#story advice

[coffeewritesfiction]

The thing I keep telling myself lately in regards to my writing is this:

if I'm not having fun, then what's the fucking point?

Stop worrying about publishing. Stop worrying about what people might think. Stop thinking about if your story will be a bestseller, if it will be hated, if anyone will read it at all.

Stop getting ahead of yourself. You're overthinking.

It's okay to have fun. You are supposed to have fun, you are supposed to enjoy the process, the effort, the work. Are there times that are less pleasant, less fun? Absolutely. But your favorite authors and heroes did not become the writers they are because they were grinding their teeth in agony with every word they wrote.

Let go of all the questions. It doesn't matter what people might think about your story. It doesn't matter if this story gets you an agent. It doesn't matter if this is the best story ever, or the worst, or most forgettable or whatever else you hope or fear it will be.

Let them go. Turn your mental focus away from them as best you can. Tell yourself, "my future self will deal with that when my present self is done".

Because none of those are relevant unless you finish the story. And you can't finish the story if you're worrying about the future.

Don't give up. You've got this. And if you haven't heard this today, I'm proud of you.

#kind of a bit more personal this one #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing positivity #writing advice #story advice #writing encouragement #writers helping writers

[ineffable-sideburns]

Not sure where to ask this since I’m still rather new to tumblr outside of interacting in one fandom, but I have a couple questions for writers.

I studied visual art in college four years ago now and over the past year I really regret not studying creative writing instead because I’ve had story ideas in my head but I just don’t know where to start with outlining a written story. Maybe it’s due to the structure I had in school and the emphasis academia gives on having to know the history, concepts, terms, context, etc in order to create art, but now I feel completely lost on how to learn this new medium (literature).

I read a lot and try to analyze the stories in cinema as well. But I’m just curious if any self-taught writers have advice for someone who’s used to structure and learning things in terminology and concept and steps, rather than the more natural “consuming literature teaches you how to write it” way I imagine a lot of writers have learned?

Like when I try to write my ideas, I get stuck wondering how to begin to properly outline the story structure, and set things up in scenes. Then I go down rabbit holes like “how much coincidence is permitted in a story and when”, looking up literary terms that lead to more and just send me further into the pit.

Are there any resources or books that helped you think about story building and outlining critically? Are there any programs that help with setting up the scenes and outline? Any resources on prose and lesser known literary devices, witticism, things like that? Because currently I only discover literary terms on accident through Wikipedia and there has to be a better way to learn

#writing #author #storytelling #stories #prose #writing advice #writing a book #writing asks #writing a novel #story advice

[creativepromptsforwriting]

So I have this kind of idea to write about a witch who was formally a noblewoman but her family had been accused of treason and thus all hanged by the royalty, however she managed to escape by using her magic by, erasing her existence in the memory of people,And now for proposes of romance to blossom between the playful second prince and her,I want a reason for her to hang out with royalty like him,like maybe a forced reason.Vegnece and deceiving won't really be ideal choices since she didn't really care about her family. Also,since being a witch also is frowned upon in the empire,all the more reason she shouldn't be hanging with royalty.So I am kind of reached a dead end, so do you have any ideas ?

She erased the memory of her, but maybe she also got herself a fake identity when she was once again confronted with people that were distrustful of her. And to give herself some power she used her magic to make people believe that she is royalty from another kingdom. Word gets out that she is in this kingdom on her own and the king summons her to live in his court. That could be a reason to have her be close to royalty.

- Jana

#anon ask #story advice #writing

[i-write-comics-not-screenplays]

Organizing Your Lore: Icebergs

I dunno if anyone has said this before (or if I've said this before)... but I came up with a cool way to organize your info for your story.

Are you like me, and have trouble organizing all the fun info you have about your story that you may or may not implement someday, but still have it and want to record it somehow?

You know those iceberg memes, where it shows interesting facts about a concept or piece of media, ranging from commonly known to quite obscure?

Make an iceberg for your story!!!

Like. Stuff that is abundantly clear in your story or that you plan on incorporating, put at level 1.

Stuff about main or secondary characters that takes a little while to know about or is only subtly implied/briefly mentioned can go in level 2.

Things about minor characters or settings that aren't really mentioned or significant to the story but could be relevant goes in level 3.

Heavy things that are very deep in the story, setting, characterization, etc., but are either never explicitly stated or only known at the end (like things you would consider major spoilers) can go in the deeper levels. The more there is to know, the deeper you make the iceberg go.

These are just examples, and it depends on your story, but I plan on doing this to help me visualize what is important to mention in my story, how it relates to my plot, tidbits I know but have nowhere to put them, things like that!! I hope this helps anyone else who needs a new way to organize their story :)

#writing #writing advice #iceberg #iceberg meme #writeblr #writing characters #writing ideas #writing tips #story advice #story tips #character writing #wips #oc writing #oc advice #plot writing #plot advice

[anulithots]

DO YOU WANNA KNOW MY MOST IMPORTANT WRITING ADVICE?

As you are writing, laugh at it. Mouth out "this is ridiculous", screw up your face as you write that overly pretentious thing. Stim with a thousand hand motions as you look at just how dumb that just was. Overuse rhetorical devices (parallelism is my favorite), overwrite and write what's swirling around, use as many words as you need to get there. If you come from academic writing, do a quick thing for that to get in the mood.

INDULGE YOURSELF.

VENT.

Have POV character notice how dumb this is.

I stick my tongue out in a screwed-up smile as I write the nonsense. I don't write character actions or scene description. Just a lot of thots poking and prodding at this thing called existence. I use Unfiction. Why not? My favorite stories are character-based with no plot. Why should I have a plot? Why not just see what the characters would do and how their actions would affect each other, ta da, plot. Skim over a scene with a few notes. Write notes for yourself whenever you are stuck.

anddd....

Use a story system when you need it, but if you must, make it your own. And don't revere it. (That can be hard, but I believe in you!) For me, I've tried to learn little snippets of rhetoric so my writing isn't vomit-inducing, proceeded to overuse them. Have fun with it. Use it to vent when it isn't fun. Sit with your characters and scream to this vast expanse. Make memes with them. What would they do if they were stuck in an elevator?

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #story advice #fiction #oc story #creative writing

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

How 2 make ur stori

1. Create angery tough man w/ dark and irredeemable past

2. Gib him smol child, pure and good. Also good at murder.

3. Inflict Community

4. Force him to continue onward and onward against time and all things he’s done because no matter how much he wants to die and rest and pay for his mistakes he has someone to take care of and love now and his life is no longer his own to give away and so he’ll keep going, no matter what.

5. Profit

#incorrect super smash bros #not a quote #thought #idea #story idea #story advice #funny #meme #list #Lone Wolf and Cub #Logan #The Mandalorion

[dominiquewritesthings]

Meet the character - This post should be introductory to anyone who wants to meet your main characters BEFORE you publish! You should include a picture of the character that shows their personality or feature. Information-wise, each character should have their name, age, and a fun fact about them. Of course, you can add more but I think that's the most important information. A lot of people like to add their birthday and their zodiac sign, especially if their personality is somewhat based on their specific zodiac. For Magic Prep, introduced Asher, Aurelie, Londyn, and Blythe. Instead of them posing to their personality, I let them pose with their flame, which is a big part of the story. This is also a great time to post character details for your main characters!

2. Guess the Title - Personally, I haven't done this but I've seen a lot of bigger authors do this. Make an Instagram post with your story title, except some of the letters are missing. My recommendation is if you have the word "The" or "A" to give that to your readers as a helping hand. Then, open comments and urge your readers to guess in the comments. Of course, this is a giveaway opportunity if you want it to be. If anyone gets it right, offer a reward! The reward is up to you. 

3. Sneak Peeks - Sneak peeks are always a classic, but they're even better when the story is unpublished! I would save these for a time closer to publishing because your readers will want to read instantly! Also, save the sneak peek for when the final copy is done, so you definitely don't cut out the dialogue in your proofreading. The dialogue or scene in question should be your most dramatic. That way, your readers will know what to look forwards to. If you wanted to, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a couple of lines of dialogue and make it into a reel, mainly because Instagram highly promotes reels and your readers get a small taste. I wouldn't include more than 1-4 lines, however.

4. Countdown to Publish - This is my FAVORITE thing to do for promotion! All you need to do is make an Instagram story post and make a countdown. You should choose the color to match the theme of the story, the date, and the time of publishing. For these, I like to post these directly after the story announcement picture! The picture should be either the cover of the story or a scene from the exposition. 

5. Story Announcement (Picture) - The story announcement picture should be the cover of your story. If you have a publish date, be sure to include that as well! However, the description is the MOST important part! You should include the story behind the story, how long it took, the description, the genre, the title, and a fun fact! Remember, don't feel ashamed to ramble, Instagram rewards those with longer captions! Also, don't forget to use your hashtags.

6. Story Announcement (Reel) - The story announcement reel is very similar to the picture, but a bit different. Instead of a picture, you'll be doing an edit of the cover. Everything in the caption can be the same because you'll definitely reach a new audience if you use a reel. 

7. Story Announcement (Trailer) - The story announcement trailer is similar as well! This is a trailer for your new story. Imagine the trailer for a movie, but specifically for your story. Whatever you include in the caption can be the same or different, it's up to you. 

8. The Question Box - This small box can literally do anything for you. The box can be a Q&A or it can be a prediction section for all of your readers. Make sure you respond to it and entice people to answer.

#Author #Black Author #Story Advice #Writing Advice #Episode Interactive

[anchanted-one]

Some advice is needed.

I'm at a point in Conclave of Champions, where Theron finally realizes that Lana and Vajra’s (Knight's) relationship is legit.

He gets angry. Angrier, when Jasme fesses up that she and Kairegane (Warrior) were in a relationship and are kinda hoping to get back into it.

I've tried writing this twice, but each time he ends up looking like a douche. Which isn't what I'm going for 😕.

#swtor #star wars #the old republic #star wars the old republic #fanfic #fanfiction #lana beniko #jedi knight #hero of tython #theron shan #jasme shan #writing #writing advice #story advice

[cryscal]

#writers #storytellers #skill sets #story advice #writing advice

[demonthusflamingo]

Hey guys I am trying to write a romance but the issue is that I have never been in a relationship at all in my time living. I could do it but suddenly you know I've been just kind of worried that just to that factor I might not be able to do it well enough so I want advice. Like what are romantic relationships built and what makes them work? These are things I just don't know sadly and I just want answers for if anybody can give them to me.

#story advice #writing advice #advice #romance advice #life advice

[lgbtlunaverse]

There's a version of the "don't go grocery shopping while hungry" rule specifically for writers where you should never under any circumstances be allowed to touch your draft within 3 hours of reading a really good story. Because sometimes when you read something great your head goes "fuck this is so much better than my stuff I should make that more like THIS instead!" Look at me. That's the devil talking and you should close the document NOW.

#you will make superficial edits that do not gell well with the rest of your work #and won't actually capture what you thought was so good about that story #close the doc. sit down. think about it for a while. inspiration is fine. getting a 'eureka' moment from another story is fine #but if you find yourself comparing your work one to one with someone else's and taking any differences to be flaws on your part then STOP #you will never write good stuff by trying to make it look less like you wrote it #writing #writing advice #guess who just had to go into her google doc history and undo a bunch of panic-induced edits #because she read a fic about the same characters she's writing for? #meeee. they aged badly within just a few hours of hindsight. learn from my mistakes #self-hatred is not a good motivation for creation #fic writing

[ichverdurstehier]

What are some good apps for typing out stories? It's a smut story. Keep notes app has a character limit of 19,881 characters, including spaces. Is Google docs secure, or will it snitch on me to the cops?

#story help #short story #writing reference #writing help #writing tips #story tips #story time #for a story #stories #writing #writblr #writing resources #writing app #story apps #story advice #writing advice #google docs #google drive

[blue-eyed-author]

Some of my writer’s block cures:

Handwrite. (If you already are, write in a different coloured pen.)

Write outside or at a different location.

Read.

Look up some writing prompts.

Take a break. Do something different. Comeback to it later.

Write something else. (A different WIP, a poem, a quick short story, etc.)

Find inspiring writing music playlists on YouTube. (Themed music, POV playlists, ambient music, etc.)

Do some character or story prompts/questions to get a better idea of who or what you’re writing.

Word sprints. Set a timer and write as much as you can. Not a lot of time to overthink things.

Set your own goals and deadlines.

Write another scene from your WIP. (You don’t have to write in order.) Write a scene you want to write, or the ending. (You can change it or scrap it if it doesn’t fit into your story later.)

Write a scene for your WIP that you will never post/add to your story. A prologue, a different P.O.V., how your characters would react in a situation that’s not in your story, a flashback, etc.

Write down a bunch of ideas. Things that could happen, thing that will never happen, good things, bad things.

Change the weather (in the story of course.)

Feel free to add your own.

#writeblr #writing help #writing tips #writing advice #books #writing #wattpad #stories #author #writing community #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writers block #writers blog #writblr #female writers #writerscorner #writing motivation #writers block cures #novel writing #writer things #writing encouragement #authors supporting authors #author blog

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Hello, hope you are having a great day.

I'm currently trying to write a novel about the supernatural world with different creatures (not only vampires and werewolves, but they are also part of it). However, I'm currently struggling about how to introduce (I don't know if this is the correct word lol) them to the human world.

I mean, they have their own "world". You could say that is a whole country where they all live and with their own government policies and stuff like that, but they are also part of the human world (similar to any movie about supernatural creatures).

However, I'm struggling to know if humans should know about them (as if it is something normal) or if it should be like any other supernatural movie where only a few of them know that they exist while the others think that the accidents that happened were caused by animals and not by people with fangs.

This is an important thing in my story because unlike most of the supernatural creatures in my story, there is a particular creature that does not get along well with other creatures and they do not respect any law (they just kill people, and do not care if they are in the territory of others), so they are just causing chaos in the city and do not care if the police or the people starts to suspect that something else is happening in their city which can risk the lives of other supernatural creatures.

Along with that, there is a war involving only supernatural creatures that are starting to affect the human world due to that particular creature.

But I don't know how to do it, do you have any recommendations or perhaps ideas about how to write them [humans] feeling intrigued that something else is happening? How can I write a scene where the police or military or any other is starting to realize that something supernatural is happening in the city?

It is totally okay if you can't answer this, to be honest, I'm really bad at explaining things lol, and sorry for my English! It is not my first language so I'm still learning hehe. Thank you in advance.

Never apologize for your English, you're doing great! Coming from a non-English-native myself 😅

It feels to me like you have actually already made up your mind regarding your question about the humans knowing or not knowing but suspecting. For your story to work how you described it it would be the humans not knowing but starting to see things happening that can't be naturally explained.

I think this is something that happened in Harry Potter as well, where magical crimes were being committed against Muggles.

The question is: Do you want a specific group of people to investigate these occurrences and them finding out about the supernatural word but keep it a secret or do you want everyone to know and realizing that there are not only supernatural creatures but they are also involved in a war?

If you want it to be the first option than your story has to involve this group much more heavily. If you want the story to be simply about the creatures and not have to spend a lot of time writing about the humans then I would suggest the option of everyone finding out and dealing with it in a more general kidn of way through their governments etc.

I hope this helps!

- Jana

#anon ask #story help #story advice #writing #ask

[i-write-comics-not-screenplays]

Hey, if you want to write about a form of marginalisation, or just a type of experience that you havent experienced (exactly) yourself but feel a lot of empathy for and have done a lot of research into (or are willing to do so),

PLEASE write your thing. I know a lot of people may disagree, but I think it's okay. Even good! Get ghost authors, sensitivity readers, etc., if you plan on publishing. But if you don't want to publish it and just want to write a story, please please don't worry. All I ask is that you do research. Otherwise, just write your thing!!

I'm part of a lot of groups that have been misrepresented in stories, but the problem wasn't that inexperienced people chose to write about these experiences; it was that they didnt care enough to write them well. If you care, and you aren't trying to spread misinformation, please write write write! You can write it just for yourself if you don't want to offend anyone, but if there is a story in your mind, and your heart is in the right place, get it out on a document at the very least! I know you can write it well, even just for yourself or a small circle.

Bonus: it will help you understand others when you do research for these things! So don't hold back. Research, write, and confirm with others (particularly if you plan to publish!)

#writing #writing advice #story advice #writing tips #i say this as a neurodivergent person.. NTs can write ND people- the only problem is when you dont care enough #do research and i dont mind. i can tell when someone has the best intentions and you know what. GO FOR IT. #i love seeing representation for these things EVEN when the writer hasnt experienced it themselves. because they want to understand #idk thats how i feel. but no matter what do research and dont make assumptions. ask opinions and work with that #yeah! #eee... send post.

[anulithots]

(originally in response to another post, I just liked this IDK)

... I use writing as my coping mechanism. I write out whatever I'm feeling at the time and try to explore those feelings as much as possible, and after I've written a first pass, I can write around in the arc depending on what that current feeling is.

And... I've rarely gotten writers block. I've gotten anxiety and have despised my writing, yes, but I do not find a loss of words that often.

~Giving the writing a purpose for yourself (ie - comfort) makes it easier to not people please and have fun with it.

And if you are using writing as a coping mechanism, if you find that you cannot write forward, feel free to go back to a previous part that you can expand on with the feelings you are feeling now.

This may not work for everyone! But using writing as a coping mechanism has helped me write along with getting me through the lowest lows of my life.

(Just make sure to have a 'write whatever low energy' project, because coping mechanism projects tend to be very personal and at times draining. Poetry, another form of art, short stories, or a nonsense story works for this)

Well wishes to you all! (why'd that sound christmas-y?)

#creative writing #writing tips #authors of tumblr #coping mechanism #fiction #storytelling #take care of yourself #narrative #story #storyteling #writer tips #story advice #writing advice #writing adjacent #writing adventures #coping mechanisms #writeblr #the land of the fallen fairies