Yeah happens to all of us.
4 months later
Long time, no post.
As we all know, my sole purpose in this forum is to revive old threads.
I've been working hard on a few different projects lately. MorMac is steadily coming along, and Astroturf Battlefield got a nice little upgrade. (There actually should be an update within the next week or so.) I actually came up with a couple of ideas for Tapas. One I've been sitting on for a long little while.
Now... a question: I think I might join Writer's Camp. Do you think it's too late? 
8 days later
As of now i am starting to finish the 7th episode of my fisrt series, Grotheske, here in Tapas. And i must say i am very excited and happy about this particular episode. Where i reveal one of my most guarded secrets about the story. The orign of how Roger and Voluptia met in the first place and how Grotheske came to be between them. Grotheske is a story that i have full plan of expanding. This is only the first case, that the reader is getting to know but they have a lot of story and other cases that they solved together before. I want to finish it and to double check this episode, publish it and then go to work in the other series that i am deveping with a friend.
It's good to be excited about writing an episode, especially when it's one where a great mystery is finally revealed! I hope that it goes well; it sounds like you're putting a lot of work into it.
06:23 AM
I tried to set regular update on monday, but now it's Saturday and I haven't write anything real. I feel like abandoning it for a while due to insecurities, feeling it's worthless, looming fear of people not liking it or straight up ignoring it 
the previous chapter isn't received very good (less comments and likes) so I feel demotivated continuing.
Perhaps I will delay it, or resort to cram the writing into one night and abandon proofreading whatsoever (like I did ever proofread). It's not the most exciting part anyway, plus I'm busy preparing presentations and stuffs 
I also tried to do collab with someone from here. I'm excited but nervous about it, especially about the execution. We haven't been discussing again (I feel bad) but I think the idea is already pretty solid 
4:40PM
My time the forums has been scarce lately. I'm so busy but here I am getting ready to see down and do some reworking for Fox Trap and of course working on keeping up a buffer for my other two novels. I'm so grateful to our community for being so supportive and wonderful.
@Penni Big mood. I think I just came back to the forum after months (??) of inactivity. I'm here to use my necromantic talents on old threads, boiz, hahaha. You deserve all the support! You put out really interesting works, and it's cool to see the writers blossom on this platform.
@kainatarma I'm sorry to hear about the [lessened] reception that you've gotten on your work. It sucks when reception comes and goes steadily, and it hurts especially with the doubt and self-consciousness start to set in.
The best thing to do is to start focusing inward and think about how you feel about the piece and what your intent with it is. For example, ask yourself: do you want to continue making the work for your own satisfaction? Or do you want to do more to make it popular? Whatever answer you come to is fine; it's just about being honest and helping yourself focus. Don't feel any shame in stepping back to work on the piece either.
I've been feeling it pretty hard for this 2019 piece that I'm working on, and I just keep hitting wall after wall. I'm trying to do something fun with it. I've taken up writing prompts, and I'm just writing short, meaningless stories to help establish the characters and their world. I'm listening to music and making scenes off those. Or watching movies to try and get into the overall feel. You know stuff like that. Maybe you might have to just put it aside for a bit and come back to it. (A little unannounced hiatus is always a fun route, hahaha.) But like you said, delay it or cram it all into one night of free-balled writing. Whatever you come up to, do what's best for you, and I hope everything works out! Good luck with that and your collab.
6:25pm
Am home. Ate a food. Very tired.
Going to try and spit out an update or two. I've received a lot more subs for three books that aren't my contest book. While I enjoy having the growing audience, it makes my new book feel more and more like wasted effort. Frustration and depression has gotten me smoking and drinking again and I'm honestly not even concerned. I feel like being cleaner only made my writing more difficult. I'm ready get work done and just be my old tired buzzed self.
Thank you!
Of course, us all who posted online want to be noticed to some degree (if not, I'll make it stay unpublished like many pieces I have made). I honestly don't wanna be popular in the specific, only the sheer sense of acknowledgement that comes with it I want to know what people think about it, because I have no one to share my work with in real life.
(yes, people argue that acknowledgement should come from oneself. I think of this as false encouragement and lying to myself, also can give me imminent disappointment. I meant if I think of me as grand but others don't agree, and the reality doesn't match; what for? It's delusional.)
It's more like "Well, no one is waiting for next chapter so why get hyped writing it? I can postpone it once I feel actually want to" rather than "No one is waiting for the next chapter so I will stop writing it for now" 
it have bought me chances to relax.
Honestly, cramming cause more idea to flow for me and increased productivity. May it writing academic assignments and report or creative writing. I'm type of a person who can't do it until I feel like it
Also good luck in your work. Thank you!
@ISNEKO Man, I understand this a lot, but I feel that there's just a bit more of a contest to retain audiences here on Tapas. Because novels are a more sit down kind of engagement, it can be a lot more 'private' for some people. There's a sense of quiet commentary [good or bad] or appreciation from readers, and I feel that that makes it harder to get the engagement one is looking for, especially when it's a purposeful concentrated effort. All of this to say, please take care of yourself. It's so easy to dip one's pen in the familiar black well, but I've faith in you. You produce a lot of good quality work; it could just be a matter of trying to intentionally market towards what you series you specifically want highlighted. If there's anything we can do to help, def throw some ideas out!
@kainatarma I mean, yes, in essence, one should be able to find pride in one's own work. But there's nothing wrong in wanting to engage an audience. It's a sincere answer, and I'm glad to hear it!
I completely understand what you mean, haha, but if it brings you a chance to relax, then it's good! All the best.
======
I'll update with my own progress report since it's been a while.
20:55
I can clearly hear the water boiling in the pot while I type this, so I'll be quick. I'm speeding ever steadily towards my fifteen episode goal. I'm writing all the episodes I don't have queued yet, and then I'm going back to editing it. I've had this idea in the back of my head for about a year plus, wow!
Also, trying to plan the back bone of this 2019 project, and I'm happy to say that I think I've finally made a breakthrough. I promised myself I would take an hour to relax after work, so I'm gonna play Final Fantasy until the mood strikes me to make my MC more miserable, hahaha!
Thank you!
And your explanation to ISNEKO opened a new understanding to me! Silent reader is big here too, I just realized. I sometimes want Tapas have feature to unpublish my work like Wattpad so my view to sub ratio won't be so big
Right, Tapas word editor should be more complete like Wattpad.
Silent readers are a very big thing. They'll comment when/if they feel the need. It sucks, but is inevitable xD
Do you comment on everything you read?
I was thinking this site is a more feedback-oriented thing as there are so many creators I was wrong (have been three months active here, but not accustomed yet). Actually it's a bit relaxing to know it that way, so I don't fret over it I meant it's normal.
I think all people here have a moment when they read and don't comment, something I don't really mind either if I'm in receiving end (I meant I do it too, would be a bit hypocritical if I want all my readers to be active while I can't do the same)
I usually more inclined to spam likes (sorry people), because I feel like I can't always contribute something meaningful or praise without sounding like fake bastard I also use that as a sign I will revisit the work later to comment... Unfortunately my memory is something else.
Great! You may feel that way because of how creator-oriented the forums are, which on the main site is the complete opposite.
So that's it? That's why I always feel the site is kind of boring and intuitively lacks communication? 
(I meant there are so many thing should be improved with the site's social fuction. Everything's all over the place)
Thank you, new knowledge everyday
Definitely i love my characters and they are getting very nice. Just need to improve my english but i think the story itself helps to make it interesting so far. Yes i am putting all my heart and soul in this series and the next one. It is wonderful do something that you like to do a lot. Like this.
7:03AM
I have 5 projects I'm working on and it kills me to have to put a hold on my original two that I wanted to make. Granted, I don't have to put 'em on hold, but I wanna keep a consistent focus on my smaller ones for a while. My main zombie novel has kinda.. burnt me out a bit? The nature of the first few chapters is very bleak and dreary as it focuses on the solitude that my main character faces in there. I'm composing music for it as well, and the music easily reflects that same atmosphere, so it's a little expected that I'd be kinda tired of working on it.
So, I resorted to working on these other ideas. A one-shot drama about the devil's relationship with an angel, and the implications of such for both of them, and God's opinion of all of it, set in late Victorian era London. And another one-shot shounen (though I've been thinking, it might actually be closer to seinen) about two siblings hunting down a demon as they're looking for a missing person in modern-day Japan. Both of these are sorta what I need to keep myself in a creative headspace, so I'm happy about that. Not sure if I wanna compose music for these as well, but I wouldn't mind doing so~
All in all, I'm happy where I'm at. It might be exhausting at times, but.. as long as I get a good story out of it, right?
6:28 PM
Avoiding writing the next chapter of Twisted Tales. The d*mn story is technically finished, but chapters 1 through... like, 39 need such heavy editing that I'm essentially rewriting every single one (cutting most entirely, thank god).
For some reason, this editing process is killing me. I keep feeling like "I already wrote all this, can't I be done already???"
Instead, I've been starting oh, three new projects instead. Wait, four. I don't have enough time in the day to devote to one, but here I am. I desperately want one of them to be a comic/graphic novel, but I tried my hand at it and failed miserably, and I don't have enough income right now to offer to pay someone else to draw it for me. I'm still going to write it as a novel, but I just know in my gut that it ought to be a comic. Ah well.
I'm specifically here because I'm procrastinating writing the chapter that was due today. Where the heck did the week go? Alright, alright. I'm gone. I'll go do it.
@JBrentonParker Hahaha. I totally get you. If writing's the slow death, then editing's absolutely the final blow! Maybe at some point you'll be able to turn your novel into a comic. Don't give up and work hard.
- 00:11
I've entered the writer's camp, but am stuck on a dialogue scene (･ัω･ั)
Jiki's personality is hopeless yet errr... carefree, so I'm hoping this can go smoothly. I don't have much time left, but I don't want to rush things bc of the deadline either urg
Spicy's in Writer's Camp. 
I can't wait to read. (But good luck! You've a couple of months. Do your best~)
9:07PM
Taking a break from writing the current page of my demon hunter one-shot. I gotta say the progress for this is coming along a bit faster than I thought it would tbh I'm not sure if it's the nature of the story that's helping, or if it's the chillstep compilation (a link to it if y'all wanna give it a listen too1) I'm listening to on loop while writing that's helping me be creative.
Uhhh, I'm doing a lot of research on how police handle things and while .. it hardly matters for a fictional type of police force I'm going with, I shouldn't be too worried. But I want it to be as real as I can make it, making it believable enough yet not overbearing on such details, all that. I wanna get through the case briefing and the interviewing quick so I can get to the action! I'm hoping I can make the characters likable and relatable enough before stuff goes wrong in the story..
"Writing is a slow death, and editing is the final blow."
Man, you should put that on a shirt and sell it!
Or on a bookmark, I guess, for writers.
And we'll see, haha. Maybe someday! I suppose it could happen!
12:43 —
I'm resisting every temptation to up LiqCour's update speed so you guys can be where I am. I've one more day of work before I can sit down and crunch out the rest of the next episode.
I've also been thinking a lot about this 2019 story that I'm spinning around in my head (I'll note it as GP henceforth). I tried writing it before, but I was spinning my wheels and getting frustrated it. Writing an outline to try and get my thoughts in order wasn't helping either. I was writing, what I refer to as, "key scenes" instead of an actual outline. So I have that sitting off to the side, and I'm using that as a reference point.
One way I've managed to counter act this frustration is to just pick up random prompts and quotes and just start writing things based off that. Straight from the head and no editing. I've even been dipping into my old oneshot theme challenge1 thread to help with the blog. Right now, 90% of these exercises have been done in my head, but when I actually set to writing, I forego my usual standard.
I've been using Q10 and Cold Turkey for free writing, so I've found that I'm able to focus. Plus, I have JotterPad on my phone, and that's also just a nice little pocket writing dimension I carry with me. I like Q10 because it has the typewriter sounds that I miss so much. I put on some metal, big band & swing, or some other tunes, and just lose myself.
Between LiqCour and GP (and another secret project), I've been keeping myself sufficiently busy. I'm still struggling to write horror, but I've been dipping into the tag here on Tapas as well as studying some horror media on YouTube (please ask me my current fixations). Who knows, maybe I'll revive The Book Club1 to tell you all some of my favourite Tapas creations.
Alright; I must away to work. Talk to you all soon.
As of now i decided to give to my readers a glimpse of the huge RPG universe that I created long ago. So i ll start adding short stories set in the Crystal Age. It is a nice way to show a bit of those things. And to prepare myself to write about the main universe in the future. About Grotheske i couldn't be more happy with my last episode and i must say it was one that i fought to find the right words because i was presenting to the reader my self confident, provocative and playfull main character. I got so happy that i made a pool asking with side of my succubus is more loved. As I am already writing episode 9 and preparing a big surprise for the fans when episode 10 gets published.
Currently midnight here. I'm starting work soon on Chapter 16 and while I have it in my head, sometimes it just takes some time staring at the computer screen before everything clicks. I wanted to say to everybody to keep up the awesome work! You rock, you're beautiful, you're the best!
-9:34-
Last night I posted the final episode of the first arc of my tapas novel. Responses have been far better than I ever expected, and I'm so happy that people are enjoying reading my work. Now I'm nervous about consistency. I'm terrified that I'll let the quality fall off as I go on, and that people will lose interest. I'm used to keeping my writing between myself, my friends, beta readers, and potential agents, so having a following (small as it is) is completely new to me. I want to hold myself to a high enough standard so that my readers and I are satisfied.
I also stupidly decided to take the novel I am attempting to publish through yet another partial rewrite (draft five, here we come). It's very exciting and a lot of fun to do, but wow is it exhausting. I've worked with the characters there for so long and they're incredibly dear to me, so it feels incredibly important to make everything absolutely perfect at all times.
TL;DR: Perfectionist struggles with fears of losing consistency.
8:15am
Rewriting an entire page I just wrote. I essentially ran into this issue of introducing a superpower. I wanted explain the rules and how came to be, but the entire page became a flashback filled with exposition. I tried justifying it by acting like it was a good temporary separation of the story to explain everything about said power.. but my overthinking kicked in. "Why are we here now?" "What a letdown from where we left off" "You're over-explaining it" "I'm just gonna skip this one" and uhhh, I thought about it as a reader for a bit and agreed with all these sentiments.
So, I'm rewriting it by getting immediately back in the action, while relaying the explanation in does through memory. Not through flashbacks of the events (and rather mundane ones, at that), but through quotes going through my character's head in the moment. I'm finding myself enjoying this rewrite a lot more than the original page~ 
9:20AM
Working on episodes For What Lies Within and For the Light. Trying to not an idea for a short story not distract me from what I'm doing 
11:29 am working on another short story that popped into my head, and not the one that I thought I was going to work on today. damn it's dark. Definitely one for the horror collection.
Good to see everyone being active! Do your bests, yeah?
8:12 —
My brain feels like it's melting. As soon as I sat down, my head has been all over the place. But! I've been cleaning up a manuscript that I'm working on. Also, the next major step LiqCour is being balanced out. If it doesn't go up this month, it will absolutely go up near the beginning of the year!
I've been planning some short stories, but I can't figure out the titles for three of them. Usually, I can start writing and then come up with the title later. But since this isn't an urgent project, I want the title to be already picked out, so I can properly have the mood already set at its most basic level.
10:42 pm
just finished a word sprint for 24 min. Got 325 words. Doing another in a few.
Edit: reached 299. May do another, but I'm hungry lol
822pm
Coffee with marshmallows because I'm a classy sophisticate.
Need to write an episode where a deeply mentally troubled person will have a conversation with the person (our hero) that she's been hunting. Not sure what direction I want this character to go as far as her role in the plot going forward. Hope I convey the right amount of disturbed mind that I imagine she has.
12:18
Just finished an editing session and discovered that some of the stuff I wrote wasn't as bad as I thought! I love when that happens.