Hannah

I had a dream the night before last that was weirdly compelling. It more or less laid out the basic plot and emotional notes of a story that I now have wedged into my brain hole in a way I recognize as "You need to do something with this." This has happened probably a few times in my life, but not really since I started writing in a serious way. The big stumbling block here is that I'm not really sure how to approach it. I know more or less who the main/perspective character would be, but not how things will unfold in a way that feels natural.

I'm not gonna lay out the actual plot of the dream here, but here are some notes that might tickle your imagination.

• It looked like a high-budget anime, with the art style sort of resembling Last Exile.
• Fantasy Industrial Revolution, and not the fun kind.
• Really stretched the definition of "elves". The word "carapace" was mentioned. They might be aliens?

It's been congealing in my head for the last two days, but I don't know if I have the focus to see it through. It's not even a horny story! What's a girl to do?

I've had some form of this question a few times now, and I'm never totally sure what to say. I think the most important thing is to chase the ideas that really get stuck in your brain. If you can't stop thinking about a particular concept, that's the time to put it into words. Don't be afraid of writing things that are dark or taboo (or sexy).

Practice is the thing that's going to make you better at writing, but it obviously helps to read a lot as well. My writing style is an amalgamation of all the stories I've enjoyed since I was young. It's perfectly fine to emulate a writer that you like.

And use a thesaurus!

Firstly, thank you so much! Every time I get complimented on my writing feels special and makes me glow. 💖

As for process... well, I certainly don't have any secrets, except the ones I keep from myself. Writing is... sometimes hard for me. My will and ability to write consistently comes and goes from day to day, week to week, sometimes month to month. But when I have a persistent idea that speaks to me, sooner or later I will have to get it out of me via writing.

When the inspiration hits just right, I'll open a new google doc and spray words onto the page at an alarming rate (for me - in general I am an agonizingly slow writer). I'll get through pages and pages over a few days. Then I slow down. If I lack a clear idea of where I'm going to take a story, it becomes a struggle to get anything down. Right now I have... four stories in progress, the oldest of which hasn't been touched in at least four months. In my mind I haven't abandoned it, but I couldn't tell you when I'll feel like touching it again.

So to answer your question more succinctly, I am autistic and my own process is a mystery to me. But mostly it's a matter of focus and willpower. Some days I am in short supply. If you're looking to get into writing yourself, my advice is to chase the ideas that mean the most to you, and don't worry too much about finishing in a timely manner. Don't hold yourself to too high a standard. Just get the words out while you can.

I don't know if I've been helpful, but thank you for the ask, and for the compliment!