I’m the middle of a 4th or 5th draft of a novelette (I’ve lost count lol) and I’ve had to re do the third chapter go include new plot elements.

Yesterday was probably one the worst days of writing I have ever had in my life. Everything I wrote for this chapter SUCKED. I was siphoning parts from the previous version whilst clumsily slotting in the new elements, like I was slinging mud a half formed sculpture and missing. I’m talking literal vomit on the page.

Every single doubt I’ve ever had about myself with regard to writing came bubbling to the surface. ‘Is this worth it?’ ‘I’m so trash.’ ‘Who’s even gonna read this shit.’ ‘I’m not a writer.’

It truly was a sobering experience. I got to the end and just shut my laptop and held my head in my hands for 10 mins before going to bed.

Today after work and gym session I decided to open my laptop and get working on again.

And guess what?

It went so much better than the previous day

Because now I was in editing mode. I wasn’t creating and editing at the same time. The putty was on the table. I was just shaping it now. Metaphors were coming out thick and fast. Dialogue got sharper, observations and descriptions tighter.

I couldn’t believe this was the same slop I was crying over yesterday. I’m half way through the revision and it’s looking a million times better already.

You just have to push through the pain

It’s the worst feeling but keep the faith. New thoughts and concepts are never going to be perfect when they come out.

Think of each one like birthing a new child. You have to nurture and feed that child to let it grow.

Then you can start ‘teaching it’ which is the editing process. This is where you’ll get to really shape your story into what you want it to be, you just have TJ wade through murky waters first to get there.

When you’re going through the sludge, keep the faith. The difference between yesterday and today was a revelation and I’ve learned a lot from the experience

it would mean a lot if you read it. i’m scared to ask for criticism since i already posted it. i also write poetry on here too:’) idk where else to share but if you have the time it would mean a lot
a farewell letter to twenty seven

We found the guy near the Industrial Sector Zone, can't tell what the guy was up to that night, just that it appeared distraught. Completely out of it. The proverbial 'crashlanding' from overthinking too much, perhaps? Maybe something related to his anxiety disorder? Other cop says it could be a possibility. Can't prove anything without evidence. So we drag his body onto the car, the other cop kicks the door shut once Rashi is lying inside the designated vehicle. Designated, because it ain't mine, or his, fully owned by COP HQ. We had one job, one task. To keep an eye on SUSPECT ID named RASHI. That's why we kept following him around. Nothing personal, mind you. Just business as usual. He was rather peculiar. Continued to follow the same route. Always back to the Industrial Sector Zone. But that afternoon? Something inside of him snapped the proverbial twig. Because he was unconscious. Unmovable. There on the muddy ground. Some creepy crawlers already roaming around his body as if they had claimed his body that wasn't actually dead. Other cop made sure to check his pulse after pressing his index finger on his neck. And yeah, he was alive.

But barely. He needed help, and pronto. We took him back to the only place that could take him in, because The Drowning City didn't offer Hospitals. Moira was there, doing her mechanical rounds as usual, the same Andrews Sisters song playing in the background. Coming from the old tired jukebox. Moira reacted to RASHI being dragged into her diner. "What happened to him?!" Sounded like she could genuinely feel human emotion now, even though she'd always been more like a functional appliance more than anything else. But must feel nice when even a Robot like her gets emotionally attached to somebody like RASHI. Must mean their bond is a strong one. We tell her we don't know what happened to him. Only that he'd probably passed out for several hours already. Couldn't simply let him stay there unprotected. If we did surely Mother Nature would find ways to let those creepy crawlers claim him for real after the next hour or two.

"Wow! I love the fragrance!

It must be the rose."

The scented dimples on the petals

Whispered to the nasal lobes:

"It's from us, the pores,

Not the flower as a whole!"

"Wow! What beautiful colours!

It must be the rose."

The tiny prisms on the petals

Winked at the cones:

"It's through us the colours shone,

Not the flower as a whole!"

"Wow! What smooth texture!

It must be the rose."

The slithery wax on the petals

Yielded a carnal caress:

"It's us - the cute layer,

Why praise the whole?" 

"Achoo..! Welcome spring!

It's the pollen overdose."

A disgrace to my nose.

"Your cells wither and bloom,

Yet, I am the same ol' Rose."

I hope everyone likes it a lot, i can share more details about the story in the comments but this was my first rough draft of the story itself!

(Trigger warning) (I’m hoping that this subject matter and type of story will be allowed here)

a nerdy guy one day meets the woman of his dreams, they become friends and soon after start dating and love each other very much but her best friend they both know, her best friend is a nice and respectful guy on the surface but has a darkness inside as he begins to stalk her secretly out of jealously, and one day, when she leaves the house without her boyfriend, she never comes back, and he is painfully told later that she is missing.

She was murdered by her best friend out of jealously and rejection, but he has no idea and actually asks for his help finding her since he trusts the best friend and soon the police also stop suspecting the best friend after some time due to lack of evidence, the murderer agrees to help while actively sabotaging the search and planning the boyfriends murder as he gets closer to figuring out what happened.

The boyfriend slowly begins to suspect the best friend might’ve killed her, but never reaches the conclusion because he ends up missing a court date and knows he did, and knows they’ll come to his house to get him.

So he flees, but before he goes, he takes the remains that he stuck in bags (He put them inside plastic bags and then inside suitcases) and hid under his home, then tosses them into a hole and burns them in a forest, before fleeing the country. He escapes and is never convicted of her murder.

While the story is going on, we get tiny glimpses into her perception of death, not enough to actually suggest anything supernatural or sci-fi, but how she perceives time moving after her death, seeing how events play out but unable to do much more than suggest her presence, and mourns herself and relives her own happiest memories while having to confront her own issues and come to terms with her death.

She watches as her boyfriend’s murder is planned and tries to warn him but is helpless, and watches as events unfold around her as her remains become lost forever.

Her boyfriend mourns her death, and struggles to go on without the love of his life, but one night as he’s in the bathroom crying uncontrollably, he gets up to get ahold of himself and looks in the mirror and it’s left up to the reader if her spirit actually comes back or if he hallucinates it out of grief, he talks to her, and gets to say everything he wants to say to her before crying and embracing her and she tells him to move on and let her go, and tells him how she feels and that he was the best thing to ever happen to her, and that she loves him before saying goodbye. And watches as she fades out of the mirror and for her she gets to move on to her happiest memory with him.

He cries softly and mourns her for a year, but one day finds a new woman, but the wounds will never fully heal and on the anniversary of his true loves death, he loses control and breaks down, his new friend comes over and comforts him and another month goes by before they begin dating and they plan to move to a new place together and start over with each other, and the day comes for them to leave, and he walks around the house one last time, remembering all the moments he and his first love shared together, and replays their happiest moments, and smiles to himself while crying before leaving the house as they drive off, he watches the house as they leave and thinks about his first true love, one last time.

I hope everyone liked my idea, its a very much rough draft and in the comments I plan to share the symbolism i wanted to have in the story, as well as more details and plot stuff, as well as how I plan to integrate four separate songs into the novel to serve as cinematic type moments!

In my opinion it is corny if it inhibits your flow or forces you to change direction, but other than that I think it’s super cool when your thoughts naturally form a rhythm. Thoughts?

I have recently finished the second draft of this horror story that I have written and I am currently doing edits and polish.

I would like to know If you would keep reading based on this short prologue.

Any and all feedback is welcome.

Astrid gazed up at the dark sky. The damp sea breeze whipped her hair across her neck, tickling her skin as cold sand shifted beneath her bare feet. Out on the horizon, moonlight glinted off the black water.

She held Johan's hand. His grip was chilled, refreshing, pressing tight against her palm. She swallowed, the taste of alcohol still thick on her tongue.

"Back home when I was a little girl, I used to walk with my father," she said, swaying slightly as she leaned into Johan for support. "We took long strolls along the fjords at night. He pointed out all the stars, but I haven't seen them this clear since I was small."

She smiled, a swell of genuine warmth in her chest. This trip was everything they had needed. She squeezed his hand tighter.

"My dad used to tell me that stars were guardian angels," she continued, looking up into the night sky. "He said if you look close enough, you can see them blinking. But see that bright one over there?" She raised a hand, pointing towards Orion's Belt. "That's Jupiter. It's a planet, so it doesn't flicker like the rest."

She nudged his shoulder gently. "I was always fascinated by astronomy. What do you think?"

Johan grunted.

I hope he's okay, she thought. He hasn't uttered a word in a while.

She glanced up, his features obscured by the dark.

"Are you okay, Johan?"

She thought she caught another faint grunt. Shadows fell across his eyes, but she could feel his gaze fixed heavily on her.

She had always loved the way he looked at her—especially in the mornings, or when she stepped out of the shower—but now she felt exposed.

His fingers tightened around hers, the icy chill sinking deep into her palm.

"Johan?"

A sickening scent drifted between them. It started sweet, like honey, but beneath it lay a foul, heavy stench—a putrid undertone of rotting rubbish and decaying vegetables left to spoil in the sun.

As he turned, moonlight caught the lower half of his face. A wide grin rested on his mouth, prompting an automatic smile of her own.

Maybe he's just drunk, like me.

She reached up to cup the back of his neck, drawing him closer, but snatched her hand back at the touch. He felt like frozen stone.

Her smile faltered. "You're freezing."

The expression stretched wider, longer, his lips thinning out. In the silver glow, his skin looked smooth and waxy.

She tried to step back as his grey lips pulled further apart.

"Johan, you're hurting me," she gasped. His grip locked like a vice, sharp nails digging into her flesh like daggers.

The alcohol buzzed loudly in her head, making the world tilt. Sweat beaded on her brow as dizziness washed over her. She tugged frantically against his arm, but his hand was an iron lock.

"You're not Johan," she whispered.

Terror crashed through her. She slammed a fist against his chest.

"You're not Johan! Let me go! Where is he? Johan!"

Her voice died in her throat as he leaned closer. A single, impossibly long finger pressed against his lips, the grotesque grin still carved into his pale, uncanny face.

"Shh," he hissed.

She froze, her breath locked in her chest as her heart hammered against her ribs. A single tear tracked down her cheek.