If you feel presured by the community this will help!

          I really want to talk about this cause I don't think it's been said enough.

We all go around and read blog posts when we wanna kill some time and feel productive. We read tips, we flap through some more posts and we find ourselves reading the same tips. It's ok, some tips repeat because they work and are helpful.

        But!

        It's not always the case.

        I am not a plotter and I'm sure people like me will relate when I say that either annoys you or depresses you when you read this: "You have to have your book planned before writing it!".

        You shouldn't follow this advice to do your writing right! I'll even format it as a quote just to be more clear.

You shouldn't follow advices to do your writing right!

          It is an advice for a reason. Advice or tip it doesn't matter, you can either follow it or go about your day without it. Those are the two paths! And because I am me I am experimenting and finding another way. Don't do that if you get frustrated easily.

        I can joke around all day but this won't change my point. Your way is valid no matter what it is. If it works for you it's right. Everything else is someone else's experience. Have your experience with an advice and if it doesn't work for you it's ok.

        A lot of people talk like their way its the only truth under the sun and for them it is. They go on to talk about why it works and you're just like "Yeah, sounds about right". And then when it doesn't work for you you think you did it all wrong.

        You didn't. This way is just not for you. Find your way and tell people about it. Skip everything that doesn't sound right for you.

        A bit short this Monday but I really wanted to share this because I need to hear it myself. Telling it to others is just easier.

          So this is all from me for this post. I hope it helped you if you needed to read it and until next time hammer-on and jam along!

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4 things to expect when writing in a new language

          Since I started writing back in 2016 my main language has been Bulgarian. I had no confidence in my English to start writing stories and to be honest I still don't. I probably wasn't going to try it in the near future but a short talk with a really dear stream to me changed my mind. Or at least got me curious enough to start and see where it goes.

          I've been writing in English for a few weeks now and here is a list of some things that I experienced while still adapting. Also, some tips that helped me to go through it.

          1. You will have doubt.

        You will doubt your choice. After all this is a change. Just a different language right? What's the worry for? It ain't that easy. You've developed connections in the language you have been writing until now. A person close to you might be reading your drafts, they might not know the other language and you don't want to let them down. You're just getting yourself anxious at this point.

• You need to take a deep breath and realize that all this is not real. Another person will start reading your drafts, you are not letting anyone down. People will find something to read. You're just afraid to make a change because you already have something going, some kind of an established safe space. You fear that if you step out of this place you won't be able to create a new one. That's not true.
• Ask people if they want to read something from you in this different language. And if they say yes you should have a short story or prologue or whatever ready. You can ask on the internet for strangers to check out your work, it's not as hard to get people around you as you might think it is.

          2. It will feel weird.

        Obviously, I know English well enough to talk with people but story-telling is something else. When you've been writing in another language you've developed a voice with that other language. And suddenly needing to change phrases to have a meaning in another language doesn't feel as right. It will not sound like you. You will feel like someone else is controlling your hands and it's not you the person pressing down the keys. And this feeling won't go away for just a week.

• What I can advise you is to just get to know this new voice, this new person that you become when you change the language of your keyboard. Just be ready for a long process of adaptation. Most of all don't think about it too much. You will eventually get used to it. This is said from a person who has been writing in English for about two to three weeks.

          3. You will feel lost.

        When I made that change I had a few scenes in mind for the story. I didn't have the starting scene so this one sort of happened on its own. The best example I can give is that you're just being introduced to the writing world and all you want to do is write. I had moments when I didn't know what to write but pushing through was easy.

Just keep going. Push that bit a little harder. It's not that hard to write in the early stages.

          4. It won't be good.

        As much as you will want it to be good it just won't feel right. You will be using a lot of repetitive phrases, words, and all that. You will want to rewrite it later on the second read. Change some words and all of that. And punctuation will be a nightmare if you don't find a handy cheat sheet.

• For words use the translator and Word-up. It's an app that shows you words and articles with them. That is if you transition to English. Word-Up helps with English only.
• For phrases just read whatever from natives. Always look up what the phrases mean and/or ask to be sure. You will get far and eventually you will become fluent in writing this new language as you are in your mother tongue.

          Starting a story is like putting a new upgrade to your writer profile. You might want to start with short stories to explore this new tab of your hobby. Or a story that unfolds like a collection of short stories. This is how I would describe Tails of broken kids.

          Before I forget. You can now follow how I progress in my wips in the "Writing progress" page I created. You can see how many chapters are written and how many words a chapter is plus the status of the books. Both of the ones I'm updating are in drafting process for now.

          That's it from me for this article. Till next time hammer-on and jam along.

          

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5 Tips to add diversity in your writing routine

          I have a hard time keeping my focus for long and being a fantasy writer that means it will take me ages to finish a story. However there is a way around this.

          1. Short stories.

        I can't recommend them enough. Short stories are great for getting to know your characters better and much more. In this case they are the perfect variety tool. You most likely have scenes in your head that will be really cool but probably won't make it to the final draft. And that brings me to the next point.

          2. Write the scenes you dream of.

        Open a new folder and name it "Scenes and short stories that probably won't make it to the final draft" or whatever you come up with. It can even be "Folder of doom". The idea is to open this folder and blur out everything that you've been anticipating for. All those scenes that always come up when you sit down to write. Usually those scenes are followed by the thought "But they probably won't be relevant to the plot". It's your lucky day cause they are relevant to your Doom folder. Plus if you ever need them they will be a few tabs away.

          3. Make use of different locations and timelines.

        Of course, that is if your story allows it. In Tails of broken kids I have three different places to talk about with two different timelines happening. I practically have three different stories going on in one world. I started this book for the sake of writing in English and so far it's been great having it around. The series it's part of I will gush over in another post.

          4. Start another book.

        I know a lot of you will frown at this tip. I understand your worries and it's totally fine if you don't like this tip.

        The idea behind it is to take one of those ideas that are always in the back of your head and distracting you and give it space to breathe and expand. It doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to follow a plot, and it doesn't have to make sense. You are writing it to remind yourself that writing is a wonder on its own. And this tip won't really work if you apply it with the mindset of getting more done. And of course, it won't work if you start 15 different stories. All you need is just one.

          5. Start a blog for just whatever.

        You might be getting tired of writing stories all the time. Give your brain the break it needs from imagining. You may start a lifestyle blog and tell people stories from your life, or cooking blog etc. It doesn't matter what it is about so long you enjoy doing it.

          That's it from me for this post. Till next time hammer-on and jam along.

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5 Reasons to write short stories

          Short stories are one of the most powerful tools in the hands of a writer. They can be finished for less than a day and vary in lengths.

          1. They give you a feeling of accomplishment. 

        How long have you been writing on that draft but the end doesn't seem to be near? Probably months. It might feel discouraging. 

        It's not the case with short stories. You can finish one in less than a day. A short story can be as long as 100 words. There is no rule of how long it should be. Finishing a short story might give you the motivation you need to continue working on your main story.

          2. They give you diversity.

        If your focus is like mine you can't continue work on one thing for long periods of time. Or if you do it crosses all borders of normality to a point where you forget to eat or go to the toilet. When you feel tired of your story search for a writing prompt or write for whatever you feel like at the time. Loosen up a little and then continue writing on your main story.

          3. You get a chance to explore your characters better.

        Recently I found myself unable to write because I didn't feel connected to the characters I was writing about. With short stories, I was able to overcome this resistance without pushing too hard. I almost didn't have to make myself sit in front of the laptop.

          4. You explore different outcomes.

        You may be a little torn between two love interests or a couple of different ending. What do I know? You can write in short what these ending and see which one you like the most and write towards this ending. You can write a short story with all the different love interests and make up your mind from which you'll have more benefits. And if you're still lost after doing this practice I... don't know what to tell you. 

        My point is, you can write an outcome without having to write through different events towards it and then realize this is not where you want your story to go. You can even explore different character arcs which I encourage you to do.

          5. You can use them instead of a complicated outline.

          If you're anything like me, you give a little frown to every person who highly recommends you to write a detailed plotline before starting work on your story. If you don't feel like doing that you can write a short with all the details you have in mind and later on add more. Either like notes or highlighted text if you're working from a computer. I like calling this "thee pantser's plot".

          Of course, you don't need to follow those tips, you may put your own meaning to short stories. And if you make up your mind to try them don't feel obligated to do exactly as I have written. Short stories may benefit you in a different way or you may not be a short story person as a whole. I know I am not most of the time.

          That's all from me for this post. Till next time hammer-on and jam along.

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