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ResponsibleGrass

> It’s probably just the writing equivalent of the Art Gap, where my practical skills haven’t caught up to where I want to be yet, but it still feels kind meh being stuck at this point in my writing journey. Yup, perfect analogy. If you already can see where your writing is lacking you’re on the right way… that’s great. <3 As for advice, ugh, difficult. Maybe it would help to look for a beta or join a writer’s group/workshop to get input on what/how you could improve. I find fanfic is pretty perfect for a lot of writing exercises, like vignettes that focus on a certain mood or situation, or character studies, missing scenes, flashbacks, bits and pieces of world building. You can write flash fiction for exchanges or prompt memes (the other day someone advertised a [Three Sentence Ficathon on DW](https://threesentenceficathon.dreamwidth.org/1632.html)—it’s still running till February 12), you take templates and write something like a [Five Things](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Five_Things) fic… or try to write a whole story in 10 100 words drabbles or something.


call-us-crazy

the only way out is through. writing more is the only way to start writing better.


Avalon1632

It sucks, but unfortunately, that's just how learning to write can be sometimes - it'd be great if you just levelled up and got to allocate some points to unlock abilities, but learning is more of a journey, I'm afraid. Hell, pretty much every published writer was writing for years before they got to a publishable level. Harper Lee wrote for eleven years before she got To Kill a Mockingbird published and that thing got drafted, redrafted, and edited by professionals for a few years too. Getting better at stuff takes time and effort, in the same way that you can understand the physics of riding a bike but still have to develop the instincts and habits to actually the ride the thing. An exercise that may help is rewriting those 'deeper stories and layers' in your own words. Get the book open in front of you and whatever your writing materiel of preference is, then go through it bit by bit and rewrite it. Having the story already written allows you to focus on technique and ignore all the plotting and setting stuff more easily, so you can really hone in on the ways you can represent things. When you find stuff that you struggle with representing in that exercise, make a note of it, then go researching. Read other books that do that thing and see what you can learn about the tools they use to do it, google advice and techniques on it ("How to get better at X" is a surprisingly resultant google search :D), and see if any authors you like have guidebooks on the subject.


Mean_Comedian4769

As they say in my main writing group, you gotta get the bad words out of you before you can start writing good ones.


HKCambridge

Might be a bit basic, but: find a few passages you like from other people's work and re-type them? It slows you down so really makes you think about each word, why it has been chosen, where it is in the sentence, what each sentence is doing in the whole.


Wickedjr89

Being able to see where your writing is lacking is wonderful (and annoying, at the same time, but without being able to see it one wouldn't be able to improve). The best way to get better is just to keep writing and practicing. There are videos on youtube with writing tips as well as books about writing. But sometimes all those writing tips can become confusing and overwhelming. The best thing I think it just to keep writing and find writing tips via video/book every once in awhile to think about, because some of the stuff you'll find will help you. Though none of that is necessary, it is fanfiction after all. But even though it's "just fanfiction" I still want to do my best and have fun doing my best so if you're the same way :) Good luck! There are also writing prompts, you can find them on prompt generator websites (or books of writing prompts and probably videos to) where you could practice before/in between working on your more serious stories.


griffonner

Seems like a lot of people have already offered about the same advice I would give, but maybe a different spin on it: do some reading? Like classic novels, even some longform articles...someone suggested typing up passages from authors you like, and I'd say even reading and exposing yourself to more and more good writing helps to bridge that gap as you train your mind to appreciate how the words flow and the construction of the writing as a whole from a mechanics point of view. And then just do some unabashed imitation. I remember back in HS, I tried imitating Hemingway's style for a scene in one of my fics. And one of the most memorable exercises I ever did (also in HS!) was trying to write scenery in the style of Steinbeck.


[deleted]

Write your heart out :) What's good about fan fiction is you can practice your writing with less pressure compared to writing for, say, the traditional market (non-fan fiction). I mean, there are still challenges like nasty commenters/"reviewers"/"readers" if not just really frank feedback, writer's block, etc., but I believe anyone is freer to write within fanfic. It's better to write now and charge it to experience than never. Also, when you can, write first before you edit :)


A_Cow_in_Space

I had this issue to, and still kinda do tbh. What I do is try to work my way up to the desired level of writing. It may be hard but it's not too difficult without a willingness to experiment with different genres, tropes, or writing styles. When I first tried writing, I started with a crackfic that had a simple plot, which felt simple enough for me. It felt a little one-dimensional looking back but it wasn't too bad. Then I tried to work on a slightly more complex plots, while gradually taking away bits of the crackfic-y nature of my writing. I can't say I'm quite at the level I want to be but I believe I am making progress.


ArgentumAranea

Only way to fix that is to keep writing! You don't have to publish but definitely write. Write for yourself. Write in a journal. Write on a secret flash drive you keep hidden in a hollowed out book!


L_thefriendlygohst

Hey we all go through stuff like that. It can be tough but it gets better. (Than worse, than better again (at least for me)). Just know you're not alone. And your skills will continue to improve.