Writing What have you learned about writing so far in 2026?

[TinaMigarlo]

Return in your time

 

[Makimaam]

I have thought very hard about this question, yet I still can’t come up with an answer. My writing style is instinctive. I neither plan nor think about my story structure. Only when I take a step back and look at other works do I really start to consider the mechanics.

 

[SouthernMaiden]

I have thought very hard about this question, yet I still can’t come up with an answer. My writing style is instinctive. I neither plan nor think about my story structure. Only when I take a step back and look at other works do I really start to consider the mechanics.

Surely you must have notes. Or a general outline for each chapter.

 

[Makimaam]

Surely you must have notes. Or a general outline for each chapter.

I summarized the plot of my planned 400k-word novel in 7 bullet points. To me, planning kills the fun of writing so I don’t do it. I wouldn’t recommend that approach to other authors though.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I summarized the plot of my planned 400k-word novel in 7 bullet points. To me, planning kills the fun of writing so I don’t do it. I wouldn’t recommend that approach to other authors though.

I like one sentence or two, sometimes just a fragment... for each chapter.
That's the chapter's goal.
It allows me to "pants" I suppose, each chapter while keeping the overall story paced and focused
structure, but with room to breathe, not writing in a straitjacket

a 90k story? will be like 20 numbered sentence fragments. so 20 chapters

other works? I just go to it... but i have that kind of list in my head. And I have two kinds of works I do. ONE, I think of as traditional. say 20 chapters, 80K-100K. (I have YET for one of these planned things to get anywhere) which makes no sense to me. Planned, every chapter has a goal, everything is going on in steps towards the goal. Gets me nowhere.

I just sit down and w-r-i-t-e? i finally get a couple views on something. Which makes no sense to me whatsoever. Near as I got figured, I'm only the tiniest bit good at this. And even that much goes away when I plan things or try harder to do them "properly". Which I suppose @Eldoria is going to club me down with her big "Narrative Calculus IV" book for saying that, but its the god's truth.

maybe it makes a tiny bit of sense. Traditional wisdom holds readers by and large won't even TRY to read something, until at least 100k is in the bag? so they have something to binge on. A traditional paperback, is *over* by then. Look at most of the popular web-novels... hundreds of thousands of words, to millions of words, hundreds of chapters. Its the very definition of "overwriting'.

Not here, but on another site. the "webnovel" writing group as I call it. They say it straight out (these are not my words) :

---Why read web novels?
Not for prose or tight editing or deep themes, frankly.
As a whole, web novels are infamous for content sprawl and pacing issues.
If you enjoy having millions of words to sink your teeth into to get to know the world and characters, though, you may be interested.

as you stand back and read THAT, you really have to scratch your head. That place? Believe it or not, has produced some successful WN authors. And just *look* at how they themselves, view the whole WN experience.

NOTHING makes any sense, whatsoever.

 

[Makimaam]

I like one sentence or two, sometimes just a fragment... for each chapter.
That's the chapter's goal.
It allows me to "pants" I suppose, each chapter while keeping the overall story paced and focused
structure, but with room to breathe, not writing in a straitjacket

a 90k story? will be like 20 numbered sentence fragments. so 20 chapters

other works? I just go to it... but i have that kind of list in my head. And I have two kinds of works I do. ONE, I think of as traditional. say 20 chapters, 80K-100K. (I have YET for one of these planned things to get anywhere) which makes no sense to me. Planned, every chapter has a goal, everything is going on in steps towards the goal. Gets me nowhere.

I just sit down and w-r-i-t-e? i finally get a couple views on something. Which makes no sense to me whatsoever. Near as I got figured, I'm only the tiniest bit good at this. And even that much goes away when I plan things or try harder to do them "properly". Which I suppose @Eldoria is going to club me down with her big "Narrative Calculus IV" book for saying that, but its the god's truth.

maybe it makes a tiny bit of sense. Traditional wisdom holds readers by and large won't even TRY to read something, until at least 100k is in the bag? so they have something to binge on. A traditional paperback, is *over* by then. Look at most of the popular web-novels... hundreds of thousands of words, to millions of words, hundreds of chapters. Its the very definition of "overwriting'.

Not here, but on another site. the "webnovel" writing group as I call it. They say it straight out (these are not my words) :

---Why read web novels?
Not for prose or tight editing or deep themes, frankly.
As a whole, web novels are infamous for content sprawl and pacing issues.
If you enjoy having millions of words to sink your teeth into to get to know the world and characters, though, you may be interested.

as you stand back and read THAT, you really have to scratch your head. That place? Believe it or not, has produced some successful WN authors. And just *look* at how they themselves, view the whole WN experience.

NOTHING makes any sense, whatsoever.

There is no definitive “best approach” to writing. Some people do better with meticulous planning, while others pants their way through.

I’m not a fan of neverending WNs either, or 3k chapter long stories that keep inventing nonsensical plotlines to milk interest. To me, a story has a beginning, a journey, and an end. That is one thing I will not compromise for clout.

 

[Parade]

I just spit my coffee out... its too damn early for that shit... oh god, the smell

I was certainly bedazzled by that sentence. You seriously don't want that smell. The imagery is *shivver* not helpful

 

[MC-Stories]

I've learned more on how to avoid first person narration fatigue. Which is helpful since my story is in 1st person! That's been my main focus the last couple months, among other things.

I also received some good tips on writing sex scenes. Focusing on taste, smell, touch, hearing ect. Fully describing the sensory details, while also being specific about body movements.

What about ya'll?

I learned that stepping out of my comfort zone often yeilds good results

 

[SouthernMaiden]

I learned that stepping out of my comfort zone often yeilds good results

That's a good piece of advice. If you usually write action oriented stuff, experiment with slower more dramatic scenes. If you write drama, try out an action scene.

No matter how it turns out, at least youll learn something.

 

[Rolanov]

That's a good piece of advice. If you usually write action oriented stuff, experiment with slower more dramatic scenes. If you write drama, try out an action scene.

No matter how it turns out, at least youll learn something.

That's true! Sometimes I enjoy writing slice of life more than action.

 

[LutherinTaralom]

I've learned that the people that told you. That you were never going to amount to anything was wrong and your sitting here in 2026 with 64 chapters of a book done and looking at publishing it and never going to look back. Oh and that I write cinematically which is a curse and a blessing