It's been a little over a year since I last did some descriptive writing. Now that I'm getting back into roleplay, I'm a lot rustier than I expected. I've lost a lot of my vocabulary, my sentence structure feels really repetitive, and I post really slow. Writing slow has almost always been a problem for me so now that I'm even slower, I'm desperate to resolve it.
How long does it take you guys to post about 2 to 3 paragraphs? Any advice for getting back into the swing of things?
How long does it take you guys to post about 2 to 3 paragraphs? Any advice for getting back into the swing of things?
Read, read, read, write, write, write. I know, I know, it's too simple and not something more concrete, but it's really the basis of what's going to help you out. Beyond that, really know your characters inside and out so that it's much easier to envision the scene and how things are from their perspectives.
I have written every single day for the past six years in some fashion or another, and by now if it's not a terribly difficult scene, I can bang it out in five minutes, no problem.
I have written every single day for the past six years in some fashion or another, and by now if it's not a terribly difficult scene, I can bang it out in five minutes, no problem.
Varies for me. My average post length is between one and two paragraphs, and depending on my motivation and if I have some ideas for my post, I can get them done within a few minutes.
You're rusty - that's normal! If you had a level of quality you were happy with before and feel like you lost it, there's nothing like some practice to get back to where you left off.
It might also be worth it to consider whether you've really gotten worse, or just more critical/more able to see your own shortcomings. With experience and knowledge, we become more and more aware of the faults and flaws in our creations, and that is part of the reason some very bad authors think they're perfect, and some very good authors think they're terrible. It's possible that you haven't gotten worse at all, and that you've just become able to identify those faults.
(Then again, I'm just speculating - only you can know!)
As for speed, I really don't have an answer for you other than 'shake off that rust'! There's no miracle fix for those who take their time posting - that's simply the kind of writer they are, and that's perfectly fine. I was always a very fast writer, and my quality suffers for it sometimes. I rarely take more than a few minutes per post, but it shows sometimes.
My advice is don't try to rush it, just go ahead and write at your own pace. Don't pursue speed. Like Pltjess said, with repetition and practice, you will refine your writer's intuition, and speed will come to you.
It might also be worth it to consider whether you've really gotten worse, or just more critical/more able to see your own shortcomings. With experience and knowledge, we become more and more aware of the faults and flaws in our creations, and that is part of the reason some very bad authors think they're perfect, and some very good authors think they're terrible. It's possible that you haven't gotten worse at all, and that you've just become able to identify those faults.
(Then again, I'm just speculating - only you can know!)
As for speed, I really don't have an answer for you other than 'shake off that rust'! There's no miracle fix for those who take their time posting - that's simply the kind of writer they are, and that's perfectly fine. I was always a very fast writer, and my quality suffers for it sometimes. I rarely take more than a few minutes per post, but it shows sometimes.
My advice is don't try to rush it, just go ahead and write at your own pace. Don't pursue speed. Like Pltjess said, with repetition and practice, you will refine your writer's intuition, and speed will come to you.
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