this is both for myself and the people who asked for it

• don’t spend too much time caught up in a particular scene or whatever. just write the bare bones of it and go back and edit later. (is2g everything is done in editing) i usually just go through their dialogue and basic descriptions, their actions, etc and then add in all my fancy detail later.
• make sure everything at least flows nicely for you when you read it. if it doesn’t sound smooth when you read it to yourself, how could you expect it to flow for anyone else?
• characterization is incredibly important because it makes the characters seem more?? real?? a story with good prose will still be shit if you’ve got shit characters, but good characters can save a story with bad prose. you want to put lots of emphasis on their demeanor, how they think, their dynamic, etc etc. it doesn’t necessarily be super introspective because dialogue is pretty useful for this too. you can tell a lot about a person by how they generally speak/converse with others. also keep them in character. this is so important.
• be wary about when you use names and a lot of words. if a name or a word (that’s something not really… obscure. so nouns/adjectives generally and most verbs except for the more unapparent ones) are too close to each other, it can get repetitive and sometimes redundant.
• it’s okay to use generic words like ‘say’ or ‘ask’ bc they’re kind of invisible. a good writer doesn’t necessarily always need a different synonym. they should be able to set the mood with the writing as a whole.
• commas are really iffy and kinda subjective, so use your intuition? if you think it flows smoothly with or without one and it’s not too awkward, go with it.
• run-on sentences are pretty salvageable with a comma or two but if you can't find a good place to fit one in, then you'll have to break up the sentence.
• an outline helps a shit ton. if it’s something kinda lengthy, always plot it out first.
• keep a block of footnotes at the end of your doc where you just type out a bunch of lines, cool words you want to use, whatever. especially phrases/ideas you think of randomly that you really like because you forget them in like 2 secs if you don’t write them down.
• typically i write better under pressure, so if that’s the same for you too, then set a deadline for yourself with a goal and swear to ABSOLUTELY FINISH by then. that way, you get it done at a decent pace and it comes out more natural. even though you’re gonna suffer through editing hell.
• being super emo helps a lot. follow your emo instincts.
• listening to music helps so fucking much because you can easily draw ideas out of them and with the right song, it can help you set the overall atmosphere.
• research the hell out of everything. don't bullshit any information and don’t incorporate something you don’t know a single thing about.
• the first or last lines of a chapter/section should leave some type of an impact. especially the last line. i keep it to a one-liner typically.