stacybloom

[stacybloom]

HARRY STYLES IS SET TO PERFORM AT GRAMMYS 2021

And the fangirl in me couldn’t be happier!!!

Commercials for his performance keep on popping up on my Instagram feed! Oh, Instagram, you know me so well...

Can’t wait to see Harry Styles rock the Grammys stage and make 2021 just a tiny bit better!! <3

Non-writing related but I had to get this out somewhere :D

#Harry Styles #fine line #watermelon sugar #grammys 2021

[stacybloom]

reasons to not quit writing:

your writing is a skill, not an inborn talent (unless, yeah, maybe it is). not everyone can do what you do and love

everyone says they want to write a book. everyone has what it takes to write a book. not everyone does it anyway. you be the small percentage of success you read about

your writing will always seem brickshit horrible because you wrote and read it a million times

you love this writing thingy. quitting it will be like cutting off your fingers one by one.

someone out there will want to read what you wrote.

someone out there wants to know what is on your mind. 

someone out there appreciates your art. they will share it with their friends. they will share it with their loved ones. they will share it with their future self because maybe what you wrote saved them.

if you give up now, you know you will just come back to it again, whether it’s years from now, months, or next week. you love writing, that’s why you planted the seed of thought that you are going to write this book, and whether you come back to it or not, your unwritten stories will come back to you.

#writing advice #don't give up!

[stacybloom]

Now I’m just trying to have fun with my fantasy WIP!

Before, I was following the 3 act structure in a very strict manner. Now, I’m using it as a skeleton for my story, but it’s ok if I don’t follow it to the T.

Before, I shied away from a lot of the fantasy templates like a royal family (Kings & Queens - cue Ava Max!), but now I’ve just added them into this recent draft. With a plot to overthrow the King for good measure!

Before, I had only one POV character because I didn’t want my book to feel EPIC in scope. Now, I’m having multiple POV characters and I find it a breath of fresh air. Although I still adore my MC.

Before, I was afraid to let my story go too dark. I hate grimdark as a genre but now, having the freedom to write a dark story is a breath of fresh air as well. There are dark themes and plot points in my story and the lighter tone just wasn’t working for the material presented. 

Overall, although I hope to get published one day, I’m just trying to have fun. I’m trying to juggle everything, like making goals for every scene, and having chapters matter in the long run. But, overall, I just want to have fun with this story and I had lost that before. Now I’m gaining it back and I couldn’t be happier. :D

#my manuscript #changes to my manuscript #My WIP #Fantasy Genre #Kings and Queens #ava max #writeblr #fantasy trilogy #dark fantasy #multiple pov #fantasy cliches

[stacybloom]

A QUICK GUIDE TO WRITING FANTASY CHARACTERS

By @//writerthreads on Instagram

Fantasy characters are just like any character. My top tips for writing fantasy characters are to make them realistic, (even if they aren’t human!) and to show some kind of development, which can show improvement or deterioration in terms of characteristics.

Not all your characters have to be human! You can have a vampire-based story, or include a wide range of mythic characters. These characters of different species will further create a magical feel to your book.

Unless you’re writing sci-fi, a big aspect of fantasy is magic. Nearly everything in the story revolves around magic. Most characters will have some kind of magical powers, but you can create a non-magical class.

Most fantasy books include these 6 types of characters:

The protagonist

The protagonist is almost always the hero, with the main goal of defeating the antagonist. They usually have some type of magical powers that they’re unaware of, or they’re improving on. This is a typical example of a character arc, where in the final battle, they unlock their full potential.

The antagonist

The antagonist is usually the villain. They have the single goal of defeating the protagonist, or usually, to achieve world domination with dark magic. Most villains in fantasy novels have a back story that allows the reader to sympathise and understand why they became a villain.

The best friend

They can either be the hero or villain’s best friend, but either way, in fantasy, they’re presented as a confidant. Although the mentor and best friend both give the hero advice, they can give different types of advice. The best friend supports the hero on a more personal level. They’re also there to remind the readers that the hero isn’t completely perfect, to humanise them. Although they’re usually loyal, there are some cases where a betrayal comes from them.

The henchmen

Henchmen are usually presented as low-intellect beings with a bulky build. They serve to do whatever the villain tells them to, which usually includes physical work, like hunting down the protagonist.

The mentor

The mentor teaches the hero how to wield their powers to their full potential, and mentors them by talking about life experiences. Though physically weak and old, the mentor usually is the host of the strongest magical powers, which may give them an omnipotent front. However, they usually have a dark past too, which is revealed later in the book. In the quest for the hero’s victory, the mentor usually sacrifices themselves.

The love interest

This can be either the hero’s best friend, or someone they meet along the way. The love interest also presents a human side of the hero, and can be one of their main supporters. However, as always, the readers must be shown the reason the hero is attracted to the love interest, either through kindly actions, or, if your hero is particularly shallow, (or under a love spell!) through physical features.

These are the main stereotypes I’ve observed in fantasy books, but of course, you can mix-and-match stereotypes, or even better, create a whole new type of character!

#writeblr #fantasy #fantasy characters #fantasy genre #so helpful

[stacybloom]

Thinking about the countless times art and music and cinema and literature have saved and comforted me during difficult times i really owe my happiness to everyone dedicated to their craft

#love this

[stacybloom]

CHARACTER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS (WRITING REFERENCE)

EYES/BROWS

his eyes widened

her eyes went round

her eyelids drooped

his eyes narrowed

his eyes lit up

his eyes darted

he squinted

she blinked

her eyes twinkled

his eyes gleamed

her eyes sparkled

his eyes flashed

his eyes glinted

his eyes burned with…

her eyes blazed with…

her eyes sparked with…

her eyes flickered with…

_____ glowed in his eyes

the corners of his eyes crinkled

she rolled her eyes

he looked heavenward

she glanced up to the ceiling

she winked

tears filled her eyes

his eyes welled up

her eyes swam with tears

his eyes flooded with tears

her eyes were wet

his eyes glistened

tears shimmered in her eyes

tears shone in his eyes

her eyes were glossy

he was fighting back tears

tears ran down her cheeks

his eyes closed

she squeezed her eyes shut

he shut his eyes

his lashes fluttered

she batted her lashes

his brows knitted

her forehead creased

his forehead furrowed

her forehead puckered

a line appeared between her brows

his brows drew together

her brows snapped together

his eyebrows rose

she raised a brow

he lifted an eyebrow

his eyebrows waggled

she gave him a once-over

he sized her up

her eyes bored into him

she took in the sight of…

he glared

she peered

he gazed

she glanced

he stared

she scrutinized

he studied

she gaped

he observed

she surveyed

he gawked

he leered

his pupils (were) dilated

her pupils were huge

his pupils flared

NOSE

her nose crinkled

his nose wrinkled

she sneered

his nostrils flared

she stuck her nose in the air

he sniffed

she sniffled

MOUTH

she smiled

he smirked

she grinned

he simpered

she beamed

her mouth curved into a smile

the corners of his mouth turned up

the corner of her mouth quirked up

a corner of his mouth lifted

his mouth twitched

he gave a half-smile

she gave a lopsided grin

his mouth twisted

he plastered a smile on his face

she forced a smile

he faked a smile

her smile faded

his smile slipped

he pursed his lips

she pouted

his mouth snapped shut

her mouth set in a hard line

he pressed his lips together

she bit her lip

he drew his lower lip between his teeth

she nibbled on her bottom lip

he chewed on his bottom lip

his jaw set

her jaw clenched

his jaw tightened

a muscle in her jaw twitched

he ground his jaw

he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl

her mouth fell open

his jaw dropped

her jaw went slack

he gritted his teeth

she gnashed her teeth

her lower lip trembled

his lower lip quivered

SKIN

she paled

he blanched

she went white

the color drained out of his face

his face reddened

her cheeks turned pink

his face flushed

she blushed

he turned red

she turned scarlet

he turned crimson

a flush crept up her face

WHOLE FACE, ETC.

he screwed up his face

she scrunched up her face

he grimaced

she winced

she gave him a dirty look

he frowned

she scowled

he glowered

her whole face lit up

she brightened

his face went blank

her face contorted

his face twisted

her expression closed up

his expression dulled

her expression hardened

she went poker-faced

a vein popped out in his neck

awe transformed his face

fear crossed her face

sadness clouded his features

terror overtook his face

recognition dawned on her face

SOURCE

#writeblr #facial expressions #writing resources

[stacybloom]

An Update on my (now) Trilogy!

Ok, so I’ve almost completely torn apart my old 4-book series outline, and am starting fresh, except for a few key points. This story is a much different beast than my last one: more adult, more dark, not what I was expecting, but I’m still liking it. 

Some things have been moved around, What was supposed to happen in the fourth and final book is now happening in the second book of the trilogy. Character motives have changed, especially the female lead. It was originally a one POV story from my MC’s POV, but I changed that, making it a multiple POV story to add more complexity and depth. I’m scrapping a lot but also adding a lot, trying to make it a more full story with more twists and turns. Fingers crossed I succeed. 

So, yeah, those are some of the changes I’ve made so far. Anyone else start out with a completely different story and end up with something wholly different? It’s a lot to take in now, but I feel ready. Just working on worldbuilding now and all it entails, and then hopefully I can begin my manuscript anew!

#changes #writeblr #writing #writing a book #fantasy genre #worldbuilding #outlining #writing a novel #writing a story #fantasy story #writer #changes to my manuscript #my manuscript

[stacybloom]

This is a reminder that:

Your WIP is worth it (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ 

Your OCs are fantastic (✿◠‿◠)

Your story is interesting ヾ(＠＾▽＾＠)ﾉ

People are going to love it (◕‿◕✿)

It’s all going to pay off someday soon ヽ(´▽｀)ノ

#thank you #I needed this #writeblr

[stacybloom]

Reblog this if it’s completely okay for me to tag you in tag games! :)

I’ve been here for a while (I guess) but I still need to get to know more writers!! Reblog this or let me know if it’s okay to tag you in writing games or regular games! I’ll take a look at your blog as well :)

#reblog #writeblr #tag games

[stacybloom]

Pretty horrible cover, but reading The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks got me thinking about my own fantasy story I’m writing. Do I want to make it Dark Fantasy like this one? Do I have enough twists and turns? Is it a good enough story to write?

Right now, I don’t think it is. There’s some gold in the story among the trash, but it doesn’t have that hair-raising action yet. Which I’m going to change right now.

I know this book isn’t perfect. The way women are written in it made me want to gag a lot. But it’s a good start for me branching out and really thinking about what I want to do for my own manuscript. Because right now my manuscript isn't a story. It’s just a bunch of scenes thrown together even after years of work - that all somehow doesn't really gel together. 

I loved the twists and turns in this book. I loved the constant flow of action. Yes, there were things I didn’t like, as mentioned above. I loved the character arcs and growth. All in all, it was a great story. And I want to strive to create something just as good. 

So, it’s back to the drawing board for me, as I try to figure out my own story. I know there’s a story in there just waiting to be shared. I just have to find it first. 

#writeblr #bookblr #the way of shadows #brent weeks #my manuscript #Fantasy Genre #dark fantasy #writing #writing a book #writing a trilogy #writing a novel #writing a story #personal #Personal Goals

[stacybloom]

reminder to all writers

you are talented, and more than capable of creating something extraordinary

your way of telling a story is unique, there’s not a single story in this world that could, or would, ever be told the same way, by any writer;

meaning, you bring something remarkable to the table, a story that never would have been told, if it wasn’t for you

and no amount of self-doubt is going to change that

#writeblr #I needed this

[stacybloom]

So I sort of made a big decision tonight regarding my book series!

And I hope I’m making the right one. 

My book series was originally envisioned as a 4-book series. But two of those books are really useless, I’m realizing, and aren’t up to par with the other two books. 

So....I’ve decided to condense it and make it into a trilogy!

Yes, I know trilogies are over-done. But I’m already figuring out that my story works best in a trilogy and isn’t quite so clunky otherwise. Moving scenes around in the outline I have now to better make it a trilogy. 

I don’t want to copy my favorite trilogies like Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, Back to the Future, Star Wars, etc. I want to create something that stands on its own. So, I’m researching structuring trilogies now and structuring character arcs in trilogies. 

This is gonna be a big project! Already figuring out how I’m going to change stuff around and what I’m keeping and cutting. I feel soooo much better already with this decision. I really wanted to create a 4-book series awhile ago, when I first started outlining this series, but now I find it clunky and not so clean.

If you guys have any tips or advice for writing trilogies, I’m all ears! It’s time for a lot of extra work now as I plan this whole series out again. Wish me luck!

#trilogy #writeblr #fantasy trilogy #lord of the rings #hunger games #back to the future #writing a trilogy #writing a book #writing a novel #writing a story #big decision #personal #star wars

[stacybloom]

For anyone having trouble with the Hero’s Journey story arc, this is a really great article on it and how to do it in a good way! 

#writing #writeblr #hero's journey #hero arc #km weiland

[stacybloom]

Recently I’ve been reminded how utterly brilliant Lord of the Rings is...

Been watching movie trailers on Youtube to try to figure out how to up the stakes in my own story and I’ve watched the Fellowship of the Ring trailer a bunch of times. The stakes, the worldbuilding, the characters that Tolkien created are just phenomenal. Sometimes I beat myself up for not being at that level yet.

But I have to remind myself it took more than a decade for Tolkien to write his most famous trilogy. With a lot of trial and error too, and silly mistakes along the way. The books and films - the finished products - just have so much magic in them that I’m always astounded I can find something new with each read-through or watch of the trilogy. 

I love the ordinary hero reluctantly gets pulled into an adventure trope! And Tolkien pulls this off beautifully with the hobbits: Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, our eyes to the magic of Middle-Earth. No, it isn’t perfect. (Tom Bombadil, anyone???) But it’s one of the best, deepest fantasy stories ever written, and I strive to create a work like this I could be proud of. (Not like a Tolkien copycat. My work is nothing like Tolkien’s I believe. But in making my story deep and not shallow and the world and characters to feel real.)

Just everything comes together so beautifully in the end, from Aragorn and his fate, to Gollum to the Ring and ahhhhh it’s perfect! Sometimes I feel I’m not ready or old enough to be trying to tackle the fantasy story I’m tackling right now. But then I’m reminded that Tolkien started writing and imagining at a young age. 

If I can write a story that touches me like Lord of the Rings touched me, then I know I’m on the right path. And, again, I know it’s not perfect: wordy language, underrepresentation of women, etc. But, man, is it something to strive for!

#personal #writeblr #lord of the rings #fellowship of the ring #the two towers #return of the king #hero's journey #middle earth #fantasy book #fantasy trilogy #JRR Tolkien #tolkien

[stacybloom]

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the newest Tom Holland MCU movie!!!

I’m a big Spider-Man fan! Ever since Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man hit the screen (I know, I’m showing my age), he’s been my favorite superhero. I haven’t watched the trailer yet, but I have high hopes for this movie. Tom Holland is a lot of fun to watch, and the writing doesn’t take itself too seriously. And with the last movie’s ending, there’s a lot to look forward to in this sequel.

Count me in! I’m gonna watch the teaser trailer as soon as I get home today. 

Yes, not a writing related post, but I wanted to share my love of Spider-Man on here. And that name: it’s very ominous. No Way Home. I wonder what it all means....

#spider-man #spiderman #tom holland #peter parker #no way home

[stacybloom]

I’m reworking my original idea into a draft with more mystery, suspense and magic hopefully!

Been working hard at completely tearing apart my last few drafts! They had a lot wrong with them and now I’m trying to create something better

Using Pinterest to add more magic and mystery to the world and its surroundings

Using the 3 act structure to make it a more interesting and character-driven story beat by beat

Studying  the Hero’s Journey and Hero Arc more closely to get that sense of journey and adventure just right

Making sure all my subplots and side characters tie into the main character and my main plot

Making the villain more villainous and surprising 

Going crazy and tearing my hair out!!!!

Building up the world more via worldbuilding tricks I’m learning 

Making sure my MC has agency and doesn’t sit around letting the plot happen to him but really shows a lot of action and verve

Getting into the mind of my MC and really writing from his POV (it’s third person close so there’s that)

Making sure I leave book one maybe not on a cliffhanger but some unanswered questions so readers will want to read the sequel

This is just a short list of the tall order of things I have ahead of me to do for this draft. This draft is the hardest I’ve ever had to write. Some prose took me hours to write - literally only a paragraph or two!

But hoping it’s worth it in the long run. I’m trying new things - like typing instead of handwriting it; listening to soundtrack music instead of my usual playlist of rock and pop artists; and really diving deep into the 3 act structure and internal and external conflict, as well as the Hero’s Journey. 

So exhausted already from all my work cut out for me, but I feel ready to take it on. I’m older (and wiser???), so I’ve got that going for me. And hopefully this draft won’t be complete trash....

#writeblr #my manuscript #fourth draft #to do list #pinterest #3 act structure #hero's journey #hero arc #subplots #side characters #main characters #plot #villain #protagonist #antagonist #worldbuilding #character agency #sequels #writing a book #writing to do list #writing a novel #writing a story

[stacybloom]

Writing Tip: Abbie Emmons

I found this writer on Youtube about two weeks ago named Abbie Emmons. And she has been a lifesaver! I’m completely reworking what I now know to be a pretty horrible manuscript and making it better with her tips.

If you haven’t done so already, and are having major trouble and setbacks with your WIP, search for “Abbie Emmons” on Youtube. I promise you’ll thank me later!

She’s a character-first writer like me, although I didn’t even realize I was letting plot take precedence over my first drafts. But I’m changing that now! This draft I’m on now is extremely difficult to write, so I know I’m moving in the right direction now. Just do yourself a favor and watch her videos. I promise you won’t regret it.

#abbie emmons #writing #writing advice #writeblr #writing a book #my manuscript #3 act structure #youtube #characters