Writing Writing habits

[YueLqn]

..gonna sleep after posting this, I'll reply in the morning~

Ok so, kinda new writer here, (I've written before, not a lot though) and I already know a lot of my bad writing habits (is it bad? Maybe sometimes not but I'm talking about in general) where I info dump, pacing goes wack, overuse words and barely refer to the characters name (I can use 'he she they' for like half the chap) as well as stiff dialogue, plot holes and over complication I guess? I usually write headcannons a lot and brainrot on discord so that's prolly why

Now, what I want to ask is, is it okay to keep these habits? Like, I would love to keep writing like this and for me I feel like I'm most comfy writing like this but would that be bad for future me? Would it affect me writing anything in general? (Say, school papers/essays etc) and I just wanted to know everyone else's opinion on this. Does it matter because I write mainly for fun, self fulfillment, and not really (kinda) for the audience. Or should I start fixing these habits now rather than later while I'm still young in case I do ever take a carreer in writing?

Oh sorry if I worded that weird and I hope this makes sense..

 

[SakeVision]

seems you answered your question

 

[LostLibrarian]

Now, what I want to ask is, is it okay to keep these habits?

Of course, it's okay. You aren't getting paid for a certain quality of writing and neither do you owe the readers anything. So if you want to only write for yourself, that's totally fine.

That said, if you want to reach more people with your story or want the readers to have a better time, you will have to work on your writing. And even if you don't care for numbers or feedback/comments, learning to write better can also be a lot of fun in itself.

There are things I write today I wouldn't have written 5 or even 10 years ago. Those are all thanks to challenging both my writing and my storytelling. There are different themes I can explore and better stories I can tell. That wouldn't be possible without improvements. There are even job opportunities I had simply based on my writing craft.



So while it is totally fine to stay as you are, I would recommand challenging yourself and changing your writing style bit by bit. Like a guitar player who learns harder songs, a painter who learns to paint with more details, or an athlete that gets better and better. Self-improvement itself can be a fantastic thing and transform your hobby.

There is no need to go and change your entire writing style right away. But if you know those big problems, just try to change it bit by bit. Slowly, over weeks, months, and years...

 

[BlackKnightX]

..gonna sleep after posting this, I'll reply in the morning~

Ok so, kinda new writer here, (I've written before, not a lot though) and I already know a lot of my bad writing habits (is it bad? Maybe sometimes not but I'm talking about in general) where I info dump, pacing goes wack, overuse words and barely refer to the characters name (I can use 'he she they' for like half the chap) as well as stiff dialogue, plot holes and over complication I guess? I usually write headcannons a lot and brainrot on discord so that's prolly why

Now, what I want to ask is, is it okay to keep these habits? Like, I would love to keep writing like this and for me I feel like I'm most comfy writing like this but would that be bad for future me? Would it affect me writing anything in general? (Say, school papers/essays etc) and I just wanted to know everyone else's opinion on this. Does it matter because I write mainly for fun, self fulfillment, and not really (kinda) for the audience. Or should I start fixing these habits now rather than later while I'm still young in case I do ever take a carreer in writing?

Oh sorry if I worded that weird and I hope this makes sense..

You’ve already answered your question. You said it yourself that you just write for yourself, for fun, so you can just do whatever the fuck you want with your story.

But, if you wanna make money from it, then you need to cut out the info-dump. Info-dump is lazy writing. I know it sounds weird, but it is.

A good story should be unfolded little my little. We only get to know things one thing at a time, that’s what keep the readers reading in the first place.

But if you give away everything in your story from the get-go, then there‘s no reason for the readers to keep reading it, since they already know everything.

So to answer your question; If you’re just writing for yourself, for fun, then you can do whatever you want. But if you wanna write for money, then you have to follow the market.

Don’t be afraid, though. It’s not a bad habit. You can always change the way you write if you want to. Just do a little research and a little practice to get used to, and you’re ready to go!

 

[MaiStarberries]

Like others said, if you just wanna write for yourself, you're good to go. Honestly, I miss the days when I could just write something and not be afraid of what people would think of it, that's a mindset I need to get back into but that's just how I am as a person. Writing just for yourself is a comfy time, though.

That said, if you do want to improve your writing, one thing you can always do is fixing those habits in editing. Write a portion of your story with all your usual habits, take some time away from it, then go back and reread it to see what seems like it needs fixing. See where "he" and "she" are used too many times and replace them with character names, cut down on the info dumps by breaking them up or making them more concise, etc. Some people feel more comfortable writing a first draft without much concern for the problems with it and then fixing those problems after, that's how I do it for longer stories.

But yeah, if that's not your cup of tea and you just want to enjoy your stories as you write them, go for it and have fun. You'll probably improve naturally as you keep at it anyway, and you can always ask people for opinions if you decide you want to.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

It depends on what type of writing you want to go into.

 

[YueLqn]

Of course, it's okay. You aren't getting paid for a certain quality of writing and neither do you owe the readers anything. So if you want to only write for yourself, that's totally fine.

That said, if you want to reach more people with your story or want the readers to have a better time, you will have to work on your writing. And even if you don't care for numbers or feedback/comments, learning to write better can also be a lot of fun in itself.

There are things I write today I wouldn't have written 5 or even 10 years ago. Those are all thanks to challenging both my writing and my storytelling. There are different themes I can explore and better stories I can tell. That wouldn't be possible without improvements. There are even job opportunities I had simply based on my writing craft.



So while it is totally fine to stay as you are, I would recommand challenging yourself and changing your writing style bit by bit. Like a guitar player who learns harder songs, a painter who learns to paint with more details, or an athlete that gets better and better. Self-improvement itself can be a fantastic thing and transform your hobby.

There is no need to go and change your entire writing style right away. But if you know those big problems, just try to change it bit by bit. Slowly, over weeks, months, and years...

I will try to improve myself over time rather then all ar once, thank you for the advice!

You’ve already answer your question. You said it yourself that you just write for yourself, for fun, so you can just do whatever the fuck you want with your story.

But, if you wanna make money from it, then you need to cut out the info-dump. Info-dump is lazy writing. I know it sounds weird, but it is.

A good story should be unfolded little my little. We only get to know things one at a time, that’s what keep the readers reading in the first place.

But if you give away everything in your story from the get-go, then there‘s no reason for the readers to keep reading it, since they already know everything.

So to answer your question; If you’re just writing for yourself, for fun, then you can do whatever you want. But if you wanna write for money, then you have to follow the market.

Don’t be afraid, though. It’s not a bad habit. You can always change the way you write if you want to. Just do a little research and a little practice to get used to, and you’re ready to go!

Thank you for the advice! I'm at the stage where I should be thinking of future career choices, what i want to do in life but at the moment I'm not too sure if I was gonna write for a living, so I just wanted to ask here.

Like others said, if you just wanna write for yourself, you're good to go. Honestly, I miss the days when I could just write something and not be afraid of what people would think of it, that's a mindset I need to get back into but that's just how I am as a person. Writing just for yourself is a comfy time, though.

That said, if you do want to improve your writing, one thing you can always do is fixing those habits in editing. Write a portion of your story with all your usual habits, take some time away from it, then go back and reread it to see what seems like it needs fixing. See where "he" and "she" are used too many times and replace them with character names, cut down on the info dumps by breaking them up or making them more concise, etc. Some people feel more comfortable writing a first draft without much concern for the problems with it and then fixing those problems after, that's how I do it for longer stories.

But yeah, if that's not your cup of tea and you just want to enjoy your stories as you write them, go for it and have fun. You'll probably improve naturally as you keep at it anyway, and you can always ask people for opinions if you decide you want to.

I think I'll just write as a hobby and I will improve myself over time, thank you for the advice!