When regarding to speech, one of the most phenomenal aspects to remember that in a conversation, speech is not the only aspect! We have those accompanied by deeds, we notice habits, have some of our own, ... Making speech sounds natural has a lot to do with encompassing what is around, as well. Thus, I would advice on these aspects:

1. Mistakes
   Read through scientific interview studies, eavesdrop on the person next table, ... You'll notice speech does not flow as fluidly as we make it out so don't bother getting everything down the "proper" lane because your characters won't either. Keep those mistakes you make, likely they'll make it authentic.

2. Specific speech habits
   The most exemplary case is Mark - "like, uhm, you know, like" is what you get to hear a lot, and those are his speech habits. Or take Italians, who talk as much with their hands as they do with their mouths! There are accompanying actions unique to the people and finding to use might make your dialogue more fluid.

3. Enunciation
   As goes according with Mistakes, do listen to/read some interviews and find the different ways someone expresses their words: do they gasp, whisper, is it a drunk murmur, do they shout, stutter, etc. Now, reading (and writing) stuttered words as "h-h-h-hi" can be tiring and an extreme case, however, simple differences like "hi-", "hi?", "hi!" and "hi..." can be made! Remember to point out when the manner of talking changes!

Here are also some further tips from the server:

• My personal tip: read it out loud, maybe even act it out if you're comfortable. If it sounds natural, and/or like those characters speak, then it's good.

• My personal experience is that if the grammar checker for the document is giving you swiggly lines and stuff, you're doing great with the dialogue. we dont speak in perfect, grammatically accurate sentences—especially so if we are in a rush, panicked or whatever. so if the document grammar checker is giving you issues, you're probably doing the conversation right.

• No one speaks the same, since we all have our own speech patterns, influenced either by our family, our native tongue, where we grew up, etc. It can be a pain to do this for every character in the story, and the good news is that you don't have to! You can stick to the main characters at first, and as the story progresses, the others will find their voices, too.

There are three aspects you should consider when writing about movements/actions:

1. Assign them a certain emotion
   A predator won't move in the same way as prey does. Try to convey what makes a certain action outstanding - for example, does someone walk or stalk, does someone jog or run, ... or does someone act clumsily or experienced? Actions evoke a certain type of reaction so let readers experience what it does to your POV character!

2. Write only as many details as you can notice
   If you imagine someone doing something - for example, they cook - then try to bring to your mind how much YOU would notice about it: do you pay attention on whether they wash with hot/cold water, how they cut, what ingredients they use in detail, ... There's only so much we pay attention to and it's good to leave some room for creativity for readers too

3. Change up your sentences
   Actions will easily become dreary to read through if every sentence follows the same pattern, for example writing "They did that. They followed with doing that. Then they did this. They continued with that." Sentence structures is a means to keep readers interested so pay attention to that.

Descriptions require a certain balance between ENOUGH and NOT TOO MUCH. What does that mean exactly?

• ENOUGH
  As a writer, you need to give your readers enough food for thought that they can actually imagine what they are reading about. This could mean a simple "in the forest" because most everyone knows what a forest looks like, and then you layer details such as time, weather conditions, and more. But...

• NOT TOO MUCH
  If you add every little detail you have in mind, chances are you bore your reader. The moment they can't fill in gaps with their own imagination, you are dragging on the descriptions too much. Readers won't need to read about exactly how many mushrooms are growing on the tree roots, a simple mention of those in case they are relevant to your character would be enough.

However, how you balance the information highly plays into how your writing style works in general. For a flowery style, detail works better than a short-sentence-style. In best case, try to feel into your character and imagine what they will see if they, for example, stand in the forest. Adding more to what comes to your mind immediately likely is going to be too much.

Here are also some further tips from the server:

• Character's physical description wise, I think it's best when the description doesn't focus solely on the basics: eye colour, hair colour and height, to be specific. Of course, if any of those are relevant to the story or differ from the norm, then go for it! But there are other things that could be described that might work better, such as the presence of moles, nose shape, lips, any tattoos they might have, etc. Anything that will set your character apart from the others!

Here are some tips from the server:

• It depends, honestly, on what kind of feelings I want to convey, and on the character. Some characters might be more vocal, others might be more physical. If the character is quiet, and they're experiencing anger, they might throw things around or punch things. If the character is sad, they might cry, or sit listlessly around. If happy, they could jump, shout, laugh. The thing for me is to find a balance in the description, not to go overboard with it, either. You don't want to use too many words, since the reader might get bored or confused, and that's definitely not something you want, especially for an emotionally charged scene.

• it depends on the situation and what the scene calls for, imo! some scenes are better with verbal confrontation or displays of emotions—e.g. shouting, crying, screaming, etc — while some are more impactful with description of the destruction around the character — e.g. broken buildings, bodies, or even like unwashed dishes, etc. although metaphors can be overused, but some scenes it's better to use a metaphor to describe the emotions — e.g. the unwanted taste on his tongue after meeting his ex-lover is like burnt caramel, bitter yet there's a faint trace of sweetness.
  i think one thing i like to do is to make sure that there's a filler/breather scene after an emotionally charged one. not only does the character need to have a break the reader too, to calm down/reel back from the emotions.

Authenticity is conveyed through CONSISTENCY and IDEA - and with that I don't mean throwing just any idea in there. Rather, if you have an idea of what your character's backgrounds are, you will naturally get a better grasp of them, and the better a grasp you have of them, the easier it is for you to remain consistent.
Now, what does that mean? Simply, you ask yourself questions like: What was their childhood like? What's their relationship with parents? Did they have any lasting impression/traumatic events? Did they have juvenile aspirations they can't let go of? And so on!

Find some answers to basic character questions, look up "20 questions for your first date", anything of the likes, and dare get intimate with your own character. Locating their issues will make it easier for you to draw from them when you do write them out!

There are two components to creating an easy fictious world: SETTING and VISUALIZATION.

For SETTING, one of the best guides ever to world building I found in the most unsuspecting place:

Benner's General Pedagogy (title not literal). In his work, he defined six pillars making up society and they majorly help you out planning your setting. While you do not need to include them all, you should be aware whether or not you're intentionally neglecting them!

1. Arts

2. Religion

3. Economy

4. Politics

5. Ethics

6. Upringing/education

The other aspect are VISUAL aspects: Is it urban, mountains, countryside, ... Is it historic, modern, futuristic, ... Is it on Earth, outer space, another realm, ... You need to have a concise image in mind to be able to convey to same to your readers!

As the most basic option, I recommend this: Watch a movie, wait for the twist - then DO THE OPPOSITE.

A good twist should be unexpected and catch the reader off-guard. Going with stereotypical twists might leave many disappointed.

Another great way is to LEAVE QUESTIONS OPEN. You think you have given just enough information for your readers to figure it out on their own? The truth is, it isn't enough. And that's exactly the magic, because they will keep thinking of it, try to figure it out, and then get further invested in the story. It can be a delicate balance but if you, as a writer, think you gave them the lock and the key while neither explicitly stating nor hiding anything, it's likely the best scaling!

Old-fashioned and effective: Write down all the major keypoints of your fic and tick them off when you addressed/resolved them. There isn't a specific way to wrap them up but the worst think you can do is leaving a question open (unless you write mystery, then that's mostly required!).

One misconception about filler scenes is that they MUST propel the plot forward in one immediate way but - wrong! Filler scenes are great because they can highlight details which would otherwise get drowned out by the main plot and in that way exactly they are great at fulfilling a plot-encouraging purpose.

For examples

1. You have a romance driven plot. The filler scene is with the best friend.
   Not only can you use this scene to emphasize the important of this specific relationship, you can also use it as an opportunity to talk about your main character's feelings. By expressing/confessing their emotions to their best friend, you can both include a scene of advice and offer a respite from the romance by focusing on the everyday friendships for a moment.

2. You have an adventure plot. The filler scene is with family.
   In this case, you can emphasize the role family has for the main character: Are they a reason to fight for? To they evoke despair, hope or pettiness? How is it related to the adventure? While taking a detour, you can explain your character's motivation in a more roundabout way. It can be a motivator for your main character's dedication.

There is no ONE TRUE WAY of keeping focus. The way to concentrate and keep a certain engagement going is different for everyone. However, these are some means to try:

• Get yourself in the mood
  Listening to music, lighting a candle, getting yourself something to drink, ... Likely what were your study habits work for writing too! Find a setting you feel comfortable with and where you get the feeling you can really get it all worked out. Stimulating yourself is the easiest way to make sure you're productive!

• Find out what motivates you
  Be it a treat or a drink after writing a certain amount, reviews from friends or a beta, discussing the plot with someone, ... Search for your own cheat key for accomplishing a project you want to!

• Just do it
  It sounds cliche, and it is. However, to be able to write consistently is 10% talent and 90% dedication. The more you write and the more consistent you are in sitting down and writing, the likelier you are to reproduce this effort.

• Find your own publication motivation
  Some writers will prefer to WRITE AS THEY PUBLISH: by this method, you can receive some reviews by readers as you go and use this to propel yourself forward. However, reactions can vary in activity and if you seek for consistency, it might not be the best. You can also PRE-WRITE HALFWAY: this is a more planning-dependent way in which you best write half to two-thirds of your story and then publish as you wrap up your writings. There will be some reactions from readers already without making you too dependent. Or you PRE-WRITE EVERYTHING: following this procedure, you will need to motivate yourself as you write and push through the end. Nonetheless, you know your efforts will be rewarded with reactions for sure and you can get relief from that.

Most definitely there is no magic ingredient to get people interested and that proves unfortunate for many great works out there. If you wish to write a story that attracts attention, a fool-proof method is to stick with all the most favored cliches - for that, sort the fics of your fandom by clicks and then see what tags/tropes are used most commonly. Furthermore, try to promote your fic: ask friends or fic accounts to retweet, try to get readers engaged with questions, etc.
Despite that, I encourage you to simply write what you enjoy. Writing is for you, publishing is for others. Don't mix those up!

A flourishing writing, when used overly much, can drag your fics on rather than making them read flowery. The key question is: Are you using metaphors to EXPLAIN or to EXAGGERATE? A metaphor (and all its siblings!) rightly placed makes it easier for readers to understand the sensations and/or emotions your scene evokes. They are best used to make something relatable and graspable.
Should you happen to use a metaphor to merely make your writing sound more rich in nature - best avoid it. A metaphor should be used and read in a simple manner and unless you're writing poems like Ovid's, overusing them is not recommended.

For a steady writing, there's two aspects to keep in mind:

1. Your own rhythm
   Every writer has their own way with words - a certain rhythm, so to say. It defines their preferred sentence length and structure, usage of word, alignment, ... One of the most benevolent aspects to writing fluidly is finding your own melody and to use it. Once you found it, you might be able to adjust it bit by bit but you won't be able to eradicate it. Thus, your writing style will seam steady.

2. Genre dependent writing
   Different ways of writing have a different impact: Short sentences can be cut off, long sentences can seem like derailing thoughts, a great mention of colors can imply sensory overload, ... Knowing what fits and highlights your own story and intentionally using it must not know you have inconsistent writing, much rather it means you are great at using the style to your advantage!

Keep in mind that using simple words isn't always the best because they make your text more easily to read. If you want to spice up your selection regardless, keep these two ways in mind:

• The rule of repetition
  By the rule of thumb, it's best advised to use one word of it's category per paragraph. This applies to names, descriptions, verbs, ... If you skim your paragraph and see the same word twice, it's a fitting time to change it up! In case you have a longer paragraph and/or used a specific word at the end of, yo could estimate 2-3 sentences in between are a good distance to make words sound less repetitive.

• The rule of rhythm
  Reading over your sentences/paragraphs or being a "mindspeaker" while writing, you might notice there are some words tripping the flow of your sentence: When reading, it should be fluidly and follow an inherent melody. If you notice this melody is off, exchange a word at the point of struggle.

• Thesauruses and vocabulary notes
  While simple words are good, make sure you're not too monotone! If you feel your knowledge of vocabulary is limited, make sure the tab right next to your writing is a dictionary and/or thesaurus to link you to easy synonym access. Writing them down by hand is a good way to memorize them, plus you can look up your own go-to words in relation to your chosen alternatives. As it goes with any vocabulary study, repetito mater omnum studiorum est - keep it up and you'll remember them with ease!

You ask, I ask - here is a twitter thread for public responses to this. I will not quote them directly, however, I do hope you can gain from it!

• It saves you so much time and endless wandering through disconnected scenes and gives you the freedom to have foreshadowing, to write stuff out of order, to have direction, to know your characters enough to get used to their unique voices, to have a PLAN. I used to think outlining was a waste of time but after forcing myself to sit down and do it for all my fics, it' saved my life so many times and made me so much better as a writer.

• Please don't do anything without a basic plan you don't need an extensive outline but please at least give yourself a list of bullet points to work with and save yourself half the work (50-100k)

• Make sure you connect the dots! Have someone look it over. I always use a beta, even for 5k fics, but especially for 30-40k fics and higher. Sometimes I use two betas. They'll catch things that you didn't realize you missed and tell you what parts don't make sense.

• For 100k+, you really need an end purpose in mind. Make sure all your scenes add up and contribute to the climax of your fic!

• personal preference but as with long fics... don't be afraid of utilising non-linear narratives w long fics! i find them fun and a nice change of pace that keeps the reader invested and interested

• Plot arcs and good progression

• Characters and relationships!! I'm a sucker for found family so things like friendships, blood families, found familiy, they're relationships that I don't often see but they can add so much to a fic!

• possibly characterization of certain characters? I wouldn't say my characterization is super on point but I do like getting into different characters a lot and figuring them out!

• Perhaps description of specific scenes / depiction of landscapes or various environments.

• On 30k+ fics, if you're struggling with motivation, reread your fic from start to finish and appreciate an area that you like. If you're stuck on writing, move on to a new scene, or just write out the objectives/bare lines in bullet points to move the story forward.

• It's okay to take your time on writing a fic, especially if you are passionate about it and have a specific goal in mind for it.

• World building, laying out the setting and moot/atmosphere of the scene, and how to write the appropriate speech patterns, way of thinking, and attitudes of school-age/younger characters.

• Cuild your world, pay attention to details, give characters space to grow; develop your side characters

• Hey, f you're going to get a beta for any word count, please be realistic <3 Beta-ing and editing can take hours on end.