Guided Writing Exercises? Or jump right into writing stories?

[bulwark_of_the_week]

Hi! I'm starting to get into prose writing. I've got some story ideas I just need to get out into a written form. I'm not necessarily looking for a fast track plan to getting published or anything.

I am looking either for A. a self guided course (book or online) on fiction writing or B. people to tell me "that's a bad idea, just start writing that project you have in mind". My ideal course would be structured into a set of projects designed to help me gain skills that I might not even know that I lack. For example in programming there are tons of books where the structure is "here are 1-10 projects, each one is going to test you to improve your skills in a particular way." The book will then have excerpts of what your code should look like and a bunch of theoretical stuff about how the project should be architected, and how to think about writing code. Sometimes there will be one big project that the entire book works through, and other times it'll just be a loosely connected set of projects.

Those guided project style books helped a ton when I was learning to program because my biggest struggle is determining what size of project I can take on at my current skill level. If my university offered Creative Writing classes in larger numbers (wait-lists are super long even for people who need them for their requirements) I think that taking one would work really well for me to get some more practice. I have a masters in Computer Science (working on my PhD) and I have published a few academic papers, so I'm well practiced at writing when I don't feel like it. I have also self-published (with a collaborator) a video game that took 3 years to make, so I know how to stick to things, just feeling like a noob with respect to prose right now.

Also, I know the advice of "just write" exists, and I have been writing, so I'm following that. I just like the idea of a course/book that is a guided tour of the skills that I should be developing.

Thanks for any recommendations

 

[Pik]

I suggest to create the program that can write the story for you. Oh wait.. I know a book for screenwriting, Writing the TV drama series by Pamela Douglas.

 

[bulwark_of_the_week]

I suggest to create the program that can write the story for you. Oh wait.. I know a book for screenwriting, Writing the TV drama series by Pamela Douglas.

I could never, lol. I can't stand gen-ai. I'll take a look at it, but I'd really like something focused on short story, novella, and novel style writing. Screenwriting seems like it has different goals (writing to be filmable and watchable on TV in 30-60 minute blocks) than writing fiction designed to be read directly from the text does. I could be totally wrong though, so I will give it a skim at least.

 

[Pik]

I could never, lol. I can't stand gen-ai. I'll take a look at it, but I'd really like something focused on short story, novella, and novel style writing. Screenwriting seems like it has different goals (writing to be filmable and watchable on TV in 30-60 minute blocks) than writing fiction designed to be read directly from the text does. I could be totally wrong though, so I will give it a skim at least.

In that case you should wait for the other replies, dunno as much about those. Screenwriting can be more familiar to programmers than novel/short story writing in terms of writing style because it's usually written in a very clear and matter-of-factly way and with a lot of formatting rules. There are probably books covering screenwriting along with novel and short story writing but I haven't read them.

 

[Naomasa298]

Also, I know the advice of "just write" exists, and I have been writing, so I'm following that. I just like the idea of a course/book that is a guided tour of the skills that I should be developing.

The problem with not following "just write" is that you won't develop those skills organically, which slows down internalising those skills.

I'd say the best way to improve is get feedback on your writing. That's what this forum is good for, and a resource you should draw on. I have seen, on another forum, a guy who devours writing books as if they're going out of fashion, and has so much conflicting advice that they have no idea what they should actually be doing, or how to do it.

 

[bulwark_of_the_week]

... I'd say the best way to improve is get feedback on your writing. ...

Let me make sure I understand. Just start writing the current story I'm thinking about. Write it until it's done, in the format I see it being in (novel.) Then get feedback on it? And the practice loop is just "write shitty novels (or whatever format) until you write a not shitty novel." Or should I be workshopping passages here as I go?

 

[Naomasa298]

Let me make sure I understand. Just start writing the current story I'm thinking about. Write it until it's done, in the format I see it being in (novel.) Then get feedback on it? And the practice loop is just "write shitty novels (or whatever format) until you write a not shitty novel." Or should I be workshopping passages here as I go?

No, no, get feedback as you go. Just ask for help on anything you don't feel confident about, start with the opening passages, if you feel it would help to see how your current work lands. But when you do workshop a piece, make sure you give some guidelines as to the type of advice you're looking for to better guide the critiquers.

The saying goes that the first million words is practise.

Also, I'd recommend writing some shorter practise pieces first, so that you can ensure your skills are polished when you come to write the story you really want to write.

 

[Pik]

In writing screenplays, first outline/synopsis is written (sometimes with character biographies), then treatment (detailed synopsis without dialogue) and finally the full screenplay. Some screenwriters include beatsheet but it's not what I learned in the courses I attended.

 

[Also]

Writing fiction is the opposite of programming, and good therapy for that over-structured mindset.

Think a little about where you want a story or chapter to go and what you want it to say, then just begin. Good writing is a process of discovering the real story lurking within the premises and characters, not of implementing the story you always fantasized about or planned on writing. Let go and let it happen.

The only thing that prepares you for writing fiction, other than reading a lot of it your entire life, is doing it and discussing the result and the events and characters with others.

 

[bulwark_of_the_week]

Writing fiction is the opposite of programming, and good therapy for that over-structured mindset.

Think a little about where you want a story or chapter to go and what you want it to say, then just begin. Good writing is a process of discovering the real story lurking within the premises and characters, not of implementing the story you always fantasized about or planned on writing. Let go and let it happen.

The only thing that prepares you for writing fiction, other than reading a lot of it your entire life, is doing it and discussing the result and the events and characters with others.

Yeah, I'm not super concerned with writing the "big one." I mostly just want to be writing the ideas that I have down in some way rather than just spinning them around for years. I know my first 1,000,000 words will suck, that's fine. I liked the idea of having a dozen prompts that will get me to write stuff that will challenge me to improve in particular ways. Like a class might, but I guess what the class really provides is a captive audience for feedback lol. Thanks for the tips everyone

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Yeah, I'm not super concerned with writing the "big one." I mostly just want to be writing the ideas that I have down in some way rather than just spinning them around for years. I know my first 1,000,000 words will suck, that's fine. I liked the idea of having a dozen prompts that will get me to write stuff that will challenge me to improve in particular ways. Like a class might, but I guess what the class really provides is a captive audience for feedback lol. Thanks for the tips everyone

Something that might suit is to check out the monthly competitions on the forum here. There's poetry, a variable 4th contest, flash (500 words) and short story (1200-5000 words), each with a theme or prompt, posted anonymously until revealed at the conclusion of voting and winner declared. I found it very useful when I first joined what was our original forum and, as I'm sure other members could attest, made good headway on that million crappy words that we must get down. It's none too onerous and all comers are welcome. Could get you started on working out structure, exposiition and all the other stuff that goes into creative writing.

 

[bulwark_of_the_week]

Something that might suit is to check out the monthly competitions on the forum here. There's poetry, a variable 4th contest, flash (500 words) and short story (1200-5000 words), each with a theme or prompt, posted anonymously until revealed at the conclusion of voting and winner declared. I found it very useful when I first joined what was our original forum and, as I'm sure other members could attest, made good headway on that million crappy words that we must get down. It's none too onerous and all comers are welcome. Could get you started on working out structure, exposiition and all the other stuff that goes into creative writing.

That's a good idea! I tend to avoid competitions, I'm not super competitively driven, and I don't like the aggressive style of competitiveness that always seems to show up and dominate the whole affair. I think it being anonymous and online would obviate most of my initial ick factor. And I would just be treating it as practice anyways.

 

[Pik]

There was this time when I was studying and my ex-boyfriend's ex/future/something girl enrolled to the same department and soon became one of the best in school. She really was, there's nothing I can say to that, the situation just made me reconsider the concept of that kind of competition, it made me feel like I was being set up and like preserving sanity is more important. Competitions are okay in general I guess.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

That's a good idea! I tend to avoid competitions, I'm not super competitively driven, and I don't like the aggressive style of competitiveness that always seems to show up and dominate the whole affair. I think it being anonymous and online would obviate most of my initial ick factor. And I would just be treating it as practice anyways.

There was this time when I was studying and my ex-boyfriend's ex/future/something girl enrolled to the same department and soon became one of the best in school. She really was, there's nothing I can say to that, the situation just made me reconsider the concept of that kind of competition, it made me feel like I was being set up and like preserving sanity is more important. Competitions are okay in general I guess.

Ye could both check out even the voting pages or the winner announcement pages of past contests. My experience is that the sentiments expressed are genuine and reflect the good natured tone. While, clearly, effort is put in to make the stories the best the writer can, the overall is about participation and not proving superiority. I've won a few and done more than one Norway in the Eurovision (0 points) amd, to be honest, will sometimes defend more resolutely those that fared miserably as things I'm glad I wrote. I can say it gave me a focus to get writing, get stories finished, get on to the next thing. It can also be interesting to see the widely divergent takes on whatever the prompt might be.

 

[Pik]

Ye could both check out even the voting pages or the winner announcement pages of past contests. My experience is that the sentiments expressed are genuine and reflect the good natured tone. While, clearly, effort is put in to make the stories the best the writer can, the overall is about participation and not proving superiority. I've won a few and done more than one Norway in the Eurovision (0 points) amd, to be honest, will sometimes defend more resolutely those that fared miserably as things I'm glad I wrote. I can say it gave me a focus to get writing, get stories finished, get on to the next thing. It can also be interesting to see the widely divergent takes on whatever the prompt might be.

I voted in few of those competitions, appreciation and recognition among fellow writers is definitely something to strive for, I'm just explaining why I posted some of my work in other subforums rather than competing ones, competition sounds good and builds confidence.

 

[twiget]

I've done my share of coding, both personally and professionally. Coding is nice because I've always got a fixed end goal, I just need to figure out the instructions to make the computer do the thing. When I write a story, I know what the begining is, but I have no idea what the end is going to be. That's my favorite part of writing, I get to see the story unfold as I write it and it almost never goes where I expcted when I started. Another great thing about fiction writing is that there is no right answer. I write the stories I like to read and occasionally I'll share them with the wider world. If other people enjoy my stories, great. If not, so be it.

When I started, I looked for some sort of guidance on how to write fiction too. There are ton's of websites out there with short story prompts for inspiration. Brandon Sanderson has a YouTube channel and he also teaches at BYU. He recorded and posted his 2025 class where he does a deep dive into creative writing.

In a nutshell, I started watching Brandon Sanderson's lecture series and I did a few short story prompts. Then I dove in and started writing my own stories. I think the "just write" advice is key. Now I've contibuted to 2 of the short story contests here and I'm about 12k words into a story that grew out of an idea for a short story I had. My plan for November is to add another 30k words to that story and see where it takes me.

 

[bulwark_of_the_week]

I've done my share of coding, both personally and professionally. Coding is nice because I've always got a fixed end goal, I just need to figure out the instructions to make the computer do the thing. When I write a story, I know what the begining is, but I have no idea what the end is going to be. That's my favorite part of writing, I get to see the story unfold as I write it and it almost never goes where I expcted when I started. Another great thing about fiction writing is that there is no right answer. I write the stories I like to read and occasionally I'll share them with the wider world. If other people enjoy my stories, great. If not, so be it.

When I started, I looked for some sort of guidance on how to write fiction too. There are ton's of websites out there with short story prompts for inspiration. Brandon Sanderson has a YouTube channel and he also teaches at BYU. He recorded and posted his 2025 class where he does a deep dive into creative writing.

In a nutshell, I started watching Brandon Sanderson's lecture series and I did a few short story prompts. Then I dove in and started writing my own stories. I think the "just write" advice is key. Now I've contibuted to 2 of the short story contests here and I'm about 12k words into a story that grew out of an idea for a short story I had. My plan for November is to add another 30k words to that story and see where it takes me.

I actually have watched most of the BYU lectures from Brandon Sanderson. They were very helpful, but I don't remember there being very many prompts. I think I did maybe 3. I spent my evening writing so I'm moving forward, that's the only way. I'm just writing what I feel like rather than following a specific prompt or exercise.

 

[Also]

There are prompts all around us in life — in stores, on buses, planes, and trains, in people panhandling at intersections and the others giving or not giving money to them... Just put yourself into their heads and tell a moment or longer of their life. Whatever you think is funny or ironic or irritates you or gives you hope or makes you feel pity or contempt or admiration... And it need not be in the present. You can search your past for such situations and people, too. It doesn't need to be a whole story or chapter. Fragments are a good start and great practice. Depict observed moments of people's lives, through their own eyes and the eyes of others around them to show the contrasts. Just capture their points of view. We don't have to know what such fragments "mean" (nor entire short stories, for that matter), are they show the good or the bad in someone, or any of that. You don't have to connect them to anything else, either, not to begin with, don't have to relate the panhandler's experience to the passerby's. Just record them as you imagine them. Center # on a line for breaks in continuity, time, POV, etc., and go wherever your imagination takes you. As you get better at fragments, you'll spontaneously begin to frame and connect them in natural ways.

Don't pay much attention to supposed rules of better fiction-writing. Most are bunk, pretense, or delusion. Write what feels real in a way that feels real to you. There's plenty of time later to worry about style and editing.

I encourage people in my group to bring early, unripe fragments for discussion, though so far (3 years), I'm the only one who has done so. Most, I think, are too self-conscious (or proud) to show anything less than their polished best. But I would say that it's fine to post fragments for feedback in the Workshop here. (Maybe there should even be a category called Fragment, so that commenters don't expect it to be a developed A-to-B piece.) A fragment can be a scene or an internal state of mind or emotion or happening. They'll grow into bigger things on their own as you practice.

 

[Pik]

"Rules", the other term to describe previous succesful storytelling

 

[Naomasa298]

Yeah, when you post stuff for critique in the Workshop, it doesn't need to be a complete story. It can be an excerpt or a fragment, just anything you want help or guidance with.

I don't think the competitions are aggressively competitive, not on this forum. On some forums they are, but here, most people treat them as a chance to exercise those writing muscles.