book . I've written two books in the last year and came to that point both times.

Here, you have to remember to turn the page again and again. In this place I often tell myself, “The more you write, the more words you add, the faster you will be done with this book.”

Just keep writing. Keep writing. Every day. Hit every deadline, because once you fall behind, catching up is nearly impossible.

4. Until the Happily Ever After

This is my favorite part. “Happily ever after.” (I'm an optimist.)

Although not all books have happy endings, I do believe that most books end with hope. Most books, fiction and non-fiction, have an underlying message and a “call to action.”

We've only got one life to live, so let's write something that makes an impact.

Write Your Book

No, writing a book isn't easy. But I think my seven-year-old cousin was on to something—it's not as hard as we sometimes make it, either.

Try out her writing advice: Start with “Once upon a time” and turn the page. Then turn the page again and again until you reach the happily ever after.

What's your best writing advice? Let us know in the comments .

Take fifteen minutes  to finish the sentence “Once upon a time . . .” and then keep writing. Then share your practice in the comments below. Let us know how this writing advice worked for you.

Happy writing!

Kellie McGann

Kellie McGann is the founder of Write a Better Book . She partners with leaders to help tell their stories in book form.

On the weekends, she writes poetry and prose.

She contributes to The Write Practice every other Wednesday.

57 Comments

“We’ve only got one life to live, so let’s write something that makes an impact.”

Now that is brilliant. The best advice I have ever read. Love this. xo Pamela

Brilliant, indeed, Pamela! Kelly McGann, I love it too. Especially, calling the reader to something higher, not just at the end but also during the course of the book. I do that in my story.

Happy New Year! xx Katina

Thanks Katina! It’s why we do what we do. Happy new year to you too!

Aw Pamela you’re so sweet! Love that our job allows us to do this!

Since my birthday a few weeks ago I have been trying to do just that with my writing… ”Write something that makes an impact.” Currently I am still trying to find the right words. But I’m not giving up.

“Once upon a time when I was 16 I wondered if I would even make it to 50 now I wonder where the years went.

I wrote this last night. So it still counts 😛

Once upon a time, When inanimate things had feelings, and rain knew how to sing, everything then had a purpose , just like now. Yet, everything had dreams as well then. However, there were two candles in a big house.They loved each other a love stronger than the one between fish and sea.But every night, They wouldn’t be able to see each other because of the darkness.They had to wait for the long hours of the night to pass to see each other again.

It went like that for along time until one day, the chandelier told them that there was a place where the sun was always up and it would only go down for two hours to rest then it would shine all over again.That chandelier brought a big hope to their life. But he warned them that the way was dangerous. They’d have to walk through the tenuous rocks of the lonely mountain and face the wicked winds of it. But for all the love they had for each other, they accepted the challenge.

They said their goodbyes to the chandelier and started their adventure with high spirits. They walked for days and weeks, until they reached the lonely mountain. But, the mountain was stiff and so hard to mount.They sat right down the mountain for a night almost broken down for not being able to climb and wishing they could see each over. Suddenly, One of the lazy rocks felt sorry for them. Thereby, he told them that if one of them could get the rope out of him/herelf, they would be able to use it for climbing. The male got excited for the idea and said that he’d do it. Hence, the female got worried and as much as she tried to stop him, she couldn’t . He had a dream. And he was about to fulfill it. He took out the rope feeling a great pain. But, the pain of now was nothing compared to the joy of what would come after.

In the morning, they started climbing, using the rope to mount easily. They were on the tip of the mountain by evening. And they felt so tired. Therefore, they decided to stay there for the night and dismount to the other side in the following morning. They sat down on a rock that was on the top of another one. In the quiet evening, they started singing to each other to break sadnes. Suddenly, and from nowhere, a wind blew strongly shouting in a loud voice he said: “I’m the king of the lonely mountain. It is lonely, and its rocks are weak because of me.I’m here to make sure it is as I left it the last time.” They both were so scared. The rock under them got scared from the suppressor too. And none of them could do anything about it because they were paralyzed by the wind’s strength.

In a moment, The rock was getting so weak. And would break in two so soon. And if it did, they would both die because The rock was their only shelter from falling off the mountain. However, the female had a plan. She thought that if she got to lighten herself up, She’d melt in the crack of the rock, Keep it up together, and most importantly save the one she loved from a certain death. The male on the other hand, objected furiously . But, she made him calm down for that was the only solution. And through it, two out of the three would be able to survive. He wanted to do it instead of her, but couldn’t for he had no rope. She lightened herself up. Thus, she started melting so sadly and the male’s heart ached from the scene. But, she asked him smiling not to think about anything else but the fact that they could finally see each other in the middle of the night. What if I hug her while she is melting and melt with her,he thought. In the end, he hugged her and as they were melting They got joined as one, setting their love on fire and saving the rock from being destroyed and teaching the wind’s heart how the immortal true love really is.

Creative story! It reminds me of the situational irony of The Gift of the Magi.

Thank you so much, happy you liked it 🙂

Many years ago, my much younger brother was helping me clean out our horse’s stall.

His class had seen SOUNDER about a poor family in the South and their struggles.

I asked him how he liked it, and he said it was boring.

I explained that the movie was about real life and how hard it can be.

He replied, “Shoveling manure is real life, but that doesn’t make it interesting.”

Thinking about that is one reason I chose to write popular fiction instead of literary fiction.

Marilynn, That’s really interesting. Thanks for sharing. Those little pieces of life’s advice and conversations like those are sometimes the most insightful!

My favorite writing advice comes from C.S. Lewis, “Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

Here is what I came up with from the prompt:

“Once upon a time, many years before you and I were born, the entirety of the human race contracted a lethal virus that killed off 99.9% of the population.”

A young girl squirmed from her place in her grandmothers arms and looked up into pale, milky, blue eyes with her young, bright blue ones. “This doesn’t sound like the other stories you tell me.”

Her grandmother chucked, though it was somehow hollow and humorless and something about it made the girl want to squirm all the more. “No, because this is a true story, and they hardly ever follow the pattern of fairytales. Now, do you want to hear it or not?”

“It depends. Are there princesses?”

“Afraid not.”

“No princes either then?”

“No, darling. There were no princes back then. Well, there were, but I’m fairly sure all the royalty died.”

The girl frowned, “Is there a happy ending at least?”

Here her grandmothers eyes seemed to take on an amused glint, “Sweetheart, is the world in smoke and ashes?”

The girl frowned, confused. “No.”

“Do you have a home and a family and plenty of food to eat and a beautiful green backyard?”

“Then of course it’s a happy ending. This is a true story remember, and one you’ll want to know before you grow much older and they start trying to cram your brain full of made up history. I’ll ask again, do you went to hear it?”

The girl hesitated, played with the fringe on her grandmothers scarf, then whispered, “Is it scary?”

Her grandmother took the girls hands in her own and bent down so that their noses were almost touching, “You’ll soon learned,” She whispered, “That all good stories have a fair amount of suffering and scary bits in the beginning and between parts. But that makes it all the more happy when you get to the end. And you needn’t worry. I’ll be here the whole time.”

The girl smiled and her grandmother returned it, “Okay. I want to hear the story.”

“Good.” The grandmother leaned back on her cushioned seat and wrapped her arms tighter around the girl. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Once upon a time the human race contracted a lethal virus that killed off 99.9% of the population. But the important bit to remember is that .1% survived. And among that .1% was your great grandmother, my mother, and she soon found that there was a very important purpose for her to fulfill.”

I love this! I hope you expand it, there’s a much longer story here begging to be told!

Love this advice and this piece!

Wow! I want to keep reading! Great job!

Here’s my prompt:

Once upon a time there was a man.

There was nothing special about this man. He was tall, slender, had some muscle, and his hair was non-existant because he had the barber shave it off yesterday. Lot’s of men shave their hair off after a certain amount of time. Nothing special about that.

Now, this tall and bald man was walking down the street. Again, nothing special about the street. It was an average street in a suburban area of a large city in Canada. Since he’s walking in January, he’s wearing a winter coat and his boots crush the snow underneath them. He chose not to wear snow pants today, as he had something to do. Snow pants would have gotten in the way of that something, he thought before leaving.

There is just one problem. He cannot remember what he was supposed to do. Go to work? Go to mom’s? Go to gramma’s? Shovel the driveway? No, the drive way got shoveled two days ago as that day was after a big snow storm. Did he have to scrape the car? No, his sister borrowed his car so she would be scraping the car windows to remove the frost from the windows.

Maybe he had to buy milk and some other groceries? The man turned and ran back to his house to check. No, the fridge was fairly full and the 3.5L milk cartons in it would be enough to last him a couple of days. So, no groceries need to be bought.

Of course, he could be off to work. It is 8am on a Wednesday morning in Toronto. Everyone goes to work now, don’t they? But where does he work? Come to think of it, who is he?

He sees a note stuck to the fridge: “If you are a man reading this, you are Steve. Steve, this is your wife Jessica. Remember you are on disability, so you don’t have to go to work. Also, your sister borrowed the car and you already purchased groceries. No need to visit your mother or grandmoter, as they had to move. No need to worry about things today.”

The man blinked and smiled with eyes lit up. That’s right, his name is Steve. Steve Blue. He lives in Toronto and is married to Jessica. He’s 40 and he remembers hearing in a doctor’s office he was diagnosed with early onset of alhzeimers. He remembers the doctor, but not his name so Jessica writes the notes for him.

He smiles and decides to go for a walk. He steps outside again, and continues to smile as he walks in a different direction from where we initially found him. Then he stops, and his face crunches up. He turns around and dashes back home to read the note. He again smiles and walks back outside.

Of course the same thing happens in about 5min. He forgets who he is, why he’s out there, and other short-term details. However, when he turns around to run back he sees a man’s face paling as it gazes on a child on the ground. The man shouts, “Help! Help! My son, Peeko, just collapsed!”

Steve seems to know what to do, as he runs to the fallen child. He says, “Don’t panic,” in a very calm voice. “Do you have a cell phone? If so, call 911.”

He then leans in and checks the child’s pulse and breathing. The child is breathing, and their pulse seems to be fine, but they are not responding when he speaks: “Hello? Little one? Can you hear me? I’m Steve, Peeko, and I’m here to help.”

Gently, Steve respositions Peeko so the young boy is more comfortable, and loosens some of the child’s clothing. He removes his coat and places it on Peeko to keep him warm. When the ambulance comes, Steve is able to help them collect the child rush him to hospital. When Jessica gets home, Steve has forgotten much about the incident. He explained, “I went for my roundabout walk, and I remember there was a father and his son, Peeko.”

Jessica nodded. “Did you join them in playing? Do you remember what Peeko looked like?”

Steve sighed and shook his head. Jessica walked over to the door after a bell rang. “Oh? Yes? This is where Steve lives.”

Steve walks over and he sees a man and young boy. The young boy walks up and hugs Steve. “He saved me from the diabetes monster. He’s my hero!”

Steve shouts, “Now I remember! This is Peeko, Jessica, I did first aid when he fainted, and got his father to call an ambulance.”

The boy’s father grinned. “You saved my son, sir. Thank you, you are a special man.”

And they all lived happily ever after.

What great advice! I once used this method to start a blog post when I had no ideas what to write. I ended up with a post that worked beautifully with “Once upon a time” as the opening phrase.

Since then, I keep a draft post with the title Once Upon a Time in my blog post folder. Just in case.

The Write Practice steers well away from the reality of writing business, preferring to deal with technique in writing, so my comment may not be in their preferred context – or welcomed. The best advice you ever received probably depends on your perspective as a writer. If you are a “professional” – meaning you write for competitive professional compensation (not just self satisfaction – hobby writer) – you already are aware that writing is like any other profession – its a business. As a professional every published product – article, screenplay or book – is a separate business venture. Most successful business ventures don’t just happen. They are researched, examined in a risk/reward analysis – essentially whether the investment in time an money spent will be compensated with profits above them – before they begin. Writing ventures are no different. Do you approach your writing projects this way?

One valuable piece of advice most often given to authors is to know for “whom” you are writing. Consequently, the first step in your writing venture should be to understand this “whom” as completely as possible: How many people compose your “whom”? How many other writers will be seducing this same “whom” with their products? How much the resulting number of people in your “whom” are willing to pay for what you are about to write and over what period of time?

How to accomplish this writing economic feasibility research is the subject of many books, much book market statistics, and many internet articles – and isn’t the main point of my comment, but is essential reading for a professional writer.

Self-publishing has flooded the market with written material products. It has saturated demand and has reduced the value of written material in the market place by providing almost infinite choices of written materials – albeit of unknown quality both in construction, content and validity. Unfortunately, even as a self-publishing fan myself – I have to admit that self-publishing has reduced the general quality of the written materials for sale in all genre.

Hemingway had it correct. First drafts are… 99.9% of the time – not professional level written product. Neither are they chaff that should be discarded entirely. They should be edited repeatedly by many people with many different professional level editing skills until the draft is the best it can be both in content/plot pace, structure, mechanics and grammar. Note the “should be” – it means that reality is likely very different.

Unfortunately, in today’s written product market the editing business and its processes also suffer from cost reductions due to the reduction in the margins of written material sales. If you are an avid reader (which as a writer you should be), you may have noticed that even big house publications now have far more typo’s, pace and structural problems than they did before self-publishing – simply because of industry wide competitive affordability due to the impacts of self-publishing. The final question becomes how much product distinction and demand increase will the written product market actually pay for. That question is still being answered. Currently the written product appears to be evolving into two segments premium and discount – or professional and hobby. Your question as a writer should be “for which one are you writing?” There is no wrong answers, as long as your expectations as a writer match realistically to your answer.

The point here is not to deny the importance of the writing advice in the above article, just to expand it past the creative/romantic/orgasmic side of the writing process. To expand it to the practical side of professional writing. Like it or not writing is a business venture. There are far to many of you out there that have no clue of the total written product process in total beyond putting words on a page – book market trends, demand, competition, distribution choices, earnings per book and whether your expectations as a writer are realistic, and or the basis of the numerical probability of your expectations being met.

Not to worry. The written product/publishing market is slowly sorting this out, but while the technology of writing has gotten easier in recent years with self-publishing opportunities, the business of writing has not. Writers need to be much better at the entire process of successful writing today than ever before. Writer beware – of your expectations.

If the point of your post was not to deny the importance of the writing advice… Then why is your first sentence- “The Write Practice steers well away from the reality of writing business, preferring to deal with technique in writing, so my comment may not be in their preferred context – or welcomed.”

Came across more as a means to discredit the Write Practice than expand on the content of the article.

I’m not intending to demean anyone. I think you fail to understand the broadness of “writing advice.” and or positive criticism. As I said, The Write Practice focuses on creativity and technique (as did the articles advice) – and both accomplish that quite well. That is their forte, but it isn’t a complete picture of the (book) writing process or the “advice” needed for it. Let’s remember that The Write Practice is a support venue for “how to write course” sales. TWP’s business model is a marketing technique sometimes known as “farming the farmers.” While that may not sound complementary, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing or demeaning – depending on the quality of the “farming.” Getting free quality advice in writing and having a forum to discuss it in clearly has significant value to aspiring writers. It doesn’t necessarily make the information for success complete.

It isn’t necessarily in TWP’s interests in selling writing courses/seminars, etc. and or wanna-be author expectations – to point out the commercial realities (declining numbers of readers, exploding numbers of books and other written materials, and “Overall, half of the writers – traditional and independent – surveyed this year earned $1,000– $2,999 or less.”) – as in those aspects that make and or limit (competition and demand) the creative writing process’ products’ monetary value.

If you are writing as a hobby, you probably aren’t concerned as to whether your product sells or not, and that does not necessarily make your work and what you say less significant. If you writing as a professional for income, your perspective necessarily must include information (advice) on what and how makes your product marketable in today’s written material market place. Ideally and as in a real business – that research and planning needs to come first – you know before the words are created. I’m hopefully encouraging TWP to do more of that.

After all I’m clearly investing my time in reading The Write Practice and occasionally making comments that I hope are helpful. I addressed what isn’t being said regarding professional writing herein – more than what was said. The topic article was on “The best book writing advice…” – which did not limit a response to only creativity and technique advice, or what I consider the best advice that I have received.

My point was professional/successful writing is a process that is more than creativity and good technique. Huge numbers of great and well written books never have market/financial success. Few authors rarely get to the point of supporting themselves financially by writing. Are those your expectations? If so, I wasted my time.

The business of writing and its respective market places are evolving from what it was just a decade ago, and our expectations as writers need to change with it. What I read – and don’t read enough of on the The Write Practice suggested a need for that reminder.

Suggested reading if you’re interested: ( http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/23/authors-earnings-fall-350pa-survey ) ( http://authorearnings.com/report/may-2015-author-earnings-report/ )

I clicked on the links and I got a 404 error.

I would think that the practice question should have gone more in the lines of “What’s the best writing advice you have ever received?”. So as not to imply that this technique is the only or most effective way to start and finish a book.

But Kellie was referring to her own experience in this post; as was obvious in her title “Best book writing advice ((I’ve)) ever gotten.”

@dduggerbiocepts The links work, just remove the bracket from the url, like this: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/23/authors-earnings-fall-350pa-survey http://authorearnings.com/report/may-2015-author-earnings-report/

Crim The links work, just remove the bracket from the url, like this: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/23/authors-earnings-fall-350pa-survey http://authorearnings.com/report/may-2015-author-earnings-report/

Great point. No one is saying this post, nor this website in general, has all the answers. We focus on technique because it’s called The Write Practice, not The Write Business. For the business side of writing, I recommend Susan Tice’s excellent blog, makealivingwriting.com, and subscribing to the Passive Voice Blog, which is an excellent news source for writers, thepassivevoice.com. Thanks for sharing your great advice.

Once upon a time there was castle in the middle of the forest were the elf king dwelt. He was a good and kind king and all people men elves and dwarves respected and loved him. He was a rich king who made sure that none were poor and that all had enough to eat and a bed to sleep on. This was the golden age of the elves their mines seemed to be filled with gold and diamonds and all manner of precious stones and metals. Even though this was a time of peace in the world, they had enough armor and weapons to supply their army’s two times over. And so they gave them to the men and they made some for the dwarves. These tools of war were not ordinary even for elf make they all had special properties that gave the bearer extra protection or power over the elements. They could also hold wisdom or gems with great magic inside of them.

The king of men accepted these gifts graciously and decided to give supplies to the king of the elves that they themselves could not produce which were not many. In fact there were only two things that the Elves could not make they were the Golden apples of Men, and Tarital the precious and rare metal found only in the mountains were the dwarves lived. The Golden apples of Men had special properties, they gave the partaker wisdom in whatever way he wished. The King of Men decided to give the king Elves ten bushels of Golden apples every year. The prince of Men, Prince Dar disapproved of his father giving away the apples but nothing he could do would stop his father giving away the apples. So he gathered all of the people who felt the same way as he did and armed them and attacked the elves who were taking the apples to their king. He also had his father assassinated so he became king. They Elves saw his actions as actions of war. The price was already preparing for war against the elves. He gathered the dwarves and the giants and all who would follow him telling them lies about the elves. He defeated the elves their losses were so great that they went into hiding. The dwarves Discovered that Dar had told them lies and turned on him he defeated them as well and he world was plunged into darkness.

Once upon a time there lived a Story Aching to be told.

So true. Every day this story is being written.

Once upon a time

I believed fairytales happen like they do in books

I believed thick castle walls saved you from armies of evil

I believed princesses were snow white and untouchable

Locked away in towers to keep their dresses clean

I believed wizards were good but witches were not

I believed kings were wise but queens fed you poisoned apples

I believed knights killed dragons and their armor was still shining

Since then I have pricked my fingers on a forest of spindles,

Hunting for magic

I have learned that sometimes the castle walls must come down if you are to be saved

I have learned that princesses taste like cigarettes and cheap lip gloss, and they wear flannel pajamas and write shitty poetry

I have learned that witches are burned for being too powerful

And if queens poison apples it is because they are sick of Genesis

I have learned hydras are far more common than dragons

I emerge from my battles drenched in blood

And maybe someday I will wash my armor clean but I will always remember my screams

From being picked open by black claws

I will remember the smell of cauterizing one hundred scaly throats

I will save triumph for my deathbed

At the moment I’m just tired

I have learned that fairytales are nothing like they are in books

They are so much, much more beautiful

This is great! I love that you went with that fairy tale theme! This could be like one of those cool wall hangings!

Once upon a time I loved someone and had someone to love me back. Two years ago my husband of forty four years went home to be with God after a long bout with cancer. I never knew that love could live on and even grow stronger after that person is taken out of your life. You search for inner strength to keep going. You pray often, you talk with friends and family but nothing seems to fill the emptiness. Once upon a time, I was loved.

This is really powerful Betty. Sharing this must be hard, but I know that it will have a lot of impact. I loved how you used once upon a time.

Beautifully expressed, Betty. Yes, the empty space remains, but rainbow mists blow through and delicate butterflies flit about in the void bringing messages of love and lessons for life from our loved ones. My sincere sympathy to you for the passing of your partner in life. I love to hear the strength and determination in your words to honor his memory by honoring your new process in life.

That was such a cool post and a great way to remind us of the simple components of story and even the process behind writing one.

Thanks Jason! Often, it’s the little things that remind us of the bigger things.

Hi Jason, thank you for your response to my comment. I’ve found that since my lost, writing has helped me express my true emotions during this period of grieving. Would love to write about my journey over the past couple of years, but it’s still a little raw.

Kids have it nailed. Then as they get older, they forget, or else, are led away from the strongest writing principles they will ever employ, by well-meaning adults. By way of example: When I was around 9 years old, I needed an opening grabber involving a mysterious woman who was standing at a bus stop with a private investigator type standing directly behind her. In the opening paragraph, the P.I. said to himself: ‘My, that woman has long fingernails. I think I’ll follow her!” Later on, when Erle Stanley Garner came out with a Perry Mason book that had the same title as mine (The Case Of The Velvet Claws), I was ready to sue him, as I knew he had stolen it from me. Incidentally, all the characters in my books rode buses because that’s what we did back in Jersey when I was a kid.

Kids. They can be a real inspiration! Most of mine are about them. The best thing of all was to see their expressions when I published my first book and bought a copy. They were clapping and yelling and running around. Now that made me feel like a, “star.”

Once upon a time, he could breathe. The air was clean in the countryside and the smoke from the fire didn’t scorch the lungs, but warmed them. However, his mother had been struggling for years, the call of the leaves tucked inside a roll of paper were too much for her. He watched as the machines took over the most basic aspect of life, he saw her return home with a hole in her throat, and knew that though she died of an illness, the constant battle with her lungs sure as hell didn’t help her stay alive. From then on he had a vengeance against the smoke, and was determined he could tempt himself and live to tell the tale. So he sputtered and choked through one cigarette and decided he could never do it again.

But he did it again, and again, and again, and it started when he was twenty one and lost the girl. It was a quarter of a pack that day. A couple before a job interview to calm the nerves. Three at a social event, a cigar on his birthday. The smoke grew inside of him like choke vines, and the horrid purple flowers weren’t flowers but temptations, life vests that would help for a moment but drown someone just before they reached the shore. The day his daughter was born he smoked five for victory, but ended up stepping outside once a day because she wouldn’t stop crying. He didn’t know the smoke set her lungs on fire, because his were accustomed to the poison, and like the burn of alcohol in a drunkard’s throat ebbs into nothing, his lungs stopped pleading for air and settled for ashes.

They had to move to the city because there was nothing in the country for him any more. But the city stretched him until the smoke became a lifeline, and it crept out of his lungs and into his head. Without it he grew cold and irate, so he’d have another, but with each breath he took it held onto him tighter, until he and the smoke became one individual, inseparable.

Once upon a time, she could breathe.

Wow, that was amazing. Great tie in from beginning to end, and I loved how you show the addiction spreading through the family. As someone who comes from a family where various addictions have been passed down, I can attest that this is more than true. It’s a vicious cycle. This illustrates that perfectly and it’s short length helps to emphasize the point, like a fast, sharp punch to the face. I loved it.

I love how everything came together. As I read it I felt like was there with them in that moment. It made me think about when I smoked and how I’m glad I stopped. Thank you for this.

This article made me laugh more than once, and it is really great advice! Thank you.

This is the best comment! Thanks! I LOVE laughing, so I’m really glad you laughed. 🙂

Delightful … both your cousin’s charming and confident comment, and YOUR ability to respect her perspective and create lovely writing inspiration. Thank you for that.

Once upon a time a sad girl went for a walk. As she walked she began to hum and soon the humming turned to singing and her steps became a dance. She danced and danced and waved her arms in the air and soon her arms became wings. When she opened her throat to send out the notes she filled her lungs with air and her wings lifted her high above the swirling leaves and the wind carried her farther than her dreams. Her legs and feet began to draw up and shrink for they were no longer needed for the dance and the sun warmed her back as she floated between clouds and swirled and twirled like the leaves she had passed on her way to sky. Her words became sound that she left behind her as she soared higher and higher and farther still. As she swooped and dived and climbed again she turned her eyes to the earth she had once belonged to and she saw the green of the trees and the blue of the sea. She dove and saw her reflection on the water as she coasted just above the glittering surface and the ripples broke the image into millions of sparkling pieces. Her sadness had blown away on the breeze and she decided then and there that she was no longer earthbound. The girl who was not a girl turned back to the sky and joined the flock of others who no longer stumbled in the dirt. Sadness is small as stones on sand and she had risen above it.

Just got up and wandered through the internet and suddenly received such a wonderful hint. I am a bibliotherapist and the idea of starting to write with once upon a time can be a powerful exercise in my workshops. Thank you Kelly and good morning everyone

I am extremely late on this post, but I came across it and felt very inspired by the prompt. I have had this story bouncing around in my head for over two years now but it has always felt too difficult/painful to write. Perhaps this has unlocked it.

Once upon a time we all believed in fairy tales; the inevitability that good would always conquer evil and that the true of heart would always find their happily ever after. Then, somehow, along the bumpy path of life, those beliefs were broken, burned, and buried like the dead. Now, I don’t know anymore whether or not those beliefs are dead because they couldn’t survive reality or if we killed them with our pragmatism and society-taught desire to just be realistic. Either way, one day we woke up and were deeply disappointed by life or hurt in such a way that caused us to question those beliefs. Someone was standing by to tell us, “life isn’t fair,” or “sometimes life is hard for no good reason;” some kind of empty platitude aimed to deflect the lack of explanation to the inconceivable in life. We started to believe in that moment we are truly minuscule compared with this great bad world and we have no power over what happens to us or the outcome of our stories.

The story contained in the pages to come is not a fairy tale. In fact, it is rarely pretty but it IS realistic. And, for me at least, it ask the question, “does circumstance overcome us or can a group of people so deeply hurt by circumstance heal and become stronger for it?” Fairy tales told our child-selves yes but adult experiences taught us to believe in brokenness that cannot be fixed, in wounds that never properly heal.

At the end of this, the story I will tell, perhaps you shall have an answer where I still have found none. I hope that you do. I hope you begin to re-believe.

He Loved Me

Once upon a time, he loved me. It wasn’t the kind of love like you might expect. He truly cared about me. No football game or TV show was more important to him than I was. Countless times when I felt like giving up and ending it all, he never left my side until I collected myself and moved on in life. I struggled with depression and had contemplated suicide before. He was always there for me. None of the suicide attempts worked because he was always there. He was like my safe place where I could always go. When I was with him, I was okay. I was confident. I felt like nothing could come between us.

The day I got that terrible phone call about Ethan was the worst day of my life. I was at home and I had just finished putting on my makeup after my shower. I sat down to call Ethan but my cat knocked my phone out of my hand.

“Gracie!” I scolded. She meowed and curled up around the phone. “Gracie what are you doing? Get off of my phone,” I said. I nudged her off and unlocked it. I smiled at the picture of me and Ethan that I set as the background. I had just pulled up my contacts when my phone started buzzing. I never had the sound on. I looked at the caller ID. It was my best friend Beth. “Hello?” “Cierra you need to get over here now.”

I frowned. “What’s wrong?” “It’s Ethan. He’s been shot.” I froze. He was my strength. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to.

“Where are you?” I asked trying to keep my voice from shaking. “I’m at the hospital.” She paused and I heard her take a deep breath. “Hurry.” She hung up and I stared at the blank screen for a moment before springing into action. I grabbed my bag and keys and locked the door behind me. I jumped into my car and started the ignition. I sped away and tried to stay under the speed limit. I stared straight ahead and blinked away tears that didn’t make sense. I had no way of knowing if it was fatal or not. I just held on to the memories and the wheel.

I finally made it to the hospital and gazed at the police cars stationed around the entrance. I hurried in and Beth ran up to me. I couldn’t speak and she threw her arms around me. I stared blankly at the waiting room behind her. She didn’t let go and she only whispered two words to me. Only two but they hurt me more than anything else ever had and I knew they would never leave me. “He’s gone.”

Once upon a time, I loved someone. I still love him but it’s so different since he’s gone. It’s been three years since it happened and I miss him more everyday. Once upon a time, I lost the very someone who helped me through the hardest times of my life.

Once upon a time… …he loved me.

Wow! If this is fiction, it’s great. if it’s a real event, it’s very poignant and sad as well as well told.

Once upon a time there was a small girl, as shy and as timid as one could imagine. Her parents wishing good for her, put her into a boarding school at the tender age of five. She cried a lot, but in vain. They were not deterred and off she was sent with many her age, in a train that took them to a faraway place called Mekgunj, where her school was located. She felt very homesick and scared and spent the first few days crying and crying. She was scared to show her tears, so she cried at night under her covers. In the day time she attended classes with the other girls. Days passed but she never felt happy, not for a moment. She was scared all the time and nervous with butterflies fluttering in her stomach all the time. Strange for a girl that small, especially when all the other girls had settled down and made friends. All of them would giggle and laugh and talk, making noise without a care in the world, except for her, she would be sitting in a corner watching the girls and trying to hide from them. Wishing in her heart that she too could be like them, but her tongue was tied and her glutes were stuck, she could neither move nor talk and in her shyness her mind was stuck. She was very good at her studies and they provided respite from her shyness. So she spent her time reading and it always made her feel good, escaping into another world where she could be anyone she wanted to. She used to see herself as a naughty bubbly girl, who was always talking and running and laughing. She had very few friends and as she grew older her friends started getting jealous of her as she always stood first in class and most of the years she got the student of the year award. Her classmates used to tease her and talk bad of her behind her back and also on her face. She used to feel very sad but because she never spoke up, there was nothing she could do. Finally they were given permission to write letters home which would not be checked by the teachers. So she wrote to her dad, pleading him to take her back home. She promised her dad that she would do anything and everything he asked her for, but to please call her back. Her dad relented and the very next week he came and picked her up and took her back home. She decided from now on she would open her mouth and not be scared anymore. She lived happily ever after that.

This is a well told story a lot of people can relate to, even if we’re not sent to boarding school. I think you should make shorter paragraphs, though. Short paragraphs make a story easier to read and are what editors prefer these days.

True Christine. I never realised as I just typed the whole thing in the comment box. Thank you

Once upon a time, there was a single rosebud in a garden of thorns. Once upon a time, there was a baby guppy in a pool of sharks. Once upon a time, there was a person who thought he could change the world. To him, the world looked upon him as a baby rabbit in a den of a bear, a baby bird in a circle of a hungry wolf pack. People thought he was crazy, he was absurd, he was mad to think that his theory about the world would make a difference in their lives. He fixed his tie and pulled at his suit, and got ready to face the many pairs of judging eyes he was going to have to convince. He had been preparing this speech in his mind for over ten years, and now he got the chance to speak it to the world. This was a distopian society set in the future a thousand years from now. A time where humans no longer had the rights they used to, and a nation that was no longer founded upon equality, but difference. Founded upon myths, not truth. And he agreed with everybody else- until today. He took a deep breath, and saw many pairs of eyes again and again and again. He gripped his microphone, and spoke, “We can change the world,” and that is how he began.

I loved it, I would only change the sentence “This was a distopian society set in the future a thousand years from now.” because it seems out of the story’s flow.

Hi i am Scott Adlhoch and i am a freelancer writer. I read your article and it is very interesting and useful too. I will surely use these advice in my upcoming book to make it more impressive and interesting. Thanks!

Once upon a time, a girl was given the purest heart of them all. She was too kind, that goodness of her was abused. She gave but didn’t receive. She loved but wasn’t loved back. She gave a lending hand when they needed help. Her broken parts, she fixed them herself.

She thought she was blessed because she had something nobody in this world possesses. But the toils she’s been thru became the catalyst for her to act against her program.

She stopped following instructions. She fights back when they kick her for not doing the things they want. She had found ways to be more powerful. And she ruled the people who once got the most out of her pure heart.

But that heart wasn’t pure anymore. It was rotten. Because it was abused, tortured, unfed, unloved.

Soon this girl will die. Because her now rotten heart will eat everything that she is like a worm eating a dead body.

Once Upon a Time There was a five-year-old girl, wearing a flour-sack print dress because she was going to school with her older sister. She didn’t know why she was going to school, but was very happy about it. She loved school. She even loved the long walk on the dusty country road to get to the school. Most of the time, that is. Sometimes the big boys who joined them on the walk would tease and scare her. One time one of them picked up a fishing worm and pretended to swallow it. At least, she thought he pretended and really didn’t do it. She thought, “What does he think he is, a fish?” The school was one room with windows along the west wall and rows of different size desks. The girl sat in a double desk with her sister and listened as the teacher called first graders to the front of the room. They were reading from Dick and Jane. The story wasn’t very interesting, but the sound of the words as the readers struggled to bring the words from the page into their mouths and say them aloud fascinated her. Her sister was in second grade so she was called up with the next group to the blackboard to do math problems. A bigger boy, with greasy hair and yellow teeth, turned to her from the seat in front of her and asked why she had come to school that day. He was sneering and she felt small as she searched for the answer to the question. Finally, the words, “My mother is not feeling well and I needed to come to school today so she could rest.” “That’s not true,” he sneered. “She’s having a baby – why didn’t you stay home to watch it hatch?” Her stomach felt queasy, there was something wrong about having a baby. Papa said the doctor brought babies in his black bag. This isn’t right. School isn’t fun anymore. She lowers her face to the desk so the boy can’t see it reddening. Why does this feel so wrong? But, if the boy is right, there will be a new baby at home. That thought cheered her. She wondered what the baby’s name would be and if it would have a lot of dark hair like her other little brother did when he was very small. What the boy said wasn’t important, yet the uncomfortable place in her stomach wouldn’t go away. She pushed it out of her thoughts, but the feeling remained.

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Reddit Screenwriting: A Comprehensive How-To Guide

Reddit Screenwriting: A How-To…

Reddit is an online community made up of smaller, individually themed communities, whether they’re centred around sharing simple images or jokes, posting personal anecdotes and requests for advice, or hosting Q&As with celebrities. 

Then, of course, there’s the Reddit screenwriting community , pictured below. 

Reddit screenwriting works the same way as other Reddit communities (called ‘subreddits’): 

• Users interested in screenwriting  and learning how to write a screenplay can ‘subscribe’ to the subreddit. This means posts from it will show up on their Reddit front page, although this is not a prerequisite to using the subreddit. 
• Reddit screenwriting has hundreds of thousands of subscribers, although only a fraction of those are active at any one time. Users of Reddit screenwriting, like users of the site as a whole, are mainly American so most are writers aiming to get into Hollywood, although there are still users and posts from across the world.
• Users can post links or text posts, and other users vote them up or down.
• Up and downvotes allow users to sort posts by ‘hot’ (what’s being upvoted now), ‘new’, ‘controversial’, ‘top’ and ‘rising’.

Reddit is free to use.

There is a ‘Premium’ option that comes with ‘coins’, although these aren’t worth worrying over, especially for new users.

Upvotes, Downvotes and Anonymity on Reddit Screenwriting

Users can also vote comments up and down. 

Upvotes and downvotes should be given based on usefulness, not agreement.

So if someone on Reddit screenwriting has a perfectly valid opinion – they liked a movie, and you didn’t – that’s not worthy of a downvote. If they’re giving harmful or wrong advice, or being abusive, or breaking the rules, that is. 

If a comment gets a low enough score, Reddit collapses it and hides it from view. This keeps discussion relevant and helpful: 

When comments on Reddit screenwriting are still new, they have their upvote/downvote score hidden. This feature makes it less likely for people to jump on a popular or unpopular comment. 

Like any volunteer-moderated internet community, Reddit screenwriting can be a wild west.

Reddit accounts tend to be anonymous, which has advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, you can ask a question without worrying if it’ll be traced back to you.

On the other hand, you don’t know if another user, handing out advice as if they’re an expert, has anything to back up their claims.

However, one valuable feature combating this is is ‘user flair’.

This allows certain users to identify themselves with a few words that accompany their username on every post or comment.

On Reddit screenwriting , moderators give these to professional writers and those already established in the industry: 

It’s not to say that other users of Reddit screenwriting have nothing to contribute, or aren’t professional writers themselves. It just adds a layer of legitimacy.

Advice posts on Reddit Screenwriting

The community is what you make of it, whether an active poster and commentator or the opposite, soaking up others’ posts and comments (a ‘lurker’).

Users, especially amateur and beginning screenwriters, often ask the community familiar questions: what screenwriting books they should read; what screenwriting software what they should use; what to expect from film school.

But it’s the more subtle career questions that make Reddit screenwriting useful. 

There’s some industry etiquette that normally goes unspoken. For example: 

• How to interpret a showrunner’s response when you turn in the first draft of your episode;
• whether it’s customary to receive a reply from a company accepting unsolicited submissions;
• when it’s appropriate and polite to follow up with someone who said they’d read your script. 

Then there are the occasional Q&As with screenwriters, executives, producers, agents and founders of competitions (in Reddit parlance, called an ‘AMA’ for ‘Ask Me Anything’). 

They may not be household names (which screenwriters are?), but if they’ve made writing their career, they’re probably worth listening to.

It’s worth searching through older posts, even though you won’t be able to comment on them.

Here’s one from ARRIVAL and BIRD BOX screenwriter Eric Heisserer . 

Feedback on Reddit Screenwriting

Users also share their own work and ask for feedback, from initial vague idea form to loglines, outlines and treatments, to finished scripts of various drafts. 

These can be useful to read, putting yourself in the position of an agent or production company receiving a submission from a completely unknown writer. 

A word of caution: while opinions from fellow aspiring writers can be rewarding, they’re not a substitute for in-depth  script coverage  and Reddit screenwriting isn’t a place to be discovered.

Many users who ask for feedback are seeking basic encouragement, not actual helpful critiques. 

A pro script reader might answer a question or two if they feel like it, but it’s unlikely they’ll take time out out of a busy day to read your script. 

Happy browsing, and enjoy Reddit!

• What did you think of this article?  Share it ,  Like it , give it a rating, and let us know your thoughts in the comments box further down…
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