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[wordsnstuff]

Hey, so i'm working on my first WIP, and i wanted to ask about drafting. When can one consider their first draft done? Does it have to have the goal word count (ie; 100K), or would being about halfway there be considered a good enough first draft, that i can move on to the second and start editing?

Concluding each stage of the writing process

It's difficult to know when a phase of a writing project has concluded and you're ready to focus on a new objective as it's developing. I tend to approach my writing projects with a clear and uniform trajectory, regardless of how diverse my projects can be. This approach allows me to remain focused, thorough, and reassured that I am covering all my bases in an organized fashion. However, it also maintains space for me to be explorative and intuitive when necessary. In regards to word count, I don't think it's entirely relevant unless you're determined to adhere to strict genre conventions. Give your story the space it needs and not an extra inch.

(Optional) Zero Draft

In this phase, you're telling yourself the story. You're doing it quickly, messily, intuitively, and forgivingly. Explore every idea that glows in the dark for you, don't throw anything away or discount any possibility. Exhaust your imagination in this phase so that when you reach the first draft, you know you're making informed decisions.

First Draft

You're crafting the structure and core elements of the story. This is often the phase of discovery. You're becoming acquainted with your characters and how they interact, you're beginning to feel at home in the world and settings you've built, and you're seeing all sides of the conflict as it evolves. The goal here is settle on a beginning, middle, and end point, and by the end of this process you want to know your characters' motivations and relationships inside and out.

Second Draft

Go back quickly through the first draft and address any points where you got stuck, where you compromised for the sake of carrying on to the end, and fill in any apparent blanks. The first time you really iron something out, there will always be a few pesky creases. This is the time to find and flatten them.

Third Draft

This is where you question everything. Identify and scrutinize your decisions, dive into the "curtains are blue" discussions with yourself, and begin to tidy up things like grammar, clumsy dialogue, over-poured descriptions, and dubious vocabulary. Comb through each paragraph and be brutal, prioritizing clarity and intentionality of how you've told the story.

The Read Through

This is the point where I recommend doing three things:

Letting it rest away from you for 1-3 months so that you can return to it with a bit of unfamiliarity and new perspective.

Hand it off to a couple of trusted readers and give them ample time to read, digest, and craft some feedback

Reread the project once all the way through making no changes (although annotations are acceptable)

Fourth Draft

Finishing touches. Vigorously and meticulously scrub and scrape between the lines and imagine giving it to your worst enemy. If you can imagine any mean (but valid) things they could conceive of to say about it, this is the time to grapple with or fix those details.

Additional Resources

Guide to Drafting

Word Count/Productivity Tracker Spreadsheet

Balancing Detail & Development

Writing The First Chapter

Writing The Middle of Your Story

Powering Through The Zero-Draft Phase

Writing The Last Chapter

Chapter Length

Happy drafting,

x Kate

#writing #writeblr #writing advice #authorblr #writing resources #drafting

[wordsnstuff]

28 Days Of Memories: Wordsnstuff February Writing Challenge

– Last month, you guys really enjoyed participating in the writing challenge for #wordsnstuffjanuary. I recommend sifting through the tag and reading some of the responses. They’re truly amazing. Another month-long writing challenge was highly requested so I decided to make it a monthly thing. If you have a theme idea for the next few months, let me know here. I’m very open to suggestions! Gentle reminder that you can post the responses on Instagram as well. All I ask is that you use the #wordsnstufffebruary and/or tag @ writingandsuch so I can find your fabulous writing!

Side note – some of these are obviously more time consuming than others so it’s not required that you respond to them in order. As long as you specify which prompt you’re responding to, there won’t be a problem. The goal of this challenge is to inspire you to write every day and give you some sort of incentive and format for sticking to a writing schedule. The idea is to respond to one each day, so it doesn’t really matter in what order you do that.

☼ Prompt List ☼

Write about the happiest memory you have

Write about your first relationship

What was it like at your lowest point

Write about a time where someone really came through for you

Something that took a long time to accept

Write about dream you left behind and why you gave up on it

Write about what you used to do for fun as a kid

Write about your first love

Write about what it is like to grow up. If you haven’t yet, what will it be like?

Write about what it was like leaving home. If you haven’t yet, what will it be like?

Write about a memory that used to make you smile, but now makes you cry

Write about a person that left your life too soon

What scent(s) remind you of times in your life and why?

What have you done on Valentine’s Day through the years?

Write about your first passion. Are you still passionate about it?

Write about something you wish you had done

Write about a time you were obsessed with something

Write about a seemingly insignificant memory that means the world to you

Write about a risk you took. Was it worth it?

Write about your first kiss

Write about a place you used to frequent but never visit anymore

Write about a lesson you learned the hard way

Write about a memory that makes you cringe

Write about a person who left your life too late

Write about an opportunity that changed your life

Write about an event that, at the time, felt like the end of the world

Write about a person who once meant the world to you but is now a stranger

Write about your first heartbreak

I read all of your guys’s responses and they were all so lovely and amazing, so I decided to give all the writer’s out there who gave it a shot a ‘lil shout out because you guys wrote wonderful stuff that was really nice to read at the end of the day.

@perfectlyimperfectmess @psuedonom @viridis-blooming @oreodragonborn @willwantwrites @humblefun @writingonallthedrugs @hygeeandengentado @i-will-try-to-write @storyunrelated @risrielthron @chiizuburger @imperiallefty @boothewriter @largelevi @becs-bunker

Thanks for participating guys, your writing is awesome:)

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[wordsnstuff]

This might sound strange... writing a romance I started to see romantic potential between my lead and a side character, rather than strictly between the two leads... I'm starting to swerve. How can I suit my writing/mindset to keep the relationship with the side character platonic?

When characters develop minds of their own...

Writing is one of those mediums where people tend to overlook the importance of experimentation. It's seen as a fairly linear process: brainstorm, map the plot, write the draft, edit the draft, publish. If any other type of creation was done this way, most would see the process as incomplete, because experimentation is imperative to creativity. Curiosity is the key to finding satisfaction, and no matter how brilliant you think an idea is at its conception, the best way to do it justice is to question it.

If you find yourself in a situation where your story begins to develop outside your control, don't strangle it back into the shape you imagined for it at first. See where it goes. Let it bleed outside the lines and see what you prefer. You can always return to the original plan. The beauty in fiction is that it has infinite possibility, and if you have the talent to write characters and worlds that determine their own trajectory, enjoy the reward.

In your case, you've designed a romance between two characters but the chemistry of a different pairing has become more compelling, so see what happens. There is a good chance you've simply written a secondary character that serves the story better in a leading role, and there's no harm in experimenting to see if that's correct. If it doesn't work and you're convinced the relationship is more suitable in the platonic category, you will find the reason along the way and that reason will speak for itself as you return to writing the original pairing. If anything, this might become an organic way for you to misdirect the reader in order to make the payoff of your original idea more substantial.

Writing should be an intuitive process. If you're swerving in another direction, satiate your curiosity and then make decisions with all of the information. Just like any other artistic medium, you will only know what's right once you've established what isn't.

Best of luck,

x Kate

#writing #writeblr #writespo #writing advice #authorblr #qna #romance #plot development #editing #character development #character relationships

[wordsnstuff]

I want to write a story, but i cannot decide on which pov/person i should write. I feel like first person would be perfect, but then i want to keep certain informations secrets to the readers, so i thought maybe third person, but it’s not as fluid as first person is… how do i choose? Any tips?

Choosing point of view for your story

I am in the unique position of having exactly what you need. Here is my series of Guides on Point of View which detail my main tips, resources, and answered questions about each option as far as POV:

Guide to Writing First Person Point of View

Guide to Writing Third Person Point of View

Guide to Writing From Multiple Points of View

and some additional resources:

Pros & Cons of Different Points of View

Showing VS Telling in First Person POV

There is an absence of s guide to second person because it is much less common, but I would be happy to create it if readers show some interest

Best of luck,

x Kate

#writing #writeblr #writing advice #writing resources #POV #point of view #perspective #qna #drafting

[wordsnstuff]

Why does screenwriting have such a weird format? I know it's standard for scripts of all kinds, but it's also alien? It almost looks like it's designed for someone to write quickly??

Why are screenplays the way they are?

Screenplays are interesting pieces of writing because while they can read very beautifully, and quality is apparent in some scripts more than others, it is a medium that is extremely purposeful. The script is not the final destination of the idea, and that is what you have to remember. The script is, more than anything, a map. It gives the cast, crew, and producers the necessary information to get a sense of the story so that it can be adapted effectively. Therefore, the quality of a script is judged by a completely different rubrick:

Adaptability: Scripts are naturally going to go through many changes to serve the filmmaking process. Filmmaking is a fundamentally collaborative process so other members of the group must be able to effectively interpret the script well enough to make strategic improvements. Scripts are definitely works of art in their own right, but the design must account for adaptation into a completely different medium and you will not always be the person making executive decisions on how that is to be done.

Clarity: Creative liberty is acceptable in a lot of forms of writing, and style is definitely apparent in a screenwriter's work, but that is primarily to be found in how they practically form the elements of the story, rather than how it is delivered in words. The clearer your meaning and intent in a script, the easier it will be for the other people you're collaborating with to interpret and translate into the next medium. Even if your work is meant to be experimental, abstract, or avant garde, the script is the place where you make sure everyone that is inside of the production understands the point, so that they can help you make sure everyone outside of it is confused in the desired way. Your talent and style can be showcased in the way you demonstrate the particular brand of humor or suspense or drama in the descriptions, dialogue, and dialogue cues.

Efficiency: Format is extremely strict in the industry because it is a collaborative medium that often brings together hundreds of crew members who are all from different backgrounds/experience. The one thing that must remain consistent and reliable is the legibility of the script. The gaffer and the producer alike must be able to pick up the script and find what they need to learn in order to fulfill their role. The format of the script denotes specific crew member's cues in specific places so they know how to find what's expected of them quickly and efficiently. While on larger productions, there's often many directorial positions who are coordinating and communicating with the crew members who handle more detail oriented jobs, that isn't always the case.

My advice, if you're looking to gain experience in writing scripts that are actually meant to be adapted is to practice self-discipline, pragmatism, and distance. Your script won't always belong to you. There isn't the autonomy in screenwriting that you have in prose. Learn the rules of screenwriting, then learn how to enhance them in your own way.

Best of luck,

x Kate

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#writing #writeblr #writespo #writing advice #screenwriting #script #screenplay #qna

[wordsnstuff]

Hey! So, I've been working on a story and I find your blogs truly helpful. Thank you so very much!

So, the story I'm working on is like rivals to friends to lovers, and what extremely frustrates me is that I just don't know how to let the relationship between the rivals to slowly improve without making it forced.

(Note: the two mcs are supposed to be ceo's to two rivalling companies and they have a project to work on together)

Sorry for the long question^^;

Hope you have a wonderful day (or night)!

Rivals to Friends to Lovers

There are a lot of ways one could go about developing a relationship with this trajectory, but here's how I would map out the progression generally:

Exposition: establish why they dislike each other circumstantially, then personally. It's important to make room for depth and vulnerability that later turns into opportunities for bonding and eventual affection. The best way to do that is set up the climax of the first act early, and immersing the reader immediately into the patterns and conceptions that have created the initial dynamic is the best way to set up an organic transition.

phase one: rivals to friends - a mutual misunderstanding is resolved, making way for acquaintanceship which blooms into friendship upon mutual interests or values OR events that continue pushing them together until they realize they don't hate each other anymore.

Phase two: friends to lovers - romantic interest grows between the two as their relationship develops and they slowly notice more and more similarities between the idea of the partner they want and the person in front of them

Phase three: lovers - there is a communication of feelings and desires and we reach a resolution the the tension and stakes. Remember that structure and pace is important in this story, so if this comes too early, you're robbing the characters of the slow escalation that will season the events following the love confession. I know it's the fun bit, but practice delated gratification for yourself and readers. The preamble is often more important to the conclusion than the resolution.

I've linked some other resources from the blog that you might find helpful:

Resources For Romance Writers

Guide To Writing Friends To Lovers

Guide To Writing Enemies To Lovers

Guide To Writing Will-They-Won’t-They

Guide To Writing Forbidden Love

20 Mistakes to Avoid in Enemies to Lovers

Tips on Writing Love Confessions

Rivalry vs. Abuse

Balancing Fluff and Conflict

Writing pairings that create inherent conflict

Maintaining tension in an early pay-off romance

Best of luck!

x Kate

#writing #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips #romance writing #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers #rivals to friends to lovers #writing resources #authorblr

[wordsnstuff]

Hi!

I have reached out to more people, but I'm still having problems with this, and I wanted to hear another opinion.

As a writer, do you have problems continuing a story once you hit a difficult scene?

Because I do, and honestly it's getting me frustrated at this point.

I have a good idea and a plot already done, but every time I hit a difficult scene I just get stuck, and can't write for weeks, sometimes months. I hardly even open the documents when it happens, and sometimes it comes right when I'm on a writing spree and being happy with my writing.

Do you have any advice on how to deal with this? How can I get past this issue and just keep writing more frequently?

I'd really like to hear it!

What do you do when you hit a snag?

When approaching this topic, the frustrating thing is that age-old advice has a lot of truth to it. Sometimes it is true that the best thing you can do when you're stuck is to stop struggling against the resistance and take a meaningful, intentional break to rest your mind and reset your thought process. Sometimes the key to getting started again is shaking up the routine and the altering the process until you find a new combination of habits that meet you where you are.

However, for a lot of us, the turmoil reaches deeper than that. A lot of people who do creative things are neurodivergent, so that has a place in the conversation when discussing what's preventing us from realizing our vision. Even if you don't identify with specific neurodivergence, there are a lot of tools and techniques that have been tried and tested for coping with immense, intrinsic difficulty with things like productivity, mindfulness, interoception, focus, and consistency. Just because these techniques are not specifically designated for you doesn't mean they won't be effective for you.

It is always a helpful exercise to take a step back and examine how you're feeling, both when you are writing and when you aren't, and try to identify any areas where you might be able to improve by changing things within your control.

When it comes to a specific scene holding you back from carrying on, I usually find that it's the result of a decision I made earlier in the plot that isn't serving the story as it continues to develop. I would take a chunk of time to take an analytical look at the scene, where it's come from, what is and isn't sparking in it (is the stagnation mostly due to the characters, events, environment, or lack of information, and is it a scene that is imperative to the reader's understanding?). A lot of the time, it's a scene that can be cut, or it's a scene that can be made redundant by infusing the necessary information of the scene into another place within the story.

If you've identified a scene as "a difficult scene", ask yourself why. If it's daunting because it's too long, then it can probably be cut way down and then added to later if while editing it seems a little thin. If it's challenging because things aren't falling into place and you aren't getting into a flow, then the set-up for the scene probably hasn't been developed effectively and you need to decide whether you're gonna go back in the draft to investigate or move on and return to it while editing.

If the information in the scene needs to be communicated at this specific point in the story, the problem might be the way you've chosen to present it. Pay attention to what your instincts are telling you, because pushing through a scene for the sake of getting past it will not produce a compelling scene to read. If you need to move past it, you have permission to do that. You can always come back and completely dig it up later.

Overall, I think it's very important to write with acceptance that the plot may not turn out the way you planned it. The process is much more effective and much more enjoyable if you aren't trudging along on a predestined path. If the characters and story develop outside of the lines, see where they go. You'll always have the opportunity to return to the outline and tailor later.

Best of luck,

x Kate

#writing #writeblr #writespo #writing advice #writing tips

[wordsnstuff]

31 Days Of Prompts: Wordsnstuff January Writing Challenge

– You all wanted a 31 days of prompts challenge for the month of January, so here is a writing prompt for every day of the first month of the year! If you use one or all of these prompts in a post on Tumblr, please tag it with #wordsnstuffjanuary so I can read your writing! At the beginning of February, I’ll pick my three favorite pieces to shout out on the blog! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: some of these are obviously more time consuming than others so if you need to switch some days around to fit your schedule that is totally understandable. The goal is to complete one every single day, so if writing day 24′s prompt on day 13 will make that possible, by all means, do you.

Does it get easier?

What is a “best friend”?

If you had to go back in time to change an event in your life, what would you choose?

Describe love.

What is your personal rock bottom?

Is love a feeling or a choice, and how do you know?

Why do humans create art?

How do memories evolve over time?

Find an old picture of yourself and write about how you felt in that time of your life. How have things changed? How have you changed?

At what point does a dream become a wish and not a goal?

Everything is free and you can do anything you want, so instead for money you work for how much time you’re allowed to live.

What are you addicted to?

What has to happen for somebody’s advice to make a difference?

You have a habit of speaking to yourself in the mirror. One day, the mirror starts responding.

If you could be anywhere doing anything right this second, away from your troubles and worries, where would you be and what would you be doing?

Write about your darkest secret without actually telling it.

Everybody always says that some risks are worth taking. Write about a time when the risk wasn’t worth it.

If you had to live through one memory of your life over and over again for eternity, which one would you choose?

Tell the story of one of your most treasured possessions.

Describe your own life as if you were setting up the exposition for a movie. Is it a drama? Comedy? Rom-Com?

Write about the end of a chapter in your life, whether that be moving out, the end of a relationship, losing someone close to you, or otherwise. 

There are many ways in which people can die to us. What are they?

“I used to think…”

What is the most set in stone rule you can think of? What situation would you need to be in to break it?

Would you rather live your life free or safe?

What are you working so hard for?

Do you feel more like a main character, a supporting character, or a villain?

What will it be like when you are successful? 

How much of last week do you actually remember?

Write about a book that has changed your life

What is your personal definition of “famous”? What qualifications are there for being famous?

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Tag What You Want Me To See With #wordsnstuff !

[wordsnstuff]

31 Days of Fantasy - December 2020 Writing Challenge

–  This month’s theme is fantasy, though the rules are a little different. Instead of doing a full story for every prompt (unless you’re up for it), the challenge is to brainstorm and write at least 500 words pertaining to each day’s prompt, and then on the 20th choose the writing prompt you were most inspired by and submit a short story around the initial blurb. Submit your draft by the 31st and every story submitted under the hashtag will be in a wrap-up post on the 3rd of January! I encourage you to post your daily responses to the prompts, but it’s not required in order to be featured in the wrap-up.

 I look forward to seeing all of your guys’ responses here using the hashtag #WNSfantasy and over on Instagram, where you can tag me @ writingandsuch.

This challenge begins on December 1st, but I always post a day early to give you some time to plan stuff out, because you may need to switch some days around to accommodate your schedule. You’re free to do one day’s challenge on another day if your schedule doesn’t allow enough time to complete that day’s challenge. Best of luck to you!

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☼ Prompt List ☼

After defeating the great evil that had plagued their nation, the hero decides to settle down, now as a farmer, in an obscure town, far from the action. Little did they know, but their arch enemy decided to do the exact same thing. Now, they are neighbors. x

You already had everything you wanted from your first two wishes, so you used your third to free the genie from his lamp. The resulting burst of magical energy destroyed the area like nuke. You wake up 3 weeks later with the ability to wield magic, but the world is in apocalyptic shambles. x

You are the last worshipper of an ancient goddess. Today she asked you out for a date. x

You are a vampire hunter with no martial skills or powers. Your blood, however, is toxic to vampires. x

You are the weakest, scrawniest, least powerful god in the entire Pantheon. But when the mortals finds themselves in a really dire situation, when they are hopelessly outmatched and their doom is near, they pray to you. You are Runt, the patron deity of underdogs. x

You, a 600-year-old vampire, found a good friend on an online forum. After being in touch for some time you decided to tell him/her the truth, but it turns out that he/she thinks you’re just being fantasied or watched too much Twilight. x

The dragon thought it was another “noble knight” coming to try to rescue the princess, but it was a beast tamer, here to tame the dragon instead. x

A demon gets transported into a witches world and meets a young witch. Now, the witch has to keep her out of trouble, and find a way to get her back to Hell. x

Most people in your family have powers. You thought you didn’t have any, only to recently discover you are a human voodoo doll, and want to use this power for good. x

Once a year for a month, gods and goddess from all different cultures come down on Earth in human form. They still have their abilities. You are one of them. x

A fantasy world is under attack by a dark god, who uses and weaponizes an song to puppeteer and influence those who hear it from the shadows. The group trying to stop them knows this, but all seems for nought when one of their leaders hums the melody during a meeting. x

When you and your friends rented this mansion in the middle of nowhere for holidays, you didn’t expect the owners to be a family of slashers. But there is one detail your hosts didn’t plan: of all the victims they could’ve chosen, they fell on a Coven of witches. The hunt begins. x

The Curse was simple, if anyone told the prince how handsome he was, he would die. To avoid this fate, his family convinced everyone that he was a hideous monster. To break the curse, someone had to love him for his heart, not his face. x

It’s the year 2015, after living 300 years as a vampire and never meeting a werewolf or a witch to make your nemesis, you realize you’re the only supernatural species in existence. As time goes by you slowly descend into an existential crisis as you don’t know what to do with your immortal life. x

You always thought your fantasy novel was a masterpiece and disagreed with its many critics. That was until you were sucked into your world and witnessed it yourself. x

You were kidnapped by a Dragon as a living treasure. However, it turns out that the dragon treats you better than the villagers ever did. x

You have just learned that you’re half demon. Suddenly the crazy things that happened at all of your birthday parties start to make sense. x

Due to the powerful, nearly uncontrollable magic residing within you, the village has locked you away - not because of any crime, but because of their fear. Until the day that something much more terrifying arrived. x

Any drawing that your youngest child, (age 3) creates instantly becomes real/accurate. Your child has no concept of consequences, and cannot stop drawing. x

AND FINALLY, DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH THIS SENTENCE: Not all stupid decisions lead to a grand adventure, but all grand adventures begin with a stupid decision. x

☼ Possibly Helpful Resources ☼

Resources For Fantasy/Mythology Writers

20 Mistakes To Avoid in Fantasy

Guide to Writing Fantasy

Commentary on Social Issues In Writing

Resources For Writing Royalty

Dark Quotes & Prompts

How To Make The Journey Interesting

General Tips on Chase Scenes

Tips on Writing Fight Scenes

Tips on Writing Chase Scenes

Best Friends-To-Lovers Prompts

Enemies-To-Lovers Prompts

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : High Middle Ages & Renaissance

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1600s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1700s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1800s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1900-1939

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1940-1969

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1970-1999

Guide To Writing Historical Fiction | Part II

Guide To Writing Friends To Lovers

Guide To Writing Enemies To Lovers

Resources For Writing YA Fiction/Romance

Guide To Writing Will-They-Won’t-They

Guide To Writing Forbidden Love

This list of prompts was made to offer a wide variety the sub-genres included under “Fantasy”. The main connection here is magic, not exclusively the medieval, Tolkein-esque version that is most commonly associated with Fantasy. All prompts are from the reddit /r/writingprompts page, and credit to the original posts are linked on the (x) next to each prompt. 

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Shoutout to my $15+ patrons, Jade Ashley and Douglas S.!

[wordsnstuff]

Word Count/Productivity Tracker

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

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Overall Sheet

This is my cherished word count tracking spreadsheet that I’ve been using for a long time to track my word count and productivity. I use this sheet for all of the writing I do, including fiction, nonfiction, academic, personal, etc.

It’s extremely useful if you want to get an idea of how productive your writing routine is, and if you typically work on a diverse set of projects (like myself) it helps you track your productivity in each one. I used to keep a kind of timesheet as well, where I would document which times of day I worked in which projects and for how long, and this can be helpful for that too.

I got a lot of requests to share my system and make a post breaking it down, and I’ve also created a template you can copy and use yourself in good sheets or excel.

View it in Google Sheets | feel free to make a copy and use it yourself :)

Keep reading

#nanowrimo resources #nanowrimo #productivity #tracking

[wordsnstuff]

How To Actually Get Writing Done

– I’ve seen so many posts on how to feel productive, but not too many on how to actually be productive. I do firmly believe in the power of mindset but that only does so much if you’re not actually going to sit down and get to work. I hope this is helpful to those who need it right now, whether you’re facing the end-of-the-year deadline or you’re trying to finish an essay before Christmas break is over or if you’re just trying to get out of a writing rut. This, as always, is my advice derived from personal experience and it may not work for everyone, but if this can so much as point you in the right direction, it has served its purpose.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Do you really want to spend this time writing? Or do you need to get that essay done? Is the laundry piling up in your closet, forming into the shape of a demon that’s going to scare the crap out of you tonight? If there is one thing I can pass onto you as advice, it’s to write with a clear mind. I’m not saying that you can’t write if you have other responsibilities, but writing to escape the million other things you know you need to do is not going to make that weight leave your shoulders and isn’t going to allow you to create good content either. it is much easier to be creative when the boring chores of reality aren’t nudging at your brain whenever you get stuck on a word that sounds wrong.

Eliminate All Distractions

Social media is not the only distraction there is that’s keeping you from writing. If you need to get stuff done, realize that maybe it isn’t wise to have two friends over to “study”. Be honest with yourself when the situation is starting to get critical. Do not set yourself up to fail by turning Netflix on in the background because “the noise just makes me feel more comfortable when I’m alone”. That’s what ASMR is for. Don’t make excuses for the fact that creating distractions is a form of procrastination.

Say No To Yourself

Your brain is going to tell you “Just one more YouTube video” or “Just a 30 minute power nap” or “I’ll have more time to write tomorrow anyway”. Ignore that voice. Recognize that that, forgive me if I offend you, is BS. You cannot have faith in the convenience of the future if you want to be a successful writer. If you constantly depend on the cozy belief that you will feel it tomorrow or that you don’t have anything going on tomorrow so you can spend today doing whatever and shove it all on future you, you are going to get slapped hard by reality a lot sooner than you think. Train your mind to hear that voice and respond with “no, there is a good to fair chance that something unexpected is going to pop up tomorrow and that right now is the only time I’ll get to get this done, so I’m going to power through and do it now” because it is much better to have it done early than be worrying about it later on.

Write What You’re Excited About First

So, it’s common sense that you’ll be more motivated to start writing when you’re excited about what you’re writing, so start with that. This is one of the oldest pieces of advice in the book, but it’s popular for a reason. If you need to, start at the end or the middle or a scene you’ve been thinking about a lot recently or whatever. Even if you go back and edit one of your past scenes to throw yourself back into your own story, it’s ok. It’s allowed. Do what you need to do to get into it.

Just Get Started

I promise you that writing is more fun and exciting and a lot easier than you think when you just do it. Even if you know that what is coming out of your pen is garbage, just enjoy it. Fool yourself into thinking it’s the best art there has ever been and sometime into the writing session it will become such. If you tell yourself what you’re writing is golden, it will become golden. Confidence is pretty much everything when it comes to writing, because the confidence shows in the final product at the end of the day. Just remember, like everything else in life, you just have to fake it until you make it.

Face Reality

You’re not going to get 10,000 words written and edited and ready for publishing in one day. You’re not going to wake up tomorrow any more motivated than you are right now. You aren’t going to suddenly feel ready to write your entire book if you spend an hour scrolling through inspirational quotes on Tumblr. You are never going to be more ready to write than you are now, so stop making excuses and procrastinating and read this as a sign: start now. Don’t second guess it, don’t spend time making your surroundings perfect and outlining the chapter ad nauseam. Just write. Right now.

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Showing vs. Telling

– At long last, it is finally here; The long awaited guide to showing instead of telling. This is obviously a very divisive subject in the writing community, so if there’s something you disagree with, that’s totally fine. These are simply my tips based on my own experience and you can take or leave whatever is useful to you. I hope this is helpful. Happy writing!

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Don’t Be Ambiguous

It is important to note that showing is mainly about conveying exactly what you mean to your reader. Telling is so dangerous in writing because it’s very easy for readers to interpret information that is told to them in a way that throws off any one of the elements of your scene. The best way to catch these instances of telling is to identify moments in which a reader could ask “what do they mean?”

Take those moments, for instance, if you were to write, “the woman was pretty”, and clarify what pretty is in the context of your story, or your perspective as the author. People have different definitions and associations to words, and your job, when it comes to showing, is to make your definitions and associations as clear as possible.

Use Strong Verbs

Showing does not mean telling in a more roundabout way. It means taking a bland description without any imagery and rewriting it in a way that paints a picture in your reader’s mind. You do this by using strong verbs and powerful words. For instance, instead of saying “hit, looked, walked”, you’d say “struck, peered, trudged”. See what I mean?

Balance

As a writer, you need to understand that there are no hard rules. There must be balance to everything, and despite how universal this “rule” may seem, you should know that it’s not that black and white. Here are two tips to help you keep balance between showing and telling.

Don’t overwhelm your reader with information that is unnecessary. If your reader can continue without knowing a detail, don’t include it, and don’t justify keeping it to yourself because you want to bulk up the word count or sound fancy.

When you’re telling, be brief about it and make sure that the inclusion of the detail is imperative to your reader advancing in the story.

Showing Through Dialogue

Dialogue is a really great way to show a reader character traits that showing through description never could. The way a person speaks, the words they choose, the manner in which they respond to things, are all great ways to give your reader information about that character. Use this to your advantage so that you don’t have to spend extra time describing it later.

When You Should “Tell”

When the number of words it would take to show instead of tell a piece of information isn’t worth your reader’s time

When you’re essentially repeating information the reader already knows. In this case, you’d say “so-and-so explained what she had said” instead of reiterating what she said and reaching a point where your writing is redundant.

When you want the reader to form their own emotions around the events in a scene, rather than planting them in their mind. Telling allows for the reader to have some emotional freedom, but this should come in little bits. Approach this excuse to tell with caution.

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Guide to Drafting

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Planning v. Discovery

The first thing you must decide when you embark on the journey of drafting a story is how you’re going to get it done. Typically, there are two groups you can fit into, though most writers are somewhere in between. There are writers who plan meticulously before they begin writing to create a very clean first draft, or there are discovery writers (otherwise known as “pantsers”) who find more success in choosing a premise and then using a zero draft to explore the idea before gluing down any details. You are most likely someone who falls between those two methods. Some initial planning to feel familiar with your idea before you do some of the planning through the writing itself. Having some semblance of a method will help you narrow down your own process, which is immensely important if you want to get any substantial project near completion.

Keep reading

#nanowrimo resources

[wordsnstuff]

Happy Halloween!

With NaNoWriMo beginning tomorrow, I want to wish good luck to all participants and recirculate this as a potential directive tool to help you reach that word count!

x Kate

Pieces of A Novel - Wordsnstuff November Monthly Writing Challenge

The idea of this challenge is to plan one piece of your story per day. For those participating in NaNoWriMo, this may be a helpful tool to use in conjunction with your daily writing goal. This can help you sustain inspiration, and it can help you find that balance between careful planning and spontaneity that many struggle to maintain.

This tool is designed to help you plan and/or write a longer story in a short amount of time, particularly a novel. If you choose to both plan and draft each scene assigned to each day, you should in theory have a near complete first draft of your story in a single month. Instead of basing the challenge on a word goal, it's organized into a list of tasks. Once all/most of these scenes are planned or written, you will have a nearly complete draft, missing only the scenes unique to your story.

The inciting incident of the beginning of your story.

Establish your protagonist(s) core need and bring key characters into the picture.

A scene that progressively complicates the beginning of your story.

A scene that establishes the protagonist(s)'s strengths and/or weaknesses

A scene that creates a crisis question at the beginning of your story.

A scene that foreshadows the arc of the main characters.

A scene that climaxes the beginning of your story.

A scene that establishes what the protagonist wants, versus what they think they need, versus what they actually need, as well as what they're willing to do to get it.

A scene that resolves the beginning of your story.

A scene that gives the reader a glimpse into the antagonist's power, needs, or goals. Alternatively, if there is no antagonist, a scene that establishes the background of the main challenge the protagonist is trying to overcome..

The inciting incident of the middle of your story.

A scene with a twist—something new happens. A new friend, minor antagonist, or new information arises as a result of the middle inciting incident.

A scene that progressively complicates the middle of your story.

An unexpected twist gives the protagonist(s) false hope. An important clue or weapon arises.

A scene that creates a crisis question in the middle of your story.

A scene that establishes how the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) motivations could become their downfall.

A scene that climaxes the middle of your story.

A scene that reveals the protagonist(s)'s and/or antagonist(s)'s greatest fears.

A scene that resolves the middle of your story.

A scene that foreshadows what the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) will gain/lose in the process of pursuing their goal.

The inciting incident of the end of your story.

A scene that establishes that there is no turning back for your main character(s)

A scene that progressively complicates the end of your story.

A scene that establishes how the main character(s)'s strengths/weaknesses help or hinder their success

A scene that creates a crisis question at the end of your story.

A scene that establishes what the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) learn once they initially succeed/fail

A scene that climaxes the end of your story.

A scene that answers one of the major questions of your story, or resolves an important dramatic theme.

A scene that resolves the end of your story.

(bonus) A scene that hints to the continuation of the story, if a sequel is to come.

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Masterlist

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Hi! I’m Kate!

Welcome to all the newcomers, and hello to all those who have been around a while. Just a quick tour/reminder:

Here is my masterlist, where you can find all my articles and original posts categorized neatly for your convenience.

Here is where you can make post requests or ask general questions.

Here is my Ko-Fi if you’d like to push your request to the top of the list by making a small donation.

Here is my Patreon, where I will soon be posting lots of early articles and testing new content for the blog!

Here are the other platforms where you can find wordsnstuff:

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Happy writing!

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[wordsnstuff]

Hi everyone! I’m attempting to restore Wordsnstuff to a regular schedule on here, and I’m considering spicing it up by adding a new type of content here and across other platforms.

I’d appreciate your input and please feel free to add any other ideas you’d like to see realized.

x Kate

Wordsnstuff Podcast Test Sample (3:39)

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[wordsnstuff]

Writing Prompt

A romance between an insomniac and a creature they see during sleep paralysis.

Tag your responses with #wordsnstuff // Ko-Fi

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