What have you learned from the stories you've written?

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Those of you who have finished multiple books/comics, what do you think the experiences have taught you so far? What do you hope to learn over the course of your future projects?

Here's my list of skills I've gained:
-How to write romantic scenes without going "BLECH EW GROSS UGH BLERGH BLEHH" constantly in my head
-How to write romantic scenes despite going "BLECH EW GROSS UGH BLERGH BLEHH" constantly in my head
-How to write gentle, kind characters with depth and narrative importance (like, as opposed to 'anime mom' side characters)
-How to develop my own style of visual description (I like to lean on nouns and verbs and use adjectives to support them, rather than using them straight. Like instead of 'her hair was wavy and blonde' I might say 'her hair cascaded down her shoulders in golden waves'...or at least 'her wavy blonde hair was neatly tied back')
-How to recognize when I am getting self-indulgent (and when it is starting to hurt the story...)
-Conversely, how to write a self-indulgent story that is actually good (as in, engaging to people besides me)
-How to take writing as a whole less seriously ^^
-How to appreciate and assess other people's writing strengths, even if I don't like their writing
-How to enjoy being kind to my characters, instead of just sadistically tormenting them all the time (there's a time and a place for both~)

As for skills I want to gain (and things I'm actively working on doing better), I would list these as the big ones:
-How to write fights
-How to write deep emotions
I actually use these elements a lot in my stories, but I don't really feel like I've found my footing yet with either. I just wish I got more feedback, to be honest...having finished multiple novels doesn't feel as good as it sounds when you have no sense of the quality of any of them. TT_TT

[LunarScyphozoa]

I learned That I really should plan things before starting

[BOMB]

I've learned that, regardless of how much I try to avoid it, my life and experiences will influence my stories some way or another, so I might as well let it and show conviction.

[Hexigate]

There's too much for me to put into a list, but if I were to choose a single important one, it'd be how to write meaningful, engaging dialogue. Reading other stories and writing my own stories have ingrained in me how dialogue can have so many layers, subtext, and emotional depth. It really is a key way of communication that affects how the reader engages the story. (Just like in real life.)

[sevenstarsofeightIam]

I have learned I can get by with fewer words. I have learned I can say a lot in a short sentence.

[Nopride]

With the most recent story I'm working on, I've learned how to use setting as a tool to help the narrative. Usually, I just viewed setting as a place where characters did their thing. But when you build your own world for a novel, it kinda forces you to look at setting in terms of why is this here rather than here they are and that's that.

[fleurravenbooks]

while im still new to this, i learnt to have more faith in myself, i was scared to post my story because i thought people will find my work boring, but thanks to tapas forums i found really nice people
For sure there are more stuff but i wanted to keep this positive

[Kaydreamer]

I've learned quite a bit from making my comic so far!

• I've definitely got a better sense of pacing now that I've switched to a vertical format - to the extent that, were I to make a page-style comic again for whatever reason, I'd 'storyboard' a slideshow of panels before laying out a page, so I could make changes and add panels the way I can vertically without having to scrap a whole bunch of layout work.
• Most of my funniest lines happen while I'm sketching and thumbnailing. They sorta just bubble up the more times a scene plays through my head.
• Keeping enough wiggle room in a script for potential changes is really important, because the comic will start taking a form somewhat different to the original vision.
• Character personalities will develop more thoroughly as I draw them, and the way I draw them will be influenced by their personality, in a sort of feedback loop.
• Once a character's personality becomes really established, I don't call the shots anymore. They do.
• You get a lot better at drawing real quick when you start a comic. Even if you're already pretty decent.
• I should have made a bigger buffer.
• Setting goals regarding sub growth in the beginning as something to strive for is a good idea... but once you get promoted, all bets are off, and things become pretty impossible to predict. I'm not trying to make projections anymore, I'm just grateful to have an audience.
• It's wild to know that some people will love the shit out of what you're making, and get really excited about it. I couldn't imagine anyone loving my characters as much as I do, but apparently I was wrong.

There's probably more, but that's all I can think of right now!