Threads threads threads (It's a reference to the film bodies bodies bodies)

JoshRaed 2024-06-25 00:17:07 UTC #1

How do I consistently end up in situations where I remember my behavior as agreeable and receptive and like I took a lot of good advice from something, only for everyone else to be in agreement that I did not and that I reacted wrong and got defensive? I would google this but google doesn't know about the things I said and I don't feel like explaining months of drama to new people so they understand this problem, and I don't understand it well enough to explain it otherwise.
What do other creators with ADHD here do in order to ensure they're focused on a project? All I want to do when I'm not writing or drawing is write or draw and all I want to do once I've decided to write or draw is stare at a wall while hugging a blanket but when I do that it makes me wish I was drawing. I did in fact google this and will look at all the sources, but I've been struggling with this for so long I want to have as many potential solutions as possible so at least one will work.
How do I write a story where humor naturally emerges from it? I used to do it back when my writing style was less mature and every character was putting their foot in their mouth and riffing on each other and saying weird things, but I don't know how else to make it work. Like I'm trying to have a character make more jokes and funnier jokes but when I consider rewriting his dialogue I'm fully drawing a blank as to what a funny thing to say in this context would be.
How do I make a characters behavior come off as natural and not self-conscious? Like for them to say make a joke or run up a wall and have it not be a weird insincere thing for attention or an expression of arrogance but just how the character is.

Also I feel like acknowledging to someone else that the fallout from four months ago where I left and made a 200 plus list of writing/art advice was on by birthday. I totally forgot that until I reread it.

kyupol 2024-06-25 00:43:53 UTC #2

1) sounds like a form of autism to me (the social deficiency part). I have the same problem if I start engaging and being more talkative. And in the past, I have made many enemies both irl and online. Why I talk in a few words and to the point as possible. (Disclaimer: consult a mental health professional and take my words with a grain of salt)

2) I have the polar opposite of ADHD. Too overly laser focused. Tunnel vision. My personal opinion on ADHD though, is if there are no biological factors behind it, it's because of relentless bombardment of stimuli from media. Cut scenes are too quick nowadays compared to how it used to be. Trains the mind to low attention span. Also how social media is designed for scrolling endlessly exposing you to data overload. Try meditation to counter that. Even simply being aware of your breathing is good.

3) sounds like you think too much in writing a story. If I did that, won't be able to get anything done.

Feel free dm me if wish to further discuss.

VibrantFox 2024-06-25 01:44:58 UTC #3

back again, eh

well about the Q's

seconding kyupol on point 1. obviously seek professional consultation and not just "people on the internet" coz no ones really certified but there's books about it for personal research if you feel capable of like doing it

point 2: I am not officially diagnosed (wouldn't mind at least a consultation tho i think it'd help) but honestly my method is just having my setup ready to go so when the mood to create strikes i can capitalize on it rather than dragging through turning on devices, finding notebooks and pencils and so on. plus just having a notepad (physical or the app) open so when an idea strikes but i dont feel motivated to draw/write it i can at least jot it down to reference later and specifically somewhere i know i can find and go back to it again.

lately (for me) that's been a private discord server with just me in it to stock notes and i've got channels specifically dedicated to each of my projects and separate inspiration/reference channels (screenshot for reference)

it may seem like overkill to some but as someone who understands that my thoughts can be very all over the place at any given time having a space where things are organized is convenient

and point 3 just sounds like plain old overthinking which makes sense when you take into account the auADHD traits so it's really gonna boil down to just forcing yourself to get out of your own head, which sounds difficult but i realize i do myself a lot of favors when i'm drawing for example and if something looks bad and i start to obsess over that minor detail i just go "hey that bits not important now. lets work on the overall piece then come back later if it still looks off" and 9/10 leaving it be and just pushing through till i'm done has been a lot more beneficial or productive

it also helps sometimes to make "quality" your last priority or at least thats something i've been working on lately.
"doesn't matter if it looks bad, doesn't matter if it doesn't flow perfectly just finish it and then do all the touching up later" as the mindset has worked because instead of worrying about whatever the focus is just getting it done

not to give homework coz i feel like you struggled with folks giving suggestions and you turning into a whole "side quest to check off the list" but today just so happens to be "make a terrible comic day" so if you want to [not you have to] you could try throwing together a random crappy 4 panel comic no goal for quality no point just slap some stuff together and call it a day

like this is one example from the tag on twitter
https://x.com/jlee4567/status/1805324860773777767

but it's literally focused on just making stuff quality be damned which i think is something we as artists need every once in a while

and apologies if this got ramble-y that's one of my little brain quirk habits but hopefully you can find a way to work through your funk

JoshRaed 2024-06-25 06:23:40 UTC #4

Last minute, check, copy paste, check, aggressive close-ups so you don't have to draw more, check, stray lines, check, flat coloring, super-check.

Perfect for shitty comic day especially since it falls on pride month.

DokiDokiTsuna 2024-06-25 12:22:01 UTC #5

In my experience, this probably means you responded too much and/or asked too many questions. But that's just autism shorthand; 'defensive' usually has more to do with delivery, which isn't something I can tell you about from a barebones description.

Personally, I don't focus: instead I have at least 2 dozen ongoing projects to pick and choose from at any given time. ^^; If there's one thing I can't stand, it's having to work on one thing and ONLY one thing for more than 3 days tops...a lot of people's descriptions of 'burnout' or 'inability to focus' remind me of how I feel when I'm ready to switch projects, which makes me think a lot of artists might be better off if they allowed themselves other projects to switch to. Not everyone's meant to dedicate themselves body and soul to just one story at a time. :T

I think if there's anything you definitely don't need, it's to make yourself appear less confident as a writer.
Even if you're legitimately great at writing, you might still never get famous or make money off your work...that's something that can happen to anyone at any skill level, and maybe that's what you actually want to write like: someone who knows they're probably not crafting an immutable legacy and can take their work less seriously.

JoshRaed 2024-06-30 05:40:37 UTC #6

So someone said that my story comes off as "the most generic story written by a teenager who thinks I've made my magnum opus and will be the next Eichirou Oda in ten years." what do you think that means specifically?

DokiDokiTsuna 2024-06-30 13:26:23 UTC #7

It means they're a jerk...! ┗( T﹏T )┛That's so mean...

...In all seriousness, I guess they're just trying to say you sound pretentious? Like there's a way you speak about your work, or maybe even a way you write your work, that makes it feel like it's supposed to be more impressive than it is?

Back when I was reviewing amateur works, I would see things like that occasionally...Writers revealing that the protagonists have to compete with their peers, or that their parents are dead, and presenting these things like they're incredible unheard-of story elements and not the extremely worn-out tropes that everyone else knows they are.
Although it never felt 'pretentious' to me; quite the opposite...it was more like an 'oh you sweet summer child' reaction, where I could see that the writer had very limited experiences with other media, and couldn't understand how mature readers would perceive it.

...On the other hand, maybe your narration style is just really smarmy; idk. It's hard to tell without examples of your work. ^^;

NickRowler 2024-06-30 14:33:31 UTC #8

If things are not getting easier after doing it several times, it could be your technique. Maybe you need to try something new.

There are a lot of cartoonists who have the ability to draw hyperrealistic but choose not to because they know it will be too time consuming for comic creation.

I also feel like I have given you advice about comic creation that would 100% make things easier for you, and I often feel like you ignore them and come back to the forums to complain. I dunno what to tell you. Maybe you need to go by your local library and check out a bunch of how to draw manga/cartoon books and just read through them.

JoshRaed 2024-06-30 14:34:54 UTC #9

I feel like maybe it was that my story at least at the start felt way too normal. Like i’m surprised everyone found it too typical to like, I thought i’d subverted the concepts involved pretty well.

I might have fixed it, I’ve definitely made the world and characters more interesting now.

JoshRaed 2024-06-30 14:43:35 UTC #10

I meant my writing. Like last year I did more than a thousands words a day for like a month, and it didn’t cause my to form any natural writing habit. Writing comes no more naturally to be now than it did then. Doing it everyday didn’t make it any easier.

NickRowler 2024-06-30 14:46:46 UTC #11

I dunno what to tell you. I have dyslexia and failed a lot of assignments in school because of that. But I have a passion for storytelling and I find ways where I can do that without my dyslexia interfering.

I can't give you passion or drive, you have to find that for yourself.

DokiDokiTsuna 2024-06-30 17:42:31 UTC #12

Subversions of concepts are also commonplace these days...depending on what you were subverting, you may have just made your story look more obnoxious and predictable, not less.
Again, the issue is PRESENTATION, not content. Even the most tropey, average-joe story can feel fresh and enjoyable as long as it's told with sincerity and heart. On the other hand, you can put as many unique choices into your story as you can come up with, but if you don't present them to the reader in an interesting way, they may still feel bored and annoyed by your work. Communicating successfully with your audience is the most important thing.

...You know writing doesn't have to 'come naturally' to be valid, right? All you have to do is make the effort; how you get there is up to you.
Many professional writers simply write on a fixed schedule, just as if they were working a 9-to-5 job. They sit down to write during 'writing time', and when it ends, they stop. Rinse and repeat until their work is finished.

There's absolutely no reason to be concerned that you haven't formed a "habit" when you can get yourself to write a thousand words a day without one. o_O Do you have any idea how many budding writers would KILL to be able to do that consistently?? At the end of the day, you're writing! That's all you need to do.

Now if you're concerned about seeing improvement in proportion to how much you write, that's a separate conversation. But when it comes to just getting the words out, it really doesn't matter HOW you do it or WHY you do it, as long as you're doing it.

justincarbunkle 2024-06-30 18:15:04 UTC #13

People usually remember events in their favor. Just because you felt wronged doesn’t make you right.
This could be caused by many things. A vitamin deficiency, lack of exercise, meditation. Maybe you need therapy or prescription drugs. Try the ones you can fix yourself first, then if you’re still having serious issues you know you can’t fix yourself, go to a doctor. I’ve done these things and still have days where my mind completely wanders off/is apathetic to doing anything I should be doing. I just try making a list of the things I should be doing everyday and try following it. If I wander, I meditate/breathe for 10 minutes, let my mind calm and regroup so I can focus back on what’s important.
You just have to keep doing them. It’s very hard to break bad habits and form new ones. If it seems absolutely impossible, see a doctor/therapist.
Writing comedy is very hard. For my series, I start with a first draft where I just put down something, regardless if its unfunny or not, then go back over my script over the coming days, using a fresher mind to bring funnier/better ideas to replace my original dialogue. Sometimes jokes come instantly, others takes dozens of hours of rewrites just to perfect a single line.
Make sure you have a great understanding of the character in the first place, then write actions for them that make sense within the story. Understand the psychology and backstory of your characters, and try not to let the plot lead them to do things they wouldn’t normally do.

JoshRaed 2024-06-30 22:13:00 UTC #14

For comedy, i’m lost as to have characters say things that make sense in context but are also genuinely surprising, like it subverts your expectations but also fits the situation and characters. Like the only real funny bit where I feel like this works is the one where one of the characters goes on a lengthy rant over the phone detailing her super secret plans for murder while the other person is freaking out on the other line trying to get off speaker while riding a motorcycle and swerving everywhere.