Writing Writing Speed Fast at the Start, but Keeps Slowing Down?

[FebyA]

Hi, I noticed that my writing speed is quite fast when starting a new series, but it started to slow down about 15k words later.

Have you experienced something similar? How to make full use of that initial buff? What should I do to prevent the slow down?

Thank you.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

You write a lot at the start because you have inspiration and motivation. When you get to the middle parts you start to lose some of that initial inspiration and become less motivated. The key here is to motivate yourself by gathering more inspiration, or motivate yourself by writing.

Writing only because of motivation will likely mean that your writing will fluctuate. At that point you have to do the reverse and write to motivate yourself.

 

[Sleds]

It's normal.
At first the story is "new" and you have no rules that restreint you. You also also somewhat of a plan, but the longer you continue the less plan you have or practically not for some (There still some who plan everything from beginning to end). The feeling of knowing everything of your story and even the futur event can also be part of losing enthusiast regarding writing.

 

[BernKatstel]

It tends to happen. I find that the start is the easiest part for me because it’s a new idea, one which I am usually excited to share with others. After that? You gotta think about continuity in most things and how the story will branch off. You can plan it all from the start, but that still doesn’t mean it‘s easy to put it down on paper. Just take your time and don’t try to write any faster, else it might just lead to forcing yourself into a burnout.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Hi, I noticed that my writing speed is quite fast when starting a new series, but it started to slow down about 15k words later.

Have you experienced something similar? How to make full use of that initial buff? What should I do to prevent the slow down?

Thank you.

In my experience, I can't prevent slowing down, but what I can do is to stay consistent with my writing.

Like, okay, I'm slowing down but I'll finish my book no matter what, and on deadline if possible. To do that, I planned my works from start to finish, and just followed it.

That way, I wrote 18 volumes of my main series, and in the process of writing of the 19th book. And there's also two stories with a volume each.

 

[FebyA]

The key here is to motivate yourself by gathering more inspiration, or motivate yourself by writing.

Noted.

It's normal.
At first the story is "new" and you have no rules that restreint you.

Right. I probably started to expect or restraint myself to write above a certain quality, instead of to simply write.

You also also somewhat of a plan, but the longer you continue the less plan you have or practically not for some (There still some who plan everything from beginning to end).

What is a plan? I feel like I've been called out, haha. I do have inspiration to guide me on where to go in the beginning, so that was probably my plan until it's gone.

After that? You gotta think about continuity in most things and how the story will branch off. You can plan it all from the start, but that still doesn’t mean it‘s easy to put it down on paper.

I think planning short-term is better for me personally then. Since the story might suddenly branch out from the next chapter or two from random inspiration

To do that, I planned my works from start to finish, and just followed it.

That way, I wrote 18 volumes of my main series, and in the process of writing of the 19th book. And there's also two stories with a volume each.

Wow, that's a lot of stories. I probably would have trouble following such a detailed plan. But I realized that planning is a necessity, based on all the answers in this thread.

Thank you so much for the answers.

 

[Tsuru]

Hi, I noticed that my writing speed is quite fast when starting a new series, but it started to slow down about 15k words later.

Have you experienced something similar? How to make full use of that initial buff? What should I do to prevent the slow down?

Thank you.

Chinese authors : My motivation to write 1000 chapters ? Well i get paid for it. To the point of being a full time job

 

[FebyA]

Chinese authors : My motivation to write 1000 chapters ? Well i get paid for it. To the point of being a full time job

Oh! Oooh! An expert in the field.
I will work hard

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Noted.

Don't take notes. Instead, get off the forums quickly and open that document.

 

[Tsuru]

For old Scribblehub authors (few years ago before corona apocalypse) :
"Getting bunch of comments. Being top of popularity. Internet not having lot of fun content but quite wholesome hence not brooding depression. Writing fun bc of fans, and i know lot of similar people like me that write for free."









Internet after corona :

net full of toxicity
Normies/ikemen entering internet. Everyone like animes but its still the same trope of lonerVStoxic-normies
Crazies going outside of 4ch/Twitter
Tiktokers
Social media intoxication
VIEWS/LIKES craving for videos (YT/Tiktok)

Vtubers, Streamers, getting millions of fans
Onlyfans women getting MILLIONS by showing booty
Tiktokers, getting hundred thousands by pranking people or "eating a sausage very cringely"
Free game guides, Free fandom wikis, Free translations all tanking in numbers

= Imbalance of "doing stuff for free" compared to "others getting MONEY" for bullshit
Japanese artists implementing FANTIA = JP onlyfans but for art
95.99% good artists retiring or going fantia and no longer drawing doujins (Asanagi, even creating most recent doujin "4th wall"ing the topic, that livestream sex is better than overworking to draw doujins)
Shitty movies, most favorite disney, MOST WHOLESOME THING IN GLOBAL EARTH, turning crazy
Shitty games, 99% old IPs, are OR destroyed, OR "remastered"
Wokes
A WAR between 2 countries
Bunch of zoomers coming to internet
5 years old kids coming to internet
Trollers being rampant bc no internet police
Inflation
People growing and lot of "creators" having a busy life and no longer on internet
Everyone now knowing life is shit, unlike fairy tales
Good people being bullied on internet, hence no longer speaking
Commenting for chapters is no longer liked or "good people" are traumatized to speak hence don't
etc
etc
etc
TLDR : Nothing changed
(all this phenomenons were there before, like bad pranks someone falling or chaturbate sex for$) but just multiplied worsened a very BIG TON
-------------------------------------------

It seems offtopic
but it isnt
Because people had motivation to "write a free novel on scribblehub" because they had hope and pleasure
Unlike now, everyone feel like being in apocalypse
(especially if someone doing free stuff, but a woman/man being VERY GENERIC LOOK winning 50k $ on ONLYFANS and flaunting it)

Oh! Oooh! An expert in the field.
I will work hard

Not an expert author.

But an expert of knowledge, yes.
And very crazy.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

For old Scribblehub authors (few years ago before corona apocalypse) :
"Getting bunch of comments. Being top of popularity. Internet not having lot of fun content but quite wholesome hence not brooding depression. Writing fun bc of fans, and i know lot of similar people like me that write for free."









Internet after corona :

net full of toxicity
Normies and crazies going outside of 4ch/Twitter
Tiktokers
Social media intoxication
VIEWS/LIKES craving for videos (YT/Tiktok)

= Imbalance of "doing stuff for free" compared to "others getting MONEY" for bullshit
Japanese artists implementing FANTIA = JP onlyfans but for art
95.99% good artists retiring or going fantia and no longer drawing doujins (Asanagi, even creating most recent doujin "4th wall"ing the topic, that livestream sex is better than overworking to draw doujins)
Shitty movies, most favorite disney, MOST WHOLESOME THING IN GLOBAL EARTH, turning crazy
Shitty games, 99% old IPs, are OR destroyed, OR "remastered"
Wokes
A WAR between 2 countries
Bunch of zoomers coming to internet
5 years old kids coming to internet
Trollers being rampant bc no internet police
Inflation
People growing and lot of "creators" having a busy life and no longer on internet
Everyone now knowing life is shit, unlike fairy tales
Good people being bullied on internet, hence no longer speaking
Commenting for chapters is no longer liked or "good people" are traumatized to speak hence don't
etc
etc
etc
-------------------------------------------

It seems offtopic
but it isnt
Because people had motivation to "write a free novel on scribblehub" because they had hope and pleasure
Unlike now, everyone feel like being in apocalypse
(especially if someone doing free stuff, but a woman/man being VERY GENERIC LOOK winning 50k $ on ONLYFANS and flaunting it)

Not an expert author.

But an expert of knowledge, yes.
And very crazy.

I think you get on Twitter too much.

 

[Tsuru]

I think you get on Twitter too much.

I dont even have a account there. Never posted anything. Nor have social media.


But yes i very exagerrated xD
but still got a small dose of truth


It would be like OP asking (if he were an artist) : I dont have anymore motivation to draw
Then i would mention the same thing again. About internet influence. And jp artists getting money for FANTIA etcetc

 

[TheEldritchGod]

This is why I start at the end, and then work my way backward in leaps. One book has 3 acts. Total of Six plotlines, each plotline has a beginning, middle, and end. that's 18 key scenes. Write the good parts first, then all you have to do is go back and make the connective tissue.

Much easier to get motivated when you are just cleaning up.

 

[J_Chemist]

skill issue.

 

[Indicterra]

skill issue.

Git good noob

 

[John_Owl]

dude, i've been writing in the same world for nearly a year since my date of first upload on the first story (no longer on this site). And yeah, I've slowed WAAAYYY down. it's far from perfect, but you should try creating a routine and "writing set up".

for me, I always eat something small, have an extra snack and drink, put on my sound isolating headphones, blast my music through them, and tune out the world. I've found with this, I can write anywhere from 3k-8k words a day, depending on how long i write, how well planned I am, etc.

 

[FebyA]

I have just tried to fit the pieces of advice into my personality and finished writing a chapter. I think I have a working solution for now, although it might not be perfect and can be improved.

For anyone curious, what I do is create a 'signpost' of where the story needs to go next. Just now, it was a very short outline for 2 chapters ahead. Then I simply write the chapter according to the outline.

I hope it helps.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Noted.


Right. I probably started to expect or restraint myself to write above a certain quality, instead of to simply write.

What is a plan? I feel like I've been called out, haha. I do have inspiration to guide me on where to go in the beginning, so that was probably my plan until it's gone.

I think planning short-term is better for me personally then. Since the story might suddenly branch out from the next chapter or two from random inspiration

Wow, that's a lot of stories. I probably would have trouble following such a detailed plan. But I realized that planning is a necessity, based on all the answers in this thread.

Thank you so much for the answers.

Well, it's not really a detailed plan down to the very chapters of the work. It's more of a plot, start > rising action > climax > falling tension > end, thing. Doing it way more detailed than that would spoil you (at least, in my experience) contributing to the loss of interest in continuing on.

Also, knowing yourself as an author would help. What is your strength? What is your weakness? How do you get bored? When are you feeling tired, and its symptoms? This is important because if you know yourself, you can always improve on your strengths, and go around your weaknesses.

Many would not believe I am a lazy author, and I write in bursts. However, I learned to 'go around' that, mainly by giving myself deadlines (three to four weeks) and resting for a month or two after finishing a manuscript. That way, my story that I began in May 2019 has now 18 books and another one in the works, plus the final one planned. All this, and I'm also drawing my own illustrations: covers for each book, back covers, character intros, four in-chapter illustrations and prologue scenes.

And yes, there's also the sliver of self-discipline included. You need not to be so harsh, but a little will go a long way.

 

[FebyA]

Well, it's not really a detailed plan down to the very chapters of the work. It's more of a plot, start > rising action > climax > falling tension > end, thing. Doing it way more detailed than that would spoil you (at least, in my experience) contributing to the loss of interest in continuing on.

Also, knowing yourself as an author would help. What is your strength? What is your weakness? How do you get bored? When are you feeling tired, and its symptoms? This is important because if you know yourself, you can always improve on your strengths, and go around your weaknesses.

Many would not believe I am a lazy author, and I write in bursts. However, I learned to 'go around' that, mainly by giving myself deadlines (three to four weeks) and resting for a month or two after finishing a manuscript. That way, my story that I began in May 2019 has now 18 books and another one in the works, plus the final one planned. All this, and I'm also drawing my own illustrations: covers for each book, back covers, character intros, four in-chapter illustrations and prologue scenes.

And yes, there's also the sliver of self-discipline included. You need not to be so harsh, but a little will go a long way.

I see. Going overboard on either side of planning is a bad idea then.

About my characteristic as an author, I think I'm in the process of exploring it too. And I think, reflecting on how other writer works best, like how you shared yours, helps with this exploration process.

It's impressive how you even draw illustrations. And yes, I can see why people would had trouble believing that.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I will keep your advice in mind.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

I see. Going overboard on either side of planning is a bad idea then.

About my characteristic as an author, I think I'm in the process of exploring it too. And I think, reflecting on how other writer works best, like how you shared yours, helps with this exploration process.

It's impressive how you even draw illustrations. And yes, I can see why people would had trouble believing that.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I will keep your advice in mind.

Always welcome and happy to help!