procrastinating--writer

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i legit love linguini from ratatouille so much. his life is such a mess that he just lets a rat take over with no questions asked

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You know that thing you do... where you say you’re a writer... but you never write... anything... like...

Ever¿

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me: writing at night increases my focus on the work itself and really allows my creativity to flow, not to mention giving me the lack of distractions needed to improve my word choices also me:

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How to Plot a Complex Novel in One Day

Now first, I have to say, that the plot you’re able to come up with in one day is not going to be without its flaws, but coming up with it all at once, the entire story unfolds right in front of you and makes you want to keep going with it. So, where to begin?

What is your premise and basic plot? Pick your plot. I recommend just pulling one from this list. No plots are “original” so making yours interesting and complicated will easily distract from that fact, that and interesting characters. Characters will be something for you to work on another day, because this is plotting day. You’ll want the main plot to be fairly straight forward, because a confusing main plot will doom you if you want subplots.

Decide who the characters will be. They don’t have to have names at this point. You don’t even need to know who they are other than why they have to be in the story. The more characters there are the more complicated the plot will be. If you intend to have more than one subplot, then you’ll want more characters. Multiple interconnected subplots will give the illusion that the story is very complicated and will give the reader a lot of different things to look at at all times. It also gives you the chance to develop many side characters. The plot I worked out yesterday had 13 characters, all were necessary. Decide their “roles” don’t bother with much else. This seems shallow, but this is plot. Plot is shallow.

Now, decide what drives each character. Why specifically are they in this story? You can make this up. You don’t even know these characters yet. Just so long as everyone has their own motivations, you’re in the clear.

What aren’t these characters giving away right off the bat? Give them a secret! It doesn’t have to be something that they are actively lying about or trying to hide, just find something that perhaps ties them into the plot or subplot. This is a moment to dig into subplot. This does not need to be at all connected to their drive to be present in the story.  Decide who is in love with who, what did this person do in the 70’s that’s coming back to bite them today, and what continues to haunt what-his-face to this very day. This is where you start to see the characters take shape. Don’t worry much about who they are or what they look like, just focus on what they’re doing to the story.

What is going to change these characters? Now this will take some thinking. Everyone wants at least a few of the characters to come out changed by the end of the story, so think, how will they be different as a result of the plot/subplot? It might not be plot that changes them, but if you have a lot of characters, a few changes that are worked into the bones of the plot might help you.

Now list out the major events of the novel with subplot in chronological order. This will be your timeline. Especially list the historical things that you want to exist in backstory. List everything you can think of. Think about where the story is going. At this point, you likely haven’t focused too much on the main plot, yeah, it’s there, but now really focus on the rising actions, how this main plot builds its conflict, then the climactic moment. Make sure you get all of that in there. This might take a few hours.

Decide where to start writing. This part will take a LOT of thinking. It’s hard! But now that you’ve got the timeline, pick an interesting point to begin at. Something with action. Something relevant. Preferably not at the beginning of your timeline - you want to have huge reveals later on where these important things that happened prior are exposed. This is the point where you think about what information should come out when. This will be a revision of your last list, except instead of being chronological, it exists to build tension.

Once you’ve gotten the second list done, you’ve got a plot. Does it need work? Probably. But with that said, at this point you probably have no idea who half your characters are. Save that for tomorrow, that too will be a lot of work.

Disclaimer for this post.

[procrastinating--writer]

“She had a nostalgia for a life she had never lived.”

— Nancy Lemann, The Fiery Pantheon  (via mercurieux)

[procrastinating--writer]

hey guys, hope your skin is clear and you get a text from someone you like real soon.

also that your lunch tastes good, you find twenty dollars on the ground, and that thing coming up that you were dreading turns out not so bad

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A Concept:

Tinder, but for writing buddies.

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I don’t want to write this extremely specific fanfic of which I am the primary audience, I just want to read it.

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hello! my name is naomi and i’m finally starting up my writeblr. i’ve been writing and posting fanfiction for the better half of four years and writing in a more professional sense for about three years. i write mainly about mental illness, lgbt+ identities, beauty, pain, and, of course, love. i’m looking forward to posting the work that i’ve built up for several years and getting some feedback on it :>

if any of my topics interest you, i’d appreciate it if you’d give my blog a follow or rb this post to help me get started off! it would mean a lot to me.

thanks, i love you <3

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Giveaway Contest: We’re giving away fifteen vintage paperback classics by Homer, Walt Whitman, Carson McCullers, Ray Bradbury, John Steinbeck, Shakespeare, and others! Won’t this collection look lovely on your shelf? :D To win these classics, you must: 1) be following macrolit on Tumblr (yes, we will check. :P), and 2) reblog this post. We will choose a random winner on August 19, at which time we’ll start a new giveaway. And yes, we’ll ship to any country. Easy, right? Good luck!

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Sometimes I’m just really overwhelmed with the talent on tumblr 💕💕

I reread Carry On a few weeks ago and I just wanted to draw them

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reblog if vampires are valid and your blog is a vampire safe zone

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Looking for some writing buddies-

Hi! I’m cam, I’m a 19 y/o girl who enjoys all things bookish, writing-ish, and scooby doo-ish. I’m not super new to tumblr, but I really want to be more active in the community and make some internet friends (because internet friends are the best).

My current WIP is called The Corner Booth Affair and it’s a YA Contemporary about a girl and the trials of being a teenager. Her name is Shay and she’s 100% my imaginary friend who i think about constantly.

Anyways, shoot me a DM and reblog to help me out, I’m super funny and will send you gifs and be your biggest supporter.

Xoxo,

Cam

#amwriting #writing #writeblr #books #reading #writerswrite #writingbuddies #internet friends #internet friend

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Decisions, Decisions

One of my biggest issues is not being able to decide if i want coffee or wine while I’m writing 🤷🏼‍♀️

[procrastinating--writer]

Don't ever hesitate. Reblog this. This should be in the tumblr laws. When you see it, REBLOG IT.

Depression Hotline: [phone]

Suicide Hotline: [phone]

LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743

Eating Disorders Hotline: [phone]

Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272

Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000

Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253

If you ever want to talk: My tumblr ask is always open.

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hope your pets stay healthy in 2017