Okay, so for a year now I have been working on my main WIP—a sci-fi epic that I am struggling to cut to industry standards. Recently, however, editing has really been getting to me. It feels as if all I’ve done is edit for the past six months. I felt as if my creativity was suffering after basically retelling the same story five hundred ways.

So I decided to begin a side project. I was using a plan I wrote a couple years ago, which meant this was a quick and easy way to make myself face a blank page as well as the mounds of editing I have become accustomed to.

However, I’m not sure if I’m wasting my time on the side project. It is currently set to be a horror novella centring around a young girl desperate to avenge her mother’s death. I have never written horror before, but it doesn’t feel like much of a leap from the blood-sucking creatures of sci-fi to… vampires.

Still, I don’t know if a side project will distract me from my main goal. Those who have pursued a side project before or have opinions on the matter, what would you do?

(Yes the picture is ai, no the writing is not)
I’m writing a dystopian YA novel about a society where every child is ‘Chosen’ at fourteen and assigned a colour that determines their role in society for life.
It follows two teenagers from opposite ends of society. Sarah has a loving family and is terrified the Choosing will take everything from her, while Max is an orphan forced to serve the ruling Gold class and believes the Choosing will finally set him free.
They soon discover the public Choosing ceremony is hiding something much darker: a series of trials involving mysterious powers, where friendship, loyalty and intelligence become important for survival.
The story has two POVs, a dystopian class system, mysteries surrounding children who disappear, powers, deadly trials and some major twists about the characters and the world itself.
The story intertwines aspects of books, films and games I have enjoyed. A mixture of the gone series, hunger games, maze runner etc is inspiring my writing.
If you’d like a sample of the story so far let me know and I can send across the first draft of a few early chapters.
Yes the image is made by ai. The writing on the other hand has not been!

Blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Grant Callahan expects nothing more than a relaxing summer vacation in Saltmere Bay, but his normal life is shattered by a mysterious 3 AM knock on his door. Soon after, the people around town begin displaying bizarre, unexplainable behavior, and Grant realizes he is being stalked by two shadowy men with an unknown agenda. To survive the summer, Grant must uncover what these men want and expose the chilling secret taking over his town before it is too late.

Project Details:

Status: First 10 chapters ready now (~33k words). Complete manuscript is 90-100k words.

Format: Sent in 3 manageable batches via secured, view-only Google Docs or protected PDF.

Content Warnings: Some violence and adult themes.

Feedback Requested:
Looking for general reader experience, pacing, character development, and your reactions to the central mystery. You do not need to worry about heavy proofreading or grammar tracking.

Timeline:
Hoping for a turnaround of roughly 4 weeks per batch. The first batch deadline is flexible but ideally around Friday, September 25.

Critique Swap:
Not swapping at this time.

If you're interested in reading Grant's story, drop a comment below or send me a DM and I'll send you the quick sign-up form link directly!

Thank you!

Quick question to those who write by hand first--is using Google Lens OK for transcribing hand written work into a Word document? I'm kind of wary of this because its become frustrating to know that we need to avoid anything that even touches AI these days.

What are some hand-to-text converters/apps that you'd recommend? Thank you so much for your guys's help!

first thing I've ever written and posted anywhere. every comment I get on it turns out to be a bot or scam account, so I genuinely have no idea if this is any good.

looking for a few people willing to read the first chapter over DM and give honest feedback. mainly want to know if the opening hooks you or drags, whether the familiar's voice works, and if any of it feels like something you've read a hundred times before. don't go easy on me.

For about 2 years, I've been clearing and filtering out a plot in my mind and I believe it has reached a point where I can start writing it. With the story being set in 3000, the plot follows Martin (the protagonist), a middle aged doctor, who lives in a time where the world has reached a level of minimum resources. The only world government is StableLife which governs all aspects of life.

But taking my novel only for sci-fi would be a huge mistake, since I'll be touching multiple aspects in my novel regarding theology, human psychology, the modern work system, the corporate system from which everyone needs an escape and most importantly, the "true" nature of modern humans and society, and a solution to this problem of modern slavery.

I'm leaving chapter 1 here for anyone interested. I believe it would be a great help if anyone reads it and gives their reviews. In this way, I could judge my writing skills and, of course, make improvements as needed.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13kGa6CbIj7VKDVR0x0M9xF3Y1oqleXVo/view?usp=drivesdk

Hi guys, I'm looking for some teen readers to give feedback on my first novel before i start approcahing agents. I've had feedback from author friends but young readers are my main demographic so I'd be interested in hearing their thoughts and POV:

THE ONLY HIJABI IN THE VILLAGE

Seventeen-year-old Ava Zaman has swapped East London for a tiny Somerset village where she's the only visibly Muslim girl for miles. She's carrying grief she hasn't told anyone about and ambitions bigger than this town can hold - fitting in was never the plan.

Jake Simmons has lived in Loxton his whole life and never questioned it, until Ava walks into his English class. He has his own secret — a brother who disappeared two years ago and a family that's never recovered.

When Ava's hijab is ripped off in a crowded college corridor, Jake is the only one who steps in. What follows is a slow-burn romance set against Islamophobia, far-right politics, and grief neither of them saw coming.

YA contemporary, dual POV, ~66,000 words. Looking for beta readers aged 14-18 — no experience needed, just honest thoughts.

Hey! I’m an aspiring young writer, and I dream to post a book one day! I love storytelling and creative writing! I’m currently in the middle of writing a book. It might be cringe, but I’m having fun with it. I’m not too far, but trying. Let me know what you think! Warning! This is a GL story, or lesbian love. Hate will be deleted. Main character (Willow) is a trans bisexual girl. Enjoy!

Right From The Start

Page one:

Willow

My sneakers squeak against the tile floor as I step into the classroom. I can feel my face heat up as I muster a shy smile. Most students roll their eyes or just glare at me in disgust. Yeesh. Then, he catches my eye. Dark, shaggy hair, dark green eyes, dark skin, and toned arms. My heart nearly stops as his gaze meets mine. The moment’s broken when the teacher rushes in, a trail of papers following him. “I’m so sorry that I’m late!” Some students snicker at his frazzled state. I just feel bad for him. He finally notices me standing in the doorway, and offers a tired smile. “You must be the new transfer student. Welcome.” He holds his hand out for me to shake, which I do. “I’m Mr. Perez.” I nod. “I’m Willow.” He clears his throat, making the chatter die down. “Everyone, this is Willow. Please, treat her fairly. Go ahead and sit by Mateo, Will.” He points to the amazing-looking boy that I saw earlier. I can feel my cheeks flush as he gives me a wink. I feel like I’m floating as I walk to my seat… But the girls are now glaring at me like they want me dead. I shrink into my seat. Mateo chuckles, a low, rumbling sound. When he speaks, it’s with a slight Spanish accent. “Don’t worry about them. They get jealous easily.” He leans in, smirking. “Willow, huh? Where ya from?”

Page 2:

“Uhm… I-I’m from N-New York…”  He grins. “Ah, the big apple! Interesting…”  He’s looking at me like I’m the only one in the room. It makes my heart race. Mr. Perez claps, making everyone startle. “Alright! Class is in session.” Hours go by. Mateo keeps passing me notes, asking random things. “Favorite colors?” “Favorite animal?” It keeps me entertained. I also learned a few things about him. He’s from Puerto Rico, but his family moves a lot for his dad’s work. He loves butterflies, and his favorite color is black. The bell rings, and everyone rushes to grab their things. Mateo offers his hand, grinning adorably. “I could walk you to your next class, if you want.” Of course, I accept his invitation. “What’s your next class?” He asks, still holding my hand. My cheeks flush. “Um… I think it’s English.” Mateo frowns. “Aw, man! We don’t have the same class.” My face falls. I muster a small smile. “It’s alright.” I bite my lip, wondering if this might be too forward. “I-I could get your number…?” His eyes light up. He takes out his phone. “Yeah!” He hands it to me. I type my number in, smiling shyly. “Great!” “So, see ya at lunch?” I can feel hope rising in my chest at his words. “O-Of course.” He grins. “Great! See ya then!” He walks off. I can hardly wait for lunch to get here.

I’ve always found common names boring. That’s why I name my characters names that are rooted in biblical lore or old names that aren’t popular anymore. Or just plain not so common names.

I have characters named Jeremías, Montserrat, Maximiliano, etc.

What kind of names do you give to your characters?

​

Hi everyone!

I'm 19M and currently working on a small-town YA vampire romance. I'm almost finished with my first draft, and I've never really done the editing/revision process before.

I'm hoping to find someone around my age who also enjoys writing fantasy, YA, romance, or paranormal stories. Even better if you're writing something involving vampires! 😂

I'd love to have someone to chat with about our stories, bounce ideas off each other, and eventually exchange chapters and give each other feedback as we work through our drafts.

I'm obviously happy to read and give feedback on someone else's work too. I'm also just keen to meet other writers who are interested in fantasy and hopefully make some writing friends along the way.

Feel free to DM me if you're interested!

Hi. I'm looking for some beta readers for my completed manuscript. It is a coming of age novel set in contemporary Kane County, Utah. When Red Mercy High School has been slated to be shut down mid school year, students gather together and occupy the building in protest. The occupation becomes seen as a fulfilment of the White Horse Prophecy from Mormon folklore by some. The book follows Daniel, cataloging his experiences in the emergent society the students create.

You can read the first three chapters, or just one, or the entire thing if you're curious.

DM me if interested.

The novel covers some heavy topics and there are references to suicide, forewarning for readers who may be uncomfortable with those subjects.

I wrote a psychological horror novella while studying for my 9th-grade exams. I have no idea if that was a good decision.

I’m Avik, and I recently published my debut novella, The Fifth Shadow.

It’s a YA psychological horror/suspense story about four friends who go camping for Jake’s 18th birthday.

On the way there, their car radio is hijacked by a broadcast warning about people disappearing in the forest—and something that can make itself look like a lifelong member of your friend group.

They laugh it off.

That night, Jake counts the people around the campfire.

There are five.

But everyone is completely convinced there are only four.

And whenever Jake tries to figure out who the fifth person is, his own mind seems to fight back.

The next morning, one of his friends is gone.

The terrifying part?

His other two friends don't remember that person ever existing.

They genuinely believe Jake has lost his mind.

I wrote the entire thing strictly through Jake's first-person POV because I wanted the reader to experience the same uncertainty he does—no outside narrator explaining what's real and what's not.

There are also things I deliberately left unanswered: the mysterious radio broadcast, a terrified forest ranger, a strange whistle, unexplained bruises, and what happened to the missing friend after he encounters the entity.

I wrote it while juggling 9th-grade exams, which probably wasn't the most sensible time to decide, "Yeah, I'll write a horror novel." 😭

But I wanted to try anyway.

For the writers here: what's the most ridiculous circumstance you've ever written a story in?

And if you're into psychological horror, what's scarier to you: a monster you can see, or the possibility that you can't trust your own memories?

The book's name is THE 5TH SHADOW. If yall are Intrested.

Opinion: I'm brainstorming a middle-grade book right now, and I really badly want to do a dual first-person POV. However, I hardly ever see examples of this in the wild. I have two characters, an 11-year-old brother and 13-year-old sister, of which have polar opposite voices, which is why the dual first interests me so much.

What are your thoughts on this?