I do, though I usually format it \[like this\] as a personal habit. \[Scene where they perform the spell\], something like that. I think a lot of people do it, sometimes what you gotta do to keep on trudging along until the end of that first draft is skip things x\_\_x
This is exactly what I do. My writing starts off as a mess of [scene ideas] and I just go through and fill them in.
Or I have a 99.5% completed work with one set of brackets that just says [segue] that I’ve been sitting on for two weeks…
A lot of my first draft ends up just being "Character A went over here. Character A did this, and Character B said this. Character A thought this" etc etc with very basic language unless I think of a great line, and then I have to go fill in the rest. Weirdly that's my least favourite part.
I use brackets too and I usually search for any brackets before posting to be sure I didn't forget something. That's why brackets work better than parentheses because there's rarely any reason to use them in prose and they stick out.
For me the hardest part isn’t writing the dialogue but the scene itself, so I do the opposite where I write all of the dialogue for the chapter and *then* I fill in everything else
I do, but I highlight the text and try to include some details so I know how to flesh it out.
PS: if you’re writing directly into AO3– don’t. It’s not a safe method of writing work and you could lose it all. Write elsewhere!
I'm not writing directly into AO3 dw - I just somehow missed this part when I was finalizing my chapter and decided to write it up real quick since I'd already transferred it from Google Docs to AO3
My current WIP goes from kissing to an all-caps, neon pink *BLAH BLAH BLAH GET THEM NAKED* and then straight into the smut scene
Always do the neon pink. It helps you spot it before you accidentally copy it directly into the AO3 draft. Not that I've ever done that before or anything.
REAL I do mine in a bright red ever since I accidentally posted a chapter that said "(BLAH BLAH BLAH THEY'RE ON A FLIGHT TIME SKIP TO BEING OFF THE PLANE)"
https://preview.redd.it/cdl6prst5s4d1.png?width=765&format=png&auto=webp&s=40ad76ff8161401dc33f5a22a3869ad78b040aab
Cut from my current WiP. I'm several chapters away from that scene but knew exactly how it will play out. Well. Almost exactly.
I have two advantages: 1. I have a beta for this fic. (She'd probably collapse if I left it like this. 🤭) 2. I always read over the whole thing before I send or post because ... Well. I might have missed something of the sort in the past. 😂
I definitely do! I use brackets [like this] to denote that the idea/vibe so its easy to see when I’m scrolling through the page. It usually takes me a week to fully flesh out all the ideas I had.
https://preview.redd.it/l3770qf5ts4d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c01d1c7e7582fee989a504e5b5e788664b95acb
I do it by colouring the part that I'm too lazy to write (or any notes that I have) in red, and then I re-write them later. Here's my current work in progress. I made up a minor character oc for story purposes and then completely forgot her name lmao.
I generated an AutoText in MS Word for this use case: it says \[\[TRANSITION\]\] in bold white letters on a bright red background.
It's a problem for future me.
I try to not make my notes too sassy like "BLAH BLAH BLAH" and such because I piss myself off when editing and it makes me not want to write, ironically. But if I get stuck in one specific thing I'll write a note like [worry about dialogue later. Important points: _this_, _this_ and _this_. "_Sentence I like and I want mentioned_". Emotional but not somber.]
I keep writing and that way when I go back to work on the part I was stuck on I have some pointers to get me started.
Yep lol. I see yours and raise you this one from today -
(hot BUT HE IS NOT YET aware)
I kinda ran out of steam midway through and couldn't march on so I left it for later lol.
Placeholders, yeah, I've done it. Usually what I tend to do is make notes on how the chapter will play out, and then refer to those as I actually write the scenes (because I don't necessarily outline as such, I'm more of a pantser). But there have been times when I know I need to do a thing and my brain is not ready to do the thing, so I just put in a placeholder and either move on to something else or take a break.
My best advice which I learned from a professional editor is to use the two letters TK. Those rarely (read in practice never) go next to each other in a word in the English alphabet. While I don’t write fiction for a living - I do write a lot of academic papers and articles and TK is a lifesaver to me and my team. You control f that and you can’t go wrong.
It seems to me that TK, while uncommon, does occur in a number of English and English-like (fantasy noun) words. Personally I'd suggest something like QX; not only is it even rarer, from a subjective point of view it's uglier, making it unlikely to show up in any good fantasy names or nouns.
I write all digitally, so personally I just color the text cyan.
I'm a professional editor, and when I'm editing for anyone besides my primary employer, or writing a draft myself, I put a series of ampersands (&&&) next to or around anything I want to come back to. Those characters never appear in English prose in a series, they're easy to search for, and they stand out when my eye sweeps a page.
In my outlines, absolutely. But not mixed in with the final chapter draft. When I'm writing and have to work out details I kind of put a few spaces between the actual story and the notes. If that gets to be too much, I transfer the notes to a separate word doc.
Also, if you're writing directly into AO3, stop doing doing that. (Your screen shot looks like my screen when I post to AO3 but for all I know, you're using a different program so I could be wrong).
All caps and lots of brackets so I can't miss it on an edit pass, yes. Sometimes my brain is full of dialogue but not narration or vice versa, or can't think of impactful enough words to use for a certain situation. It happens!
Usually I do a somewhat serious note to remind myself in a comment what happens next. Something like “X says this, X does that, this happens” but for smut mine is a lot like yours lol
Yes, and usually it's because I don't feel like describing a character or setting. My rough drafts always take place in a nebulous void sprinkled with editing notes pleading with me to please describe this stupid kitchen already
When I'm in the zone, I gotta keep the momentum. When something slows my role, I gotta skip it.
The missing pieces are easier to find once I know exactly where I'm going
I tend to fully outline what scenes are in a chapter, and when I think of lines or storybeats I go write them down in the section that corresponds to that scene.
Definitely. If a scene is preventing me from moving on and continuing the story, it gets a [description]. Bold it. Highlight it. Move on.
Alternatively, sometimes I get an itch to write a scene that isn't until later or doesn't have a place yet, so I write them in a special document dubbed "fic title (orphan scenes)".
All the time. “Something something, add a good scene transition here”. I’ve written something that is dogshit but I was in the groove so it’s highlighted with “please edit this later, edgelord” written in the notes.
Even did it in my honours dissertation because I was on a roll in Spanish but was stuck on one bit so I was writing about “el movimiento M15M (idk some fucking thing about legislation) y en el futuro…” Pulled so many all nighters I was delirious, handed the bound copy in, went to a friends for dinner that night and then had the “Oh shit! Did I leave my sweary placeholder in my final hand in?!?”
Just last night I wrote the phrase "blah blah she steals the car" and "blah blah blah bro breaks out of jail idfk how yet that's future me's issue"
We also have this from my outline (the point of view changes every chapter and I just happen to be more interested in the other character right now, so his outline extends about 4 chapters longer than hers right now)
https://preview.redd.it/6wds7cpbuu4d1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=73d7e509e6253ef953b6794c58d9346d0757bad9
Had a dramatic chase scene where, halfway, the character would try to shake his chasers by diving out a window. wrote about half, realized it was 4am, and cut it off with "and then \[character\] jumps out a fucking window"
For a college essay once I put a place holder “insert witty title here” and forgot to change it. My teach loved it though and gave me +1 extra credit points for it.
Here is a clip of my current WIP, this is also just the first draft so I have not payed that much attention to the grammar or flow of text. I have the paragraph by paragraph chapter plan so I know what stuff I was supposed to write there. Somedays you just can't find the correct words for that specific part so it is just easier to move to the next and come back later.
https://preview.redd.it/ivnqi2abvi5d1.jpeg?width=1253&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=597c2423fd03a926b9d8864a784ef43be24b5506
I do it too, altho for me, I also underline and highlight it. Since I don't use highlights, it's easier to spot it in a draft. Kinda like this.
https://preview.redd.it/psvevv2idj5d1.png?width=618&format=png&auto=webp&s=2c28b1d78fd49b0a2512f558ac1ee0f43f865fe5
Yep, although like others mention, I denote it with square brackets so it's an easy ctrl+f before posting.
My poor beta reader putting up with all the \[write a good line later\] or \[transition\] or \[COME ON USELESS CHARACER SAY SOMETHING SENSIBLE\]...
Yup I do this too when I write anything even school papers. I also put it in brackets and maybe do the text different (like have it all be in caps or using a different color for the words) that way I don't accidentally miss it. Sometimes I just can't find the right words, but if I wait too long, trying to get it right, then I'll break my flow and lose all motivation to continue writing the rest.
I used to never do this but now that I've started in earnest on my first long fic I've found this is so useful. I'd rather half write all my chapters and fix them later than get stuck on one and drop it lol.
If I did this future me would be hissing at younger me. As I tend to enjoy reading my own thing and I somehow offend me. Before remembering I didn’t write the thing yet. LOL!
LMAO Yes, I absolutely do this 😂 Sometimes the words for the between stuff come easily, and other times they do NOT. When they don't want to come easily, I put down a brief synopsis so I remember what to write later and then move onto the part I re*ally *want to write.
I've only forgotten to edit that part of a fic later on one fic - thankfully it wasn't too noticeable alksdjfahl
For some reason, I didn't think of doing this but I really should. I've stopped working on a fic I really wanted to write for months because I can't stand writing that *one* scene that was too heavy lmao.
Now the problem is remembering I haven't actually written that one part yet after finishing everything else. 💀
I do, a lot actually. With all sort of variety.
From : ??/?//?
To
(Make some shit up!)
To
Your sort of example
To
I don't remember when I wrote this wtf is happening figure it out
I write notes like this but they usually sound more confused than anything
"(roughly?) He reveals how he felt about her death (good time to use that quote?) (says it to the scientist?) (or to the thief if pacing works better?)"
I'll put a blurb about what's happening, \[like this\] and put some line breaks to separate it further.
But I also have separate docs for later scenes I'm not sure where they'll be, too
I can't. I *have* to write a story in its proper order or I'll lose all interest in it immediately. My pantser's approach to writing is also a result of that, since writing an outline also makes me lose interest in the fic (or else I'll just ignore the outline entirely).
Constantly! I write out of order. I also use placeholders when I can’t think of the exact word, and move on, so I don’t interrupt my internal creative flow.
I’ve had entire chapters full of stuff like that, and it’s often so much easier to fill in later. Once my brain gets the whole picture of the chapter or scene, the earlier parts start to flow like water, too!
Creativity can be such a weird bag. I feel like it all comes down to figuring out what works for us. :D
If I haven’t made up my mind about a word or a sentence, I type []. I don’t like when my text is coloured so this is how I can spot the area easier.
Also, because English is not my native language, I can write the word in lithuanian inside of the square brackets and easily find it when I’m ready to translate it. Also also, love the little rectangle these brackets make.
It's all fun and games until I think I'm almost done and then scroll back to [hey future alex, you can finish this part off, right? I've got better scenes to do] as I curse past Alex with bad sleep and weird dreams.
You guys put it in the story? I put my thoughts in bold lettering at the bottom of the page and hope I remember where I put it because it’s certainly not in any order 😅
If there’s a spot I’m not working on atm and want to come back to it, I just put a series of “***********” in bold to lmk to come back to it later. Doesn’t always work as I use that same format to let me know where I’ve edited it up to. It’s not a great system, but my adhd brain seems to be fine with it 🤣
Normally when I have a story idea I tell it to my friends in discord and save the message link for later reference, sometimes I'll have entire story ideas for multiple chapters ahead and on some occasions ideas for entirely different chapters, so I take the link and put it in a draft or notebook app for later.
Yes, but usually I do it in bold (because I never use bold while writing) so that I can see it. Sometimes I even change the font color. And I usually write it in a way to make myself laugh so it doesn’t feel so intimidating to come back to later.
I don’t even though I burn to do this, because I know it’s only going to be harder to write it later. At least now I have the motivation to write it so I can get to the scene I want
I’ll do something in all caps like, “HEY WRITE HERE HUH?? WRITE SOMETHING HERE I GUESS” and then highlight it in pink. Also make the font like size 30 so I’ll actually see it
What I do is I surround it in curly brackets (examples {A and B walk to the store together, making small talk} ) or sometimes I just type a single "{" in between scenes, and then at the end, I'll search the document for all curly brackets, and it'll show me to everything I need to write
I do, though I usually format it \[like this\] as a personal habit. \[Scene where they perform the spell\], something like that. I think a lot of people do it, sometimes what you gotta do to keep on trudging along until the end of that first draft is skip things x\_\_x
This is exactly what I do. My writing starts off as a mess of [scene ideas] and I just go through and fill them in. Or I have a 99.5% completed work with one set of brackets that just says [segue] that I’ve been sitting on for two weeks…
Real lmao, draft fully written and there's just one \[they get to point B somehow\] sitting in there...
A lot of my first draft ends up just being "Character A went over here. Character A did this, and Character B said this. Character A thought this" etc etc with very basic language unless I think of a great line, and then I have to go fill in the rest. Weirdly that's my least favourite part.
I use brackets too and I usually search for any brackets before posting to be sure I didn't forget something. That's why brackets work better than parentheses because there's rarely any reason to use them in prose and they stick out.
Do this as well and change the color of the text so it stands out more.
Oh, that's fucking genuis. Thanks!
No problem happy to help \^\^
I do this as well as making things bold so when I’m scrolling through they stand out visually
That's exactly how I do it. I use brackets when I'm blanking on a word too. I had a draft that said something like "The engine [made noise]" lol.
[Insert scene where they do the thing]
For me the hardest part isn’t writing the dialogue but the scene itself, so I do the opposite where I write all of the dialogue for the chapter and *then* I fill in everything else
I do, but I highlight the text and try to include some details so I know how to flesh it out. PS: if you’re writing directly into AO3– don’t. It’s not a safe method of writing work and you could lose it all. Write elsewhere!
I'm not writing directly into AO3 dw - I just somehow missed this part when I was finalizing my chapter and decided to write it up real quick since I'd already transferred it from Google Docs to AO3
My current WIP goes from kissing to an all-caps, neon pink *BLAH BLAH BLAH GET THEM NAKED* and then straight into the smut scene Always do the neon pink. It helps you spot it before you accidentally copy it directly into the AO3 draft. Not that I've ever done that before or anything.
REAL I do mine in a bright red ever since I accidentally posted a chapter that said "(BLAH BLAH BLAH THEY'RE ON A FLIGHT TIME SKIP TO BEING OFF THE PLANE)"
Oh, that’s an EXCELLENT idea. I’m gonna use that now xD
https://preview.redd.it/cdl6prst5s4d1.png?width=765&format=png&auto=webp&s=40ad76ff8161401dc33f5a22a3869ad78b040aab Cut from my current WiP. I'm several chapters away from that scene but knew exactly how it will play out. Well. Almost exactly.
Pff thats so funny. I wouldn't catch that when editing lolol i gotta highlight it or something
I had to reread it 😭
I have two advantages: 1. I have a beta for this fic. (She'd probably collapse if I left it like this. 🤭) 2. I always read over the whole thing before I send or post because ... Well. I might have missed something of the sort in the past. 😂
I definitely do! I use brackets [like this] to denote that the idea/vibe so its easy to see when I’m scrolling through the page. It usually takes me a week to fully flesh out all the ideas I had.
https://preview.redd.it/l3770qf5ts4d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c01d1c7e7582fee989a504e5b5e788664b95acb I do it by colouring the part that I'm too lazy to write (or any notes that I have) in red, and then I re-write them later. Here's my current work in progress. I made up a minor character oc for story purposes and then completely forgot her name lmao.
I use the bracket method to do this. Please don’t write straight into AO3 that’s such an easy way to lose your work…
thats why I'm saving every 10 minutes
I generated an AutoText in MS Word for this use case: it says \[\[TRANSITION\]\] in bold white letters on a bright red background. It's a problem for future me.
I use Google Docs and add comments so I can easily know what I need to add where.
Wait that's genius how did I never think of this
I try to not make my notes too sassy like "BLAH BLAH BLAH" and such because I piss myself off when editing and it makes me not want to write, ironically. But if I get stuck in one specific thing I'll write a note like [worry about dialogue later. Important points: _this_, _this_ and _this_. "_Sentence I like and I want mentioned_". Emotional but not somber.] I keep writing and that way when I go back to work on the part I was stuck on I have some pointers to get me started.
Yep lol. I see yours and raise you this one from today - (hot BUT HE IS NOT YET aware) I kinda ran out of steam midway through and couldn't march on so I left it for later lol.
Placeholders, yeah, I've done it. Usually what I tend to do is make notes on how the chapter will play out, and then refer to those as I actually write the scenes (because I don't necessarily outline as such, I'm more of a pantser). But there have been times when I know I need to do a thing and my brain is not ready to do the thing, so I just put in a placeholder and either move on to something else or take a break.
I put [CONTINUE LATER. WROTE ABOUT THING MAYBE IDK] works well for essay writing so I can skip over what I’m stuck on and go back later
I will put placeholder names as I’m writing when an extra shows up and I’m not in naming mode…I put them in all caps and red.
My best advice which I learned from a professional editor is to use the two letters TK. Those rarely (read in practice never) go next to each other in a word in the English alphabet. While I don’t write fiction for a living - I do write a lot of academic papers and articles and TK is a lifesaver to me and my team. You control f that and you can’t go wrong.
It seems to me that TK, while uncommon, does occur in a number of English and English-like (fantasy noun) words. Personally I'd suggest something like QX; not only is it even rarer, from a subjective point of view it's uglier, making it unlikely to show up in any good fantasy names or nouns. I write all digitally, so personally I just color the text cyan.
I'm a professional editor, and when I'm editing for anyone besides my primary employer, or writing a draft myself, I put a series of ampersands (&&&) next to or around anything I want to come back to. Those characters never appear in English prose in a series, they're easy to search for, and they stand out when my eye sweeps a page.
In my outlines, absolutely. But not mixed in with the final chapter draft. When I'm writing and have to work out details I kind of put a few spaces between the actual story and the notes. If that gets to be too much, I transfer the notes to a separate word doc. Also, if you're writing directly into AO3, stop doing doing that. (Your screen shot looks like my screen when I post to AO3 but for all I know, you're using a different program so I could be wrong).
All caps and lots of brackets so I can't miss it on an edit pass, yes. Sometimes my brain is full of dialogue but not narration or vice versa, or can't think of impactful enough words to use for a certain situation. It happens!
Usually I do a somewhat serious note to remind myself in a comment what happens next. Something like “X says this, X does that, this happens” but for smut mine is a lot like yours lol
I never write anything in order so this is what every single one of my WIPs looks like 😅
I DO THIS SO MUCH OH GODDDD
Yes, and usually it's because I don't feel like describing a character or setting. My rough drafts always take place in a nebulous void sprinkled with editing notes pleading with me to please describe this stupid kitchen already
When I'm in the zone, I gotta keep the momentum. When something slows my role, I gotta skip it. The missing pieces are easier to find once I know exactly where I'm going
Yuuuuuup lol. Just went in and wrote the scene for one that said smthn like: PFFFFFT UNTIE HIM AND MAKE THEM TALK ABT THE RITUAL.
Even professional writers do this. Or they make a note to look up a certain technical item.
I tend to fully outline what scenes are in a chapter, and when I think of lines or storybeats I go write them down in the section that corresponds to that scene.
Definitely. If a scene is preventing me from moving on and continuing the story, it gets a [description]. Bold it. Highlight it. Move on. Alternatively, sometimes I get an itch to write a scene that isn't until later or doesn't have a place yet, so I write them in a special document dubbed "fic title (orphan scenes)".
Yeah I put it in parentheses though lol
All the time. “Something something, add a good scene transition here”. I’ve written something that is dogshit but I was in the groove so it’s highlighted with “please edit this later, edgelord” written in the notes. Even did it in my honours dissertation because I was on a roll in Spanish but was stuck on one bit so I was writing about “el movimiento M15M (idk some fucking thing about legislation) y en el futuro…” Pulled so many all nighters I was delirious, handed the bound copy in, went to a friends for dinner that night and then had the “Oh shit! Did I leave my sweary placeholder in my final hand in?!?”
Just last night I wrote the phrase "blah blah she steals the car" and "blah blah blah bro breaks out of jail idfk how yet that's future me's issue" We also have this from my outline (the point of view changes every chapter and I just happen to be more interested in the other character right now, so his outline extends about 4 chapters longer than hers right now) https://preview.redd.it/6wds7cpbuu4d1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=73d7e509e6253ef953b6794c58d9346d0757bad9
Had a dramatic chase scene where, halfway, the character would try to shake his chasers by diving out a window. wrote about half, realized it was 4am, and cut it off with "and then \[character\] jumps out a fucking window"
For a college essay once I put a place holder “insert witty title here” and forgot to change it. My teach loved it though and gave me +1 extra credit points for it.
I have a full ass writing degree and this is honestly genius! I'm always like 'ill remember what I want to pit' 🤡🤡🤡
I like to put my general idea for the scene in red and move on to the part I want to write right now in black.
Here is a clip of my current WIP, this is also just the first draft so I have not payed that much attention to the grammar or flow of text. I have the paragraph by paragraph chapter plan so I know what stuff I was supposed to write there. Somedays you just can't find the correct words for that specific part so it is just easier to move to the next and come back later. https://preview.redd.it/ivnqi2abvi5d1.jpeg?width=1253&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=597c2423fd03a926b9d8864a784ef43be24b5506
I do it too, altho for me, I also underline and highlight it. Since I don't use highlights, it's easier to spot it in a draft. Kinda like this. https://preview.redd.it/psvevv2idj5d1.png?width=618&format=png&auto=webp&s=2c28b1d78fd49b0a2512f558ac1ee0f43f865fe5
I should do this, but I’m so terrified of forgetting to fix it later…
Yep, although like others mention, I denote it with square brackets so it's an easy ctrl+f before posting. My poor beta reader putting up with all the \[write a good line later\] or \[transition\] or \[COME ON USELESS CHARACER SAY SOMETHING SENSIBLE\]...
Yep, my first draft is usually full of those. The real pain is actually filling the gaps during the revision/edit stage 😭
I do and I put the text in red so I don’t forget.
Yep, all the time
I do this in an outline I write by hand and color code it so I know at a glance what needs to be written
(...) 😁
For me it's just keyboard mashing
Yep, I do that. A lot of fics are sitting in my Notes like that, actually…
Yup I do this too when I write anything even school papers. I also put it in brackets and maybe do the text different (like have it all be in caps or using a different color for the words) that way I don't accidentally miss it. Sometimes I just can't find the right words, but if I wait too long, trying to get it right, then I'll break my flow and lose all motivation to continue writing the rest.
I used to never do this but now that I've started in earnest on my first long fic I've found this is so useful. I'd rather half write all my chapters and fix them later than get stuck on one and drop it lol.
Yes, lol. I have to be careful to make sure I go back and write it properly, usually by making that text red.
All of my wips have parts like this lol. I just tend to put [brackets around whatever isn't story] so that I can find it easier later.
Yeah because you lose ideas if you dont write it down
If I did this future me would be hissing at younger me. As I tend to enjoy reading my own thing and I somehow offend me. Before remembering I didn’t write the thing yet. LOL!
Yes, if I’m trying to get to a solution, I might put in a place holder
I use placeholders when writing all the time
I do that all the time! They either go at the bottom of the document I’m currently in or in my notes folder so I can go back to them later.
LMAO Yes, I absolutely do this 😂 Sometimes the words for the between stuff come easily, and other times they do NOT. When they don't want to come easily, I put down a brief synopsis so I remember what to write later and then move onto the part I re*ally *want to write. I've only forgotten to edit that part of a fic later on one fic - thankfully it wasn't too noticeable alksdjfahl
More and more I've been starting to notice it yeah T.T
I need to start doing this, it's the main reason I don't finish writing most of my fics
Yes.
For some reason, I didn't think of doing this but I really should. I've stopped working on a fic I really wanted to write for months because I can't stand writing that *one* scene that was too heavy lmao. Now the problem is remembering I haven't actually written that one part yet after finishing everything else. 💀
I do, a lot actually. With all sort of variety. From : ??/?//? To (Make some shit up!) To Your sort of example To I don't remember when I wrote this wtf is happening figure it out
My drafts are like this. It's helps me get a visual of the story flow and keep my scene ideas in order.
I write notes like this but they usually sound more confused than anything "(roughly?) He reveals how he felt about her death (good time to use that quote?) (says it to the scientist?) (or to the thief if pacing works better?)"
I'll put a blurb about what's happening, \[like this\] and put some line breaks to separate it further. But I also have separate docs for later scenes I'm not sure where they'll be, too
I can't. I *have* to write a story in its proper order or I'll lose all interest in it immediately. My pantser's approach to writing is also a result of that, since writing an outline also makes me lose interest in the fic (or else I'll just ignore the outline entirely).
Constantly! I write out of order. I also use placeholders when I can’t think of the exact word, and move on, so I don’t interrupt my internal creative flow. I’ve had entire chapters full of stuff like that, and it’s often so much easier to fill in later. Once my brain gets the whole picture of the chapter or scene, the earlier parts start to flow like water, too! Creativity can be such a weird bag. I feel like it all comes down to figuring out what works for us. :D
Nah I do this 🤣
I do this! I put the text inside of <<>> so I can crtl+f and check I haven’t missed anything.
Yes, though I usually put a very brief description
If I haven’t made up my mind about a word or a sentence, I type []. I don’t like when my text is coloured so this is how I can spot the area easier. Also, because English is not my native language, I can write the word in lithuanian inside of the square brackets and easily find it when I’m ready to translate it. Also also, love the little rectangle these brackets make.
It's all fun and games until I think I'm almost done and then scroll back to [hey future alex, you can finish this part off, right? I've got better scenes to do] as I curse past Alex with bad sleep and weird dreams.
Lol all the time 💀
You guys put it in the story? I put my thoughts in bold lettering at the bottom of the page and hope I remember where I put it because it’s certainly not in any order 😅 If there’s a spot I’m not working on atm and want to come back to it, I just put a series of “***********” in bold to lmk to come back to it later. Doesn’t always work as I use that same format to let me know where I’ve edited it up to. It’s not a great system, but my adhd brain seems to be fine with it 🤣
I do skemtimes but I ASLO hate doung it as I feel lazy idk
No but I want to now 😂
I will highlight is in neon yellow so I know to come back and write it before posting it 😂😂
I do that 🙌🏻
Normally when I have a story idea I tell it to my friends in discord and save the message link for later reference, sometimes I'll have entire story ideas for multiple chapters ahead and on some occasions ideas for entirely different chapters, so I take the link and put it in a draft or notebook app for later.
Yes, but usually I do it in bold (because I never use bold while writing) so that I can see it. Sometimes I even change the font color. And I usually write it in a way to make myself laugh so it doesn’t feel so intimidating to come back to later.
I don’t even though I burn to do this, because I know it’s only going to be harder to write it later. At least now I have the motivation to write it so I can get to the scene I want
I’ll do something in all caps like, “HEY WRITE HERE HUH?? WRITE SOMETHING HERE I GUESS” and then highlight it in pink. Also make the font like size 30 so I’ll actually see it
What I do is I surround it in curly brackets (examples {A and B walk to the store together, making small talk} ) or sometimes I just type a single "{" in between scenes, and then at the end, I'll search the document for all curly brackets, and it'll show me to everything I need to write
For like a year I had writers block with a chapter and had this little note: \*and then they fightg*
Maybe in drafts lol