solliewriter

[solliewriter]

The Inks of Time, B1E1: The Blood Witch

Year 1: Isingr Isingr: Lilian’s home world. This is where legends are born, but it isn’t where legends live. Calendar notes: there are 324 days in a year and there are nine months. Somewhere in days 1 – 36 The mountains of Heve were cold. They were so cold that Lilian thought she’d freeze here, alone and hungry. It would be dark soon as well. The clouds were turning pink and the sky was…

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#books #free books #reading #serial series #short story

[solliewriter]

All the Monsters

Monsters are your worst fears manifested into a single creature. It is the thing which hides within all of us. It haunts our nightmares and transforms our daily activity with its shadow. Someone once said, Honesty is good, all the while stabbing knives into your back. Ever since then, you’ve always smiled and whispered “It’s fine” while feeling the scars tug your skin. Someone once said, What’s…

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#cptsd #monsters #neuroticism #past trauma #psychology #trauma

[solliewriter]

Il Suonatore di Fisarmonica

Il Suonatore di Fisarmonica

The accordion sang frantically through the narrow streets, echoing against the tall, brick buildings. It had been playing the same song for the past two hours — Piano Sonata No. 11 by Mozart. The accordion player had a nice collection of euros in his hat now. There had been many compliments paid to him as well, but no one had grabbed his CDs yet. He sat by a bustling panificio and salumeria.…

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#Fiction #free short story #free story #reader #readersblog #short story

[solliewriter]

Ghosted 2022

I’ll keep it short. This past year I stopped writing fiction, withdrew from the internet, started journaling more, and I went to Italy. Will I come back? Probably. Will it be the same? Probably not. Granted, the stories may appear similar to everything that has come before, but it’ll come from a different place. I’m not the person I used to be, and thank goodness for that. Happy 2023…

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#journal #monthly roundup #nonfiction

[solliewriter]

Courage

Really, the way to let someone know you’re a brave, courageous person, is to first let it be known that you’re scared. Isn’t that a bit terrifying?

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#bravery #courage #fear #mental growth #philosophy #self development #theory

[solliewriter]

trying to sleep lately has been like trying to sleep with a buzzing fly in my head except I can't find the fucking fly

#insomnia #sleep #i need sleep #i can't sleep #student life #mental what now #coffee

[solliewriter]

I said in an earlier post that it's okay to wait to write a story. But … I think I should expand on that, because I also think that, in most cases once you start writing that first draft, you should not take years to write the story without understanding one important thing:

Your story will change.

If it didn't change, then it would not take years to write. But, the longer you fiddle and mess with the story, the more it will change from your initial idea. This is perfectly fine (that's why it's called editing), but I don't think many people are prepared for why their idea might change, and so, they continue fiddling with it, knowing something needs a change without being able to put a finger on it.

Especially when you're a teen, you're developing two senses: Your objective understanding and your subjective taste. The latter is going to change throughout your entire life and will be especially inconsistent when you're young. Your "objective" understanding is your understanding of what is socially considered "quality" writing. E.g., it'll be your understanding of how character arcs work, what are "good" plots, how dialogue flows in an entertaining manner, what make for "satisfying" endings, and etc. These are your foundational opinions. I'm calling them "objective" because they're unlikely to change and are likely to be socially agreed upon to be the cornerstones of what makes a good story.

When you're a new writer, you'll be learning how to employ your objective knowledge and put it into your writing. When you're a teen writer, you'll also be developing your objective understanding, hence why you'll be especially critical of your own work. You're going through an extreme learning curve. You're learning so quickly that your ability to critique is stronger than your ability to write. So, obviously, your story will change, and these are the changes that should be encouraged.

Eventually, the curve will flatten and your ability to merge your objective understanding with your writing will blossom. But, even then, you still have to deal with your subjective taste.

In my earlier post, I said that it's okay to wait because you know you're not ready for a story. It some cases, this means you're able to predict the ebb and flow of your own taste, which is awesome, but it often isn't nearly as predictable.

Taste is … subjective. Taste is the specific type of character arc you want to write, the type of plot that you favor, the type of entertaining dialogue you enjoy writing, and the kind of ending that is satisfying. One year you may prefer heartwarming stories and another year you may prefer tragedies.

This brings me back to my original point.

Your story will change.

If you write a story over the course of ten years, your subjective opinion will change. Your idea of what you want will change, despite that it may not necessarily change the objective quality of the story.

Have you considered that all those little edits, shuffling character arcs around and whatnot, do not actually change the quality of the story, but merely changes it to what you consider subjectively good at the moment?

The writing community loves reminding you that you're not alone in disliking your own writing, but no one seems to mention that the reason you hate it (and your friends love it) has nothing to do with the quality of the story but with the fact that your vision of the story changed while you were writing it. Your original idea does not match what you wrote, and you confuse this with thinking that you wrote it wrong.

It is often the case that your subjective taste changed and you didn't even notice.

So, when you're editing and rewriting that blasted novel you've been working on since forever, consider that maybe the problem isn't that you wrote a bad story, it's just that you changed, your story changed, and it's time to write a new story which fits your new tastes.

#long post #writeblr #writeblrs #writing #writing community #writing tip #writing advice #writing resources #novels #my own advice #teen writer #teen writing

[solliewriter]

Expressing ideas with words IRL is well-known to be difficult and sometimes disasterous.

So WHY on EARTH would ANYONE think that writing a goddamn novel, which is BTW made of words, is easy????? Those people are wasp-infested apples. I've been editing this chapter for a freaking TWO YEARS because of how hard it is to express complex characterization of a person.

You think writing a thank-you letter is hard? Yeah, try writing a 3,800-word chapter solely for the purposes of introducing someone to the nuances of a human being without sounding like an airheaded fool, an arrogant prick, a comic book caricature, or a dumbass two-year-old.

And don't forget about those side-characters either, the one who only has one-liners and no chance of further development!

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.

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oh, btw, I was the wasp-infested apple. sweet child, you knew nothing.

#writeblr #writing problems #editing #editing is hard #editing kills me #no i'm not freaking out #totally not frustrated #and not binging chocolate #def not me #jeg vet ikke

[solliewriter]

Finding Your Talent

Very often as a writer, I will find myself reading a tale by another author and saying, “My, I wish that I had her talent.” I’m sure that most of you feel the same at times.

I know that I’d be a much better writer if I only had Orson Scott Card’s gift for eliciting powerful emotions, Stephen King’s talent for creating contemporary voices, Shannon Hale’s ability to develop gorgeous metaphors, Lucius Shepard’s lyricism, Kevin J. Anderson’s special touch when dealing with mythic characters, Brandon Sanderson’s work ethic and ability to surprise, Dan Wells’ gift for coming up with great ideas, and so on.

You get the picture. Sometimes we feel down in the dumps because we don’t have someone else’s talent, and time after time I’ve seen young authors give up writing without ever recognizing their own unique strengths.

Even the best of us get down in the dumps. Most authors will, at one time or another, get publicly hammered for their incompetence. I recall when Stephen King first began to break out. Many a jealous author and critic talked about his lack of skills, his bland prose, and wondered why in the world people were buying his books—in droves. It wasn’t until a reviewer recognized that he was a “modern Shakespeare” with his ability to capture the voice of the common man that he began to get any respect at all.

I heard similar talk about J.K. Rowling from people who didn’t recognize that she was a genius at audience analysis. John Grisham was hammered for his lack of style by idiots who didn’t see how brilliantly he can plot. Stephenie Meyer has a fantastic gift for arousing emotions that resonate with her targeted audience.

Do you see a pattern? With most popular writers, the author develops a wide fan base, entrancing millions of readers, long before a critic ever sings his or her praise.

There are so many ways for a writer to be great as a stylist and storyteller that many a new author never fully appreciates or even recognizes his or her own talents.

Don’t give up on yourself. Discover what your own gifts are and learn to use them.

#thank you #amazing advice #writing tips #writeblr #writing resources #writing advice

[solliewriter]

To those who are saying that this isn't a toxic habit ... Let me tell you what it's like, speaking as someone who is the toxic and healthy versions of this character.

The healthy version is when quiet = calm. The toxic version is when quiet = suppression. Calm is when you're dealing with you're emotions, dealing with the bad reality by acknowledging it, but not getting over-the-top about it. In the healthy version, that explosion is somewhat calculated. The person has made a distinct line that shan't be crossed, but it's been crossed, and now it's time to let it all out. Their explosion is an act of self-defense.

But then there's the suppressed version, and it is so bad and so painful and yet so common. Suppression is when there is something bad, and instead of acknowledging it, you fool yourself into thinking "It's not that bad." But it is that bad, so you think and suppress all that bad stuff. Then you wonder why you're feel sick all the time and wonder why every little thing is making you a little more angry and a little more frustrated when really, there is no problem. Then, eventually, you have a mental breakdown that looks like an explosion. It's all that frustration and anger, and because it was all ignored and suppressed, all that emotion is directed at someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone who is innocent and ignorant. It's an attack and it's terrible. Truly terrible. In fiction, it is depicted as a series of miscommunications. The way tension is amped up for the climax is built on the premise that characters won't ask one question that clarifies everything.

I agree with OP about the satisfaction that comes with a good explosion of rage. The healthy version. The justified anger. Righteous anger has a certain dark pleasure.

But the line between a healthy and toxic version of this situation can be thin.

i know it's a little bit toxic but nothing is more satisfying to me than when a fictional character who is generally very dignified, polite, and calm even under pressure is finally persuaded to unleash their anger and it fucking explodes out of them with enough molten volcanic rage to level entire cities

[solliewriter]

23. They caused their own death.

They made a mistake earlier in the story. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was, in the end, what killed them.

How to make a character's death sadder

 Don’t have them die of old age after a long, fulfilling life. Many people don’t even think of this as sad (note that this can still work if you have enough of the other factors).

 Leave one of their major goals unfinished. The more enthusiastic they are about completing the goal, the sadder.

 Give them strong relationships with other characters.

 Make them fight against whatever is causing their death. Their ultimate loss is sadder if they struggle.

 Kill them in the middle of their character arc.

 Don’t describe their funeral in detail. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that long descriptions of funerals kill the sadness.

#writing prompts #writing advice #writing tips #writeblr #writing community

[solliewriter]

In Norse Mythology, Odin sacrificed his life for himself, in order to attain a higher state of being.

I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows, from where its roots run.

(Source: https://notendur.hi.is/haukurth/norse/reader/runatal.html)

What a beautiful idea that whatever goal you set for yourself, and whatever pain you must go through to attain that goal, is all for you, a god. You reap the rewards of this sacrifice from your humble self for your higher self. The magic of the sacrifice is yours.

#random thoughts

[solliewriter]

The meaning of life changes every day, sometimes every hour. Yesterday, the meaning of life was Friendship and Love. A few days ago the meaning was Clean Bedroom. Today it's remembering the past and pondering the future.

#random thoughts

[solliewriter]

So many people have these burning desires ... They want romance, or friendship, more books, sleep, and etc ... and here I am, drifting along, mirroring others and feeling like meaningless driftwood caught at sea, hoping to find a beach where someone can give my random shape some meaning.

#random thoughts

[solliewriter]

choose one

Are you criticizing to help or because something bothers you?

Are you quiet because you're listening or because you're afraid?

Are you overreacting or are you stressed?

Are you checking your emotions or are you gaslighting yourself?

Are you talking about vulnerabilities to be honest or to numb yourself against the pain?

Are you saying "I don't care" or are you just ignoring how much you care?

Are you mature or are you afraid of being spontaneous?

Are you confused or are you afraid?

Are you composed or are you numb?

Are you optimistic or are you suppressing your emotions?

Are you pessimistic to be constantly surprised by the good of life, or are your standards so low you're not achieving anything in life?

Are your standards high or are you afraid of being perceived as a failure?

Are you consistent and financially stable or are you unwilling to take risks?

Are you having fun or are you disregarding your future?

Are you talking because you want to or because it's what's socially expected of you?

Are you where you are right now because you want to or because it's what is socially expected of you?

***

Would you rather suffer the pain of familiarity or the pain of change?

Would you rather be loved or be in love?

Would you rather say nothing and never know the truth or speak up and risk rejection?

Would you rather have the same dream of a perfect life every night or would you rather take a few risky steps to make a less-than-perfect but better, real life?

***

Are you naive or do you only act on the good in life?

Are you weird or are you distinct?

Are you selfish or are you taking care of yourself?

Are you apathetic or is your social energy used up?

Are you irrationally pessimistic or do you like being surprised by how good life can be?

Are you irrationally optimistic or do you like spreading love and hope?

Are you a perfectionist or do you enjoy taking your time to smooth out the details?

Are you working too much or do you enjoy work?

Are you lazy or are you enjoying yourself?

Final question: Do you believe that everyone moves through life at their own pace, or are you trying to match the pace of someone other than yourself?

#self care #self improvement #self love #healing #self esteem #self help #studentblr #deep questions #introspection #life #thinking #either or #would you rather #perspective #purpose #perception

[solliewriter]

Sometimes there's a right time and a wrong time to write a story. This is personally why I need to have multiple projects at the same time.

Sometimes "time" has to do with the weather. Clearly, the story is an Autumn story, so I can only write it in september-november.

Sometimes it has to do with personal struggles. Two years ago I was struggling with anxiety, but now I'm struggling with understanding my ideas of romance. Those aren't the same stories.

There's one story I keep meaning to write, but keep putting off because I don't have the insight for it, yet. I did this when I was 12: I knew there was a story I'd write, but the protagonists were adults, and I figured I'd wait six years and write something else in the meantime (worth it, btw).

I think both Brandon Sanderson and Neil Gaiman have said something about waiting to write a specific story.

A lot of writers talk about the need to just write the story in order to overcome fear, writer's block, and to grow as a writer. But the thing is, it is also perfectly okay to wait and let an idea simmer and grow as you as a person grow. If there's a story you want to write, but don't feel ready to write, then it is a fine idea to put the story on the backburners and write a different story. It's okay to build-up to that story.

Sure, someday you'll have to face the challenge of putting that story into a tangible form -- but in my experience, it's a lot easier to do that after letting the story build inside, and letting it explode onto the page.

So here you have it: permission to have 100 on-going stories and write whatever is burning in your heart now.

(Small side note: Writing "the end" is a valuable experience, and for that reason, short stories are an awesome writing exercise).

#writeblr #writing help #helping writers #writing tips #writing tip #writer tips #writing resources #writing tools #writers on tumblr #tumblr writers #writing inspiration #writing community

[solliewriter]

Quickest way to determine if your character has a suitable flaw and virtue:

1) Ask yourself: What does Character A admire about Character B? What does Character A dislike about Character B?

2) Ask yourself: When and where is this demonstrated in the story?

#writeblr #writing community #writing characters #writing help #writing tip #writing tools #character flaws #writing advice