Creative Writing, by a Person Who Is Not A Professional

[Mystic Syn she/her]

Hey there, hi there. Welcome, one and all, to Syn's Tips and Tricks and what she does to Writing!

Now I know you might ask, "But, Syn! Why are you going to give this?? Do you care about giving away the secrecy with your process with writing???" And to that I say... bruh, there ain't any secrecy with this. Literally anyone can do it, if they so chose. Writing comes from the soul and imagination, or that's what I tell myself every time I go through with writing or looking at old writing or a rough draft. The reason I want to do this is because I know some of you seem to worship my writing, which y'all shouldn't do since it's not perfect *cough* Fadran *cough*, and I thought I might let y'all into my world and what I do when I go through the process of writing. And yes, feel free to ask questions about what I do and whatnot. I know that maybe one or two people will actually read this and the number is even lower when it comes to people responding to this post, so I will do my best to answer all of the no questions I will receive. Off to a great start!

Of course, we gonna go over some notes before diving into this, because I need to make y'all aware.

1. I am NOT a professional. All of these tricks and advice I have gotten and will give here is from the experience I have gotten over the... well, lifetime I have had when it comes to writing. If you plan to take what I say to heart, uhm, take it with a grain of salt lol. There are people who are better at writing than I am. Plus, there are videos about some of the stuff I'm going to be talking about that you can look at most of them by Brandon Sanderson.
2. I am NOT going to put every question that y'all have on this post. All of the points I will put here will be some of the questions I have been asked and some that come to mind that I figure y'all will ask.
3. I will reiterate what I said before: I am willing to answer any questions about this or in general, but I will most likely not answer any that pertain to some of the role-play characters I have or my plans to for some future role-plays. Those will reveal themselves when I want them to ;))
4. These are all my opinion. The answers to any of these questions can vary from person to person, especially when it comes to writing. This is all what I do. If you want to do what I do, I say go right ahead and see how you do. These all are tweaked to my personal liking and what my brain has given me happy chemicals for. If you get angry about what I do, because it's not professional or something, well... *ahem* look at the first note again and think again. I ain't perfect, nor professional, so of course there are going to be mistakes and some things that I do that are strange compared to what some other people might do.
5. I might add more onto these notes as we go along. Depends. But please, keep these all in mind when not only reading what I do, or what other people. It's best to not judge what others do with these kinds of things, now be nice to others.

K, now we can continue to the chaos that is my brain.

What made you start writing?

Spoiler

A lot of things, really lol. I've been writing since I've heard of the concept of putting words down on paper or on a document either on Word or Google, basically my whole life in a way. This is a personal thing, but I've always loved writing stuff by hand, even when I was a little Syn. I would write stories and stuff in composition notebooks and other little journals, thinking they're going to be great series when I haven't given them a second thought today. There are some cringy fanfics I made by hand that got nowhere, but it was what I enjoyed doing. 'Course, I didn't know that they were fanfics, but it was something I enjoyed doing. I enjoyed putting people I created in universes that were already created for me, so I could have a part of me in that universe.

About five or so years ago, when I figured out the internet was a thing I can go on and not watch my mother be on and what I could do there, I found out the now dead social media website called Google+. That was where I found out role-playing and found out how to make my own characters fun fact: It was through Google+ that got me into a group chat that I've long since left that made me create Q/Yulong. But I did some role-playing there in some fandoms, mostly Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire, with a hint of Warrior Cats. That was where I found my passion for writing. I loved creating my own little stories with my over-powered characters, and I started to write my own things back in 2016, the same thing I have been working on and is now the Mystic thing.

Another inspiration for me has been all the other authors I've read: Rick Riordan don't read him anymore, for obvious reasons, Suzanne Collins, Brandon Mull, Tui T. Sutherland, Kate O'Hearn, Marrisa Meyer, and most importantly, Brandon Sanderson. It was seriously Brandon Sanderson that gave me that push that I could write the big story that I wanted to tell. He was the one that gave me the inspiration that I could, in fact, make my own worlds, magic systems, and have them all connected in some way. I could write a whole essay about how Brandon Sanderson made me into the author I am today, but y'all didn't come for that, but for the memes and how my chaotic mush of a brain makes sense of anything I write. I mean, yeah, I created a whole lot of character in the universes that these authors have made, but I came to find that I like making characters with my own rules if that makes sense lol.

Really, the thought of letting my imagination run wild was the thing that made me love writing the most. The fact that I love putting things to words is what made me fell in love with writing; although, if you were to talk to me in real life, I wouldn't do well communicating those ideas and thoughts with the words that come out of my mouth lol. What made me start writing is the idea I could tell a story, and others might enjoy it as much as I do.

What do you do to prepare to write?

Spoiler

Thinking. A lot of thinking. It's usually the thinking I, personally, like lol.

I mean, yeah, it comes with the actual writing part: where I want the plot to go, what the character's arcs will be in the long run, how it all fits, etc.. But I often will lie in bed and prepare what scenes I want or where I want the characters to do. I do remember it all when I wake up and think about it more as I go throughout my day, doing nothing besides sit around and draw. Through the thinking, I play a lot of music to help me get in the mood of what scene I write. For me, the music I listen to affects how the scene go and how the words flow. You can tell when I have written without music, because it's uninspired and kinda drab compared to anything else that I've written; in fact, I've been listening to "Dancin" by Aaron Smith and am now as of writing this portion listening to "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee. There is a role-play post I posted in The Linear Thread where I go carried away with what I was listening to, and I ended up writing a longer response than what I am used to writing.

When I go down to actually write, I make sure that I am alone. Usually those times are at night, 10pm or later. It's usually in the night when the words come easily than in the day. For me, I don't like the feeling of people watching me as I write, 'cause I feel like they're judging me about what I write, and other anxiety related stuff that I won't get into. When it's quiet on the outside, I can control my inner chaos better by playing music. I don't listen to multiple songs, but I listen to one track on repeat to help me get in the mood for what character I'm writing. Does that mean that I've gotten tired of some tracks? To a point, but I will always listen to them again, because to me, they're just background noise to help me feel like the character I'm trying to write.

Where do you get your ideas?

Spoiler

From my brain :pp Kidding lol. Mostly.

Most of the ideas I get are from things I randomly thought of at 3am, some pieces of music trust me when I say that "Feeling Good" by Micheal Bublé can make anyone write a villain, or just some pictures from Pinterest. There was this one little story I wrote called, "Family Was All She Had," that was inspired by a random pic I found on Pinterest. That pic went on to inspire me to make a whole new city like that and its own people, and all that jazz. Is it my most proudest piece of writing? Not necessarily. There are some things I would change now, but it's something I enjoyed making, and I know that the people who have read it enjoyed it as well. What I'm saying is that the inspiration that I get for writing comes from just about anywhere. I have a general idea, and I work off of it, where I want its plot to go and what characters are involved.

Of course, there are ideas I see others come up with that I wished I thought of, but I try to not let it stop me from making my own worlds and how they are my own. My chaotic mush of a brain goes from one thought to another. Oftentimes in a real life conversation, I will say something completely off-topic 'cause my brain was led to one thing, then another, and another, and so on. Basically, I can go on for a long time, before I notice that none of these ideas makes any sense when they are put into one story. That's when I think about it more, listen to some music, browse Pinterest, and come up with more ideas about how they connect.

Before you ask, here's the pic that inspired "Family Was All She Had."

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure it's this one. It was a while since I wrote "Family Was All She Had."

What are your general tips to writing?

Spoiler

Ima just number them lol.

1. Always keep in mind what your characters want, and ask yourself whether or not you want to give it to them or how you can keep it away from them. For example, all Q/Yulong wants is happiness and people to love, but I know that she has trust issues, especially when it comes to her past. I am fully aware about her being scared about making new friends, but I keep that away from her, because she fears that they might be killed, they might betray her, etc.
2. Always, always make a plan before writing. Even if it's something rough, keep that in mind. Not only will planning get you what you want when you start writing, but it feels so good to be able to know what you're doing when you're writing lol. That may be just me, though, because I know that there are people who like to have no plan and write by the seat of their pants putting it lightly.
3. Have your characters have goals. When you think about it, everyone in real life has a goal, so that shouldn't exclude the people you write about. Make them with good intent, evil, apathy, whatever you please! It's up to you whether or not you want that goal to be finished or not. However, minor tip for writing a sad death, if you want to make it even sadder, don't have their goals fulfilled and watch the people who read crumble as they see one of their favorite characters die >:] I am an evil person, I am aware of this.
4. When writing out villains, make sure they have a motivation and is not doing the things they're doing just for the sake of being evil unless they're Doofenshmirtz or Mustachio. They are people too, and they also have goals. Make sure they have a backstory that helps with their motivation. A story won't be a good story without a villain... I mean, most of the time. There are a few good movies mostly by Studio Ghibli and Pixar that make wonderful stories without a villain, and that's fine. Not every story has to have a villain; after all, the villain might be the protagonist themselves.
5. It's a-ok to not use proper grammar when writing dialogue! Think about what you say everyday, and tell me that you use perfect grammar all of the time. ... Yeah, didn't think so. But something I always tell people when they are role-playing with me and feeling bad about their grammar with dialogue is that it ain't gonna be perfect, just like what you do in real life. I do recommend that you try to use your best grammar with things that is not dialogue, but that's just me. And Connie. She will find and correct your grammar like there's no tomorrow.
6. Make sure to do your research when creating a character with a mental disability you don't have, creating something based off of a culture in real life, wounding your character, etc.. You'd be surprised how many times I looked up what it feels like to be stabbed, shot, and all that jazz. You want to make a character that's believable and that people can relate to, so please, please, please do your research about that. A good example of that would be Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, or really anything from that universe. I mean, I've also been told that Q/Yulong is pretty good too, but to be honest, I put a lot of my darkest thoughts onto her and do a bit research by kind of observing some friends that suffer from depression too. Just don't be afraid to ask questions about that, 'cause you probably don't know everything. You know, like me, 'cause I always have to look up fatal wounds that Google is most likely concerned for my mental health lol.
7.  Don't believe what Hollywood's shown you, or really any movie that pertains to wounds, guns, and all that jazz. Trust your own research or the people who have experienced those things before. Movies often make a lot of shortcuts, since they only have an hour or two to work with when making characters and all that. With your writing, you can make it as long or short as you want.
8. Practice, practice, practice. Always practice, and ask for feedback. Speaking from experience, some of the feedback might hurt, but continue moving forward. With practice, you can become an amazing writer.
9. Fight against the cliché. I mean, unless you really like that, go for it. But if you are seeking for something different, I say fight against the cliché and make things the way you want to, within reason. If you're that kind of person that rolls their eyes when you see a cliché, you have the chance to subvert it and make it something new and unexpected for the reader.
10. Keep every single draft you make. I am guilty of deleting some drafts I've made, since I didn't like them or they weren't going anywhere. But, silver lining, I have kept the very first-ish draft of the Mystic world from about five years ago, but it wasn't called that at the time. Keeping the drafts helps you know what you didn't like and what you did like, and it also tells you how much you've grown since then.
11. Make sure your characters have weakness'. I know some people in the past myself included that would make characters that are way too overpowered and little to no weakness'. If you've seen the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, you would know or have heard that Rey is a Mary Sue. I ain't going too deep into it, 'cause I don't want an angry mob to torch my house, but everything just goes Rey's way and she has little to no weakness. On the flip side, Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender went through a beautiful arc of how he found himself, his honor, and where he belonged in the world. He experienced so many failures that he finally learned to learn from them and become a stronger person.
12. It actually helps to read different author's writing. There have been times where I haven't felt like writing, then I went to read a book or someone's writing that they've sent me, and then I feel like writing again. If you take inspiration from them, that's completely fine. Every author has their own style Sanderson is more dense, Rick Riordan has a more modern style, etc., and it's fine if you haven't found your style yet. It'll come to you as you keep writing. One author is not exactly like another. Keep that in mind as you write.

General tips for worldbuilding?

Spoiler

I'll just number these again lol. I ain't the best at worldbuilding and there won't be as many here as there is in the other one, but I'll try lol.

1. Always, always research when you're basing one of the cultures you're creating off of something from real life; for example, you might want to base something off of the Russian culture, so you would have to research about that before making anything concrete. If any of you have read "The Emperor's Soul," know that Sanderson actually based it off of some Asian cultures, and he based the magic system off of some seals he saw when he was in China(?).
2. Think about it from the very beginning, especially when it was created by whoever you want to create it. It is your world, you can do whatever you want with it; however, make sure that there are some drawbacks. Think about our world of how amazing it can be, and also how disgusting and honestly gross it can also be at the same time. Mostly depends on what you want. Remember: There is no perfect world, so don't feel bad if you see other worlds that are created by others that might seem better than yours. Your own world is unique, and they wish that they could have yours ;))
3. Make sure you write some history to your world. You know that history class that you have or have taken at school. You know it's boring, but you also know it's important, and that shouldn't exclude any of the worlds you make. Every world has their own history, and make sure that you write it. It'll be boring at times, but you are the one in control and can make it as exciting as you can >:]
4. It helps to draw out the map. This might be a me thing, being the artist that I am, but I've found it to help when I have a physical copy of what I'm working on better than just a world in my head. You don't have to be an artist to draw out a map, 'cause you are most likely going to be only one seeing it. It doesn't have to be perfect in order to work. It has to be right enough for you to work with.
5. If you need help, look to pieces of media that have great worldbuilding. Sanderson has been doing great on that, at least, in my opinion. Avatar: The Last Airbender is something that I'm constantly referencing, but it also has amazing worldbuilding, of course, in my opinion. Study what they do, and try your own version with your ideas. It'll take a lot of work, but it's very doable.

That took way too long. Now, to the one or two people that actually read this but won't say anything, you can ask questions about what I do, more in depth, I mean lol. Ima go eat something and take a nap.

[Knight of Iron]

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There are some cringy fanfics I made by hand that got nowhere, but it was what I enjoyed doing. 'Course, I didn't know that they were fanfics, but it was something I enjoyed doing.

Same! I've had a Great Computer Disaster a year or so ago which wiped out dozens of stories that I made during my childhood, but the crown piece of my collection was a Star Wars fanfic detailing the adventures of Darth Maul and his bro, Savage Oppress (who I decided survived) adventuring the galaxy with new bad guys and OCs and all that good stuff. Nearly 200 pages worth of story there, and just a few days ago I found out that I put it all on Dropbox! It is all that remains...

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I enjoyed putting people I created in universes that were already created for me, so I could have a part of me in that universe.

Still to this day I do this—see Fellowship of the Thing. They're literally my OCs from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, Percy Jackson, Warriors Cats, etc. But all teamed up. Such a childhood dream, right there.

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When I go down to actually write, I make sure that I am alone. Usually those times are at night, 10pm or later. It's usually in the night when the words come easily than in the day. For me, I don't like the feeling of people watching me as I write, 'cause I feel like they're judging me about what I write, and other anxiety related stuff that I won't get into.

I've felt like I'm allergic to writing because I can't get myself into the right environment for it. I have a fixed computer in a wide-open space in our living room—and I definitely feel that anxiety about people watching me. And we've a household rule of going to bed at like 9pm or 'round there. Anytime I do sit down and say that I will write, I sit and stare for a good two minutes and then give up. Any advice?

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When writing out villains, make sure they have a motivation and is not doing the things they're doing just for the sake of being evil unless they're Doofenshmirtz or Mustachio. They are people too, and they also have goals. Make sure they have a backstory that helps with their motivation. A story won't be a good story without a villain... I mean, most of the time. There are a few good movies mostly by Studio Ghibli and Pixar that make wonderful stories without a villain, and that's fine. Not every story has to have a villain; after all, the villain might be the protagonist themselves.

Forever will I hold villains are way cooler than heroes. Quite clear from your Villains RP, actually, but I love making them real people.

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 Don't believe what Hollywood's shown you, or really any movie that pertains to wounds, guns, and all that jazz. Trust your own research or the people who have experienced those things before. Movies often make a lot of shortcuts, since they only have an hour or two to work with when making characters and all that. With your writing, you can make it as long or short as you want.

Hahaha, as someone who has had real-world experiences with guns, John Wick is purely science fiction. What people call "silencers" are still LOUD. YOU CAN'T HAVE A SECRET GUNFIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A LARGE CROWD WITH YOUR "SILENCERS" BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THAT QUIET. Sorry. Gets on my nerves.

So, in general, I'm not sure if I have lack of motivation to sit down and write and not being able to create an environment conducive to good writing.

[Mystic Syn she/her]

1 hour ago, Knight of Iron said:

Anytime I do sit down and say that I will write, I sit and stare for a good two minutes and then give up. Any advice? So, in general, I'm not sure if I have lack of motivation to sit down and write and not being able to create an environment conducive to good writing.

I’m the kind of person that says, “Whatever works for you,” but I will give some things that have helped me with these sorts of things, cos believe it or not, I’ve had to deal with them. Just know that this might not work for you, as it can vary from person to person.

Usually, what I do, I just put on my headphones and turn on a hand-picked playlist on Spotify. What I listen to can vary from each playlist: I have one for score music that one does wonders when I need to study, one that’s just mostly café k-pop music judge me all you want, but it actually helps to focus when you have music on that’s in a language that you don’t know, and one that’s just a big ol’ mix. I actually create playlists for the characters I write and listen to as I write. Also note: Try putting the music as loud as your ears and family since they might yell at you will let you. That usually helps me and I end up writing a lot when I am focused on the music I’m listening to. But this might not work for you, as I am heavily influenced by the music I listen to and being a musician ya know, being asked two days beforehand if I can play a musical number in my church meeting, that interesting stuff. This is all stuff that has worked for me, but I suggest giving it a try, if you can.

If I could cure anxiety that you would be able to write, my rl friends and I wouldn’t be as socially awkward as we are lol. Alas, we are stuck with this mental thingy called “anxiety.” I can’t magically stop you from feeling that, but I will say that there are ways to get around it. The ways I just suggested is something that is personally tailored for me, but you are not me, so it might not be the same. Find where your strengths are, and I can help you if you ask.

[Channelknight Fadran]

I just read all of that and I felt it all on a metaphysical level.

[Mystic Syn she/her]

20 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

I just read all of that and I felt it all on a metaphysical level.

Probably bc you’ve been writing as much or long as I have lol.

[Channelknight Fadran]

Not as long or as well, but prolly about as much.

[Mystic Syn she/her]

Don’t sell yourself short, man. You have amazing writing and ideas that I wished I’d came up with lol.

[Kaymyth she/her]

Brandon has done one hell of a job in reaching and supporting new/emergent writers. Reading Alloy of Law cracked my brain open, and activated my Writer Mode. I hadn't asked for it, hadn't been expecting it, but it just happened.

I still don't know whether I happened to hit some kind of "words read" threshold that auto-triggered something or if Brandon hid some kind of secret Konami Code in the book that specifically worked on my brain. What I do know is, now I can't shut it off.

His writing lecture videos made a huge impact, too. I learned an extraordinary amount from watching them.