@Dunno,
I love my characters but actually enjoy hurting them probably too much tbh


I really like the sound of your character :)
If you're having trouble making life hard for him, maybe try having his mental disorders actually drag him down instead of just being a part of his personality?
Usually a mental disorder isn't something that can just be cured so they wouldn't necessarily be fighting to rise above and be cured of it but rather learn how to deal with it/live with it

If your character has had the disorder for a while though(from around 7 to in their teens?) then they might already be faring better than someone newly trying to understand their own mind
Also how does your character view themself? Are they a pessimist or a optimist? Do they like building robots or did the robots come from where he was taken? If he likes building it could be a way of coping for them, same to taking things apart to see what's inside and his interesting in learning about new species
What kinds of things did he read/learn from the books he was alone with? Did these contribute to his view on the world?

I love realism and fantasy :)
They are fun worlds to build and bring life into ^^

@99echosong99

I like doing two things to my characters: Make them go through waaaaaay too much trouble, or shove none their way. So I make a list of troubles and mark them down for certain characters so I know when one's getting more obstacles than another.

I mean, trouble's definitely thrown my character's way. Other people may see it as trouble, but to him, it's not. Just something that he doesn't have to deal with. As for his disorder, he's actually kind of... Um, proud of it. Kinda like self-confidence, but... *tries to find words*

All in all, he's proud of himself and his disorder, always has been proud. He likes this sadistic nerdiness that he has, and doesn't bother to try and hide it. That's how he view himself: Sadistic, awesome, and nerdy. As for robots, he loves studying AI and new technology, and he often carries out his ideas. It's not exactly a way of coping; His family has been world ronowned researchers for generations. And they kinda have a target on their backs. They've made a lot of enemies.
The books he read when he was kidnapped were about you guessed it: Robots. My character's ability is that he has a photographic memory, so he learned a lot in the five months span of his kidnapping. Those books gave birth to a thirst for knowledge in my character.

I'm planning to make the villains his kidnappers, and at some point, he will go through PTSD while the other characters are befuzzled and don't know who the heck this is. I'd also like to note that without his drone thingies, he's actually useless. He is not in shape or anything, and not exactly willing to help or ask for help.

_{goes to make list of how to torture characters.}

@Dunno,
From what you've said I think your character and story sound interesting, best of luck writing them :)
He has a pretty unique feeling personality, though a bit powerful with the right resources in hand

Have you fleshed out the villains/given them personalities and motives themselves?

_{oml.. same though}

BTW, for endings, I like to make it seem like it's over... for now. Kind of like there's more to come, so then it will keep the reader guessing adn wanting more. Also, that way, if you want to add more later, it won't be hard to get a lot of readers again, since they will mostly want to keep reading because they were left on a cliffhanger. I hope this helps. I didn't want to tell you at first, mainly because I have a lot of experience with people just taking my ideas and saying that I copied them. Still hope that this helps.

I love writing fantasy, 1st and 3rd person, and poetry. :D I am not so good at writing endings either. My stories go on and on. :)

@Evilowlcastcast,
I absolutely hate cliffhangers after becoming invested especially if there isn't more planned for later but I understand what you're saying when having more written ^^
Thank you very much for your input on endings :)

@Sweetsnowsparkles,
Cool :D
Horah for never ending stories! X)

Well hello everyone! Decided to come back now that the thread seems to have been revived after a short bit of quietness :)

I was just wondering - does anyone have any tips on how to write romance? I've decided to have a go at writing a story where it is the main focus (and the main cause of conflict), but... I'm an aromantic asexual who has never seen a relationship (other than long distance ones over the internet) do anything but make people sad/ annoyed, so I really don't know how to make a couple convincing :/

I'm also a little concerned that I've made two characters particularly Mary Sue/ Gary Sue-like. I sent what I've written so far to a friend (it was 3 pages at the time), then said I was going to do something terrible to one of them, and she proceeded to spam me with caps lock and thumbs down emojis for about 15 minutes straight afterwards XD I don't know whether to take this as the fact that I've made them too perfect, or I've just done a really good job of developing them and making them likeable, though it's hardly anywhere through the story so maybe I shouldn't concern myself with this because their flaws will be explored later?

@Sweetsnowsparkles

Ha ha, I have the same problem. I draw a lot and keep designing characters, and I'm always like "Oh, it would be so cool if I shoved them in that section there!" Hence why my first draft of my current story was 40 pages long, because 12-year-old me kept killing off and replacing characters XD . Also, I think I try and be too philosophical at times, and that can really drag a story out.

As for endings, I'm quite similar in that regard. They have to be sad or sad, I just cannot write a happy endings lol. Makes it a little too predictable though. I tend to stick with a little bit of mystery, or an implied event that shocks the reader and leaves them with something memorable, but to be honest it depends on the genre.

What kind of poetry do you write? I don't personally write much myself, usually just on-the-spot joke poems to make fun of something that I post in the chat group with my friends. If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them; my poetry skills really need work.

I like poetry about nature, dark stuff, and occasionally comical. I am not that good at funny stuff tho. Also some tips: Use a rhyming dictionary, use a thesaurus (for fancy words), and just let it out! You can always restart later. :)

@Sweetsnowsparkles

Nature poems always tend to be quite deep and meaningful, though occasionally they do annoy me. We had to study a poem for exams, and it was terrible. I think it was about a guy stealing a boat then being terrified by some mountains, and so he turned back? I think English Literature has really put me off reading poetry unless it just happens to be conveniently in my line of sight.

I've got to say, out of those three, I personally prefer comical, but as humour is subjective it can sometimes be hard to find the right kind. Dark can be interesting, and the shock factor is always quite fun. But yeah, I do unfortunately often struggle to find poetry that I like. As long as it has several memorable lines and is regularly quotable because it's funny, I generally like it lol.

You know that moment when you realise you should have been doing something all along? Yeah... I should really use any of those things XD Thank you for the advice, maybe next time I will actually pay attention to the things I can use to make a rhyme that makes sense.

Tips on how to write romance..
As I am in the same boat as you(Ace) I don't have personal experience to rely on either but I read alot and have too many resources I use to look at for writing(have you heard of Pinterest? I recommend making an account and searching for writing how to's or anything writing related, it's pretty helpful I think ^^)
Is it gonna be slow burn or is a relationship already established?
Not gonna lie I haven't written anything romantic ever specifically to just be romantic(horah for tragedy!) BUT I have 2 links on my favorites bar that I was looking through so I could practice romance eventually
http://www.nownovel.com/blog/romance-writing-mistakes/
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c1/62/52/c16252102720f898378c1d38543960a4.jpg
(this second link is kindove long)
For sad endings/something bad happening would it happen to be death or something else that could be(unfortunately) a lot worse?
Around getting people to care more for another character, one thing that makes a character's pain hurt more is if you like the characters who like them and are affected by this too, so not only are you dealing with this one character's pain but the butterfly effect of it upon the other characters(which can be placed on their romantic partner since this is a romance)
_{I hope this is helpful?}