Been thinking about this myself, and there are a few I consistently do in every story. With a slight difference in my main series. You see, for some reason. The lead always uses their strongest ability in the finale. The difference with my main works are at a few points. Where they use that ability once early on, which signals their return is on the way. Then the second time is at the finale. The exception is with the second book, where they do not have access to that ability. 

Another thing is that battles are ended differently almost all of the time, some abilities are not seen again. I guess you can compare that to Yu-gi-oh, when there is a new card almost every episode. 

Needless to say though, there are references to those previous ones, such as the formation.

Also have a bad habit of writing tragedies. Someone tells me a happy plot? Somehow I turn that into a tragic one. 🐕

Another is a bad habit of repetition, which I have worked extremely hard to get under control and correct. 

Have a habit of escalating major battles, so long chapters are even longer. 

Hmmm…I think that is it for now. I think this topic was more therapy for my sake. 

Whenever I try to write fight scenes I come up with a few specific actions - dodge, use skill 1, skill 2, get hit, etc. And then I randomly use all those actions writing an incredibly detailed 2-3 paragraphs of action...but then the exchange has lasted a few seconds and I want the fight to last longer but I don't want to repeat the same previous actions so I just trail off.

Alot of my fight scenes are basically "A, B, C, X, Y, Z" ... and then they did that a bunch more and it ended! I do realize spending 2 paragraphs on 12s and then a sentence on the next few minutes is bad but I keep doing it.

Bluelightning42 Wrote: Whenever I try to write fight scenes I come up with a few specific actions - dodge, use skill 1, skill 2, get hit, etc. And then I randomly use all those actions writing an incredibly detailed 2-3 paragraphs of action...but then the exchange has lasted a few seconds and I want the fight to last longer but I don't want to repeat the same previous actions so I just trail off.

Alot of my fight scenes are basically "A, B, C, X, Y, Z" ... and then they did that a bunch more and it ended! I do realize spending 2 paragraphs on 12s and then a sentence on the next few minutes is bad but I keep doing it.

Ah, yeah, I dealt with this issue early on. One way to extend the battle is to write the tension, describe the feeling. Use the moment to allude to the story itself. Use the time to build depth to the characters, advance the battle. By this I mean, try and have different stages. Where when it reaches the final one, those characters are their height for that battle. Ya know, if the situation calls for going that far. This would really only apply to major battles. Some battles I have can be between 10k to 15k words, depending of course. Though typically? Should not be more than 5k, the major ones are the fights that goes on for quite a while.

Edge Wrote: One way to extend the battle is to write the tension, describe the feeling. Use the moment to allude to the story itself

I've tried that - my (only) story right now has (nearly) all fights being observed by the main character and cast so I've thrown in some peanut gallery comments to extend some of them. On one hand it's slightly easier to go on tangents outside of the battle that's happening, in another, it distracts from the battle itself.

I've also tried just upping the number of actors in a battle - instead of a 1v1 duel it shifts to a chaotic fight between 4 different creatures each with a different skillset.

Bluelightning42 Wrote: I've tried that - my (only) story right now has (nearly) all fights being observed by the main character and cast so I've thrown in some peanut gallery comments to extend some of them. On one hand it's slightly easier to go on tangents outside of the battle that's happening, in another, it distracts from the battle itself.

I've also tried just upping the number of actors in a battle - instead of a 1v1 duel it shifts to a chaotic fight between 4 different creatures each with a different skillset.

That does help to extend it for sure. I’ve had to learn to extend battles on 1 v 1, since most fights in the story are that. With a few exceptions. It can get tricky not to detract from the story, which I have learned allusions quite well. It also helps that the lead is the true enemy, so a lot of information to unpack during fights. Even in the post stories, the previous events helps to make it longer. 

Then there were other methods I put into place, which plays into the plot, and affects the length of battles. An example is that the lead loathes fighting. However, they constantly find themselves having to do so. This is one of many points, but this connects to their emotions. The higher it is, the more the fight escalates. Which only at two points in the first and last book, did they enter their strongest state. 

So, I learned a few tricks. And yes, it is easier to go on tangents from the outside. Then it becomes tricky with transitioning back into a battle, especially after ending one. I have to revert it back to the first stage, and end it around the fourth to sixth one. This applies for a good portion of the book, where about three fourth of the way. They enter into their 7th to 8th stage, and the finale is the ninth. Why? Well, there are nine stages towards ruin. Finding a balance so that battles are not predictable within the process is difficult, and sometimes I throw in a twist or two. The difference is the second book, where they are in their eighth stage in the finale. At this point in the series, they do not have access to their final one.

I'm currently writing an unplanned book, something I've never done before, so far I wake up everyday writing what comes to mind (usually a few hundred words at best) and then I stop and work on my other projects.

It's very fun, but I doubt that I could finish a chapter every month at this pace.

Paradoxcloud Wrote: I'm currently writing an unplanned book, something I've never done before, so far I wake up everyday writing what comes to mind (usually a few hundred words at best) and then I stop and work on my other projects.

It's very fun, but I doubt that I could finish a chapter every month at this pace.

Unplanned? Yeah, it can be troublesome to finish things. More or less, it the hype at the moment, but when you crash. That might be the end of the story. I guess it is good as something on the side, but as far as I can tell. It is unlikely to finish an unplanned story, at least that is what happened to me. I had to go back, do proper planning, and then finish them. There will come a time, where a blockade will hit, and then that is that. 

Good habit: I keep lots of notes, lore, and such

Bad habit: I keep forgetting to update those

so you know....sometimes the notes are wrong

Crusixblade Wrote: Good habit: I keep lots of notes, lore, and such

Bad habit: I keep forgetting to update those

so you know....sometimes the notes are wrong

Ah yeah, sometimes I forget to update lores as well.  

I tend to underwrite, just describe the basics of the scene and move on to the action, so I often find myself needing to fill in sensory detail later on.

My current story is one I drafted the first thirty chapters of, then came back to revise before I post. I've added at least three chapters of new content just expanding on what I already have.

Sometimes it comes back to bite me when I realize I forgot to mention an important detail sooner.

Aster Wrote: I tend to underwrite, just describe the basics of the scene and move on to the action, so I often find myself needing to fill in sensory detail later on.

My current story is one I drafted the first thirty chapters of, then came back to revise before I post. I've added at least three chapters of new content just expanding on what I already have.

Sometimes it comes back to bite me when I realize I forgot to mention an important detail sooner.

Ah yeah, this is expected to happen. You write the idea out first, then go back and add in more details. From my first draft to current one? If my math is not terrible. It has about 400% more content per book, so yeah…a lot was added in.

I have almost no writing schedule. I either ignore my stories for days or weeks or I go on binges where I write for hours upon hours for a few straight days. I could plan things much better if I was consistent, but I'm terrible with that.

Whether I'm writing fiction or for my trade journal job, I never end a story and leap immediately into another. I take a short walk, do some pull-ups, anything to get out of the chair and more importantly out of the previous story or chapter. It really helps with keeping drag down and allowing you to take a fresh look at things - even if you're only away for five minutes.