Questions from a nooby, hobbyist "writer."

[SimonDoom]

And overthinking things is what I do best. It's my super power. > : D

I can relate. Careening back and forth between overthinking and outright avoiding is my m.o.

 

[gunhilltrain]

My religious beliefs? My own personal spiritual beliefs based on psychedelics I've taken(Not kidding.)

Oh I am not kidding at all about my ADHD. Fully unmedicated, fully unhinged, my friend. When I was younger though, I was. My ritalin dosage was about twice the normal amounts for kids my age back then if I remember correctly(I think it got up to 20 mg per dose when I was 12, But it's so long ago I can't remember). If that means anything.

I appreciate your honesty. I don't think that giving Ritalin to kids that young is a good idea. But overall I'm not qualified to give advice about psychiatric medications.

 

[lovecraft68]

Don't be so quick to jump into meds unless you're at a point you are struggling to function at work or day to day life.
There are some holistic all natural things that help with focus, and no not weed, all that does is make people docile and controllable which is why its being made legal.

I have 22 of the 25 signs of ADHD and I have noticed my mind is more of a bag of cats than ever of late, but I also know a few years back my doctor tried me on a lose dose sedative to take the edge off me because I can give a redbull wings. Sometimes I'm so jittery I can make people around me that way. But for whatever reason the slowing down, sped me up, augmented my already crappy temper and was an all around bad experience and I won't take anything since.

But that was me, but you should talk to your doctor and hopefully they're not the type to just write scripts to earn all those pharma kickbacks.

 

[lovecraft68]

I appreciate your honesty. I don't think that giving Ritalin to kids that young is a good idea. But overall I'm not qualified to give advice about psychiatric medications.

They're giving 8 year olds hormone blockers. Ritalin is amateur hour now.

 

[Winter_Fare]

They're giving 8 year olds hormone blockers. Ritalin is amateur hour now.

Ritalin helps me shower regularly, brush my teeth every day, and moderates my hair trigger temper. It benefits my family and everyone around me, not just me. I wish to god someone had noticed when I was a kid and got me what I needed but hey ho, water under the bridge now.

I imagine many trans adults feel the same, since the opposite puberty than they needed was hell for them, and putting things right afterwards is ten times harder than preventing issues.

And, if you're interested, puberty blockers have been used to delay precocious puberty in young children for decades for medical reasons. Using them to treat gender dysphoria in teens is the new bit x

 

[Jmanchu]

I appreciate your honesty. I don't think that giving Ritalin to kids that young is a good idea. But overall I'm not qualified to give advice about psychiatric medications.

I'd think it's also not considering that they've stopped relying on ritalin for kids(not when I grew up in the 90's though, ADHD? Ritalin, or Adderall

I think they stopped doing Adderall so much once teens figured out that you crush those babies into coke lines and you're off to the races. As a former bonehead teenager I can attest to that experience(Don't do prescription drugs, kids).

Thing about ritalin though, it turned me into a lean mean studying machine, though it took some of the edge off my creativity(and impulsivity). Then Conserta, I hated it. I think the dosage was too strong on me because it made me feel like a robot that got all its imagination circuits taken out of it.

Sometimes it did something where everyone's voice who spoke to me rang and I couldn't understand anything. Like they open their mouth and it just sounded like bells ringing mixed with teacher noises from Charlie Brown cartoon.

Don't be so quick to jump into meds unless you're at a point you are struggling to function at work or day to day life.
There are some holistic all natural things that help with focus, and no not weed, all that does is make people docile and controllable which is why its being made legal.

I have 22 of the 25 signs of ADHD and I have noticed my mind is more of a bag of cats than ever of late, but I also know a few years back my doctor tried me on a lose dose sedative to take the edge off me because I can give a redbull wings. Sometimes I'm so jittery I can make people around me that way. But for whatever reason the slowing down, sped me up, augmented my already crappy temper and was an all around bad experience and I won't take anything since.

But that was me, but you should talk to your doctor and hopefully they're not the type to just write scripts to earn all those pharma kickbacks.

Back when I was diagnosed my brand of ADHD was called ADD before they lumped everything together in one name.

I go by two modes, lots and lots of coffee until I'm bouncing off the walls(I have a huge tolerance to coffee), or super chill mode with super daydreaming powers(self trained in adulthood to be very functional and manageable with meditation and mindfulness but still slightly brain unhinged mode)

And I become ADD incarnate. my head becomes something out of a Pete and Pete episode mixed with Malcom in the Middle daydream sequences(Dewey's daydreaming sequences in the episode "Cheerleader" S1, E12 is a great example), "inside Homer Simpson's head" sequences, mixed with random stupidity that baffles even me today.

One thing about my ADD or ADHD that I found is that when unmedicated, my creativity powers are at their peak(though I generally have only some control of how it manifests), and I've learned to utilize it as a kind of personal superpower.

Especially if I give myself time to just cut loose and daydream(where a lot of my story ideas actually come from, or develop), the side effects of my severe ADHD actually is a lot more manageable, but only in my personal experience. I'm not saying everyone should do what I do.

It also lets me really think outside the box at times too which I definitely attest to whatever ADHD does to my head(considering what I am like with prescription medicine and without).

It's why I don't see it as a bad thing, personally. Or feel any shame to admit I have it. Even with the disadvantages sometimes the pros outweigh the cons heavily. Especially for gaming and writing(when I don't procrastinate).

I also drink lots of old school chinese herbal teas, dabble in ayurvedic medicines, Take Tongkat ali, green tea, and drink lots of coffee... To name a few of many things I supplement with.

 

[Jmanchu]

I can relate. Careening back and forth between overthinking and outright avoiding is my m.o.

My m.o. is I overthink things I shouldn't, and I never think things through on the things I should. Alternate version: I go between "Overanalize everything like a science nerd," or do opposite: live life only using the Nike motto.

 

[lovecraft68]

Ritalin helps me shower regularly, brush my teeth every day, and moderates my hair trigger temper. It benefits my family and everyone around me, not just me. I wish to god someone had noticed when I was a kid and got me what I needed but hey ho, water under the bridge now.

I imagine many trans adults feel the same, since the opposite puberty than they needed was hell for them, and putting things right afterwards is ten times harder than preventing issues.

And, if you're interested, puberty blockers have been used to delay precocious puberty in young children for decades for medical reasons. Using them to treat gender dysphoria in teens is the new bit x

Medical issues, key word and important ones. "Mommy someone said I can be a girl today instead of a boy" Then the parents going oh sure, bringing them to the doctor-cause come on, having a conversation with my kid to see if this is real or not is hard and takes time away from me being a shallow loser on social media- who goes oh, sure I think I need to get my name in journals and get more kick backs from...I mean yes, yes, best interest in um...what's your kid's name again?....yeah. responsible. Go find some articles about what a mess some of these poor kids turn into.

My five year old grand daughter wants to be a shark, shall I have someone sew some fins on her?

You have to be 18 to vote, to join the service, to own a gun, you have to be 21 to drink and in some places smoke.
But at 8 you know god or evolution(dependent on beliefs) made a mistake? Not to mention there are now sick parents pushing their kids with this to get woke points from other sick parents and some of these young kids are being told by the oh so responsible and knowledgeable folks on reddit, twitter and the interwebz they are 'probably trans' unless there is an actual medical reason to stop nature, then the parents and doctors belong in jail. Want some fun viewing? Look up videos that talk about all the fun child experiments at John Hopkins.

When you're an adult do as you choose, but when you're a minor, especially not even in the teens, your parents are supposed to protect you, not potentially fuck you up for life. Maybe if the 'news' you obviously listen to told people some of the many horror stories out there instead of yelling "yay pride month!" you'd know this, instead call me a phobe and continue to turn your back on child abuse and sexual mutilation of minors because if you question it you're a phobe too.

I'm in that kind of mood today so I will go you one more. The same leftists screaming in outrage over R V W being over turned and women's rights....are the same lunatics who want to eradicate the female gender. The new scotus refused to answer the question what is a woman rather than upset the radicals. So they can shove it about pro life/pro choice because they want the dame word woman eliminated and think men can now carry babies.

Just think when that happens the only reason men would need women is to suck their cocks and hey, they can force them to do that, because they always have and always will. But hey let's make noise about pro choice because its something else they can whine about.

Of course the only thing we're hearing now is gun control because think of the children, meanwhile they're teaching first graders about sexual identity ad getting lemmings like you to be like 'yeah, well that's the new bit' Good job falling in.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Medical issues, key word and important ones. "Mommy someone said I can be a girl today instead of a boy"

Oddly enough, I've had this conversation with all three of my kids even though non of them have gender dysphoria. Kids are curious aren't they?

Then the parents going oh sure, bringing them to the doctor

Not from the kids saying what you quoted, because it's not right to waste drs time.

-cause come on, having a conversation with my kid to see if this is real or not is hard and takes time away from me being a shallow loser on social media-

Really? Just no. Do you personally know anyone who's had that reaction to their children's curiosity or distress? Tangent---My kid won't eat. I have been to the dietitian and the GP, neither rushed to prescribe anything, even supplements, just gave me advice. Drs actually aren't evil. Neither are parents as a rule.

who goes oh, sure I think I need to get my name in journals and get more kick backs from...I mean yes, yes, best interest in um...what's your kid's name again?....yeah. responsible.

You could say that about any condition at all, it's unfounded IMO. I work alongside a couple of specialist registrar's in maternofetal medicine that are running studies and their ethics are impeccable. Have to be or the research will get thrown out.

Go find some articles about what a mess some of these poor kids turn into.

Care to share a link? I'm typing one handed making three different dinners at the moment and I'm genuinely interested.

My five year old grand daughter wants to be a shark, shall I have someone sew some fins on her?

Definitely not mate. Not without gills, that's just asking for all sorts of issues.

You have to be 18 to vote, to join the service, to own a gun, you have to be 21 to drink and in some places smoke.

Quite rightly so

But at 8 you know god or evolution(dependent on beliefs) made a mistake?

All the freaking time. I mead, nature is fucking trying to kill me, I needed caesareans for every birth and it sucks. Plus's ADHD and anxiety.
"Hey! Evolution, go home you're drunk"

Not to mention there are now sick parents pushing their kids with this to get woke points from other sick parents and some of these young kids are being told by the oh so responsible and knowledgeable folks on reddit, twitter and the interwebz they are 'probably trans' unless there is an actual medical reason to stop nature, then the parents and doctors belong in jail.

Not seeing it myself, must be a different internet... Wait, it probably is! The algorithms all know our biases and tell us what we want to hear, echo ...echo...

Want some fun viewing? Look up videos that talk about all the fun child experiments at John Hopkins.

When did they happen? Link?

When you're an adult do as you choose, but when you're a minor, especially not even in the teens, your parents are supposed to protect you, not potentially fuck you up for life.

We always do our best with what we have. Not perfect here.

Maybe if the 'news' you obviously listen to told people some of the many horror stories out there instead of yelling "yay pride month!" you'd know this, instead call me a phobe and continue to turn your back on child abuse and sexual mutilation of minors because if you question it you're a phobe too.

I called you nooooo names.

I'm in that kind of mood today so I will go you one more. The same leftists screaming in outrage over R V W being over turned and women's rights....are the same lunatics who want to eradicate the female gender.

I can't go there its way off piste. Reproductive rights should be sacrosanct imo. But I don't want to eradicate the female gender. Sample size 1 but disagree.

The new scotus refused to answer the question what is a woman rather than upset the radicals. So they can shove it about pro life/pro choice because they want the dame word woman eliminated and think men can now carry babies.

Maternity services at my hospital have delivered four pregnant men of healthy babies just this year.

Just think when that happens the only reason men would need women is to suck their cocks and hey, they can force them to do that, because they always have and always will.

No. I make pretty good steak too.

But hey let's make noise about pro choice because its something else they can whine about.

Shout. Shout about. Whining is a waste of breath.

Of course the only thing we're hearing now is gun control because think of the children, meanwhile they're teaching first graders about sexual identity ad getting lemmings like you to be like 'yeah, well that's the new bit' Good job falling in.

Why keep bringing this up if it makes you so damn angry?

 

[Jmanchu]

Let's not get too carried away here with politics, guys.

Another question which just came up: Is it alright to rip off a magic system from another setting?

I kinda ripped off the magic system from a "homebrew" tabletop RPG setting I've created a long time ago and reshaped it to my current story and molded it to fit the world of this story's setting.

would that be a problem if I ever decided to write stories based off the homebrew setting, and the story clearly has a lot of similarity between its magic and an earlier magic system? The setting for the homebrew won't be erotic, just fantasy so I don't know where or what site I'd put it in. Also the two settings will have nothing to do with eachother, completely different unrelated stories and universes

Probably overthinking, probably shouldn't care, but it's an interesting conundrum to me. Maybe I'll just see the magic system in this story as a "prototype" for the other one... That could work, yeah? Or... I'll just turn off my overanalyzing brain for a little bit with cartoons... Then write more story before I go to work!

 

[gunhilltrain]

Oh, RPG is role-playing game, not rocket-propelled grenade. I can't know if this "setting" was created by you, or if it's part of the game software. I'd be cautious about using it if it was the latter.

This doesn't seem to be the best place to discuss medication issues. I take some meds for other problems, but I wouldn't mention much about them here. Obviously, you are having a lot of problems concentrating on writing, which is relevant here but - do you have to treat your medical problem first before accomplishing anything? One would hope you could do both at the same time, but I don't really know.

Did you say you had a healthcare provider that you can trust right now? The writing issue is obviously something that you could bring up with them.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Let's not get too carried away here with politics, guys.

Another question which just came up: Is it alright to rip off a magic system from another setting?

I kinda ripped off the magic system from a "homebrew" tabletop RPG setting I've created a long time ago and reshaped it to my current story and molded it to fit the world of this story's setting.

would that be a problem if I ever decided to write stories based off the homebrew setting, and the story clearly has a lot of similarity between its magic and an earlier magic system? The setting for the homebrew won't be erotic, just fantasy so I don't know where or what site I'd put it in. Also the two settings will have nothing to do with eachother, completely different unrelated stories and universes

Probably overthinking, probably shouldn't care, but it's an interesting conundrum to me. Maybe I'll just see the magic system in this story as a "prototype" for the other one... That could work, yeah? Or... I'll just turn off my overanalyzing brain for a little bit with cartoons... Then write more story before I go to work!

I wrote loooads in old world of darkness. It's free real estate

 

[Jmanchu]

Oh, RPG is role-playing game, not rocket-propelled grenade. I can't know if this "setting" was created by you, or if it's part of the game software. I'd be cautious about using it if it was the latter.

This doesn't seem to be the best place to discuss medication issues. I take some meds for other problems, but I wouldn't mention much about them here. Obviously, you are having a lot of problems concentrating on writing, which is relevant here but - do you have to treat your medical problem first before accomplishing anything? One would hope you could do both at the same time, but I don't really know.

Did you say you had a healthcare provider that you can trust right now? The writing issue is obviously something that you could bring up with them.

Yes... Some have made the same mistake... with disastrous results, may god rest their souls

You have the right idea but not software. Pen and paper table Role Playing Games, like DnD, but "homebrew" as in I personally wrote the settings and lore years ago(and still add to it). It only exists in notes on my computer right now because I haven't decided how to make the system complete.

See. My thing is with my ADD, I go by two modes, procrastinate terribly, then go to overdrive and get shit done.

Like either I can't have an attention span working when it should, or my attention span works so weird that even boring shit that should make me lose interest, I can sit through and keep interest.

When I'm at that state I could sit in front an entire infomercial watch it through, or actively watch paint dry with full intent and not space out. This has actually helped me with studying, learning and getting things done. When I'm at that state, I super analyze everything, down to the most minute, seemingly inconsequential detail.

People say that they have trouble re-reading their stories to edit? When I enter super "I can focus on the dumbest shit" modeI can do that over, and over, and over, and even meticulously edit out grammar when I'm at that state.

For hours or an entire day sometimes. If my entire day is free, which is rare these days.

This, along with my weapon's grade Liquid Television imagination, is why I call my ADHD my superpower. I joke, but at the same time I'm dead serious when I say that. Part of the reason I don't take medication anymore is because it impedes that in some way.

I don't know what they have for modern medicine, though, If there's any new medication that can edge out the bad without the good being dulled too. Stopped keeping up with it for a while.

It edges out the side effects, sure, but the pros are also edged out a little too from my experience.

While I'm in my space out mode, I can suffer through severe motivational problems, sure, but I can really just let myself get in brainstorming mode and fantasizing mode about almost anything. My imagination is at its peak. lol

When I'm in "let's watch paint dry" mode, everything from my space out modes are utilized and I can become surprisingly super motivated to get some shit done.

And it somehow helps with my memory, that can become almost photographic to the point people are surprised by what I know and remember.

Magic system is all but complete. Because I haven't had the chance to turn it into the game setting I want, I wanted to eventually write stories pertaining to the lore(that I keep adding to occasionally, to this very day).

Which I have many ideas for stories. The magic itself is, in my opinion, unique and you'd probably be hard pressed to find it anywhere that looks like it instead.

 

[Jmanchu]

I wrote loooads in old world of darkness. It's free real estate

Worlds of Darkness, huh? I've always been interested in in some of the game lines in that. Vampire, Mage, and Hunter to name a few. And it's always free real estate.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Worlds of Darkness, huh? I've always been interested in in some of the game lines in that. Vampire, Mage, and Hunter to name a few. And it's always free real estate.

An author called Etaski wrote in the SLA industries universe, it was horrific in the best possible way...

 

[Jmanchu]

An author called Etaski wrote in the SLA industries universe, it was horrific in the best possible way...

I'll be sure to check that out then. What's it called?

 

[Winter_Fare]

Surfacing. I tried to find it just now and it's gone!
*Edit* that's bollocks, Surfacing is about Drow.
This story is left:
https://www.literotica.com/s/the-deathsuit
But there was a longer series and it's gone.

 

[Jmanchu]

Surfacing. I tried to find it just now and it's gone!

Aww, nuts! D: Well I'll be sure to remember that in case I ever find it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Aww, nuts! D: Well I'll be sure to remember that in case I ever find it.

Etaski publishes in the market place. You can probably find her on Smashwords or other outlets.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Etaski publishes in the market place. You can probably find her on Smashwords or other outlets.

I can't remember what the story was called...

 

[Bramblethorn]

Medical issues, key word and important ones. "Mommy someone said I can be a girl today instead of a boy" Then the parents going oh sure, bringing them to the doctor-cause come on, having a conversation with my kid to see if this is real or not is hard and takes time away from me being a shallow loser on social media- who goes oh, sure I think I need to get my name in journals and get more kick backs from...I mean yes, yes, best interest in um...what's your kid's name again?....yeah. responsible.

I know there are certain channels and commentators who love to claim otherwise, but nobody is giving gender transition treatments to kids lightly. Even for adults, the bar for accessing transition care is extremely high. About 1% of people who've had transition surgeries end up regretting that choice; that's a lower rate than for any other major surgery than I'm aware of.

The whole point of blockers is to delay irreversible changes until the kid is old enough to make up their own mind. If they decide a few years down the track that they're not trans, they can stop the blockers and go through puberty. But if the kid is trans, and still feels that way when they've grown up, blockers are a life-saver.

Go find some articles about what a mess some of these poor kids turn into.

Being trans - or otherwise not fitting in with normal gender roles - is hard, no matter what path you take. There are plenty of stories out there about trans kids who aren't supported by parents and doctors, and very few of them end well.

I have no interest in forcing kids to grow up as girls, or boys. I just want them to grow up into adults.

My five year old grand daughter wants to be a shark, shall I have someone sew some fins on her?

Nobody is performing transition surgery on five-year-olds. And you're not abusing her if you say "argh, what a fierce shark!"

You have to be 18 to vote, to join the service, to own a gun, you have to be 21 to drink and in some places smoke.
But at 8 you know god or evolution(dependent on beliefs) made a mistake?

Nature makes mistakes all the time. By the time I was 18 I'd had surgery on my ears, my teeth, my feet, and I'd gone through about five pairs of glasses, all because nature did a half-assed job on those things. I don't find it hard to believe that among the many things that nature fucks up on a regular basis, gender could be one of them.

Standard care pathways for maybe-trans children are based on the assumption that we don't know for sure what gender they should be. Doing SRS on an eight-year-old would be a terrible idea, letting them go through irreversible puberty when that's causing them massive distress and possibly fucking them up for life is an equally terrible idea. (Going through male puberty makes it much harder for trans women to "pass" later on, which increases risk of violence and discrimination.)

I'm in that kind of mood today so I will go you one more. The same leftists screaming in outrage over R V W being over turned and women's rights....are the same lunatics who want to eradicate the female gender. The new scotus refused to answer the question what is a woman rather than upset the radicals. So they can shove it about pro life/pro choice because they want the dame word woman eliminated and think men can now carry babies.

It wasn't the radicals she had to get past for confirmation, and once a SCOTUS justice is confirmed they don't give a damn who they upset. They have some enviable job security.

And, again, I know there are people pushing this line but nobody is actually trying to eliminate the word "woman". That's a Fox News kayfabe world thing, not a real thing.

What it's actually about is stuff like this:

I have a friend who transitioned years ago. He's grown a beard, he has a male name and male ID documents, and he's doing tremendously better than he was before he transitioned - it was definitely the best choice for him. (And I say that as somebody who tends to prefer the company of women). Before transition he was doing a lot of self-destructive stuff that had me wondering whether he'd see 30; these days he's living a much healthier life holding down a senior medical job where he saved a lot of lives in the last few years.

(By coincidence, the other thing that helped was getting his ADHD medicated, but I only have bandwidth for one of these two conversations today ... )

He still has a vagina and a cervix (a lot of trans men don't get bottom surgery, either b/c cost or because the options aren't great), and so he still needs a regular Pap test to make sure he doesn't have cervical cancer.

But when he tries to book that in, computer says no. Because computer was programmed with the information that only women can get Pap tests. (And even if he was willing to be entered into the system as female, that'd just replace one problem with another, because his testosterone therapy means that medically he should be considered male for some purposes.)

Meanwhile, I have cis female relatives who've lost cervix, uterus, and ovaries to cancer. It's hard, and one thing that doesn't help them is being bombarded by reminders that "if you're a woman between 25 and 74, you should get a Pap smear!"

It's not about eliminating the concept of "woman". It's about understanding that "woman" isn't the same thing as "has a cervix", and using the words we actually mean. Unfortunately that's been spun into "Trans Activists (TM) want to eliminate the female gender!" by propagandists who view trans men, and cis women like my relatives, as acceptable collateral damage.

But hey let's make noise about pro choice because its something else they can whine about.

Of course the only thing we're hearing now is gun control because think of the children, meanwhile they're teaching first graders about sexual identity ad getting lemmings like you to be like 'yeah, well that's the new bit' Good job falling in.

When I was in first grade back around the late Jurassic era, we read plenty of stories about princes marrying princesses, yada yada. Nobody's looking to read porn to first graders, just to acknowledge that if they're ready to hear about princes marrying princesses, they're also ready to hear about princesses marrying princesses (or not marrying anybody at all, asexuality is valid too).

But somehow as soon as queer people enter the picture that becomes "sexual"; this even happens with asexual people, which is extra ridiculous.

 

[Jmanchu]

Hmm. new question -scratching chin in manly contemplation-

Fight scenes. Especially one of an epic magic duel with ridiculously complex layers and detail. How long is too long?

3000+ words is still good, right?

I'm working on simplifying the details of the magic after looking at it.

As in, simplifying or even cutting out certain details that show what the main character in question is feeling, and the physical and mental actions required to cast her spells, and descriptive effects of her spells and her adversary's.

I'm still leaving some of the details I'm thinking is either absolutely necessary or fun.

The fight has different stages in it and I'm thinking of removing or rewriting some of them too. Still unfinished, but almost done with it, after I start the final part of it.

Could making a break into the next part the story for the male character right after the end of the first phase(She is kind of celebrating acting like she's hot stuff thinking she took down or killed her opponent before the phase 2 of the "Boss battle" starts) be a good literary technique to follow?

Problem is that part of the story would essentially be the part where he's getting ready for and waiting for an important person to show up before he can go on his quest to stop some evil that's basically, killing livestock, turning people into zombies, and underworldly demons.

Basically a bit of an interlude chapter... So maybe it won't be the best part of his story to jump right into?

But! It looks likely that a local lord's fiance has the hots for him and might try to make a connection. She's a childhood friend. So maybe it could?

And there's a good chance(in my mental outline) that it's going to get the male main character imprisoned and likely get caught to be set in a duel to prove his worth and for the honor of that lord, who has been out to get him, reputation-wise at least from the start.

But I have to see how it writes out, because I'm a very much seat-of-the-pants-writer(Especially with dialogue), and many times when I write stories, they take surprising turns for me, sometimes so completely different to what I had originally imagined. It's why detailed outlines are not helpful to me.

Maybe I could fit that chapter part in before the chapter where the female main character starts her battle. Then leave it as a cliffhanger... and then hopefully get the duel ready to start in a new chapter for after the first phase of the female main character's fight is over.

Hmm... Well I'm just gonna have to work on it day after tomorrow because life has me by the balls right now(Work, side hustle, etc).

But I'd like to hear opinions, thoughts from anyone's personal experiences, and I always welcome more stories from people that want to point out their ways of how they handled my questions.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yes... Some have made the same mistake... with disastrous results, may god rest their souls

You have the right idea but not software. Pen and paper table Role Playing Games, like DnD, but "homebrew" as in I personally wrote the settings and lore years ago(and still add to it). It only exists in notes on my computer right now because I haven't decided how to make the system complete.

See. My thing is with my ADD, I go by two modes, procrastinate terribly, then go to overdrive and get shit done.

Like either I can't have an attention span working when it should, or my attention span works so weird that even boring shit that should make me lose interest, I can sit through and keep interest.

When I'm at that state I could sit in front an entire infomercial watch it through, or actively watch paint dry with full intent and not space out. This has actually helped me with studying, learning and getting things done. When I'm at that state, I super analyze everything, down to the most minute, seemingly inconsequential detail.

People say that they have trouble re-reading their stories to edit? When I enter super "I can focus on the dumbest shit" modeI can do that over, and over, and over, and even meticulously edit out grammar when I'm at that state.

For hours or an entire day sometimes. If my entire day is free, which is rare these days.

This, along with my weapon's grade Liquid Television imagination, is why I call my ADHD my superpower. I joke, but at the same time I'm dead serious when I say that. Part of the reason I don't take medication anymore is because it impedes that in some way.

I don't know what they have for modern medicine, though, If there's any new medication that can edge out the bad without the good being dulled too. Stopped keeping up with it for a while.

It edges out the side effects, sure, but the pros are also edged out a little too from my experience.

While I'm in my space out mode, I can suffer through severe motivational problems, sure, but I can really just let myself get in brainstorming mode and fantasizing mode about almost anything. My imagination is at its peak. lol

When I'm in "let's watch paint dry" mode, everything from my space out modes are utilized and I can become surprisingly super motivated to get some shit done.

And it somehow helps with my memory, that can become almost photographic to the point people are surprised by what I know and remember.

Magic system is all but complete. Because I haven't had the chance to turn it into the game setting I want, I wanted to eventually write stories pertaining to the lore(that I keep adding to occasionally, to this very day).

Which I have many ideas for stories. The magic itself is, in my opinion, unique and you'd probably be hard pressed to find it anywhere that looks like it instead.

You are trying to get to a point where you can finally write stories and publish them in some kind of timely manner. That seems to be a problem, as you have admitted.

I was butting into your life by asking who your health care provider was and what they are doing for you. I've dealt with various people - I mean on a psychiatric level - for many years with mixed results. In recent months I've been doing much better, but it's hard to say why that is happening. It may have something to do with simply becoming older (I just turned sixty-seven) and having a different outlook on life.

I suspect that any advice we can give you about writing per se is not going to be helpful at this point. I know, it's very complicated, but we can't advise you that much on whatever else is happening to you. There may be other places online that are more directly useful for you. I did google ADHD support groups and there are many resources.

P.S. Those comments about medications and their side effects are a whole issue in themselves.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Hmm. new question -scratching chin in manly contemplation-

Fight scenes. Especially one of an epic magic duel with ridiculously complex layers and detail. How long is too long?

3000+ words is still good, right?

I'm working on simplifying the details of the magic after looking at it.

As in, simplifying or even cutting out certain details that show what the main character in question is feeling, and the physical and mental actions required to cast her spells, and descriptive effects of her spells and her adversary's.

I'm still leaving some of the details I'm thinking is either absolutely necessary or fun.

The fight has different stages in it and I'm thinking of removing or rewriting some of them too. Still unfinished, but almost done with it, after I start the final part of it.

Could making a break into the next part the story for the male character right after the end of the first phase(She is kind of celebrating acting like she's hot stuff thinking she took down or killed her opponent before the phase 2 of the "Boss battle" starts) be a good literary technique to follow?

Problem is that part of the story would essentially be the part where he's getting ready for and waiting for an important person to show up before he can go on his quest to stop some evil that's basically, killing livestock, turning people into zombies, and underworldly demons.

Basically a bit of an interlude chapter... So maybe it won't be the best part of his story to jump right into?

But! It looks likely that a local lord's fiance has the hots for him and might try to make a connection. She's a childhood friend. So maybe it could?

And there's a good chance(in my mental outline) that it's going to get the male main character imprisoned and likely get caught to be set in a duel to prove his worth and for the honor of that lord, who has been out to get him, reputation-wise at least from the start.

But I have to see how it writes out, because I'm a very much seat-of-the-pants-writer(Especially with dialogue), and many times when I write stories, they take surprising turns for me, sometimes so completely different to what I had originally imagined. It's why detailed outlines are not helpful to me.

Maybe I could fit that chapter part in before the chapter where the female main character starts her battle. Then leave it as a cliffhanger... and then hopefully get the duel ready to start in a new chapter for after the first phase of the female main character's fight is over.

Hmm... Well I'm just gonna have to work on it day after tomorrow because life has me by the balls right now(Work, side hustle, etc).

But I'd like to hear opinions, thoughts from anyone's personal experiences, and I always welcome more stories from people that want to point out their ways of how they handled my questions.

Interesting example. 3,000 plus words for a single fight scene is a huge amount. I've done entire stories that came in under 4,000 words. But that's yet another factoid that may not be useful for you.

 

[Jmanchu]

Interesting example. 3,000 plus words for a single fight scene is a huge amount. I've done entire stories that came in under 4,000 words. But that's yet another factoid that may not be useful for you.

Factoids are useful to me though. Several answers have actually set me straight and made me realize some of the stuff about my writing that I was worried was bad writing, might not have been.

And it's settled the topic of whether or not I should publish as I write or wait until I have a huge amount to trickle down a consistent basis. At least it let me understand pros and cons, and that either can be good, depending on whatever I feel is more convenient when I cross that bridge.

Interestingly, it's getting easier, bit by bit, to write more consistently now. Maybe habit is forming? We'll see if I can keep it going! > : D

Also, the opinions and tips are useful to me. It gives me more ideas and approaches to try out and experiment.

Even if turns out not exactly what I need at that moment, you never know when or if that tip could be useful in a future writing endeavor. That's the way I see it.

I'm eating up all the info I can here. Now to get back to my real job! I'll be back later to check thread.

Oh, and yeah, it's practically an entire chapter, it might even get to 4000+ when I'm done(but I'm editing out stuff as well to shorten parts so we'll see page count in the end). It's why I'm thinking of sliding a diversionary chapter in between the first and second part(second part almost done)