John_Owl
The one with fluffy wings
- Joined
- May 20, 2023
- Messages
- 357
- Points
- 78
I'd say my biggest mistake starting out was not planning. You don't need to go into detail and plan every little thing. but let's take my first posted story, Lay the Dragon, for instance. it started as a joke one shot from the old meme. but I added the twist that the dragon took on a humanoid form at the end. I ended up really liking the characters, so I continued it. But turning a one shot into a serial is a terrible idea because the pacing is COMPLETELY off.
SO I'd recommend at the very least, planning the end point and approximate length. as the story develops, you can change the estimated length, but knowing an approximate "I want it X chapters long" helps to set the pacing. You'll likely find that in the end, the story is X+/-15 chapters long.
I'm one of those that can't plan too much. it's a habit from my days as a DND DM. If I plan too much, it sucks the joy out of it, then my ADHD takes over and I end up procrastinating right through my scheduled time. However, I do take down major details. start with the premise and end goal. sprinkle in some twists and turns. estimate how many chapters that is, and start writing.
for my current run, DragonBound, the world already existed, so premise was "what if humanoid dragon had a child with a futanari?" Then the end goal was "Have kid grow up and become emperor." twists and turns were "kid's family gets kidnapped by anti-dragon faction," "kid captures princess of anti-dragon empire," and "kid takes empire from anti-dragon royal family." And I estimated about 30 chapters, +/-10. and right now, it's shaping up to be about 33, and gearing up for the final war because Kid and Anti-Dragon Empire.
SO I'd recommend at the very least, planning the end point and approximate length. as the story develops, you can change the estimated length, but knowing an approximate "I want it X chapters long" helps to set the pacing. You'll likely find that in the end, the story is X+/-15 chapters long.
Little to no planning the plots and/or the general direction of your series. That was the mistake I made when I first started.
I'm one of those that can't plan too much. it's a habit from my days as a DND DM. If I plan too much, it sucks the joy out of it, then my ADHD takes over and I end up procrastinating right through my scheduled time. However, I do take down major details. start with the premise and end goal. sprinkle in some twists and turns. estimate how many chapters that is, and start writing.
for my current run, DragonBound, the world already existed, so premise was "what if humanoid dragon had a child with a futanari?" Then the end goal was "Have kid grow up and become emperor." twists and turns were "kid's family gets kidnapped by anti-dragon faction," "kid captures princess of anti-dragon empire," and "kid takes empire from anti-dragon royal family." And I estimated about 30 chapters, +/-10. and right now, it's shaping up to be about 33, and gearing up for the final war because Kid and Anti-Dragon Empire.