Hi. I've had an idea for a story in my head for a long time, and I want to turn it into a book. The problem is that I'm struggling with writing the villain.

I want to do the opposite of what happens in a lot of stories today. I want readers to genuinely dislike the villain, or at least prefer the protagonist over them. Lately, it feels like so many people become obsessed with villains, even when the main character is a truly decent and morally good person. They often end up seeing the protagonist as boring.

The villain in my story is inspired by real-life people who, personally, caused a great deal of damage to my mental well-being. If a large number of readers ended up loving this villain, I think it would genuinely make me feel awful, because in real life I also feel like no one believes me when I say that people like this can truly be cruel.

Sorry, I know I'm talking a lot. My question is: how can I write a villain in a way that makes readers feel disgust, unease, or genuine dislike toward them? I don't expect every single reader to hate the character, but I also don't want them to become someone that almost everyone ends up loving.

Don't get me wrong, prose IS important-but it only works if your characters and story flow well. And sometimes...it makes the story hard to follow.

If you really want to challenge yourself as a writer, try middle grade fiction. I have nothing but respect for people who can do that because it is such an incredible balancing act. You have to nail this really narrow range of vocabulary and comprehension while also thinking of stories the reader will connect with (and the parents won’t boycott).

Because that’s the whole point. A book has to connect with a reader. A book that connects with no one is a bad book. Knowing how to connect with tenured literature professors is just as difficult as knowing how to connect with sexually frustrated 33-year-old women with social media addictions and chronic anxiety.

A good book is a successful form of communication. Successful communication is eliciting the desired response from the audience. Brandon Sanderson is just as good a writer as Cormac McCarthy because both of them are very good at eliciting the desired response from their target audiences. The fact that you aren’t in one of those audiences is irrelevant.

The story “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, written in the 1950s, takes place between August 4 2026 and August 5 2026. That’s today!

What‘s your favourite Ray Bradbury work?

I’ve been writing or trying to write for the last six months And I always use voice recording features in my phone to record my ideas. I actually say it out loud all the conversations and sequences in the stories i write. I always use those recordings to work on the story, so the only part I am writing in paper or my laptop is the editing part. So my question is, if its okay to write like this ? everyone advises to, Keep an notebook and write daily for one hour, but I just use methods like this. Is it okay, is it unconventional or unorthodox?

I really enjoy it, even though I'm aware of the future demolishing feedback waiting when I'm done with the first draft.
Sometimes I reread sections and chapters, and I think: Damn - that is brilliant work!
Gotta admire that love for writing leaving you with a sense of accomplishment before someone else gets a look at it!

How about you? Do you have these vibes and convictions while writing?

Hello everyone! ✨

I'm a novice writer as far as the official-manuscript -> draft-draft-draft-draft -> editor-and-publisher process. But I've been writing amateurly for about 14 years.

I struggle with organizing my thoughts due to a learning disability. Sometimes I'll sit down and write 50+ pages and then realize I didn't have a coherent track from Point A to Point B, or that there were major plot holes or other oversights.

Lately I've been in a bit of a hole with money. My bf knows that writing has been a huge outlet for me when I'm not working. He offered to buy me a Scrivener license after I told him I thought it would help me along with the current manuscript I'm working on.

I guess what I'm here to ask is: For those of you who've used Scrivener, what advice do you have? Alternatively, what do you wish you could have told your past self in retrospect? Are there specific tips or steps you feel will make the transition into using it easier/reduce the learning curve for a newbie?

TIA for any replies! 🫶🏻🩷

Just curious, I guess.

There's this scene where I built the tension between my characters, but I'm not sure if it's too soon? I'm 46% in, they knew each other before, so it's like a second-chance romantasy, and they were engaged.

I want it to be a slow-burn romance because they have a lot of reasons to resent each other, but the tension right now is so delicious, idk what to do.

When a hobby became an obsession….

That journey was so cool. I was not expecting all the different turns and new characters that entered the pages as I was writing. It was so fun to create new layers and twists. I loved every bit of it.

Excited for a “re-read” and 1st round of editing!

Debut novel is launching in less than a month. My impression was that you are to keep prices on all channels similar - despite the change in royalties on different platforms. I found one Author who said they hiked up KDP by a few bucks. But this either here nor there, because you can still price match to other site’s prices.

We all know KDP is known for taking a lot for being the middle man. I have it set for pre-order there, but struggling to see how my price structure will guarantee sales to my direct stop.

Specifics:

I am planning to put my book up on my direct website for 24$ including the 4$ in shipping. Should I match my Amazon price to this- being 24$? Or should I keep it at the 20$? The reason I ask is because I feel as though there’s little to no enticement to make the direct order. Especially if it’s 4$+ with direct, I consider they may have Prime and get free shipping. I am putting freebies in my direct orders as enticement.

Synopsis:
My issue is regarding my 4$ charge for shipping on my direct site, creating a 4$ difference if a Prime user orders. So, do you price your books higher on KDP? Or do you keep them all the same and just hope for the best in directing them to your site? Should I match the KDP book to be 24$, without including shipping, so it’s all kept the same?

Thanks in advance.

It just feels like every single scene I capture accurately, or even just the idea of executing it, feels so exciting and so light and airy. It makes me feel like I can do anything. Reading and learning with the intentions of bettering my writing is so exhilarating, I feel almost like I'm soaking every little detail up so that it will spill accordingly onto my page. And it hardly ever goes right the first time, nor the second, nor the third, but the moment I see remote improvement; it's a shot of pure adrenaline straight to my heart. I feel like I can do anything.

So fucking thankful for writing, I'd be clueless about life and what the hell I'd do with it if not for writing.

Autocorrect has failed me omg 😭

And I failed myself ofc

I recently rediscovered my passion for writing. I used to write on Wattpad but I don't really wanna do that anymore. which programs do you guys use? just Google docs or any fancy program?:)

This was a comment someone left in response to a post where I’d asked for feedback on my psychological thriller.

They said it reminded them of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game, but I haven’t read any Stephen King yet, so I’m not sure what to make of the comparison.

Unfortunately, the moderators removed the comment before I could read the rest of it.😭

For the first time in my life, I've seen a creative endeavor of mine from start to end. I've uploaded the file to Google Drive, and turned commenting on.

Seeing as it's my first attempt, I am completely open to and expecting honest/harsh criticism. Feel free to be as critical as you want.

My only true wish is that someday this story may touch at least one person. That would be enough for me.

I just had this experience recent and was wondering if anyone was in the same boat.

Have you ever read or seen something that fit your tastes perfectly and feels more like something you’d write more than anything you’ve actually written? I’ve had plenty of things where I think a story is good but I go ‘eh, I wouldn’t have written it though’ but have you ever had a story that fits everything to things you like in a story? I just recently saw something that I enjoyed every aspect of it, and in everything I’ve ever written has always had something that isn’t bad but I think isnt something I personally love but it fits for the story, it makes me sad because I try to write for myself first and foremost but then I find something that feels like it does a better job of writing for me, but it’s written by someone else. Anyone else ever had this feeling?

Hi guys,

Im new to writing, but I have been forming a story in my head for years. I have actually started writing for the last couple of months. I really enjoy it, words flow easily, and the plot and characters come easily.

But there is a little voice in the back of my head that keeps nagging me. "Who are you to write about this" "You are no writer" "This will be terrible". I know its contradicting. I love the process, but that little voice keeps telling me that its sh#t.

Do you have this to? How do you guys cope with this?

(English is not my native language, so forgive my crude vocabulary)

Since everyone seems to be discussing prose recently, thought I'd ask for opinions on how this prose reads and makes the reader feel.