wastelandauthor

[wastelandauthor]

My second short story, ‘Bad Boys = Existential Crisis’, has been published! I thank Swallow The Moon for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their recent volume. Please, read the many talented writers who make up the rest of the collection.

#creative writing #writeblr #wasteland author’s writing #fiction

[wastelandauthor]

Again, sorry for not posting much. Life’s got me busy, but I’d like to share writing updates!

1. I completed the third draft of Artificial Terror! I cut 26 pages and 13,000 words. I did a bunch of line edits and review edits during January and February.

2. I finished the first route for my mock visual novel in December! I’ll be working on the second route in my free time.

3. My line editing skills have improved over the last few months and I’m both happy and impressed at how clear everything is.

Let’s hope my next update won’t be another few months away and much sooner. Hope everyone’s writing journeys are doing well!

#writeblr #creative writing #writers life #wasteland author’s writing

[wastelandauthor]

How to avoid character inconsistency in your writing

Set your character boundaries:

What's the background?

What's your character's backstory?

What are their traits, and how do they portray them?

Know what keeps your characters motivated. (Are they reaching their goal?)

You can avoid quick shifting of scenes. Let your readers absorb the setting of the scene.

Ensure that their actions and decisions align with their development and growth.

Tip 1: Start your chapter with a scene or dialogue that comes back at the end, which helps maintain consistency.

Tip 2: Throughout the chapter avoid the fast pacing of the story, rather let the characters express themselves so that it's clear for the readers.

Consider how your characters react to situations that are hard to convey. (Do they feel nervous? Scared? Fearless?)

Dialogue writing is crucial in explaining your character's personality while writing a story.

This process requires lots of re-reading and writing, fixing character holes and rewriting character arcs.

[wastelandauthor]

Self-Evaluating and Refining Your Writing

Our Grand Opening Giveaway is still going! Be sure to interact with the post on our page here to get your name in the draw!

Certainly! Evaluating your own fiction writing involves a nuanced approach to ensure your narratives are engaging, characters are well-developed, and your style captivates the reader. Here’s how you can refine your approach:

1. Clarify Your Narrative Objective

Theme and Message: Identify the central theme or message of your story. Does your narrative effectively convey this throughout?

Genre Expectations: Ensure your writing meets or innovatively subverts the expectations of its genre, whether it's romance, fantasy, thriller, etc.

2. Examine Structure and Pacing

Plot Structure: Analyze your story’s structure (e.g., three-act structure, hero’s journey) to ensure it has a clear beginning, middle, and end, with rising action, a climax, and resolution.

Pacing: Check if the story moves at an appropriate pace. Look for sections that drag or rush, and adjust scene length and detail accordingly.

3. Assess Character Development

Character Arcs: Evaluate whether your main characters experience growth or change. Are their motivations and conflicts clear and compelling?

Consistency: Ensure characters act consistently according to their development, except where change is part of their arc.

4. Analyze Dialogue and Interaction

Dialogue: Review dialogue for authenticity and purpose. Does it advance the plot, reveal character, or provide necessary information without feeling forced?

Show, Don’t Tell: Strive to reveal character traits, emotions, and plot developments through actions and dialogue, rather than exposition.

5. Review Descriptive Language and Setting

Sensory Details: Incorporate sensory details to create vivid scenes. Can readers visualize your settings and characters?

World-Building: In genres requiring world-building, check for consistency in your world's rules, history, and environment. Ensure details enrich the story without overwhelming it.

6. Inspect Style and Voice

Narrative Voice: Ensure the narrative voice is distinct, consistent, and suitable for the story you’re telling. Consider whether the point of view (first person, third person, etc.) effectively serves your narrative.

Point of View: Ensure consistency in the point of view (first, second, or third person).

Literary Devices: Use metaphors, similes, and other literary devices judiciously to enhance your writing without making it cumbersome.

7. Check Grammar and Syntax

Grammar and Punctuation: Though creative writing allows for stylistic choices, ensure your grammar and punctuation serve clarity and style without distracting the reader.

Sentence Variation: Use a mix of sentence structures to keep the narrative dynamic and maintain reader interest.

Tense: Maintain the same tense throughout your writing unless a change is necessary for a specific reason.

Tense: Maintain the same tense throughout your writing unless a change is necessary for a specific reason.

8. Solicit and Apply Feedback

Beta Readers and Writing Groups: Feedback from trusted readers or writing groups can provide invaluable insights into how your story is received and where it can be improved.

Professional Editors: Consider hiring a professional editor for detailed critique, especially for longer works or prior to publication.

9. Reflective Editing and Revision

Distance: After finishing a draft, take some time away from it. Returning with fresh eyes can make it easier to spot areas for improvement.

Revision: Be open to substantial revisions. Sometimes, the best developments come through reworking parts of your narrative.

10. Continuous Learning and Practice

Read Broadly: Reading widely, especially within your genre, can inspire and improve your writing by exposing you to diverse styles and storytelling techniques.

Write Regularly: Practice is essential. Regular writing helps refine your craft and explore different aspects of storytelling.

Evaluating your fiction involves both technical scrutiny and creative intuition. It's a balance between respecting the craft and trusting your artistic instincts. With each story, you'll grow more adept at self-evaluation, enriching your writing and engaging your readers more deeply.

Happy Writing!

See Slaying Fiction for more fun content :)

[wastelandauthor]

You gotta write for funsies sometimes. Everything doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. Like. Who cares if it’s a little silly it is made out of love

[wastelandauthor]

This cover from a Brazilian 2021 edition is my favorite for reasons that I think are obvious lol

[wastelandauthor]

Spending nearly a year working on a mock visual novel is crazy especially knowing that one route is just a single facet to the larger picture. I’m finishing up the first draft of the first route, having the endings and post ending scenes left to write, leaves me with an immense satisfaction. One part of this project is almost complete, almost wrapped up. I love that feeling so much as it’s a sense of relief. Honestly, even if this is just a fun personal project that might be only for me, I’m still happy to have it.

#wasteland author’s rambles #creative writing #writers life #this all blows me away that I’ve made it this far #wasteland author’s writing #can’t wait to work on the next route after taking a month off from it

[wastelandauthor]

WRITERS!!!

my dash is feeling empty, so please reblog/comment if you post about your writing! i want to follow more people and get more taglists to add myself to.

bonus points if you write scifi, horror, and/or are deep into worldbuilding!

[wastelandauthor]

Sorry for not posting as much. I didn’t realize how much this semester would pile on me. To give a recap: I’ve slowly been fretting through some personal writing projects while getting the opportunity to work on my line editing skills in a fiction workshop class.

I really wanted to talk about was how my writing at an open mic got everyone shocked at the emotions. It was a great feeling and felt so validating. I need to write more of those scenes.

#writeblr #creative writing #wasteland author’s rambles #fiction #no one cried but I’ll still take it

[wastelandauthor]

I haven’t posted much since university has kept me busy and the fact I forget I have this. But to make up for it, I’ll tell you what I’ve written so far. Mainly it’s been my mock visual novel project. Getting to write a horrifying nightmare scene is exhilarating. Other than that, I get to have certain days or parts of days play out differently based on choices. Some scenes might have another version of them that exists. I really encourage people to get out and write something experimental.

#writeblr #creative writing #wasteland author’s rambles #I can wait to finish the first route of this project #up in the air if I want to go beyond writing just one of what’s planned #I need to write horror more often

[wastelandauthor]

It’s like magic. I’m writing again. Thousands of words spurted from me like a rapid in a river. What kind of thing does this? I don’t know, but I’m not questioning. The release, the expulsion, the typing of the words is relieving. I might post random snippets of description or dialogue in posts.

#wasteland author’s rambles #creative writing #Wasteland Author’s Hartfield #the flow’s back #block begone #i can’t wait to finish what I’m writing at the moment #good stuff is cooking

[wastelandauthor]

[wastelandauthor]

Last Line Tag

Got a tag from @wastelandauthor this time, thank you!

And if he lets Andromeda enter the apartment just a few steps ahead of him, then that is between Icarus and whatever higher being watches over him.

imma tag @memento-morri-writes and @blind-the-winds this time!

[wastelandauthor]

Sorry for not posting much. Lately, I haven’t been writing as much as I wanted to for August. The same goes for editing, although I’m catching up in the last few days. I bet my creativity was catching up after Nano Writmo. This September and fall should have time for me to post more. Hope everyone’s summers have been the best!

#wasteland author’s rambles #personally I don’t want summer to end #despite me taking my first fiction workshop for college #how is it the end of august #side note: starfield’s almost out so I’ll be busy playing that as well #side side note: I’ve been reading Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit and I’m enjoying it

[wastelandauthor]

Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata), family Strigidae, Ecuador

photograph by Jess Findlay Photography

[wastelandauthor]

Find The Word Tag

Thanks for tagging me @howlingbreeze!!! My words are: BLUE, MOUNTAIN, KISS, & GROW.

BLUE

There is a lot on the pages. Maps, blueprints, dossiers on guards, photos of the building. Thanatos has truly outdone himself. Icarus squints his eyes, maybe death boy has a use. The idea of not having to collect information himself is nice, especially information this detailed. He wouldn’t have to deal with people or his informant again. Well, he might still deal with his informant. They are good for more than just the information they give.

MOUNTAIN

He glanced at the window to see if hey had made it out and was relieved to see the last little bit of black hair disappear from sight. Now, Icarus just had to get out. That proved to be easier said than done as the mountain of asshole did everything in his power to keep him from leaving. He had placed himself directly in between Icarus and his only route of escape, pushing him back into the labyrinthine hallways of the building. Icarus had to think of a way to get out of this situation now. He couldn’t be caught by anyone else here.

KISS

He could feel himself practically melt into the kiss, giving himself over to something he never dreamed he’d be allowed to have. Something he had regrettably run away from. Apollon kissed him like a dying man who’s only cure was his lips. His hand had not loosened it’s grip on Icarus’ face, holding him in place so that he could not move away even if he wanted to. Another hand came up to caress his cheek, as if Apollon couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be gentle or not.

GROW

The water is warm as it slides down his body. The rivulets washing away his worries and stress as they track their path down past his collarbones, his top surgery scars, his tattoos. Icarus leans forward into the overhead stream of water, letting it run down over his head and soak his hair. The weight was almost uncomfortable, his hair had grown considerably in the months that he was out of the city. He hadn’t noticed until the strands were heavy with water. I’ll need to cut it soon, he thinks as he washes himself.

imma tag @isherwoodj @smol-feralgremlin and @wastelandauthor for the words: UNCONDITIONAL, DEMONS, SHIVER, & WHISPER.

[wastelandauthor]

Intro 💃🏾✨

Hi! I'm Alyssa (she/her). I'm a scientist, artist, and writer. I've decided to throw my writing into the void and see what happens!

I'm educated as a scientist, but I spend my free time drawing, painting, writing, and playing music. I've been writing my whole life, but I first shared my work on Wattpad. I started writing consistently again a few months ago. I primarily write science fiction/fantasy with a touch of romance.

My current WIP is titled "The Protolith." This novel follows Charlotte, a biracial medical student and noblewoman who seeks to bring honor back to her disgraced family. This second world fantasy takes place in a world scarred by an ancient, unexplored meteorite, in an Empire where the traditional theocracy and sexually liberated culture are constantly at odds. Follow Charlotte as she faces unexplained magicks while haunted by past, romantic affairs.

I'd love to meet other authors! Pls reach out if you have similar interests so we can be friends : )

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The Protolith Links

WIP Intro

Blurb

Book Cover

The OCs

The Prologue Part 1

Excerpts: 1 2

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