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Oct 2024
Nov 2024
itski
Oct '24

I was interested in starting a discussion that's not another sub-for-sub thread, which are already everywhere.

SO: What is the challenging aspect of your writing
What did you come across in your novel (or comic) that you found was more difficult to put to the page than you expected?

The most challenging thing in my novel so far is the varying intelligence/education levels. Some characters are well-educated university graduates, while some only finished high school, despite being intelligent and others never went to school at all and had to learn at home.
I find trying to portray their different knowledge bases rough when I need to factor in how much a character would know about the world in general, like 'Does this person know how clouds form?' It may not have relevance to the plot, but I need to take into account these small things when I choose a character's dialogue and thought processes.

Paul_Tromba
Oct '24

The amount of research I need to do on each time period I have characters go to can take weeks to months just to make sure that it is as historically accurate as possible. It is smooth sailing after that... until I get to editing, then it becomes difficult again.

itski
Oct '24

Ooooh. Do you also do that thing where you end up so deep in the rabbit hole you have far too much information that you'll never use about the most trivial things?

Lensing
Oct '24

That´s a very interesting and inspiring question.

I write funny stories, the hardest part is to find a good punchline / resolution for
the episodes. It´s the most callenging thing to write, can be frustrating, but can
also be very satisfying.

I write the rough drafts of the episode as 12 panel comics. The technique works
really well for me. I adjust the story and squeeze it into the 12 panels. When a
potential reader can understand the story and it can be told in 12 panels then
it´s a good story (for me). The last panel or the last 2 panels are usually the
challenging ones

itski
Oct '24

I feel for you! I am pretty sure I am one of the least funny people in the world. I couldn't write a joke or punchline to save myself.

I am genuinely impressed by people who manage to make entire series out of comedy. It's great to hear that you have a good technique to help you. I have heard that the last panels of a gag comic are always the hardest to create!

kyupol
Oct '24

Trying to make it as pg13 as possible. And dialog is hard. Need to "channel" the character. Can't do it on my own intellect

Leyelle
Oct '24

Keeping the action flowing. I have a tendency to start writing about characters emotions and thoughts a lot, which works fine for romances and slice of life stories, but as "Crystal Blue" is an action story, I need to make sure the story keeps moving without too many sentimental pauses lol

applebun
Oct '24

I’m currently planning a historical comic, so that applies there as well. It’s a collab with a friend but I’m usually doing all the research on my own so my friend doesn’t get traumatized by all the disturbing events I dig up.

Yes. Absolutely. One time I wanted to check ONE tiny thing about China in the 1930s. Ended up finding out about how people found out that humans are 70% water. It was so disturbing I even made a mini comic about it to cope. If you don’t know about it yet, don’t look it up unless you want some nightmare fuel.

sams_cartoon_shack
Oct '24

The most challenging part for me is writing a serious situation without being melodramatic since I'm more comedically inclined.

MelancholicOtaku
Oct '24

Hmmm I guess the hardest part for me would also be the part that I enjoy the most… the world building. Researching different cultures and histories to gain inspiration from.
Dialogue is also hard one ,doing my best to figure out how each individual character sounds.

applebun
Oct '24

Also, making sure that all the characters stay in character. If a character is supposed to be shy, they probably won’t yell at people or strike up conversations with random strangers… even if it works for the plot.

Vassia
Oct '24

I think continuity is the most difficult for me. I've definitly mispelled words I've created because I forgot how I spelled them before, and since the characters have gone through so many changes since their creation I have to often go back just to check simple things like did I end up deciding their eye color was A or B. Then we get into plot coninuity which I struggle with less on my more planned out stories but the one with out an outline I have to contantly remind myself if that's something I've already writting or was it just an idea I wanted to writing in at some point...

allenT
Oct '24

Dialogues & monologues, my weakpoint. However my story is fairly simple & I focus on visual storytelling by the panels. I hope even non-English readers could somewhat guess about the plots through my panels.

Also, sellling a scene & sell it well is really hard. If I don't have a good mental image of a scene it'll take me more effort to make just a passable one.

2DLenzy
Oct '24

For my comic: I know most authors do this, but having a few, very in-depth characters fleshed out before they start writing? (I'm talking like habits and favorites/dislikes, detailed backstories) I'm more of a "shotgun" character builder - there's tons of them appearing with very little development, even trope-ish in fact, but of course I intend for the plot to form them into more well-rounded characters, unless they're meant to be in the bg. With a growing cast, this does make it tough to figure out which characters to develop at certain times, like being overwhelmed with picking a candy at the cash register XD.

Also, for writing a to-be AF novel, getting sidetracked in research, or too deep. I've read a bunch of Arthurian legend literature, and Beowulf, Holy Grail analyses, and itching to rewatch Game of Thrones all in order to figure out the "atmosphere" I want to write in-there's no indication that I'll actually use anything from these influences, just killing time. I'm also having trouble creating an interesting protag (backstory-wise, really) but it's three months young, so I have time to figure that out. Definitely on my own journey atm.

Mohini9000
Oct '24

The most challenging aspect of writing my comic is trying to come up with original storylines that are better than my previous storylines. I like to challenge myself on improving myself, but sometimes, I'll be so in a bad mood that I'll end up making a terrible episode and that just puts a stain on my comic.

EncryptedWriting
Oct '24

The most challenging aspect for me, personally, is actually writing. Once I start writing, I can get a groove. But actually writing? Oh buddy.

vfaqvrf
Oct '24
1

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heyroxi
Oct '24

Researching and remembering who is who and what is going on.

It's definitely a challenge when the characters are strong and well-educated. I feel like I’m investigating everything—plotting, character growth, and making connections—and sometimes my brain can't keep up. I've only managed to create 18 chapters so far. I’m not sure if I’m making the right decisions, but I’m having so much fun :joy:

Tubacabra
Oct '24

For me, the hardest part is keeping my plot devoid of holes. Yesterday, one of my friends pointed out a huge issue with Chapter 18 - Tutorials in Magic. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I had my main character teleport when his mana was supposed to be locked. The worst part is that I was already planning on having him teleport a significantly greater distance, and for some reason, this didn't even seem like an issue to me even though there was absolutely zero justification in the story. Dodged a bullet there! :sweat_smile:

vfaqvrf
Oct '24
1
heyroxi

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